The road had grown quieter as the afternoon deepened, the group spreading out slightly along the wide dirt path. Ignis walked far ahead, kicking stones and humming to herself, occasionally glancing back to make sure no one had fallen too far behind.

Lilith kept perfect pace with Adam, her steps silent, her crimson eyes constantly scanning the treeline out of old dungeon habit. Behind them, Seraphina led both horses with one hand while her other rested near her sword—ever watchful, ever tense. Elise walked beside her knight, cloak pulled tight against the cooling breeze, but her posture was straighter now, the curse's grip noticeably lighter in Adam's presence.

It was Elise who finally broke the comfortable silence, her voice carrying just far enough for everyone to hear.

"You've all been kind enough not to press me about my family," she said, a small, wry smile touching her lips. "But I think it's time you knew exactly who—and what—we're running from."

Seraphina immediately stiffened. "Highness, you don't have to—"

"I do," Elise interrupted gently but firmly. She glanced at Adam, then at Ignis (who had spun around and was now walking backward to listen), and finally at Lilith. "You deserve to know whose shadow is following us."

She took a slow breath, as though the names themselves tasted bitter.

"I have two younger siblings. Half-siblings, technically—both born to my father's second consort after my mother passed. Prince Cassian and Princess Liora."

Ignis tilted her head. "They sound fancy."

"They are," Elise said dryly. "And they hate that I exist."

She continued walking, her voice steady but laced with old, cold anger.

"Cassian is the elder of the two. Twenty-four. Tall, golden-haired, charming in public—everything a prince should appear to be. In private…" She paused, lips thinning. "He collects secrets the way some men collect swords. Blackmail, poison, whispers in the right ears—he's methodical. Patient. He's already turned half the court against me without ever raising his voice. Every 'accident' that thinned my retinue? Every advisor who suddenly remembered urgent business elsewhere? Cassian's hand, every time."

Seraphina growled low in her throat. "He's a snake wearing a crown. If he takes the throne, the council will become his personal puppet show. Anyone who speaks against him disappears."

Elise nodded once.

"And Liora…" Her voice softened, almost pained. "She's nineteen. Beautiful. Brilliant with magic—especially illusions and enchantment. She doesn't scheme like Cassian. She simply… convinces people. A smile here, a spell there, and suddenly entire noble houses are convinced I'm unstable, unfit, dangerous. She cries beautifully when it serves her. The court adores her. They call her 'the gentle princess.' They don't see how her gentle suggestions always end with my allies isolated or disgraced."

Ignis frowned, kicking a pebble hard enough to send it skittering into the grass.

"So they both want you gone so one of them can be king or queen?"

"Exactly," Elise said. "But neither wants the other to win. Cassian would rather see Liora dead than let her wear the crown. Liora would poison Cassian's wine tomorrow if she thought she could get away with it. They're locked in their own silent war—and I'm the only thing standing between them and absolute power."

Adam spoke quietly from the front, without turning.

"So they let the lich hunt you. Kept you weak. Isolated. Hoping the curse—or the Deathless King himself—would do their dirty work for them."

Elise's laugh was short and bitter.

"Yes. They made sure I had no allies left to protect me. No guards loyal enough to die for me. No resources to fight back. They waited for nature—or necromancy—to take its course."

Seraphina's voice cracked with fury.

"I stayed," she said fiercely. "I stayed when everyone else ran. And I'll keep staying until the day I die—or until she's free of this nightmare."

Elise reached over and squeezed her knight's arm—tight, grateful.

"I know, Sera. I've always known."

Ignis spun back around to face them, walking backward again.

"That's messed up," she said bluntly. "Your own brother and sister trying to get you killed so they can play king and queen? Humans are weird."

Lilith tilted her head, genuinely curious.

"In the dungeon, we killed each other for food, territory, power. It was honest. This… hiding behind smiles and whispers… it feels more cruel."

Elise's smile turned sad.

"It is. Crueler than any blade. Because it wears the face of family."

Adam finally turned his head just enough to glance back at her.

"So you're not just running from the lich," he said quietly. "You're running from your own blood. And you're willing to die on this road rather than let them win."

Elise met his eyes—gray against crimson.

"Yes. Because if I go home and claim the throne now, I buy peace for a few years at most. Then I die, the curse passes to one of them, and Melium falls into a civil war that will make the Deathless King's old rampages look like a skirmish. I won't let that happen."

She straightened her shoulders despite the lingering weakness in her limbs.

"I will reach the Archivist. I will break this curse. And if I live long enough… I will return and take back what is mine. Not for power. For the people who still believe in what Melium could be."

A quiet fell over the group, heavy with the weight of what she had just laid bare. Even the wind seemed to pause, as though the hills themselves were listening.

Adam exhaled slowly through his nose, the sound almost lost beneath the soft clop of hooves behind them. He didn't look away from her.

"Then we keep moving," he said simply.

The afternoon sun had begun to slant westward, casting long shadows across the rolling hills. The group had settled into a steady walking pace, boots kicking up small puffs of dust on the dry trade road. Ignis had stopped her constant darting and now walked beside Adam, occasionally stealing glances at the two horses trailing behind Seraphina. Elise kept up remarkably well, her breathing even despite the lingering pallor. Seraphina walked at her side, leading both mounts, eyes scanning the horizon out of habit.

Lilith was the first to break the comfortable quiet, her voice calm and analytical as always.

"According to what Philip told us last night," she began, glancing toward Adam, "the main trade road east leads directly to the border. After crossing the checkpoint, it enters the territory controlled by Duke Arkwright. His lands stretch for several days' march—fortified, heavily patrolled, but the road itself is well-maintained and relatively safe for travelers."

She paused, crimson eyes narrowing slightly in thought.

"If we stay on the road, we will pass through at least two major checkpoints: one at the border proper, and another deeper in Arkwright's domain, near the town of Red Hollow Pass. Both are manned by Solaria's border guard and the Duke's personal knights. They check papers, auras, cargo… everything."

Adam nodded once, not breaking stride.

"We stay on the road."

Seraphina looked up sharply.

"You're that confident?"

Adam shrugged.

"Elise says her Veil of Kin will mask us. I trust her word on that."

He glanced back at Elise, who met his eyes steadily.

Elise inclined her head.

"I do. The veil rewrites your aura signature completely—as long as I'm conscious and within arm's reach when we cross the first ward line, the border mages will read you as human citizens of Melium. Travelers. Nothing more. No draconic essence. No void-touched shadow. Just… ordinary people."

Ignis tilted her head, curious.

"So we just… walk up, smile, and they wave us through?"

Seraphina snorted.

"Not quite that easy. They'll ask questions. Where you're from, why you're traveling, how long you plan to stay. If your answers don't match your forged papers—"

"We'll have papers," Elise interrupted smoothly. "I still carry the royal seal. Even in exile, it's valid for border passage. I can issue temporary travel documents for all of us. They'll hold up under normal scrutiny."

Lilith's voice came again, thoughtful.

"And the second checkpoint? The one in Arkwright's territory?"

Elise answered without hesitation.

"Same veil. Same documents. Arkwright is loyal to the crown, but he's also practical. As long as we don't look suspicious and our paperwork is in order, they won't dig deeper. The Duke's knights are more concerned with smuggling and demon raiders than random travelers."

Adam rubbed his chin.

"So we play it straight. Walk the road. Answer questions. Don't give them a reason to look twice."

Elise nodded.

"I'll handle the talking at the checkpoints. I know the protocols. You three just stand behind me and look… human."

Ignis snickered.

"Should be easy for Adam. He already looks like a grumpy merchant who lost his wagon."

Adam shot her a dry look.

"Keep it up and you're walking behind the horses."

Ignis laughed, but quieted when she saw Elise's expression turn serious again.

The princess looked eastward, toward the distant haze where the border waited.

"If we follow this plan," she said softly, "we should reach Red Hollow Pass in four days. From there, it's another three to the Archivist's last known location—an old tower in the foothills beyond Arkwright's eastern march. Seven days total… if nothing goes wrong."

Seraphina muttered under her breath.

"When has anything gone right lately?"

Elise squeezed her knight's arm.

"We're still breathing. That's right enough."

Adam glanced back at the group—five mismatched souls bound by necessity, desperation, and the faint hope of answers.

"Then we keep walking," he said simply.

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