The Asra spread out as they started to search for the young prince and his guard. While some of the warriors entered the jungle to look for the two, Selke led the remaining men towards the kingdom border, making sure that they covered the entire area.

The closest kingdom to Zalana was Vatham and Norei while the other kingdom that shared its border with Zalana was too far away from the castle for the young prince to reach there in time and protect himself. Selke thought about each kingdom and the possibility of it being the prince's choice. He had to be careful for even one small mistake would lead him to lose the young prince forever and that was not what he wanted.

"My Lord," One of the men interrupted Selke, compelling him to break out of his stupor.

"How are we going to split from here?" He continued, ignoring his commander's dark gaze. Although he too had been as terrified as the others when he had seen his commander kill their companion in the blink of an eye, they had chosen to forget it the moment the man had died. If they continued to dwell upon it, they too would meet the same fate as him and that was the last thing he wanted.

Selke stared at the two paths in front of him. His choice now decided his fate as well as that of Asra. The young prince was a wolf cub. So what if his parents were gone? It was not impossible for him to build an army and return to avenge their deaths. Moreover, he had a very formidable guard with him.

Lukariah was not an ordinary guard, Selke knew it. Although he had never fought with the man, he had heard stories about his battles and the man had remained undefeated all these years. With such a capable knight protecting and guiding him, the prince was in secure hands. So, he had to kill them both if he wished to put an end to this.

Selke's expression turned grim while his men waited for him to decide, not daring to speak a word. With his eyes narrowed, Selke looked at the moon that was as red as the blood that coated the walls and the floors of the castle of Ialthair. The moonlight illuminated his path and Selke whipped his horse, directing it towards the path he had in mind.

While most of the men followed him, the others took the other path as they started to search for their prey. As Selke rode his horse on the path, the wind blew past him, hitting his face hard until his jaws turned rigid and tears rolled down his cheeks. But he did not stop or slow down.

'Mael, I will not allow you to escape from me. I am done tolerating now.' He thought and whipped his horse again, forcing it to increase its pace.

Meanwhile, the men who had chosen the other path stayed vigilant as they looked for their target. Although the chances of finding the two men on this path were less, considering which kingdom this route led to, they still did not lower their guards.

The prince had to die and if they allowed him to escape under their gaze, then they too would meet the same fate as the man, who now had joined the maids and servants of the castle of Iarlaith.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"How long are we going to search for them, Sir Lowe?" One of the younger men who was new to the Asra questioned. He was tired and cold and all he wanted was to find a safe place to warm himself up.

The man who was leading the small group glanced at him before he let out a smile. Impatient. He thought and shook his head mildly. He too had been in that phase once and he knew why the young man was asking this question.

When he had joined the Asra more than a decade ago, he too had complained to his leader about the cold in a similar situation. But all he got in return was his leader's laughter, confusing him for a moment. He had not understood why the man had just laughed at him.

But now, after spending years with the Asra and fighting battles with them, he discerned the reason behind it, especially when the young man, now, had asked the same question as him.

Instead of being silent, Lowe did not hold back. "Young man, you will find out the answer when the time is right. Be patient until then."

His mysterious reply only served to baffle the young warrior and he did not respond for a long time. By then, they were nearing the borders of the two kingdoms.

From where they were, they could see the scattered lights faintly illuminating the neighboring kingdom that bordered Zalana.

"Be prepared," Lowe ordered and everyone in his group turned serious at once as they prepared their weapons, ready to kill the guards who were protecting Zalana at the borders of the two kingdoms.

Just as they had expected, the warriors of Zalana attacked them the moment they saw Lowe and the other members of Asra approaching them.

The warriors of Zalana had no idea about their kingdom's precarious situation and their prince fleeing from the castle. Nevertheless, as soon as they saw the men charging towards them with weapons in their hands, they prepared for the sudden battle.

Although they put up a good fight, the warriors of Zalana were not capable of defeating the Asra. In no time, all the men of Zalana lay dead while Lowe had only lost two fellows in his troop.

Lowe clicked his tongue and shook his head as he prayed for the two dead men. Although he pitied them for their fate, he was not aggrieved and definitely not in sorrow at their deaths. Some sacrifices were inevitable, Selke had thought him. In order to achieve greater things, one had to let go of some things, things that would only hold them back.

Glancing at his men behind him who had similar expressions as him, he nodded at them as they started to explore the area, trying to find their prey. But even after scouring the place for a long time, they found no traces of the two men.

Eventually, they gave up and were just about to return when the young man, who had questioned Lowe before, called him suddenly.

"Sir Lowe, have a look at this." He exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear and all the men rushed towards him on hearing his shout.

"What?" Lowe gave him a perplexed look when he found nothing.

"Sir Lowe, look." The young man raised the torch in his hand and Lowe immediately saw what the man wanted to show him.

It was a door. Precisely, a secret door, one that was made of stone. At first glance, it was impossible to make out that it was a door. It resembled just a boulder, camouflaging brilliantly with its surroundings. Lowe doubted if he would have even noticed it in daylight. Only on a closer look, one could find it to be different and Lowe's eyes sparkled when the realization hit him.

He barely had time to rejoice when he heard voices from inside and his eyes widened immediately. He knew who was inside and his lips arched into a smirk, his eyes gleaming evilly. Lowe gestured for his men to stay silent as they moved away from the door, hiding for the time being.

Moments later, when Mael and Lukariah had barely stepped out of the passage, Lowe and his men surrounded them.