The first mistake was slowing their pace. Knowing that the border was only a few hours away, they allowed the horses to rest. The second one was letting down their guard despite all their suspicions. Again, because Castro's territory was within their reach.

But no matter how much she scolded herself, it didn't change the fact that they were ambushed. The soldiers weren't wearing any uniforms, using an old trick to disguise themselves as bandits. Their military training and standardized weapons couldn't hide their origins, though. With the knights fighting fiercely, the group broke out of the encirclement and left a small grove. Here on the plain, they rushed with full speed, trying to distance themselves from the enemies as much as possible.

The arrows pierced the ground under the horses' hooves. Cornelia looked back - the pursuers were following them. The horses they used were not of the best breed, but they were rested, unlike those used by Castro's delegates. They were outnumbered, and a few men had already been injured. Running away seemed like the best option, even though it was not the most honorable one. ‘But the question is whether our horses could hold out until the border?’

The sudden noise and scream made Cornelia look back again. The ambassador's aide was riding in the rear. He had struggled with his stallion several times before but assured them he would manage. However, now Mr. Webber lay on the ground, having been thrown from his horse. Enemy cavalrymen were already closing in.

She hesitated for just a second before spurring her mare. The voices of her knights could not shake the girl's resolve.

"I'll get him!"

As if this could ease their worries. Dietrich called out to her, turning his own stallion around. His voice was filled with fear.

"No, Your Highness! It's too late!"

But she was racing towards the fallen man. Staggering, he tried slowly to get back on his feet. When he looked up, a tiny spark of hope lit up in his eyes. 'He is not a confident rider, and I'm not strong enough to lift him up at full speed', it was risky, but she had to stop so the man could get on the horse.

"Hurry, Mr. Webber!" The princess lent him a hand and released her leg from the stirrup. She was hoping to reduce the time they were not moving to a bare minimum. The man grabbed her hand, but before he could even raise his own foot to lean on the stirrup, the air filled with whistling sounds.

It was too late. Tens of arrows were released simultaneously and rushed towards the target. They were in the open without any shields or means to avoid the hit. The only thing Cornelia could do was to bend more and cover the man who was holding her hand.

Yet the arrows didn't pierce her flesh. A strange splashing sound drowned out the weapons' whistling. Raising her head, Cornelia noticed a familiar figure in front of them - Sieg. But all her attention was directed upwards, at the sky. Above them, as a dome, there was a thick layer of water in the air. One after another, the arrows hit the liquid, and their speed slowed until they seemed to hang in the sky. At first taken aback, the pursuers kept firing arrows in the hope that at least some would reach their target. As they changed angle, the water layer widened, though its depth decreased.

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Their commander shouted, "Stop! Stop shooting!"

Sitting on a horse, Sieg moved his hands in a gesture as if turning something. Everything changed in an instant. Drowned arrows turned around from the current inside the water layer. Both allies and enemies watched the movements of Sieg's hands like enchanted. He took a stance as if holding an invisible bow, moved his hand back pulling the just-as-invisible bowstring. Then he released it. All the accumulated arrows broke out of the water, rained down deadly rain on the previous owners. When the last one hit the ground, no one remained standing.

Cornelia felt like the man holding her hand started to tremble. Only then did she realize she was holding her breath. With a conscious effort, the princess inhaled. She glanced at Sieg. The guy lowered his hands, looking at the enemies. Among the pursuers, there was still a faint movement, indicating that someone was alive. As Cornelia began to speak, her throat felt dry, and her voice sounded hoarse.

"Than..." she didn't even finish a single word. Her voice was drowned out by Dietrich's scream.

"Your Highness!" the knights surrounded her, creating a wall between the princess and Sieg. Led by Sir Berg, their determination to protect her was stronger than their desire to scold her for her rash act. Cornelia noticed the sword in Dietrich's hand and frowned.

"Please stay behind me," the knight said, glaring at Sieg. "We don't know what's on his mind."

"Magic Snatcher," whispered someone, and the others picked up his words. Cornelia had only heard or read about the term before. It always seemed more like a fairy tale or a means to slander a competitor than a real phenomenon. Therefore, she usually disregarded all rumors about humans who could use magic, as if they were figments of imagination, just like the griffin on Castro's coat of arms. Now, from the mouths of her knights, the term sounded like some kind of curse filled with horror and disgust.

Yet, even in the face of open hostility, Sieg remained calm.

"I will go first. Please hurry to the border too." With these words, the young man urged his horse on.

The sound of his voice finally made Cornelia come back to her senses. She called out to him, but the horseman was riding at full speed towards the border. Mr. Webber finally released her hand, and she took this opportunity to turn her mare around. Before she could do anything else, Dietrich appeared in her path. His face was pale, but his voice sounded unusually cold.

"Your Highness, first we need to check on the survivors and find out who was behind the assassination."

"You are right, but it's dangerous to split the group."

Her reasons that the knight often tried to hear at least, were firmly shaken off now.

"Magic Snatchers aren't humans. They're abominations created to be weapons. It's good that he separated from our group, but we still need to remain vigilant..."

A moan coming from the pursuers' party interrupted their talk. It was not smart to waste time arguing when other enemies might appear at any moment, so Cornelia decided to stop. She glanced in the direction of the border one last time before heading towards the dead and wounded soldiers.