Tale of the Princess

XXXVI

After the gang fought their way to each other, they rushed through the rest of the distance and jumped into the vehicle. A tense moment ensued where Hira tried, and failed, to start the vehicle and it sputtered indignantly. 'Come on, come on,' she kept muttering until it roared to life. With a whooping cheer, she backed out of their spot and drove through the forest that surrounded the camp.

Shyra could hear multiple vehicles behind them in pursuit, and even though they were driving at full speed, their pursuers sounded like they were beginning to catch up.

"Goodness, can't we leave a place without someone chasing us for once?" Naor grumbled as he leaned back to check on the progress of their pursuers. "Looks like we'll have to pull a few evasive maneuvers."

"Alrighty," Hira said, and Shyra saw her hands tighten on the wheel before she jerked the vehicle to a sharp left. "Things are about to get bumpy, people. Better hang on if you want to make it to the end."

Everyone on the vehicle collectively tightened their hold on various things around them, and hung on for dear life as Hira pressed her foot on the accelerator and began taking dizzying turns through the forest. Shyra's world soon began to spin, and everything became a blur of trees, sky and screaming as they raced ahead of their pursuers.

The moments passed with a strange dizziness, and before she knew it, they entered the city with a startling bang on pavement and wove through crowds of people and tall buildings. The army followed suit behind them and began instructing people to clear the roads as they chased after them.

"How much longer until we reach the port?" Shyra asked, gripping her seat with such force that her knuckles turned white.

"Around ten nimishas?" Hira guessed, her tense eyes flicking to the rear view mirror, where they could see the army gaining on them. "Luckily they seem to be helping us as well by taking out the crowds."

"Yeah, well, I hope that help is enough for us to make it out safely," Arina muttered from the back seat. Hira offered a grim chuckle in response and stepped on the accelerator, making use of the empty streets and paved roads.

"We'll need something to throw them off as well," Naor muttered, turning around and squinting at their pursuers. "Probably some toppled barrels or goods or something."

"I'm on it," Arina said, pulling out a long spear from under their seats and leaning it through the window. The butt of the spear caught on various boxes filled with fruits and vegetables, and spilled them onto the road.

Ahsan took a similar spear and began toppling huge barrels filled with oils and various liquids. Together, they wreaked havoc on the smooth pavement and drew loud cursing from the army vehicles. Shyra giggled at the frustrated noises that sounded like music to her ears, and glanced at the side mirror to see the officials getting out of the vehicle and kicking it in frustration.

The crew shared a good laugh over their impromptu escape, and the rest of the journey passed smoothly as they wound down and narrated the journey through each others' point of view.

At that moment, Shyra felt her worries about her husband and the other kings fade away, and she leaned back in her seat and contributed to the conversations with stories and laughter.

"We're almost there. Get ready to make a quick getaway onto a ship," Hira said, glancing at the side view mirror out of habit. Everyone sobered down and readied themselves as Hira suggested.

The sight of the massive ships and their promise of a clean escape filled Shyra with relief, and she allowed a small smile to grow on her face as Hira parked the vehicle in the dense forest and they continued on foot. Arina gave them all their required papers, and they clutched them between tight fists as they stood in line for the ships.

"We're safe now," Shyra heard Ahsan say, and the phrase caused a trickle of unease to seep into her mind. Wasn't that a saying that jinxed every stealth mission and endangered the heroes?

Before she could joke about it and ease her mind, however, Arina gasped and pointed towards the beginning of the line, where the soldiers they had shrugged off were talking to the port authorities. The ground swayed beneath Shyra's feet and her stomach lurched. They weren't safe after all.

"It's alright, there's no need to panic," Shyra mumbled. "There's a chance that they're just here for a routine check. There's a chance they're not the people who chased us."

"And what if they are?" Arina replied, squinting at the figures.

"Then we run," Naor muttered, balling his hands into fists. The others nodded grimly and moved along the line, bodies tense with anticipation. As they drew nearer, the nagging feeling in the back of Shyra's mind grew, and she had half a mind to run away right then.

"We're almost there," Arina muttered, as though sensing Shyra's nerves. "Just hang on for a while."

Shyra nodded and exhaled, shaking off her nerves as she came face to face with the guard. He squinted at her face and extended his hand. "Documents please," he said in a gruff tone.

Shyra's throat tightened as her hand drifted to the dagger hidden in her dhoti. Would now be the right time to pull it out?

"Lisa, your documents are here," Arina called out from behind her, and a sleek tablet was pushed into Shyra's hands. Her face stared up at her from the screen, and the blinking cursor displayed the words 'Likitha Suhan' as her name. She numbly passed it to the guard, who swiped through the documents with a hmph and gave it back.

"You could have saved everyone the trouble by carrying your own device, young lady," he said, giving her a grumpy look before ushering her forward.

A huge weight felt like it eased from her shoulders, and she tried not to smile as she walked up the ramp into the belly of the ship. If her checkin was this easy, the other's should be as well, right?

Arina was passed forward at the same pace, and Shyra almost broke into a dance by the time Hira made it through. Now only the boys were left.

"Hey!" a man in uniform yelled, startling them as he pushed through the lines and made it to the base of the ship. "I'd shown you a few sketches of the fugitives, right? Did you morons even bother to cross-check them with each passenger before allowing them?"

The guards gulped and glanced at the ship, where all the passengers were staring anxiously at the scene.

"There's no time left, sir. The ship leaves soon," the head of the guards said, bravely shuffling to the front and standing his ground. "We're performing the necessary background checks on each passenger who has gone through."

The military chief looked like he was about to explode with anger, and he glanced around with fury etched in his stance when his gaze landed on Ahsan and Naor.

Shyra's blood froze as she exchanged horrified glances with Arina and Hira. The chief stared at them for a kshana longer and began stalking toward them. Naor's hands clenched into fists, a sign that he was about to run. He glanced back at Ahsan and exchanged a message that was lost in the wind.

And then all hell broke loose.