Chapter 6: The escape plan

Amelia’s POV

“Are you sure, if I run away tonight, would that not be considered treason”

I have been called a lot of things, and I have been through a lot of things. I know the Lycan King, Talon, has maltreated me but running away sounds too extreme.

Charles looked at me and sighed, “You need to run away Amelia, you just took a big risk by making this potion and giving it to the king, the whole pack knows you did it, Amelia, if the potion does not work, the whole pack will come after you, Amelia”.

“What if it works and the king discovers we ran away? You are his second in command Charles we can run away, he needs you by his side”

“No Amelia you do not understand how dangerous it is outside the pack, you need someone to protect you, Let you Amelia, please,” Charles said looking into my eyes.

“How do we escape from here? The palace is massive, with high walls and heavy gates, guards are patrolling the ground ready to attack and arrest anyone who dares to leave the pack” I said in frustration.

“I am Talon’s beta Amelia, I know every nook and cranny of the palace, there are many escape routes, escaping is not going to be easy, but it will be worth it” Charles held my hand, looking into my eyes, he wanted to give me a chance, to escape this cruel place I was sold to.

“The palace is shaped like a giant U, with the courtyard in the middle, the left wing is where the servants and staff live, and there are some hidden tunnels and passages that lead to outside the palace.

Tonight, when the moon is shining brightly so you can see the guards clearly, the guards will be patrolling the courtyard, I will distract them for some time while you carefully climb over the wall and find your way to the garden, I want you to hide in the old shed, I will come to meet you there” Charles said making me gulp.

“Did, did you just say the old shed? The old haunted shed? No Charles I can not stay there, I am scared” I said in fear.

“Trust me, Amelia, it is not hunted, just a made-up story by guards who hide their liquor there,” Charles said laughing, he was enjoying this.

“I will meet you in a few minutes” With that I left Charles alone.

Going back to the staff quarters, I felt a knot in my stomach.

“What if this does not go as planned, what if we get caught, or the guards see us escaping and chase us around the city, what if we are sentenced to death for this” biting my fingers, I paced.

“Psst, psst” I heard someone, turning around to see who the person was, I was surprised to see Charles.

“What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to leave when the moon was shining brightly” I asked, pulling him inside.

“We have an opening, all the fierce guards are with the king, let us go,” Charles said, pulling my hand.

I was stuck, if I escaped and we got caught my life would be made hell, if I did not escape my life would still be hell.

Helping me climb over the walls, Charles was right behind me, turning around, I bumped into him.

“Ouch,” I said rubbing my nose, “ you are like a walking wall”

“And you should open the door, and hide in the shed quickly. Someone is coming,” Charles said, pushing me inside the shed.

“It is so dark in here, I can not see a thing”

I leaned on what I supposed was the wall, only to find myself plunging headfirst into a winding tunnel, I screamed for help.

“Charles! Charles! Save me!”

“Oh quit it, drama queen, you are fine,” a voice said.

“Charles is that you?” I wanted to be sure it wasn’t a guard.

“Yes it's me Amelia, now stop shouting or you will attract the guards” Charles answered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Crawling slowly through the tunnel, I could hear the sound of dripping water and the wind blowing through the tunnel.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours, I was getting tired.

“You know that saying Charles, there is always a light at the end of every tunnel, there is no light at the end of this tunnel” I screamed as I felt something run over my fingers.

“Stay right there,” Charles said as he crawled towards me, pushing the big door, alas, the light at the end of this tunnel.

Crawling out of the tunnel, I was standing on the other side of the palace fence.

I felt an overwhelming sense of joy, the kind that freedom brought. A sense of relief and joy, I was finally free from the darkness of the tunnel.

I was free from the pains and suffering, free from the humiliation I had to endure in the palace.

“What next Charles, where do we go from here”.

“Come with me” was my reply, Charles held my hand and walked towards the forest.

“Why, why are we going into the forest Charles, only werewolves who were found guilty of treason are sent to the evil forest”.

I was beginning to get scared, I was scared of the forest and it was dark too.

Looking up at the sky, I could hardly see the moon.

My heart raced as we stepped into the forest, I could feel the bushes moving, it felt as if the forest was alive.

The trees were moving, slowly growing bigger, it felt as if they were closing in on us.

I heard a twig snap, hiding behind Charles, and my heart pounded against my chest.

“Someone is following us, stay here I will be back soon,” Charles said as he drew his sword out of its sheath, walking towards our stalker, his footsteps were muffled by the soft earth.

Alone, in the dark, I was scared to death. Holding the hem of my dress, I wished I followed Charles.

I heard a low growl, turning around, I saw a pair of red eyes staring at me.

“Who are you?” I mumbled.