Chapter 2: Escape
The airship groaned as it descended over the forested hills of Bosco. Its metallic frame shimmered under the last rays of sunset before finally docking at the old port station. Nova and Ronan stepped off the platform and were immediately met by the scent of pine and the distant calls of birds echoing through the borderlands.
Nova glanced around. "Do you know the way?"
"Just come with me," Ronan said confidently, leading the way through the scattered crowd.
As they walked along the winding trail toward the border, Nova looked up at the sky and asked, "You got any siblings?"
Ronan hesitated before replying, "Yeah... I have a sister. You?"
"I got a little brother. Raphael," Nova said quietly, a moment of silence hanging between them.
Soon, the faint murmur of voices and metal boots reached their ears. Armed guards lined the stone wall separating Rua from the rest of the world. Nova ducked instinctively, dragging Ronan behind a crumbling structure.
"Damn, there are so many..." Nova whispered.
Keeping low, the two crept alongside the wall, moving between broken crates and overgrown brush. But as fate would have it, Nova misstepped, colliding straight into a tall man in uniform. The man grabbed him by the collar, eyes narrowing.
"Hey, kids. What are you doing here?"
Ronan stepped in fast. "Nothing. Just exploring!"
"This isn't a place for games," the man barked. "Where are your parents?"
Before Nova could speak, Ronan flashed his royal passport.
The guard's eyes widened. "Giordano…?"
Without waiting, Ronan kicked the man in the chest, sending him crashing into a stack of barrels. "Run!" he shouted.
More guards noticed the commotion. Guns raised but none fired.
"They're kids!" someone shouted.
That didn't stop the chase. Nova grabbed his axe from his back and swung it wide to scare them off. The guards hesitated just enough for him to dart forward.
Ronan, already ahead, punched one guard, then spun and kicked another across the knee. "You're not bad at fighting!" Nova shouted breathlessly, catching up.
Through the trees, a shimmering lake came into view. A motorboat sat tethered by a dock, bobbing slightly in the water. "There!" Ronan yelled and leapt onto it.
"Keys!" he shouted, realizing the ignition wouldn't start.
Nova turned just in time to see a guard lunging at him. With a grunt, he ducked, kicked upward, and snatched the keys dangling from the guard's belt. Seven more guards poured in behind him, shouting.
He tossed the keys. "Catch!"
Ronan grabbed them mid-air and jammed them into the slot. The motor roared to life.
Nova sprinted across the dock. A bullet whizzed by but missed. Just as the boat started moving, Nova jumped, barely catching the edge. Water splashed as the guards fell behind, some even tumbling into the lake.
Panting, Nova pulled himself up, soaked and shivering.
"Damn," he gasped, dropping into the boat seat. "That was close."
"You're telling me," Ronan laughed, pushing the boat forward. "Why was it so easy? I thought crossing a kingdom border would be harder!"
Nova looked back. The walls of Rua were already fading into the distance, but his eyes stayed fixed on the silhouette of the castle. Somewhere inside, Raphael was safe or at least, he hoped.
Ronan stretched his arms and let out a sigh of relief. "Finally... we made it. We're out of Rua!"
The wind howled across the lake. Nova sat in silence, unsure if what they'd done was brave or reckless but it was done.
Far behind them, in the heart of Rua, inside the grand marble halls of the Giordano Palace, King Henry Giordano sat alone on his throne. Torches flickered against stone walls as his disciple entered the chamber.
"Your Majesty," the disciple said urgently, "The prince… he left the kingdom."
Henry didn't flinch. "Alone?"
"No, sir. He wasn't alone. A boy with brown eyes was seen with him."
The king leaned forward, eyes narrowing with a calm, calculating gleam. "I see..