SPELLBOUND

Leon immediately squatted before Evie at Zolan's signal. "Please get onto my back, Princess." He said and Evie did as she was told without any hesitation. She was not going to pretend to be strong and end up slowing everyone down, or worse, endangering everyone's life. She knew when she can push herself and when to pull back.

Once she was tucked securely on Leon's back, Zolan stood by her side and asked. "Are you ready, Your Highness?"

"I'm ready," Evie replied Zolan and nodded at him with determination.

Zolan was relieved at the sight of her firm expression and clear eyes. It was amazing that she was this composed and even fearless. Even elite vampires – like them for example – felt fear, especially during that first time they had embarked on a journey into this land. They knew that the dangers here were real and not to be taken lightly.

He remembered that apart from Prince Gavriel, every single one of them were quite tensed up and a little anxious. It was normal for everyone to feel that way upon entering a very dangerous zone. But this princess does not seem to feel the fear at all. Perhaps, she was at least somewhat nervous, but she was certainly a lot calmer compared to them when they first stepped foot into this land. Well, what could he expect? This woman had extinguished a dragon's fire and even commanded it. This should not come as a surprise to him anymore.

"Princess… I know we are just your subjects now and that we are here to protect you, but if it possible please do tell us about your plans and what you are trying to accomplish in this journey." Zolan said and Evie looked at him with an unreadable expression plastered on her face.

She understood very well what Zolan was trying to say to her, and after thinking through, she had decided that she was not going to hide anything from them. These men were her husband's most loyal men. They would even sacrifice themselves for her and even though it had not been long since she had met them, Evie already had this unwavering trust on every single one of them. It was such a strange feeling. But she was so glad. It is so very reassuring in having these men around, whom she could trust with her very life.

"How long would it take for us to reach the heart of the land?" Evie asked.

"We will try to follow the route we used when we were here previously, so it should only take us a few days."

Evie was surprised. She actually thought they would be able to reach their destination tonight!

"Is... is it because of me? I think I'll be fine if we travelled at your pace." She argued, looking so sure.

"Er… it's not actually because of you, princess. We are going to proceed slowly because of the beasts that are roaming in the area. There are strange creatures here that appears out of nowhere. We have to slow down our pace so we would be able to avoid them if and when they suddenly appear. It is just too risky taking the chance of fighting against these beasts." Zolan explained. "We will also try to avoid the spots occupied by some certain types of ferocious beasts, so that would also take us on a detour. Back then, we have chosen to fight against them, but that route is too dangerous. We have lost so many comrades back then. That's why we'll try to avoid those spots. We will try to get you to your destination as soon as possible but also in one piece and without a scratch. And the best way is to avoid fighting to death with the beasts." 

"I understand," Evie could only say. She must have been underestimating on how easy this journey would be. Of course, the path would always be treacherous. Especially one that is of such importance like this one. She sighed deeply to herself.

"But do not worry, Princess. We will try our best to reach there as fast as we could." Zolan smiled and Evie nodded at him. "Alright… you can think about what I said. I mean about your plans, Princess. You can tell us once you're ready."

The moment Evie agreed with a nod, the men finally made their move.

Though Zolan said they would proceed slowly, their pace was still much faster than what Evie had expected. And she was quite pleased at it.

She wanted to peek out of the protective enclosure Leon had her in and look about, but Leon was quick to tell her that she should not as their pace was still very fast. The winds might hurt her eyes if she did so. They did not stop running for hours.

Though Evie knew it was still daylight, she could tell that the further they got towards the heart of the land, the darker it seemed to become. Then suddenly, they halted.

The next thing Evie heard were sounds of familiar growls she had heard before. When Leon put her down and pulled out his sword, Evie saw the wolf-like huge beasts she and Gavriel had encountered in the dark valley. The men had encircled her and only Leon stood by her side, protecting her.

Evie grabbed her weapons too, but none of the beasts came any nearer to her. She watched the rest of the men fight these wolf-like beasts. She of course felt a little fear, but it seemed she was getting more and more immune to these things now. She no longer trembled like before.

In no time, every single one of the wolf-like beasts were all dead. The snowy ground was painted with dark blood. Back then, Evie could not even make herself look at the creatures.

But at that moment, she took a step closer to one of them and realized that these creatures actually looked somewhat magical despite their ferociousness. And she suddenly wondered why this land was filled with ferocious beasts such as these.

"Let's go, princess." She heard Leon's voice call out to her and with one last glance at the dead creatures, Evie turned and hoped onto Leon's back again.