CHASE

Terra hit her head on the carriage's roof and collapsed. The coachman tried to calm the horses but ended up being thrown off by them. He landed on a large rock by the side of the road and was dead instantly. The horses stopped a few kilometers away from where the coachman's corpse lay. Solemn opened the carriage door to demand an explanation from the coachman but only found horses.

Solemn looked at Terra as she lay limp on the carriage floor. Her pale blue eyes were visible from the little gaps in between her eyelids making her look like she was dead. He would have cried for her if he still loved her but his affection for her had died with his father years ago. He thought of closing her eyes but felt disgusted at the thought of touching a dead woman. He walked to the horses and freed one of them to ride on. The horse didn't have a saddle so it was going to be painful to ride on it for too long. He walked a few meters away then he stopped to urinate by a dush. He looked back a where the carriage was but realised that the road had a turn so he couldn't see it. This part off the forest still had fresh trees making Solemn wander what had caused the other trees to rot.

He walked back to the horse in the middle of the road and pulled on the reigns to make it move. The horse didn't fidgit making Solemn feel agitated. He climbed on it just in case it started running frantically again.

"Gee up!" he said to the horse trying to get the horse to move.

It started walking slowly and Solemn felt more at ease. He thought of his dead wife and then he remembered what had actually brought him to Zeth; his throne was at stake. Julius would be made king in a few days. Not only had he failed to push for the engagement, he had even lost his son and wife. A feeling of self pity washed over him. It would even be better to have Julius ascend the throne because he had passed away and not because he was incompetent as a king.

"I agree with you, your majesty." he heard a deep voice say,"Better to die and be mourned than live and be scorned."

Solemn looked in the direction of the voice and found a man wearing a long black cloak. The green plants around him started to rot at once. Solemn didn't want to know who the man was or how he did that to the plants; he wanted to go home. He kicked the horse's side but instead of moving in the direction of the road, it run into the forest Opposite of the man.

The horse galloped faster than Solemn could take in air. He stopped the horse and got down gasping for air. Somehow the air he took in made his lungs feel tight and his nostrils felt like he had rubber chilli powder in them. He covered his nose with his tone and looked around him; still gasping. The place looked fogey and soon his eyes also had the burning sensation. He shut them closed a year formed at the rim of his eyelids but it didn't fall.

Solemn squinted his eyes so he could see the horse. The animal was gone and it didn't even make a sound. He tried to retrace his foot steps and luckily enough, he found the road again. The strange man was not in sight so he continued walking along the path.

"Oh, your majesty. What happened to your eyes?" the man's voice said again.

Solemn broke into a copd sweat when he heard those words. His eyes had become blood shot and he looked like a walking corpse. He saw his death flash before his own eyes. This man looked like a powerful mage of sorts. Solemn wished he had the palace's mage place a protective spell on him before he came to Zeth.

"Please, sir. Don't hurt me, please!" he plaeded without turning to face the man.

The man chuckled and placed a hand on Solemn's shoulder. Solemn felt a shiver ran down his spine.

"Take the horse and get as far away from me as possible. If I find you then I will have your head."

Solemn's horse appeared from nowhere and he hurried to it and got on. He didn't look back even once. Crow watched the retreating man's figure and laughed. He also left the place in a dark cloud he was sure Solemn would see. Solemn looked behind and noticed a thick dark cloud where the man had been standing. He heard the sound of a carriage and rode towards it .

Solemn found the carriage and asked for help.

The coachman looked at him defiantly like he was a nobody. He then proceeded to consulting his master inside.

"There's a shabby looking man out here. Says he needs help getting to Dreg." the coachman shouted loud enough for the man inside to hear.

"Came hither, sir." the man inside said to Solemn.

Solemn felt humiliated but he didn't say anything after all he was going to be dethroned soon. Then he wandered for moment where all his servants were. He came to the carriage's door

and the man inside opened the small window to see him. He looked inside the carriage and sa Terra lying on the soft seat of the carriage. His eyes widened when he saw her breathing.

"Te... Terra? That's my wife! Terra are you alright?" he said knowing the man would take him along after knowing he knew the woman.

"She's your wife? Where were you then when she was about to die?" the man asked not truely believing Solemn's words.

"We were in separate carriages so we where separated. My carriage was...attacked by some bandits and we...I ended up stranded. What happened to her?" he feigned ignorance and lied.

No one would believe him if he actually told the truth anyway. He didn't want to be left behind because he was a mad man.

"I do not know." the man said opening the door for Solemn to enter," When we got there, the was a black wolf about to enter the carriage and she was unconscious. A little before that we found a dead man who I suppose was the coachman."