“You can call me Ryder, and don’t worry. For the time being, I’m the only ally you have here.” Ryder smirked in the darkness. He actually felt superior to this fallen queen now. Sure, she had a whole kingdom to now rule, but only to have it taken from her in the same instance. It was amusing to drag her through the bowels of Valeria’s sewers. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
The rest of the way was spent in silence. Ryder was actually surprised. He knew that he had led her in circles more than once. The sewers were confusing, winding and twisting, and he had never been in them before. As part of his assignment, Ryder was shown a map of the escape route, but a clear, bird’s-eye view did little when actually in the dim muck of it all. He expected her to be chewing him out for getting her lost in the stench cloud. Aside from his own fallacies, Ryder at least expected to hear quiet sobs or whispered threats as they felt through the dark. Gwendolen was silent the whole way.
Ryder could only guess the girl was still in shock. The battle hardened general, torn up by a simple coup. She probably saw her father die, but she was a warrior princess. She should have been able to handle it better. Though, Ryder couldn’t claim he’d be entirely immune to the effects, either. Just losing his comrades, some of which he didn’t even like, had shaken him up more than expected.
Perhaps it was sheer dumb luck, but Ryder managed to lead the princess to an exit. Runes etched in to the wall were glowing like candlelight as they approached. Ryder pressed his hand to it. Gwendolen bumped into him and he released an annoyed sigh. He mouthed the word Modith and the wall slid away. The light blinded them for a moment. His eyes adjusted and the hills of Valeria came into clarity. The rolling greens were famous for their sea of colors when the flowers bloomed in mid Spring. It was a lovely sight, or so Ryder heard. The hills were a faded green this close to Winter.
“Right, princess, I think we should make for Ravenhold. My brothers and sisters can protecct you until you figure out your next move.” It was a true enough statement, but not why Ryder wanted to go. The words of the soldiers still echoed in his head. Ravenhold would be next. He had to warn the others. Truthfully, he didn’t know how safe it’d be. Somebody betrayed the other Ravens. It was the only way Kayel and the others could have been caught so off guard. Ryder shook the image of Ravens piled on top of each other out of his head and started towards the sea of green.