Page 51 of The Time Of Queens

“It doesn’t matter, for sometimes the time given to us is all we have and in this one, he made his decision, just as I now make mine.”

“So what is the plan?” Sophia asked, as if it had already failed before I could even step foot from this house.

“I will go to London, find Jared, and try and get him to help me.”

“Then what? You think he will go up against my brother by coming here with you by his side?” Sophia replied, trying to cast doubt my way.

“You said it yourself, you shouldn’t even be here, which means you most likely won’t remain for much longer. I will just wait it out until I can get to the fountain. After all, I only have to make it as far as tossing in a coin. The rest, Janus will take care of,” I told her, knowing this was my one and only option left.

“But…” Sophia was about to argue further but this was when Pip intervened. My friend who had been quiet during this exchange now placed her hand on Sophia’s shoulder and told her,

“We have to let her go. If this is her path to take, all we can do is help her on her journey.”

Sophia finally relented at this, and with it her shoulders slumped before she conceded.

“Fine, but just so you know, I think you are making a mistake,” Sophia said before walking out the door, making me shout after her,

“Where are you going?”

she stopped at the top of the stairs and told me,

“Where do you think…?To get you the carriage.”

A little timelater and Sophia didn’t disappoint. As I might not have been sent on my way with a coin in hand, but I did have enough money to get me to someone I knew would have one. Of course, I had no idea what would happen once I got there and faced the HellBeast himself. But I couldn’t think about that now. No, my mind was still solely owned by another King, and one that had just cast me out of his life.

As for the journey ahead, I had some food packed and a few of Pip’s dresses in case I needed them. The carriage ride would take about seventeen hours to get to London from Worcester. But with the stops needed, it would be two days travel at the most. My only hope was that by the time Draven came back, I would be long gone, and he stood by his decision to let me go. He was then free to spend all his attention and efforts on getting back his Chosen One.

And as for that Chosen One, she was currently in the carriage making her way to the very last place he would have ever expected her to go…The Devil’s Ring.

Even the weather seemed to mirror my heartbreak as the rain battered against the top of the roof and ran down the windows.

I couldn’t stop replaying Draven’s words over and over again. But then as I did this, they quickly started to morph into those that were said to me thirty years prior. Which was why I soon found tears left in me heavy enough to fall. For they had yet to run dry, making me wonder if they would by the end of this journey.

My biggest insecurities came back to haunt me like some underlining past trauma that had nothing to do with being kidnapped. Had nothing to do with being tortured, starved, andkept locked up for weeks. Had nothing to do with trips to Hell or finding myself in the middle of a battlefield. No, it was all based on being rejected by the man I loved.

My biggest nightmare.

And speaking of nightmares…

“Whoaa… easy now… who goes there?!” I heard the driver say as he suddenly stopped the carriage.

I didn’t know how long I had been travelling for or how far we had reached. But at a guess I would say as far as a little over an hour of travelling would get us. I wondered what the holdup was which gave me reason enough to open the window. I ignored my hair getting wet by the rain as it lashed against my face when poking my head out long enough to ask,

“What is it? Why have we stopped?”

Of course, the moment he told me, “There appears to be a man standing in the road, for I swear it is like he came out of nowhere!” My heart started hammering in my chest as I knew exactly who it was. Clearly, my desire to leave wasn’t great enough for him to want to let me go just yet.

As Draven may have asked me to leave in favour of his Fate.

But as for his heart…

That was one thing…

That Fate didn’t own…I did.

20

MISTAKES MADE

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