The moment the guard's roar echoed behind" them—"AFTER THEM! "NOW!"—Mikaela and Kaleb reacted instantly. Mikaela dug her heels into her horse's flanks, urging it into a desperate gallop, Leonard's unconscious form held tightly against her. Kaleb spurred his own mount while simultaneously grabbing the reins of Leonard's riderless horse, struggling to keep both animals moving at speed.
"Royal Guard... the King's personal dogs," Mikaela thought, panic tightening its icy grip around her heart. "They recognized him. They know Leonard's wanted. If they catch us..." The thought of Leonard being dragged back to the capital, subjected to the King's cruel justice, was unbearable.
"Kaleb!" Mikaela shouted over the thunder of hoofbeats. "Our horses are exhausted! They won't make it back to Saito's cabin at this pace!"
