When I wake, Rulf's sitting over a fire. He's cooking a small rabbit that appears to have just been caught. From the light, I'm guessing it's early evening. My mind's a little slow, but I think that means I've only slept for an hour or two.

I pull myself up. I don't like the way I feel, but my body tells me I'm not going to sleep any longer. The others are all still out. Hemot lies on his back in a weird position, sprawled over his pack, and he's snoring like there's something seriously wrong with his throat. I feel sorry for him and try to push him into a better position, but in his sleep, he fights me off bravely. I leave him to his misery and drop down next to Rulf at the fire.

A moment later, Ellcia wakes up and sits down beside me. Rulf doesn't say anything to us. Instead, he just focuses on the rabbit. I'm guessing he has multiple snares set up, but he must have caught one quickly. I'm glad. It smells great, and I can't wait to dig in.

Ellcia and I chat for a little while, but I find she's not really in a talking mood. I am, so I turn to Rulf. He's a hard one to get information out of, but I've settled into the idea that I can learn bits and pieces here and there.

"Thanks, Rulf," I say.

He looks surprised for a moment, then asks, "For what?"

"For all you're doing. We wouldn't be alive today if you weren't with us. None of us knew how to hunt or fight or to watch out for the assassins."

Rulf grunts a reply. When I look at him, I have to remind myself that he's a smart guy. Nothing about his appearance comes across as anything more than a brute.

I decide to dive into some of the topics we're all quite curious about. Hemot, Marleet, and Mic all appear sound asleep. Maybe it's a good time just to focus in and chat. "Hey Rulf, why does the Regent want us dead?" It feels good to ask that question. Until recently, I had been really holding onto the hope that the Regent really isn't a bad person.

Rulf turns the rabbit on the spit a little more and then asks, "What do you know about the rebellion?"

"We studied it a lot in school. The Airite tribe wanted the throne. There had been a king from the Airites nearly a millennium ago, and they wanted the throne back. No one suspected them as they were considered a peaceful tribe and citizens of Sevord. Once enough of them were in the city, they attacked the castle, killed the King, and would have held the throne if it were not for the Nobles. The soldiers moved in under Lord Parthun's command and killed the rebels, taking back the throne. He took on the role of Regent as there was a rumor that the Prince survived. The Prince was right around our age at the time. Hard to know where he'd be now."

As I spell all that out, I'm filled with doubt. The Regent has not proved to be as honorable as I thought he was—perhaps much about that story isn't accurate.

"No," Rulf says.

I wait for more, but nothing else seems to be forthcoming. "No, what?"

"No," Rulf says. "The Regent was behind it all."

I shake my head. I'm pretty sure I believe him, but I just find myself struggling to accept what he's saying.

"Can you tell us more?" Ellcia asks quietly. "Tell us what actually happened. And tell us about who we really are."

"I can't tell you who you really are," Rulf says. "The Captain told me not to."

Anger builds in my chest. The Captain has always been against me. He's known all along who I really am, and yet he's kept it from me and is trying to keep Rulf from telling me.

"You don't have to listen to the Captain."

"Yes," Rulf says, "I do. He's one of the few soldiers in the castle loyal to the throne. I'd listen to him even if it cost me my life."

I wasn't quite expecting that level of loyalty from Rulf, nor am I prepared to know how to respond to it. Instead, I decide to let that one go. "Can you at least tell us what really happened during the rebellion?" I notice the forest is a little quieter, and I glance at Hemot. He's awake and has his eyes on us, listening intently. Marleet's on the ground not too far from him, also awake and listening, and Mic has propped himself up against a tree.

Rulf grunts at me but nods his head. I'm hopeful we can actually learn something. "The Airites are the nomads who live in the Talic Region—not many of them left anymore. Parthun hunted a lot of them down years ago. Before the King was killed, they were upset about trade routes going through some of their areas because the new traders were disturbing their flocks, while the traders the nomads relied on were being veered away from their area. The Airites rely on the right kind of trade of wool and corn and more." Rulf grunts again, and I fear that he's about to stop, but he continues. "The Regent, as a Noble and part of the Royal family, oversaw trade for the kingdom. It's suspected he arranged the conflict and then encouraged the Airites to meet with the King... but I don't know any of that for sure. When the Airites arrived, I was in the secret tunnels. I spent a lot of time in there once I found them. I used to listen in on meetings. I watched the meeting with the Airites and the King. The Airites were angry, but they were seeking help. The King had been negotiating with them when he received word of riots in the streets. Before he could act, soldiers rushed in and started killing people. The King fought back with the Airites by his side, but they had no chance. Only the king and a few of the Airites were spared until Parthun arrived."

"What happened?" I asked, my voice barely audible. I glance around at my friends, and they look as horrified as I feel.

"Parthun came in and killed the King."

I remain silent for a moment. I know it's true, but I find myself slipping back into denial. Ellcia speaks up and asks, "Are you sure?"

"I was there. I was sitting inside the secret chamber where we came through into the throne room." He pauses for a moment, then looks straight into Ellcia's eyes. "I watched it happen."

I look around at my friends. Marleet's crying. Hemot looks angry. And Ellcia... the look in Ellcia's eyes tells me her whole world has just come crashing down.

Rulf pulls me back by saying, "I was sneaking through the castle when the Captain found me. He pulled me into a small closet and told me to get out of the castle and go to an abandoned shop near the cobbler who works just outside the eastern gate of the keep. I was to wait there. He told me he was going to try to get others out of the castle—I think you three were some of the ones he was after. As I rushed out of the castle, I found Mic alone in the streets in the midst of the riots. His parents were both dead. My parents were gone. I took him to the abandoned shop, and we waited. No one came for two days. Finally, the Captain arrived with food and water. He told me everything had changed, and that he couldn't get anyone else out. He said the only thing he could do was to try to keep us alive. He's funneled food, water, and supplies out of the castle to us for over ten years."

My mind spins, but at the same time, I decide to push back. "But he was really rough with you. He acted like he didn't like you."

Rulf nods and gives a grunt. "That's our agreement. If we're ever seen together, he treats me roughly. I'm supposed to just take it and act like I'm scared of him. He used the opportunity this time to give me instructions."

"Can you tell us anything about ourselves?" Marleet asks, speaking up for the first time since we started the conversation.

Rulf pauses for a moment and stares into the fire. He adjusts the rabbit a bit, and I think it might be just about done. Finally, he says, "I can tell you that each of you are either royalty or children of high-ranking Nobles."

I hear a gasp from Hemot and Marleet. I glance over at Ellcia, and she doesn't look surprised. That little comment from Hob must have been swimming around in her head.

I feel sick to my stomach. It doesn't make sense to me, and yet it does. I end up asking, "If that's true, then why would the Regent keep us around and keep us as servants? He even told me over and over that he was so glad he rescued us."

"Rescued you!" Hemot said. "He always made it clear that he was so glad he rescued you, Caric! He never said that to me."

"Or me," Marleet said.

I glance at Ellcia, and she shakes her head.

I frown and feel a little guilty. I had tried to leave out that specific point, but it's true. He seemed pleased to have "rescued" all of us, but especially me.

"It's because you're his favorite," Rulf says. "The Captain said the Regent made you and the others his servants because he thinks it's funny that the children of the kingdom's greatest leaders and royals serve him as cleaning and kitchen staff. He wants to declare to anyone who knows what's going on or to any of your parents if they're still alive, 'Look! I've turned your children into servants. They serve me, the one who drove you out!' He thinks it's all a good joke."

"Then why am I his favorite?" I ask.

Rulf growls at me. "I told you I can't tell you!"

"Then does the Regent want to find the Prince?" Marleet asks.

Rulf shakes his head. "Not in the way you thought. If the Prince is found and people recognize him, Parthun will kill him. This isn't the first time he's sent out search parties into the countryside to find the Prince. The people demand it now and then, and he gives them what they want. But the reason he's sealed up the city and no one can leave without permission is because he's always believed the Prince remained within the walls. He didn't want him slipping out."

I relax a little. It sounds kind of like the Regent doesn't know who the Prince is or exactly where he's been all these years. I had started to think I was the Prince and just didn't know it. I almost laugh out loud at the absurdity of it, but I catch myself. I think back to Hob's comment about me and realize he must have just been saying crazy things. I think as well about my memory of being in the throne room and how my dad was in charge of a lot of people... none of that's really evidence of anything. Maybe my dad was a Lord or Duke or maybe a soldier. But doubt remains as I realize that nothing Rulf said really suggested that I'm not the Prince. Maybe that's why the Regent sees me as his favorite. Maybe he really enjoys the thought that the Prince serves him.

"Did you say some of our parents might still be alive?" Hemot asks.

"Who knows?" Rulf replies. "The army was outside the city at the time and some of the Nobles were away. I think the rebellion was planned for when many of the influential and powerful people were gone. It may be that some of your parents escaped." He shakes his head. "However, you have to remember something. If you were still at the castle, at least one of your parents was likely there as well. Both my parents were there when the Regent made his move."

There's silence for a moment. None of us dare to speak at first, but then Marleet gets up and walks over to Rulf. She wraps her arms around his neck and says, "I'm sorry, Rulf."

The look on Rulf's face is confusion mixed with terror. I see him glance over at Mic for support. Mic just shrugs his shoulders and says, "That girl nice. That girl nice."

I see Ellcia squirm beside me, and I hear her mumble under her breath, "I'm nice too. I just didn't want to hug him, that's all. But I'm a nice person."

I'm not sure what to do with all that, so I just let it go. Instead, I ask, "So, why is the Regent trying to kill us off?"

Marleet still has her arms around Rulf. He looks like he wants to run, and I see him glance off into the forest once or twice. At one point, he moves his hands to push her away, but stops like he's not sure if he should touch her. Finally, she lets go, and he relaxes.

He focuses in on answering my question about the Regent killing us as if it will make the memory of the hug go away, but continues to eye Marleet warily. "Well, now that you're out of his control, the Regent would rather you be dead than get out of the city. As for the Vanguards, he wants to secretly kill them off so he can tell the people that he doesn't want to risk sending out any more search parties. However, if we escape the assassins and succeed in finding the Prince, then he'll just know where the Prince is, and he'll arrange an accident. One of the reasons the Captain put me with all of you is to make sure you survive." Rulf stands up and pulls the rabbit off the fire. He says, "I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight. Let's eat."

"Wait," Hemot says. "I have one more question. Are we safe here? I don't understand why you led us through the village. They'll all know where we are, and they'll tell the assassins."

Rulf grunts at Hemot. "The assassins won't talk to the villagers. They'll try to stay out of sight. I went through the village so our tracks would be hard to follow. They won't know which way through the village we went. We should be safe here for the night."

We settle in for our meal of freshly cooked rabbit and some of the cheese and dry bread that we still have left. Our food supply is starting to get low, and I hope Rulf can catch some more rabbits soon.

That night, I find I fall asleep quickly. It's been an exhausting day.

The next morning, Rulf is, as usual, already awake when I open my eyes. As I pull myself up and pack up my supplies in preparation for another full day, I begin to think that I've never actually seen Rulf sleep. He's always still up when I fall asleep and by the time I get up, he's always been awake long enough to check his snares, clean his catch, and start cooking it.

Once again, he has his night's catch over the fire. He caught two large rabbits, a squirrel, and... something else. Whatever it is, it looks meaty. I hope it's not skunk.

I go around and wake everyone else. I'm typically the first one awake every morning, aside from Rulf. My legs are stiff, so it's kind of hard to bend down to shake everyone awake, but I want to wake them gently, so I take my time.

When we're all up, we settle in for a solid breakfast. The fire's dying out, and we're just about done when Rulf stands up quickly.

"What is it?" I ask. "Do you hear the assassins?"

"No!" he barks. "Everyone, grab your packs now!"

We strap on our packs, and I eye the last of the food. It's not been collected, and I hate to leave it behind. I make sure my sword is secured to my side along with my dagger and see that everyone else is ready.

I'm just about to mention the food when I hear them. In the distance, the sound of men's shouts mixed with savage barking. I'm about to wonder if it's a hunting party, when what looks like thirty or forty men come into view. They're carrying sticks, rakes, hoes, clubs, and more. One of the men points at us and screams, "Murderers!"

"Run!" Rulf orders, and we take off toward the east. As we pass the fire, I see Hemot grab the last of the food still on a spit, and he takes a bite out of the side of it as we move.

My legs instantly feel exhausted, and they still ache from yesterday. After a few minutes of running, however, they seem to settle down and don't hurt as much, leaving me feeling less tired than I did at first.

"Why are they chasing us?" Marleet calls out.

"Don't know," Rulf replies. "Do you want to stop and ask them?"

It hits me what's going on. "It's the assassins!"

"No, it's not," Rulf says. "There's like fifty of them. It's the villagers."

"No, I mean, the assassins have done this! That man called us a murderer. I think the assassins killed someone, and the villagers are assuming it was the people who ran through their village yesterday."

I realize I don't have any proof of that, but it seems to make sense to me. Either that or there are some murderers in the area, and we're just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Doesn't matter!" Hemot says. "I think I'm more concerned with not being caught by them than I am with why they are chasing us."

"It's not the men I'm worried about," Marleet says as she speeds up.

I look back over my shoulder, and I find a new burst of energy floods through my body. "Run faster!" I scream.

The men have released the dogs, and the animals rush through the forest toward us. There's not much we can do to slow them down. I want to tell Mic to shoot them, but if he stops, they'll be on him in a second.

Rulf growls really loud and orders, "Keep running! I'll deal with the dogs!"

I don't want to leave Rulf to face the dogs alone, but something about his tone sounds more irritated than sacrificial. He seems to have a way to get through everything.

I keep running as Rulf turns back. I'm scared enough that everything in me wants to outrun all my friends. I'm actually the tallest of all the others, aside from Rulf, and I don't think I'd have any trouble outrunning any one of them over a short distance. It takes all my courage just to keep pace with them. I can't believe I'm letting my fear do this to me.

Behind me, I hear a change in the intensity of the dog's barking. They must have reached Rulf. He's hollering, but he doesn't sound hurt. A moment later, the dog's barking changes to yelps and cries of pain. I dare not look back. I don't like dogs, especially ones that are trying to eat me, but I really don't want to see what Rulf is doing to them to cause them to make that sound.

After a moment, I hear loud crashing through the trees behind me, and Rulf rushes past me and takes his spot in the front of the group as we continue to run. I nearly scream at him. All this time when we've been running from everything, he's just jogging along like he has no concern in the world!

I glance back to see the men still chasing us. They haven't fallen behind all that much, but I think we're slowly getting away from them. The fact that they're without dogs now makes the whole situation a lot better.

We crash through the woods until we find a path. With all the turns we've made, going around trees and rocks and more, I'm no longer sure which direction we're heading. The trees in this area are far too thick for me to look up and see the cliffs to get my bearings.

Rulf leads us to the right, and we follow the path as it winds along. I can't help but notice that if we weren't constantly running for our lives, I would enjoy a walk along this path. A few minutes later, we run across a small bridge that leads over a nice clear brook. It would be peaceful and beautiful, if it were not for the unceasing danger and imminent death with every step.

The only good news is that each one of these chases seems to make us stronger. I can tell that I have far more endurance than even yesterday's experience of fleeing from certain death.

Eventually, we notice the villagers lag behind just a bit more. We use the opportunity to slow down, and I feel like we can maintain this speed for much longer. The path curves to the left and then meets up with a large road that runs right and left from our current path. The new road is well maintained and quite wide. Rulf turns right, and I notice the forest comes to an end a short distance ahead.

When the men behind us reach the main road, one of them yells, "Hurry," and a quick glance behind lets me know they've picked up speed. We push ourselves harder, and in a moment, we leave the forest and enter a large open area. The cliffs break off on either side, heading north and south, and I can't help but think this must be the Talic Region. I had heard that this area is hilly and covered in thick grass and few trees—and that's exactly what's before me. I can't see any people just yet, but I know there are plenty of villages and four large cities.

We rush out into this new region and follow the road as it leads east. There's little opportunity to find hiding spots in the Talic Region. I hope our pursuers give up soon.

"Why did you lead us out here?" Hemot asks between gasps for air. "They'll follow us with no trouble."

Rulf replies with a steady voice. It sounds like he's not even breathing heavy. "I don't think they'll follow us much farther. The Talic Region is too dangerous. Most of the villagers from Switcher Pass don't dare enter it."

"What?" Marleet asks. "Then why would WE enter it?"

"We have to go through it to get to Morgin City," Rulf says. "That's where our papers say we're supposed to go."

I look back over my shoulder and then come to a halt. The men have completely stopped at the edge of the forest. Not one takes a single step further at first, but then one does move forward. As soon as he does, two of the men near him grab his shoulders and yank him back. They then turn and disappear into Switcher Pass, leaving us to go our way.

The whole thing leaves me with the impression that the Talic Region is not going to be any better for us than Switcher Pass.

Maybe this is all a big mistake.