Over the course of the next day, Dustin, Kyle, and Michelle managed to make their preparations for a westward desert trek without arousing any suspicions. As far as Nathan, Kelly, and Jude were aware, it was just another day of going through the same routine. By the time Kelly called all the men to dinner, Dustin had stowed away all the necessary supplies in a corner of Kyle's workshop, Kyle had obtained directions and a crude map to Forbache, and Dustin could only assume Michelle had picked some fine weapons to bring along.

So throughout dinner, Dustin and Kyle attempted to act as much like their normal selves as they possibly could. Dustin expressed excitement over the next day's lesson with Nathan to give off a sense nothing was amiss, and Kyle agreed to help his mother reorganize a few shelves in the study.

By and by, bedtime came around, and the two entered their quarters as usual. Dustin lay still for several minutes until Jude began gently snoring across the room, and then he snuck out. He crept down the hallway and headed for the study, where Kyle had agreed to meet up.

The only illumination in the house was a gentle glow from the depths of the study, which brought Dustin right to Kyle's position. They exchanged a glance in the flickering light of the lantern in Kyle's hand, and Dustin reached to take a few of the pack bags strewn about.

"And so it begins..." Dustin whispered as the two headed forward to take their first load of supplies outside. "Where did you say we will rendezvous with Michelle?"

"Her shack." Kyle replied simply, "I took our animals there just before dinner."

"Wise thinking."

The two didn't talk much as they carried out their work. After all, attracting attention was the last thing they wanted to do. They simply carried their load of supplies to Michelle's shack, where Kyle immediately set to strapping the bags to the pack animals. He sent Dustin and Michelle back to grab the rest of the bags while he completed that task.

With that extra trip, they took the last of the supplies. Excitement and dread alike fluttered in Dustin's breast as they headed outside, glad to be almost escaped, but also keenly aware there would be consequences whenever he returned.

So in a few more minutes' time, Dustin sat atop Consequence at the head of a sort of triangle formation, with Michelle on her camel slightly to the left behind him, and Kyle riding his own camel to the right. The three riders advanced at a casual pace the camels seemed well accustomed to, but Consequence constantly attempted to push ahead.

It took Dustin's eyes quite a while to adjust to the darkness outside as they ambled on. After all, the only sources of illumination were the distant stars, and a faint sliver of the waxing moon resembling a fingernail. Whatever lay beyond a few yards out was a mystery to the young prince.

Speaking of which, just when the trio had almost reached the edge of the Pikalanite settlement, Dustin glanced up, and a shadowy shape at the very edge of his current range of vision gave him pause. Though indistinct, the silhouette stood almost double the height of a man, with much greater width in the bottom half than above.

A few more cautious steps forward, and Dustin was able to identify the figure as a person sitting atop an animal. He squinted and laid a hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"Who goes there?" he called with unsureness in his voice.

No reply came Dustin's way for some time. Only a stifling silence that caused him to squirm both inside and out. Glances back at Kyle and Michelle respectively in turn failed to make him feel any more assured of himself.

"This is still a foolish idea." Jude's voice finally cut through the darkness from the shadowy figure, "You'll bring war to Monterayne's doorstep and quite likely, death to yourself as well as others."

Dustin glared. "I already know your opinions on this matter, son of Holt. And I commanded you to speak to me no longer on them."

"You may be a fool, Dustin, but you're still my friend. And you're the heir to the throne of my country. The way I see it, I accompanied you all the way out here to keep you company, keep an eye on you, and render what services I may. Vigorously as I oppose your intentions here, I will not abandon that duty."

"How did you know I had not given up on the idea like I claimed I had?"

Jude's laugh caught Dustin off guard. "I have known you too long to believe you'd give up so easily. And you and Kyle are not nearly as secretive as you think you are."

Dustin glanced back at Kyle, who appeared equally offended. Then he turned back to Jude with crossed arms. "You have spoken nothing with Sir Korynn, have you?"

"Not a word."

"Well...take up the rear, then. I am...grateful for your loyalty. And I apologize for speaking so harshly with you."

Hooves crunched on the sand as Jude moved to join the group. "Apology accepted. I simply beg you still to consider the consequences of whatever actions you propose to take."

"The way I see it, I am delving out consequences. Consequences for murdering innocent Forbacheans."

"When your father's wrath rests upon your head for bringing war to Monterayne, all I ask is that you bring to mind that I warned you many a time."

Dustin closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "Noted. Now, onward we go."

So the quartet of mounted youths made their way gradually westward through the darkened desert. The coolness of night made the travel surprisingly pleasant, with the only significant detraction on Dustin's part being the fear of encountering ghoulish entities in the dark with none nearby to deliver them. But if Kyle's informant from among the gatherers had been correct, by this time the next night, they'd be safely in Forbache.

****

Nathan awoke with a yawn and a big stretch the next morning. He winced when the movement pulled on a muscle in his shoulder, but he managed to release the tension with a gentle pop. After taking second to wake up fully and gather his thoughts, Nathan slid out of the bed and patted his blanket gently back into place. Before leaving the bedroom, he made his way to Kelly's side of the bed and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek as she continued to slumber.

Nathan put on a light shirt before making his way to the kitchen for a drink of water. But on the way there, he passed through the dining room and spotted a small square of parchment on the table. With a quirked brow, he plucked it up and glanced over the blotted lettering.

"Sir Korynn," it read, "As it turns out, Dustin has not relented from his folly. He, your son, and your apprentice have stolen away together to Forbache, their purpose there as clear to you as it is to me. I have departed to accompany them, not only to keep Dustin as safe as possible, but to facilitate your discovering us quicker if I may. Our footprints should be fresh in the sand still, so follow quickly.

—Jude"

A deep sigh left Nathan's nostrils as he set the parchment back down on the table. He closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation at the Monteraynian prince's reckless ambition. Also suddenly weighing on his mind were concerns for the other two. Surely Kyle knew better than to go against his father's wishes, but yet he behaved no differently from Dustin. Even normally level-headed Michelle apparently had made herself part of the conspiracy.

The whole walk back to his bedroom, Nathan hardly stopped shaking his head for a moment. He'd intended to allow Kelly to sleep in bliss until he woke her up for breakfast, but now he'd have to awaken her prematurely, and for such disappointing news.

When he'd entered the room and made his way to her side of the bed, Nathan reached down and gently grasped Kelly's shoulder. Calling her name and giving her a quick shake readily brought her around, and after giving her a second to fully sit up, Nathan cleared his throat.

"There's no good way to say this," he said carefully, "but Dustin's taken flight to Forbache. He took Kyle and Michelle both with him."

Kelly's light blue eyes opened wider, and her lips parted. "I thought he had been persuaded to relent."

"That's what I thought too. But that was all a trick, I guess. Jude went with them too, but more for the purpose of helping me track him down. He left a note on the table...wants me to follow 'em."

"You should. If word came our way that the heir of Monterayne perished because you did nothing, I know you wouldn't sleep well."

Nathan grinned ruefully and pecked Kelly on the lips. "You know me too well."

"I would certainly hope so after all this time." she remarked with a loving smirk.

"Very true. Well, if you could help me prepare to set out as soon as possible, I'd much appreciate it."

"Of course! You've gone quite a while without such missions, Sir Korynn."

Nathan chuckled as he reached for Kelly's staff and placed it in her hand. "It is amusing Monterayne calls for my help even from the wildlands."

"You are one of a kind, Sir Korynn." Kelly jested, easing herself to her feet. "In days gone by, you helped win a war; now you must prevent one."

"Amen to that."

And so followed an hour or so of preparations, packing foodstuffs, copious water, and a few survival tools just in case Nathan lost himself in the desert. Fastening his old scabbard to his belt again and hanging a shield on his back couldn't help but make Nathan feel nostalgic for times long behind him. The amusing thought occurred to him that he would soon be able to credit himself with protecting two generations of Monteraynian heirs—Princess Katherine Alder many years ago, and now her son, Prince Dustin Rickland.