Chapter 80

The wizards were silently watching the group as they stood by each other. Tanet had discreetly handed Kiet back his leg but Kiet didn't put it back on immediately. Pranee eyed the wizards wearily and the tree still swung and raged behind them. It was probably searching for any body it could grab. The tree didn't have eyes but it definitely sensed the change in the atmosphere as it was swinging around more erratically.

One high wizard took a step forward and all of them collectively stepped back. Pranee instantly looked behind her, her eyes met the tree in anxious worry as she felt stuck between two places.

"Go." The high wizard said and three of them disappeared in a blink.

"Everyone run!" Anuman had said it loudly that Pranee could hear the tremble in his voice.

They all scattered in different directions, trying to make their escape.

Pranee bolted towards one of the garden's gates, hoping that she would be able to escape inside. There wasn't much time left. How long would it be until the ceremony was finished?

Something caught on her foot and she felt herself getting entangled in thick vines. The leaves scratched at her arms and she began to struggle in its entanglement. She could feel her wig slipping off her head which only added to the panic that rose in her chest.

"What is this?" She croaked.

A sudden plume of fire engulfed the vines and her body became free within seconds.

"Pranee, run!" Shashi yelled out. They charged towards one of the high wizards with their staff following close behind, flames protruding out of it like it was on fire.

"Pranee?" The high wizard mused. "Is that the traitorous princess? I thought she would look prettier than that."

A few vines shot up from the ground, blocking Shashi's path and their staff slashed at it instantly.

Lightning shot down towards Shashi and they jumped out of the way. They tumbled to the ground, their staff following close behind, only to add injury to the tumble. Their fall lead them to roll next to Pranee, sweat covering their forehead and the fire that lit their staff was now extinguished. They let out a soft groan and tried to lift their head but ended up placing it back on the dirt.

"Shashi!" Pranee found herself sitting there while watching the chaos.

She couldn't just do nothing for long.

"Leave those ones alone!" The high wizard shouted at his colleague, vines slowly wrapping around his body as if to create another protective layer.

"That's no fun," the other one whined. "The one I have to face is missing a leg. I don't even get to fight royalty."

Kiet.

Pranee's eyes searched feverishly for Kiet in the garden and saw him on the ground. His body was trembling and one eye was shut from an injury. The other wizards seemed to be focused on Tanet and Anuman as they had teamed up to fight each other, a myriad of crashes and booms that followed the chaos and her eyes could barely keep up with what was happening.

"You got most of the fun the last time we fought them." The high wizard's vines tightened around his fist, making it look larger and more intimidating. "It's my turn."

Pranee looked around her, trying to think of a way to defend herself. The only dangerous thing was the tree spirit. The tree seemed to be still at the moment and Pranee wasn't sure if it had become dormant or was just as disoriented as her.

She looked back to the high wizard and looked towards the tree again before standing on her feet.

"Shashi," her voice was low enough so only they could hear her.

They slowly lifted their head to listen to her. Pranee hoped that they're still able to move.

"When I tell you to, I want you to fly us to the tree," she said.

Their face became slack. "What? Are you crazy?"

"Probably, but we'd be crazier if we tried to fight these guys alone."

Their eyes shifted but in the end, confidence shone through and they gave a nod.

"What are you two doing?" The high wizard laughed. "Did you give up so soon?"

"On three." Pranee didn't take her eyes off the high wizard. "One."

He took a step forward. "Are you going to say something?"

"Two."

He began to walk towards them. "Hello?"

"Three."

At a moment's notice, Shashi's staff came back to life and scooped the two of them off the ground. It was shaky and less elegant than its usual movements but it got the job done.

"Running away again?" There was a scoff. "Typical."

The sound of the winds being challenged by magic could be heard and Pranee looked behind her to see that the high wizard was following them. His staff was gripped tightly in his vine-covered hand and she looked ahead to see that they were quickly approaching the tree.

"Shashi, do you think we'll be able to outfly him?" Her hand was clamped down on her head once more, not willing to let the wig fly off.

"We'll see."

They hurled towards the tree with no hesitance and the high wizard chased after them, still smiling like a madman.

"Should I dodge it?" Shashi breathed out.

"No."

Shashi looked panicked and looked back to the princess but Pranee gave them a confident look.

"Okay," they hesitated. "I hope you're right."

The tree unfurled its branches and reached out towards them.