CHAPTER 14 : THE HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED
253 Words
They left the forest and found the main road—a wide, well-worn dirt track leading east to Veridia City. They traveled mostly by night, hiding during the day in hay bales or abandoned sheds.
Two days after the bridge crossing, while hiding in a ditch beneath a small bridge, they overheard travelers discussing the latest Royal Decree:
"Did you hear? The King has offered a massive reward for the 'Shadow Touch' fugitive! Five hundred gold pieces!"
"Five hundred? That's life-changing!"
"Aye, and they've posted pictures. A detailed drawing of the girl, Elara, and a description of her curse—'The Blight Hand'—and a warning not to touch her. The bounty hunters are flocking to the roads."
Lysander swore under his breath. "They've raised the stakes. Kaelen is trying to slow them down, but the bounty will bring in people who don't care about the King, only the coin."
As they spoke, a solitary figure rode by on a lean, fast horse. He wore no uniform, but his belt was heavy with weaponry, and his face was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed, shadowed hat. A bounty hunter. He stopped briefly at a nearby public notice board, ripped down the poster of Elara, and studied it with cold, professional intensity before riding on, heading in the same direction—east, toward the city.
Elara felt the shift in their danger. She was no longer just running from the King's Guard; she was running from avarice.
- Writer
