Both of us slowed down, taking each step forward with extra care.
“It feels like we are being watched,” he said quietly.
I studied the rows of tombstones and stiffened when I saw a pale glowing translucent face peeking out from behind one broken headstone. Ice filled my veins as I spotted another face and another out of the corner of my eyes.
“I don’t want to alarm you,” I said calmly to Duke. “But we are being watched.”
“Okay, where are they?” He asked, coolly looking around the graveyard.
“They are everywhere, but you won’t be able to see them because they are dead.”
“Shit – what do we do?”
“Nothing, just keep walking.”
“What the hell are they doing here?”
“I don’t know – Caspar might’ve have disturbed them with his darkness.”
“Do you think they will harm us?”
I looked at each of the frightened faces that hid behind the gravestones and replied, “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think?!”
An idea popped into my head – a different and potentially stupid idea, but an idea that might help us get out of this graveyard. Leaving Duke’ side I began making my way towards the headstone. Behind me, I could hear Duke whispering in a harsh voice, “Hazel, for fuck’s sake, get back here!”
“Be cool, Duke,” I replied, nearing one of the ghosts that were hiding behind the headstone.
“How can I be cool when you are fucking doing that?”
“Just shut up for a second,” I said crouching down in front of a pale spirit of a young girl.
The girls form drifted in out of focus, one minute appearing solid and the next appearing like a see through the mist. She watched me with suspicion as I approached her.
“Excuse me,” I said softly. “I am trying to find a way out of the cemetery towards the palace, can you help me?”
The girl stared at me for a few seconds, then lifted her arm and pointed across to the graveyard into the snowy white.
“Is that where the two men went?” I asked her.
She nodded her head.
“Thank you,” I smiled.
A short-lived smile flickered across her face before she sank down behind the tombstone again. I stood up and backed slowly away, now seeing, even more, spirits curiously poke their heads up around their headstones to take a look at me. Some were even being so bold as to come out from their hiding places and edge towards me.
“We need to go now,” I whispered to Duke, watching the ghosts coming towards me.
“Which way?” he asked.
I pointed in the direction of the palace, as best I could walking backwards, and yelped in surprise when Duke’ arm swept around me and lifted me off my feet.
“We need to get out of here now,” he said.
I anchored my arms around his neck and peeked over his shoulder. The half dozen curious ghosts had now turned into a crowd of several dozens. Their shimmering corporeal forms inched towards me, gliding over the snow with outstretched arms, trying to touch me.
“Duke,” I gasped. “Run!”
He immediately burst into a supernatural sprint, speeding across the graveyard, leaping over tombs and headstones at phenomenal speeds. The wind and snow blew around us. I closed my eyes and held tightly onto his neck, refusing to look up and see if the ghosts were following us. It felt like a horrible rollercoaster ride, with lots of ups and downs, and sharp turns. Duke was moving so fast that the tiny snowflakes felt like icy needles, biting into my skin. It was awful but thankfully short.
Within a minute, he had abruptly stopped and lowered me to the ground. I kept my eyes closed, still feeling like I had just stepped off from a fairground ride. He gently supported me with his arm looped around my waist. I clung to him and exhaled, “Please tell me we are out the graveyard.”
“We are,” he said softly. “But don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet.”
The tone of warning in his voice made me open my eyes. I looked up at him and saw him staring straight ahead, fixated on something in front of him.
“Duke?” I breathed.
“Oh shit, Hazel. Shit, this is much worse than I thought,” he whispered in a hoarse voice.
“What’s wrong?” I asked turning in his arms.
As I manoeuvred around, I saw what he was looking at. My heart dropped into my stomach and I shook my head in disbelief – Caspar couldn’t do that, he couldn’t possess that much power!
The view in front of me was almost apocalyptic. The palace stood on the horizon, like a desert mirage, swaying in the heat of an intense fire. Thick black plumes of smoke billowed up into the clouds like volcanic ash, creating violent flashes of lightning that streaked across the sky. But what really got me, was what was around the palace – briars. Thick thorny briars that were the width of a house, were now erupting out of the ground and curling its way around the palace.
“What the hell is that?” I whispered.
A voice from behind me called, “That is his Highness, Prince Caspar.”
Both Duke and I turned to see half a dozen royal guards walking towards us. The head of the guards, who I recognised from the restaurant stepped towards me.
“Your Highness, we are here to collect you and take you way from this place.”
“What are you talking about?” I gasped.
“Port Cressida is no longer safe. Both Princes are now inside the palace fighting, and I don’t see either one making it out. As you are the future Queen who is carrying the next generation of the royal line inside of you, you must come with us immediately so that we can relocate you to somewhere safe.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!”
“Your highness,” the guard sighed, stepping closer. “Please come with us, for the safety of yourself and the safety of our next future heir.”
Duke pushed in front of me and snapped at the guard, “Are you deaf, pal? She said she ain’t coming with you!”
The head guard eyed Duke up and down and signalled to his other men, “Please my Lord, I don’t want to assault a man of noble birth but I must do what is necessary to protect the royal line.”
“You’re not touching her. She said she doesn’t want to go with you and that is the end of the matter.”
“I wish it were, my Lord, but I cannot allow the Queen to stay in Port Cressida for another second. If you continue to obstruct my way, then I will be forced to cut you down where you stand.”
“Well then, you better bring it on,” Duke replied pushing me back and whispering in my ear, “I will hold them back for as long as I can, but when I say run, you run and don’t look back.”
I stared up at Duke in disbelief. “You’re not coming with me?”
“I can’t. I have to hold back these guys while you go and save Casper and Caspar.”
“I can’t leave you,” I said, glancing over to the group of men that were eyeing Duke up.
“You must,” he replied. “Remember this isn’t about just saving Caspar. You have to save Casper and the whole of Port Cressida. Only you can stop it now.”
“But Duke – ”
Before I could finish one of the guards swung at Duke. He dodges them and shoved them backward and yelled at me, “It’s time to go, Hazel. It’s time to run.”
“I can’t leave you,” I replied.
He would surely be killed when he was this out numbered.
“Hazel,” he said sternly. “RUN!”
The guards lunged at him and I turned on my heel, and ran.