Free The Royal Pursuit by Ruth Ann Nordin Page A

are many in that hill over there.
The caves around here have a mineral in them that will hide your
presence from our technology.”
    “ Where am I supposed to
go?”
    “ I don’t know. All I can do
is warn the other Nicals as soon as it’s safe. We will do what we
can to help you then.” Again, Optima peered around the trees.
“They’re starting to get anxious. They will be coming after us
soon. You must go now.”
    Ann didn’t know if this was a trap or
not, but she had to assume the Nical’s intentions were honorable.
She turned and ran into the wilderness.
     
    ***
     
    Optima’s heart pounded as she watched
Ann leave. The man in white would be furious with her. She knew
what she had to do. If she was going to lie, she had to make it
look convincing.
    She bent down and scooped up dirt from
the ground. She rubbed the dirt into her hair, on her face and all
over her body. Then she tore her clothes to make it look as if she
had been in a fight. Finally, she took the gun and shot herself in
the arm. That was the hardest part to do since she knew it would be
painful. She screamed as the sharp pain ripped through her. It was
only a flesh wound, but it stung like fire.
    “ No! Don’t!” She yelled as
loud as she could, hoping the others would believe she was trying
to prevent Ann’s escape.
    She heard the concerned voices of her
companions. They were running to help her. She threw the gun as far
as she could into the trees in the other direction and fell to the
ground. She rolled over some sharp tree roots and
groaned.
    By the time two male Nicals reached
her, they found her, crying and badly injured. She grabbed her
bloody arm to her chest. Her hair was yellow from fear that they
might discover the truth.
    “ She overtook me,” she
sobbed. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
    One of the Nicals took her in his arms
and held her. “We’ll help you. Don’t be scared,” he gently assured
her.
    “ Which way did she go?” the
man in white demanded, his face red with anger.
    She forced herself to speak through
her hysterical tears. “I don’t know. It all happened so
fast.”
    “ Shh… Don’t talk. We’ll get
you to the Austere Complex,” the other Nical said. “The stone we
have will heal you.”
    “ Who cares about her? We
need to get the queen!” the man snapped. “We can’t let her get
away.”
    “ Optima is the only one who
is well-traveled in these woods,” the Nical holding her said.
“We’ll never find the Queen without her.”
    The man grunted. “A lot of good she
did us just now. Thanks to her, I’m in serious trouble.”
    Optima didn’t have time to dwell on
his words. She was in too much pain to care.
    The Nical picked her up and carried
her to the group. She leaned against his chest and felt herself
drift into unconsciousness.

Chapter
Eight
     
    Ann and Hathor’s Bedroom
    Planet: Raz
     
    Exactly at sunrise, a loud knocking on
his bedroom door woke Hathor from his sleep. Was Ann in trouble? He
rushed to get out of bed but only succeeded in falling to the
floor. He quickly jumped up and opened the door. To his surprise, a
servant—instead of the Great Magician—was standing in the
doorway.
    “ Forgive me for waking you
up, King Hathor, but the Augurs are insistent you arrive to the
Grand Oak Room to continue your meeting with them,” she
said.
    He blinked the sleep out of his eyes.
“I’ll be there as soon as I get dressed.”
    She nodded. “I will notify them at
once.”
    He shut the door as she left. He took
a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He didn’t appreciate being scared
like that. Maybe he should have been thankful the Augurs were
simply giving him orders again. It was better than finding out Ann
was in serious trouble.
    He got dressed in a blue silk suit and
slipped the chain with the emerald that Ann had given him around
his neck. It was all he had to feel close to her.
    By the time he arrived at the Grand
Oak Room, the Augurs had already eaten their