EVIE
Her fingers twitched as she tried to control the Ornis. But it was probably too weak to continue with its mission.
Unlike planes where Evie could just manipulate instruments and machine parts and it will do its job immediately, birds need to heal and rest for them to function effectively.
Evie heaved out a heavy sigh as she allowed the Ornis to find her own recovery method.
It seemed to be an instinct that, as the Ornis was about to crash at one of the islands of Edin, which could be fatal for both of them, it immediately spread its wings, even its wounded part, and floated in the air.
When it was only a few feet from the ground, Evie jumped down and ran to the nearest trunk where she could hide.
To her dread, the guards flew down swiftly to where they were. The Ornis that Evie used was already lying on the ground and huffing.
Fortunately, that part of Edin was darker compared to the islands near the Palace. Evie was able to hide perfectly.
"If you come out now, the King might grant you pardon. But if you don't, we will hunt you to death!" one of the royal guards shouted, making Evie dizzy.
'Should I just reveal myself now? If I am arrested, then I won't have to be the Queen. Should I just escape from the prison cell? It would be harder to do that.'
Evie decided to duck down deeper so they cannot see even a strand of her hair.
Her pure white gown was now covered in soil. But she didn't care. They could not see her.
Edin indeed has good security, with excellent guards that were true to their word. They searched every corner of the area where the Ornis was. However, they have undermined the runaway's observation skills and her ability to climb trees.
As Evie surveyed the scene, they were just searching for the fallen logs and the backs of trees. But they were not searching its branches. So she quickly climbed up as high as she could, hoping that no one would dare look up.
As she did so, she noticed a ridiculous-looking tree with its trunk shooting out fruits. But she ignored it since her life was on the line.
"There's a woman!" one of the royal guards shouted as he picked up an ornament on the ground.
Evie's limbs went weak, and her eyes widened in terror as one of the tassels in her gown was torn, probably when she was climbing up the trunk.
At the speed of light, she hid in a large branch just as that royal guard looked up to where she was. The other royal guards were now going to him and looking up.
Evie couldn't describe how erratic her heart was beating right now. All she could do was close her eyes and just hope that they won't see her.
"That is impossible. Women don't know how to ride Ornises. Much more climbing trees," one of the royal guards commented.
"That is true," the other agreed. "Perhaps it just fell from the Ornis' seat."
One by one, they began to walk away and search elsewhere.
Evie exhaled heavily as she saw them walking away from where she was.
She has no time to lose. Her dilated pupils searched for a way so she could escape from that island, while her hand was holding onto a thin branch for support. She was still standing on one of the thicker branches.
To her joy, the royal guards' Ornises are just a few distances away from her. She hopped from tree to tree even with a wavering balance until she reached one of them and, as fast as she could, she jumped to it and made it fly in the air.
Resolved to go back to her world, she didn't dare look back. She flew the bird as fast as she could away from that island.
Like an arrow, she was able to pass the gates where the royal guards were previously located before they saw her.
Evie drew in a deep breath as she managed to pass-through it. 'Women are much more than you think,' she smirked.
She continued to traverse the sky with a tight smile.
'Why do I feel like something is wrong?' her eyes narrowed as she glanced sideways. It felt like it was too easy to just pass through them.
Even if some of the guards were searching for her, weren't there supposed to be other guards guarding this side, too, just in case there were other intruders as well?
But she shook it off immediately. What is important is that she managed to pass through them.
With the skills that she previously learned, she used them to the best that she can to guide the Ornis forward.
However, her speed halted almost immediately as she pulled the Ornis' reins, almost choking it.
She was right. The royal guards that she encountered seemed like level 1 compared to these humongous monsters in front of her right now.
They appeared like Acyon, but larger, wilder, and fouler.
Their fiery eyes glared at Evie as they flapped their wings at breakneck speed, creating thunder and lightning in the process.
Fires were coming out of their mouths after they made loud screeching noises.
'Jurassic Park is real. I'm done for.' Evie's lips went down-turned as she recalled the duchess's words.
No wonder no one got out of Edin. It indeed is a risky decision that she has just made.
Being reminded of the duchess, Evie remembered the potion that she gave her.
Evie's eyes twinkled as hope sprang up in her heart. 'There is a reason why I didn't use you a while ago.' Her hand reached into her pocket and brought out the potion.
She drew in a deep breath before flying the largest monster, which seemed to be their leader.
Before it even began to open its mouth and breathe fire that would turn her into a barbeque, she threw the bottle at its eyes, hoping it would blind it.
But to her dismay, the monster lifted its wings and covered its eyes at the speed of light. The potion then fell on its wings.
'It's fine. It's fine. If one of its wings would be impaired, it would be hard for it to move around,' Evie reassured herself.
But to her dismay, the potion trickled down its thick feathers just like water in a waterfall.
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Running away will never make you free.