Chapter 4: A Princess, A Mercenary, and a Liar

Ethan felt the weight of Lysia's words settle over him.

A prophecy?

That wasn't in Eclipse of the Eternal Empire. He would have remembered something that important.

It meant one of two things.

Either the book had never told the full story…

Or something was actively rewriting events.

Neither answer comforted him.

Lysia was still watching him, waiting. Measuring his reaction.

Ethan kept his expression blank. "And you think you're this 'forgotten heir'?"

Lysia's gaze didn't waver. "I don't think," she said softly. "I know."

She said it with such certainty that it sent a chill down Ethan's spine.

But before he could press further, Kael let out a low curse.

"Whatever this prophecy nonsense is, it'll have to wait," the mercenary muttered. He was standing now, gripping his sword. His body was tense. His gaze fixed on something in the trees.

Ethan turned—and his stomach dropped.

A shadow moved between the trees. Then another.

At first, he thought it might be a wild animal—until he saw the glint of polished steel.

Imperial soldiers.

Not an army, but a small hunting unit—six men in dark armor, moving with quiet precision.

Ethan recognized their armor instantly.

They weren't just soldiers.

They were Imperial Retrievers.

Elite scouts sent to track down deserters.

And they were headed straight for them.

Lysia cursed under her breath. "They're moving too fast. They must have followed our trail."

Ethan's pulse hammered in his ears. If the Retrievers found them, they were dead.

Think, think, think.

The forest was too open to run. They'd be caught within minutes.

They needed a distraction—something that would let them slip away unnoticed.

Ethan's fingers clenched.

He had one idea.

But they weren't going to like it.

Ethan's heart pounded as the Retrievers moved closer. Their leather boots crunched softly against the forest floor, their shadows flickering between the trees.

Six men. Too many to fight.

Running was suicide.

They needed to disappear.

"I'll draw them away," Ethan whispered.

Kael's head snapped toward him. "Are you out of your mind?"

Ethan ignored him, his eyes locked on Lysia. "There's a dry creek bed a few hundred yards south. If you follow it, it'll cover your tracks."

Lysia's violet eyes narrowed. "And what about you?"

"I'll double back." He forced his voice to stay steady. "Retrievers follow fresh trails. If I give them something to chase, you'll have a better chance."

It was a gamble—a dangerous one.

But Ethan remembered something the book never explicitly said—the Retrievers were trained to follow the most obvious target. If he could make himself the easier prey, they'd follow.

They always followed.

Lysia studied him for a long moment. Then, to his surprise, she nodded.

"Do it."

Kael cursed under his breath. "I liked you better when you were quiet."

Ethan didn't give himself time to think. He grabbed a fallen branch, smeared dirt across his armor to dull the shine—then bolted into the trees, crashing through the underbrush like a wounded deer.

Within seconds, he heard them breaking into pursuit—shouting orders, blades drawn.

His lungs burned as he sprinted deeper into the woods, twisting through the brush in a deliberately erratic path. He left broken branches and boot prints behind him, every step calculated to be just careless enough.

They were following.

He could feel their eyes on his back—closer with every second.

He ran until his legs ached, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

When he finally reached the creek bed, he plunged into the icy water, crouching low beneath an overhanging bank.

The footsteps followed—then paused.

Ethan pressed himself against the cold earth, barely daring to breathe.

A shadow passed above him.

Close. Too close.

He could hear their voices—low, clipped whispers.

"Tracks end here."

"He's close."

"Split up."

Ethan's heart hammered in his chest.

One wrong breath. One misplaced step—

And they would find him.

Ethan stayed perfectly still.

The Retrievers' shadows moved along the creek bank above him, scanning the forest.

His lungs burned. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Then—

One of the soldiers cursed. "Damn it. He's fast."

A second voice responded, sharp and irritated. "No. He's smart."

There was a pause. Then the first man sighed. "Orders?"

A beat of silence. Then—

"Leave him. If he's alone, he won't last long."

Ethan didn't dare exhale.

The footsteps receded, boots crunching against leaves. He waited—five seconds, ten, fifteen—until the only sound was the distant rustle of wind through the trees.

Then, carefully, he rose from the water.

Cold mud dripped from his armor as he staggered up the bank, breath still shaky.

It worked.

He had gambled on their arrogance, and it had paid off.

But he couldn't celebrate.

He still had to find Lysia and Kael.

---

Ethan moved quickly, keeping to dense underbrush as he followed the dry creek bed.

The night air was cold against his damp clothes. His limbs ached from exhaustion, but he forced himself to keep going.

Then, finally—

A shadow shifted ahead. A flash of steel.

Ethan froze just in time.

Kael's sword stopped inches from his throat.

For a long second, neither of them moved.

Then Kael scowled, lowering his blade. "You're lucky I recognized your stupid face."

Ethan exhaled sharply, stepping past him. "Where's Lysia?"

"Here."

Lysia stood against the trunk of a gnarled oak, arms crossed. She was completely unscathed. Unlike Ethan, she hadn't been running for her life through the mud.

She looked him over once—his torn sleeve, his soaked armor, the streaks of dirt on his face.

Then, she said, "You took longer than I expected."

Ethan let out a dry, exhausted laugh. "Apologies, Your Highness. Next time I'll escape a professional kill squad faster."

Kael snorted. "Now that I'd like to see."

But Lysia wasn't smiling.

She tilted her head, her violet eyes flickering in the dim light.

"Why did you come back?"

Ethan blinked. "What?"

"You had a chance to run," she said. "You lured the Retrievers away. You could have disappeared."

There was something sharp beneath her words.

Ethan hesitated. He hadn't even considered running for real. He just assumed he would find them again.

But now he saw it.

Lysia wasn't asking out of curiosity.

She was testing him.

Again.

Ethan held her gaze. "We're stronger together," he said simply.

It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the truth she was looking for either.

Lysia studied him for a long moment. Then she turned. "We need to keep moving."

Ethan could feel it.

She didn't trust him.

And worse—Kael didn't either.

They had survived the massacre. They had escaped the Retrievers.

But their alliance was already starting to break.

And Ethan had no idea how much longer they would stay on the same side.

---