Chapter 296

Elias pov

I’m not sure what to think. Ethan’s acting all hyped up, as usual, but this time something feels different. He’s got this rogue with him, and they’re talking like they’ve just discovered the world’s greatest treasure.

I’m cautious, of course. I don’t trust this rogue. But I can see that Ethan’s not backing down, and neither is Everett.

“Alright, fine,” I say, standing up. “We’ll go. But no more surprises, Ethan. You better know what you’re doing.”

Ethan just grins wider. “Oh, trust me. You won’t believe what I found. This is going to be huge.”

We follow the rogue through the woods. The atmosphere is thick with tension, every crack of a twig makes me jump a little. I swear, I feel like a whiny little bitch now.

Ethan’s excitement doesn’t fade, even as we move deeper into the forest. He keeps glancing back at us, his grin never slipping, as if he’s leading us to some hidden treasure chest filled with gold.

Meanwhile, I can feel my stomach knotting with every step we take.

Eventually, the rogue stops and raises his hand, signaling for us to be silent. “Stay here,” he whispers, his eyes scanning the area. “We’re getting near the hunter’s camp. You can’t make a sound.”

I exchange a look with Everett. We’re both feeling uneasy. This feels wrong. We’re about to walk straight into the heart of danger, and for what? To get more information? We should’ve stayed back.

But Ethan’s face only lights up with more excitement. “Just wait, guys. You’ll see. It’s going to be worth it. I’m telling you, this is a gold mine - both information and the chance to watch them in real life. And also that they probably know something about Ash, I’m sure they do, after all, Kaiden sent those fuckers after her so they have to know at least something.”

We crouch behind some bushes, barely breathing as we wait. I can hear voices, distant but clear enough to make out words. The hunters are talking, laughing even. Their genuine happiness sends a chill down my spine.

“Today,” a loud voice booms, “the war against the monsters begins!”

My heart instantly sinks. War. The word echoes in my head. I glance at Everett, who looks just as stunned as I feel. This isn’t just a rumor or some plan for later. It’s happening and it’s happening now.

“They’re going to attack the kingdom,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “We have to do something. Just because we’re not friends with the king doesn’t mean we can allow these lunatics to hurt all those people living under the king’s rule. They’re innocent, they don’t deserve this.”

Ethan’s expression shifts, just for a moment, from excitement to something more serious. “I know,” he says quietly. “That’s why we’re here.”

The rogue turns to us. “You’ve seen enough. We need to leave before they notice us.”

Ethan hesitates. “Just a bit longer. I want to hear more.”

Everett grabs his arm. “No. We’ve heard enough. If we stay, we could get caught.”

Ethan sighs but nods. “Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

We retreat carefully, every step feeling heavier than the last. Once we’re far enough away from the camp, we finally relax a little. Ethan turns to face us, his usual grin returning. “So, what do you think? Pretty crazy, right? Didn’t expect that stunt, huh?”

“Crazy doesn’t even cover it,” I say, still trying to process what we’ve just heard. “We have to warn someone. The kingdom needs to know.”

Ethan nods, his face more serious. “Yeah, but who do we tell? We can’t just walk into the king’s court and start talking about hunters. They’ll think we’re insane. And also, we kind of can’t even go there with the mess the Council created with mom and dad, you know.”

Ethan is right. While our intention is good, if we march up to the king and his followers, they will most likely think we’re all insane - or worse, toss us all into the cells and start another war, but this time, with our parents.

Seeing that none of us has any ideas, we find a quiet, somewhat remote spot and settle down. The silence only stretches out as we get lost in our thoughts. The reality of what we’ve heard is starting to sink in, and it’s hard to shake off the fear.

The hunters are taking their hatred way too far this time.

As we sit there, I can’t help but watch my brothers. Everett, always the strong one, is staring off into the distance, his jaw clenched. Ethan, usually so carefree, looks unusually thoughtful. We’re all feeling the weight of what’s coming our way and neither of us know how to stop the shitstorm.

“I know we joke around a lot,” Ethan says suddenly, breaking the silence. “But this is serious. We can’t mess this up.”

Everett nods. “We won’t. We’ll figure out a way to stop this.”

I want to believe him, but there’s a part of me that’s scared. I’m not one to feel fear often, if at all, really, but this time, I can’t stop myself from wondering about all the what-if’s in this situation.

What if we can’t stop the attack? What if the hunters are too strong, and we’re too late?

“We’ll do what we have to,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel. “We always do.”

Ethan grins, his usual spark returning for a brief moment. “That’s the spirit. First, we rest and brain about some ideas and then, whatever narrative fits us best, we fuck them up so good, they forget their own names and hopefully the names of their mothers too.”

He sounds so cheerful, all of us start laughing at his words, which clearly is the one thing he really wanted to see. Eventually, as the laughter dies down and the rogue sits with us, oddly enough, fitting in with our little group, the silence stretches out again.

The war isn’t the only thing that truly scares me. Truth be told, I’m awfully worried about where Ash really is hiding. Every time we take a step towards getting her back, something throws us off the road of our attempts to get her back and this time, if she’s stuck in the middle of this useless war the hunters are starting, we risk losing her for good.