Chapter 21 THE ROAD TO SILVERPEAK

Chapter 21 THE ROAD TO SILVERPEAK
ETHAN'S POV
The innkeeper's mouth opened to shout.
I grabbed Kiera's hand and yanked her toward the door.
"Wait!" The innkeeper held up his hands. "Please, wait!"
We froze. Every muscle in my body screamed to run.
"I'm not going to turn you in," he whispered urgently. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "I know who you are. And I know what you're trying to do."
"Then why stop us?" Kiera's hand moved toward her hidden dagger.
"Because my brother was imprisoned by the Silver Covenant. For asking questions about burned villages." The innkeeper's eyes filled with tears. "They tortured him. He died never knowing his questions were right."
My throat tightened. Another victim. Another family destroyed by lies.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Don't be sorry. Just stop them." He pressed a small pouch into my hand. "Food for your journey. And this—" He handed me a folded paper. "A map showing safe roads to Silverpeak. Paths where Silver Covenant soldiers don't patrol."
"Why are you helping us?" Kiera asked.
"Because someone has to." He smiled sadly. "Now go. Before those men at the next table get suspicious."
We slipped out of the inn into the night. My hands shook as I showed Thorne the map.
"This changes everything," Thorne said. "With these routes, we might actually make it."
We traveled for three days using the innkeeper's map. Through forests and over hills. Avoiding main roads and busy towns.
Kiera grew stronger each day. The wound was healing. She could walk without help now.
But pretending to be married was harder than I expected.
We had to hold hands in public. Had to call each other "dear" and "beloved." Had to act like we'd been together for years instead of weeks.
The worst part? It felt too real. Too right.
Every fake smile made me wish it was genuine. Every pretend touch made my heart race.
On the fourth day, we reached a larger town. We needed supplies and a place to rest.
"Remember," Thorne said quietly. "You're merchants. Boring, normal merchants. Nothing suspicious."
The town was busy. Market stalls lined the streets. People shouted about their goods. Normal life continuing while we ran for ours.
We found an inn called The Dancing Bear. It looked clean and safe.
"One room," I told the innkeeper, a plump woman with kind eyes. "For my wife and me. And a separate room for our bodyguard."
The word "wife" felt strange on my tongue. The innkeeper didn't question it.
"That'll be two silver pieces," she said. "Breakfast included."
I paid her with coins Thorne had stolen from the abandoned cart.
She handed me two keys. "Rooms seven and eight. Up the stairs."
As we climbed the stairs, I realized what I'd done. Kiera and I would be sharing a room. Alone. All night.
My face went hot.
"Nervous?" Kiera whispered, a teasing smile on her lips.
"No. Maybe. A little."
"It's just pretend, remember?"
But it didn't feel like pretend when I opened the door to room seven.
One bed. Not two. One.
"Oh," Kiera said quietly.
"I'll sleep on the floor," I said quickly. "You take the bed."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're injured too."
"Not as badly as you."
"Ethan." She put her hand on my arm. "We're both adults. We can share a bed without it being weird."
Everything about this was weird. But I nodded anyway.
We left our room to find food in the common area. The place was packed with travelers. We found a corner table and ordered stew.
That's when I heard the conversation that made my blood freeze.
Two men at the bar were talking loudly. Too loudly. Like they wanted everyone to hear.
"Five thousand gold pieces," one said. "Can you imagine?"
"What's it for again?" his companion asked.
"The traitor knight and his orc witch. The ones spreading lies about Lady Seraphina." The first man pulled out a piece of paper. A wanted poster. "Says here the human has brown hair and travels with a red-haired orc female."
Under the table, Kiera's hand found mine. Squeezed tight.
"Red hair?" the second man laughed. "Every orc in the kingdom will be suspected."
"That's why Lady Seraphina doubled the reward. Ten thousand gold now. For both of them. Dead or alive."
Ten thousand. Twice what it was three days ago.
"I heard they're heading to Silverpeak," the first man continued. "Trying to poison Princess Elena's mind with their conspiracy theories."
"Then they're dead already. The capital is locked down tight. No one gets in or out without being checked."
The men went back to their drinks. But damage was done.
I looked at Thorne across the room. He'd heard too. His face was grim.
We finished eating in silence. Went back to our rooms without speaking.
Inside room seven, Kiera sat on the bed. "Ten thousand gold pieces."
"We knew there'd be a price on our heads."
"But ten thousand? That's enough to live like a king for years." She looked at her hands. "Everyone we meet will be tempted. The innkeeper. The merchants. Even people who seem nice."
"Not everyone can be bought."
"But enough can be." She lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "We're walking into a trap, Ethan. We both know it."
I sat beside her. "What choice do we have? If we don't reach Princess Elena, the war continues. More people die. The Silver Covenant wins."
"I know. But I'm scared."
"Me too."
We lay there side by side. Not touching but close enough to feel each other's warmth.
"Ethan?" Kiera's voice was soft. "If we make it through this... if we somehow survive and stop the war... what will you do?"
"I don't know. I never thought past survival."
"Think about it now. What did you want? Before the war ruined everything?"
I closed my eyes, remembering my old life. "I wanted to be a scholar. Study history. Maybe teach at a university. Read books all day and never hold a sword."
"That sounds perfect for you."
"What about you? What did you want?"
Kiera was quiet for so long I thought she wouldn't answer.
"I wanted to be a teacher too," she finally said. "Not a warrior. Not a commander. Just a teacher. I wanted to help young orcs learn to read and write. To show them the world is bigger than just our clans."
"You'd be an amazing teacher."
"Would have been. Past tense." Her voice cracked. "That life is gone now. I'm a fugitive. A traitor to my people. I'll never teach anyone anything except how to run and hide."
"Maybe we could teach together someday. After this is over."
She turned to look at me. "You really think there's an 'after' for us?"
"I have to believe that. Otherwise, what's the point?"
Kiera smiled. A real, genuine smile. "You're an optimist. It's annoying."
"And you're a pessimist. It's exhausting."
We both laughed. For a moment, the fear faded. We were just two people sharing dreams that might never come true.
The laughter died.
"We should sleep," Kiera said. "Long day tomorrow."
We lay down on opposite sides of the bed. A careful distance between us.
I closed my eyes. Tried to quiet my racing mind.
Hours passed. Maybe. Time felt strange.
Then I heard it. Footsteps in the hallway. Heavy boots. Multiple people.
They stopped outside our door.
A fist pounded on the wood. Hard. Aggressive.
"Open up!" a voice commanded. "Open up in the name of the Silver Covenant!"
Kiera and I bolted upright. Our eyes met in the darkness.
We'd been found.
The pounding came again. Harder. "We know you're in there! Open this door or we break it down!"
I looked at the window. Too small to climb through.
The door. The only exit. And soldiers on the other side.
We were trapped.
"On three, we break it down!" the voice shouted. "One!"
Kiera grabbed her sword.
"Two!"
I posi
tioned myself behind the door. If they came through, I'd fight.
"Three!"
The door exploded inward.