From Slave To Queen (by Karyn Anderson) novel Chapter 291

Athena forced herself not to dwell on the assassins connection to Michael. All she cared about now was reaching Wendal Mountain as fast

Athena didn’t know if Michael had managed to hold off the assassins or if she was just lucky, but two hours later, no one was trailing the carriage.

At the foot of Wendral Mountain, Athena and Jessa gazed up at the towering peaks, both frowning in concern

Finding a single dry well on a mountahi this vast was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Just the two of us searching, we could spend two weeks and still come up empty” Jessa said matter of factly, not meaning to discourage Athena, just stating the truth

The odds were stacked against them.

Then, Athena calmly pulled a map from within her clothes “Searching blindly will get us nowhere,” she said. “But with a clear objective, we’ll achieve twice as much with half the effort”

She traced several marked spots on the map with her finger and explained to Jessa, “Chief Rogers’s hometown is in Halewick. He must have sensed danger, so he bypassed the official road and took smaller, more discreet routes. Wendral Mountain would be his wisest choice.”

Athena’s finger landed firmly on a fork in the road on the map. “Have,” she said, “there are two roads, let leads to Jewel Temple on Wendral Mountain, night is the only way to Halewick. Which do you think he would choose?”

Jessa was impressed by Athena’s sharp mind. After a brief pause, she ventured, “The right one?”

Athena shook her head slightly, if you had pursuers at your back, would you still run deeper

into the mountains?”

Her words struck Jessa like a revelation. She shook her head. “No, I’d head toward populated areas”

“Chief Rogers must have fled to Jewel Temple, with his wife and daughter in tow.” Athena affirmed

Jessa’s eyes lit up. “Right” she exclaimed. “Where there’s a temple, there must be a well. Athena, you’re truly brilliant!”

Athena smiled as she folded up the map, “it’s not really about being smart. Wendral Mountain’s boxed in on three sides, and only Jewel Temple has a decent water supply. Everywhere else is too steep, digging a well there would’ve been next to impossible.”

As she spoke, Athena tucked a dagger into her sash

Then, with a sharp crack of the whip, she sent the horses and carriage thundering away.

Though the pursuers hadn’t caught up, Athena knew better than to let her guard down.

It was better to be safe than sorry, a little extra caution never hurt.

Jessa followed behind Athena, marveling at how someone so small could have such immense strength inside her.

Any other woman would probably be sobbing uncontrollably and completely at her wits end by now.

Yet from the moment disaster struck, Athena had remained perfectly composed, without so much as a single frown

“Athena, aren’t you scared?” Jessa asked softly.

Athena’s heart caught in her throat as she gazed up at the mountains, their peaks lost in the clouds.

A bitter smile touched her lips. “Alaid?” she echoed “used to be terrified of pain, a complete coward. But after three years of brutal suffering in the military camp, no hardship scares me anymore.”

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Chapter 291

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“What was the military camp like!” Jessa asked gently, though she hesitated to reopen Athena’s old wounds. Still, she believed Athena needed to voica

her trauma

Dely by letting the pain out could the healing begin

Athena’s current state was clearly the result of lingeri

She showed no py or sorrow, appeating untouched by anything.

But Jessa knew this wasn’t true fearleksness, justasell protective numbness from wounds too deep to bear

In the slave camp, she had seen women break down into desperate screams as they watched others die before their very eye

Jessa had gone through that herself. Only after she finally let it all out did she start to feel like herself again

At this moment, Athena gave Jessa a cool, distant glance, clearly reluctant to speak.

She lowered her lashes to hide her emotions, but Jessa spoke in a distant, even tone. “I once clawed my way through piles of the dead in the slave camp, severed limbs were everywhere, bones jutting from wounds, blood soaking the ground

“I was like a wild beast, knowing only how to fight and kill, all for a scrap of bread Survival. That was my only drive.”

Athena stared at Jessa in surprise, her smile was brighter than sunlight,

Now, even in moments of joy, all she could offer was a faint curve of the lips, a shadow of what once was. It wasn’t for lack of trying. It was simply that nothing touched her heart quite the same anymore.

Jessa looked into Athena’s somewhat dared eyes and said softly, “Prince Xander wants you to be happy. He blames himself every day for failing to protect you. Athena, maybe you could try to trust him and maybe trust me too

Athena darted her eyes nervously as the path became harder and harder to navigate.

Only the occasional birdsong broke the mountain silence, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

Athena wiped the sweat from her brow and let out a bitter laugh. “Same old routine; forced kneeling, beatings. They knew I was nobility, so they made it a point to humilate me..

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