Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 465: CDLXV. The Fort Is Lost

"Still nothing, right?" Dag asked, drawing the wolf's attention, who turned to him and began to wag his tail, waiting for cuddles.

"Don't worry, Dag... it is still morning, Kranus will have left Tungvek a short time ago and our break did not last long... if we continue to the northeast we will definitely be able to intercept him, also because the most important thing is to see the city from afar... once it'll be visible, we'll be all right" Freydis said, climbing over the pile of mixed snow on the ground and resting the fur that Dag had lent back on her shoulders, having been warmed with the heat generated by their bodies in contact.

"My only concern is that if he will arrive at Fort Hvit without crossing the road with ours, he would find the King's guards waiting for him and would be forced to kill them from the first to the last. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem for him, but... I'm afraid this could ruin our agreement in some way" Dag continued, trying to imagine the consequences.

"Well, maybe you're right... I trust your feeling, Dag. Come on, there's no more time to waste. Our escape is not over yet" she replied, grabbing her man's hand and pulling him towards her in the opposite direction to the tree.

Dag appreciated Freydis's determination and followed her without saying a word, fastening his fur back again and continuing to march on the snowy ground.

Another 20 minutes passed and the distance that on horseback seemed very short, turned for the two fugitives into an interminable path, not even being able to see the road and orienting themselves only with the position of the Sun in the sky, which in addition to providing indications on the cardinal points, served as a clock.

Just as hopes began to lose, Dag heard a sound in the distance and stopped, telling Freydis to keep quiet to allow him to hear better.

"They're horses! I hear the sound of horses in the distance... they are approaching our position!" he exclaimed, looking at his girl with happiness.

"Well! He could be Kranus! But didn't you say he'd come to the Fort alone?" Freydis asked, thinking of the details Dag had told her.

"Let's say yes, he didn't specify it. I doubt he would face the whole journey completely alone, he is still the leader of a huge Clan, which makes him too important to risk his life stupidly, heading to an unknown place by unknown people" he replied, who shrugged his eyes at the horizon trying to identify the source of the sound.

After only a few minutes, as he had predicted, three horses popped up from a hill not far away and seemed to travel at sustained speed right in their direction.

"It's him! It's Kranus, Gridd! I think we made it... let's hope for the best" Dag continued, in a low voice, raising his hand upwards and gesturing towards the three men on horseback, who noticed his presence and changed direction slightly, diverging from their original path.

As they approached, Kranus's white horse, which had drawn Dag's attention from afar, was finally visible and with joy, the young Master noticed that he was led by the Giants Of Ymir's leader.

"Dag?! But what are you doing here?" the old mage asked, ordering the two guards who had accompanied him to stop and not raise their weapons against him.

"It's a long story, Kranus... we can't go together to Fort Hvit, it no longer belongs to my allies. Someone much more powerful and important than me came to visit us this morning. Could you escort us to Tungvek?" Dag asked, looking down.

Kranus's gaze fell first to Freydis, then to Thalos, both positioned behind Dag.

"Uhm, yes... sure. But I demand an explanation. I'm sure if you didn't stick to an agreement decided by you, there must be a reason" Kranus replied, ordering his two soldiers to both get on one horse, allowing Dag and his woman to use the other one to rest their tired legs.

Dag thanked him several times and together with Freydis, he climbed on the guard's horse, starting to ride in the opposite direction, next to Kranus and his men, while Thalos followed them at a sustained pace, being much more accustomed than them to travel great distances effortlessly.

"So? What were you doing in the middle of nowhere with a girl and your wolf? What happened to the Fort?" Kranus asked, in a friendly tone. 

"The King of Okstorm himself came to visit us..." 

"The King of Okstorm... are you referring to King Einar?" the magician asked.

"Yes, him. Along with some of his most valiant soldiers calling themselves the 'Chromed Army', he entered the Fort and took possession of it, taking credit for our exploratory mission, which I thought he knew nothing about" Dag explained, marveling that Kranus already knew the name of the King of the two kingdoms.

"Mmmh... and you handed it to him without objection?" 

"Not really. My woman and I decided to escape, automatically becoming enemies of the Crown. Prophecy is more important than this nonsense... as I have already explained to you, I intend to achieve my true mission" he continued, looking at Kranus out of the corner of his eye.

"So you're telling me you'd rather betray your King and abandon your teammates just because of our deal?" the Ice Giants leader asked, astonished by that statement.

"Yes, exactly. As the leader of an alliance that united three Clans, I became an outlaw in just a few minutes. I could have fought and maybe my men and I could have defeated the royal soldiers, but why would I do that? I would only have made my situation worse and that of my men, many of whom preferred to obey the King without objection."

"I am very sorry that things have gone this way. You're a smart guy, I guess it was hard for you to make such a risky decision, but at the same time, I'm glad you chose to take part in the prophecy. We have a lot to discuss again and... if you had returned to Okstorm with your companions and the King, I would have been forced to attack you again with my men, because I need the Crystal of Fire, but you already know that" Kranus replied, specifying what his primary goal was.