Chapter 49

Sara

It was drawing closer, and I could feel the victory awaiting me on the other side of the border. Soon, my fellow Peace Bringers would learn the truth, and my cause would finally prevail. I had waited for this moment for so long, and it was finally coming to pass. But I could not let my thoughts stray just yet. We had yet to cross into our land, and until then, we were not safe from the Queen’s soldiers. I could not let it slip now, when everything still hung on a thread.

“Are you coming?”, Cat whispered.

She was crouching behind the foliage, peering through the leafy branches. She had been more useful to me than I had imagined, and despite all her faults, I had come to appreciate her skills. She was not as sharp as I would have hoped for, but she was far better than the elf and the girl. Her knowledge was useful, and I trusted she would be by my side should the worst come to pass.

She gestured at the other side, and I carefully approached and halted next to her. My ancestral home, where I would soon set my hooves upon its sacred ground. A plain field with nothing out of the ordinary, but I knew we had been fortunate to come this far. As I’d travelled the land all these years, I had learnt that the Queen had elected to take full control of my fellow unicorns, building a wall along our borders. She had told the people it was to protect the Peace Bringers, but I knew the truth. She aimed to isolate them and control them. But no more.

This must be one of the last places where no stones had yet been laid. But that did not mean there were no soldiers patrolling it. Cat slowly rose and began to creep towards the open space I knew was the border. I could feel my heart flutter with anticipation of what would come, and I had to force myself to remain calm. It wouldn’t be long now until we were on safe ground.

I readied my fire to protect her exposed pass, but she crossed the stretch of land and over the border unscathed. She gestured for me, and I moved forward. I would return to my homeland, and my cause would finally come to fruition.

I could see her watching the field, but I crossed unharmed, and my hooves were finally on safe ground. Since time immemorial, the land of the Peace Bringers had been sacred. There would be no wars upon its grounds, and even now, I knew the Queen respected its sacred pledge.

“Let’s go there”, Cat whispered.

She pointed to a grove of trees, and before I had time to object, she ran towards it. I took my time now that I knew we were safe. I halted next to her as I came over and watched the land spreading out in front of me.

“It’s not far”, I said.

I gestured for her to follow me. It had been such a long time since I’d left it, and I hadn’t realised how much I missed it. Soon, I would join my fellow Peace Bringers, and once again, I would call this my homeland.