"So this is what the south coast of Frountasia looks like!" exclaimed Tiela, "So um, what do we do now?" Tiela asked relizing she had no idea how they were to get to Illunus.
"We wait for the special boat they're sending to pick us up," replied Finor, shading her eyes and looking out to sea.
"They?" asked Tiela.
"The people of Illunus of course," Finor replied then pointed out to sea, "and there they are."
Tiela also shaded her eyes from the sun and looked out to the horizon.
"I can't see anything," she said.
"Us guards of the first rank can see an army on the other side of Frountasia!" said Finor grinning. Tiela laughed and looked for the ship again.
"I can see it now," she said, "But how do we know it's the right ship?"
"The peace sign on the flag and the........ Get back on your horse Tiela!"
"Why? What for? What's wrong?"
"Just do as I say, follow me as fast as you can!"
Tiela reluctantly got back on her horse, the ship was so close to shore now. Why were they leaving?
Finor kicked her horse into a fast gallop.
"Come on!" she urged. The two horses both set off at a fast pase.
Tiela turned to look at the ship again, the ship exploded. Tiela's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream again.
The tidal wave was huge! It looked like it could cover all of Frountasia!
"Faster!" shouted Finor but her words were lost in the wind.
Scenery whipped by Tiela. She had no idea where she was going and her head was spinning. She wanted to faint but she had to stay upright, had to keep a hold on the reigns.
Her horse whinnied. Tiela clung to the horse with all the strength she had left, the tidal wave was so close now, if it was an animal, it would be breathing down her neck.
"Please! Please!" Tiela prayed, "Please don't let it end like this!"
And then the water came. It splashed all over Tiela. Down her neck, her shoulders and her legs. She gasped for breath.
"I'm going to drown!" she thought. still clinging to her horse, she fainted.
"Tiela! Tiela! Are you alright?"
Tiela opened her eyes and looked at Finor who was standing worriedly over her. Finor smiled. "Always knew you were a survivor!" she said.
"What..... what happened?" Tiela managed to splutter.
"We were lucky! We got far enough away to only get splashed a bit. Your horse carried you to dry land.... She's a survivor too!" Finor grinned.
"How did you....."
"I saw it."
"Saw what?" asked Tiela.
"The other ship. It fired on the treaty ship."
Tiela groaned. "More enemies, whose ship was it?"
"Sorry, too far away to tell the much about it." Finor was apologetic.
"It's ok," said Tiela as she tried to get up. "Ouch! My back feels like I've been trampled by elephants!"
"Come on, let's get back to the shore and view the damage."
Tiela felt a pang of guilt. She'd been thinking of herself when there were sure to be hundreds of drowned seafront villages. She though of all the deaths and let a tear fall. Finor's face was grave.
"The number of deaths is larger than it should have been already and there are still hundreds of people missing. What's more, the Queen Ellie can't be found."
Tiela looked startled.
"I've been assured that the rest of the royalty is safe though," comforted Finor.
"That's not it! Don't you mean Princess Ellie?" exclaimed Tiela.
Finor looked confused. "No, Queen Ellie, why?"
"Ellie is only my age, I remember distinctly because I remember that Nathan and I laughed about how she grew up on a farm in Unus for protection and then her tutor was perplexed when she wanted to 'Round up dem far loose sheep 'n' give 'em all a bi' o' a close shave!' "
Finor shrugged. "So she's a Queen now."
