"Reunited..." - Chapter Four

Reunited...

Chapter Four

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Prince William had spoken to most of King Jonathan's staff. They were fairly evenly split on whether Princess Angelina ran away or whether she was abducted. However, they were almost unanimous on their belief that no one would go purposely into the Forbidden Zone.

Nonetheless, Prince William would follow the trail where it led. Thus, if it went into this foreboding area, he would need to be prepared for it. Therefore, he put several water containers into his suncar as he set off following Princess Angelina's trail.

The ancient roadway was quite a bit west of the castle complex. It was once a busy north/south road for travelers; however, now it was just an little used trail. Prince William double checked the track he was following. Both he and King Jonathan's trackers concluded that the suncar headed south. He checked the trail and was certain that is the direction to go.

This ancient road south led to the ruins of a city. It was once a major metropolitan area, but it was now little more than rubble. The many conflicts hit this mountain city hard. What made it an excellent place for a city also made it a place where people fought. This was the way of many of the old cities.

Because of its location, there were several roads which the ancients had constructed that led into and out of this major metropolitan area. These roads went off in all directions. Anyone going this direction would be difficult to track. Once again, it was an excellent choice to hide the destination of any traveling vehicle.

While this ancient city was about an hour from King Jonathan's residential complex by suncar, it was going to take Prince William a while to determine the exact path. Prince William's suncar had little difficulty traveling over the ancient roads. That is, until it got nearer to the ruined city. The battles had taken their toll on these roads.

Nonetheless, it made it somewhat easier to track. There were places where there was debris in the roads where tire tracks could be seen. There were broken plants. There were many clues to follow. However, it was a time consuming task for Prince William. There could be other vehicles traveling along this route.

As he suspected, the trail led to the west. This did not mean that they were headed directly into the Forbidden Zone. The ancient road headed to the west through the mountains and towards the Monoran desert. However, the ancient road had a split where a suncar could head north, continue west, or even loop back. It was clear to Prince William that the route chosen was very good one for concealing the final destination.

However, now that Prince William knew that the trail headed west, it would be easier to track. With the mountainous terrain, there were few options until the next split. Thus, once he left the ruined city, he could make pretty good time.

The tracking took its toll on Prince William, and he camped at one of the few intersections in the mountains for the night. He felt he was making good time, and hoped to reach the next major intersection of the ancient roadway by midday. Nevertheless, it was still going to take him a while to catch up with Princess Angelina at this rate. Although, it would take even longer if he missed her trail. Thus, he was being very methodical.

In any event, if King Jonathan's trackers were to be believed, they would have the Princess back before he reached the next split in the road. It would be at this point when Prince William would know for certain if the suncar went into the forbidden area. If it did, then the Princess could be in great distress.

With first light, Prince William was back on the trail. He could tell he was getting closer to the desert as it was becoming increasingly dry. He did cross a minor trickle of a river, and he wondered if there were more like it.

The sun was hot and high in the sky when he reached the crossroads. A blockade had been constructed to prevent southward travel. However, it had been removed. Thus, it was clear to Prince William that the Princess was in the Forbidden Zone.

He double and triple checked the trail, but it was unmistakable. The suncar clearly entered the forbidden area. Thus, the prince had no choice but to follow the track. He turned his suncar south and headed into the hot desert.

The road was rough. Sections of the road had seen great battles. Some of the ancient attack vehicles still sat there slowly being covered in sand. They were once great metal beasts, but now just hunks of scrap. Sand slowly wearing them smooth in places and rough in others.

The track he was following was clear in the sand. He could easily follow it as it led into the desert. So few had come this way, that the track looked fresh even though it could have been days or even weeks old. He thought he would catch up to the Princess in no time.

Suddenly, a huge cloud of sand blew across his path. The sand storm blocked out the sun, and his suncar lost power. The sand blasted against the side of his car. He could almost feel the sand tearing the solar panels off the car. His car sat there motionless as the sand ripped across his path. The roar of the sand and wind was almost deafening.

Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The roar ceased and all was silent again. The sun returned. Prince William let out a huge sigh. He took a small drink of water from his stores and stepped out of his car.

Some of the panels were damaged, but he quickly repaired them. His car had survived with little damage. Then he realized it. The trail he was following was gone. The wind had erased the easy trail that had led him to this spot. What was he going to do next? The Forbidden Zone was beginning to live up to its name.