by V F Sharp
She’d thought about going to find the prince, but knew that it wouldn’t be of any use. Even if she could find him, he already had enough on his mind. She didn’t want to become a burden to him. Besides, it was clear that he didn’t want to risk someone being there who didn’t absolutely need to be. She understood it. But that still didn’t make it any easier.
After the emotional highs and lows of the day, she just wanted to clear her head. She needed to spend a few hours in the outdoors alone with nature to digest everything that was happening. Most of all, she needed to blow off some steam; her frustration had reached a boiling point. She’d get to say her tearful goodbyes later.
It would soon be dusk, and the nights had been chilly as of late, so she thought it wise to bring some warmer clothes along with her and grabbed her half-filled sack. She looked through her additional garments on the bed for something that might be suitable.
Ezstasia didn’t want to be confronted with more well-meaning, yet annoying comments, so she began to rush. She scooped the clothes into her bag, grabbed her cloak from the rack and headed out the door before anyone could see her.
As soon as she got outside, she put her cloak on and headed toward the village stables where Tia was kept.
The village was busy, not only because of the visiting monarchs and their entourages, but also because of all the Rhyceton refugees. People seemed to be running to and fro with everything from food carts to firewood to bundles of clothing. Between the fear of the unknown horrors that had been threatening the kingdoms and the excitement of all the visitors, people were out in the streets en masse, conversing with one another.
When she finally got to the stables, she saw to her relief that the stable keepers were busy, so she had no trouble taking Tia out. She saddled up the rabbit and rode out of the Western Gate without any questions from the guards. After all, leaving wasn’t a problem. Coming in was a different story.
As she rode south in the direction of the Cottages, she took in the sights and smells of the mountains and trees. After about an hour or so of riding, the sun had nearly set as she began looking for a place to stop and give Tia a chance to rest. On her right was a wide open meadow with high grass and an occasional bush or tree. To her left she saw the dense forest she remembered passing in her prior trips to and from the Cottages. Beyond the forest, she could see the enormous, beautiful mountain range she recalled from her prior trips. In the growing darkness, she could barely make out the tops of the majestic hills.
She slowed Tia down and gazed into the mysterious forest. As darkness fell and the crescent moon rose in the deep purple sky, her heart began to pound with the realization that it might not be as safe of a ride as she had presumed. With all the emotional upheaval, she’d almost forgotten about the Diamondwolves. While they hadn’t yet been reported on this side of the river, there was nothing to say they couldn’t appear anywhere at any time, especially in the obscurity of the evening shadows.
“Tia, I’m thinking we better head back,” she said. “We can rest when we’re closer.”
Just then, she heard movement in the trees. It could’ve been the rustling of leaves from the wind. She halted Tia and listened closely. The wind blew against the trees again, causing a loud crackling. She was convinced it had to be a natural occurrence, but with the recent events, nothing would surprise her.
“It’s just the wind,” she said out loud to the rabbit, more so for her own reassurance. She continued listening intently for any sudden sounds.
She felt butterflies in her stomach as she began to pull the rightmost rein to turn Tia around. Just as her rabbit started to turn, she spotted something else up ahead to the right. It was a glimmering light in the meadow.
She stopped Tia again and stared. It was yellow and flickering, like a fallen star that had flattened in the dark field, just to the right of the road.
“What is that, Tia?”
Curious, she led Tia ahead to get a closer look. The rabbit seemed hesitant.
“I know, girl,” she said. “You’re not as curious as I am. Maybe that’s a good thing.”
When she got closer to it, she decided to tie Tia up by the left side of the road. She dismounted the rabbit and tied her to a tall tree, putting some berries she’d brought from the stables on the ground for her. She crossed the dirt road and trudged through the tall grass in the blackness of night, using the lights ahead as a guide.
Quietly, she made her way through the field, gazing at the flickering light. It almost looked like a campfire. In fact, the closer she got, she realized it was a campfire. Someone was out there. But who? And why?
Though every fiber of her being told her to go back to Tia and return to the castle, she wanted to see who could be out here. She knelt down in the tall grass and moved slowly forward until she could make out the camp.
It was a small camp, with about ten to fifteen tents, each glowing with the illumination of the candles inside. In many of them, she could see the silhouettes of their inhabitants moving around. At the center of the camp, a huge fire was lit, with people standing and sitting around it, conversing.
She moved even closer, and at this point, she was nearly crawling. She prayed that nobody would spot her. She noticed a couple of bushes up ahead and darted behind them.
Hiding behind the bushes, she could now see that they were knights. She overheard two men arguing. They were walking from the campfire toward the back of one of the tents. She recognized one of them. It was King Zaros from the meeting with the monarchs. She wondered if he and his men were camping on the way back to their kingdom. Then she remembered something Eliezer had said during his briefing about the monarchs. Zaros’s kingdom, Valta, was in the far northwest of the continent, so they would’ve been entirely in the opposite direction. Besides, Eliezer had also said the monarchs had all sailed to Old Vynterra, except King Baldar, whose walled kingdom of Laderia was situated in the central region. They definitely weren’t near any ports to reach their ships.
She remembered the heated debate between Zaros and the prince, which piqued her curiosity. She tried to remain hidden in the tall, dry grass and crawled toward another bush closer to where the two men were walking. Her feet rustled against the brush, and she froze as she saw Zaros turn his head right in her direction. Thankfully, he resumed his debate with the other man.
After the men parted, she spotted another bush with more coverage and she quickly rushed to hide behind it. The camp was bigger than she thought; the tents were several rows deep.
She could see a knight behind one of the rear tents, pacing back and forth in the dim, yellow light of a nearby torch. He was the one Zaros had been arguing with. But where was Zaros? She’d lost track of him. The man stopped and stared up into the stars before walking toward the campfire.
Ezstasia felt nervous. She crouched on all fours and began making her way back in the direction of the road, passing several tents as quietly as she could, while trying her best to stay hidden. She heard whinnying up ahead that came from the road. She looked up to realize that all of the knights’ horses were tied up by the road, not more than ten yards from where Tia was. She hoped none of the knights would need to go back to their horses until she had left.
As she passed another tent, she heard voices coming from inside. She could see the silhouettes of two men through the tent as their hands waved around in an agitated manner. They were arguing about something. She got closer to listen.
“It’s our duty,” said the taller man with a deep voice. “We have no choice.”
“We always have a choice,” said the other one, who sounded like an older man. “These are difficult times. But this? This is wrong.”
“We have our orders.”
“We also have consciences,” said the older man. “Can you live with such a decision?”
“None of us will live at all if we disobey orders. You’d be wise in your old age to remember that. I have a family to care for. That’s what matters to me.”
&n
bsp; Just then another shadow entered the tent.
“Is there a problem here?” said the third man. It was King Zaros.
“No sire,” said the tall man with the deep voice. “We’re just gather—”
“Leave us,” said Zaros.
“Of course, sire,” said the tall man as he left.
Ezstasia held her breath as the man walked only a foot from where she was hiding.
“You don’t approve of our mission, Sir Karek?” said Zaros to the older man.
“Whether I approve of it is of little consequence, my lord. But I understand the importance of the mission, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“You’ve been by my side for many years,” said Zaros. “What we are about to do cannot bear even the slightest hesitation. It would pain me to have to issue… consequences.”
“I’m at your service, my lord,” said Karek.
“Good,” said Zaros. “These are difficult times, but we must remain firm in our resolve. I’ll see you in the camp.”
As Zaros left the tent, Ezstasia began to panic. She wasn’t sure when they were all leaving, but if it was any time soon, they’d surely see Tia when they went to their horses. She crawled as fast as she could until she heard someone walking behind her, headed in her direction. Quickly, she rolled to the side and looked back. The knight was carrying several large swords toward the horses. He would’ve walked right over her if she hadn’t moved.
Just then, Zaros came back and approached him. She had nothing to cover her except the shadow of night and hoped they wouldn’t spot her.
“Sir Blake,” said Zaros, holding out a small sack. “Take this with you.”
“Ah yes, the gold,” said Blake in a deep voice as he took the sack from the king. She realized he was the same tall man who’d been arguing in the tent with the older man, Karek.
“Remember, when you ride east, you’ll see the village. Ask for Goram. The Vorokians may be savages, but for the right price they’ll serve us well. I’ve dealt with him in the past. Be sure to tell him you represent King Zaros.”
“I will, my lord. Is there anything else?”
“Yes. Hurry back with them as quickly as you can. Time is already running out.”
As Zaros left and the imposing Sir Blake continued toward the horses, Ezstasia held her breath. She watched as the knight walked to one of the horses and loaded the sack of gold and his weapons onto the saddlebag, before untying and mounting the steed. He prepared to leave, but suddenly halted the horse. He seemed to be looking in Tia’s direction, as if he’d heard something. She could feel her heart pound in her throat and hoped he couldn’t hear her rapid breath. She stayed perfectly still watching him. After a few seconds, Sir Blake shook the reins and then galloped off.
She crawled toward Tia, and just as she approached the road, she heard two more knights walking toward her. She remained still as she watched Tia across the street, hoping the oblivious rabbit wouldn’t make a noise.
“Did he take my horse?” said the one knight, who was quite stocky and bald.
“Now why would he do that?” said the other, a light-haired man with a gravelly voice. “He has his own.”
“Mine’s faster. He asked me if he could take her.”
“Well at least he asked,” said the fair-haired knight as they approached the horses. “Blake never asks.”
“I told him he couldn’t!”
From across the road, Ezstasia heard Tia make a noise that came from pulling back against her tie. The men must’ve startled her.
“What was that!?” said the light-haired knight.
“Probably a squirrel.”
“It sounded bigger than a squirrel.”
“You’re just hearin’ things.”
Tia moved again and a branch cracked.
“I told you I heard something!”
Ezstasia froze as the two men rushed toward Tia. She spotted a wagon by the road and dove toward it in the darkness, quietly squeezing herself under it.
“It’s a saddled rabbit!” said the stocky, bald knight. “Go warn the others. There’s a spy in the camp. I’ll wait here.”
The blond knight ran toward the campfire as Ezstasia looked around for a better place to hide. She crawled out from underneath the wagon and felt something pointy jab against her back before she could even get up.
“Found you,” said a voice behind her. It was the bald knight. She could tell by his voice.
She thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest.
“Stay put,” he said.
She felt the last bit of hope she had left exit her body as she laid her head on the ground in defeat. She didn’t even look up at him.
“I have the spy!” he yelled. A bunch of knights ran toward them from the camp.
She glanced up to see multiple sets of legs coming toward her. One walked steadily closer and stopped just in front of her.
“Stand up,” said the familiar voice. It was King Zaros.
Slowly, she rose until she was standing face to face with him.
He looked taken aback when he saw her face. “I know you,” he said. “You were at the meeting today. I didn’t take you for a spy.”
“I’m not a spy,” she said.
“Said every spy I’ve ever met. Why are you here, not-a-spy?”
“I’m on my way home to the Cottages.”
“And you just happened upon our camp? Quite convenient. Tell, me, Miss…”
“My name’s Ezstasia, Your Highness.”
“Tell me, Miss Ezstasia.” He put his face uncomfortably close to hers. “Why were you sent here? And by whom?”
“Nobody sent me here,” she said. “I’m telling you the truth. I was on my way and I saw the lights. I was curious to see who was here.”
“Curiosity killed the cat,” he said, backing up slightly. “And a great many of my enemies. Answer my question. Why are you really here?”
“I told you,” she said. “I just want to go home.”
“What did you hear during the time that your… curiosity overtook you?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I swear I didn’t hear anything. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Do I look worried?” he said. He looked around at the other knights, who began to chuckle.
“She’s lying, sire,” said the blond, gravelly-voiced knight. “We found her rabbit tied up near our horses. She was snooping around the camp.”
Zaros looked at her and smiled. “My guard says you’re lying,” he said. “What do you have to say to that?” Everything about his sing-songy, mocking manner and tone made her skin crawl.
“I was walking around the camp,” she said, lying. “Not snooping.”
“Walking around my camp for an evening stroll,” he said. “I hope you enjoyed it, because you’ll get to see plenty more.”
He looked to the stocky, bald knight and then the blond one. “Tie her up,” he said.
“You can’t do this!” she said, as the knight took a rope from one of the other men. He grabbed her tightly with his grimy, unwashed hands. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”
The knights brought her to one of the few trees in the camp, while some of the other men pulled Tia toward her. Ezstasia squirmed as they held her against the tree. They fastened her arms behind the tree with the rope, and then tied her legs together. They left her there, completely alone, and they walked back toward the camp.
For the next hour or so, she fought endlessly to free herself from the ties around her ankles and wrists as she watched the drunk knights parading around by the campfire. It was of no use. Her skin was raw against the rope and it hadn’t budged an inch.
After a while, her shoulders began to ache and her legs felt even worse. The pain grew unbearable and she could barely remain conscious. To make matters worse, the smoke from the campfire had drifted her way, burning her eyes. But she couldn’t give up. She had absolutely no idea what these men were capable of.
As time went on, she
became more and more exhausted from the ordeal. She couldn’t help but to worry about the prince and the plan that Zaros had in store for him. She felt weak and entirely helpless.
After more pushing and pulling, her head grew heavy and she could no longer stay awake. She found herself drifting off into a nightmare of enormous sea creatures and a terrible storm in the ocean’s raging waters.
* * * *
Pallu was watching Lanzzie pace back and forth in the bedroom that she shared with Ezstasia and Jezreel. He wasn’t sure what to do to help her. She was beside herself. He had to admit, he was getting a bit worried too. It wasn’t like Ezstasia to abandon her friends, let alone her sister. This was like the forest situation all over again.
“Should we go find her?” said Lanzzie.
“Where would you even look? You never know with her. She visits dragons and hides with spiders and ends up in faraway kingdoms with princes.”
“You’re not helping.”
Pallu walked to a small armchair in the corner of the room and sat on it, barely fitting between the arms. “Lanz, you saw how upset she was when she heard she couldn’t go with you. Being separated from you and her friends and even the prince, for an unknown length of time, I’m sure it tore her up inside. Her whole life was turned upside down in one quick moment. I’d be upset, too.”
“But to leave and not say goodbye? That’s even beyond her.”
“Exactly,” said Pallu. “That’s why I know she’ll be back.”
“She took all of her clothes. I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“It doesn’t make sense. She must’ve left something here. Look around for her stuff. Maybe it’s under the bed.”
“It’s not. I looked.”
“Then look somewhere else.”
Lanzzie walked to the tall cabinet where they kept some of their clothes, but remembered that she had already checked there. She went to the opposite end of the room to the desk and opened the drawers. In the top drawer was a small wooden box. She took it out and opened it.
“Her necklace is here!” said Lanzzie. “The one my mom gave her. She’d never leave that.”