“So how does that make him different?” she questioned.
Lionel held up his hand. “I am not done yet. You young ones, from a newer generation, don’t have the patience anymore to listen to the stories.” He looked at her. “There is a lesson in how the story unfolds. “
She snorted at his statement but kept quiet.
Lionel continued.
“There were some rumors about the prince’s birth. They saw that he was bound with a magical seal. No one understood the significance.”
“A seal?”
“Yes. They say that his father did some experiments on him when he was little. It got to a point where they were forced to put a seal on him to make sure that he wouldn’t lose control.” He shrugged dismissively. “But that is just lies, of course. The King would have never done that to his own child.”
“Yeah.”
She thanked him and excused herself, heading back to her room. The conversation kept running through her head. She needed to do some digging before her plan was set into motion. At every step as she took the stairs, her muscles screamed. She needed to lay down and rest. What she really needed was a hot bath after a long day of activities. Before training with Lionel, Emily had spent the morning in the library studying the history of Sunclaire, any information about her homeland, reference books, and guides about surviving in the forest with few provisions. She felt like she was ready to leave and yet there was that side of her that didn’t want to leave. But she had decided. She was going to leave as soon as she could. Nothing would stop her.
Just then, the door of her room began to creak open. Glancing up, she saw that it was Prince Declan who had entered the room. He just stood there and stared at her with an unreadable expression. She waved her hand in front of him.
“Earth to the prince. Are you in there?”
Funny. What dimension of Earth was she even talking about?
Shaking his head, the prince marched over to her bed and sat down next to her.
“I heard that you faced Clover. That was pretty brave of you. Most people don’t walk away on two legs after battling her.”
“Yeah, thanks.” She blushed slightly at his compliment.
“The Searcher has been here for almost two weeks and she hasn’t found anything yet. She keeps on saying that your mind is very hard to decipher.” He gave Emily a hard look. “Somehow I can’t fully believe that.”
“You’re here to ask me if that's true. I can’t pretend to have something in my mind if I don’t know what it is.”
“Are you hiding something?” the prince asked.
“No. Maybe I just have a thick head,” she joked, hoping that the subject would change. “Isn’t there a fair in the town this weekend? Maybe we can go and check it out?” She gave him her brightest winning smile.
“Do you think I was born yesterday? You are going to run off the moment you leave this castle.”
“How about you send Clover with me? And a few other guards, too?” she pleaded. She clasped her hands. “I just feel really cooped up here. I want to see what the town looks like, that's all.”
Prince Declan sighed and waved his hand in defeat. “Alright, tomorrow you will go with Clover. She will come to pick you up around 11 tomorrow. Be ready to go.”
Emily smiled. “Thank you.”
The door closed behind him with a reassuring thud. Grinning, she looked under the bed to grab the supplies that she had hidden. She could only bring a few things so that Clover would not become suspicious.
Chapter 11
The sound of a broom being swept along the floor drew Emily into the world. The room was dark because of the large velvet curtains, but Emily could see the light streaming around the sides. Across the room stood two slight figures who were going through the clothes hanging in the closet. They noticed that she was awake and they curtsied to her.
“His majesty has requested that your room is to be cleaned and restocked with new outfits.”
“You can tell him that I am fine with the clothes that I currently have. I don’t even wear half the clothes already. It's a waste of fabric.”
The maids exchanged a glance. They seemed shocked at her words. One of them shook her head vigorously.
“You can’t refuse gifts from the prince. It would be very rude of you and it would be insulting.”
“Insulting? I would just politely decline. If you’re afraid that he would become angry, then I will tell him myself.”
The plump maid looked confused, “But why would you refuse his gifts when you are courting?”
“What? Courting?” She didn’t know if she should laugh or throw up. “Excuse me?”
“Yes, that what all the servants have heard. Everyone is aware of it. “
“No!” She rolled her eyes and pulled herself out of bed. “Who told you this?”
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation.
“Come in.”
Clover entered the room and the maids scurried around her and exited into the hallway.
“You ready to go?”
“Almost.”
Emily grabbed a comfortable dress and threw on some sturdy shoes. Her bag was on the dressing table. In it was some money and bits of food that she had saved. For a moment, she thought about asking about her pike. No, Clover would get suspicious. She probably would find a way to keep her from going into town.
“Alright, let's go!”
The street thronged with people dressed in a variety of clothes, some formal and some clearly working clothes. Carriages passed by that were drawn by large horses, and wagons edged through the crowds, heavily laden with sacks of food and piles of produce. They were probably headed toward the market stalls.
Emily couldn’t help but look around in amazement. A certain stall caught her eye and she darted between the excited groups of customers over to it. So many delicious looking pastries were displayed on the table! She had never smelled something that good before, like caramelized sugar and sweet vanilla.
“Can I please get that?” She pointed out one of the pastries to the older woman in a bright kerchief behind the narrow table. “I will share it with you.” She turned to Clover, who trailed closely behind her. “My last one. I promise. “
Clover looked exhausted. Emily had dragged her all over the place. As she kept telling Clover, she had never been to a fair like this. She wanted to see everything. In her world, in her city, they had fairs but never anything like this. There were stages with performers, and people in the streets who were juggling, playing music and singing and dancing. She had noticed some soldiers who looked like they, too, were having a good time here.
“You promise that this is your last one?”
“Um. Maybe,” she sheepishly said.
Another stall caught her attention and before Clover could react, she was gone. At this stall, the table had an assortment of small toys. Emily took a closer look and saw that they were made out of wood. There was one in particular that immediately caught her eye. A wooden outline of a rearing horse. She marveled at how beautifully it was crafted.
It was if Clover could read her mind. She had caught up with Emily at the table of toys and told the lady that she would like to buy the horse statue.
“You're the best!” Emily smiled. She gave Clover a thumb up.
Clover seemed to study her. “Why are you acting like a child?”
“Because this place is so neat, of course,” she giggled. “So today, I woke up to the maids cleaning my room and giving me new clothing.”
“Yes, that is what they do. What about it?”
She did not know how to talk to Clover about this. Should she be direct or work her way up to it? After all, it was the prince that she was going to talk about. Clover could be upset or annoyed.
“They thought that the Prince was attempting to…. well, to court me.”
Clover just stood there, her eyes scanning the townspeople. She just shrugged at Emily’s story.
“Yeah, and
what about it?”
“Excuse me? Aren’t you going to deny it? You’re the closest person to him.”
“Why would I lie?” Clover casually leaned back against the table. Being direct wasn’t working.
Unsatisfied, Emily decided to head into a nearby inn. She felt the presence of Clover beside her. Darn, she must be following her closely. Walking further into the tavern, she found a chair. Clover sat down across from her at the rough wooden table. A waiter came over and asked if she wanted anything to drink. She just requested water, while Clover ordered a brandy and looked over at Emily.
“Why are you so gloomy about the courting thing? I thought you would have noticed that the prince does value you.”
“Look, I appreciate the kindness that he has shown me. But I am not interested in him.”
A cup was placed in front of her and Emily took a gulp. The thick ceramic mug was filled to the top with water. She had politely declined the waiter’s offer of a beer. The one time she tried it, it had left a bitter taste in her mouth. And she wanted to remain focused. Any alcohol could affect her judgment and prevent her from escaping.
“So, are you not interested in handsome men?”
She coughed, choking on the water that she swallowed. “No!” she sputtered. “Sorry, but the prince is someone I don't think I can have that kind of relationship with. He and I just don’t have similar morals.”
Clover looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes. But he is actually a good person inside. You just have to give him a chance.”
“I didn’t even know that he was even interested in me until this morning. It doesn’t make sense.”
Clover took a sip of her drink and smiled. “Well, I have known for a while.”
Emily gave her a look of shock. “And you didn’t tell me? I thought you were my friend.”
“Oh, gosh. You are really dense sometimes.” Clover got up from her low stool. “Come on, we better head back to the castle. We have been here for a while now.”
Without warning, a chair smashed through the tavern's large glass window. She would have been cut by sharp piece if Clover hadn’t instantaneously used a shield card.
“What the heck was that!?” thought Emily. It just came out of nowhere.
Outside, Emily could hear people shouting angrily. There seemed to be a brawl going on that they now heard through the broken panes of the window. People began to tumble out of the tavern. They seemed like they were ready for a fight. She followed suit, ignoring Clover who called after her.
“Come back! It's dangerous for you!”
Two soldiers were outside on the muddy ground, clearly unconscious. Both of them were battered and bruised. To her surprise, a petite girl stood in front of them wielding two slender blades. The crowd was standing well back from her.
She had a thick curtain of golden hair that parted on both sides of her head. Her face was half covered by a fabric mask with a patch that covered one of her eyes.
Emily could vaguely hear Clover demanding to know who the girl was. The girl ignored her and seemed to be intently focused on Emily.
“You must be Emily. Nice to meet you. I have heard so much about you!”
“Stay away from her!” Her view was blocked as Clover stepped in front of her. “You have attacked soldiers! That is a serious crime. Turn yourself in and no one will get hurt.”
Clover hurled a massive fiery blast toward the girl. The explosion blinded Emily. Blinking, she could only see spots.
“You really have bad aim.” Emily rubbed her eyes. “How is that possible?”
When her vision finally cleared, she could see that the stranger was on the roof of a nearby building. There were no signs of damage or of wounds on her. The blast hadn’t even hurt the girl. Who was this person? Someone who was able to dodge the attack. She could see that Clover, beside her, was knotted with tension, and her eyes were locked on the girl with intense fury.
“You managed to dodge it! I am impressed, “she sneered. “However, you won’t survive the next one!”
Emily saw the card. It was the lightning bolt one that Clover had used to hobble her in their mock fight. This small girl would not survive if she got hit by its force. To her surprise, the girl seemed to spy the card in Clover’s hand and just grinned. She didn’t look afraid at all.
The next blast sent townspeople flying. The building where the girl stood was gone. Only heaps of rocks and burning wood remained. She couldn’t have survived that, Emily thought. That wouldn’t be possible. The street had been emptied out, most of the people having fled. Only Clover, some soldiers, and Emily remained.
“Is that all you got?”
What? She was still alive? Even after that blast? Was that even possible?
Clover looked shocked and she whirled around trying to find the source of the voice. Emily couldn’t see anyone and yet heard the voice close by. Something brushed her as it passed. Before her eyes, she saw the girl speed up to Clover, slicing her blade into the bodyguard’s shoulder blade. To her surprise, Clover’s arm fell limp against her side.
“What the...!”
The girl struck again, hitting her other arm. Then she went for the right leg. Clover dropped to the ground with a thud. Grabbing Emily’s hand, the young girl pulled her away from Clover.
“Come on! We need to leave before the effect of the chemicals I dispersed wear off.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Anna.” Anna looked over her shoulder. “We have got to get ahead of these soldiers! Move!”
“Why should I?” Emily wasn’t sure anymore. Though Clover’s job had been to keep her from escaping, she had become important to Emily.
“James sent me.”
James sent her? Did that mean that he was in the town? But that would not be safe for him. This is the capital of the Sunclaire Kingdom. Soldiers were everywhere.
“He is not here. Do not worry.”
Nodding, she followed Anna through the streets. Behind them, the soldiers were shouting to each other in confusion. They probably didn’t know if they should help Clover or go after them.
Anna snickered, “Wow, they are pretty useless in situations like this.”
They began to run and it soon seemed that they had been running forever. They hurtled down dirty roads that smelled of rotten food and manure. Emily had been in the nicer part of the city but now she could tell they were in the much poorer section. Unused lumber, empty containers, toppled boxes were strewn against the mud splashed walls of squat houses. Occasionally, she would see someone lying on the ground motionless. She didn’t know if the person was asleep or dead.
Anna stopped in front of a rundown building. She glanced around and headed around the back, leaving Emily to stand in the front.
Clover popped her head from the side of the building and yelled at Emily.
“Are you coming or not?”
“Yes!”
At the back of the house was a yard. Though Emily would hardly call it a yard. The grass reached her thigh and she was sure those bushes were actually saplings. No one had mowed the yard in years, she was certain of that. In front of her, Anna pushed aside some branches to reveal a trapdoor built into the ground. Once the trap door was lifted, a little ladder stretched down that led into an underground room. Anna scuttled down.
As Emily followed her to the bottom, she felt the air grow cold.
“What is this place?”
A tiny voice, unknown to her, answered. “This is our hideout.” A scrawny boy emerged from the shadows. He stuck out his hand in greeting. “Hello, my name is Eric. I see that you have met Anna.” Eric spread his arms. “Welcome to our humble home.”
“It's very homely.”
Eric laughed and put his arm around Emily. “I think you’ll enjoy living here.”
“Live here? Me? Why?”
“Well, until Kator comes here to pick you up.”
“James?” Her eyes were wide with excitement. “Is he in the city?”
Anna looked at Emily and just smiled. She shook her head as she sat down on a crate. “He can’t come into the city. The guards would immediately know his face. I believe that a person called Wind Blade will come to get you out.”
Happiness filled her as she heard her friend’s name. Her “aunt”. Her protector. She was happy to hear that Wind Blade had not been captured.
“How do you know James, I mean, Kator?”
The Shadow Beasts: The Sunclaire Chronicles Page 10