Fire in the Heart : The Princess and the Bandit (9781629020112)

by Slaughterbown

  “Well. Did you hear everything?” demanded Natalia.

  He slowly lifted his head. “I heard you wanted to leave with him.”

  “Is that true?” tried Elijah again.

  Her blank expression offered no help at all. Elijah could hear the thump, thump, thump trying to break through his chest. “Is it true?”

  “Elijah,” answered Natalia ever so softly.

  Elijah bit his lower lip and looked away. “I suppose we are not meant to be?” he muttered.

  Natalia immediately replied. “Elijah. It’s…it could never work out between us, and…you know that.”

  Elijah wiped his hand across his eye. “How do you know, Natalia?”

  “Because,” she stuttered. “I’m a princess, and you’re…you’re a…”

  Elijah nodded as he glanced away. “A bandit?”

  Her eyes met the ground.

  Suddenly, Elijah reached for her. “Natalia, I love you with all my heart. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, dream about you. Everything about me wants to be nearer to you. No one will ever love you the way I do. If you could just give me a chance to make this right, I promise we can do it. We can run away together, just the two of us. We can be free! We can go live where there are flocks of hummingbirds!”

  A smile settled across her face.

  “I…I don’t want to lose you, Natalia. I have never felt so alive than when I’m with you. Please!” He felt her warmth against his arm. “I love you and I always will. My heart belongs only to you,” he whispered.

  Several tears broke free. “Elijah…,” she pleaded. “I can’t…”

  His chest felt crushed, unable to breath. Have I taken my last,’ he wondered as their lives flashed before him. He stood motionless beside her, unable to stir.

  Her words forced him to draw in a breath. “I…I am so sorry that I…I misled you, and I knew that we couldn’t be, but I just wanted to pretend and live in my own fantasy world. I am so sorry that I hurt you.”

  But his head was spinning, out of control. What do I do now? he thought. Where do I go, who do I see? He glanced around the room and tried to figure out why it seemed so dark.

  His eyes fell on the vanity behind her. “I understand, Natalia. I want you to be happy. And that’s the truth,” he said, hoping against hope for something to change. He didn’t move.

  Natalia broke out in tears, sobbing quietly within herself.

  “I’ll always be there for you if you ever need me,” he said, gazing at her tender hands.

  Suddenly, she threw her arms around him and pulled him close. He tightened his embrace when he realized that this might be their last. “If this is the last time I get to see you, I just want you to know that you made me happy,” he whispered in her ear.

  Her broken voice whispered in his ear. “You made me happy too,” she said, eking out a smile.

  Realizing that their time was coming to an end, he let go of Natalia and reached into his shirt. “I think this belongs to you.”

  Natalia blinked and then remembered the tiny, wooden carving she had given him. She quickly said, “No,” and met his eyes. “I want you to keep it,” she said as she gently pushed against his hands.

  “I love you, Natalia.”

  The swelling of her chest increased. “I love you too, Elijah,” she replied as her tears flowed freely.

  “Bam!” The door suddenly burst open, immediately followed by a screaming woman. “Bandit! Bandit!”

  Natalia shouted back. “Mera!”

  She screamed again, “Bandit!”

  Elijah wasted no time as he slid the hummingbird into his shirt and bolted for the window.

  “Bandit!”

  Elijah leaped over the rail down the walls of the great palace. The chimera’s hissing increased as the woman screamed. Elijah could hear shouting from the garden below. The entire palace burst into life. He practically fell into the courtyard and sprinted to the wall.

  At first, he couldn’t hear much at all when “Halt!” broke through. A shouting guard charged at him, spear forward. Two others with swords suddenly circled to his side.

  Elijah barely had time to notice, but he had to clear his way. He was nearly surrounded.

  “You! You’re Elijah!” shouted one of the guards.

  A wave of dizziness swept through him when he realized that one of the city guards could identify him. This can’t be happening! he screamed within himself. Why?

  The guard with the spear shouted out. “Kill him!” The two guards sliced over and over, forcing Elijah backward. He heard the whoosh of the blades as they passed by. He rolled out of the way and into the direct path of the thrusted spear. It slammed into the ground, just missing Elijah’s chest. He came alive, flipping backward and then bouncing to his feet. The shouting increased as more guards appeared. The spear again slammed toward Elijah, close enough to grab it. A quick yank brought the guard within arm’s length. The guard immediately dropped in a heap under the blow of Elijah’s elbow. The other two guards charged Elijah as he vaulted off the spear into the air. It couldn’t have gone more perfectly. He felt the rough stone and latched on, flinging himself upward.

  Spear aimed upward, one guard shouted, “Get down here!”

  The other yelled out, “Get the archers!”

  Elijah didn’t look back as he bounded to the top ledge just as an arrow skidded next to his foot. A quick glance showed several archers adjacent. He lunged over the side and dropped to the ground. His chest pounded harder and harder with each movement. Fear began to seize at him with each whizzing arrow. Oh, if only I was already on the rooftops, he thought. He jerked sideways as one arrow sped by. A second’s pause showed him the growing distance behind and a most ominous sight. Radwan’s silhouette commanded attention as he towered on the ledge, thick spear in hand. Suddenly, the threat of death struck him as he watched the spear being raised. It’s too far! thought Elijah as he ducked another volley of arrows. Radwan pulled back and catapulted his spear into the dark of night! Elijah could hear the zing of it as it sliced through the air. It can’t make it this far, it can’t, his frantic thought screamed. No man could do that. It’s just too far! He barely rolled his neck out of the way as the spear impaled itself nearly halfway through a stone wall. Eyes wide, Elijah stumbled backward. He reached up and felt his head and then bolted into a nearby alley. The shouting never stopped, rather, only grew closer as it crescendoed with the chimera’s hissing and growling, He quickly scaled the next wall and dropped his hands to his knees. The heaving kept its loathsome pace until he peered back at the palace. Never before had he seen it bustling like this. Guards kept pouring out, lining the streets. The majestic image of Radwan stood motionless between him and Natalia’s balcony. Elijah closed his eyes, overpowered by everything out of his control. His only love, his only hope was now out of reach. He felt his fate was sealed as the streets filled with a veritable army intent on only one thing—his death.

  Chapter 22

  He had to bolt across the street, but the clinging wall felt so good against his back. Elijah froze in place. Horse hooves beat against the stones, but he wasn’t sure. The incessant ringing in his ears drowned out nearly everything. Up and down flailed his heaving chest, his lungs never seemed to gain access to enough of life’s precious air. He tried again, sucking in deeply. Then, he lunged into the dark of night and welcoming alley entrance on the other side. Did the passersby see him? he wondered as he plastered himself against another stone wall. His darting eyes failed to prove it so he kept running, harder and faster, until his gut screamed out in pain. He realized that he hadn’t tasted a morsel of food the entire day. How can I keep up this pace? How? he cried to himself. My life is over, he thought as he rounded the corner in front of the abandoned weapons shop.

  Again, he froze in his tracks, this time to a vaguely
familiar voice. “Help me,” it cried.

  Elijah crouched down and peered through the darkness toward the three-story prison. Then he remembered. “Aiken?” he strained, barely above a whisper. Clack, clack, clack caused him to twist around as a lone soldier on horseback crossed close by. Elijah’s hand swept across his forehead, and he peered back again to the dark building beside the weapons shop.

  “You must help me! They are going to execute me tomorrow!” cried Aiken through the small, barred opening.

  Elijah could see the stark white of the man’s face as he turned to flee. “I will get executed if they find me!” he replied.

  Emboldened, Aiken grabbed at the bars. “Really? Well then, it seems we are in the same predicament. Maybe we can work together!”

  The nearby shadows overtook Elijah.

  “Wait, please!” cried Aiken once again.

  The shuffling of his feet stopped and Elijah glanced back.

  “Please. I am begging you. Have mercy on me! I will do anything! Anything! Just let me know! Please!” pleaded Aiken through the night.

  Elijah turned around. “You told me if I helped you, I could have whatever my heart’s desire was. Is that true?” questioned Elijah.

  Aiken eyes widened. “Yes! Please believe me! Anything you want!” he replied.

  Elijah made his way across the plaza. “If you’re lying,” he said.

  Aiken’s voice stopped shaking. “I swear! Please…I just want to go home.”

  Elijah could see tears in the man’s eyes.

  In a flash, he glanced up the towering walls and was gone.

  Aiken’s strained whisper broke the silence. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  Elijah forgot about the racking pain in his stomach as he reached, hand over hand, up the wall. The roof was a welcomed sight. He had never felt his arms so weak before. A quick scan exposed a flickering light. That door looks open, he thought as he ran across the short distance. His stomach heaved suddenly when he crossed the threshold. What a horrible stench! How could anyone exist here? The many cells along the way were all barred shut. He shook his head to try to remove the deafening ringing in his ears as he tiptoed along. If he peered in, most cells held gruesome sights of skeletons, some chained to the wall, and some sprawled across wooden planks. The hall curved to the right and opened up to a dust-crusted stairwell. This hasn’t been used in years, he thought. He covered his mouth as the stench worsened. He was glad he hadn’t eaten anything after all. The first floor hallway was filled with cells and a few soldiers too, as they paced through the dimness. The ringing continued.

  Elijah jerked suddenly. “Shut up!” shouted a guard, banging his spear against the cell of one of the inmates. Soon, it was silent again.

  Elijah looked at the corner of the open area and recognized Ghais, the captain of the guard. Perfect, Elijah thought as a wave of dizziness swept through him again. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea? As soon as one of the guards turned, Elijah sprinted behind a low wall, peering out.

  The captain’s voice boomed across. “The city is full of petty criminals! I have never, in all my years, seen it this bad. It is a travesty!”

  The other guard joined in. “I heard the Prince Anas will have our city purged of all the bandits.”

  Ghais replied. “Well. It’s not soon enough if you ask me!”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ghais continued, “I am looking forward to being a part of the God-King’s empire. We will finally have the protection we need from the barbarian hordes!”

  “Yes, sir. We will.”

  Ghais rubbed his stomach. “Do we have any food?” he asked.

  “Just the lamb legs that we have been saving,” replied the guard.

  Ghais frowned. “I would rather eat sand that that disgusting lamb leg!” he grunted.

  Elijah’s eyes darted around and he spied another door. As soon as the two guards turned, he found himself on the other side and down the stairs. The dungeon was almost completely dark, but he could pick out four cells. He remembered the low four openings on the main wall outside. Only one cell opening was barred. This must be Aiken’s, he thought. But he stopped dead in his tracks as a snoring guard came into view. His chair teetered backward, helping to expose a large ring of keys on his belt.

  Aiken’s white face suddenly appeared through the bars. Eyes wide, he quickly pointed at the key ring.

  Elijah felt another wave of dizziness as he stepped closer to the door. His eyes followed Aiken’s hand, and he nodded.

  Aiken pointed again at the ring, causing Elijah to stop and nod again.

  Aiken pointed yet a third time, this time causing Elijah to throw up his hands. “What?” he mouthed. Aiken dropped his hand and winked.

  Elijah slowly crept toward the guard. He listened to the raspy snores and then slowly reached for the ring. A chord was wrapped tightly around it as he wiggled it back and forth.

  “Hey! Hey,” stammered the guard, forcing Elijah back. All color drained from his face. “Hey…heeeyy…hheeeeyyyy…,” sounded out the guard again. Then, as suddenly as it had started, the shouts gave way to the raspy snores again.

  Elijah drew in a deep breath and noticed that his chest had finally stopped pounding. He knelt down and touched the rough metal again, slowly wiggling it as best he could. Finally, it broke free and into his hands! He quickly inserted one and turned, but it wouldn’t budge. I can’t believe this, he thought.

  Aiken tried to reach through, but Elijah pulled back with a frown. “Hurry!” Aiken whispered.

  The second key slipped into the hole, but it too wouldn’t budge. Elijah wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

  “Let me see it!” whispered Aiken loudly. Both of their hands grasped the last symbol of freedom and turned. Click! sounded out just as a shadow smothered the only vestiges of flickering light. Elijah spun around directly into the face of a huge, sword-bearing guard.

  Aiken threw open the bars and rushed out to grab Elijah just as the sword came crashing down.

  Sword high, the guard charged Elijah again! A racket in the stairway immediately followed the man’s yell. Elijah slammed his fist into the man’s midsection, dropping the heavy guard to his knees. Elijah quickly lunged behind and, with foot raised, thrust it against the man’s back. The guard immediately sprawled forward into the cell. Aiken, with sword in hand, clicked the lock back in place. “There. That should do the trick!” said Aiken, voice shaking.

  The guard started rattling the barred door. “Help! Help me!” he shouted.

  A frown crossed Aiken’s face. “Maybe you should have killed him,” he said.

  “Come on! He will alert the whole prison!” commanded Elijah. They took off toward the stairs and bolted to the next floor. Standing there was an unexpected sight, eight guards, all with swords raised.

  Ghais was right in the middle of them. “Well, well, well. What have we here? The rat thief, Elijah, in my humble home? What a treat. And he is helping a crusader? You deserve to die!” chided the captain.

  Elijah, swordless, stood his ground.

  Ghais glared at the bandit. “You have made a fool out of me for the last time, Elijah. Prepare yourself!” he shouted.

  Elijah shrugged. “Made a fool out of you? Why, I have done nothing but try and help you,” he replied as he stepped over toward a table.

  Ghais’s glare followed him. “And how did you come to this way of thinking?” replied Ghais.

  “Do you really think you’ll catch me this time?” scoffed Elijah.

  The room suddenly filled with laughter. “There is no escape for you this time, thief!” demanded Ghais.

  Elijah quickly glanced at Aiken.

  Aiken responded, “I suggest you let us walk out of here!” he said, keeping Elijah in his sight.

  His face
turned a bright red. “Silence, crusader! You will die too,” screamed Ghais.

  Aiken lifted his sword and charged Ghais.

  The other seven guards quickly stepped forward, but Aiken didn’t stop.

  One charged Elijah and sliced through the stale air at his head. Elijah immediately ducked and upper cut the unsuspecting guard square in the nose. Face covered in blood, he stumbled backward, just as Elijah grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the table. The guard slipped to the floor.

  The other six rushed toward Aiken as he did his best to fend for his life. He had not eaten a full meal since he had been in prison and fought to raise his sword. Elijah charged the guards from behind. The butt of his sword made quick work of one, knocking him to the ground. Another guard turned from Aiken, his and Elijah’s swords meeting violently, over and over. Aiken’s swung low and struck one of the guard’s legs, dropping him to the ground. He continued to fight Ghais and the other two guards, growing weaker and weaker with each move. Working his way around the room, he dodged the men, barely missing fallen chairs and tables.

  Elijah’s solo encounter continued with the guard swinging harder and harder. One connected as Elijah’s sword clattered to the floor. Elijah sidestepped and grabbed a chair, sending it flying. Suddenly, the guard lay, sprawled on the floor.

  One man’s shriek filled the dank area as Aiken sliced through his arm. The guard disappeared into the shadows.

  Ghais, now alone, glanced around and quickly backed up. Elijah and Aiken slowly approached. “You…you won’t get away for this! I promise!” screamed Ghais. His thrust sword shifted between Aiken and Elijah. “You will all be executed!” Pointing at Aiken, he yelled, “You will all…” Just as he moved to point his weapon into Elijah’s face, Elijah’s fist slammed him right between the eyes. The raging man stumbled backward, tripped over the table behind him, and fell flat on his back.

  Aiken shouted, “Come on!”

  Chests heaving, Aiken and Elijah ran out into the night. The nearby alley concealed them perfectly as they collapsed in the shadows.