If only they had a moment to rest. But a guard also emerged from the same doorway, disoriented, but ready to inform everyone about the escaping prisoners.
Kirt was up first, pulling Jesset to his feet. They ran into the crowd of onlookers, trying to quickly blend in.
More cries from the dungeon guard alerted other soldiers. Two followed the fleeing brothers into the crowd.
The main road approached. Wagons and horses rumbled past, forcing Jesset and Kirt to pause. They looked back and saw their pursuers gaining. One had his crossbow in hand, while the other had drawn a sword.
“Pick a wagon and jump in!” Jesset yelled to Kirt.
An old woman driving a cart erratically passed by. Jesset snagged the tailgate. He gave a small run and hopped, pulling himself up into the bed. Kirt ran a few steps behind.
“Take my hand!”
Kirt’s fingers clawed at Jesset’s upper arm not finding purchase.
“Halt!”
Suddenly, the wagon shot forward with new speed. The old woman whipped the horses again as if in a panic.
Jesset grabbed Kirt’s arm with both hands, pulling him only slightly into the cart. He glanced back at the soldiers. The one with the crossbow was aiming straight for them.
“Quickly!”
The cart hit a rock and jounced the two men. Kirt landed on top of Jesset.
They had escaped.
Jesset started to laugh, but then saw the look of pain on Kirt’s face. He craned his neck and saw a crossbow bolt protruding from Kirt’s shoulder. Blood was slowly staining his tunic.
Chapter Twenty
Enter, the voice commanded even before Kreitan touched the knob. He opened the door and peered in.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Kreitan stepped over the threshold into the room and stood at attention near the door.
Euphoria sat by the fireplace. The king’s garments were gone. Her hand beckoned him closer.
The princess looked radiant, the firelight dancing off the silk clothing she wore. Her azure eyes stared into the flames, as if mesmerized. Everything sparkled about her, except the voice.
I could get used to that. Your majesty….
“I was in the middle of—”
I know what you were in the middle of. She escaped anyway. Euphoria turned to look at the captain’s expression.
“That is not—”
Again, she interrupted him.
Quite possible for a master thief and assassin who is also a dark elf. You humans are so pathetic. No magic. No interaction with the races. Very self-centered.
Kreitan was visibly stunned, but he quickly gathered his composure. “Then I will quickly send out—”
No need. She does not have the pendant. The girl does.
“And how—” But again he was cut short. His composure started to come undone again.
When you used your little demon-in-a-box trick, I scanned her memories. Wraiths and demons are kindred spirits, linked through our creation. What one spirit has access to, so does another. The necklace and the mirror are linked, but only when the magic is used does it become visible to me.
“But there was no girl in the church.”
She was there disguised by magic, foolish human.
“Then I will—”
She is no longer there. Neither is your assassin.
“What?”
Oh, and by the way, the elf took your box.
He spun on his heel and looked for the nearest thing to throw. On a small table was a porcelain jar. He picked it up and whipped it into the fire. Instead of glass smashing, the jar exploded, sending a small heat wave out that caused the captain to flinch.
Euphoria made no movements in reaction to the blast.
And I bet you don’t know there was a fire in the dungeon either. My guess is the Mordock escaped.
Kreitan stared back unbelieving.
Maybe you are not ready to be king, if all this chaos happens right under your nose and you know nothing. Euphoria stood and approached Kreitan. He remained where he was.
After a long moment, he spoke. “What is your bidding?” The words came out forced.
There is a presence in the land that could be very dangerous. A magical presence. She paused waiting for him to interject, but he remained tight-lipped.
Good, I can see you are learning your place.
Inside, Kreitan boiled. Never with La’ard had he been this angry. Outside, he showed little turmoil.
Bring me a map, and I can show you where this wizard currently is.
“Wizard?” The word slipped out before he could stop it.
Yes, I believe so. Map. She emphasized the last word.
Kreitan quickly went to a nearby desk. La’ard had given his daughter a diagram of Faldoa. It was similar to the one that hung in the great hall.
With the drawing spread before her, Euphoria pointed to a spot, a spot he knew.
“That is where my second-in-command recovered the shard. From the Mordock.”
We will leave at once. Ready my carriage.
“But….”
Euphoria looked up so quickly that Kreitan flinched. Her eyes scoured his, the azure color giving way to black darkness.
You are not in charge. If you insist on questioning everything, I will have you removed. Permanently.
Kreitan wanted to look away, but he knew in doing so, he would be giving away any power or strength he had left. But her eyes felt like they were eating away his insides.
“Yes…your majesty.”
Oh, and Kreitan.
He stopped at the door and turned back. The mirror. Make sure there is enough room for the mirror. It needs to accompany me.
***
“Does anyone know where the heck we’re going? It’s almost night, and I don’t see a church or castle anywhere in sight. Remember, Kara still is in trouble.”
Snow was in a disturbed mood ever since they started for the castle to rescue Kara. Ynob wanted to run back to the Territories after his ‘something evil knows we’re here’ announcement.
“We came here to rescue Kara and that’s what we are going to do!” she told him.
He didn’t put up much of a fight, but continued to slow the party down, stopping every five minutes to chant. ‘Protective spells’ he called them.
On these breaks, Hambone finished off most of the food he had packed for the journey. Grace tried to keep Snow company, but she was engrossed in her own thoughts. The sprite soon gave up and entertained Birch.
Now, all were under a nearby tree, resting from the most recent protective enchantment. Hambone rummaged for more food in his pack. The wizard collapsed in the grass, exhausted from all his casting and the walking. Birch curled up next to his head.
Snow paced. She was getting adamant again about doing something.
“Tell me again, what is this ‘evil’ that you detected?”
“I was scanning the area, like I told you before. And this other magic latched on to me.” The wizard rubbed his forehead, fatigue visible in his face.
“But what kind of evil? Is it like bad-guy evil? Katrena evil?”
“No, no…nothing like that. There are things in this world that only possess a dark magic, a magic that is only used for their gain and the harm of others. They have no choice in the matter because they are made from that dark magic.”
Hambone paused in his searching. “I think I get it. These creatures only know the bad choices in life. They cannot decide between right and wrong.”
Ynob nodded. “I need some sleep.” He yawned and stretched.
“But, if this thing knows we are here, isn’t it stupid to wait around for it to find us?” Snow asked, anxious again.
“I’ve put up barriers, and warnings and also some deflective magic that masks where we are exactly. Even if the evil were to show up down the road a bit, it would have to be pretty powerful.”
Snow sat down next to the wizard. “But what if it is?”
Ynob sat up and grabbed hold
of her shoulder. “My dear rabbit. The world has not seen such powerful dark magic since Guillaud. This creature is minor. We will be fine.” Ynob then tilted her in and kissed her forehead before standing up fully. “We should be moving again. I think the castle is close.” Ynob started hiking the road.
Snow sat there, silent. Birch looked from rabbit to wizard. He quickly trotted after Ynob. Hambone watched her as he got to his feet.
“You okay, Snow?” Hambone asked.
Snow answered by nodding. He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. He left her standing there and proceeded on ahead after the wizard.
Grace zoomed down and chirped.
Snow nodded again and then whispered, “He kissed me.”
***
Kara didn’t slow down until the castle was barely visible. It was hard to see if anyone was following her, but she wasn’t going to take that chance. The guards had known it was her.
She did her best to steer the cart, but the horses had their own plan. They were going home and taking Kara with them. The trip became a lonely, sad one. Rose hadn’t spoken to her again, even though Kara made every attempt to communicate with her. She stopped after a bit. It was a little awkward talking to herself.
Few travelers marked the road. Most were on horses or in wagons. This last stretch was barren of life other than nature. Kara stared out at the meadows, wishing to go back just three days ago when she and Birch laughed and played without a care.
Birch! She had forgotten all about her dog. What had happened to him after she jumped…tumbled into the river? Please don’t let Birch be dead! Another ignored slap of the reins, the horses continued forward at their steady pace.
Ahead in the roadway, a strange green light hovered. Three travelers also shared the road with the light. Kara’s insides tensed as the wagon drew closer.
And then all of a sudden, the green light shot toward Kara. Her eyes grew wide and she pulled back on the reins causing the horse to rear up in their traces. A twittering sound followed the glow that came rocketing at her. Kara opened her mouth to scream, but closed it with a squeak when recognition dawned on her.
“Grace!”
She so wished she could hug the sprite. It zipped about her head. A second later, a rabbit tackled Kara.
Schunk!
Kara and Snow fell from the wagon into the grass, laughing, their arms wrapped around each.
Birch leapt on top of them and began licking them.
“Birch!”
Hambone next appeared. He helped Kara up from the ground and crushed her in an immense hug. Her fear, sadness, and loneliness vanished.
When the hug broke, Kara saw the third member of the party. “You?”
“Well, I am glad to see you too.” Ynob said.
“But you threw us out!” Kara turned to her friends for an explanation. It was then she saw a man looking out through an opening in the tarp that covered the wagon.
“Father!”
***
Jesset did his best to explain the situation when Kara spotted him. He saw her hesitation, but once she saw Kirt in the wagon, that hesitation disappeared.
Ynob worked on Kirt’s wound while Jesset told his tale.
“…and I ran into Kirt.”
“So this is my uncle?” Kara asked her father. She had not let go of the man, even when the wizard complained about how difficult that made the bandaging process.
“I thought the Witch Guard was after Jesset. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
“But they weren’t after me. It was that mirror shard.”
Ynob interrupted. “Mirror shard?”
“Wizard, can’t we just enjoy this moment of reunion without you ruining it for us?” Snow said.
Ynob gave her a stern look. He then turned to Jesset. “What mirror shard?”
Jesset looked at the wizard. “Just a piece of dark glass, or maybe rock. I’d never seen anything like it. Kirt gave it to me.”
“And I found it on the midden heap after the princess broke her mirror,” Kirt replied.
“Why would they come after us for that?” Kara asked.
Everyone shrugged. No one knew. Eventually all eyes turned to look at the wizard. His face had gone pale, a look of horror slowly etched on his face.
“What?” Snow asked irritated.
“Remember the thing I mentioned that knew I was here?”
“You said it was nothing to worry about.” Snow replied, but her voice lost some of its conviction.
Jesset looked around the group of non-humans, unsure of what thing was being talked about. Kara too had a quizzical look.
Hambone was the first to break the silence then. “What is it?”
“It could be Guillaud’s mirror.”
“You mean the wizard who made the necklace?” Snow asked.
Kara pulled out the necklace. “You mean this one?”
Ynob’s face contorted at the sight of the bat pendant. “You’re still wearing it!” His eyes were wide and his hands flew up in the air.
Kara shrank back against her father. The necklace gave off a soft glow.
Ynob paced a moment, his hands tugging at his hair.
“Everyone into the wagon! We need to go!”
Nobody moved at first. The wizard looked up, his eyes wide, but demanding. Hambone coaxed Snow forward.
Once everyone was loaded including Birch, Ynob took the reins. “We’ll head back to that blacksmith’s house first, then we can decide what to do next.”
“Wait a minute. Blacksmith’s house? You mean you came from my house?”
Ynob looked back at Jesset, blinked once, and then looked toward the horses. “I hate fate.” He snapped the reins.
***
Kreitan prepared the carriage and a squadron of well-armed men in less than an hour. He checked on Euphoria’s foretellings of the escapes. They were as she, it, had told him. How incompetent were these men under his command? If he only had the time to deal out punishment.
Kreitan rescued his second-in-command from the locked cell. Taylon had inhaled a good deal of the smoke, but like a good soldier, he was ready to serve. Kreitan needed someone he could trust at his side.
When all was ready, Kreitan went to fetch the princess. She had changed from her silk gown into a one of silver and violet. In her hair, she wore Euphoria’s crystal tiara. If he hadn’t known any better, Kreitan could have sworn it truly was Euphoria in the flesh.
“I see you are impressed.” The wraith voice was gone, replaced with Euphoria’s natural tone.
“Your carriage is ready.” Kreitan said. His mind kept repeating, She’s not the princess, not the princess, not the princess.
“The mirror, captain. Bring it with us. Please.” The last word broke his chant and almost melted his heart. This wraith played an excellent game. He turned to retrieve the mirror, covered with a black satin cloth. Carefully, he lifted it and led the way out in the hallway. Euphoria followed.
He stopped once to get a better grip and the princess almost ran into him. She jumped back with a start. Stay ahead…of me. The voice changed, anger and ice. Kreitan quickly obeyed.
Once at the carriage, they strapped the mirror to the back. All the guards bowed as Euphoria came out. She stopped for a moment before entering the carriage.
Dusk tinted the horizon. A few of the riders carried torches and the carriage had two lanterns. Kreitan approached the draped curtain.
“Captain, both the necklace and wizard are together now. You may still be able to prove your worth to me.”
“Yes, your majesty. Just direct us, as necessary.” He called for the party to move out. “Forward!”
“Soon.” Euphoria said as Kreitan left her side. Laughter echoed from inside the vehicle as the carriage rumbled away.
Chapter Twenty-One
All Kara wanted to do was sit down, relax, and compare stories. But from the moment the wagon made it back to Jesset’s house, defense mode began with Ynob leading the charge.
“Something unnatural, evil is coming this way.” Ynob said. “Coming for Kara or for the necklace. Soldiers are coming too. So board up these windows and gather whatever weapons you can, just in case they get past my protection spells.”
He went outside to begin casting. The rest of the group looked at one another, unsure of what to do.
Kirt had fallen asleep on the ride and Kara helped Jesset get him to a bed once they arrived at Jesset’s cottage. The crossbow wound looked sore, but did appear to be healing. Kara wanted to stay by her father’s side, but Jesset nudged her out of the room.
“We may need you out here. He’ll be just fine.”
Ynob came inside an hour later, barely keeping his feet under him. He collapsed in a chair. Snow brought him a drink and something to eat, which he took without a word.
“What should we do next?” Hambone asked.
“Nothing.” That one word appeared to drain the wizard. “My enchantments may be able to hide us from this thing.”
“May?” Kara spoke up.
“Yes, may.” The wizard closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the chair. Shortly, a soft snoring sound came from the man.
“How can he sleep at a time like this?” Kara asked. She looked at her friends for answers but they all shrugged. “And where is Dante? He should be back by now.”
Snow yawned and stretched. “He’s probably lost again. Dante has a terrible sense of direction, especially when he’s trying to follow someone.”
The yawn was infectious and soon Jesset and Kara felt the nagging pull of sleep.
“I hope he’s okay.” Kara said before looking for a soft spot to lie down.
***
Dante hated the dark. Even in his fox form, everything about the night simply freaked him out. Now alone and lost on the human side, he trotted skittishly through the trees, not wanting to be seen or shot at again.
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