Princess of Lanfor (Heroes of Ravenford Book 4)

by F. P. Spirit

  Seth tilted his head to one side, and eyed her darkly. “What are you talking about? Who is this?”

  Kalyn swallowed the lump in her throat. “This is my baby sister, Kia. I thought I’d lost her forever.”

  She pulled Kia in close against her chest, her tone bordering on hysterical. “I won’t leave her again! Never again! You can’t make me!”

  “Your sister?” The anger suddenly faded from his face, his mouth hanging agape. The halfling’s face screwed up as he swore softly under his breath, “Dragon dung!”

  His eyes closed, and his brow furrowed as if deep in thought. “Alright… alright… this is what we’re going to do…”

  Before he could finish his statement, Kalyn interrupted him. “Wait, don’t you have that damaged black cloak in your pack? We can conk her on the head, put that on her, and I can carry her like she’s drunk, or something!”

  Seth’s eyes snapped open, and he glared at her, his arms folding across his chest. “Or something? That’s the worst idea ever! Nobody’s going to buy that.”

  The halfling paused and took a deep breath. After a moment or two, his dark eyes shifted toward Kia and his expression softened. “We can use the robe, but we aren’t going to knock her out and carry her like we’ve all just spent the weekend on a private island.”

  He dropped his pack to the ground and pulled out the robe and some rope. “We’ll put this on her and tie the rope around her wrist, then hope we can lead her out of here real quiet-like.”

  With that, he slipped on his robe, then pulled the hood over his head, before looking Kia in the eyes. “You are going to follow us without a sound, no questions, no talking, and no struggling. You will talk to no one else. Do I make myself clear?”

  Kia blinked her eyes again. “Yes, Master.”

  Kalyn helped Seth put the robe on her. Once Kia was dressed, they pulled the hood over her head, then tied a short length of rope around her left wrist.

  “If something goes wrong, let go of the rope and run,” Seth said as he helped Kalyn conceal the rope with Kia’s oversized sleeve. He looked up at Kalyn, his dark eyes softening a bit more. “Got it? Just drop it and run.”

  Kalyn responded with a short nod, though she had no intention of abandoning her sister ever again.

  Seth rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Right. Why do I even bother? This is the stupidest thing ever.”

  Kalyn put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, you’re with a Rhan. We do stupid a lot, and we’re good at it.”

  Seth gave her an acid look. When he spoke again, there was a dangerous edge to his voice. “Well, you better be really, really good at it today. Otherwise, when we get caught, I’ll feed you to the big snakes in that cave myself. Now, keep your head down.”

  Seth motioned for them to follow, then snuck down the hill toward the road. Kalyn gripped Kia’s hand, keeping close behind the halfling.

  As they went, Seth continued to mutter under his breath. “This is so stupid.”

  Once on the road, Kalyn let go of Kia, but kept a tight grip on the rope. She then straightened her sister’s hood and made sure it properly concealed her face. Dropping her hands to her side, she kept close to Kia so that their sleeves fell over the rope and hid it from view. Kalyn straightened her shoulders and hoped she looked calm and natural, even though her hands were shaking like a leaf and her stomach was churning. An icy chill crawled up her spine as the town came into view.

  Seth shot her a warning look just before they reached the first buildings. Kalyn responded with a curt nod, and braced herself, swallowing hard to calm her nerves.

  The first thing she noticed was that there were more people wandering around than there had been before. Slaves still worked on the fountain, but the number of overseers had doubled. It appeared as if they were changing shifts, and they had paused to talk to each other. Furthermore, a large group of black hooded figures approached the temple.

  Hopefully, with the extra activity around here, we’ll just blend in.

  As they neared the fountain, Kalyn inadvertently glanced at one of the overseers. Before she knew it, she made eye contact with the man. Her first instinct was to look away, but instead, she forced herself to glare at him. He returned her gaze in kind, then proceeded to stride in their direction.

  Kalyn’s heart thumped like a crazed rabbit in her chest. She cast a sidelong glance at Seth and saw the halfling square his shoulders.

  Thankfully, luck was on their side. Just as the overseer closed in on them, a dark-robed person called out from behind him. “Hassan! I need to speak to you!”

  The overseer stopped and spun to face the robed figure.

  Seth quickened his pace, Kalyn matching him while pulling Kia along. It felt like an eternity, but they finally reached the other edge of the town. Seth then slowed down, but kept an even pace until the town was out of sight. At that point, they broke from the road and slipped into the forest. There, they paused just long enough for Kalyn to run out to the road and cover their tracks.

  When Kalyn returned, Seth gave her a dark look. “That was by far one of the stupidest things I ever let myself get talked into.”

  “Stupider than burning down the Cape Marlin lighthouse?” Kalyn asked with a half-grin.

  A thin smile spread across Seth’s lips in spite of himself. “Yeah, well I wasn’t there for that, but this definitely ranks up there with it.”

  Kalyn broke into a full grin as she took Kia’s rope back from him. “At least it worked.”

  Seth cocked his head to one side and eyed her sharply. “I’m not celebrating until we’re in Bendenwood.”

  Kalyn’s grin swiftly faded, her mood sobering. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

  The three of them made their way through the forest as quietly as possible, though Kia’s shuffling feet made more branches snap than Kalyn would have liked. As the sound of the waterfall reached their ears, something nagged at the back of Kalyn’s mind about the forest around them. She had just helped her sister around a large rock, when it suddenly struck her.

  “There aren’t any snakes. This place was crawling with them before. And I don’t hear any birds, neither. Something’s not right here.”

  “Very perceptive, young lady.”

  Kalyn swiftly spun around, her hood falling off with the sudden movement. The dragonflies sat a short distance ahead, the waterfall careening loudly down the cliff side behind them. Standing directly between them and their mounts were two women in dark robes.

  Kalyn froze in her tracks, her normally chatty tongue suddenly feeling thick in her throat. The first woman barked at her, while the second subtly began to weave her hands in the pattern of a spell. “Who are you? Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Uh…” Kalyn cast a sidelong glance at Seth, but the halfling had disappeared. Stalling for time, she sputtered out an answer while casually slipping her bow off her shoulder. “I… um, we… were just coming to investigate… a rare species of bug that showed up here this morning. Looks like you already found them. Good job.”

  “Don’t patronize me!” The first woman snarled. “You aren’t a part of the cult, are you?”

  Kalyn shrugged. “That depends which cult you’re talkin’ about.”

  The dark-robed woman narrowed her eyes, her voice taking on a deadly edge. “There is only one cult.”

  Kalyn let out a loud laugh, infuriating the woman even further. “Boy, you don’t get out much, do you? Haven’t you ever heard of the Cult of the Twisted Tree?”

  The dark-robed woman opened her mouth to reply, but was abruptly cut off. The woman next to her let out a sharp cry, then slumped to the ground, a small, shrouded form crouched behind her.

  The first woman spun around, her hands twisting to cast a spell. The shrouded figure swiftly darted for her, but Kalyn was f
aster. Before either could strike, the young archer doffed her robe, drew an arrow, and sent it sailing across the distance, right between the woman’s eyes. The dark-robed figure stood there for a moment, blank faced, then fell straight backwards, landing with a dull thud.

  Seth halted in mid-leap and flipped his hood off his head with a snort. He spun toward Kalyn, a twisted smirk on his lips. “Heh. Cult of the Twisted Tree?”

  Kalyn shouldered her bow, then grabbed Kia and pulled her up to the dragonflies. “Yeah. The Twisted Tree is my ma and pa’s tavern. The only tavern in Deepwood Fort, and the first thing that came to mind.”

  Seth shook his head, then quickly mounted his dragonfly. “I think your sister should ride with me.”

  Kalyn gave him a questioning stare. “Why?”

  “I’m smaller. You’re bigger. Our hummers can only take so much weight.”

  Kalyn tilted her head, then sighed and nodded. “Yeah, good point.”

  She turned to face Kia, looking her in the eyes. “You will get on behind Seth, you will hold on tight, and you will stay quiet. Do you understand?”

  Kia blinked once. “We live to serve.”

  Kalyn helped to seat her sister behind Seth, then quickly mounted her own dragonfly. They took off without hesitation, quickly leaving Serpent’s Hollow behind.

  The sun was long gone, and the stars twinkled brightly in the night sky when the massive trees of Bendenwood finally came into view. Glowing lights beneath the tree-line gently illuminated the canopy of the forest. As the dragonflies drew closer, Seth could make out treehouses wrapping themselves around the massive trunks, and wooden bridges weaving through the air to connect the houses to one another.

  A shadow entered the corner of Seth’s eye. He turned to see a giant eagle draw up beside them, the creature soaring through the night air on unwavering wings. It peered at him and Kia, then shifted its focus to Kalyn a short distance ahead. The eagle gently beat its wings, pulling ahead of Seth and coming even with Kalyn.

  Kalyn whipped her head around and started at the sight of the massive eagle, nearly losing her seat. She quickly righted herself, then nonchalantly saluted the eagle, motioning for it to take the lead.

  Seth let out a derisive snort. Yeah. Real smooth, Kalyn.

  The eagle made a piping chirp sound, then took the lead. It gently banked and angled for an open platform on the nearest tree. Interestingly enough, the dragonflies followed it of their own accord.

  The eagle landed well before they did. Seth watched curiously as the creature gave a mighty shake of its wings, and with a flurry of feathers, twisted and shrank, transforming into the girl that he recognized as Raina. Raina quickly moved to the side and watched the dragonflies land, tugging at one of her dreadlocks nervously.

  As soon as the dragonflies stopped buzzing, Kalyn jumped off hers and ran up to Seth’s, ducking under its twitching wings, and grabbed Kia.

  Raina suddenly appeared at Kalyn’s side, helping her with the small, frail girl. “What’s going on? Who is this?”

  “We can explain later. Right now, I need to see someone who can fix her,” Kalyn said as she pulled the black robe off her sister and straightened the white one that had been underneath.

  A puzzled expression crossed Raina’s face. “Fix her? Who is she? How is she broken?”

  Seth jumped off his dragonfly, landing softly on his feet. “Her mind is basically mush. Oh! And, she’s Kalyn’s sister.”

  Raina’s face snapped toward Seth, her brown eyes nearly bugging out of her head. She immediately shifted her gaze back toward Kalyn. “Your sister?”

  Kalyn glared at the halfling while letting out an exasperated huff. “Really, Seth? I said we’d explain later. I don’t wanna tell the whole story fifty times.”

  Seth folded his arms and shrugged, a thin smirk crossing his lips. “Eh, that’s a you problem.”

  Raina positioned herself in front of Kia and looked the girl in the eyes. “I think I know what’s wrong with her. And, I think I know just the person to fix it.”

  “The High Druid?” Kalyn asked in a hushed tone.

  Raina peered at Kalyn and grinned. “Well, normally, yes, but I know someone better.”

  Seth cocked an eyebrow at the druid girl. “Better than the High Druid?”

  This I gotta see…

  Raina turned on her heel and marched toward a nearby rope bridge. “You said it, not me! Just don’t tell the High Druid I said that.”

  “Who in the blazes is better than the High Druid?” Kalyn asked, sounding completely mystified as she pulled Kia along in pursuit of Raina.

  As Seth fell into step behind Kalyn and her sister, an interesting thought crossing his mind. It was something he had suspected for a couple of days now. “It wouldn’t be Fran, would it?”

  Raina let out a soft giggle. “Seth, remind me to give you a piece of cake. You earned it.”

  A wide grin spread across the halfling’s lips. “I’ll never turn down cake!”

  “What?” Kalyn exclaimed, sounding even confused than before. “I know Fran is good at a lot of stuff, ‘specially at being strange, but better than the High Druid? Isn’t that stretching it?”

  “Oh, you’ll see.” Raina said with a mysterious lilt to her voice. “Besides, Fran isn’t busy at the moment. Well… not real busy, anyway.”

  The small party went silent as Raina led them across the bridge to another tree. This second tree was encircled with a walkway that had multiple bridges connected to it.

  Seth gazed at the forest floor below as they followed Raina around the wide trunk. The lights from a few dwellings shone up at them, running in a fairly straight line. One of the buildings appeared larger than the rest—an inn, perhaps. Seth imagined it was the one they stayed at the last time they were in Bendenwood.

  The halfling let out a short sigh. That seemed like ages ago. It was back when he, Aksel, and Glo had first set out from Tarsmoor on the caravan headed east to Ravenford. The three of them had noted the lights in the trees above them that eve, but were told the upper town was strictly off limits to outsiders.

  Kalyn mirrored his thoughts as Raina led them across another bridge. “I ain’t never been to the upper town before. How come you’ve never brought me here?”

  Raina continued without turning her head. “That’s because you haven’t come to Bendenwood in years, Kalyn! I’m the one who’s always going to Deepwood to see you. Besides, the Druids live here in the upper city. Very few people are allowed to come here.”

  Raina glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. “You guys have special permission to be here. Fran said so.”

  Kalyn seemed taken aback by her statement. She grabbed Raina by the arm and whirled her around, placing her hands on her hips. “Fran said so? Doesn’t the High Druid get a say in this?”

  Seth snorted, amused by the whole conversation. This only further confirmed what he had thought all along. Still, he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to needle Kalyn. “Well yes, but only after Fran says so, obviously.”

  Raina let out a high-pitched laugh, then held up two fingers. “Two pieces of cake for Seth!”

  “Bonus!” Seth cried, pumping his fist in the air.

  Kalyn huffed in exasperation. “What am I missing here? I know Fran is bossy and has a lot of cards up her sleeves, but…”

  Seth said nothing, but it was Raina’s turn to be exasperated. She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Oh, come on, Kalyn! Think about it!”

  “I am! I don’t get it!” Kalyn said through gritted teeth. “What is she? A druid?”

  Seth peered up at Kalyn, his mouth twisting into a lopsided smirk. “Ya think?”

  Raina rolled her eyes at Kalyn. “You probably know her better than anyone else, and you’ve neve
r guessed?”

  Kalyn swept her eyes from Seth to Raina, her face turning a bright shade of red. “Why would I need to guess? She’s never said she was a druid, she doesn’t live here in druid-ville, she doesn’t act like a snooty, goody-two-shoes druid—no offense—and I ain’t never seen her do any druidy things, aside from eat mushrooms. Besides that, she’s blind. Don’t magicky people, druids included, need to see to cast spells?”

  Kalyn’s tantrum was interrupted by a familiar voice. “There are more ways a-seein’ than with yer eyes, child. Ya knows that.”

  Everyone looked up as Fran came into view from around the tree, leaning on the arm of a thin old man. The butt of her staff tapped against the wooden catwalk gently as they approached. “There’s more ta the world than what we can see. Fer land’s sake, the stuff we can’t see is what holds this world from fallin’ ta pieces and make tha magics work.”

  The old man raised a hand, waving it around for emphasis. “It surrounds us and binds us! You must feel it around you…”

  He groaned and buckled over as Fran jammed her staff into his gut. “Shut up, Qualar. That weren’t what I was talkin’ about.”

  The old man frowned. “Now, listen here, ya cantankerous ol’ woman! You is always interuptin’ my speech ‘bout…”

  He jumped slightly as Fran cracked the end of her staff on the catwalk beneath them. “Yer jabber about the forces that surround us is as washed-up and old as you is, and nerbody here cares ‘bout it. So shut yer pie hole.”

  As Fran spoke, Qualar held his free hand up in the air and pretended like it was mouthing her words. If Fran had any indication he was doing so, she chose to ignore him, instead addressing the others. “Na-then. Aside from tha idea that I’m a goody-two-shoes druid, what’s got my Kalyn’s feather’s all ruff…”

  Fran abruptly halted, her mouth hanging open and her eyes squinting in concentration. “No… is that… yer lil sista?”

  Kalyn looked twice at Fran, her mouth falling open. Her eyes shifted toward Raina, then down to Seth.