by Sam Bennett
“Come closer and I’ll whisper it in your ear.” Taisiya smirked. The two guards that had been on duty inside the queen’s chambers had immediately stripped her of her knife when she barged in, but if the queen was foolish enough to come closer, Taisiya was certain she could strangle her with her bare hands.
The queen’s eyes darted around the room in contemplation. “No.” She eventually replied. Turning her attention to Zara, she purred. “Zara, take hold of her. The rest of you can leave…I want the three of us to talk…alone.”
Zara’s heart started beating faster and faster. “Yes, Adrasteia,” he mumbled, stepping forward and taking a gentle hold of Taisiya. The other guards had already evacuated.
“Come,” Queen Adrasteia beckoned, turning and guiding them into her bedroom. She sat down on a lush pink bed and motioned for them to sit on the two ornately decorated chairs beside it. “I’ve never understood why you’ve always tried sneaking into my fortress, little girl.” The queen had turned off her fake charm, and her voice was now cold and piercing.
Taisiya glared at her. “No one in Solames is stupid, you horrible woman. Many of the people are weak, though. Not me. You’ve been kidnapping children for years. The entire town is afraid to conceive. It’s as though pregnancy is a curse and no longer a blessing. Why would anyone want to have a child, only for it to face a certain death at your hands? I want to stop you.”
The queen smiled and turned her phoniness back on. “I have no idea what you are talking about. I do, however, assure you that everything happens for a reason. Isn’t that right, dear Zara?”
Zara nodded in silence.
“Then there must be a reason that I was the only child not to be taken from Solames, I imagine?” Taisiya said hotly.
Queen Adrasteia contorted her face in disgust. “I wouldn’t want you…but yes, I do suppose there is a reason.”
“The reason is that I was meant to put a stop to you.” Taisiya said.
“No. The reason is that you are to fulfill your destiny as a martyr to your people. You will die trying to save them, only for them to realize that resisting me is pointless. It is not the business of any lowly citizen what goes on in this castle. I have a feeling that your death will instill the fear in them, and no one else will attempt any further breaches of my security.”
Taisiya fumed. “What are you going to do when everyone in Solames is dead? There won’t be any more children for you to steal in the night, you know!”
“I know and have prepared for it. I’m fairly certain that once you are dead, there won’t be anyone left in Solames that will able to bear a child. I assure you there are other towns I can siege.”
Taisiya opened her mouth to speak, but Adrasteia put up a finger to silence her. The queen turned her attention to Zara. “My dear and trusted Zara, take this abomination to the prison chambers. Let her spend her final hours with her parents. Alert the other guards to draw three chariots. Have one full of sentinels rush into Solames immediately. At sunrise, they are to inform the citizens of my impending arrival. Another chariot will carry me in to town. The other will carry Taisiya and her parents. When we arrive tomorrow afternoon, I expect to see every citizen in Solames in the town center to watch and join in the spectacle. Our poor little Taisiya here will be stoned to death, right after watching both of her parents’ beheadings. That is all.” Adrasteia blew the light out of her candle, and the room went dark as Taisiya screamed and Zara held her back.
Zara grabbed her tightly and carried her out of the room while she screamed and cursed the queen in the darkness. “Calm down,” he whispered in her ear, “it’ll be okay.”
Once they were back in the stairwell, Zara sat Taisiya down lightly and smiled at her, even though it was pitch black and all he could see was the outline of her head as a little moonlight from the closest window fell on her. “Everything is going to be okay.” He said it not only to pacify her, but because he couldn’t even believe it himself. Zara grabbed her hand and started leading her down the stairs with joy.
“Oh, yes!” Taisiya said, “How could I not see that my parents and I both being penciled into the queen’s schedule for a killing as good news?! Do enlighten me!”
Zara let out a laugh for the first time in a while. They had arrived at the next story down from the queen’s chambers and paused to catch their breath. “Separate chariots,” he said with exasperation, “it’s perfect!”
They raced down the other flights of stairs before finding themselves back in the lit hallways on their way to the prison chambers. Zara finally let them take a more leisurely pace, and he explained the good news. “The queen ordered a separate chariot for you and your parents. If your chariot never makes it into town, she can’t kill anyone. I’ve seen your fighting skills; any of the guards that will take you and your parents into Solames will be no match for you. Overthrow them and escape!”
Taisiya took a couple of moments to mull it all over. “That would be easy, but you and I both know the queen will still wreak havoc on Solames. I mean, saving my own skin is important, but I can’t just run away forever. It’s bigger than that, Zara.”
He sighed. “You’re right. Still, the most important thing now is that you’re alive.” They had come to the entrance of the prison, which was still slightly open from how Zara left it. He opened the door for her and walked her to the chamber with her parents. They were sound asleep, but the sound of the cell door opening quickly roused them.
Taisiya smiled as she saw the look on their faces as they realized she was entering the cell with them. Her father, Chariton, rubbed his eyes in disbelief and nudged Taisiya’s mother, Rhea. The couple looked rough; despite the fact they both were quite large people, their faces were gaunt and full of sorrow. “Taisiya?” Rhea finally murmured. “What have you done now, and why did the queen kidnap us?”
It was a grave and serious question, but Zara couldn’t help guffawing. Taisiya’s mother had asked her questions so matter-of-factly; her asking her daughter why they were kidnapped was like any other parent asking their child why they were sent home early from their school lessons for the day. Taisiya joined in with Zara, giving her parents a smile and walking over to sit at the foot of their bed.
“It’s quite a long story, mother.” She sighed in thought, unsure where to begin. It was beginning to get tense before Zara interrupted.
“A long story indeed. You will have plenty of time to hear about it on your way back to Solames in the morning. The more pressing matter…” he glanced over at Taisiya, hoping she would finish his sentence for him.
She took the hint. “The queen is sending us back to town in the morning so she can kill us.” Her parents’ jaws dropped, but she continued. “Mom, dad, you both know that the queen is evil. She’s planning to use our deaths to put a stop to anyone that tries to meddle.”
Chariton’s face grew paler. “You…you….” He gave Taisiya a disappointed look as he struggled to find the words to show how he felt.
“You’ve let us down, Taisiya,” Rhea finished for him. They both started to sob in defeat.
Zara walked over and joined Taisiya at the foot of the bed. “No; it’s going to be okay.” They glared at him in disgust.
“Can’t you leave?! Go back to doing the queen’s bidding,” Chariton spat.
Taisiya shook her head. “No, dad, he’s right. This is Zara,” she said, putting her hand on his leg. “He knows the queen has been up to no good, and, even though he does her bidding, he’s on our side.”
Zara nodded. “The queen is actually very afraid of your daughter and wants to keep her distance. She’s ordered for you to be taken in to town in a different chariot. Taisiya can easily take on the guards that will be watching over you, and all three of you can escape into the forest.”
Both of her parents gave a look of uncertainty. As nice as the plan sounded, neither of them were as quick as they used to be. They decided to bite their tongues; a risky escape into the forest was better than assured death. Za
ra left the family to get a few hours sleep and returned to his bedroom on the third story of the castle. Despite their best efforts, they didn’t slept well that night.
CHAPTER FIVE –
ADRASTEIA’S REVENGE
Morning came quickly and with an air of tension all around. While her parents still slept, Taisiya glanced out the tiny window in their cell and watched as the queen’s chariot was prepared for them. It was extravagant, as Taisiya expected. Attached to the main body of the chariot was an enclosed room on wheels. Kitchen workers were carrying all sorts of delicacies into the private room for the queen.
After the chariot was ready, the queen herself made her entrance. A crown bedazzled with jewels and made of the finest gold rested on her head. She wore a long dress of matching gold with a train so long it took three guards to hold it up so that it wouldn’t be tarnished with dirt as she walked to the chariot. In her left hand, she held an enormous scepter made of silver and encrusted with what looked like miraculous diamonds. Her right arm was adorned with all sorts of gold and purple jewelry that matched the amethyst ornaments dangling from her ears. Her goal was obviously to look rich and intimidating to the citizens of Solames, and she had nailed it.
Once Queen Adrasteia was comfortably seated inside the chariot’s caravan, her entourage joined her. Among the men was Zara; it was easy for Taisiya to spot him – he was the only one that hadn’t dressed up for the occasion. He was wearing the same outfit from yesterday and was noticeably tired and restless. The other spies were all wearing similar outfits to his, but in gold. They shut the caravan door behind them, and the chariot raced to its destination.
Taisiya watched as the chariot disappeared into the horizon and through the forest. She only hoped she would have the strength to safely help her parents escape today. The truth was she was starting to get weak from having not eaten since the trip up to the castle. On top of that, she had been stripped of her knife and the potions she had lifted from Zara. Overthrowing the guards on her chariot would mean a hand-to-hand combat.
Listening carefully, Taisiya heard the sound of footsteps pacing the pavement not too far off. She traipsed over to glance out the cell wall and found the smallest of the queen’s men that she had encountered in the forest not too long ago. He’d already let her go once, so she crossed her fingers that she wouldn’t be pushing her luck by asking him for some food and water. She was taken aback when he looked her up and down and then nodded, going off to fulfill her requests.
He tossed her some mush and a saucer of water through an opening in the cell before taking a seat and watching her as she nourished herself. “Do you remember me?” He asked cautiously.
“Yes,” she replied through a mouthful of gruel.
“I really was too kind to let you run away that time.” He glanced down at his lap wistfully. “She had quite a nice reward for your captor. I regret nothing, though.”
“I’m glad…thank you,” Taisiya said, her voice trailing off as she tried to focus on her food.
The small guard let her eat for a few moments in silence before carrying on. He reached in to one of his pockets and pulled out a long knife that glistened in the morning light. Taisiya eyed it warily, unsure of what kind of vigilante justice the young guard was seeking. He slid the knife through to her and whispered, “Good luck today.”
Taisiya scuttled over and pocketed the knife, wide-eyed. “Again, thank you.” She said with incredulity. “How did you know…”
He smiled. “I’m Zara’s little brother. My name’s Nathaniel. We share a room together in the castle, and I told him about my run in with you. He already seemed to know quite a bit about you, naturally. I figure if he trusts you, so can I.”
Taisiya gave him a thoughtful smile. “That’s very sweet. How does Zara know about me, though?”
Nathaniel was about to answer her when two of the queen’s biggest and most broad-shouldered sentries came bounding through the prison chambers and pushed him out of their way. They opened the cell door and bluntly bellowed: “Let’s go.”
One guard grabbed Taisiya carelessly and escorted her out of the castle while the other roused her parents and took care of them. Taisiya glanced back at Nathaniel and mouthed her appreciation to him as he got up and dusted himself off. He gave her an encouraging thumbs up as she slipped around the corner.
A smaller chariot awaited outside the castle with a tiny caravan attached to it. There wouldn’t be enough room for the three of them to sit and catch up like they had planned. The caravan had no windows, and Taisiya was certain it was there for her to be locked inside to ensure no funny business. Sure enough, the guard tossed her inside the dark box and locked the door from the outside. Taisiya waited with baited breath and listened to her parents being shoved on to the chariot with the two guards that would be whipping the horses to take them in to town.
Inside the black box, Taisiya could barely move around. As they galloped off down the hillside and into the forest, she started devising a plan. If she tossed herself against the opposing wall hard enough, she more than likely could break free from being attached to the chariot, but then she would be locked in a box in the middle of the forest while her parents raced to their doom. That wouldn’t work.
The feeling of the darkness and the rough terrain were starting to make her a little lightheaded. She tried to feel the four walls around her and sit down, but felt a sharp pain as the knife Nathaniel gave her pricked her thigh. It was so sharp that one prick from the blade had jetted her back to alertness and gave her the perfect plan. She got out the blade and felt for the wall facing the rear of the caravan. She started to carve out a section of the wood and then waited to see if the guards had heard. They whipped the horses even faster and carried on unfazed. She said a little prayer and slowly began to carve out more of the wooden wall.
Eventually there was a hole in the wall big enough for her to slide out. Taisiya expertly maneuvered herself through it and used her knife, stabbing it into the wood to climb the rest of the way to the top of the caravan. As she rounded the top, she surveyed the scene to devise a plan of action.
Her parents were sitting with their arms bound between the two men. As the terrain speeded by, she realized this was going to be much harder than taking on the queen’s whole fleet in the motionless forest.
One of the guards was a skilled archer and had his quiver of arrows slung across his back. Taisiya knew that he would only be experienced at combat from far away, so she would save him for last—he’d be pretty much defenseless in a fight this close, especially compared to the other guard that had his whip in one hand and a knife in the other.
Taisiya got herself steady and then pulled her knife from the wooden caravan. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the neck of the guard with the knife. “Hey boys!” She shouted as loud as she could.
Both of the guards and her parents turned their heads and looked upwards. As soon as they did, Taisiya tossed her knife through the air, aiming for the guard’s jugular and hitting her mark. In a split second he had keeled backwards and fallen off the chariot. Taisiya jumped down from the caravan and on to the back of the archer.
He was shouting and trying to fling her off his back to stop her from attacking him, but he didn’t realize she wasn’t trying to hurt him. Once she landed on his back she untied his quiver. He leaned down and swatted at her, lowering them both close enough to the bottom of the chariot that she could snatch his bow that was resting there. With both in hand she let go of his sides and hopped off the chariot and on to the forest floor.
By now the horses had slowed down without the threat of either of the guards whipping them. The chariot was moving just slow enough for Taisiya to draw an arrow and release it. The projectile went through his stomach and out the other side. The guard reached down in anguish when he saw blood.
Uh oh…he wasn’t dead. Taisiya drew another arrow and raced after the chariot, but it was going too fast. The sentry had grabbed his whip and beat the horses to pick
up speed and then cracked it in the air above her parents’ heads. She screamed and tried to go faster.
The guard’s wound was starting to get to him. He clutched his side in pain and turned his back on the two other passengers in the chariot. The guard didn’t realize that only their hands were tied; both Rhea and Chariton jumped out the back and fell to the ground with a thump.
Taisiya ran up to her mom and dad and cut their hands free. “Go!” she shouted. “Run into the forest, and don’t look back. Keep going until you find the glen. I’ll meet you there.”
“Taisiya!” Chariton said sternly.
“No! Listen to me and go!” Taisiya said firmly. She helped her mom and dad up and watched as they ran through the woods as fast as they could. She drew an arrow and waited in the clearing for the guard to come back with the chariot, her bow poised.
The horses came whinnying back shortly with the burly guard beating them as hard as he could while clutching his side. The arrow glided through the air and punctured his heart; he died instantly. Taisiya ran over and untied the horses from the chariot. She guided one toward the direction her parents went and whipped it. The horse went galloping through the woods, and Taisiya hoped it would find her parents and help them get to safety faster.
She hopped on the other horse and was off to Solames. The queen wanted her citizens to watch a murder and Taisiya was more than happy to oblige. With the bow and arrow at her side, she knew that someone would be dying today, and it wouldn’t be her!
The center of Solames barreled in to view, and Taisiya nudged her horse to a slower pace. The whole town was out and awaiting the spectacle; Taisiya knew they could easily spot her if she didn’t think ahead.
From her perch, she could see a large platform had been erected with a couple dozen chairs. In the center, sat the queen in all her golden gaudy glory. She looked bored and was fidgeting with her dress while the guards sat in the chairs around her looking equally bored.