by Owen Crane
Well, Ari, you’ve a couple of hours of riding to find out what that was all about.
After a few more minutes the Captain called his guards to order and they
remounted ready for the final stage to Stonegard. Ariella"s eyes were on Micah,
anxious to pick up their conversation where it was left.
The Captain had other ideas. “Micah, take point, make sure the road is
clear”
“Very good sir.” He kicked his horse into a canter and was soon two
hundred yards clear of Ariella and the other guards. Ariella pushed Crispin into
a trot and the remaining guards closed in around her. They picked up the pace
and the miles fell away as the road grew wider and the buildings became more
frequent.
The setting sun cast a warm glow on the countryside as the fields gave way
to a rambling town leading all the way to the walls of Stonegard. Stonegard had
been the ancient capital of Dawnhaven, long before the breaking of the kingdom.
It was built by some distant relative of Ariella"s whose name she could never
recall. She could remember coming here as a child and loving the tall towers
with bright orange and red pennants fluttering in the breeze.
It always felt like a proper castle to her, not like the palace at Lightharbour.
This castle had battlements and arrow slits for the archers. There was a deep
moat with a long drawbridge and portcullis. The guards here looked so different
to their Lightharbour equivalents. Ariella"s guards wore either stiffened leather
or chain mail under their outer clothes. The walls of Stonegard were lined with
guards in shining platemail that reflected the last rays of sunlight into the faces
of the riders.
There were two thick grey stone walls that surrounded a massive central
keep. The moat was deep and still, the water an inky blue. When she was here
as a child, Ariella always tried to spot the golden fish that would swim lazily
under the drawbridge.
The road was heavy with traffic today. Micah was waiting for them in the
midst of the passing carts and horses.
“Looks like the preparations are in full swing” he smiled as they rode to
meet him. The nervousness of before had disappeared.
All around the riders were carts carrying salted beef and wild boar. There
were huge Shire horses pulling massive trailers laden with barrels of wine from
the southern vineyards. They passed carts stacked high with crates filled with all
manner of fireworks bought in from Khan.
“The innkeeper at ‘The Friendly Phoenix’ is expecting us Your Highness, all
arrangements for your arrival have been made.” The Captain was as efficient as
ever.
“The Friendly Phoenix?” Came a voice from the crowd. “What a wonderful
coincidence, that’s where I’m staying.”
Eleazar emerged from behind a large cart filled with barrels of salted beef,
marked with the emblem of Wolftop, capital of Erestia.
“Really?” The Captain scowled. “A coincidence? Watch your step boy.”
“My dear Captain, this a free city and I am free to spend my last night of
freedom wherever I choose.”
“And how can someone like you afford the Friendly Phoenix?”
“Someone like me? I have no idea what you’re driving at captain. I’m a
simple young man spending his hard earned coin on the finer things of life one
last time.” With that, he turned, winked at Ariella and led his horse off into the crowd whistling happily.
A sound caught Ariella’s attention. It was quiet, almost imperceptible
amongst the clamour of the crowd. She could’ve sworn Micah let out a sigh of
relief.
The innkeeper at The Friendly Phoenix wonderfully matched the name of his
Inn. His hair was bright orange and his suit was scarlet. He seemed to shine in
the candlelight as he showed Ariella to her room.
“It is such a pleasure to welcome royalty to my humble Inn” he enthused
“most royal guests stay in the Keep” it was more of a question than a statement.
Ariella was momentarily uncomfortable.
“I’m not here as a guest of my uncle. I’m here for High Summer,” she paused
“and The Journey.”
The Innkeeper’s eyes went wide but he was too respectful to say anything.
He smiled a caring smile and left her in her room. “Finest room in the Inn, and
therefore the finest room in Stonegard,” the innkeeper had told her, “except the Royal Rooms in the Keep of course” he had added with a bow.
The room was indeed fine, opulent even, but all it served to do was make her
think of her home. It was the first time since she had left Lightharbour that she
missed the palace and her family.
It’s a bit late for all that Ari. High Summer tomorrow, The Journey and then
anything could happen.
She turned in early after trying to eat some supper that the Captain had
arranged for her. She was so nervous about tomorrow that she could hardly take
a bite. Sleep eluded her for hours as she tossed back and forth in the bed. She
would doze for a while and then wake again. The blankets were too hot, and
then she was too cold. There were too many pillows, then not enough.
Will you get a grip girl?
She was getting frustrated with herself. Her stomach started rumbling
which made sleeping even harder.
I wonder if there’s any supper left over? I’m sure there’ll be someone on duty
downstairs that will let me raid the kitchen.
She threw on her trousers and shirt and walked quietly to the door. The
heavy door opened silently on the well oiled hinges and she stepped out on to
the thick carpet of the hallway. And froze.
Standing in the shadows in the centre of the long hallway was a figure.
Dressed entirely in tight black clothes with a black hood drawn up over their
head, they blended seamlessly into the darkness. Ariella squinted as she made
out the form. Their back was toward her, stooped as if listening.
Ariella was rooted to the spot.
Who the hell is that? And more to the point, what do they want?
The
silhouette was going slowly from door to door, moving away from Ariella. It
paused at each door for a few moments and then moved to the next.
It looks like they’re listening, but for what? Breathing? These doors are thick. How good can your ears be?
The figure checked two more doors, and then stopped longer than usual at
the second to last door of the hallway. Ariella watched as they adjusted their
hood with a gloved hand exposing their ear. Silently they pressed it against the
door and waited.
Ariella held her breath, still watching. The hooded figure pulled away,
readjusted their hood and stood to full height. They were shorter than Ariella
with a slight frame.
Their hand slipped into the pocket of the black cloak and pulled out
something tiny, no bigger than a hairpin. They moved their hands towards the
door.
It’s a lock pick! That’s a thief! Not what do I do?
She realised she had no weapons and she was pretty sure she couldn"t take
this hooded thief in a fight.
The hooded form withdrew the lock pick and placed it back in their pocket.
Then, ever so slowly, put their hand on the door han
dle and turned it.
Okay Ari…any bright ideas?
She only had one. She took a deep breath and she screamed. A full blooded,
top of the lungs, someone is ripping my arms off, type of scream.
The effect was instantaneous. The hooded figure spun around to face
Ariella. Their face was covered with a mask that only allowed their eyes and the
bridge of their nose to be seen. But those eyes left a mark. Blue. Ice cold blue.
Even in the half light of the hallway those eyes left a mark on Ariella.
She gasped. It’s a woman. Ariella heard the captain’s thunderous voice and
the sound of running feet. Doors were banging open and there was the
unmistakable sound of swords being drawn from the sheaths. It seemed that the
whole Inn had woken.
The hooded figure blinked once and then…flash. It was like a blur, Ariella
hardly saw it, but felt a burning sensation in her left shoulder.
Micah, the Captain and the other guards came charging up the stairs as the
hooded figure dove through the open window at the far end of the corridor.
Micah flew after them with the other guards following as the Captain ran to
Ariella’s side.
“Princess Ariella! What’s happened?” His face was grave.
“The woman” Ariella pointed feebly in the direction of the window. “She’s a thief.”
She tried to continue but the pain in her shoulder was now almost
unbearable. She started to slump to the floor but the captain caught her and laid
her down gently, his brow furrowed. He reached out his hand to her shoulder;
she felt a sharp pain, then the darkness washed over her. The last thing she
remembered was the captain holding a small thin dart, the tip red with her blood
and the other end shaped into a pair of delicate butterfly wings.
Chapter 7
Ariella woke to the sound of muffled voices from the far side of the room.
The low light of sunrise was streaming through a gap in her curtains, tiny specks
of dust gently floating in the air.
She lay awake for a moment trying to piece together what had just
happened. She remembered the hooded figure trying to break into the room
along the hallway from her own. In her mind she could still see the cold blue
eyes and the flash of the woman’s hand as she sent the tiny dart flying towards
her. She remembered the captain, Micah and the other guards rushing to the
sound of her scream. Then she remembered the butterfly dart. She remembered
how pretty she thought it looked as the captain pulled it from her shoulder.
She lifted her hand to the point where the dart had hit her. There was a
small hole in her night shirt, but no pain. She pushed her finger through the hole
onto her skin, still no pain. She jabbed her finger again, hard into her flesh.
Nothing.
From the far side of her room she heard a muffled conversation. She sat up
quickly and the voices stopped. “Your Highness?” It was the Captain, a look of
concern on his face. “How are you?”
“I"m fine. Strangely.” Ariella"s finger was still on her shoulder trying to find
the mark left by the dart. “What happened? There"s no mark, no pain at all.”
“Yes. Your Highness, may I introduce Karlov Featherfall.” The Captain
motioned to the man standing beside him. Karlov was younger than the
Captain, around Micah"s age.
He"s not as handsome as Micah, but not unattractive I guess.
His blonde hair was cut short; his eyes were young but serious. He was
frowning; it looked to Ariella like a mixture of concern and annoyance.
“Is there any pain in your shoulder Ariella?” Karlov asked. He question was
direct, almost blunt.
Ariella was still a little groggy “It"s „Your Highness".” She was equally blunt.
Karlov didn"t flinch.
“I mean, you address me as „Your Highness."” Still Karlov said nothing.
Ariella was stunned.
Who is this guy? What’s he doing in my room? And why hasn’t the Captain slapped
him? The Captain coughed. Then she saw it. A round metal disc pinned on the
left side of Karlov"s chest, right over his heart. A small golden circle with five
rays of light. The dawning sun rising over a field of green.
“You"re a Guardian!”
“And you’re a Sojourner.” He moved towards her bed. “I asked „Is there any
pain in your shoulder?"”
“No, none at all. I don"t understand”
Karlov raised his hand and closed his eyes. Ariella didn"t notice it at first,
but ever so slowly, a pale green light began to radiate from Karlov"s hand. It
formed an aura that seemed to silently pulse. He placed his hand on Ariella"s
shoulder, right over where the dart had entered. She felt a gentle warmth and
then it was gone.
Karlov closed his hand and turned to the Captain. “The High Summer
festival begins in an hour, she needs to be ready.”
The Captain nodded and Karlov left the room without looking at Ariella.
“Captain, will you please tell me what happened?”
“Forgive me Your Highness but there is no time. You heard Karlov, in an
hour you have to be in the city square. You need to get dressed.”
And with that he too was gone, leaving Ariella alone in her room.
That’s just great, what the hell happened last night? Who was the woman in the
hood and what did she stick me with? How did Karlov end up in my room with the
Captain? And he’s a Guardian. I hope I don’t see him today, I don’t think he likes me.
Absent-mindedly she put her finger back through the hole the dart had made
in her night dress.
Okay Ari, you’re not going to get any answers sitting here. Get up, get out of bed and get dressed. The questions can wait.
She gave her head a shake and jumped from the bed, dressing quickly.
Looking around the room she found her backpack and the old hunting jacket.
She checked the Echo Orbs were still deep in her pockets, and then stepped out
in the hallway. Micah and another guard were waiting for her. Their faces were
alert and they both had their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.
“Are you ready to go Your Highness?” Micah asked her
“Yes.” but she paused, her hand on her shoulder again, eyes towards the
window at the end of hallway. Through it she could see the rooftops of
Stonegard and the blue summer sky.
“Did you get her?”
“Her, Your Highness?”
“Yes, the person in the hood was a woman.”
Micah shook his head. “Unfortunately not. He,” he corrected himself,
“sorry, she, was gone by the time I got to the window.”
Ariella wasn"t surprised. There was something about the way the hooded
woman moved, the way she so easily attacked Ariella.
She wasn’t a novice; she had done that many, many times before. She had an escape
route planned. There was no chance Micah could’ve got to her.
The other guard shifted and looked up at Micah who nodded in response.
“Your Highness, it"s time. We have to go.”
She led them down the stairs and found the Captain and the other guards
waiting for them. They left the Friendly Phoenix in a tight group, the Captain
taking no chances. Ariella was enclosed within the guards as they moved
throug
h the crowd.
It seemed everyone in the city was on the way to the main square. The start
of The Journey was the highlight of the High Summer festival and no one
wanted to miss it. The city square was awash with colour. Bright red and
orange pennants of Trevena mixed with the gold and green of the Guardians. At
the far end of the square was a stage erected against the inside of the inner wall.
It was empty at the moment but Ariella knew that in a short while she would be
up there with the forty nine other Sojourners ready to begin their five year
Journey.
The captain led the small group through the crowded square over to the far
side near the stage. There was a small roped off area in front of a large oak door
set in the inner wall. Outside the door were two guards, a man and a woman;
they wore the same gold disc that Karlov wore.
They watched the small group as they approached, their faces
expressionless. As the group got to the rope the woman stepped forward.
“This area is sealed. Sojourners only.” Her tone was official. She looked past the Captain, her eyes on Ariella.
The Captain pulled a scroll from inside his jacket and handed it to the
woman. She turned it over in her hand, examining the wax seal. She nodded,
broke the seal and unrolled the scroll.
She looked up, her eyes again on Ariella. “Ariella Lightharbour?”
Ariella nodded, her mouth too dry to speak. She suddenly felt weak with
nerves, the pit of her stomach churning.
“We’ve never trained a Princess before.” Ariella dropped her gaze and stared
at her toes “When you step past this rope you are no longer a Princess. Are you
ready for that?” There was an almost disbelieving tone in the woman’s voice.
She doesn’t think I can do it!
The nervousness she had felt moments before turned to stubborn anger.
Ariella met the woman’s gaze and stepped past the Captain. “I’m ready”
The woman nodded and half smiled. “Well let"s get on with it then. My
name is Lalea Onderskat, welcome to the Guardians”. She removed the rope
barrier and stepped aside allowing Ariella to approach the door in the wall.
She hesitated, and turned to look at the Guards. Micah was watching her, a
smile on his face.
What is that for? Is he happy to be rid of me? No, it’s more like, pride! He’s
proud of me!