There weren’t that many trees but there were enough to hide Elora and Cade in. They kept pace with the princess and her servant on their walking horses. Elora was just grateful that they had gotten the two knives off Lorwen. She could just picture his face turning bright red when he discovered that they were gone but at least it meant that they weren’t totally defenceless. A twig snapped under Cade’s foot and Elora cringed. He didn’t slow down but she froze for half a second and kept her eyes on the princess. The young girl hadn’t noticed the sound. She was too busy talking to the servant following her. Elora started to move forward again. The sun was high in the sky and shone in her eyes on occasion. each time the light blinded her, she panicked that she would look again and not see the princess at all. If they lost her then this whole mission would be over before it started.
Would that be so bad?
Elora tried to shake the thought away but now that she had thought it she couldn’t escape it.
Would she rather be back at the tent preparing for their next show? Yes
Was she terrified that Cade was going to get himself hurt? Certainly.
She watched him jogging in front of her. He was stooped and kept watch on the princess through the tress. He was leaning forward, as if wanting to run faster, to reach the dragon sooner. Elora sped up slightly to catch up to him.
“Cade.” She whispered.
He cast a look over his shoulder at her and then watched the travellers again. “What?”
“We are going to need to rest soon. We haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I know.” He used his chin to motion to Princess Freya. “But we can’t stop until she does.”
Elora was about to argue until Freya started to slow down. she was saying something to the servant and then he dropped off his horse. He was pointing off into the trees opposite them and saying something. Elora wished she could make out what it was.
“I think they are stopping.” She said in a low voice. She heard Cade sigh.
“Fine. We will stop for a bit.”
Elora ignored the impatient edge to Cade’s voice. He was mad if he thought they should be going faster. They didn’t even have horses.
The princess stayed sitting on her horse as the servant went off into the trees in search of something. She wasn’t that tall but she stretched herself as high as she could to scan the surrounding area. For a wild moment Elora hoped that she would spot them. If she did then they would have to go home. Instead, Freya looked right over them and got off the horse.
Cade was sitting on the forest floor now. The leaves crinkled and broke under him and he stopped moving so he could speak.
“Maybe she has a map of something that we could steal.”
“Don’t be stupid. We are following her, like you said we should.”
Cade made a face at her. “Don’t be stupid,” He mocked. “I am trying to think ahead. If we keep following her then the other one is going to make it there way before us.”
Elora forced herself not to rise to his teasing. “What do you suggest? We just go up and snatch the,” She had to force the word out. “imaginary map and hope that she doesn’t see us?”
Cade shrugged. “Who cares if she sees us? She is one small girl. We could take her.”
Elora could swear that when Cade said this his tone became distant and dreamy. He also watched Freya with a small smile playing on his lips. She hadn’t seen this look on him before. He must have felt her watching him because he turned towards her and cleared his throat then quickly looked away.
Elora considered him. “You don’t even know that she has a map.”
“Then we kidnap her and take her with us.”
“You are never happy to stick to the plan are you?”
“I am just updating the plan.”
Elora looked at the princess, who was rummaging through a bag at this point. From within the bag she took out an apple and started to eat it. The crisp sound of her teeth breaking the skin sliced through the air. Elora’s stomach grumbled. All she and Cade had were three potatoes that Cade had found somewhere.
“Not to mention we could use some food.” When Cade said this Elora looked around at him to see if he had seen her eyeing up the apple. No, he was just drooling over the fruit, as well. His left hand went to his stomach where he rubbed small circles.
Elora decided she couldn’t let him go hungry. “Okay. How do you want to do this?”
Cade rubbed his hands together. “We are ruthless bandits who have come to take their food and a prisoner.”
Elora wasn’t sure why their back story mattered but she didn’t argue.
“We will go now, while the slave is away. That way she is alone and away from her weapons.” Cade climbed to his feet. “Just don’t hurt her.” When Elora shot him a look he added “Badly.”
***
Freya waited for Rowen to come back with the fire wood. It was getting late and if they didn’t set up camp soon then the horses would pass out from exhaustion. The sun was setting slowly as it always does in the summer and the trees were a vibrant splash of green wherever she looked.
When she got down off her horse her bum and legs ached a bit from the riding. She was used to being on a horse but not for that long. Rubbing her back end a bit, she went to get an apple out of the saddle bag. Looking into the bag she thought again how her father had over packed on food for this trip. He had also sent traps with them for catching rabbits but no matter how much Freya thought about it she didn’t know how to use one.
She took out an apple and chewed on a lump of it while watching the trees. They were so tranquil and beautiful and… wait.
She could swear she just saw something moving in them. A brief rustling sound confirmed her suspicions. Freya lowered the apple slowly and started to stroll towards her horse. Her sword was strapped to the side of the beast and she wanted to reach it without alerting whoever was out there to the fact that she had noticed them.
She cringed each time her boot crunched on gravel or a leaf. She was just inches from her weapon when someone sprung from the trees, brandishing a knife in her face. the blade was rusted and small and Freya’s first thought was to throw it out and get a new one. The person holding it was familiar and it only took her a second to place him.
It was the boy who had preformed with the Clowns.
The sun light highlighted the auburn in his hair and Freya had to make herself stop staring at it.
“Don’t move princess and this will all be over before you know it.” The boy put bravado into his voice but Freya noticed about three things wrong with how he was threatening her.
First, he was to far away so that if she decided to move he would never strike her before she did.
Second, he held the knife with his arm fully extended meaning he would have to pull it back before he could thrust forward at her at all.
And third, his feet were close together which would mean that if she wanted to it would be so much easier to throw him off balance.
“Please,” Freya held up her palms facing him. “Lets not do this.”
He smiled, a wide smile that made his eyes crease. “Don’t worry. We don’t want to hurt you.”
We? Freya looked over her shoulder to see the red head from the show rooting through Rowen’s saddlebags. She had a sack in her left hand and was depositing any food she found in it.
Turning back to the boy Freya shuffled a little to the side. he narrowed his eyes and made the knife follow her but he didn’t take a step.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Freya glanced sideways at her weapon and the boy followed her gaze.
“You wont reach that before I reach you.” He laughed.
Freya enjoyed the sound of his laugh and smiled. “Won’t I?”
He was momentarily confused and she used that to her advantage. Springing for the weapon, she extended her hand and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the sword.
She drew it out and swivelled to face him in one smooth motion. the ringing of the sword leaving the sheath alerted the red head to the change in the power dynamic.
The redhead and her snow leopard took a step towards the boy. The fur on the animals back was rising.
Freya knew that if they came too close it would be a challenge to take on all three of them. Buddy tapped a leg on her neck from his perch on her shoulder. She knew that she would have to use her ability to ward them off. Opening her mouth she brought the blade up to her tongue and licked along the edges of it. The strangeness of this had rendered her opponents temporarily paralysed which was good. The last thing she needed was for one of them to rush her and make her cut off her own tongue. There would be no more poisoning anything for her then.
Although she had to admit that the look of repulsion on the boys face did sting a bit.
She lowered the sword again, the end of it glistening in the light.
“That’s poison.” She nodded to the end of the blade.
The redhead raised her eyebrows and the boy smiled.
“If you don’t believe me just take a look at my spirit animal.” Freya felt Buddy waving two of his legs in the air.
Both of the strangers started to scan the area of ground around her. The boy even looked the horse head to toe.
Freya rolled her eyes. “He is on my shoulder.”
The redhead couldn’t see Buddy past Freya’s neck but the boy got a good look. His eyes went so wide they could have rolled out of his head.
“Okay out that thing down before you hurt yourself.” The girl spoke as if to a small child. “You don’t even know how to use that thing.”
Freya felt a grim satisfaction. People always underestimated her and while it was often annoying to no end, at moments like this it was so helpful.
“Yes I do.” She said and twirled the sword around in her hand to show them. Her stance was wide and steady and she was almost hoping that the girl didn’t believe her so that she could show her what she meant.
The boy took a step backwards and Freya kept pace. His breathing was audible and there was sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“Don’t worry. I wont kill you.” Freya smirked.
The girl laughed without humour. “Oh its not that. he has a thing about spiders.”
Freya tried not to laugh out loud but a snicker still got out. He was at the end of a poisoned sword with a skill warrior using it and he was more worried about the spider perched on her shoulder.
As if reading her mind, Buddy crawled down her arm and stopped on her hand. the boy flinched and took a hurried step back. a branch cracked under his foot and he fell onto the floor. Freya came and stood over him, pointing the sword at his chest.
She heard the girl take in a sharp breath.
“Who are you and why are you trying to rob me?”
The boy was sheet white and swallowed repeatedly.
It was the girl who spoke up. “I am Elora and this is Cade. We are brother and sister.”
Her voice sounded closer than before. Freya had been so caught up in watching this boy, Cade, that she had forgotten to keep an eye on the sister.
His sister speaking gave Cade courage and he propped himself up on his elbows. Freya had to move the sword back to prevent the tip from scrapping his chest.
“We used to be part of the circus but they were cruel there so we ran away. But we didn’t have enough money to buy food and we are starving. We just wanted something to eat.” His tone sounded desperate enough and his eyes shimmered with fear.
Freya didn’t know if she believed them. They certainly looked poor, with their dirty clothes and hair and rusted knives. Apart from that she didn’t really know what a poor person looked like. Or a starving one for that matter.
On the other hand, she knew that she didn’t want to kill Cade. She had never killed anyone in her life. She cast a look at Elora who was holding her breath.
Freya exhaled heavily and made a decision. “Fine. I will help you. But you are staying right there on the ground until Rowen gets back. I don’t trust either of you not to attack me.”
Cade nodded while keeping a close eye on Buddy.
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