The night is dark, and loud with the noise of crickets and frogs. I’m tired, but I need to keep moving. Looking back on it, it probably would have been smarter to stay at the tavern or a local inn. Doesn’t matter though… I’m here now, on the road again. Alone again.

I liked my time with Amelia. I may never again get the opportunity to meet a magician, and not just a magic user but also the sister to the queen of an Eastern kingdom. That’s pretty cool too.

I can’t not go to the North now. Even though it’s the middle of the night, and I’ve been riding for longer than I want to even consider I have to keep going. I have to. I have to-

Fennel snorts and stops, jolting me forward as he suddenly slows down. “Excuse me?” I ask, nudging him forward, but he doesn’t go forward, he starts to back up, snorting and neighing. “Hey!” I hiss “what the fayr is your problem?”

Behind me in the darkness I hear something whistling through the darkness. Before I can even react, heavy stone balls with rope in between catch my body and start swinging around me, wrapping me up. I struggle and grumble, but I cant… I can’t move!

“Fayr!” I swear loudly, “fayr! Fayr it all!”

“Mmm… such a pretty voice, such nasty words.” A sickeningly excited voice says and I begin to hear the sounds of bandits coming out of the woods around me.

“No, no, no!” I shake and try to free myself, but Fennel is getting spooked and neighing at my attackers, and without the use of my arms I lose my balance and fall off the saddle.

I hit the ground with a choke as all the breath leaves my body, and I’m left gasping for breath. Fayr, that hurt.

I struggle and kick limply on the ground as the bandits surround me, and grab Fennels reigns. Hands from all these freakish faces coming into sight begin to feel me up, whether for gold or valuables or… other reasons…

I yelp and scream as they touch me, but no sooner do I get out a sound than nasty hands clamp over my mouth.

“And what do we have here little miss?” One of the grinning bandits says running a finger down my neck and holding up the little pouch of gold that Tyra gave me. “Gots a little gold on you, don’t you? Hehe, that’s not all you’re valuable for though.”

In the moment I realize I have nothing to lose. What are they going to do? Kill me? Worse? There’s something inside of me, and I can feel it, bubbling, and boiling, and bursting like a wave.

Fayr it.

I bite the hand holding my mouth until I taste blood, then spit it back in his face as he recoils in pain. I kick and writhe at the others holding me, I manage to connect a foot to ones face, which is just enough for me to wriggle free of their grasp and pull at the ropes binding me.

“You stupid little-!” one of them yells, his body just a darkened silhouette. But I can make out enough to know where his throat is and punch it as hard as I can. My wrist aches with the hit, but he falls backwards gurgling.

I struggle to run away, the rope still wrapped around my lower half, and I only end up tripping and face planting into the dirt.

“Oh, you’ve done it now lass,” the first bandit says, walking over to me and kicking me in the stomach. I curl up in pain, and gasp for breath. He picks me up by hair and I feel his fist hit my cheek and I’m back on the ground.

I can hear them talking about me, about the things they’re going to do, and how much fun they’re going to have doing it.

I look up, the bandit standing over me, his face shadowed in moonlight. Then I see a little blue beam land on his chest. Then a blast of magical energy blows the man into dust.

What. The. Fayr.

The other bandits run away screaming as one by one they’re blasted into nothing, and then there are no more.

I wince in pain as I struggle to my feet, kicking the rope off of my feet. I’m unable to stand, but I’m on my knees, looking towards the direction of the blast.

“You didn’t think we’d let you get away that easy did you?” Amelia said as she came into view. The tattoos on her arm glowing bright in the dark.

“Well, I voted to let you go,” Cyrus said following close behind, Fizzy Pepper in hand. “But alas, here I am.”