The Stones of Jade

chapter 6

"We didn't kill her right?"

"Eli, if you are so concerned, go check her pulse."

Heavy footsteps make their way closer and closer to Asteria. Her head feels like it is being weighed down, causing it to rest on her left shoulder.

As the voice presses their fingers onto her wrist, her body flinches at the touch.

"Oh my god!" The lighter voice, obviously startled, steps back.

"See, she isn't dead yet." The darker voice pats the lighter voice on the back and walks behind Asteria.

Where am I?

"I don't know, where are you?" The deeper voice chuckles, sounding farther than before.

Asteria gains an ounce of strength causing her to violently move in her chair. She is tied to it.

"I wouldn't do that- "The smaller voice starts.

Asteria copies her movement from before, a violent shift in her seat. She knows she will get nowhere but it is worth a try. Before trying again, two hands firmly hold her arms ultimately restraining her from any movement.

"Calm down, you aren't going anywhere."

A third voice...

This voice is different from the others, it is deep, but it is obviously feminine.

The hands let go of their grip on the princess. Asteria slouches somewhat before speaking up.

"What do you want from me? If you need money, you can have it. Just please let me go." Asteria's desperate voice fills the air, silence follows until the deep male voice speaks.

"Needing money is an understatement," his voice moves closer towards her, "Eli, remove the fabric."

Two hands untie the fabric covering her vision. The dim light is nearly blinding. Her head is already distorted but the light makes her dizzy. She groans as she opens her eyes.

The first thing she notices is the area around her. The wooden walls are extremely outdated apparent from the shade of brown. The area is empty except for a stranded candle holder on the ground and a stained rug. There are two tall men standing in front of her, still covered in dark cloaks. Their features are slightly visible. The taller has a jawline nearly impossible to miss and lightly tanned skin. The shorter of the two is almost a spitting image of the taller, just a younger version.

"You look awfully familiar," The shorter squints his light brown eyes. "Will doesn't she remind you of someone."

The taller one, now known as Will, takes a closer look before the color on his face washes away. Almost as if he has seen a ghost.

"Rowan, we have a problem." Will pulls the shorter man into the room behind Asteria.

"What is it?" She sounds slightly annoyed.

In a hushed voice, Will answers her question. "Rowan, that is the princess of the Jade Kingdom. We captured the fucking princess of a kingdom."

"Holy shit." The shorter man responds.

Asteria's terror rises quickly. Now that they know, what are they going to do to her?

After what feels like years of silence, Rowan responds. "There must be a bounty out for her. We get our money, act like we are heroes, and leave."

"NO!" Asteria yells, responding to Rowan's suggestion.

In walks a girl, nearly the same age as Asteria. Her cloak is pulled down, thoughtless on her part. She has brown but nearly black hair that is pulled up behind her head. Her eyes a dark brown, filled with anger and worry but masked by her body language. A jawline that could cut someone instantly. Her figure is slim, sculpted by her ripped jeans and black corset accentuating her waist with a simple yet tight black shirt underneath. Her boots are worn and have small specs of nature on the bottoms.

She's almost... gorgeous.

Asteria's thoughts are interrupted by Rowan.

"And why is that?" Rowan's arms cross, causing Asteria to fumble with her words.

"Well... I..." She stops to regain her thoughts before continuing. "I ran away from the kingdom."

The shorter boy, Eli, whose name she remembers from earlier, stands with his lips slightly parted from shock.

"Why would you do that?" Eli asks.

"If you haven't heard, my parents passed away recently, and my elder brother came home."

"The man who sells leather was telling me of that when I was at the shops earlier," Eli recalls.

Asteria continues. "I found a letter from my mother before she died, apparently their deaths weren't accidental. My brother is planning something, and I need to find my mother's vault that tells me how to defeat him."

The three of them stand in silence, taking in the words of the princess.

"I guess your adventure has been cut short, princess." Rowan begins to mess with the ties on the chair before Asteria comes up with a solution.

"Wait!" Rowan removes her hands. "I have a proposition."

"Go on" Rowan responds, now standing right in front of her.

"If the three of you help me find the vault, I will give each of you three times the bounty for your help."

Will's face is unreadable, but Eli seems nervous, his hands messing with anything they touch.

"Fine. We will do it."

Rowan's head turns to Will who steps forward. His words still echo the room.

"But if you think you can get out of this, you will end up alongside your parents."

Asteria shudders at the thought. She knows this will be hard, but this is her only way out.

"Deal."