We rode for hours, slowing only when the horses had become too tired and not stopping until nightfall. A unanimous, unspoken decision had apparently been made that I should remain the keeper of the Crown, and I still hadn't decided whether that was good or bad. I was honored that my companions trusted me with such a task, but I was afraid that if I somehow lost it all of our work up to this point would be worthless. I tied the crown onto the horn of my saddle so that I could keep an eye on it at all times. However, my heart still leaped every time that we rode over a bump and the crown was jolted upward, threatening to catapult itself in the air and become lost along the road somewhere. As we rode along, the crown itself seemed to be watching me, sizing me up like a menacing vulture. Even without touching it I could continually feel its harsh power, and the crimson stones still pulsed as if it were alive and with its own consciousness. For all I knew, it could be.
It was on the second day of our journey back to Kaerosa when we first ran into trouble. We had stopped by a small stream and dismounted to refill our canteens and let our horses drink for a while. Just as a precaution I untied the crown and I took it with me as I went to the stream. I slipped my boots and socks off and stepped into the trickling current, and instantly the stress and the soreness from the tiring journey seemed to be swept away with the flow of the water. However, my euphoria didn't last very long. It was rudely interrupted by the sharp tip of the dagger that was being placed between my shoulder blades. I took a quick look around and realized that my friends and I were surrounded. A deep, rumbling voice then spoke, freezing me to the spot.
"Sorry, Girlie. Relaxation time is over. Now if you could kindly step out of the stream and come with me. I would hate to have to run you through." I turned around to face my alleged kidnapper. He was tall and buff with thick muscles like that of a bull. He had a full brown beard and his eyes were dark and cruel. In addition to the dagger that was pointed at my chest, his weaponry included a broad sword hung at his side and a battle axe that was strapped to his back. Give him a flannel shirt and some hip-weighters and he would've looked like an aggressive, heavily armed lumberjack. I quickly tried to come up with a plan to create a massive wave when the lumberjack/kidnapper spoke again.
"Do not try anything foolish, girl. Even if you managed to subdue me, I have companions nearby that would be much less...diplomatic." If being 'diplomatic' meant threatening to run people through with daggers, then I did not look forward to meeting Mr. Paul Bunion's less-than-diplomatic friends. Not knowing how many other vicious loggers lay hiding in the woods, we had little choice but to do what they said and bide our time. I stepped away from the stream and stood looking at our captors while my bravery seemed to slip away with every drop of water that rolled off of my toes onto the forest floor. One of the lumberjack's companions made his rounds and collected all of our weapons. I reluctantly gave up Meuyola, but I knew that a spontaneous attack with my sword would be both idiotic as well as useless to our cause. However, I tried my best to keep the crown out of sight, and luckily they did not attempt to take it from me. They may inconvenience us by seizing our weapons, but I would not let them take the crown. It was far too important, and I would never see it surrendered into the hands of any enemy.
"What do you want with us?", demanded Adam. I was glad to see that he was taking charge, since we could hardly rely on Leofrick. He just stood there, obviously bored, hardly paying any attention to the spear that his captor was pointing at him. Paul Bunion, the obvious leader of the group, spoke.
"With you? Nothing, really. Although I imagine that nobles in Nedjeshesi could pay a dear bit for you lot. The one that we're truly here for is this young miss." He gestured with his dagger towards me. My eyes widened in shock.
"What?...who?"
"You have a price on your head, Danny Cadigan." He stuck a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a wrinkled, folded up parchment paper. He handed it to me and I unfolded it. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when I saw my own face staring back at me from the parchment. It was expertly drawn, as if the person who drew it had been standing right next to me. I definitely didn't remember posing for my own wanted poster, though. Underneath the picture was a message written in three different languages; the first I recognized as the curling writing of Kaerosan or the Language of the Lake, the second was made up of blocky figures that I had never seen before, and the third was English. It read ' 15,000 tauves for the capture of Danny Cadigan, by order of King Cainan Shade of Mataliba'. I wasn't sure exactly how much money 15,000 tauves were worth, but I figured it was a decent amount if it was enough to convince the lumberjack and his companions to come after us.
YOU ARE READING
Crown of Daelin
Fantasi"I wished that things were different. That I could make a greater impact. That I could be someone stronger, someone important. But what could I do here, in this small town, that was already civilized and happy? I wanted a challenge, and I had no clu...
