The Dragon Stone

Chapter 6

                      The group had been traveling north for several days only stopping to rest at night. They fell into tasks that each of them did when they would set camp and break it the next morning. Kaston was the hunter, Orist and Elmar would set about starting fires to keep the group warm and to cook by, Kalin would help by searching for sticks and brush for the fire, Darion and Pyria would ensure the knights were set out in proper places for guarding the camp.

Kalin was thinking to herself about what she had learned about magic and about how it might be part of her life. She had been talking with both Orist and Elmar each day as they rode and with Darion and Pyria each evening. She felt closer to each of them than she has ever been to anyone else.

The dusk had fallen on the valley and Kalin needed a few more branches before she returned to the camp. She hurried as quickly as possible. She normally had really good hearing but she did not hear when the leaves crunched under someone foot behind her until it was too late. A man grabbed her from behind with his hand on her throat and a blade to her neck. "Sshhh, or you die." He whispered to her.

Kalin did not dare make a sound. She was afraid but mostly mad at herself, she could not believe she let her guard down and got taken by surprise.

"I am going to let go of your mouth but if you try to scream it will be the last thing you ever do. If you try and run, my friends here will kill you with their arrows." He moved her toward four other men with drawn bows aimed at her. He released her mouth slowly and waited to see if she would scream.

Kalin did not scream but said quietly, "I have nothing of value."

"Really, then maybe the others have values which might make up for your lacking." Said the man behind her dragging her into the tree line. "Let's take a walk and see what they have for us."

"You are going to regret this, let me go and you can escape without my party knowing you were here." Kalin said while she struggled against the strong man's grip.

The man laughed and said, "Escape that is funny."

They appeared out of the forest at the edge of the north side of camp. Two Knights greeted them with swords drawn. "Put your swords on the ground" the man behind Kalin said holding the knife even closer to Kalin's throat.

"Do it" he said it will more force as the two knights did not respond quickly enough for his tastes.

The two knights lowered their swords slowly. "Now go get your leaders, quickly" he shouted.

"Arrows at the ready boys, make sure they see we mean business." He said to his followers.

Pyria was the first to appear, with her sword drawn and looking to stick it into someone. Then came Darion and Kaston right behind him. Then Orist arrived. "What is this?"

"Your Highness, we are here to relieve you of your gold and to deliver your lost counterpart." He said while speaking to Prince Darion and holding Kalin close to him to shield him from the arrow which Kaston aimed at his head.

"Is that right?" Darion replied. "Then let her go and you shall have your reward."

"Yeah, that is not going to work. Bring the gold here and we will take our leave from you and your party with her. We will then let her go when we believe we are not being followed."

"Sure, Sure. We will bring the gold." Darion waved to one of his knights to go and get the gold.

Orist stepped forward. "But your Highness, she has the stone." He said to Darion loud enough for the kidnappers to hear him.

"Stone, what stone do you speak of?" Kalin's captor asked.

"She has a stone in her left pocket but it has not value." Orist said.

"Really, you take me as a fool? You speak of this stone to the Prince of Aledriel at a time like this and then you have the nerve to tell me it is not valuable. "He said to Orist then looks down at Kalin and says to her. With your right hand reach into your left pocket and hand me the stone.

Kalin slowly reaches across her body and into her pocket. She felt the change in her arm, not pain but strong sense of power. She lifted the stone from her pocket and looked at her captor in the eye before she touched his hand with the stone. She knew what was coming and almost felt sorry for him.

He looked at the stone, it was glowing red as though it was a fire ruby. He reached down and grabbed it from her hand. He instantly went to his knees and screamed and then fell over, dead. His followers watched him die before their eyes but not sure of what they were seeing. As they were watching the others in the camp attacked them and killed a few and the others ran into the woods.

Pyria looked at Prince Darion and asked. "Should we pursue them?"

Prince Darion replied "Yes but only until you are sure they will not return."

Pyria shouted orders to the knights, "After them!" And then she rode into the woods leading the knights.

Kalin looked down at the body lying at her feet. She could not believe that all he did was touch the stone while she held it. She placed the stone into her pocket and then bent down to look at his hand. There were no visible signs of damage to his fingers or hands. "How can this be?" She asked herself.