A Kingdom of Bones

XI | eleven

The rest of our trek through the forest was quiet and tense, both of us prepared for another encounter with the lone knight. But once we reach the edge of the village, I can practically feel the apprehension leak from the air. Ellis kicks his horse into a gallop as soon as the wooden fence comes into view. My horse immediately does the same and within seconds we're back in the boundaries of the village and unsaddling our mounts; I finally feel like I can breathe again.

"What will you say?" I ask as I pull the bridal over the horse's ears. I keep replaying in my head what happened, struggling to find a plausible reason for the knight's actions, but I come up with none. What happened out there was abnormal and there is no way to chalk it up to not being so.

"The truth."

"And then what will we do?"

"I don't know, princess," Ellis says as he grabs the bridal from my hand and lays it across the wooden post. He gives me a steady look. "West will know."

Right. West will know what to do, he always has a plan. Maybe, once we tell him what happened, he'll even have a plausible explanation for it. But the idea seems laughable, just like the situation. Just like these entire two days.

"Come on, Alycia," Ellis grabs my hand, knocking me from my thoughts. His palm is rough under mine, but his eyes are soft. "Are you there?" his voice is gentle, much more gentle than before. It adds slightly to my shock.

"Yes, sorry," I mumble, allowing him to steer me away from the barn and towards the middle of the village.

The village is bustling with activity, almost more than before. People and Mortyn's alike roam across the clearing, each looking like they are struggling to get their many jobs completed. I don't see West, or any other member of my family among the crowd, and it immediately worries me. Of course there is most likely a reasonable explanation, but after the days I've been having my instinct has become to think the worst.

"Captain!" a woman shouts from behind us. We both turn and Ellis drops my hand that I hadn't realized he was still holding. I fold my arms over my chest to try and ignore the sudden lonesome feeling in my gut.

The woman who called him was short but muscular looking, with waist-length brown hair pulled back in a braid and a wide face that reminded me more of a man's than a woman's. She walks towards us with her arms wide open. Ellis gives a half smile and closes the distance between them, allowing her to wrap him in a quick hug. When she pulls away, she holds him at arm's length, which for her isn't very far. "We got what we needed. It was Hell, and we lost Mase and Erl, but we did it." she claps him on the shoulder and steps back. Her voice doesn't match her body, as it's light and cheerful, while her build his no-nonsense and stocky. Her words are tinged with an unfamiliar accent. English rolls off her tongue like she has only spoken it a hand full of times.

"A damned shame, but sacrifices must always be made. Where is it?" Ellis asks. His voice seemed to have gotten colder, dropping at least ten degrees since he spoke to me, and he has a smile plastered on his face. But it was quite a wicked smile. This person beside me was not a sarcastic, but well-meaning thief. He was a pirate. I tighten my arms around me and shake off the urge to leave and go find West on my own. Uncomfortable couldn't begin to describe what it felt like standing between two conniving pirates, but I have no idea how to find my way around this place without some help.

"In the holding quarters, sir, knocked out cold." the woman replies, sounding very much proud of herself.

"What is it?" I ask without thinking, my curiosity having got the better of me. I immediately regret it; their eyes turn to me like a hungry wolf's turns to its prey. Ellis must see the anxious look on my face because his stone cold expression softens slightly.