Memory in the End

Chapter 39: Not Useless

With all five of the gems here, there was not much left to do. It would take us a couple days to get back to the kingdom and even when we got there, we still needed to raise an army. I'm not sure what kind of support I'd have, but the Five would not be able to handle all of Victor's men along with his tricks. This was going to be tougher than I had imagined. Whatever actions we took, they would be right under Victor's nose, and we had to find people who were willing to risk their life for a princess that was pronounced a traitor. I didn't even know if I was worth it, or capable of leading an army. This whole situation was nerve wracking, but I had to do it.

The Five didn't ask me anything. Michael and I had resolved our argument and I felt like I understood him more now. They all noticed I had a lot on my mind but didn't dwell into the details; perhaps that was for the better, I needed to solve this on my own.

We stopped near a town close to Arkade, in an area of disputed territory. We needed to restock on supplies, and Aru wanted a hot meal because he was sick of eating leftovers and berries. When we arrived, we decided to split up. Aru, Henry, and Owyne went to get food while Michael went into the local shop to grab some more supplies. In the meantime, Ivan and I walked through the crowd, exploring the city.

It was a lively city, bustling with activity. People were selling stuff on the street as they tended to do. Kids ran along and played in the local river. The taverns were full of liveliness. It was definitely the busiest city I've seen in awhile. With it being so lively, I was never expecting what happened next.

We lost Michael. We lost the huge giant that he is in the city. Aru and Henry returned before Michael did. which raised some flags so we went to look for him, only to find out that he was not in the shop but was seen to have left with a couple guys. With a little extra nudge, meaning Ivan's death glare and a threat, the shop owner gave us a more detailed answer. The men he "left" with were bounty hunters who caught their big break when he showed up. Apparently there was a bounty for the Five that was even greater than for the princess; so much so that attention was drawn away from me. But with the bounty being this huge, Victor and Xenia must know about the gems, and want to stop us before we can use them.

"So what do we do?" Aru asked, still eating a leg from a turkey.

"What else is there to do but to go after them," Ivan spoke, his brow furrowed in thought.

"How? We don't know where they are," Henry put in.

"I can trace Michael's presence through the earth," Owyne mentioned.

"Wait, will Arrabella come with?" Aru asked, his mouth full of food.

"No," Ivan shook his head, "I'll stay. Do you three think you can manage this?"

Aru gulped down the rest of his food and wiped his mouth with a frown, "Michael needs us. If mere bounty hunters were able to capture Michael, there must be something else that they're using against him. We'll take care of them."

Ivan nodded, "May luck be with you all." They patted each other's backs and flashed a smile. Owyne lead the way out of the city and into the woods, leaving only Ivan and I to wonder what would happen. We went into a tavern to grab some food, figuring that we might as well eat as we're waiting for them to come back.

"So you didn't argue," Ivan spoke, "About staying behind, I mean."
I shrugged, "I figured it'd be useless, and besides, I'd just be a bigger problem than a solution."

"Why do you think that?"

"I'm not the best warrior, at least not as great as you guys. I don't think I'd be able to save Michael. If anything, I think I'd just endanger Michael and all of you."