Dark Knight

Chapter 5

 Nicole woke up in darkness. Her back was aching from the hard surface where she laid. She sat up. Some how she was on the floor. Did she fall down the bed? She stretched her arms and got up back on the bed. She laid there for a few minutes, waiting for sleep to come back, but her stomach growled in hunger. She got back up again searching the dark for her pack. She was too tired to do any magic with out energy. She found her bag, dug through to find her food and stuffed them into her mouth. Chewing through mouth full, she washed it down with water. Feeling better and with life, she cast a ball of fire to light the room.

         Nicole sat there thinking of her options, to go or to stay. She thought it was safe to ride out at night than in the daylight. She grabbed her pack and left the room. As she was going down the stairs, the innkeeper, the man she tried pawning her bracelet, blocked the stair entry leading to the sitting area.

         “You don’t want to go out just yet,” he told her.

         “Why?” Nicole asked. She looked over his shoulders trying to get a look at what was going on. She saw a group of big, humongous men gathered in a circle surrounding a dark cloaked man. “What’s happening?”

         “Well…” the innkeeper shook his head in disgust, “The royal search group is here looking for someone.”

         Nicole froze in horror as she heard what the innkeeper told her. She tried acting as calm as she could before anyone suspected it was her she was looking for.

         She heard a chilly voice said in the sitting room, “We’re looking for Princess Nicole. She ran away last night. We think she might have been here recently or is here right now.”

         She looked at the innkeeper and said, “ I don’t want to get into this mess,” handed him the key to her room, “ Is there a way out besides the front?” The entrance of the inn was in the sitting room. She would have to cross the room to exit the inn, but she could get caught doing so.

         “Of course,” the innkeeper said, “This way.” Nicole followed the innkeeper to the back of the inn and out a door leading to the stables. The innkeeper led her into the stables to her horse.

         “I hate things like this when people make such a ruckus out of nothing and turns out to be such a bad thing, “ the innkeeper told her. Nicole nodded in agreement.

         “Thank you, sir,” she thanked him, “I hate situations like these too.” With that said, the innkeeper left. Nicole saddled her mare quickly hoping that they wouldn’t find out that the innkeeper didn’t know who she was. She wondered if the innkeeper thought it strange that she was traveling at night. She had fooled him that she was with the armored dude. Did he leave already or was he still inside? She pushed the thought aside hurrying to be on the way.

         As she got on the road leading away from the inn, she let out sigh of relief. After riding for a few minutes, she saw ahead of her a shining light coming towards her. It seemed to be coming fast, because it was getting closer and closer very fast. She heard the sound of galloping horses. She jerked her mare out of the open road onto the grassy area. The light stopped in front of her. Nicole’s heart dropped.

         A carriage was the source of the light. The door opened revealing a woman in armored gear. She had wavy blond hair loose to her shoulders. Her bright green eyes pierced Nicole. Her armor shone brightly in the dark. She had too much revealing skin that made Nicole think that the woman was hired to just to be in the armored gear.

         “Where are you going in the middle of the night?” the woman said in a sharp tone as she looked at Nicole.

         “I am following my master, ma’am,” Nicole replied.

         “I didn’t see anyone while coming here,” the woman squinted her eyes at her.

         “He must be resting or something. We stopped at the inn, but there was trouble so we continued on,” Nicole replied. She hoped that lady would fall for her excuse.

         “I see…Eagle must be there already,” the woman mumbled then to Nicole she said, “Hurry up and get with your master.”

         “Yes ma’am!” Nicole said and trotted away quickly before the woman could stop her and accuse her of anything. Nicole traveled quickly not wanting to be caught. She came to an intersection with three leading roads in different directions. They went south, east, or west. She dug her map out of her sack and studied it for a while.

The palace was in the northern part of the kingdom. She didn’t want to be seen up there. Rumors travel fast. Nicole thought about going out to a different kingdom, but she would need an approved visa to get out. Her father had been very strict about people leaving and coming out the kingdom, so that wouldn’t do her much good if she were spotted at the gates.

         To the east are the tumbling mountains. There are only five trails that can be passed. The mountains were dangerous. They are the homes to the most dangerous dragons in the continent, the Emeralds, named after the color of their mysterious eyes, and for their scales that shine like the jewel. They were huge creatures with razor sharp teeth able to do anything with it. They are a bit bigger than elephants. It is rare to see one flying in the sky, but if one were given the opportunity to see it, it is a once in a lifetime sight. They do not leave their homes in the mountains unless they were in need of food or such things that creatures need. But there are times when they wander around due to their curiosity of the world.

         They are considered the most dangerous because of their powerful spells they cast. It is said that one blow would kill a person in an instant. Some say that they can be controlled although no one has tried to. They have thick powerful tails that can whip through solid rocks like paper. Their claws are poisonous if they inject it into the bloodstream. They are solitary creatures that will leave you in peace if you didn't mess around with it.

         To the west were the vast plains. They were used a lot for farming. The people of the kingdom lived populating these lands. They are most comfortable there. The Troikas Sea laid beyond the plains. Trading makes up a lot of the kingdom’s economic.

         To the south were the Jaded Forest. The elves dominated the area. They lived their own separate lives from the kingdom.They were known for their accurate aim in archery. The peace treaty with the elves left them to their own devices. In the past, people had mistreated them with cruelty and were captured as slaves. These exotic creatures never ventured out of their forest since then in fear that it may happen again. They weren't to fond of humans either.

         The faeries also dwelled with the elves. The faeries were protected by the elves. They were small petite creatures that hid at the sight of danger, but very reliable with navigating through the forest at night with their glow in the dark.

         Nicole didn’t know which road to take. Any road could lead her anywhere. She had to be smart and make sure noone from the palace would find her. She didn't even know where to begin or even where to go. She bit her lips to keep herself from crying out in frustration.

    A sound to the right caught her attention. Her heartbeat raced faster as she anticipated what was there. Suddenly a force hit her hard and threw her off her mare. It knocked the air out of her lungs. She laid on the ground trying to catch her breath for a second and then jumped to her feet. A hand covered her mouth from behind locking her arms with a pair of hard arms. Nicole fought against the attack but didn't get anywhere. The hand yanked her head back hard bringing tears to her eyes. Her cap fell her head spilling her hair into the darkness.

    Nicole silently cried for help. This wasn't suppose to happen. She should have chosen any path, but instead she had hesitated and was now caught. She had failed completely. She stopped fighting and limped in defeat.