Blood of the Abyss

Blood of the Abyss Part 11

Chapter 11

Just a Step Back

Lysandra

After parting ways from Caspian and Alwine, we made our way into the market area of the village. We were sure to keep our ears covered as we weren't sure if these humans were as testie as the ones back in Aglirim were. Shopkeepers and merchants shouted at passersby, desperately vying for them to purchase all of their useless knick-knacks. I looked at the different signs trying to find a simple supply shop. I settled for a farmer's stand for the food and water, and a smith for some extra weaponry, and a simple shop for some form of shelter.

And then...everything went to shit. Things were going well; I was able to acquire the food and extra water canteens that we needed and we were heading toward the black smith when I noticed the first poster. At first my eyes merely skimmed the words and it took a minute for my brain to register what I had read. I backtracked and pulled the poster from the post it was stuck to. My eyes widened in surprise.

"What is it, Lys?" Illine tried to peek over my shoulder at the poster. Thelran took the poster from my slightly shaking hands.

"It's a wanted poster for..." Thelran paused, confusion and worry spreading across his face. "Caspian." Illine grabbed the poster from her brother.

"It says that Lord Silas Mordanticus is offering a reward for the safe return of his son. But Merrilora said he is a bad man." Illine scratched her head, trying to process what she was reading. Suddenly angry, I grabbed the poster from Illine and stuffed it into my bag. This was a problem to deal with later.

"Let's just get out of here as soon as we can." I grumbled. We made it to the black smith and were able to purchase extra arrows and some sharpening kits for our daggers. So far, no one had questioned who we were or what we were doing in this small town. I preferred to get by undetected when possible, especially in human villages. We made our way to our last stop to pick out some shelter. I didn't know what to expect in the mountains as the orchard was typically warm all year round. Upon entering the shop, the shopkeep quickly jumped to assist us.

"What are ye looking fer?" He asked quickly.

"Some shelter. We are going up into the mountains soon." I mentioned calmly. No need to give too many details but I figured this man might know more about what we would need than I would.

"Ah." He smiled. "You'll also want a thicker cloak if ye are goin' up the mount. It is very cold up there. Follow me." We followed the man through his shop as he tossed equipment into our arms. We ended up back at his desk with a couple of leather tents, fur blankets, and fur lined cloaks. As I reached into my satchel to pay for the supplies, the door to the shop opened again.

"'ELLO!" I froze. I had heard this voice before, when he had held a dagger to my throat. Not them again. The shopkeeper seemed to panic as well.

"H-how c-can I h-help you?" He stuttered.

"Well," The bandit smiled widely and drew his dagger. "For starters, I believe we will be taking everything from your shop." He pointed his dagger around the shop. "And you are going to let us."

"That's not very nice. The proper way to get things is to pay for them." Thelran said smoothly leaning against the table between him and the shopkeep.

"What was that?" The bandit moved toward us. Thelran turned from the counter and faced the bandits.
"I said you should pay for things."

"Wait a minute...I remember you." The lead bandit pointed his dagger at Thelran.

"Um... no?" Thelran was suddenly less bold than he had been before. I turned slightly to look at Thelran, who was growing pale as the dagger edged closer to him. The bandit's attention suddenly turned to me.
"And who do we have here?" He sneered and his dagger changed focus from Thelran and directly to me. I placed the pouch of money on the desk for the shopkeeper. I scooped up our supplies in my arms.

"Would you please move out of our way? I think you have harassed us and our friend here enough for a lifetime." I stated.

"Oh, little miss elf thinks she's so brave." The bandit laughed. "If I remember correctly, last we met, this dagger was pressed to your precious little neck." I stared defiantly at the bandits, a grimace growing on my face.

"Last time, you caught me by surprise. That won't happen again."

"So little miss elf thinks she can take all of us?" The bandit leader chuckled and his comrades joined in. "I'd like to see you try." He sneered.

"She doesn't have to take all of you." I heard an additional voice from the doorway. The bandits turned and I was able to see Caspian blocking the doorway.

"You!" The leader snarled through clenched teeth. "You won't get away from us so easy now!" He nodded at his followers and they lunged for Caspian. I put the supplies down on the counter, and while the lead bandit had his back turned, I pushed off the counter and jumped onto his back.

"HEY!" He yelled loudly trying to get me off of him. I shifted my arms to hang on his neck and using gravity to choke him. As he was thrashing about to try and dislodge me I used the momentum to bend back and flipped him behind me. Taking my dagger from my boot I turned and used the handle to knock out the bandit. I stood and turned to see Caspian and Thelran struggling to take on the four bandits that had lunged for Cas. Illine stood guard over the supplies and was trying to protect the shopkeep with her dagger. I moved quickly and threw myself into one of the bandits, tackling him with a loud thwump. Caspian grabbed two of the bandits and crashed their heads into each other and they both slumped to the ground. Thelran picked up the last bandit and threw over his shoulder and we heard a loud crash as the bandit landed amidst many metal supplies. I stood and dusted myself and turned to the shopkeep who peeked around our supplies shakily.

"Thank you for your help!" I grinned broadly and nodded for Illine to grab our supplies. "Sorry about the mess. Hope you have a great day!" I spun on my heel and moved toward the exit.

"What made you come here, Cas?" I looked at him as we exited the shop.

"Well, we had secured a boat and you were taking an exceptionally long time to meet us. I had hoped we wouldn't run into any trouble." He sighed but grinned down at me. Once we exited, I noticed the crowd that had gathered around the shop, drawn by the noise. I noticed their eyes drawn to Caspian, and then one of them pointed.

"You! You are on the poster!"

***

"Poster?" Caspain raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?" I searched the crowd for a quick exit toward the docks where I was guessing Alwine was waiting.

"You are Caspian! Lord Silas Mordanticus's son!" A sudden realization seemed to dawn on Cas as the crowd moved closer together.

"Um...nope!" Caspian said suddenly and grabbed my hand. He suddenly darted forward and I barely had time to snatch Illine's hand and pull her after us. Thelran gripped her hand and shoved townsfolk out of the way as Caspian plunged head first into the crowd. I could barely see where we were going as the masses surged around us, trying to grab Caspian. They chased after us as we raced toward the boat at the end of the dock. Alwine leaned against the post leading to the ramp to get onto the boat. The man I assumed was the captain leaned against the other post.

"Alwine! GET ON THE BOAT!" Caspian shouted. Alwine turned to see us sprinting toward him and he hurriedly clambered onto the boat. Caspian didn't stop running, and managed to somehow slingshot me, Illine and Thelran onto the boat. We landed on top of each other in a heap with a loud crash. I managed to get to my feet first as I had landed on the top of the heap with Illine smashed in the middle of Thelran and I. Caspian was making quick work of the rope that held the ship to the dock. He pushed the boat away from the dock and leaped onto the boat quickly. He turned back to see the captain shouting.

"WHAT THE HELL?! BRING BACK MY BOAT!!!" Caspain rooted his pocket for a Yven pouch and tossed it at the captain. Unfortunately, all the adrenaline that had built up hadn't quite worn off and the pouch of money hit the captain square in the forehead. I couldn't help but chuckle as the captain slumped to the ground, dazed.

"That was AMAZING!" Illine shouted excitedly and spun in a circle. Caspian slid into a sitting position and laughed loudly.

"I can't believe that just happened." He finally managed. "Now...what's this about me being on a poster?"