A Ward's Tale

Chapter 5

I cut down a few more dark dressed enemies as I search for my adopted sisters. As I turn the corner I run right into a man. I am about attack without thinking or looking to see who it is but something makes me stop.

"Peter!" I exclaim dropping my attack pose. Then I tense up with the thought that he could have something to do with these men showing up. He could be one of them.

"Clarissa! I'm so glad I have found you. I need to get you to safety." He looks at the blood covered sword in my hands, "Although, you may be able to take care of yourself I see."

"Yes, I can. What are you doing out of bed? Why are you here? Did you bring these people here?" I demand pointing my blade at him. The point is a mere centimeters from his throat.

"No, I have no clue who these people are. They certainly are not the Seekers. As for why I am out of bed, I felt a disturbance within the walls and needed to find you, make sure you were safe." Peter explains. He has his hands up in surrender. Whatever helps me determine lying tells me he's telling the truth. I drop the tip of my blade.

"I am fine. Now either help me or get out of my way. I have to find my sisters." I am so emotional and consumed with concern that I don't even realize what I've said until Peter says something as I walk past him and he hurries behind me.

"Sisters? I thought you were an orphan?"

"I am by blood, but I consider the royal family my family because I have lived with them for so long. They call me sister so I call them sister and brother. Now these strange enemies have Margaret and Lola and I need to find them before it's too late."

"You are never going to find them without using it." Peter says falling in step behind me.

"Yes I will." I say determinedly. I search for minutes that feel like hours then turn to Peter who has followed me quietly. "Okay then, how do I find them. I can't waste any time, who knows how far they could have gotten by now."

"First, take off the thing that is inhibiting your power. You can give it to me for safekeeping while you search and put it back on when you find your family." Peter says. I quickly take the necklace off and hand it to him. I'm taking a leap of faith on this man, I just hope I'm not wrong about him.

"Now, do you have anything of theirs nearby? Something they have touched in the recent past?"

"No, wait, yes." I take the flower pin out of my hair that Lola had placed there earlier. It was one of her favorite hair accessories. "This is from Lola, but I do not have anything from Margret on me."

"This should suffice. They should take both of them and any other prisoners to the same place." Peter says, "Now hold out your palm flat with the object in the middle of your palm. Repeat these words, just as they are, after me. Continue repeating them until the pin points us in the direction of your sister." He then starts speaking in a lost language. I stare at him bewildered at first, wondering how I was going to ever be able to say any of the complicated words he spoke. Suddenly a strange feeling overcomes me. Something that has been locked away inside of me starts waking up. I start saying the words with Peter.

I close my eyes as we chant and I feel something swirling inside me. Whatever was hidden deep inside is growing stronger and stronger. My bones start to tingle and I feel an electricity forming around me. The flower pin starts spinning an inch above my palm then stops pointing north.

I open my eyes and look at the pin then Peter. I can feel the magic pulling me north, telling me where my sister is. I take off in a run, one hand out front with the pin pulling me forward, the other holding the sword. I hear Peter running after me.