was slow, their path was far from easy. They had run out of
food the night after rescuing Kade, but Mariah had managed to catch
two meals a day the two following days. They all gathered around
her and waited for her to set off in any direction. Whatever skills
they may have had in the city were no good to them in the wilds.
Mariah felt as though she were leading three children toward the
vague promise of safety.
“Who are you?” Kade asked as he quickened
his pace to keep up with her.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“The others said you were a guardswoman from
Reddington, but someone like you would never work for the Regent. I
also doubt that a simple guard would have the skills that you have
displayed.”
“You are far more perceptive than your
friends. I am more than just a simple guardswoman. As you may have
surmised, the Regent of Reddington will one day be replaced by a
King or Queen. Prince Rotherham, Princess Eloise, and Princess
Ilsanth are all eligible for the throne. They each have their own
royal guards. We, the Guardians of the Throne, must ensure that
none of the three or their supports commit treachery. Luckily for
the three of you, none of them are even past nine. I was trained
since childhood to fight, survive, and ensure the survival of my
wards. My job doesn’t rightfully start for another five to ten
years. All the Guardians know that, so we do what we can to stay
sharp in the meantime. You are doing me as much of a favor as I am
doing one for you.”
“That is fascinating, how does one get
selected for such a thing?” The young man asked.
“It isn’t something that I enjoy talking
about.”
“My apologies, I did not mean to
offend.”
“Where are we headed?” Julian asked as he
and Amber joined them at the front.
“The elven lands. We should be safer there.
The Knights of Ardevale are not to be trifled with,” Mariah
replied.
“Are not the elven lands dangerous?” Amber
asked.
“They can be, but we have given them no
reason to fight with us. With luck, they should welcome us with
open arms.”
Kade looked down at the dirt path, not
wanting the others to see his face. He tried to push aside the
faces that came rushing at the mention of elves. They didn’t look a
great deal different than humans, but they had with them a massive
beast unlike anything Kade had seen before. If he didn’t know any
better, he would have thought it a dragon. The thought gave him
shivers. There were hundreds of legends that told of heroes going
out to fight dragons and similar creatures, but everyone knew them
to be fictitious. He took a deep breath as he looked up at
Mariah.
“I have a question,” he said.
“You weren’t afraid to ask before, why the
hesitation now?” She asked.
“It sounds silly.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
“Are dragons real?”
“Why are you asking?” Mariah asked as she
stopped walking.
“I think I saw one,” Kade said as he
stopped.
“Fairy tales, Kade,” Julian said.
“Who is to say that fairies aren’t real?”
Amber asked.
“Where did you see it? What did it look
like?” Mariah asked, ignoring the other two.
“When they were torturing me, I went
somewhere else. It seemed impossible, but it felt so real. There
were elves and a massive creature. They called me Wrotan,” Kade
answered.
“They are real, I thought it was common
knowledge. Have you not heard the tales?”
“I had heard them on numerous occasions, but
the storyweavers often exaggerate.”
“True, but they rarely lie. Take dragons,
for example, they are nothing like the stories. They are rarely
larger than a horse.”
“I must not have seen a dragon then.”
“Describe it. I may not be too much of a
world traveler, but I’ve seen my fair share of beasts.”
“Well, it looked like a lizard with wings.
Not exactly though, lizards do not have the same fangs or
claws.”
“A dragon then,” Mariah said.
“No, this thing could have eaten a horse
without taking a
food the night after rescuing Kade, but Mariah had managed to catch
two meals a day the two following days. They all gathered around
her and waited for her to set off in any direction. Whatever skills
they may have had in the city were no good to them in the wilds.
Mariah felt as though she were leading three children toward the
vague promise of safety.
“Who are you?” Kade asked as he quickened
his pace to keep up with her.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“The others said you were a guardswoman from
Reddington, but someone like you would never work for the Regent. I
also doubt that a simple guard would have the skills that you have
displayed.”
“You are far more perceptive than your
friends. I am more than just a simple guardswoman. As you may have
surmised, the Regent of Reddington will one day be replaced by a
King or Queen. Prince Rotherham, Princess Eloise, and Princess
Ilsanth are all eligible for the throne. They each have their own
royal guards. We, the Guardians of the Throne, must ensure that
none of the three or their supports commit treachery. Luckily for
the three of you, none of them are even past nine. I was trained
since childhood to fight, survive, and ensure the survival of my
wards. My job doesn’t rightfully start for another five to ten
years. All the Guardians know that, so we do what we can to stay
sharp in the meantime. You are doing me as much of a favor as I am
doing one for you.”
“That is fascinating, how does one get
selected for such a thing?” The young man asked.
“It isn’t something that I enjoy talking
about.”
“My apologies, I did not mean to
offend.”
“Where are we headed?” Julian asked as he
and Amber joined them at the front.
“The elven lands. We should be safer there.
The Knights of Ardevale are not to be trifled with,” Mariah
replied.
“Are not the elven lands dangerous?” Amber
asked.
“They can be, but we have given them no
reason to fight with us. With luck, they should welcome us with
open arms.”
Kade looked down at the dirt path, not
wanting the others to see his face. He tried to push aside the
faces that came rushing at the mention of elves. They didn’t look a
great deal different than humans, but they had with them a massive
beast unlike anything Kade had seen before. If he didn’t know any
better, he would have thought it a dragon. The thought gave him
shivers. There were hundreds of legends that told of heroes going
out to fight dragons and similar creatures, but everyone knew them
to be fictitious. He took a deep breath as he looked up at
Mariah.
“I have a question,” he said.
“You weren’t afraid to ask before, why the
hesitation now?” She asked.
“It sounds silly.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
“Are dragons real?”
“Why are you asking?” Mariah asked as she
stopped walking.
“I think I saw one,” Kade said as he
stopped.
“Fairy tales, Kade,” Julian said.
“Who is to say that fairies aren’t real?”
Amber asked.
“Where did you see it? What did it look
like?” Mariah asked, ignoring the other two.
“When they were torturing me, I went
somewhere else. It seemed impossible, but it felt so real. There
were elves and a massive creature. They called me Wrotan,” Kade
answered.
“They are real, I thought it was common
knowledge. Have you not heard the tales?”
“I had heard them on numerous occasions, but
the storyweavers often exaggerate.”
“True, but they rarely lie. Take dragons,
for example, they are nothing like the stories. They are rarely
larger than a horse.”
“I must not have seen a dragon then.”
“Describe it. I may not be too much of a
world traveler, but I’ve seen my fair share of beasts.”
“Well, it looked like a lizard with wings.
Not exactly though, lizards do not have the same fangs or
claws.”
“A dragon then,” Mariah said.
“No, this thing could have eaten a horse
without taking a
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