“Where are we?” said Sarah.
“It’s not Kansas. That’s for sure,” replied Amanda. She
marveled at the strangely colored world. The deep blue sky, and the blue green color of the landscape.
“Look! Three moons,” said Sarah. She pointed to three cratered spheres low in the sky. The largest looked close enough to touch.
“Well we know it’s not Earth,” said Amanda.
Sarah nodded. “We shouldn’t be here,” she said.
“Yeah. Let’s go back,” agreed Amanda. They turned back to the bridge, but it wasn’t there. There was only more cobblestone road that led off towards a chain of tall mountains in the distance.
Tarsinia
The spectacle that greeted them was beyond anything Amanda could have expected. Along a dusty road two lines of what could best be described as soldiers on parade marched towards them behind a line of horses and a carriage. The clacking of hoofs and rumbling of wheels on the cobblestone road came to an abrupt halt as someone at lead of the strange troop raised his arm in the air. He approached alone and stopped his great brown warhorse at a comfortable distance before dismounting with ease.
Its rider, a large man wearing an elaborate uniform approached. What Amanda found most remarkable about him was the color of his skin. It was blue - blue like a clear January sky. As he neared, she noticed he had the grey green eyes of a wolf.
He bowed deeply when he reached them.
“Welcome to Tarsinia. I am Tribune Aban.” He said formally and extended his hand.
As Amanda took his hand, a mottled violet pattern like the spots of a leopard were visible on his neck and the back of his hands.
After the initial moment of surprise, Amanda collected herself and remembered she’d just been transported from her world to this strange place against her will.
“Where are we?” she shouted. She yanked the tablet out of the sprite’s hand and kicked at it, as it wisely scrambled to hide behind the Aban.
“You’re on the Grand Highway of Tarsinia,” he replied.
“What are we doing here? How did we get here? What do you want with us?” demanded Amanda.
“I’m to escort you to her Majesty, Queen Windimere, at Hightower Castle.”
“We’re not going anywhere. You can just tell us how to get home and we’ll be on our way, thank you very much.” said Amanda.
“Well if you insist. The gateway that leads to your world is within the castle walls. Right this way,” he replied.
“Hold on a minute! You didn’t answer my question. What are we doing here?” demanded Amanda again.
“I’ll be happy to explain but we should be on the move while we talk,” suggested Aban. “It isn’t entirely safe.”
“Oh, isn’t that fantastic!” exclaimed Amanda.
“I want Uncle Everett,” said Sarah, suppressing a tear.
“I’m not sure he isn’t the cause of this,” said Amanda harshly. She immediately regretted her words and softened her tone. “Sorry. It’ll be ok. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
Aban led them towards the open carriage. Amanda climbed in and Aban deftly scooped up Sarah and placed her in a seat beside her sister. He handed the lead of his horse to an attendant and climbed up into the carriage and took the seat facing them.
With the motion of one hand he set them in motion. A line of horsemen ahead, a troop of footmen behind.
The Tribune looked tense as they travelled along. His eyes were constantly scanning the countryside.
Without speaking, they clattered along the road at a walking pace. Amanda could see farms dotted along the countryside with workers tending to the fields or the strange looking animals grazing under the warm summer sun. As they approached a small wood that straddled the road the horses came to a stop. A rider galloped back to the carriage.
The rider saluted. “Tribune, a tree has fallen across the road.”
Immediately the Tribune sprung from his seat.
“To arms!” He shouted. “Ambush!”
Within moments, the footmen began to form up around the carriage like a tide rolling in. Amanda heard what she
thought was thunder, then the ground began to vibrate. The feeling was not unlike being close to the heavy fracking machinery she and her mother were protesting the previous summer.
“Giant!” Shouted one of the men.
“Giant?” Amanda stared in disbelief as a hairy man shaped behemoth lumbered towards them. As tall as a three-story house it rose up from behind a hill. Smaller creatures carrying a wide array of weapons appeared in a line along the crest of the hill on either side of him. A single horseman, in bright orange pointed his sword and shouted something Amanda couldn’t hear but clearly understood it to mean something, like “charge”, or “attack” or “get them”. Hopefully, his command included, “don’t harm the girls”.
Sarah slid across the bench to be closer to her sister. Protectively, Amanda pulled her in tight.
“Should we run?” she asked.
“To where?” replied Amanda. “The guy said that our way home was near the castle.”
The Tribune grabbed a young horseman by the collar. “Protect them, with your life. Do you understand? With – Your – Life!” He emphasized.
The young officer shouted orders to his command.
“Form up, pikes in the front.”
The Tribune mounted his horse and lead the bulk of the footmen to join the horsemen already lining up to meet the oncoming attack.
An avalanche of fury rolled down the hill behind the lumbering giant. Archers among the footmen loosed arrows that flew across the expanse like ravens into the onrush. Attackers fell but not many. The giant held his arm over his face as arrows pierced it like a pin cushion. At a word, the horsemen lowered their lances and galloped up the slope. They were outnumbered but they were mounted and armored and Amanda wondered if that would be enough.
“Psst.”
Amanda looked around.
“Psst. Over here.”
She saw him. The boy from the other night. His skin was blue and his eyes were the same wolf grey as the Tribune but it was him nonetheless. He was maneuvering himself towards her. He held his spear ready and was clearly positioning himself to be closest to the carriage.
When he was close enough to touch her, he whispered, “Get ready to run.”
“What?” whispered Amanda.
“This is a feint. They’ll come at us from somewhere else.”
Amanda looked at the forty or so armed footmen with pikes, and spears and shields who surrounded the carriage.
“How do you know that?”
She looked back at the battle on the field. The armored horsemen were wading through the enemy footmen. The giant was bleeding badly as pikemen jabbed at him furiously.
“The leader is still on the hill.” He’s waiting for the last of the footmen to be engaged. As soon as they charge, you and your sister make a run for that wood.” he indicated with his head towards a distant wood across a wide expanse of field.
It wasn’t a moment later, when a trumpet sounded and the remainder of the footmen dropped their bows drew their swords and bucklers to join the fray.
“Here it comes.”
Amanda heard it. It was a horrible sound. She looked up to see the leader on top of the hill blowing some sort of horn that produced a ghostly blare.
“Now!” shouted the boy. “Here they come.”
As he had warned, hundreds of creatures appeared. They were clear of the fray and had a straight path towards Amanda and her guardians.
“Form up!” shouted the young officer. His voice quivered with fear.
The young boy jumped up into the carriage and snatched Sarah up into his arms. “Run!” he shouted as he pushed Amanda with his other hand before taking up his spear.
Amanda looked back behind her just as the attacked troops crashed into the pikemen who’d been charged with protecting her with their lives. The last thing she saw was the y
oung officer as he looked at the boy who’d snatched her and her sister away. He nodded and smiled. Then turned to face his death.
They hadn’t run for more than a dozen seconds when a handful of creatures, clearly set to guard the perimeter, appeared.
At a distance they looked like small children, but as they neared, she saw they had sharp teeth in their pointed rat-like faces. They drew their ugly weapons and charged.
“Don’t hurt the girls!” snarled one of them. Its voice was coarse and carried with it the animalist undertone of a dog’s growl. It pointed towards them frantically with its clawed hand as it motioned to the others.
A second later, a spear appeared in the middle of its chest. Without losing as much as a stride, the boy reached under his cloak and withdrew a buckler that must have been strapped under his pack.
“That tree.” Nodded with his head. “That’s your target. Keep moving in that direction. Don’t worry about me.”
He sprinted ahead scooping up a large rock as he ran and deftly threw it with the precision of a quarterback and struck the nearest attacker in the head - two down.
The remaining creatures paused in a moment of indecision. That was the last thing Amanda saw. She and Sarah ran past as fast as they could towards the tree wondering what would happen if, when they arrived, they found themselves alone. She heard the boy’s battle cries fade into the sound of her feet beating on the ground and the sound Sarah’s wheezing breathes in her ears.
Percy
Somehow, they reached the tree. It was further than it looked. It least a kilometer Amanda estimated. Sarah had stumbled and fallen several times. Her knees were scraped and her breathing was ragged. Amanda fretted next to her and helped her guide her trembling hands to her mouth so she could use her inhaler.
“Will they come?” ask Sarah. She swallowed hard like spitting out the words took all of her strength.
“Shhhh. Don’t talk. What will be, will be. We’ll deal with what is, not what might be.” She listened to herself as she repeated the words of her grandmother that had been passed down to her mother. Now she was sharing them with her sister. She’d never mock the wisdom of her elders again she decided at that moment.
The bushes rustled. They froze like rabbits waiting for a fox. Amanda looked about for something to defend themselves with and could only come up with a short stout stick.
The boy emerged. Amanda lunged; barely checking her swing. He looked winded, but not in any distress. As though he’d just finished a workout and was ready for more. At his heals was the little creature who they’d chased across the bridge. It was holding the tablet.
“You alright?” he asked. His voice concerned; his eyes never left Sarah like he was a worried parent.
“What’s going on?” demanded Amanda.
“Dunno.” replied the boy. “G’blinken haven’t gathered like that since the rebellion. Something up though. That’s for sure.”
“What do we do now?”
“We need to keep moving.”
Amanda nodded. Sarah got slowly to her feet. The boy eyed her carefully.
“You fit enough to move?” he queried. Sarah nodded. The soldier nodded back and led them back into the underbrush.
Moving quickly but quietly they traversed the small wood. When they approached a clearing on the far side, he motioned them to stay low. He held his fingers to his lips.
A squad of green skinned warriors were patrolling along the dual track of a farm trail. Their spears were resting upon their shoulders as their eyes moved back and forth. They stopped. Amanda held her breath. After what seemed an eternity they continued onwards. The soldier removed his helmet and slipped out of the wood slithering along the ground like a snake. After spending a long moment observing the patrol he slipped back and joined the girls.
“Quickly. Across the road to the hedge.” He pointed towards an opening between the rows.
It continued like this for hours; scurrying from hiding place to hiding place, avoiding patrols.
“I’m tired,” whined Sarah.
Amanda looked to the warrior hopefully.
He nodded. “That looks like good cover,” he said and led them to a stand of trees with a tall tree at its center. Sarah looked listless. “I’m going to carry you,” he said.
Sarah nodded, and he scooped her effortlessly into his arms.
Settled in the copse, Amanda took a moment to study the solider and inspected him carefully. He was wearing a leather breast plate over a dark blue uniform with a short yellow cape draped loosely over one shoulder. On his head perched a broad conical helmet that extended out to almost the edges of his broad shoulders. It glinted in the sun as he pulled it back off his head and allowed it to hang from straps that fastened it to his shoulder guards. Over his long blue-black colored hair, he pulled on a simple yellow cap.
A basket hilted small-sword hung loosely from one hip
and a mismatched dagger with a gem mounted in the pommel was tucked into his belt. His immaculately polished boots, though a little scuffed, came up past his knees; a matching satchel dangled just below the cape.
“Who are you?” she asked.
He straightened. “I’m a member of Her Majesty’s guard. I’m Guardsman First Class, Percival Clamenteous Ignatio Garamode. This is Otto, the sprite,” he said as he bowed.
“That’s a really big name,” said Sarah.
“Can I just call you Percy?” said Amanda.
He nodded.
“I’m Amanda Applewood, and this is my sister Sarah,” she said.
“Yes, I was told. Lady Amanda. Lady Sarah. Pleased to be at your service.”
“Otto, would you be so kind as to take a look around. I think we’re clear but they’ll be looking for us and we don’t want to be caught off guard.”
Otto bounced away like a small squirrel and vanished among the local flora.
Percy moved towards the tree, he spread out his cape for the girls to sit upon.
“Oh pu-lease,” said Amanda as she picked up the cape. “This is completely unnecessary and this will get filthy.” She shook off the dirt and handed it back.
“Milady? You shouldn’t sit your person down on the bare ground. It is my duty,” he replied and spread out the cape again.
“I like his manners,” said Sarah which earned her a look of scorn from her sister.
He opened his leather bag and from it withdrew a leather wrapped silver flask, a stack of three silver cups and a package wrapped in waxed paper and tied with a rough twine. With the care of an excellent butler, he spread out a meal before them. There were several buttered cakes, pieces of strange looking fruit, and small bits of smoked meat and cheese on sticks.
“Milady’s,” he said as Otto appeared and joined them. He and Otto nodded to each other indicating to Amanda that at least for the moment they were safe.
“Enough with the Milady nonsense. It’s kinda creepin’ me out,” said Amanda.
“But it would be improper for me not to address you according to your station. I could be jailed,” he said severely.
“Our station?” asked Sarah.
“You are the nieces of his Eminence, the Grand Wizard of Tarsinia, the Guardian of the Gate. To address you improperly would be a serious breach of protocol.”
“Uncle Everett? Grand who of where and guardian of what!?” exclaimed Amanda.
“Grand Wizard of Tarsinia. Like his parents before him and presumably his children after him. If and when he and the Queen ever have any.”
“Uncle Everett is married?” asked Sarah.
“So, what he said the other night about being married to the Queen of a magical world was true. She’s his wife?” exclaimed Amanda even more enthusiastically.
“And your aunt, of course. So, you need not be concerned about your treatment when we reach the city,” he reassured them.
“Now please, let us eat quickly.”
With the meal arranged, the girls sat and nibbled cautiously on the food and drink at
first and then, finding it to their liking, they realized that they were famished and they devoured everything in front of them. Percy sat with them quietly, and ate only the smallest cake and a single piece of fruit.
They hadn’t fully packed up when Otto began to jump up and down frantically. Percy rose quickly to his full height and drew his sword. “What is it, Otto?”
The sprite scampered a few paces away from them and then returned to scamper up the tree to safety.
Percy scanned the area around them. “We should hide,”
he said ominously.
“Hide! From what?” demanded Amanda.
“Not from what, from her,” replied Percy. Pointing to a great flying beast that was approaching from the horizon.
“Is that a dragon?” asked Amanda.
“Yes. Her name is Celestra, and she’s coming straight for us.”
“You know its name? Omigod! This is like a bad movie come to life!” said Amanda.
“This way.” He said and led them away from the tree to a thick hedge beside a low stone wall that divided one field from another. “Stay down,” he cautioned.
“We’re going to try to make it to that pumcornfield over there.” He pointed off across the field to the tall stalks waving back and forth gently in the breeze like a bright turquoise sea.
When they looked up, they could see the dragon circling like a giant hawk in search for a meal. At the end of the hedge, there was a small gap of open ground to cover before they could reach the safety of concealment amongst the tall stalks.
“Climb up,” said Percy to Sarah and she climbed up on his back.
“When she turns away, we’ll run for it. Ready! Now!”
The three of them ran off towards the field. Unencumbered by the weight of her sister Amanda sped off ahead of them. Percy and Sarah were almost to the field when the dragon crashed down on the ground in front of them.
“Behind me!” shouted Percy as he drew his sword.
“Careful!” shrieked Amanda from the edge of the pumcornfield.
The dragon paced slowly back and forth snorting and growling. For all of her fury, she was a magnificent creature. She was like an overlarge bright green crocodile with straight horns on her head and long splayed out legs. She was longer than a
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