Climbing this mountain, I’m back to wishing for the average teenage life. Clouds block the sun, and the wind blows just enough to make it chilly. The ground has no footholds, and Star is tired. Valentino and Knight don’t look much better. I finally dismount and walk beside Star, but we are both becoming weak.
Valentino doesn’t question me—he simply follows my example. I’m grateful for it, and despite the hard journey ahead, I smile.
Two days have passed, and we are only halfway there—a long way to travel looking for people who only might help us. A long way to travel no matter what. But still, we continue on with the hope that it will be worth it.
Though clouds cover the sky, it has yet to rain. Grateful for the shade, I can only hope it doesn’t rain until we’re long gone from this mountain. The journey seems endless, and I begin to question why we decided to go after these two.
They live in the mountains, closed off from the world they clearly want no part in. So why would they help us? Why would they risk their lives to save the world they’re hiding from?
But despite my questions, we ride, passing through the valley, over rivers. We must stop for food and water but never long enough to rest.
It isn’t until we’ve have ridden for three days, sleeping just barely enough, that I give in. Ears popping constantly, back and neck sore, legs covered in rashes, I get down and take the saddle from Star’s back. She has blisters and sores all over her legs and back as well.
“Shanice, we have to keep going. We’re so close.”
“I can’t, Valentino. We need to rest. We need to take a break.” I ignore him and continue setting up camp.
Before lying down, I give Star a good rub and lead her to the river to get a drink before I remove the reins as well. “Take a break. We both need it.” I look at Valentino, who still hasn’t moved from Knight. I take a long drink before sliding my boots off and sticking my aching feet in the water. The water is absolutely frigid but I don’t care. It feels good.
I look around. Clearly, the snow has just melted up here. And it looks to be getting ready to snow some more.
I sit on the ground, legs in the water, soaking up the little bit of sun left for a long time. Longer than intended.
I wake with a start, realizing I fell asleep. It’s already dark. The water is colder, though I don’t know how that is possible, and my feet are ice cubes now. I pull them out and dry them off the best I can before sticking my socks and boots back on.
I see Valentino lying on his cloak back where I set all my belongings. He was just as exhausted. I’m glad we stopped when we did. Knight is grazing, eating anything he can find that is green.
I begin pulling out supper when I realize Star isn’t anywhere in sight. I whistle in hopes that she is close enough to hear me. Nothing. I whistle again, louder. Still nothing. The night is silent, not even wind blowing through the canyon.
My heart stops. Tears are ready to pour. Once more, I whistle. When there is still no response, I touch Valentino’s shoulder. “Star is missing.” I say, not wanting to wake him but I can’t go on without my horse.
“We can’t go searching for her tonight, Shanice. We must rest while it’s dark and find her tomorrow.”
I know he’s right—I know I shouldn’t go off in the dead of night. But I can’t allow anything to happen to her.
“I’ll stay near. I promise.” I don’t wait for him to argue. I leave my belongings with him and start walking further in the forest. The darkest, deepest nagging feeling inside me tells me to turn around and camp out until morning before I continue my search.
The crunching of twigs and rustling of leaves behind me tell me I should have listened. I turn around to see someone holding a torch toward me, blinding me. “Who are you?” a gruff voice calls out.
“Who are you?” My stomach clenches from hunger, my eye lids droop from being overly tired, and now I’m being questioned by a stranger all alone in the middle of a forest. I want to cry. It seems no matter what, I always find trouble.
“That isn’t important. You seem to be without a horse. Lose yours?”
“Yes.” It doesn’t matter whether he knows that or not.
“Dark bay?” He asks. I nod.
“She’s in our stables. She came wandering in and began eating our food. What are you doing out here, anyway?” He doesn’t sound happy.
“I’m looking for someone. Two someones, actually.”
“Who?”
“Why should I tell you?” I ask. Then again, I could very well be speaking to one of the men I’m looking for.
“Well, it’s going to be hard to find them if you don’t let me help you.” He folds his arms across his expansive chest.
“Baccio and Inginio. Do you know them?”
“Well, that depends on your definition of ‘know’.” He grunts. Almost chuckling.
“Can you tell me where to find them?” I ask, my voice stern. I’m done with his antics.
“If you want I’ll give you your horse back. But if you want any more help than that, I suggest you give me a reason.” I want to argue with him but he has a good point.
“I need to speak with them about their past, and possibly their future. I’m Shanice. I suppose it can’t hurt to give him a name.”
“And the man with you? Who’s most likely looking for you about now?” He raises an eyebrow.
“How do you-”
“You two haven’t exactly been stealthy. I suggest you lead the way, tell him I have your horse, and we’ll be on our way.” He doesn’t say it in a suggesting voice at all but more of a command.
“And why would I do that when I know nothing about you? I don’t even know if you have the horse.” I fold my arms, feeling all the more defensive.
He takes a step towards me, leaning closer. “Then how did I know what she looked like?” He leans away grinning.
“Lucky guess.” I don’t actually believe that but I suggest it anyway.
“The men you’re looking for own the stables your horse is in. If you wish to be reunited with the horse, I suggest you just get this over with. I’m not here to harm you. If I was, I wouldn’t be asking you to lead me to your friend. So please, lead the way.”
I want to argue but he has a valid point. And if all else fails, Valentino will be able to take the guy out. I walk back to our camp. Valentino looks frantic but relaxes when he sees me. However, when he sees the man behind me, he unsheathes his sword.
“Not a wise move. Put the sword away, grab your things, and come with me.” The man speaks in a matter-of-fact tone. Valentino does as he says, though he’s not happy about it.
As soon as our belongings are gathered and Valentino has saddled Knight, the man grunts. “Follow me.” He takes my saddle from me and begins walking, holding the torch so it provides enough light for all three of us. I follow him to a small house. It looks cozy.
We walk around the back, where I see the barn and stables. “Your horse is inside there. You two go in the house. I’ll take the other horse.” He grabs the reins from Valentino and goes into the stables. Valentino and I continue walking toward the house.
I’m less worried than I should be. I wonder if he is one of the princes we are here to find. Is he going to help me or just steal from me? Can I trust him?
“Baccio, is … ”
I hold back a smirk as another man walks into the room. So Baccio is in fact the one who found me. “Who are you?”
“I’m Shanice,” I say.
“Valentino,” my friend introduces himself.
“What are you doing here? What do you want? Where is Baccio?” Inginio looks scared. I suppose he has a good reason—his brother hasn’t returned and two strangers are standing in front of him, inside his home.
“Putting my horse with hers in the stables. You’re Inginio, aren’t you?” Valentino asks. I take a step forward, and the prince seems to relax.
“Yes. What do you want?”
“We’ve been looking for you an
d your brother. He found me first,” I begin to explain.
“When my brother returns, you can tell us why. Until then, have a seat.” Inginio points to the dining room table and chairs, then walks back into the room he came from, what I assume to be the kitchen.
I hear another door open and close. Baccio must’ve returned from the stables “Baccio? What are they doing here?” Inginio says, walking past the doorway. Baccio scolds him. There is whispering but I can’t make out what they’re saying. They enter the room together.
“Let’s eat.” Despite the laid back situation, I feel tense. I feel a nagging hint that something’s wrong. But I can’t put my finger on it. Inginio carries dishes from the kitchen and sets them on the table. Once finished, he sits beside his brother and begins dishing up the food. He smiles at me often. I look at the brothers side by side and can see differences in their appearances.
Baccio is larger in stature. He clearly does the heavy lifting while Inginio does more of the softer jobs, like cooking. The food is plentiful and delicious, and so much better than the dried food we brought on our journey.
Once Inginio and Baccio have finished and allowed me to eat until I am beyond full, Baccio folds his arms across his chest, leans back in his chair, and stares at me. “Now speak.”
I get right into it. “As I said, my name is Shanice. This is Valentino.” I hate this part, the explaining.
“I’ve heard of you. What do you want with us?” Baccio glares some more.
“We need your help. Mendina’s powers are growing and we need all the power we can get. Your power and your help are needed, for this is a battle I can’t win alone.”
“You want us to help end the witch who destroyed our kingdom?” Baccio asks.
“Yes. Not only do I want it, I need it.”
They look at each other, speaking without saying a thing. I patiently wait.
“What do you want us to do?”
Before I can speak, the door bursts open. All four of us come to our feet. This is why I had a bad feeling. Not because of Baccio—she is here. I knew I couldn’t go on forever without her finding me.
She storms through the doorway, curtains billowing. Her curly silver hair flounces around her head. Her eyes are the darkest green. For a split second I can see the princess she once was and now only the witch she has become. “What do I want you to do? Die. That would save me the trouble of killing you after all.” My heart drops. So close. I was so close to finding them all before she caught up to me.
“Mendina, don’t.” I can’t even make a bigger argument. My heart is in my throat. I can’t do this again.
“Is that all you have to say? Don’t? Don’t what? Kill you?” Time stops. She sneers at me before opening the palms of her hands, in them sits green glowing, crackling balls of what I can only describe as energy. She launches them directly at me. I can’t use my magic and now we may all pay the price.
Her power never hits me. I open my eyes to see Baccio standing in front of me. I don’t know what happened after that—Inginio pulls me from the room and out another door. Valentino isn’t far behind.
“Get out of here, both of you! Run, and don’t try to come back to save us. This world needs you, not us. Go while you still can.”
My tears begin now. Valentino takes my hand and we run toward the barn to get Star and Knight. Before we reach the door, I hear shattering screams and then a dark nothingness. No doubt, Baccio did not survive.
We don’t stop to saddle the horses. Valentino boosts me onto Star’s back before jumping onto Knight. Riding in the dark is a dangerous guessing game but we have no choice.
I allow Valentino to lead us out of there. All the way, tears are spilling down my face. I knew was to gather the royals, learn to use magic, and defeat Mendina. I hadn’t even stopped to think about what the consequences were.
After what seems like forever, I can hear the rushing river through the trees. Just before we reach the cold water, he stops and we make camp for the night. Silently, more tears spill as I gather firewood.
It’s all I can do to hold it together. My vision is blurry and the sticks fall from my hands. I can’t hold on to them anymore and I just dump them on the ground, following after, curling up on the dirt, sobbing. I feel so useless. In that moment, I felt utterly helpless.
Valentino doesn’t say anything. He builds a fire and fetches water in the pot, hanging it above the flames. Then he sits beside me and pulls me into his arms.
I want to get up—I want to do something and know I am capable. But I feel safe and warm here. I can’t bring myself to do anything but cry on his shoulder.
I open my eyes and realize I must’ve dozed off. Valentino never let me go. When I sit up, he’s still holding me. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. I can’t reply. I don’t even know what I would say. I stand and begin laying out a blanket. I create the comfiest bed I can and sit on the edge, waiting for the food to finish cooking.
There is silence all around me, and yet all I hear are those screams. It doesn’t seem real, doesn’t seem possible. But I force my thoughts elsewhere, unable to cry anymore. I look at Valentino, the way he remains so calm. Perhaps he knew to expect it—perhaps he grew up with death around him. I haven’t been in Avonathia long enough to know. What I do know is I’ve never had to deal with a killer before.
As soon as I finish off my stew, I curl into a ball beneath the blankets. Only minutes after that, Valentino lies down beside me. I force myself to think of happier times as I try to sleep.
My mind flits between Valentino and Javiar and back to Baccio. I toss and turn, unable to hold still, unable to keep my mind from wandering into that dark moment.
“Shhhh,” Valentino whispers in my ear. I open my eyes and realize he’s wrapped his arms around me again, comforting me even while I sleep. “You’re all right, love.” He kisses my hair. I don’t think he knows I’m awake but I don’t make a sound. I snuggle closer and let him comfort me into a restful night’s sleep.
“This is the path we need to take to get to Elna,” Valentino says, pointing to the road on the map.
I just nod, willing to go whichever way he leads. I can’t stop thinking about Baccio and Inginio. Did Inginio survive? We were so close—they would’ve helped us, and Mendina made sure it didn’t happen. I don’t know how she knew of our whereabouts or who we were speaking to. I just know that I will never forget that night.
“This is going to be a long journey.” He groans.
“We need to leave immediately. There is a long path ahead of us, and not many places we’ll be safe to sleep at night.” Valentino says, rolling up his blanket.
I help him pack up our belongings before we leave.
The hours blur as we ride on. Light begins to disappear behind me as we go further into the forest. The trees become denser, blocking out more light. Once the sun sets, I am lost in total darkness, using this as our cue to set up camp.
The nights are getting colder. I start a fire while Valentino gathers more kindling. As he makes supper, I wrap myself in blankets. Once I realize that even that isn’t enough to keep me warm, Star lies down beside me, sharing her body heat with me. My hope, light, guide and heater.
Valentino doesn’t say anything. Again, he keeps to himself and ignores me. Once the food is ready, he hands me a bowl of soup and goes back to his side of the fire. I just wish he would talk to me.
The next morning brings sunshine upon us. I’m grateful to remain dry but hate the idea of burning. Why couldn’t it be shady and warm? I take a deep breath and force myself to get up.
We set out early, not even bothering to start a fire and make breakfast. Instead, we eat stale rolls. I want to complain but honestly, I’m just glad they aren’t moldy.
We need to arrive in Elna by the evening. Too many more days of waking up, traveling in silence, and sleeping in the freezing cold and I might just die. Then again, sleeping in a town of crooks may do that to me as well.
By midafternoon, my wish f
or shade and warmth has come true. Clouds cover the sun. At least it’s a little better. I begin to believe Valentino isn’t stopping for lunch, but as we come up on the river, he stops, allowing the horses to drink while we eat. We both refill our waterskins before we continue on. The once-welcome clouds grow darker, and not ten minutes later, rain begins to fall. By the time the city comes into view, we are soaking wet—drenched, teeth chattering, and hardly able to move.
As much as I would like to go straight to an inn, I head in the opposite direction, looking for what is left of the castle. Valentino allows me the lead, just following after me. When we reach the ruins, we don’t find much. Without much thought, I hand Star’s reins to Valentino, who stands under what’s left of the stable roof. I walk through the rubble, pushing pieces aside, hoping to find any hints as to where Amber might be.
Bits of wall crunching under my boots, I look for any doorway leading to the lower part of the castle. The castle was a tiny one at best, although I imagine it was once quite beautiful. If there had been anywhere to stay, I would have considered sleeping here tonight, but then again, it would probably already have occupants. With no way to get inside, I take the reins and lead Star down the path, allowing her to take a break from carrying me. Valentino does the same for Knight.
The inn is quite nice for such a small town. We leave the horses in the capable hands of the stable boy, giving him with a fine tip to ensure they are well taken cared for and protected.
Valentino takes my hand and we run to the inn to get out of the rain. Once inside we go to the man behind the bar. “Can I ’elp you?” he asks with a smile.
“We need a room, please. Something very private,” Valentino says.
“Of course. Freya will show ya to te room.” Maybe whatever he has been drinking also contributes to his funny speech. Valentino nods and we follow Freya to our room. It’s cozy, with a larger bed and fireplace.
Missing Royal Page 15
