The
relaxing back and forth rocking of the horses soothed Willow's shaken
nerves as the group of warriors made for the small village of Wynnath.
Emmeth threw several concerned and curious glances her way, but didn't
pose the question that burned in his mind, who was the person who wrote that note?
Willow obviously knew whom it was, but she wasn't telling. And there
was a haunted look in her normally carefree brown eyes that he didn't
like. But it was understandable that she wouldn't necessarily trust him,
he'd hidden his father's ring from her, a Ring-bearer of one of the
Four Rings, so she probably didn't trust him enough to confide in him.
"We'll rest here for a moment," Emmeth instructed the group. "Let the horses rest."
Willow slid off her horse and tied his reigns to a tree branch. The
faint sound of a gurgling stream enticed her through the tangle of
bushes, trees and ivy in it's search.
As she came out of the
thicket, she spotted what looked like a large boulder, partially
covered by brambles on the other side of the stream. As she splashed
through the icy water, she circled the object, and then realized what it
was. A grey metal escape pod from a starship, heavily damaged. The
markings on the outside indicated it was Resistance, and from a ship
called
The Duchess. Not remembering any ship by that name, but
nonetheless curious about what was left inside the ruined vessel. Prying
off the door and poking her head inside, a plan formed in her mind.
Plopping down into the seat in front of the communications system, she
fiddled with the switches until a faint hum alerted her that one still
worked. Snatching a pair of headphones off a nearby hook, she situated
them over her ears and took a breath. Flipping to a secure channel, she
took her chance.
"Hello, this is Willow Elvish-grace to the starship Valiant, can you hear me? I have a message for High Command."
A faint crackle, and then another voice replied. "We hear you, Willow. What is your message?"
"It has come to my knowledge that the planet Tashra is not safe for
assistance, repeat, send no assistance. There have been alarming
developments that I must request that no aid nor anyone come here unless
in case of emergency." Willow closed her eyes as she listened to the
reply.
"I will give Commander Mark your request. But I must
inform you that you are considered missing and there are search parties
to find you."
Willow took a breath. "I'm afraid that more
pressing matters have come to my attention, and must be dealt with. I
need you also to give my sister, Darrion a message. Tell her that under
no circumstances whatsoever, unless I call, do not come after me. It's
too dangerous, and because of a certain matter concerning two silver and
two gold that she cannot intervene. I can take care of myself. Can you
make sure she receives this message?"
"Yes, but I must inform you that-." A snap, crackle, and pop later, the line went dead.
"No!" Willow started pressing and flipping every switch on the board, but to no avail. "Perhaps it's for the best."
Covering the rest of the pod with some stray branches to hide it from
view, Willow splashed back through the stream to rejoin her compatriots.
******************************
*******************
"Where were you?" Emmeth inquired as Willow stuck her foot into her horse's stirrup and heaved herself up.
"The stream," she answered truthfully, shrugging innocently.
He was about to ask more when Willow jerked her head a little, as if
she had heard something. Her eyes were alert and she tilted her head
slightly, as if listening for an almost non-existent sound. Silently,
she kicked her skirt aside, and slid off her horse, then disappeared
into the trees. He heard a scuffle, and then a young man emerged from
the trees with Willow practically riding piggy-back on his back. She was
trying to do a choke-hold on him, but he kept pulling her arms down and
grabbing her wrists. Sword points surrounded him immediately and
because he was so close to Emmeth's horse, he grabbed the back of
Willow's outfit and lifted her behind him onto his horse. She blew a
stray lock of her dark hair off her face.
"Sorry. I thought he was smaller, judging from the sounds he was making."
The youth lifted his hands to indicate surrender. "Who are you?" Emmeth demanded. "And why were you spying on us?"
"My name is Ryshdare," he answered slowly. "I was looking for the Fallen Star."
"The what?" Emmeth asked, edging his sword closer.
"The Fallen Star," Ryshdare repeated. "But I was told to. I was paid to, Your Majesty." He gave his head a quick bob.
"By whom?" Willow prompted, sliding off the horse's back to stare intently at their detainee.
Ryshdare glanced back and forth nervously, as if someone would leap out
at him from behind the leafy trees. "The Illusionist," he muttered.
The group exchanged glances, confused. Willow let out tense sigh.
"What is the "fallen star"?" the prince prompted.
Ryshdare shrugged. "She said that it would be like a large boat but with wings. A sky-ship? And made of metal as well."
"Hmm," Willow grunted, wondering if the "sky-ship" was the starship that had deposited the escape pod in the stream.
Emmeth gestured with his sword. "Come with us." Ryshdare nodded meekly.
As they started off, Willow glanced at their captive, and tried to
figure out if he knew who the "illusionist" was. "That's really very not
good. But D won't be here, at least. But that means I'll have to face
her alone."
Wow, thirty seven! I'm going to try to do a chapter EVERY WEEK from now on. It's on my New Year's Resolutions :)
Sorry for not posting lately, any of us. We've been a little out of our groove. But rest assured, we'll be back really soon! Plus I've re-posting on my personal blog, inthewordsofwillow.blogspot.com so you can check that out if you'd like!
Be a Friend, Not an Enemy,
Willow
