THE CROWN AND THE FLAME by ROCHELLE PIETERSE (the little red hen read aloud .txt) 📖

Zayden went quiet looking concerned again, “Andrew is sending assassins after Skyelar. I have to warn her…”

“We can do more. We’ve got to, “Avery started. “I know a man down in the dungeons who can get us a poison designed to take out a hundred men.” He chatted nonstop, “We could poison Andrew. Err, but we’d never be able to get it passed his tasters…”

Zayden sat as he slowly let Avery’s words sink in, “Maybe we can’t get to Andrew, but we could poison those men King Jameel left behind. They’re camped outside the walls.”

“And I’m pretty sure soldiers aren’t lucky enough to have personal tasters.”

“Every soldier Andrew loses is one Skyelar won’t have to face. One more way I can protect her. We’ll do this… for Skyelar.” Zayden said as he made up his mind.

“Are you serious? Are we really doing this? Because it will mean sneaking outside the castle walls,” Avery said suddenly thinking his plan was not such a good idea after all.

Zayden patted his shoulder. “Avery, let’s get the poison and kill them all.”

Avery left abruptly making his way down to the dungeon to retrieve his golden goblet of poison, leaving Zayden to start thinking of a way to get them outside the walls without being seen.

A few hours later Avery returned with a vial of poison, handing it to Zayden, “Here it is. Are you ready?”

“I am. We have to do everything we can to fight the Northumbria family.”

They left his quarters making their way to the outside of the castle walls without being seen. Hiding behind a boulder at the edge of the army’s camp, Zayden looked at Avery questioningly, “Last chance to turn back.”

“Not on your life,” Avery said.

The troops were gathered around a fire, the smell of roasted meat wafting in the air.

“There’s a barrel of ale propped up on the back of that wagon,” Zayden noted. “I’ll dump the poison in. you stand watch?”

“I’ll whistle if I see someone coming,” Avery nodded. Zayden crept to the barrel of ale, lifted the lid and dumped the entire vial of poison in. For you Skyelar. As he turned to head back he could hear Avery’s whistle and sees two soldiers ahead, walking right towards him. Oh gods. He scrambled, diving under the wagon as the soldiers came to a halt just in front of the wagon.

“Quiet night. How about we get drunk off our asses and find us some ripe peasant girls,” the one soldier was smirking.

“See, that’s why we’re mates. You’ve always got the best—“he was cut off.

“Shh! Quiet! I hear breathing.” The other soldier automatically withdrew his sword, the blade glinting in the moonlight.

I should hold my breath. Don’t breathe! I should keep holding it. Must not. Make. A. sound. Zayden said laying very still not to be noticed.

He could hold his breath no longer and gasped. One soldier heard him and leaned down.

“I knew I heard something! It’s one of those serv—“with a loud clang the soldier falls to the ground, unconscious, revealing Avery holding a large hammer.

“You’ll die for that!” the other soldier started towards Avery to stab him but he backed away. Zayden grabs the guard by the ankle as he came out from under the wagon. The guard lands on his face, Zayden picked up the sword the guard has dropped when he fell. He used the sword end both of the guards. Avery was standing there pale, disoriented and wide-eyed.

“It had to be done in order for this to work,” Zayden said as he was starting to pull up one of the guards to get rid of the evidence. “Come on, let’s get them out of sight.”

After they had disposed of the bodies and were back at their hiding spot Avery faced Zayden questioningly, “That was close. What do we do now?”

“Now, we wait for them all to die.” But it wasn’t long until they heard a guard coughing.

“Wait, something…isn’t right…” one soldier said coughing.

“Poison! The ales been poisoned!” another guard added lurching forward, vomiting blood. It didn’t take long and throughout the camp, all the soldiers began kneeling over, gagging, and bleeding out their eyes. Word spread, but not fast enough and it was too late. Within seconds the entire camp was eerily silent.

“For Skyelar… and for Dragonstead. We’ll take back this castle or die trying,” Zayden said as Avery nodded approvingly. Suddenly Avery was laughing humorlessly, “Jameel’s elite soldiers…I can’t believe we did it! We took out all of them.”

“And we’ll be dead next if we get caught. Let’s hurry back,” Zayden said pulling Avery behind him as they headed back to the kitchen. “We still need to send Skyelar a message.”

As they entered the kitchen Avery sank down in a chair as Zayden walked to the window. Leaning out he whistled two short blasts, calling Dragon to him. Dragon came and he slipped a message to Skyelar in between Dragons talons.

“If Skyelar survives this attempt on her life, it’ll be the perfect time for her to return. To take back this castle and her kingdom.” He looked at the hawk making a scree sound as he started to lift into the air, “Fly true, my friend. Fly to Skyelar.”

And with that Dragon was gone from sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 3

 

CHAPTER 3: THE AMBUSH

 

In the woods outside the monastery, Skyelar and Sir Luke hid with their weapons ready, waiting for Andrew’s assassins.

“We were lucky to get Zayden’s message in time. Dragon has earned a lifetime of fresh meats,” Skyelar said softly as she was scanning the area.

“Heh. Agreed,” Sir Luke was nodding. “Now, anyone coming from Dragonstead will have to come through this forest. We just have to wait…” he fell silent as they spot three assassins creeping along the path. Nocking an arrow in her longbow, Skyelar pulled back on her bowstring and focused on the first assassin.

The winds are blowing to the right, Skyelar noticed. With the winds blowing to the right I’ll just aim a little to the left. She aims her arrow slightly to the left of the first assassins head. I have you now… she fires the arrow, sending it flying into the head of the first assassin. It strikes true with a sickening thunk. He drops. Another assassin was swirling around confused, “What was that? Who’s out there?”

Nocking another arrow, she aims at the second assassin but her view is obscured by trees. With the trees in the way I’ll have to wait. The assassin creeps past the trees, giving her a clear shot. Her arrow punctures a gap in his armor just above his breastplate. He falls to his knees, his hands grasping pointlessly at his neck.

The third assassin whirls around with his axe drawn. “I see you, girl!”

As the assassin nears on her position, she drops her bow to the ground and takes up her kor-kitar.

“This is the end of you!” the assassin shouts.

“I don’t think so,” Skyelar said as she span the kor-kitar and catch the assassin in the chest with one of the blades. He stumbles back. Sir Luke started to draw near but the look she gave him was a stay put one. The assassin raised his axe over his head, but she slashed at him and lopped off his hand holding the axe.

“Arghhhh!”

She twirls the kor-kitar one more time and jam it upwards beneath the assassins jaw, perpendicular with the skull. The assassin collapsed in a heap in front of her.

“Whew.” Skyelar let out an intake of breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.

“Skyelar...?” Sir Luke was holding her gaze.

“It’s done, Sir Luke.”

The sound of horses galloping filled the forest.

“It can’t be…” Sir Luke declared as he pulled her back into their hiding. Dozens more assassins rushed through the forest! Some on horseback, others marching on foot.

“Andrew didn’t just send assassins… he sent an entire army,” Skyelar whispered to Sir Luke.

“We can’t stop them all,” he whispered back.

“The monks…” Skyelar stiffened, “We’ve got to get back to the monastery.”

“We won’t be faster than mounted soldiers,” Sir Luke said.

“We still got to try.”

Keeping to the shadows, Skyelar and Sir Luke made their way back to the monastery. The monastery was in flames. Andrew’s soldiers swarming around it.

“Damn! Damn!” Skyelar was frustrated and her heart sank.

“I never imagined he’d send so many. They had us badly outnumbered. There’s nothing we could have done.” Added Sir Luke.

“Do you think the monks made it out in time?” Skyelar asked with a bitter taste in her mouth, it felt dry.

“They knew it might come to this. I’m certain they made it out.”

“Oh no!” from behind a pillar, she watched as two of Prince Andrews soldiers drag one of the monks forward.

“Where is the false Queen?” Giles asked furiously.

“I do not answer to you,” the monk replied calmly.

“You know I’ve never tortured a monk before,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Will you hold out longer than a common man? Only one way to find out. I’ll need my tools…”

“Stay if you must, but I’m leaving. By being here we’re already going against King Jameel’s wishes.” Maria added with disgust.

“You mean, we’re following Prince Andrews’s orders…” Annoyed that she would be the one to join him on this quest.

“We both know the King didn’t care for Andrews plan,” She replied icily. “Besides, the girls not here. Which means she was warned. She knew we were coming.”

“Fine,” he said easily. “Soldiers! Take this man with us for questioning.”

“No!” the monk gasped.

“We cannot allow this to happen,” breathed Skyelar.

“We don’t have a choice… If we reveal ourselves, we risk everything the monks fought for,” Sir Luke said sympathetically putting a hand gently around her shoulders.

She shrugged him off as to regain her composure, “Sir Luke, you’re right. We must flee. We have no choice.”

As the two of them creep through the forest, she breathes deeply, trying to block out her rage and keeping her face stoney.

“Skyelar look!” Sir Luke said as he pointed towards the sky. “Dragon was circling the monastery. Quick, call him now, before Andrews’s people see him.”

Skyelar gave two short blasts.

“That’s it.”

Dragon veered sharply and landed on her wrist.

“I knew I remembered it!” she smiled down at the hawk. “Hello old friend. At least we managed to save you. And I’ve got a mission for you. I need you to take a message to Zayden.”

At the temple, Giles gazed out at the woods. “Maria! Did you see that?”

“See what?” she snapped.

“That hawk! The way it just dove… most peculiar.”

“Everything about you is most peculiar. Focus on what matters,” she hissed.

“HMPH!”

While Skyelar and Sir Luke were making camp for the night, he noticed that she was very distracted. He could feel her having a war with herself but decided to wait for her to speak before lending a sympathetic ear and maybe some reason.

Skyelar felt a sickly feeling deep in her stomach and she longed for the comforting presence of Zayden. When she spoke at last it came out as a whisper barely audible and Sir Luke had to lean in to hear her properly.

“The monastery is destroyed… the monks driven out…” she gasped and pressed a hand to her pounding heart. “My training master captured. All because of me.”

“You can’t blame yourself. They knew the risk of keeping you hidden. Now you