The Heiress of the Lake (3)

A dark fantasy

Chapter 3: The swamp and the snake

Auri got back to her chamber safely; the Wolfling Regnar was busy talking to the High King. The heiress fell into her bed and cried until a deep slumber overtook her mind and body. Intoxicated by the Snakegrass, Auri saw a beautiful dream; she was walking through a wondrous valley of blooming trees, a clear blue lake shone like a gem amidst emerald-green grass beneath the white-and-gold branches. She had never seen anything like it; no large trees grew in the land around her father’s castle. Nothing ever bloomed in Autumna, except for the subtle lilac hue of the heather. Auri hadn’t been walking much around the citadel and the ruins. She heard a Bird-like voice chanting:

The Golden shall fall from the skies,

To meet the one with lake-blue eyes,

With wrath of Autumn they’ll be scorn,

Until the last of heirs is born.

Auri walked to the lake; the girl in the reflection looked at her with blue eyes and smiled. Auri frowned, who was it? 

 She woke up with an excruciating headache. Auri heard a quiet knock on the door, it sounded like an apology. 

“Go away, Marcian!”

“Please, Frogling! We need to talk about the wedding!”

No reply followed, but before Marci had entered, a whole legion of maids, hairdressers and royal seamstresses marched down the hall and into the heiress’s chamber - she had to undergo the final fitting; with Auri’s diet of Snakegrass and booze she constantly lost weight, and the dress would have to fit her perfectly. 

The Autumnian royal bride had to suffer through some unpleasant purifying rituals. All of them quite gruesome. Laying an hour in a tub filled with crystal clear water and slimy black leeches was one of them. 

Auri couldn’t help herself; she was a walking wreck from the very moment the girl woke up. She cried through all the wedding preparations; tears poured on her wedding dress, the maids could hardly apply the blush on her cheeks and the coal-and-azure powder on her eyelids and lashes - all was washed out and smeared by tears. 

“Do contain yourself, Auri! Marcian is not the worst husband for you, he is worthy to become the High King!” Lady Gwen scolded her. Her son’s future was at stake; a chance she would not let Marcian be deprived of.

“He… is… he… “ Auri shook crying and hiccupping, she couldn’t speak. Lady Gwen approached the girl, looked at her spitefully and slapped Auri’s cheek with all her strength. 

The bride moaned and covered her face.

“Listen here, Auriani! Marcian needs to become the High King, and I shall not watch you ruin his chance because of this childish stubbornness of yours! Now you will pull yourself together and act like a grown-up should!” Lady Gwen grunted through her teeth.

The girl nodded, holding on to her burning cheek. 

There were only some minutes left before the bride would be escorted to the festive hall. She was left alone, waiting for the servants. Auri trembled looking at herself in the mirror. The flawless white dress sparkled with the light of the thousand diamonds and pearls sewed on its silky surface. An amethyst-and-silver necklace laid heavy on her chest. Since Morten destroyed the lake of Autumna no water lilies grew in the small puddles left by the vast waters. Auri wore a heather wreath, the new flower for the bride of the newly-emerged kingdom. 

What a beautiful doll she was! No will of her own, no chance to escape. Marci and his mother had betrayed her. Hurriedly the heiress grabbed the sword and held the blade against the blood vessels of her left hand. It was sharp. Just one quick move to make her choice. The last choice she’ll ever make. 

“Stop!” Marcian’s face appeared in the mirror, he had crept into the chamber quietly. Marci ran up to her and gently took the sword away. 

“Come!” He held Auri’s hand, she followed her friend’s lead, what else was there left to do? But to her great surprise, Marcian did not take her to the festive hall; with the sword in his hand he ran in the opposite direction.

“Anyone stands in my way, I’ll cut his throat!” the tall, dashing Autumnian yelled, marching forward. No guard or servant dared to disobey; he was the next High King, his dark eyes burned with determination, clearly, he wasn’t joking. 

“But the wedding… you’re Morten’s successor… your mother said…” Auri stuttered trying to keep up with her friend. The dress was not meant for a dash through the halls and down the stairs; pearls and gemstones flew against the walls and onto the floor. 

“My mother has been seduced by power! Frogling, you are more important than the honour of the High King! I cannot betray you and watch you die!” Marcian shouted. Both ran out the backdoor to the lake shore, where a giant dragon snorted and shook its head, tied by ropes. 

“Untie him this instant!” Marcian commanded the servants. 

“Oh no, Marci! Not Red!”

“I have ridden him before, Frogling, don’t worry!”

“Was it one time?” Auri asked horrified as Marci climbed up the seat on the dragons back, then pulled her up in his lap.

“Of course not, Frogling! I’m not completely mad. I’ve done it twice!” Marci replied. He pulled the dragon’s reigns, the stubborn beast shook its head, but did not obey at once. 

“Come on, Red, you, fat, overgrown lizard! Have you forgotten how to fly?!” Marci yelled pulling the reigns with all his might. Finally, the castle guards were sent to stop the runaway couple. They had nearly reached the dragon, when Marci screamed,

“Come closer, and I’ll make the dragon roast your guts!” He pulled the reigns once more, “fly Red! Fly! Be free!”

At last the beast had comprehended the situation; Red flapped its large wings, it blew fire at the approaching guards, then the beast ascended into the sky, increasing speed and height with every flap of the red wings. 

The rain and the wind hit Auri’s face, she could hardly draw her breath, but she laughed! Oh, how she laughed! Both of them did. The castle shrunk tiny beneath their feet, for the first time in her life Auri was truly free. 

They flew above the rain clouds; bright golden light of the setting sun blinded their eyes. Never before had the sunset felt so sweet, it poured into Auri’s soul like honey.

For a couple of wonderful moments both felt victorious, the air was crisp and cold, the sky had no limit, Auri and Marcian screamed exulted, just before Red showed its treacherous nature. As swiftly as the beast flew up, once it remembered the reigns holding it, Red dived down heavier than a boulder. It broke through the clouds into the rain and the fog, Auri shrieked.

“Hold on, Frogling!” Marci yelled. The beast spiralled and swirled, attempting to shake off its riders. Red hadn’t changed. Once again, the wretched castle appeared beneath them. If the dragon shook them off into the lake - their fate would be worse than death. The High King stood on the lake shore with the court and guests around him. Good thing Red had a sharp sight and an excellent memory. He recalled the one who caused him suffering in the battle on the frozen lake many years ago. 

As soon as the beast noticed Lord Morten, it gave a stubborn roar and levelled its flight still high enough before the Lord’s magic would reach him. Lord Morten possessed power over water, and even dragon blood would obey his will. Morten raised his hands, but alas! Red flew away faster than the High King could shout,

“Be damned Red, you son of a bitch!”

Morten’s dark eyes followed the red dragon in the distance.

“Regnar! Summon the men and go after them!”

“Yes, my Lord!” The Wolfling stood near him.

“And Regnar, you may treat the little whore as you please, but I need her back here alive,” Morten said coldly.

“My pleasure,” Regnar growled.

***

Auri and Marcian felt relieved for a while, but Red was not done with them yet. It shook the giant head and swirled, attempting to get rid of its riders. Red would not listen to Marci’s commands, and the more he pulled the reigns, the more viciously Red shook them. 

“Where is he going?” Auri shouted, holding on to Marci with all her strength. 

“North! I think we should jump off as soon as he flies over a lake! He’ll eat us in the North hills!” Marci yelled back. 

“I thought you had it all figured out!”

“I had, but the damned dragon shook all my bags off,”

Indeed, Auri noticed some loads tied to the seat, but with the enormous shaking, the food, clothes and other things fell down leaving an easy trail to follow. 

The surface of a small lake mirrored the steel-grey clouds above it.

“Now Auri, jump!”

Marci held her tight as both fell from the sky, Auri closed her eyes and shrieked.  

The impact against the lake’s surface came much quicker then she could’ve comprehended, the blow and the cold of the water stunned the girl. Luckily Marci didn’t lose his head, he swam up as soon as they submerged under the water. Her heavy wedding dress pulled both of them down. Marci tore it from her, leaving the heiress in a petticoat dress. Somehow, they waded out of the muddy lake - wet, pathetic, but free.

Both sat shivering on the muddy moss of the lakeshore, to regain their breaths and gather their thoughts.

“What now, Marci? What are we to do?”

“I had a plan, but the damn beast wrecked it. We can’t return to the town, obviously. And we can’t stay here, your father will send his men after us, knowing how important your blood is. I thought we would get Red to fly us to Thilia valley.”

“Thilia valley? That’s where…”

“Your mother’s kin still live. I… “ Marci stalled frowning, “I thought of finding a substitute to give Morten instead of you.”

“But that’s…” Auri jumped up, “that’s a terrible plan! Who would willingly go to Autumna and sacrifice blood to fulfil Morten’s insane endeavour?!” The girl screamed in Marci’s face.

“Well, not exactly willingly… “Marci gave a guilty smirk.

“No, Marci! Nobody should suffer from a mad man’s delusional desires. We shall not kidnap or threaten any of my mother’s kin!”

“But maybe there would be somebody wanting to come voluntarily? It’s worth a try. Do you have a better idea?”

“I do. Run and hide!” Auri retorted.

Marcian shook his head.

“You know very well Morten will find you. I bet they’re on our trace already,”

Auri looked around frightened. The swampland stretched as far as the eye could see, nothing but lilac fields of heather, feeble trees, thick bushes, wet moss, treacherous pools, muddy puddles and small lakes. A tiny annoying rain sprinkled on their heads, mist crept from the moist land and along with it came the evening dusk. 

“They should be stalled by the night. Nobody would be insane enough to travel through the swamp in the dark. The swamplands of Autumna are even more dangerous than the ruins, Frogling. I did not expect us to end up here,” Marcian said most seriously. 

“It’ll be dark soon. Where do we go?” Auri’s eyes searched for a shelter, but she saw none. 

“Tonight - nowhere,” Marcian got up, “we have to make a shelter somehow. I think I’ll try to get your dress out of the lake.”

Marcian was an excellent swimmer; since Lord Morten rarely used the indoor pool of the castle, Marci enjoyed to swim in it every day. 

He took off his clothes and dived; Autumnian men were accustomed to swimming naked.

Poor Auri stood on the shore observing the dark lake; who knew what dangers would lurk beneath the surface? She was not much of a swimmer, very unusual for an Autumnian. She could swim, but did not enjoy it as much as Marci. Although her appearance more resembled an Autumnian, clearly her nature was one of a Thilian kind.

Marci resurfaced, dragging a heavy clump of dirty rags with him. The dress indeed was huge, layers of once-fine silk now covered in mud and sea-weed. 

“Help me out!” 

Both carried the hefty load to the nearest bush patch. 

“We have to make a shelter,” Marcian said, trying to look into Auri’s eyes, but the dusk had nearly turned into darkness. Luckily, they still had Marci’s sword. It was not much of a tool for woodworks and none of them were accustomed to crafts of any kind. Marci had wit and strength enough to put up something vaguely resembling a tent, covering it with pieces of the dress’ fabric. It held back at least some of the rain, and yet another stroke of luck - the rain was not heavy. They laid another piece of the dress under them and climbed into their shelter. 

“We cannot make fire to keep us warm,” Marcian could feel Auri shaking uncontrollably; he was resilient to the cold, because of his daily swimming in the pool, but Auri was not.

It had gone completely dark.

Marcian cleared his throat.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to keep each other warm with the heat of our bodies.”

Auri nodded shaking, with her teeth chattering, she could not answer. 

Both took off their wet clothes and sat closely with Marci embracing the girl.

“Forgive me if my manly parts touch you…” he apologised smiling in the dark.

“As…as…l-l-long…as… y-you… d-d-don’t…l-l-let them… wander off…” Auri answered shivering badly.

“Trust me, I won’t,” Marci reassured her. Indeed, not only was Auri like a sister to him, their circumstances were far too miserable for him to feel aroused. 

They shivered long into the cool Autumnian night and fell asleep leaning on each other only by dawn. The lonely night of Autumna was disrupted by various frightening noises; something scratching in the ground, loud hissing all around their shelter, bone-chilling howls and shrieks. But the worst sound was made by the mosquitos. The buzzing, the never-ending buzzing! 

Not only did the insects buzz, they also stung their naked bodies all night long and retreated only by dawn. 

“We should get up before Morten’s men had caught up to us,” Marci mumbled. Both were tired and more miserable than ever before; their shaking bodies covered in mosquito bites and scratch marks.  They were used to a royal life in a luxurious castle, not surviving the wilderness of an uninhabited swampland. And that it mostly was; since the lake died, uncovering the land of Autumna, it was not yet been colonized, except for the islands of the late lake. Villages were rarely found, scattered across the vast land.

“Marci, we cannot survive this, not without dry clothes and food, and fire,” Auri said in a weary voice, “maybe we should’ve just gotten married. We tried to escape our fate, now we face the consequences.”

“I shall not give up! Morten plans to kill you for your blood, you heard him,” Marci got out of their shelter. Putting the damp clothes on after a cold night was extremely unpleasant. Auri cried her eyes out. The misery! 

“I’ll die in this cold, those bloody pests will eat me alive!” Auri howled and scratched her body frantically. Marcian gave her his own wet jacket.

“I will not let you give up!” he said sternly, ripping the pearls and diamonds still left on the remains of the wedding dress - they might be of use later instead of money, if they got to some kind of a village.

“First, we have to find something to eat and keep us warm, then…” Marci went quiet and pulled Auri deep into the thick, leafy bush they had spent the night by. 

Low, hoarse voices resounded across the swamp. Soon enough both friends saw a pair of Autumnian soldiers riding their low, hefty horses on the nearby path. 

“Thank the Foreverold! We are saved!” Marci whispered.

Auri didn’t dare to answer, nor did she understand what Marci meant by it. He whispered his plan in the girl’s ear. She arched her brow and shook her head.

“It’s the only way. You’ll be safe, don’t worry! Trust me!” Marcian whispered. Without asking, Marci pushed her out of the bush right in front of the soldiers. 

“Bloody horsedung! Would ya’ look at that!” One of them gasped at the sight of a beautiful black-haired girl in a petticoat dress. She was dirty and tired, but her curves were more than appealing. Other soldier licked his lips and asked,

“Why is ya’ wandrin’ here alone lass?” 

Both men were obviously not High-born. They got off their horses and approached the girl, while she stood there stunned from fear. 

“I was…I could offer you gentlemen a bit of…entertainment… for a sensible cost…” Auri stuttered the words Marcian had instructed her to say. 

“A fine lass ya’ be! And a good lookin’ too! We’re up for a good shag anytime, aren’t we?”

“Sure thing!”

They slowly came nearer.

“One at a time, please! And there, in private! No peeking!” Auri chirped completely frightened and ashamed. She disappeared into the bush.

“Sounds good, lass!”

The soldiers tossed a coin to decide who goes first. 

As the first one followed Auri, the other one heard a blunt thump and a splash.

“You alright?” he yelled, “better blame ya’self for not answering if I catch ya’ with pants-down!” he shouted before entering the bush. Another thump - the other soldier fell down into the wet moss with a splat. Marci stood hiding; as soon as the soldiers went past him, Marci would smash the hilt of his sword over their heads. 

“Are they alive? I can’t believe you made me pretend to be a whore!” Auri still shook from fear.

“They’re just stunned. I’ve been to low-class whorehouses in the ruins plenty of times to know the soldiers are always craving for girls, those places are full of them,” Marci explained while taking the clothes off the first soldier. 

They snitched everything they could from the unconscious men - clothes, swords, horses with saddle bags, and left the poor fools tied together with nothing but underwear on them. 

“We should kill them,” Marci wondered looking at the two, “they will tell on us.”

“No, we cannot! Let’s just leave them here,” Auri objected. 

Although the soldier’s clothes weren’t fresh or fine, at least they were dry and warm. Marci wore the tallest one’s and Auri the smallest one’s clothes. 

“Since we’re wearing Autumnian uniforms… “ Marcian glanced at his long, beautiful, black hair. Soldiers wore short haircuts. 

“Disguise as soldiers?”

Marci nodded, took his sharp sword and cut his lovely hair off. 

Auri smiled sympathetically at her friend; he indeed appeared heartbroken.

“It will grow back,” she consoled Marci.

Auri herself was not at all unhappy to cut her wild locks off, finally she had gotten rid of them! 

Two Autumnian soldiers rode away down the path. One appeared almost too tall for the uniform, while the other one nearly drowned in his loose attire. Both hid their faces under the hooded cloaks. 

They dared to stop only after riding West for a couple of hours. At least they guessed the path led Westward. The scenery didn’t change, they met no one and saw no signs of the High King’s men chasing after them. The land of Autumna had taken mercy upon them; the weather changed for the better, no rain or wind, only grey clouds covering the sky. 

Marci’s stomach growled like a wild beast when they finally stopped.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this hungry,” he said searching the saddle bags. Luck was on their side - both bags contained some untouched bread and two half-empty bottles of booze. Without hesitating they stuffed their mouths full of bread. Although the loafs were roughly made and tough, both gobbled them up smiling happily. Washed down with cheap booze - it was the best meal ever. 

“Better than the High King’s lunch!” Marci smiled.

“You would’ve been the next High King if it wasn’t for me,” Auri frowned.

“And miss all this fun in the wilderness? Never!” Marci embraced her.

“Frogling, your life is more precious than the High King’s throne.”

They rummaged through the bags and found more useful items - some flint to make a fire, a dagger, a long piece of rope, more bread and a flask of water and silver coins. The image of the High King Morten stared at Auri from the silver. 

“Think he’s on to us?”

“No doubt. We should move.” 

Both got back on the horses and rode forward, hoping that Red had carried them far enough to be safe. 

Soon the Damned land justified its name; the dark clouds rumbled and a heavy downpour soaked them wet from heads to toes. There was nowhere to hide from the rain and the wind, no tall trees or houses, nothing. 

Go where the path would lead them was all both friends could do, hoping they’d reach a village by dark. 

Auri took a sip from the bottle; the booze was the only remedy for the cold, but there was not enough of it to last the night. 

“Let’s hope the rain will stall Morten’s men,” Marci pondered, with the rain dripping down his nose. 

“I thought the worst was over, but how are we to survive the night?” Auri was desperate. 

Marcian had no answer. They left the remains of the wedding dress behind. But it would not shelter them from rain this heavy. 

“Since the soldiers didn’t have a tent with them, I presume there must be a village or a soldiers’ camp nearby,” Marci thought out loud.

Auri hoped for the first one, while the second option made her feet shake; the girl didn’t want to imagine her fate if they’d wandered into a camp full of Autumnian soldiers. Although dressed as a man, nobody would be fooled by her girly face and feminine body. 

After riding for a while listening to the rain, the thunder and the damp ground splashing under their horses’ steps, Auri got an eerie sense; they were not alone. She looked back more than before.

“I heard it too; something is following us. Creeping behind every bush patch. I think it’s a beast of some sort,” Marci whispered. 

“Can we shake it off?”

“I don’t think so. There’s nowhere to hide. Our horses are tired. We’ll have to stop soon. The beast is counting on it. Keep your sword at ready,” Marci said hurriedly. Of course, they had taken the soldier’s swords with them, as a part of their disguise. Auri’s hands shook. If it were Regnar the Wolfling following them, she did not stand a chance. The mere thought of the man made her feel powerless. 

After a while the rain stopped, and both decided to let the horses rest and graze. Marci held his hand on the hilt of the sword. So did Auri. She gulped a mouth-full of the booze and held the bottle against the grey skies; not much left. 

Marci chopped down some feeble trees for them to sit on. Although both of their behinds were wet, they still wound not lose the remains of their dignity sitting down in the puddles of the mushy moss. 

Fortunately, the leather bags didn’t let the rain soak the bread. Both ate it up quickly, all the while looking around. 

Just as the two turned their backs to the path they left behind, Auri felt the urge to look over her shoulder. Though she did not hear a thing except for the rain dripping from the bushes, she felt something approaching. 

The girl shrieked just in time for Marcian to draw his sword and fight back the intruder jumping at him with a narrow blade. The man’s clothes were grey and moss-green, nearly indistinguishable from the swamp around them, his footsteps had been lighter than raindrops. Half of the man’s face was covered with a grey scarf. His green eyes shone hatefully as the stranger swung his sword at Marci. The latter fought back with all his might; two swords clashed furiously. Auri pulled out her sword, but did not dare to approach the two men fighting for their lives. 

The stranger was obviously more skilful than Marci, he wouldn’t let his opponent catch his breath, not for a second.

Marcian wasn’t used to fighting off death on the mushy, treacherous swampland; he tripped and fell flat on his back, the stranger jumped on him to cut Marci’s throat. The latter managed to fight off, but the man pushed the blade of his narrow, razor-sharp sword against Marci’s blade with an enormous strength. One more second and Marci would not hold him back. With a loud thump over his head, the stranger let go of his sword and fell heavily on his opponent. Auri had gathered her courage, crept from behind, and bashed the man’s head with the hilt of her sword.

Marci pushed the man off himself, growling and cursing.

“The bastard… the stupid bastard… that son of a bitch almost killed me…” Marci got up catching his breath. 

Auri stood staring at the stranger, surprised by her own doing. 

“Well done, Frogling!” Marci tapped her on the shoulder, “now I should finish him off!”

The stranger moaned.

“Wait! Maybe we should find out if he was the only one sent after us, or are there any more,” Auri suggested. 

“Good point! Let’s tie him up.”

They tied the ropes tightly around his hands behind the man’s back, and tied his feet together as well. Marci pulled the hood from his head and tore off the scarf covering the man’s face. 

The stranger was young, not older than the two of them, with short, coal-black hair, he was not a pure Autumnian. Auri noticed - his skin was of a lighter hue. Autumnians were dark-skinned. There was something awkward about his facial features.

“He looks like a snake,” Marci concluded after examining the stranger. Apart from some nasty scars on his face, the man was almost handsome. 

The stranger woke up with another moan and looked around frantically with a pair of cunning green eyes. Auri shivered, indeed those were the eyes of a snake. 

“Stop right there!” said Marci, putting his foot on the man’s chest, because the stranger was strong enough to pull himself up even with his hands and feet tied up.

“Let go of me, you bloody Autumnian scum, so I could cut your throat!” He grunted.

Marci did not hesitate to kick the man’s face with his foot. Auri shrieked; she knew Marci had gotten into fights when he roamed the ruins, but she had never seen him acting cruel. 

“How many of you are there hunting for us, huh?” Marci yelled.

The stranger spat blood on Marci’s boot; his lip was bleeding; the kick had knocked out one of his teeth.

Marcian squinted his dark eyes hatefully and pressed the same boot on the man’s throat, choking him. 

“How many? Where are they? Answer!”

The man gagged and coughed, but would not submit to Marci’s interrogation. Auri turned away from the horrible sight; her Marci was a ruthless inquisitor, choking an assassin with a bloody boot. 

“I won’t answer to you, Autumnian bastard!” he spat the words out with another portion of blood, when Marci released his throat for a minute. 

Marci kicked his face again. This time he obviously cracked the man’s nose. The stranger moaned shortly and gasped for air; he laid on his back, the blood had filled his throat. 

Auri covered her face; it was too much to bear. 

“Oh, Frogling! It needs to be done. He would’ve killed us without hesitation if he could,” Marcian finally noticed Auri’s frustration and walked up to her.

Auri saw the stranger gasping for air desperately. She couldn’t take it any longer. Without thinking Auri ran up to him and pulled the man up to help him sit. 

He coughed up blood and drew his breath heavily. For a split second Auri saw a glimmer of true gratitude in the green eyes, nevertheless he hissed,

“Don’t touch me, you dirty Autumnian whore!”

Auri was too shocked to comprehend, she still held him even after the insult. Marci didn’t hesitate to run up, grab the man by his hair and punch his face. 

“No, Marci, stop!” Auri shrieked, blood splattered all over her face from the blow. 

“No one will call you a whore!” 

Auri let go of him, but this time the stranger managed to lay down on his side, preventing him from choking on his own blood. 

“There has to be another way to find out!” Auri hurriedly wiped the blood from her face with the sleeve of the soldier’s shirt. 

“What? Like asking him politely?!” Marci retorted, then addressed the stranger mockingly, “sir assassin! Would you be so kind to inform us whether High King Morten has sent more of your kind to decapitate us?”

“I have not been sent by that son of a bitch! Cursed be his name forever!” the stranger grunted through his teeth. 

“That’s a surprise! Who sent you then?” 

But the man kept quiet.

“Alright, I have no trouble punching you all day long if I have to!” Marci approached him again.

“No! Stop! No more punching!” Auri pulled him back by the hand, “and we don’t have all day. My father’s men might still be after us.”

“You got that right! They’ll catch up with you by sunset,” the stranger said, coughing up blood. 

“So, you’ re their spy?” Auri asked him.

“I will never serve the High King of Autumna,” the stranger replied sternly with such hatred in his voice it made Auri shiver.

“Whomever that scum serves, we got to get moving,” Marci picked up his sword, “I’m afraid we’ll have to finish you off, sir assassin!”

Auri wished to object, but could not. Marci was right; if not stopped, the man might try to attack them again. 

Marci came up to him, raised his sword above the man’s neck, Auri covered her face… 

A shrilling hiss from the nearby bush patch made Marci’s sword freeze in mid-air. He turned around swiftly.

“What was that?!”

“Stupid Autumnian,” the stranger mumbled.

“You know what that was? I heard this noise just last night,” Auri stepped closer to Marcian, frightened. 

“You’ve lived in Autumna all your life and don’t know what a lizzo is? Pathetic, rich whore,” he had barely said it, when Marci kicked his stomach without a word. 

“Is that your beast?” Auri ignored the stranger’s rudeness. 

The stranger gave a loud hiss much resembling the one they heard from the bush. Leaves rustled, branches cracked; a large lizard-like animal stomped its way to them. Auri shrieked, the horses neighed. Despite the fright, Marcian ran up to them and grabbed the horses’ reigns. The beast did hiss at the horses, showing a row of long, sharp teeth, but didn’t attack just yet. 

“I can make him attack you or at least your feeble horse-animals,” the stranger threatened.

“If you could, you would’ve done it already,” Marcian retorted, holding the restless horses. 

Stranger had nothing to reply, it must’ve been true. 

“Listen, maybe he could be useful to us,” Auri didn’t wish to spill the stranger’s blood. Despite his rudeness, he was different than the soldiers. 

“You might be right,” Marci kneeled near the stranger’s face, “my friend here has a heart of gold. If it wasn’t for her I’d cut you like a pig.”

“I don’t need the pity of an Autumnian, wh…” 

Marci kicked his stomach again.

“Marci, stop!” Auri yelled.

“What? He was about to call you names,” Marci replied innocently. 

“Maybe he can lead us to a village if he knows Autumna well,” Auri suggested.

“That’s a good thought, Frogling. But we have to make sure he doesn’t run away or try to kill us.”

Marci searched him and found two daggers and a small knife in the man’s clothes. 

“We would repay you greatly, just lead us to a village to spend the night safely,” Auri showed him a handful of diamonds and pearls from her wedding dress. 

“Safe?” he gave a bloody grin, “you won’t be safe anywhere in the Damned land. And I don’t take nothing from dirty Autumnians.”

“Alright, here’s how we’ll do it. You’ll lead us to the nearest village…”

“And if I refuse?”

“I’ll choke you with the rope,” Marci said casually. 

They released the man’s feet, then tied the rope around his neck. Auri had to do it, while Marcian held the sharp blade of the dagger pointed at the stranger. 

“I need my hands untied to ride the lizzo,” he grunted.

“No, you’ll have to do without them,” 

The stranger got into the saddle of his lizard creature with his hands still tied behind his back, Marci sat on his horse holding the end of the rope tied around the man’s neck. The knot was one of those which tightened once pulled. If the stranger attempted to escape, he would get chocked. Auri climbed up her horse.

“Lead us to the village, now! Go!” Marci commanded.

He pulled the rope slightly, the man felt it tighten, then the stranger gave a hiss to the lizard and all three of them began moving. 

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Chapter 4