The Dream Keeper's Dragon

35. Enough!

Aurelie and Orken caught up to Daerious at the gate. He stood just below a balcony, hidden in the shadow of it, and scouted the entrance toward what looked like a condensed residential street.

The buildings smelled of mossy rock and had a dark green layer covering the brown bricks. Clothes hung on one of the second-story balconies. A couple kissed behind a curtain made transparent by candlelight. Aurelie looked away quickly, feeling a pang in her heart at the sight of them.

Daerious raised his hood and motioned the two of them forward with his shoulder. Aurelie followed close by, happy to have her attention swept back onto the task.

The buildings were blazing with light. The town pulsed with energy. People were dancing and singing, kegs were passed, and stories told.

Every second person seemed to be wearing the uniform of the King. The chances that the man had already alarmed them were high.

"How are we going to do this?" she asked them. "We will never find him amongst all these people." She lowered her voice. "And have you seen the number of guards?"

"Just keep your eye out. He'll get cocky," Daerious told her, and Orken nodded. "The grounds massive tonight. He'll think he's invisible."

Aurelie pulled her hood further forward and climbed the steps of a thin, gray building.

Her eyes crossed a familiar face on a poster. A hot flash traveled through her body with the realization that it was her. She doubled back to the poster and gapped at her printed face. She noticed more posters. They were bloody everywhere. Her eyes widened, she bent down, grabbed Daerious by his shirt, and dragged him up the step to see.

"It's me!" she said, flicking her head toward the poster. "Oh God, I'm everywhere."

His eyes looked past her. "Look behind you," he said, flipping his hood over his head. Daerious's face was on a poster behind her, Reward: 150 silver, it read.

"A hundred and fifty silver?" he spat, his lip pulled up in disgust. "Is that all?"

Aurelie rolled her eyes. "What does it matter how much the King is willing to pay for you?" She sighed, her hood slipped, she caught it and pulled it back over her face. It felt suddenly as if she had eyes on her back, even with a tall and thick wall right behind her. "Our faces are on every door!"

"Kidnapper? Oh really?" Daerious spoke to himself, still focused on the poster. "A hundred and fifty coins?" he muttered. "For the man who kidnapped the Princess? That cheap bastard," he said and folded her arms. "This is..." He shook his head, his lips puffing out in vivid disappointment, very mediocre convict status. "That's not even worth a barrel of ale."

Aurelie stood on her toes and looked at a poster of her that was near. "What's mine?" Aurelie asked.

"Fifty thousand," he muffled.

Aurelie laughed and covered her mouth. "Sorry," she lowered her voice. "Calm down. All that means is that no one will really look for you. It'll probably cost more to get you to the castle," she told him and bumped him with her shoulder, biting her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud.

"Yeah?" He glared. "Aren't you funny? Heck, I could do with fifty thousand."

Aurelie ripped off the poster and tore it in half. "There," she said. "I can't believe how upset you are. No one will ever claim that reward!"

"Once your precious egos are healed, can we get on with it?" Orken said and fell into the crowd.

"Hey! Get back here," someone shouted. Aurelie looked for the voice. She froze and grabbed Daerious's cloak as he stepped off the stairs. The man she had seen in the forest was standing on the steps of a corner shop by himself. He put on a black hat and walked down, falling into the crowd.