Wonders Beyond the Willow [On Hold For God Knows How Long]

Isabelle

I stared in fear at the thing creeping up behind James.

I really had no idea what it was, but one thing was for sure: it did not have friendly intents.

James anger disappeared when the creature laid a hand on his shoulder.

It's hand hovered near a sword on it's belt.

Still in fear of what the creature was going to do, I didn't realize something was sneaking up behind me until it's cold hand wrapped around my waist, a sword held in its other hand.

My scream was cut short when he jostled me and he held his sword to my throat.

"Shut up girl!" He growled.

Sammy also had a creature behind him, holding a jeweled knife to his throat.

I gulped loudly, I glanced back to James. The creature behind him seemed female compared to the other ones, and it now had both hands squeezed on his shoulders, a silent gesture not to move a muscle.

"Now, now. No need to be rough with the younglings. No matter where they come from or what race they are, they have to behold the Queen. Surely you haven't forgotten."

A collective grunt came from the three of them, as another figure came into vision. He was wearing a red cloak, a sword larger then the female's hooked to his belt.

"Should we blindfold them, sir?" The female asked.

The cloaked creature considered it. "Hmmm. They seem lost enough. Just keep close to them and make sure they don't run away."

The three creatures shouldered us into a group and guided us to the forest.

The two male flanked us and the female stayed close behind us. The cloaked one, which I thought to be a captain of sorts, paced ahead of us.

He walked surely through the glittery forest, as if there were a path marked clear as day.

After a while, the forest came to an end, and a large stone wall came into view. It looked like a castle, similar to the sketches in the book I had been reading.

The castle wall wasn't guarded. No men in chainmail intimidating you with crossed swords or helmets with feathery plumes coming out the top.

Somehow, it was scarier without it.

Inside the wall, there were many creatures of the same nature as our captors. Except without the swords and knives.

The bustling crowds parted as easily as curtains as we walked by. I wasn't sure if it was us, or the things that caught us.

"Sir, are you absolutely sure that we shouldn't blindfold them or lay some sort of blindness Spark on them?"

Spark? What was that?

The cloaked male stopped to look over his shoulder. He scoffed then strode back to us.

"If it makes you feel better Roen, then yes, we'll put a Spark on them, okay?"

I watched as the captain laid his palm over Sammy's eyes, then removed it just as quickly. Sammy gasped, his head jerking around in all directions.

"Calm yourself boy. It'll be gone as soon as we reach the Queen."

Sammy's frantic twirling stopped, but I could still see the shock and confusion in his face.

The male did the same to James then stepped to me.

He clicked his tongue. "What a shame. Such a pretty little youngling has to go through all of this trouble."

I probably would've retaliated, but I became dazed when he removed his palm from my eyes. Dizziness overtook me for just a second, and I realized I could see nothing.

Something prodded my back, and I began to walk again, hoping they wouldn't let me run into something just for amusement.

After some twists and turns and snarky comments about our misdirection, we were stopped. The captain removed our blindness the same way he had applied it and turned his back on us.

He bowed at his waist towards something I couldn't see.

"We found these three prancing in the Golden Fields. We have yet to identify their race." He straightened and stepped to the left, motioning to us.

Sitting on a heightened stone platform was a creature that looked a lot like the people who brought us here. The only difference was the clothes and she had a royal aura to her. She had spindly hands and pointy ears. She wore a deep blue gown that flowed off the platform.

She said nothing. She didn't even look at us. Instead she looked at our captors.

"What did I tell you about younglings. If they stray from their territory and are doing no harm, you leave them alone. They were probably lost from the Unknown Isles." She finally spoke. Instead of the harsh tone that I expected, she spoke rather softly and with elegance, as if she had practiced every word.

"Now. Roen, Eliah and Rosemary you are dismissed. Henry, you stay."

The three that stood behind us left through a large door that stood behind us. It closed with an echo.

With the red cloaked creature still present, the Queen finally looked at us.

"Okay younglings. I would like you to tell me where you are from."