The Dream Keeper's Dragon

11. I'm the Princess!

Aurelie walked three hundred steps to the North, and then three hundred more before she realized that Jermyn used their parting moment to mess with her.

A rough path appeared between fields of long grass and rows of trees. It must have been around mid-day, and though the sun did not burn her skin, the air was thick as cotton. It had always felt like that in Highfire. The coast was especially bad, in parts it felt as if you were trying to suck water through your nose when taking a breath.

She had taken a pair of shoes from the heap of Jermyn's stolen things before she made her way to Marianne. They had served their purpose well for half a day and now her toes stung from the rubbing motion of leather. A painful water bubble formed under the skin of both her heels.

Aurelie closed her eyes and placed her hands, palm up, on her head to keep the sun from burning her head. It was hot as an exposed rock on a hot summer's day, but the heat slowly faded under the cover of her palms. She walked like that, eyes closed and hands above the head, past pebbles, and grass, rooks, and dips in the ground, simply wandering along the endless field.

Pain exploded in her toe, sending a wave of shock through her body. Her ankles twisted, and she stumbled down, slinging her hands out in front of her. Her palms slid across the rough ground, skin tearing and blood slowly oozing.

Aurelie hissed and rolled on her back, examining her wounds. It didn't look all too bad but stung worse than a wasp's ass.

She like there for a while, letting her feet rest, dreaming of finding a river filled with cold water so she could have a drink and soothe her aching feet and now palms and wrists too. Fat chance of that, though! The nearest river was the one she passed on her way to the Dead Wood, and unless she had been foolish with the trail she followed, it was further away than her prospects of staying alive.

Hooves drummed against the ground. Two guards appeared in the distance riding along the path on horseback. Aurelie whirled up, but not before getting noticed. One of the guards shot a hand out to the one next to him, the hand missed but he picked up the gesture and looked in the direction his partner now pointed in.

Aurelie considered pulling her cloak over her head, but since the one guard had already seen her attempt to duck out of their sight, covering her face in their presence would only raise further suspicion.

This was the last thing she needed now. Within her bag, Jermyn's seed pressed against her leg. What if they found it? Goose-bumps trailed up Aurelie's back at the next thought. What if they took it? The ground slowly turned a shade of orange.

Oh no! Not now, come on! Closing her flaming eyes, Aurelie repeated the breathing exercises her aunt taught her. In through the nose, out through the mouth. She did this maybe twice before the dust disturbed by the near presence of horses filled her nostrils.

Inches away the men pulled on their reins, bringing their mounts to a walk. They came to a halt on either side of her.

"Oh! Is it her?" one of the men asked. She couldn't see very much of them but the black pants they wore as part of their guard's uniform, and the color of their boots. The one speaking now has very tiny feet and wore brown leather boots. If he were to lose those shoes, they'd do Aurelie nicely. What are you going to do? Kill him for his boots? Aurelie chased the thought away.

"How must I know?" said the other. His feet were the size of two of hers put together and a light grey.

His right eye was swollen purple, and the ridge of his nose bent askew.

"Show your face," grey boots said, "and quickly. We've got very important matters to attend to in . . . Very important matters," he repeated after a good while of trying to name the place.