Illuminated: Book One of the White Road Chronicles

Chapter 9

Once she reached the room with a number that matched the one on her key, Princess stormed inside and slammed the door behind her, making sure to bolt the lock. Pressing her back to the sturdy wood frame, she wiped at the sweat dotting her forehead. What was wrong with her?

"You've not been around people enough to know how to act," she answered her internal question. And the truth was, nearly everyone avoided her out of fear of what her adoptive father might do if they stepped a toe out of line. Darnel kept her isolated when she lived in the castle. That is, unless he needed to put her on display when he wanted to impress his infrequent guests about his wonderful fathering skills.

Her stomach gave a sick heave. Father skills, indeed, what a jest.

She went to the small cot and dumped her backpack's contents onto the narrow straw bed, reviewing her provisions. No sense carrying a bag full of wet, ruined items.

Princess sank onto the stiff bed, her muscles screamed in protest over its recent treatment. She'd never walked so far in her life! Lifting the shreds of creamy velvet dangling around her scraped legs, she wished for a hot bath. Well, not here. Time to toughen up and get accustomed to not having your usual comforts. Even in the dungeon she'd always managed to make her quarters pleasant with a few stolen items from her upstairs room.

She examined the leather pack, decorated with ornate ivy embroidery. Someone had even stitched Dean's name under the flap in fancy lettering. Too bad it was probably ruined now. She untied the slip-cord, then pulled out a water-bag, nearly full of water. To her astonishment, the inside was perfectly dry!

"How?"

Next she removed a tinderbox with fire-starting supplies, and a wooden box containing string and hooks. A cloth bag held several coins. Coins!

"I can purchase a traveling outfit now." Princess hugged the clinking bag to her chest. Tears burned her eyes. Setting the coins aside, she searched more and found a small pan to cook in and a tightly rolled blanket. Amazing! How did all these things fit inside such a small pack?

The cover warmed her shoulders, warding off the room's chill. At the very bottom was a leather-bound book along with some jerky and bread wrapped in cloth. She shoved a small chunk of meat into her mouth. Flavorful and tasty. Oh, Bliss!

"This is the best pack ever. How'd he get all this stuff in there?" She examined the inside and outside thoroughly but couldn't figure it out.

First thing in the morning, she'd ask where the nearest tailor shop was and hope they'd have some ready-made clothing she could purchase. Still marveling at everything Dean's light-weight pack held, reason asked if it were enough to get her all the way to Aloblase? And just how far would she need to travel before she reached the good king's city? From the sound of it, the trip might take months.

Her knees buckled and she sat heavily on the bed. Inside the little pouch were ten gold coins, all with the tree emblem. Racan money had Darnel's face on both sides. Which did they take in here Yarholm? Crystal the dragon said they'd help her.

She sighed. No, Crystal said she'd find help from those with the tree emblem, like she'd seen on the tents in that field. Somehow, she had to find the way back to them. Except the Racans were also camped nearby.

Those despairing thoughts weighed on her mind and her head felt so heavy, she rested her forehead in the palms of her hands. What do I do? What do I do?

She knew nothing about blending into a normal town. Or even how to go about purchasing things she needed. What if there weren't enough coins? What was a coin worth, anyway? Could she actually find work to earn more if needed?