The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

-26-

I can hide behind those hedges!

He darted off the path and headed for a group of large hedges that formed a nearly complete circle. Fendrel stepped through the gap in the hedges and pressed his back against them.

His eyes traveled around the space. There was a gazebo hidden by the hedges with a young woman sitting on a bench near the back of the gazebo.

She stared at him, a mix of shock and confusion on her face. Her eyes wandered to the gap in the hedges.

The heavy footsteps and yells of guards came and went.

Fendrel let out a held breath. He observed the lady.

There's something off about her. What is it? She looks like she fits right in but...

There was a sparkling ring on her finger.

Fendrel collected himself and walked toward her. "You must be the prince's fiancé. I'm an acquaintance of his."

The woman's gaze flicked to him. She stayed silent, fiddling with the ring. She looked spooked, like a horse that's seen a wolf but is being urged by its rider to stay still and not flee.

"I get it, you don't want to talk. I'd be a little scared too if I were alone with a stranger in my home." Fendrel held his hands out to seem nonthreatening.

The woman stood. "What is your name? The prince has never mentioned you before."

"Fendrel." The name slipped out before he could think of a different one.

"I've seen your face on the wanted posters." Her voice was quiet.

Fendrel reached toward his face. His scarf had slipped under his chin while he was running. He fixed it.

"So you do get out of the palace?" Fendrel smiled nervously.

She looked down again, her cheeks burning red. "I-I tried to leave once."

Fendrel scrunched his brow. "Why would you leave if you have the chance of becoming royalty?"

The girl's voice became solemn. "I don't belong here..."

"You mean you're not from a wealthy family." Fendrel nodded. "I'm sure no one minds."

"No, I mean—" she took a deep breath "—you're the Liberator?"

Fendrel nodded. "Some people call me that." He took a step back, uneasy with her questioning.

"You care about dragons?" She stepped forward.

What does that have to do with you?

The woman gripped the pendant on a necklace that thumped against her chest with each step.

Fendrel stared at the pendant. The feeling that something was wrong with her became overwhelming. It was like a sense of impending doom that couldn't be shaken off. Fendrel shuddered and felt as if he would tip over at any moment if he let himself.

It's not her, it's the necklace.

He blinked his eyes rapidly to distract himself.

The woman opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She tried again, still nothing.

Strange shapes and colors creeped at the edges of Fendrel's vision. He shut his eyes and shook his head. He squinted at the girl. "It's okay, you can tell me. I'll keep it a secret."

"I literally can't say it." The woman placed her hand against her throat. Her fingernails were like claws.

Did they grow that long or are those meant to be fancy extensions like the ones the noblewomen wear?

There was a sort of wildness to her eyes, like an untamed beast.

Fendrel's eyes moved to the necklace again. A searing headache forced him to pull his eyes lower. The shapes and colors crowded his eyesight. As he cried out, his vision blacked out. He felt himself collide with the ground.

<~><~><~>

Fendrel found himself in a dream. He was in Thea's shack.

She opened a bottle full of beads and let the little round spheres topple into her hands. "You awake yet?"

"Yeah, thanks for letting me stay." Fendrel rubbed his forehead.

Thea nodded. "Are you going off another mission soon—" She gasped.. The beads dropped from her hand.

Fendrel got up from a blanket on the floor. "Are you okay?"

Thea groaned. "I think so. I've been getting awful headaches off-and-on."

"Do you know what's causing it?" Fendrel stood.

Thea gave a short laugh. "Yeah, by neighbor. He's a mage too." She shook her head. "He's nothing but trouble, I can sense it."

Fendrel cocked an eyebrow. "Your neighbor is giving you migraines? And how can you sense that?"

"Mages can just...tell when mage's who've broken 'the rules' are nearby. If you see them or something they enchanted, you just get this awful feeling and a stupid headache. But people who know 'normal' mages and see the troublesome ones or their enchanted items can experience the same side effects, too." Thea picked her beads up. "Just let me know if you ever feel something like that around here. My neighbor might be dangerous."

Fendrel nodded at her warning. "I'll keep it in mind."

<~><~><~>

Fendrel's eyes shot open. "It's the necklace."

He laid on his back next to the hedges. The woman was sitting next to his head, looking down at him with a worried expression.

"Your necklace. It's from a mage, isn't it?" Fendrel lifted his head.

The woman tried to speak again. No words. When she nodded her head, her necklace glimmered and shocked her. After gasping, her eyes welled up with tears. "Please help me."

"Is it keeping you from saying certain things?" Fendrel sat up.

She sat still. Her only answer was a whimper.

Fendrel pulled his bag onto his lap.

The woman's eyes lit up when he pulled out a piece of blank paper and a charcoal pen. She accepted them and began writing. The necklace shocked her again and she dropped the pen.

"How can I help you?" Fendrel retrieved the pen and paper.

"Zoricus." The woman pointed toward the castle. She turned the pendant in her necklace over to reveal a small keyhole.

Fendrel nodded. "I'm going to assume he has the key...I can't help you this instant, but I can soon. Cassius and I have a plan. I'll take you with us when we're done, and I will get the key."

The woman's face brightened a bit. "Thank you. What's the plan?"

"I can't talk about it now. Just trust me." Fendrel stood and reached his hand down to help her up. "I'll look for you."

"Okay." The woman's voice was shaky.

Fendrel pointed at her. "Oh! One more thing. Do you know which room is Cassius'?"

Blinking in surprise, the woman looked past him at the palace. "Yes. It's on the highest floor and has the royal family's crest flag on the door."

"Thank you. Once you're able, stay in his room until I come back." Fendrel checked for guards. Once the coast was clear, he headed out toward the palace.