Night Forest

Chapter 9

          Fanna and the women stayed up all night waiting for Kylara to get back. Once dawn approached and Kylara ha yet to show up, Fanna started to get very worried. She started pacing around. There was a quick knock on the door to the women’s servants quarter before the door was burst open.
          “Oh! Kyl-” Fanna started to say Kylara’s name, but it wasn’t Kylara, “Oh, Lord Toric. May I help you with something?” Fanna tried to hide her disappointment.
          Toric looked around at the women, “Have you seen Lady Nalia? She was wearing an emerald ball gown with gold, and she has brown hair, and these beautiful emerald eyes that matched her gown. Please tell me you ladies have seen her?”
          One woman gasped softly and another covered her mouth, but it was Fanna who spoke, “She…she’s missing? She’s not with you?”
          “She was, but my father had me go dance with a few other ladies. I know whom I’m going to marry, but first I must find Nalia. She is missing. Have you seen her? Anything that would help find her?” he asked pleadingly.
          Fanna glanced at the other two women, and with their nod of consent, she spoke again, “Her name is not Nalia, Lord Toric.”
          “What?” Toric’s eyes opened wide, “What is it then? And you must have seen her if you know that.”
         Fanna nodded then looked at Toric, “We, the other women and I, helped her dress. But we have not seen her since the time of the ball. We have not seen Kylara.”
          “Ky…Kylara?” now Toric was stunned, “but that couldn’t have been Kylara. She would have hurt me for everything I said, everything I did!”
          Fanna’s eyes hardened, “You said something rude to her boy?”
          Toric did feel like a boy now, one that was very small, “I was trying to impress her, she was a real lady, it could have been Kylara! I mean I tried to kiss her! If that had been Kylara I would have ended up on the ground.”
          “Nalia is Kylara. She didn’t say nor do anything because she didn’t want to be found out, though she should have. Besides, you know we aren’t supposed to go to the balls. You wouldn’t have found out that one of us had either if Kylara wasn’t missing,” Fanna pulled herself up to her full height, which was still shorter than Toric’s but it made her feel bigger, “Now you get that high and mighty bum out there and you find my granddaughter!”
          “Yes ma’am,” squeaked Toric and he rushed off. He never knew a servant, even one that was more special than others, could make him a frightened slime ball.
          Toric stopped at the first warrior he came too, “You, Anthony! Quit the search for Lady Nalia, she’s gone home. Set up a new search for Kylara! I want her found or Fanna’s going to have my head! Search far and wide, you know best how she is, she’ll be harder to find that Lady Nalia. Get going!”
          Anthony’s eyes had widened when Toric said Kylara was missing. He quickly ran off and spread the news. He was going to hurt whom ever tried to hurt Kylara. Angel was special here, to everyone, well…almost everyone.

          Her body felt like it was on fire, especially her wrists. She was against a pole, her hands bound by rope behind it. Kylara felt her pride and honor slip away. Fanna’s gown was ripped and filthy. The mask was gone and her mothers necklace. Nothing was left. She was a prisoner, no one was going to find her, and Fanna would be worried sick.
          The disgusting men that had followed Lord Talmore’s orders had taken Kylara to a warrior’s camp. Not good warriors like White Wolves, but the dark-evil kind. The men had touched her every where no man would have dared tried to if she was free. But her being their prisoner, they got to use her as they wished. She wished that the two men before had just killed her like she thought they would. It would have made life that much simpler on her part.
          Kylara glanced around. The men were about twenty feet away, and it was dark now. She had survived the night being bounced around on the two men’s shoulders as they carried her off. Then she survived the day of men torturing and humiliating her. Finally she had some peace as the dark warriors were drunk and danced stupidly around their fire.
          Kylara shivered and moved her eyes away from them and looked to the sky. Some sort of bird flew over head. She wished, oh how she wished she could be free and just fly away. Kylara watched as the bird circled down, closer and closer. It was strange the way it seemed to watch her. Then finally it landed on her lap, and Kylara realized with surprise that it was Talon.
          “Oh Talon, look what I’ve gotten myself into,” Kylara’s voice was hoarse, but she kept it low.
          Talon tilted his head and let out a quiet chirp.
          Kylara smiled slightly, though stopped instantly when her split lip opened. Then she suddenly had an idea. She hoped it would work. “Listen closely Talon,” Kylara said quietly, “Go back to the castle. Find someone, Anthony, Jaxom, just find someone that can recognize you and lead them here. Do you understand?”
          Talon gave another quiet chirp and flew off into the sky. Kylara watched with tears in her eyes. This was all she had left, this very small shimmer of hope. Finally the tears won over and she cried quietly.

          Toric rode slowly through the Night Forest, looking for anything that would help. It had been four days with no sign of Kylara, by now they should have found something. What bothered Toric the most was why someone would take Kylara and why Kylara hadn’t fought back? He knew she hadn’t run away, if she had she would have told Fanna.
          Toric sighed heavily. Ever since he found out Kylara was Nalia he had felt terrible. He had said horrible things just to try and impress a beautiful woman. He didn’t know what he was thinking at the time, but he was glad his father had stepped in and stopped it before he could humiliate himself more.
          Toric realized the forest was very quiet, he looked around. He didn’t sense anyone; maybe it was a predator. He drew his sword and stopped his horse. Toric ducked as a hawk came diving down upon him. Toric looked up at the branch the hawk had landed on. It was chirping and ruffling it’s feathers like crazy.
          Suddenly he realized who the hawk was, “Talon?”
          Talon sent up a loud chirp then started to fly off in the direction of the castle. Toric turned his horse around and followed Talon at a full gallop. Toric didn’t slow down even as he approached the castle gates, he just kept following Talon. The hawk finally landed on window ledge of one of the merchant’s cottages. Talon continued his crazy chirping and squawking.
          All this commotion gathered a crowd around Talon. The crowd chattered and stared in awe. Toric held up a hand and everyone went silent. He dismounted off his horse then walked up to Talon and looked the hawk in the eye.
          “Do you know where Kylara is Talon?” he asked and prayed the bird would understand.
          Talon gave a chirp and a bob of his head, his sign for yes. The crowd gasped.
          “Is she in trouble Talon?” Toric’s eyes never left the birds.
          Again Talon gave a chirp and bob of his head. The crowd burst into chatter once more. Toric turned from Talon and ran for the gate tower. He reached the top and the guard the looked at him.
          “What is it my lord?”
          “Send out the signal for everyone to come back. I think we have a way to find Kylara, but I don’t know how much trouble she’s in. I want as many of the searching warriors back here as fast as possible. We leave in a day!”
          The guard nodded with a faint smile of relief, “Yes, my lord.” The guard turned away and blew out a series of blasts on a horn. All warriors knew the horn code, now they just had to hear it.
          Toric ran off again to tell Fanna, he prayed again to any higher creature that Kylara was alive and all right.

          All of the White Wolves warriors had heard the signal and all came back at a full gallop. Once they got the orders that they would leave after the noon meal, they all went home and replenished their supplies for the trip. They didn’t know how long would take.
          Toric’s father didn’t think it was necessary to take so many warriors just for a servant, and a lord searching for a servant was ridiculous. Toric just gave his father a cold look and packed his own supplies.
          When Toric walked back outside all the warriors that knew Kylara were astride their horses with their swords or other choice of weapon at their sides. Anthony came up to him.
          “My lord, these men and I are ready to ride with you to find Kylara. We are ready at your command.”
          Toric nodded and took the reins of his horse from his stable boy. He mounted it and when he was up he looked around for Talon. Toric finally spotted Talon waiting at the gate’s tower. Toric smiled grimly, he hoped he could find Kylara, he had to apologize, if nothing else.
          “My lord! My lord!” a servant came rushing up to him with a bag and a long bundled object sticking out of it.
          Toric turned in his saddle and looked at her, “Yes? What is it?”
          The servant held out the bag but kept her head down as she struggled for air, “Fanna…Fanna wanted me to…to give you this. It’s…it’s Kylara’s things. Her sword and clothing…Please give it to her…when you find her.”
          Toric took the bag and draped it over his should, “I will, and I will bring her back. Where is Fanna though? Why didn’t she give it to me herself?”
          “Just a small cold my lord, hurry back and have a safe trip,” the servant bowed and ran off again.
          Toric turned his attention back to his men, “Let’s go!”
          The men let out a few cheers. Toric nudged his horse into a trot and waited for Talon to fly off. When Talon gathered up speed, Toric pushed his horse into a gallop and never took his eyes off the hawk.