A Kidnapping Ch. 3

Ch. 3—A kidnapping
As the first few outposts began to appear I started to take a good look at the town. I wouldn’t be here for much longer and I wanted to take it all in before I left. I listened to the crunch of gravelly pebbles under my feet. Felt the soft breeze flowing through the trees and I could just barely make out the sound of the river that flowed from the east side of the town entrance towards the south. When I looked up I could see the main gates with the two guards at the front who stared forward as always watching without really seeing anything at all. I wondered if they ever did anything other than stare at empty paths leading to a relatively action free forest.
I passed through the gates with barely an upward glance from the guards who by now knew exactly who I was. The rich brown mud huts that rimmed the outskirts of the town were the first to line both sides of the streets. The four front Traveler’s outposts here sold the bare essentials only for any traveler who might be low on supplies. The first two outposts, one on the left side of the path and one on the right, carried goose feathered arrows, bow strings, quivers, deer skin leggings, leather saddle straps and food and water supply sacks. The two outposts that sat beside the hunting stands carried fresh loaves from the bakeries, dried meats, and horse feed. I enjoyed stopping by the hunter outpost to gather arrows and bow strings. There was something about archery that I’d always loved and like running, couldn’t resist a good shooting range. I have to admit, I was pretty good too. Though, I would always trade out the goose feathers in the arrows for the sleeker red-hawk wing feathers. They allowed for a faster arrow and I always found plenty of them on my walks to and from town.
Though I never stopped, I enjoyed walking past the food rations outposts. The sweet and salty smell of freshly baked bread made my mouth water. The loaves were so heavy and thick though that I never bought any. They were almost half the size of a normal loaf but were made from very thick dough which made them ideal for traveling and getting by without starving. Travelers’ loaves weren’t as tasty; they were almost too salty but that was necessary to keep them preserved for weeks. The family loaves we bought were much lighter and flakier and had a sweeter smell and taste. Maybe I would pick one up and bring it home to Jillyan. She loved to put Lia’s freshly churned butter spread on the slices and eat them with rosemary.
Now that I think about it, I should be on the look-out for Lia or Jazin. Where would they be right about now? I already knew, without a hint from Jillyan that they were getting me one final farewell gift before I left in a few weeks so that probably meant they were going to Baylee’s parents’ shop. I couldn’t think of anything I would need or even want from there but Jazin and Lia always seemed to buy the things I needed most and I trusted their judgment. If they bought something for me because they felt I would need it, then I’m sure it would become useful somehow.
I continued to walk pass the different shops and market areas and decided to stop briefly at the Baker’s shop to pick up a family loaf of bread for Lia and Jillyan as well as a few dried meats for Jazin. When I walked in, the stares were a given. Everyone looked up, stared at me from top to bottom always whispering to their neighbor, ‘Unnatural to be that tall’ or ‘Look at that hair! Some sort of sorcery I tell you.’ I just couldn’t get over the fact that I’ve lived here for 11 years now and the little old ladies of the town still thought I was an extreme oddity to behold. Well, I’m glad I keep their evening chatter thick with suspicion and unwarranted distrust. It’s not like I’d done anything to really deserve their insults and jeers, but like I said, I was so used to it by now that I would have felt a bit left out if they didn’t talk about me as I walked by. I had started to take the words as a badge of honor to keep gossip alive for so long. As far as I knew, my unusual physical traits were the only topic of the village that had maintained such fervent discussion for so long.
“Hello Kert,” I said pleasantly as usual, flashing my flirtiest smile, “One loaf please, and two bags of seasoned dried venison.” He smiled nervously back and asked how Jillyan was, though I knew he did this only because he wanted to get the attention away from me. He always did have a little crush on me. I guess he likes redheads! I giggled silently to myself and told him everyone was well and that my parents were actually in town now but I was supposed to avoid them at all costs.
He flinched slightly when I mentioned my parents being in town. I couldn’t imagine why, everyone loved my parents in this town. I didn’t know a single child over the age of 11 that wasn’t delivered by Lia or an elder over the age of 60 who wasn’t healthy because of Jazin’s constant medicinal and herbal research. I continued to watch Kert with polite interest as he filled my order and tried not to show any interest at all to the conversation the little ladies of the room were having about me but one comment caught me off guard and I began to listen a little more intently.
“Do you think she knows they’re gone yet?” I heard one whisper, quickly followed by a sharp “Shh, you know she’s still in the room, she’ll hear us!” The second whisper was a little harsher than what I usually heard in the Bakery. Most of the older ladies of the village tried to be civil towards me simply because of who my adoptive parents were. They weren’t very good at it but to hear one be rude in such a public area put a feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to listen more but they’d probably stop talking all together if they felt like I was eavesdropping. As I thanked and paid Kert for the order, I said my goodbyes but decided to wait outside the door. I quietly positioned myself near the window where the two elderly women were sitting in order to try and still hear them. I could.
“I’m telling you, they just left! No note, no explanation, just gone.” The first old lady I’d heard earlier was speaking again. “Where they’ve gone I don’t know, but it can’t be good. Not with that kind of exit” the second lady responded.
They changed topics after that, discussing how one of the neighbors let a mule loose or something and it trampled all the flowers in the front yard of one of their houses. I didn’t care. What did they mean my parents were gone? They wouldn’t just leave without telling Jillyan or myself, not without letting us know something first. I had to get to the bottom of this. Promise or no promise, I was going to Baylee’s parents’ shop.
I continued down the main street which was getting more and more crowded as I went. As usual, I prepared myself to ignore all the comments I knew were on the way. Being about a foot taller than everyone else made me rather eye-catching to the rest of the crowd however, it really helped out when you were trying to see over everyone’s head for the quickest way around. The problem for me now was having the patience it took to get to the bizarre little shop. It was at the very end of town, almost the last shop on the strip. Once I got through the main crowd it was no problem really because very few people who lived in Gildred visited Baylee’s neck of the woods.
“Too strange”, everyone said, “It’s not natural to have so many oddities in one store.” Well, I thought it was a good way to make some extra cash off of the bizarre visitors we so often had here in Gildred. If you’re going to cater to a customer, you have to know their likes and dislikes and apparently, Baylee’s family knew all the dislikes of our town and all the likes of every other town.
When I reached the doorsteps to the strange shop I could hear voices on the second floor. Wayde, Baylee’s father, was speaking hurriedly to Baylee, I’m assuming, giving him instructions on where to find something in their basement for a customer from across the desert. I casually walked into the store staring at everything they had on display. Wind chimes made of animal bones hung from every corner of the store. I remember hearing some story that these were supposed to ward off unwanted predators while on a hunting trip. Seems to me it would attract them, especially wolves who gnawed the bones of their prey. I continued to walk around staring at feathered trumpet shaped instruments, strangely ornate walking sticks made of dark cherry wood, and bizarre miniature figurines in every form of creature imaginable.
Of all the unusual things I saw in this store I never really took the time to stop and read the descriptions underneath them to see what they were for. The first item that really made me pause for a moment was a gray and crumbling mummified hand which clutched a small strand of satin ribbon in its decayed fingers. I read the description underneath it, curious as to what this could possibly be.

“The Hand of Possibilities: A mummified hand from the ancient royal
clan of Binadwe, the people of the sand. When placed in direct sunlight
the red satin becomes the color of midnight black if enemies are
near. The ribbon changes to blues and greens if the possessor of this
hand is in need of medical assistance but if the ribbon remains red, no
harm will befall the owner of the hand.”
“Interesting,” I said to myself, not allowing any more thought towards the bizarre and creepy little hand. I continued to stroll around the shop not really taking note of any other item in the store. That hand was enough for me. As I rounded the center isle of the cluttered shop something else caught my attention. Without really knowing what I was looking at I stopped and stared. Tucked away in a corner surrounded by boxes was a simple mirror about four feet in height and roughly three feet wide. But upon closer inspection, I noticed that this mirror was anything but simple.
The frame was a golden ornate pattern of crawling vines, flowing watery streams, flickering fire, and a gusty wind. If almost reminded me of the mirror I dreamt about. Only this real mirror was far more beautiful and not divided in to multiple pieces.
The upper left corner was decorated with lifelike leaves that seemed to be growing from the golden frame itself. As the leaves etched their way across the top towards the right side of the mirror I noticed the vine of leaves suddenly transformed into flowing streams of water. I followed the beautiful trickling stream sculpture down the right side of the frame where the water suddenly took on the appearance of wind blowing in every direction. These gusts made up the bottom right corner and continued across the bottom of the frame to connect to a sudden blast of flames and flickering fiery shapes that rounded the bottom left corner. The fiery blaze streaked upwards again along the left side of the frame meeting the growing vines. It was like the vines grew from the fire, the river flowed from the leaves, the wind blew from the water and the fire was fueled by the wind.
Never had I seen such an amazing and beautiful mirror in all my life, but somehow it seemed familiar. The glass inside the frame was sectioned and molded to the inner rim of each intricately decorated corner, except the center piece. The center was diamond shaped and the only thing I could see in this mirror was colors. It never stayed the same, never remained one set color but was a rainbow of all the color I’d ever known plus some of which I’d never seen before. It was a truly beautiful mirror.
I searched the entire surface of the mirror for a description to find out more if I could. I wouldn’t mind having a mirror such as this to take with me to Girl’s School. A price tag was nowhere to be found, no word of note, or even a name for the beautiful piece of art. I stretched my hand out to brush the fine and delicate etchings of the frame. When my fingers met the first leaf carving I suddenly felt as if I was surrounded by forests. Huge richly green and dark trees completely encircled me and tall grasses inched across the floor. I quickly removed my fingers and found that nothing around me had changed at all.
I was still standing in the dusty store of oddities staring blankly at the enchanting mirror. Amazed and dazzled, I went to touch the flowing streams of carved water instead and without another thought I was engulfed by the sound of crashing waves all around me. I could actually feel the spray of the sea touching my face and soaking my clothes. It was just like the feeling I’d had in my dream! I removed my outstretched hand and I yet again returned to the dingy store. I was speechless and I knew my mouth was hanging open.
I was almost certain that if I touched the seemingly flickering flames I would surely be burned or the gusting winds would carry me away to unknown lands. But what harm could it do right? I never left the store when I touched the forests or the waves, so I stretched out both hands this time to touch the flames with my left palm and the wind with my right. A sudden surge of freezing winds and burning flames surrounded me. I could feel the warmth of a fire on my left side while my right felt like I was freezing at the same time. When I released my grip on the two corners I stared with my eyes wide open.
Amazing! It was still eerily familiar though. I thought about tracing the outlines of the flames and wind again but I turned my gaze upon the center piece of the mirror that was flashing the many different colors. Only when I looked directly into the mirror this time the colors were no longer flashing. One color was there and it was the most beautiful color I’d ever seen. So soft and delicate and fragile that it seemed it would fade if touched. It was light and feathery and very pale by itself. At first it seemed to be the light purple color of clouds at sunset, soft and gentle but would darken to a more rich color, a deep and velvety shade with royal blues and pinkish reds caressing the edges. I was entranced by this amazing color exchange of feathery purples, royal blues, and playful reds all mingling to create new and beautiful shades of purple and lavender.
“Adella?” a voice called. I could barely take my eyes away from the spectacular vision to acknowledge the person calling me. “Adella” I heard it say my name again a little louder. This time I could feel a large warm hand resting on my shoulder. I blinked a couple of times trying to tear my gaze away from the beautiful colors. The hand clutching my shoulder began to pull me around to face the voice.
“What are you staring at?” It was Wayde, Baylee’s dad. I was so transfixed by the amazing colors from before that I didn’t notice he had come downstairs. When I looked into his deep brown eyes I awoke from my daydream. The colors didn’t seem to fade though, only change. Suddenly I was seeing a beautiful magenta color surrounding Wayde’s entire body.
“Oh, hey, Wayde, I didn’t hear you coming.” I blinked a few more times and the magenta color faded away. Putting the thought from my mind, I slowly started to remember why I was in the store in the first place. “Have you seen my parent’s today?” I asked him, forgetting the mirror I was so engrossed with moments before.
“Umm, yeah, Adella they were here, but they…umm…left.” He had that same edgy tone to his voice that the women in the bakery had. “They came by, but left suddenly, no word, nothing.”
“Gone?” I was more concerned now and the tension had been building sense I left the bakery. The worry I’d been feeling ever since then had started to build and I could feel the rumbling anger brimming and I knew any minute now it would finally explode from me. “What do you mean they’re gone? Where did they go? They wouldn’t just up and leave Jillyan and me. What happened to them, answer me!” I knew I was probably yelling at this point but I didn’t care. It felt like the whole world was starting to crumble at my feet and above my head. Let it rain, let the whole world flood for all I cared right now, I just wanted to find my parents. I could feel the panic building thicker and thicker. What if they couldn’t be found? What if they left because of me? That couldn’t be right I was the one leaving in a few weeks. What about Jillyan? What was I going to tell her?
“Adella calm down. That’s the problem. They didn’t just up and leave you or Jillyan, for that matter. They were ‘escorted’ away. I didn’t want to tell you, I knew you’d get upset like this. Some soldiers took them to Poca Montanha, the queen’s capital.” Baylee’s father tried to console me, comfort me as much as he could but I couldn’t imagine what Lia or Jazin could have done to be taken away by soldiers, much less ones directly from the queen! My parents weren’t exactly the fighting type. What would the queen want with a common mid-wife and a simple physician? She had access to every exceptionally skilled physician in the land, not to mention numerous foreign sorcerers she collected to help her. Why did she need my parents?
“So, Queen Kadira, she’ll send them back right? As soon as she’s done? What could she want with them?” I asked, Wayde pleadingly.
“That’s the other problem. They were taken away to be questioned about something they did eleven years ago. I overheard the soldiers telling your parents that a mistake might have been made and they needed to go to the capital to clear up a few matters.” He stared at me with a wary eye studying my reaction to what he was saying though I don’t think I entirely understood. Reading the confusion on my face, Wayde continued to tell me more. I think he had hopes that I’d understand what he was trying to say without saying it directly, whatever that was. It wasn’t working very well. In fact, I was more confused and more than annoyed, I was downright furious. He continued to talk and with every new piece of information he gave me, my vision became more gray and disturbing yellowish lights began to streak across my eyes.
“You see Adella twelve years ago Jazin and Thalia left Amira on a ‘mission’ of sorts. Rumors spread that Thalia and Jazin were incapable of having children and Thalia desperately wanted a child of her own.”
“It’s my fault” I whispered as the words Wayde had spoken hit me like a brick wall. My fury at myself overwhelmed me. The calm I tried so hard to preserve finally brimmed over and erupted from my mind. I completely stopped breathing and my eyes darted in any direction but Wayde’s concerned face. My head began to feel very wobbly, as though the clouds had descended upon my very eyes and blocked all vision in front of me. The store felt like it was closing in on me and I needed fresh air. I had to get outside as fast as possible.
I staggered towards the door and made it outside but my mind didn’t get any clearer and the loud rumbling I heard in the store only got louder while the ground beneath me started to shake. I couldn’t stand any longer and my knees were trembling so much that they gave beneath me. I hit the ground hard landing on my knees, but I was numb, I couldn’t feel anything around me. I leaned forward placing my hands on the ground trying to steady myself and keep from throwing up. When I opened my eyes the gray cloudy haze was still there and the streaks of yellow were now flashes of bright white which zoomed in jagged streaks across my vision. I began to tremble all over as I crouched towards the ground trying to open my eyes. Between the flashes of light I could see little tendrils of gray mist seeping from the tips of my fingers. Thick gray clouds built up around me as I continued to breathe heavily. Strong winds started to blow from different directions causing my hair to flap in front of my face.
“It’s my fault, all my fault!” I started to yell at myself. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t see. The only parents I’d ever known were gone because they adopted me! I could tell it had started to rain, the ground surrounding me was starting to build large puddles of mud yet somehow I felt completely dry. I guess Wayde pulled me under the tarpon of his shop but I couldn’t remember moving or being moved from that spot. I had no idea where Wayde had gone but I hoped that he was dry. I continued to kneel there on the ground crying, choking on my own sobs barely able to breathe.
How long I had been kneeling there I couldn’t tell you, seconds, minutes, hours, they all seemed the same to me at this point. The next thing I really knew besides the sight of dirt under my hands and a strange grayness on my skin was being carried away and getting wet. Where was I going, and more importantly, who was carrying me? I was dry before, why would someone move me into the rain? I didn’t want to open my eyes for fear of seeing that blindingly white and yellow light before my eyes and if it wasn’t the bright flashes it was sure to be the gray hazy cloud. Slowly, I began to feel warm from the skin of whoever was carrying me. I knew I was safe, I could feel it in the deepest part of my body. Whoever this person was, they were strong and I was safe with them.
Slowly, the feeling of exhaustion crept over my body. I started to open my eyes but realized I was so drained of all my energy that I couldn’t even do that simple task. All I could do was lay there at the mercy of this kind soul carrying me away from everything, away from the hurt, the rain, the store, Wayde’s story, anything that reminded me of my parents who were now missing because of me, then darkness. The black veil of sleep won over my rampaging thoughts and the last thing I heard was the soft melody I’d been humming just a couple of hours ago by the same voice that frequently haunted my dreams.