Compass of the Nymphs (6 page)

A smaller chariot awaited outside the castle
with a tiny caravan attached to it. There wouldn’t be enough room
for the three of them to sit and catch up like they had planned.
The caravan had no windows, and Taisiya was certain it was there
for her to be locked inside to ensure no funny business. Sure
enough, the guard tossed her inside the dark box and locked the
door from the outside. Taisiya waited with baited breath and
listened to her parents being shoved on to the chariot with the two
guards that would be whipping the horses to take them in to
town.

Inside the black box, Taisiya could barely
move around. As they galloped off down the hillside and into the
forest, she started devising a plan. If she tossed herself against
the opposing wall hard enough, she more than likely could break
free from being attached to the chariot, but then she would be
locked in a box in the middle of the forest while her parents raced
to their doom. That wouldn’t work.

The feeling of the darkness and the rough
terrain were starting to make her a little lightheaded. She tried
to feel the four walls around her and sit down, but felt a sharp
pain as the knife Nathaniel gave her pricked her thigh. It was so
sharp that one prick from the blade had jetted her back to
alertness and gave her the perfect plan. She got out the blade and
felt for the wall facing the rear of the caravan. She started to
carve out a section of the wood and then waited to see if the
guards had heard. They whipped the horses even faster and carried
on unfazed. She said a little prayer and slowly began to carve out
more of the wooden wall.

Eventually there was a hole in the wall big
enough for her to slide out. Taisiya expertly maneuvered herself
through it and used her knife, stabbing it into the wood to climb
the rest of the way to the top of the caravan. As she rounded the
top, she surveyed the scene to devise a plan of action.

Her parents were sitting with their arms
bound between the two men. As the terrain speeded by, she realized
this was going to be much harder than taking on the queen’s whole
fleet in the motionless forest.

One of the guards was a skilled archer and
had his quiver of arrows slung across his back. Taisiya knew that
he would only be experienced at combat from far away, so she would
save him for last—he’d be pretty much defenseless in a fight this
close, especially compared to the other guard that had his whip in
one hand and a knife in the other.

Taisiya got herself steady and then pulled
her knife from the wooden caravan. She narrowed her eyes, focusing
on the neck of the guard with the knife. “Hey boys!” She shouted as
loud as she could.

Both of the guards and her parents turned
their heads and looked upwards. As soon as they did, Taisiya tossed
her knife through the air, aiming for the guard’s jugular and
hitting her mark. In a split second he had keeled backwards and
fallen off the chariot. Taisiya jumped down from the caravan and on
to the back of the archer.

He was shouting and trying to fling her off
his back to stop her from attacking him, but he didn’t realize she
wasn’t trying to hurt him. Once she landed on his back she untied
his quiver. He leaned down and swatted at her, lowering them both
close enough to the bottom of the chariot that she could snatch his
bow that was resting there. With both in hand she let go of his
sides and hopped off the chariot and on to the forest floor.

By now the horses had slowed down without the
threat of either of the guards whipping them. The chariot was
moving just slow enough for Taisiya to draw an arrow and release
it. The projectile went through his stomach and out the other side.
The guard reached down in anguish when he saw blood.

Uh oh…he wasn’t dead. Taisiya drew another
arrow and raced after the chariot, but it was going too fast. The
sentry had grabbed his whip and beat the horses to pick up speed
and then cracked it in the air above her parents’ heads. She
screamed and tried to go faster.

The guard’s wound was starting to get to him.
He clutched his side in pain and turned his back on the two other
passengers in the chariot. The guard didn’t realize that only their
hands were tied; both Rhea and Chariton jumped out the back and
fell to the ground with a thump.

Taisiya ran up to her mom and dad and cut
their hands free. “Go!” she shouted. “Run into the forest, and
don’t look back. Keep going until you find the glen. I’ll meet you
there.”

“Taisiya!” Chariton said sternly.

“No! Listen to me and
go
!” Taisiya
said firmly. She helped her mom and dad up and watched as they ran
through the woods as fast as they could. She drew an arrow and
waited in the clearing for the guard to come back with the chariot,
her bow poised.

The horses came whinnying back shortly with
the burly guard beating them as hard as he could while clutching
his side. The arrow glided through the air and punctured his heart;
he died instantly. Taisiya ran over and untied the horses from the
chariot. She guided one toward the direction her parents went and
whipped it. The horse went galloping through the woods, and Taisiya
hoped it would find her parents and help them get to safety
faster.

She hopped on the other horse and was off to
Solames. The queen wanted her citizens to watch a murder and
Taisiya was more than happy to oblige. With the bow and arrow at
her side, she knew that someone would be dying today, and it
wouldn’t be her!

The center of Solames barreled in to view,
and Taisiya nudged her horse to a slower pace. The whole town was
out and awaiting the spectacle; Taisiya knew they could easily spot
her if she didn’t think ahead.

From her perch, she could see a large
platform had been erected with a couple dozen chairs. In the
center, sat the queen in all her golden gaudy glory. She looked
bored and was fidgeting with her dress while the guards sat in the
chairs around her looking equally bored.

The citizens of Solames that had been
assembled in front of the platform had a different look on their
faces. Each one was anxiously looking around, dreading what they
knew would soon happen. It had been made quite clear that this was
not going to be a pleasant afternoon for anyone in the
audience.

Taisiya guided her horse a little deeper into
the forest so as not to be seen by those that were watching for the
chariot’s arrival. By the time she had circled around and had the
view of the town center right in front of her, a commotion was
stirring in the field and on the platform. The citizens were
getting as restless as their queen.

Hopping off the horse, Taisiya patted it in
appreciation and then began to climb the nearest tree. Undetectable
and safely seated on the highest branch, she looked out at what was
happening in the town center.

Queen Adrasteia must have expected the
arrival of the chariot to be imminent; she had stood up and begun
to speak to the crowd. Zara was at her side.

Taisiya strained to hear the speech that was
being made. Queen Adrasteia had her usual fake charm on as she
gestured to the crowd. “My humble citizens,” she said, “it is a
pleasure to see you today.”

Judging by the looks on everyone’s faces in
the crowd, they weren’t as pleased to see her. Nonetheless, she
continued, “It pains me to say this, but there comes a time when
punishment is necessary to those that are guilty of treason. The
gods themselves have trusted me in ruling over the land, and it is
a momentous task that I have harrowingly, but humbly, accepted.

“However, there have recently been a select
few that believe they themselves hold more knowledge than the gods!
Pah! I know that I speak to a very intelligent crowd today—one that
knows better than to doubt the mighty gods. Still, it must be known
that any one who dares to interfere with the way our kingdom is
ruled will be punished consequently. I think we all can agree there
is no better punishment fit for treason than death.”

The crowd half applauded and half groaned.
They knew what would be coming next, or so they thought. Taisiya
watched from high above, waiting for the right moment to release an
arrow through the queen’s heart.

Adrasteia now turned to Zara and grabbed his
hand, holding it up high above their heads. “This, my people, is
Zara.” She let his hand fall as she turned her attention back on
the fear-filled eyes in the audience. “Zara is not of royal blood,
but I am kind enough to let him accompany me in the castle in
exchange for his services.

“As you know, Solames is a beautiful land and
all of you do wonderful jobs working for the castle and your
country. To ensure the safety of your posterity, I’ve been generous
enough to take in the town’s, and other towns across the country,
youth. Doing so keeps them safe from the dangers that are posed by
living in Solames and safeguards that there will be generations to
come!”

Taisiya rolled her eyes. Why was the queen
wasting her breath? Everyone in town knew that she was lying
through her teeth. Taisiya grabbed an arrow and was ready to fire
until the queen turned to Zara once more.

“It always puzzled me,” she said, “that there
was
one
child in all of Solames that somehow managed
to…elude…finding her way inside my castle. I trusted my men, though
I shouldn’t have. The one girl, who you all know lives in Solames
with her parents, grew into an immoral rebel. Recently, she has, I
believe, seen the error in her ways. The girl has tried to gain
entry in to my castle herself!

“I know, however, that she is not seeking to
find her rightful place with the other children as she should have
many years ago. No, there is evil in her heart. Last night I awoke
in my bedchamber and saw her staring at me with a knife, ready to
kill me!”

A small round of applause burst out in the
rear of the audience. Queen Adrasteia glared hatefully at them, and
they quickly hushed.

She sighed, “A chariot that was carrying both
the rebel Taisiya and her godforsaken parents was on its way to
town, but it does not surprise me that it has not arrived.” Part of
the crowd started cheering in delight, but quieted once the queen
held her fist up at them. “I can sense your sadness…” she said
through gritted teeth, “but do not worry. Justice will be served
today.”

Taisiya thought to herself that justice
indeed would be served and was about to let go of the arrow when
Adrasteia walked out of the target and on to the other side of
Zara, circling him. He looked rightly uncomfortable.

“Spies are always a good thing for a queen to
have,” Adrasteia rambled. “But sometimes there can be a bad seed
even among the elite.” Zara and Taisiya both gulped at the same
time. This wasn’t sounding good for him.

The queen now ignored the crowd and seemed to
be speaking solely to Zara. “Did you really think I didn’t know?”
She chuckled. “I know it can be hard to do what your brain says is
right when your heart says the opposite, but still, Zara…”

Adrasteia’s eyes shone brightly at him as if
she were a bird that had spotted its prey. “Ah, unrequited love,”
she said before turning back to her now captive audience. One of
the guards rose from his seat behind them and stood wielding a
battle-axe.

Taisiya could feel her hand shaking with
worry. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get a clean
shot. If she aimed for the queen, she would more than likely hit
Zara instead. Taisiya’s deep breaths drowned the sound of the
queen’s speech as she tried to remain calm and get her shot.

Queen Adrasteia had returned to talking
animatedly to the crowd. The guard inched closer and closer to
Zara, ready to slice him open at a moment’s notice. Taisiya was
beginning to cry, wondering how in the world Zara was remaining so
stoic.

Everyone was taken aback by what happened
next. Zara collapsed on the floor with his head in his hands,
sobbing. Taisiya momentarily choked up, sorrow running through her
veins. The guard stopped in his tracks, and even Adrasteia looked
down at Zara, bewildered.

It took a while for Taisiya to realize what
he had done – given her a clear shot for the queen. Taisiya let an
arrow rip and then began to climb down the tree as quickly as she
could while it sailed through the air towards its target. She knew
as soon as it came in to view, all eyes would be on her, and the
guards would waste no time in apprehending her.

Taisiya hadn’t waited around to realize that
the arrow did not reach its target. It did, however, fly right past
the queen’s arm, giving everyone in Solames a fright. Adrasteia
began shrieking and crying out to her sentinels. They turned their
heads in the direction of the arrow and saw Taisiya as she jetted
deeper and deeper into the forest.

Zara was one step ahead of all the others on
the platform. When the queen began shouting, he jumped off and
darted through the crowd. There was no better protection than a mob
of people that he knew would be on his side. He looked back over
his shoulder as he ran and saw the queen was now infuriated. All of
her attention was on capturing Taisiya; he was grateful.