Book 1 - Chapter 17 - Scouts

1000 November 5th

~Near New Kintin~

"Here it is! The river. Now if our sources are right there should be a camp around here with the big folk in it,"
Tink said. Mila shrugged her aching shoulders. They had been walking for so long... forever it felt like. Wisp had his sword drawn, just in case. Mila sighed.
"Are we hoping to find it today?"
she asked. Tink chuckled.



"After lunch, how about that? What's with the lousy faces? We're on the verge of putting a lot of ifs to rest."
 Mila sucked on the inside of her cheek.
"It could be just a normal camp in which case we still won't know anything more than we do now."
 Tink punched Mila's shoulder.
"Oh, come on. We can't be so gloomy all the time. Race you into the water,"
Tink said, her entire face was light, almost glowing.
"No thanks, it's way too cold,"
Wisp said, he shuddered. Mila patted the dragon wing pattern of Wisp's dusty clothes.
"Too scared, are we?"
she asked smirking.
"There they are!"
a man's voice rang from the forest behind the three.

Five men were running straight to them. Wisp held his sword at the ready.
"Capture them!"
 a black haired man in a blue coat screamed. Veins stood out on his neck, face bright red. Mila shivered. She hadn't a single weapon on her. They had thrown their packs behind a tree in the dash to the river. In those packs were Tink's and Mila's sharp objects.

"Get them alive."
the man said, pointing with a white hand to Mila.
"What have we done?"
Mila asked. She fluttered her eyes longing to have her hair unpinned.
"You are Mila, the heir to the position of leader of Ponia, am I not right?"
he asked. Wisp growled. His sword arm shot out.
"Prepare yourself!"
 he snarled. Mila stepped backward, toward the river. There was nowhere to go. The river was freezing and too wide to swim to safety. Tink stood behind her. Both held hands.
"We'll get through this,"
Tink whispered. Mila nodded.
Wisp lunged again.

 The other nodded to the men behind him. One went on each side of Mila . She turned from side to side. This was the end. Her life would end. The quiet world became filled with the hate sounds of war. The men howled, swords clanked then clashed. An orange haired man rushed Tink. Mila was alone. There wasn't a single kind soul near enough to assist her.
"Give up nice and good girlie and you'll still be able to walk when we're done,"
a man said.
Mila shook her head and took a step backward. She put her hands up at the ready.
"You ain;t just a pretty thing, are you? Too bad!"
The man's leg popped out coming much too fast toward Mila's head.

"No!"
Tink screamed. Mila shielded her body as best as she could. The foot crashed into her chest. Mila screamed, her eyes fluttered a second. Her entire body was bent double, her hands touching the long grass.
Everything turned black. Bursts of color appeared in her mind.
"Don't! She's just a kid, not the hope at all!"
Tink screamed. Mila sank to the ground and gasped air into her lungs.
"Go along easy and there won't be any injuries,"
the blue coated man said, Mila strained to comprehend what he said. The entire world seemed to have gone off kilter for a minute.

"We forfeit,"
Wisp said. Mila shook her head. It cleared and the world had color once more. Mila stared at Tink and Wisp. Both stood with hands behind their heads. Mila's heart twisted in her chest.

Wisp looked defeated. Without hope or spirit.
"You too, princess,"
the blue coated man said. He nodded to her then to a golden haired man.

"Tie them tight! I won't have anyone escaping. We'll put them with the others."
 He leaned backward, sniffing the air.
"Such a perfect fall day. Not too cold and not too hot. Don't you three think so too?"
he asked. Mila shivered. She could feel his hard eye on the back of her head.
If she had just kept her hair short and not been gadding around so much then maybe... perhaps. Her tier jerked her arms behind her back.
"Please, could you release my friends if not me?"
Mila asked. The man's clammy hands on her wrists never faltered. They tied the rope tight then jerked them to ensure they would stay on.
"Please,"
Mila whispered. Had her family been taken in this way when they got found? For sure, they must have been found by now. Wherever they had their hiding place it must be so!

"Off we go!"
the blue robed man said. He giggled. Mila glanced at Tink. Her eyes were on the ground before her, hands held behind her without a murmur while they were tied tight.
A cool breeze blew in from the river. In the distance Mila could make out the village called new Kintin, the place they had been bound for before being so taken.