Matilda landed on a tree limb, her gaze fixed on Kyla. "Are you okay, princess?"
"I'm not sure." Kyla was devastated. Her eyes were wide open as she gazed up at the moon. "Where are we going? They claim that the kingdom has collapsed. Are the nearest towns destroyed?
"Take it one step at a time, little one." Matilda lowered her gaze to the ground. "We can make our way down the branches below."
Kyla nodded, looking at Matilda gripping her staff.
The moon glistened as the pair leapt down each limb with ease, landing near the castle's dark gray walls.
Matilda felt a tingling sensation on her shoulder. Slowly, her index finger trailed over the wound, which was dripping blood.
"Are you all right?" Kyla huddled next to her.
"It's just a scratch, so don't be concerned." Matilda stroked Kyla's head sofly.
A voice hissed, "I enjoy the flavor of human flesh."
"Get down," the warrior maid said quietly.
A man dressed in dark brown garments and wearing a spiked, wooden mask gazed in wonder at the beast. "You're not going to devour me, are you?"
"Maybe if you irritate me." The monster snarled. "Your people and ours have a shared goal."
Kyla could smell the creature's must from its hair. Its pungent odor filled her nose. It had a terrible stench, like a wild man.
Matilda shifted her gaze to Kyla, blinking twice.
Since Kyla was a young child, Matilda always gave a signal in training. One to wait and the other to strike. The amber gem at the end of Kyla's staff began to shine as she gently raised her staff.
The beast man came to a halt and sniffed. "I smell something fresh… human flesh ripe for the taking.
The man said, "Your nose is broken." The guy shrugged his shoulders and added, "There are dead corpses everywhere, so they're fresh."
After another sniff, the beast man grinned and walked forward towards the western gate of the castle walls.
Kyla groaned deeply, looking across at her maid, who was tying her sleeves over her wound.
"We must go to the stables to check if any horses are available." Matilda rose, making sure the way was clear.
Kyla rose up and followed Matilda through the bush down toward the castle's side. "My heart doesn't feel well about the horses there. What if they are all gone?"
"Maybe, but we must keep on going. Hold on," the maid pleaded, and she extended her hand to her princess one more.
When Kyla looked to see what was beyond the tree, she was taken aback. On the ground, there was a woman trembling there.
"Please don't murder me," begged the peasant. "What did we do to you?"
The beast walks over to the woman, breathing heavily. "I've never had human flesh before,'' he said, licking his lips.
"Spare my child,'' the woman pleads.
"Before the main meal, I'd like to have a snack." The beast leaned down and sniffed the baby.
Aughhh! The beast's top torso caught fire and fell back.
"Princess!" In the distance, Matilda saw Kyla, with her staff in hand, rushing up to the mother and her kid.
"You little witch!" The beast still on fire leapt towards Kyla.
"You'll die anyway," added Matilda, who uses her sword to block the beast's onslaught.
The beast fell back to the ground, the flames encasing his body.
"Are you all right?" Kyla inquired softly, glancing down at the lady and child.
"My princess," the woman said, bowing quickly.
"Get to safety,'' Kyla said, looking at the woman.
"Yes, my dear princess." The lady said this while bowing and still shivering.
Matilda turned to approach Kyla with a harsh expression on her face. "You don't have to put yourself at risk, princess."
"Matilda, these are our people." Kyla glanced up to her maid, a look of justice on her face. "We have to protect them."
"Those are not my instructions, my princess. For the sake of the throne, my instructions are to bring you to safety. I adore you, but we must go on."
"Why are you so cold?" Kyla turned to the left, looking down the road to the stables.
"I have to be to keep you safe. I am not without care, but I must keep to my code." Matilda grabbed Kyla's hand as they proceeded down the side of the road in the tree line.
"Keep your head down, princess." Matilda moved ahead, her gaze drawn to the castle through the forest line.
Kyla shifted her gaze to the left, seeing the beast men gallop by with blood on their fur. The dead were strewn along the gravel road.
"Keep your gaze fixed on me, princess." Matilda approached a four-way junction.
"Matilda, there are so many dead." Kyla turned to the right towards the woods after hearing the wind rustling the bushes near her.
Matilda returned her gaze and tightened her grip on Kyla's hand. The maid looked to the right as the stables came into view.
Augh! Kyla screams as her body was hurled from the tree line onto the roadway.
"PRINCESS!" Matilda yells as she ran towards Kyla.
"What do we have here?" a voice stated.
The maid was bending down Kyla, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. "Get up! Get up, princess."
"We have quite the situation now." A thin man emerged from the trees, his hand clenched. "I didn't even utilize all of my strength on that punch. I'm delighted I came to witness what's going on in this kingdom. Perhaps it will be worthwhile for me to invest my time on this."
"Tell me your name, you scumbag!" Matilda patted Kyla on the cheek in an attempt to keep her awake.
"My name!" the man proclaimed. "I'm kind of shy." So… the man lunged towards Matilda.
She barely had time to put Kyla down before the man's fist almost hit her face. Matilda struck him on the nose as she leaned forward, delivering two more strikes to his jaw.
"For a hold hag… wait woman…—where are my manners?—you hit pretty hard. A dance underneath the moonlight would be quite enchanting."
"I'm not interested in your fairytales." Her eyes traced the road next to the man. The stables were within a few paces. The moonlight illuminated their path to freedom. If only she could grab Kyla and run past him.
"Old hag, you've got a lot of courage. The fun is finished…" Matilda saw the man's grin as he rushed forward and stood in front of her.
He's too fast! Suddenly Matilda's body became as rigid as a board, and she felt a finger poke her head. What manner of magic is this?
The maid was caught in the man's right arm as he leaned forward. "You think you have power?" the man whispered in her ear, nibbling it slightly. "You are nothing. Now to end this."
Oh no! The princess! She tried to move, but the body gave no way to her emotions. It was as if someone turned off her motor skills. Princess!
The man put his hands around Matlida's throat, squeezing it slightly. "I am going to make you suffer."
Please! Matilda was powerless in comparison to the man's abilities.
"Oh." The man let go, snapping his finger. "The powers that be told me my fun is over. Pity, I was just starting to feel alive." The man laid Matilda on the ground. Such a pity. He investigated the face of the maid on the dirt.
"Till next time." The man smiled, patting her on the cheek. His figure vanished as he walked down the path toward the castle walls.
Matilda blinked and coughed sharply as air flooded her lungs. She crept closer to Kyla, who was wailing on the ground. "Are you okay, princess?
"That man can pack a punch!" Kyla exclaimed while touching her face. Shaking her head, she sat up and looked across at her maid, who was gazing at her.
"Thank the Goddess Emilia, you are safe." The maid coughed as she felt blood slide down her face. Recovering her breath, she looked down at the stables.
"We need to get down there. We won't survive another fight like that." Kyla turned on her stomach pushing up from the ground.
"Blast! I don't know what his name was." Matilda spit blood as she wiped the edge of her lips with her thumb. "Come on, princess." Matilda assisted Kyla in getting to her feet. Looking to the left and right of the crossing, she saw houses on fire in the distance.
"Those poor people," Kyla said, running behind Matilda who was in full stride towards the stables.
As the stables came into view, Kyla panted. Her whole body ached as a result of the blow to her chin. That was a diabolical blow... I can sense it. He utilized magic… or did he? Kyla felt herself stumbling as she almost collided with Matilda.
"Is there none remaining…" Matilda hunched down, her breath heavy from her sprint down the hill.
"Let's keep moving! Maybe there is one down the road. You said it yourself, we have to keep going. There is nothing but death around here. We can't face another foe like we did back there. We would be killed." Kyla put her hands out, her staff gripped tightly in her right hand.
Matilda retreated, her fury visible in her eyes. "I'm not upset with you, princess. I am just overwhelmed with the sadness in my heart."
Kyla turned around as she saw someone coming barreling down on a horse near the stables.
Matilda raised her eyes to the tiny, round woman with blood on her face.
"Natalie!" Kyla raced up to the horse, her gaze fixed on her sister.
Natalie had a somber expression on her face, unlike her usual slacker demeanor. "It's lovely to see you alive, sister."
Matilda's eyes traced the horse with several arrows in its body. "Where is Lavinia?"
Natalie stepped down from the horse and led it to the stables then to a pale of water to clean the blood from its wounds.
"Natalie." Kyla approached her, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Lavinia is dead…" To avoid Kyla's eyes, Natalie used a sponge on the wounds of her horse.
"Lavinia was a fighter!" Matilda murmured as she approached the shy woman and placed her hand on her other shoulder. "She died in honor."
"I let the kingdom down." Natalie spoke in a squeaky tone. "Lavinia informed me I needed to contact King Erin in Elcid."
"That horse isn't going to make it to Elcid. You have not been adequately prepared to undertake that voyage." Matilda examined the horse's wounds.
"I feel obligated to do so for Lavinia since that was her final instruction to me. I need to be tough. I am a Valencian princess. I have no choice! I may not be the most physically fit, but I have a map and a bow and arrow. The one thing I'm familiar with is archery, and the other is sweets."
Matilda sighed. "There is no way out of this dilemma, my princess." The maid turned to face Kyla.
"You and your sister had to go. There isn't enough room on the horse for three people. I promised I'd bring you to safety, and I did. I need to return and rescue as many people as possible." Matilda's eyes started to glisten.
Kyla shook her head, her eyes widening as she looked at her rescuer.
"My brave princess, you must go! You must for the sake of the kingdom. I will soon follow." The maid's voice was softer than usual.
Kyla raced into Matilda's arms, wrapped them securely about her. Kyla wanted this moment to go forever, but her maid was correct. She had no choice except to go for the sake of the kingdom.
"We don't know if any messages got out of the kingdom because of the ambush. You must deliver the message to the other kingdoms and let them know of the tragedy that took place here." Matilda wore a somber expression on her face.
Natalie turned around to face Matilda. Her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed down at the ground. "That is exactly what Lavinia would have wanted."
Kyla let go of the maid's waist, gazing up and nodding slightly.
Matilda placed her hands on each of the girls' shoulders. "Princess Natalie, fourth in line to the throne, and Princess Kyla, fifth in line to the throne, you two must restore the splendor of our kingdom. Rally the other kingdoms to assist in bringing this treachery to an end before it is too late."
Natalie gazed at Matilda, her cheeks flushed as a slight smile graced her face. She looked up and nodded slightly to affirm the task at hand.
Kyla nodded, her eyes flashing with passion. "We shall reclaim our kingdom and reclaim what has been stolen from us." Matilda nodded and removed her arms from the two ladies. "You'll need this when the time comes." She took a pin off her collar and presented it to Kyla.
"What is this?" Kyla asked, clutching it in her hand.
"We must make haste as destiny awaits us on the wind. Kyla, my princess, I adore you." Matilda bowed as she ran back towards the castle.
Natalie, who was anxiously shivering, caught Kyla's eye. "You're with me, sister. I know you're a good shooter. Steel your determination. We have a task ahead of us. This one is for our family."
When Natalie clutched her fist, her face became bright crimson. "Yes, sister, I will follow your lead and lend my hand," her squeaky voice bellowed.
Natalie and Kyla climbed upon the badly injured horse.
"We'll make a beeline towards Havens Ville, which is located to the northeast of us. I pray that it is not overrun."
Natalie put her arms around Kyla as their horse bolted into the night, the moonlight their lone company.