*
Hunter insisted that they wait in the cave for several days before venturing out onto the Plains to make their way back to Gelendan. Though Natalya could see his point, she didn’t relish keeping the baby in such an unsatisfying environment. And they didn’t have much in the way of supplies for the child.
Luckily, whoever had packed their bags had included powered milk on the off-chance that they would have come across her. They were able to mix this with water and give to the baby, but she didn’t like it and fussed when Natalya tried to get her to drink it. She had taken it upon herself to care for the baby’s needs, changing and cleaning it the best she could, and trying to get her to take some food. Hunter seemed fine with that arrangement, spending most of his time by the entrance to the cave, watching for signs of pursuit.
On the second day, a search party marched past them and further onto the Plains, and on the third they returned, heading back towards the village. When the fourth day had passed and no other party appeared, Hunter announced that they would be leaving the following night.
Natalya hated traveling at night. The short journey through the woods the night when they had rescued Phoenix had been terrifying enough. She was not looking forward to repeating it on the Plains, especially when she had the image of the horrifying creature with a flower atop its head fresh in her mind. She wished Hunter had been more successful in shielding her from its dangers.
She had to be strong for little Phoenix though. She needed to get her back to the Queen so that the Queen could then reunite Natalya with her family. She was sure that her own mother and father were going crazy with worry over her by now, and she wanted to be able to return with Alina safe and sound.
So the following evening when Hunter indicated it was time for them to head out, she voiced no complaint at the lateness of their travel. She simply helped pack up their belongings and steeled herself for the trip. She fastened the baby onto a sling she’d constructed on her back for easy carrying and followed Hunter silently to the cave entrance.
He spent a few moments observing the landscape before stealthily stepping out into the open. He stood in the spot for a full minute, waiting to see if anything would see him, before waving her out as well.
As soon as she was free of the cave, they took off at a run, wanting to get out of the open fields and into the North Woods as soon as possible. Natalya did her best to keep her stride smooth so that Princess Phoenix would not get beat up during the process.
They reached the woods without mishap, luckily seeming to avoid the perils of the Plains, and Hunter slowed to a more normal pace. She quickly checked on the baby, surprised by its lack of complaint during this whole ordeal, and found her fine. She was busy playing with strands of hair that had come loose from Natalya’s ponytail.
The trek through the woods was no more eventful, and the three of them found themselves back at the inn where they were to be transported back to the city in no time. Hunter looked over at her when they were safely in their room once more and raised his eyebrows.
“We did it,” she exclaimed happily, stroking the baby on her tiny cheek.
“Well, we’re not finished yet,” Hunter pointed out and Natalya rolled her eyes at him.
“All we have to do is bring her back to the palace, and once the mages here are gathered and can transport us back to the Alamanni Manor it will take no time at all!”
“Yes, but you are forgetting that the palace is run by guards and mages who are largely loyal to Telvani. No doubt seeing the Princess back alive is not part of his plan.”
“I didn’t think about that…” Natalya admitted. “So what are we going to do?”
“I’m not sure,” Hunter shrugged, “I’m hoping that our friends Katrina and Aaron will have an idea.”
Despite being the middle of the night, it didn’t take long at all for the mages who were in charge of preparing the transport spell to appear in their room. Katrina had some very powerful friends it seemed. Not surprising, given her friendship with the Queen.
After the uncomfortable and gut-wrenching journey back to the Alamanni Manor, they found themselves surrounded by a mass of people. Hunter’s guard went up immediately, drawing his sword in alarm. Had their plan somehow been discovered by Telvani’s people and they were already here to intercept the Princess before she made it any further?
Several of the people nearest him drew their swords as well, and one man advanced on him. Hunter held his own in a blocking position, and Natalya protectively shielded the baby with her body while maneuvering herself behind him.
“Halt,” commanded a familiar voice and the man stopped, though he did not sheath his sword, keeping it trained on Hunter. The crowd of people parted and Katrina stepped through.
Hunter let his sword drop down to his side at the sight of her and the men around him all relaxed, putting away their weapons as well.
“My apologies,” Katrina said, “I wanted to be prepared for the worst, but I didn’t think about how it would look to you to transport into a circle surrounded by armed men. Were you able to learn anything?” She searched his face for some clue as to whether or not their mission had been fruitful, and her eyes darted over him for sign of their success.
Natalya stepped out from behind him, and lifted the babe so that she could see. Her face lit up like a summer’s day, her broad grin threatening to split her face. She rushed forward and reached out towards the child.
“May I?” she asked and Natalya reluctantly handed her over. She cooed at the little girl and looked up at Natalya and Hunter, a tear glistening in her eye. “I don’t know what to say,” she began.
“We’re hoping you have some idea how to restore her to her proper place?” Hunter suggested, not letting the woman finish her expression of gratitude.
“Yes, of course,” she responded, a more serious expression taking hold. “Telvani’s somehow convinced the Council to formally place him in charge of the country during the King and Queen’s ailment, so I would be scared to simply announce that we’ve located the Princess. There’s no telling how he would respond to it.” She looked thoughtful. “The mages we’ve been able to get into the palace where the King and Queen are being kept indicate that they believe the spell holding them to be one of their own making. That whatever attacked them put them in such a place that they now find it impossible to break free of. However, the love for a child is quite powerful indeed, and there is a chance that reuniting them with their little one may be the motivation they need to break themselves free.”
“So now we just have to break into the palace and pray that the spell will break when she’s near them before anyone else notices us?”
“Indeed. And I’m afraid we may need to beg your assistance again,” she said and Natalya waited for her to explain. “Telvani knows that I am firmly on the Queen’s side and probably suspects that she had me looking into his dealings before she fell ill. He will no doubt be on high alert for me entering the palace, or any of my associates. He does not yet know the two of you, so you may be able to enter through the servant entrance undetected. I don’t suppose…”
“Of course we will,” Natalya answered for both of them. Hunter nodded in response to Katrina’s questioning glance.
“Thank you,” she breathed.
They spent the next several hours hatching a plan to get them close enough to the King and Queen that they would be able to sense Phoenix and hopefully break themselves out of whatever enchantment held them. It was decided that they should rest for the night, and put the plan into motion the following day. The more time that elapsed, the greater the chances of the enchantment taking too strong of a hold – or of Telvani taking too strong of a hold – so they all thought that sooner was better.
No one had been able to think of a good excuse for bringing a baby in through the servant’s entrance, so they had needed to be a bit more creative. Instead, they fashioned a carrying basket ou
t of one that was meant for cheeses, slinging her into it so that she was suspended within and could lightly be covered with cheesecloth. Consistent with her easy-going nature that Natalya had witnessed on their trip, she did not complain even when she was put into the complete darkness of the basket.
They made it to the door without anyone giving them a second glance, but upon their arrival, they were held up by the guards.
“What are you bringing in?” one asked, eying the basket.
“Just cheese, sir,” Natalya answered.
“Are you now,” the man drawled, “Well, how do I know it’s just cheese? Open it up.”
Natalya drew the lid off the basket with slightly shaking hands, hoping that her quaking movements were invisible to the man. He seemed oblivious, more intent on what was in the basket.
Luckily, Katrina had the good sense to really put cheeses into the basket as well and Natalya watched with apprehension as the man reached in. His hand headed straight for the cheesecloth that covered Phoenix’s head. Natalya held her breath.
Suddenly Hunter fell into her from behind, causing the basket to wobble under the man’s hand and he jerked it back out.
“So sorry,” Hunter apologized, getting a better grip on the basket he was carrying as though the load had set him off-balance. “Why don’t you just give him a wheel so we can put these down somewhere,” he suggested to her, “I’m sure we can explain the disappearance of one cheese.”
She didn’t need to be told twice, reaching her hand into the basket to find one of the real cheese wheels. Her hand brushed against the baby’s soft skin and she hoped the child wouldn’t make a sound. Once again, luck was with them as she remained silent.
Natalya handed the cheese to the man who examined it closely for a moment. Natalya could fairly see him salivating over it.
“I guess you’re all set,” he grunted, waving them through.
She let out a sigh of relief as they left the guards behind them, following the directions that Katrina had given them to maneuver through the palace. Fortunately, though rather disturbingly, there were many secret passageways winding through the palace which allowed them to bypass the inner guards. When they reached the doorway that led into the monarchs’ private suites, however, they came across a problem. They were heavily guarded, not just by the guards, but by several men and women in mage’s robes.
Katrina had promised that they would create some sort of disturbance to hopefully distract as many of the guards as possible, and would be close behind for back-up, but their plan still hinged on getting Phoenix in to where the King and Queen were before anyone knew there was something going on.
A commotion sounded down the hallway and Natalya heard the clomping of many running feet coming straight for them. She and Hunter glanced around frantically, searching for a place to hide. Hunter tried a door handle nearest them. It jiggled in his hand, but did not turn. They were trapped.
The footsteps came nearer, accompanied by shouting voices. “Intruders!”
Natalya and Hunter looked at one another.
They had failed.