“Ah, horse apples. This was going to be such a lovely day.” Said Hoxley.

  “Do you really you think you can help him?” asked Morell.

  “I-I’m not sure.” she said “I hope I can help him, I just have to think.” They made their way to the small building Loxo described. “Perhaps you all should wait out here.” The others nodded they understood and Hoxley pushed the door open. Inside, the singular room was lined with men standing around stoically smoking. Every eye fell upon her when she entered. For the first few moments no one said anything. There were three windows but they’d all been shuttered. It was dark, almost too dark to see, save for a singular lamp burning in the center of the room. Her eyes adjusted and she spotted the large man with the beard Loxo had described behind an enormous wooden desk.

  “Hello.” She said nervously. “My name is Hoxley of the plains, good sir. I’m a messenger. I carry letters and parcels.”

  “I have nothing to give you. Leave whatever it is you’re delivering and get out.”

  “I’m here to speak to the jail keep about the pirate outside.”

  “Oh?” said the bearded man. “You don’t say. What business is that thief of yours?”

  “I’m wondering what it would take to get him out of those stocks.”

  “A long rope.” The man quipped which caused a wave of raucous laughter to fill the room. When the laughter died, he leaned forward on his forearms to put his large head close to the light so she could see every detail on his face. “Young lady, you should leave. That pirate has been a pox upon this town and every village from here to the eastern kingdom his whole life. No coin purse is safe while he walks free. I intend to remedy that tomorrow morning when I kick a stool from beneath his feet.”

  “But good Sir,” she said. “I believe you should entrust the pirate into my care.”

  “You know what? Now that you say so, I have seen you around before. People seem to be friendly to you. But that’s not enough. He’s a dangerous degenerate and has committed several serious crimes. A noble’s daughter has been defiled and swindled by this reprobate. I’d lose my position if I didn’t dole out justice for this crime. So, unless a royal decree falls from the clouds and magically lands upon my desk, then I see no reason to give up what is mine.”

  “I see. If I can produce such a document then I can take him into my custody?”

  “Young lady, if you could deliver such a thing before tomorrow morning, I will pay you a gold piece just for taking the miserable cuss off my hands.” Having spoken his peace, the man eased back in his chair where shadows partially concealed him once more.

  “Agreed.” She said with a small bow of the head. “Thank you, Sir.” Hoxley turned about and left the building, pulling the door soundly shut behind her. The others anxiously awaited her return and hurried to meet her when she emerged.

  “What did they say?” asked Ignatius. “Can he be released?”

  “It may be possible but we’ll need to act quickly. Firstly, we need to gather what supplies we’ll need from the market. After that, I’ll have to speak with the prince.”

  “What does the prince have to do with this?”

  “He might just be the key to helping poor Loxo survive past tomorrow morning. Come along, we must be swift.” The four moved on together to enter the market where they vanished into the crowd.

  Back in the grove, the prince lay dozing in the tall sweet grass between shifting beams of sunlight slipping though the woodland canopy. His head sat propped up upon the trunk of a tree. Hoxley and the others hadn’t been gone long and he woke when his stomach gurgled with hunger. He tried to ignore it but his stomach and mind betrayed him with thoughts of cooked beef or even a bowl of Bohga’s spiced fish stew. It was then that he remembered the bread and honey that Ignatius had offered. He thought it was close by, perhaps next to his pack or shield. He shifted them about but the tiny red cloth tied into a bundle with a knot on top was nowhere to be found. Through his pack he searched a second and third time. Each time he came up empty handed and grew more and more confused about where it had gone to.

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  “Are you looking for something?” A voice said from directly above. He looked up to find the dark bundle of clothes perched on a high limb, glaring down at him like a bird of prey. The small red parcel dangled from black gloved fingers.

  “That’s what I’m looking for.” Prince Damron held his hand out. “Give it to me.”

  “Why should I?”

  “It’s his.” Said the shadow girl from Prince’s Damron’s pocket. “Your brother gave it to him.”

  “I think it’s mine now. Unless of course…he asks me very nicely for it.”

  “Robert, please give me the bread and honey.”

  “And if I say no?

  “Then I’ll climb this tree and take it.”

  “You are welcome to try.”

  “Stop it, you two.” Said the girl. “You’re being childish.”

  “I’m not being childish,” The prince huffed, shrugging away his shield. “The stupid witch is.” He leapt up and grabbed the lowest limb with both hands, pulling himself up to it before grabbing the next one.

  “You’re moving far too slow. You should climb faster.” Robert taunted him. “If you don’t, I’ll drop both of them to the ground and you’ll have to fight the insects for your meal.”

  “You had better not! Robert, stop playing with me, I’m hungry!”

  “You could climb so faster if you weren’t talking so much. Perhaps your lady friend should carry you.”

  “Why are you acting this way?” Prince Damron asked, grabbing the next branch and pulling himself higher to plant a boot on the previous limb. “Stop this foolishness and give me that food!” The prince shouted as he climbed ever nearer.

  “Good heavens, you’ll have to be faster, your highness. I’m starting to lose my grip. I bet the bugs would love such delicious honey. Uh oh, I think it’s about to fall.”

  “Robert? Robert! Don’t you dare! Give it to me!” The prince climbed faster now, pulling himself hand over hand a limb at a time He was almost there. The folds of the cloak were almost within his reach. When he was close enough his right hand shot out to snatch a fistful of the witch’s garment.

  “Got you!” Said Prince Damron. “The game is over!”

  “Hey!” Robert said as he was jerked. “Let go of my cloak!” said Robert.

  “No! Food first, then I’ll let go!”

  “Both of you! Stop this immediately!” The shadow girl pleaded with them.

  “You’re pulling me off my branch, you warthog!” Robert cussed him “We’re twenty feet in the air!”

  “Then give me what I want and I’ll let go!”

  “You’re going to fall and break your fool royal neck if you don’t stop!”

  “You’re going to give me what’s mine or we’re both going down!” The prince let go of the limb he’d been grasping with his left hand and used it to grab a second handful of cloak. With no hands grasping the tree, he swung about on his tiptoes like a door on its hinge. Robert began to flail to keep from being yanked out into the air.

  “Get off or we’ll both fall! Quit it! I’m warning you!” The prince didn’t relent but instead pulled harder, yanking at the black cloth. “I said quit!” Robert pulled his knee high up and landed the sole of his winklepicker between Prince Damron’s eyes. Stunned, he lost his grip and tumbled backward into the empty space leading straight to the ground. The prince had no time to yell or shout in protest as freefall took him. The shadow girl in his pockets could offer no rescue. His arms and legs floundered to attempt and find a handhold but he was falling so fast that his panicked thrashings found nothing solid. Upside down and whirling Prince Damron watched the ground getting closer and closer by the second. Fearful of the coming impact he closed his eyes shut and braced for the pain that awaited.

  But it was not to be…

  A sound on the edge of everything he could hear, the sound like the flapping of a thousand bats, of dark materials flapping on the wind filled everything before something clamped about his ankle. He was jerked to an abrupt halt mere inches from his hands touching the grass. He dangled astonished by the miracle that suspended him before looking past his feet to find Robert holding his leg just above the foot with both hands.

  “Let me go!” snapped the prince.