"The Revolt in Ashdale" Chapter 8: A Dangerous Path

Anna woke up early the next morning. She was hungry and nervous because they were going to sail again. The good ship they had arrived on was set to return to Sailsbury at noon, and they needed to be there earlier so the cart and horses could be loaded aboard.

Anna gathered her few belongings in the room and went downstairs to the tavern. Paul was already sitting at a table with bread and sausages. She sat down and quickly stole a sausage from Paul’s plate.

“You’re quite cheeky for a princess,” said Paul, smiling, “but because you are who you are, I’ll let it go.”

The host came over to Anna and bowed. “What can I get for you, Princess?”

“I would like you to address me without a title and treat me like everyone else,” she said, “and I’d like a portion of those good sausages and some bread with a mug of morning ale.”

“It shall be done, Prin… sorry, Anna,” he stammered.

Anna preferred to leave *The Golden Flame* as quietly as possible, and it didn’t help that the host revealed her identity to too many people.

They ate, and Anna insisted on paying. Once again, Paul saw Anna reach into her pocket and pull out a shiny gold coin.

“Does this seem right?” she asked the host.

“Yes, your grace, that should be more than enough.”

“Keep the rest. There will come a day when I visit *The Golden Flame* again, so take care of yourself, dear innkeeper.”

“I would appreciate that, your visit, and may you have a safe journey back to Valmorun.”

“Thank you, we are to sail, and I hope your excellent food stays in my stomach!”

The innkeeper laughed heartily. Paul and Anna gathered up their things and went out to the cart and horses, which had been brought up by the stable boy.

They set off, and Paul couldn’t hold back his question: “Did you get money from the King, since you paid with gold coin again?”

Anna decided it was time to confide in Paul. She told him about the bracelet’s power and abilities. Paul was silent in admiration.

“I hope we won’t need its danger signal on our journey,” he said.

Anna nodded, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t be the case.

The ship cast off, and there was a bit more of a breeze than on the way to Elyndor, but she found that the ship’s slow rocking movements weren’t as uncomfortable as she had feared. The captain was also friendly and kind this time and offered lunch in the galley. A couple of times, Anna felt the bracelet tremble a little, but she just shook her arm, and the sensation went away. Still, it kept her on edge. Was someone watching them? She didn’t know and couldn’t understand why anyone would.

After lunch, they went up on deck and enjoyed the fresh sea air. A woman dressed in black passed by, and again, Anna felt the bracelet tremble. But it didn’t tighten, as she knew it would if danger was near. Did it have more powers than she had been told? She became a little scared and pressed herself closer to Paul, who wrapped his arms protectively around her.

Hours passed, and finally, they could see the tower and spires of Sailsbury on the horizon in a quiet haze. The ship sailed smoothly into the harbor, and soon they could smell the smoke from the city’s chimneys and hear the bustling life of the city. It didn’t sound as happy as in Valithar.

Anna and Paul could see people pouring toward the harbor and the ship. They were shouting loudly, asking if there were food items on the ship from Elyndor, as they were hungry. Anna realized that the situation in Valmorun had definitely not improved. Quite the opposite. She feared people would soon fight each other out of sheer frustration. How would they get safely back to the Manor? Paul would have to return to the Mill and drop off the cart. Would the Miller stand in the way of Paul continuing with her? The questions raced through her mind. And how were her mother and grandmother managing everything?

The bracelet buzzed again. It was as if it was urging her to do something, but what?

Could she “magically” summon food for the city? That would surely win people to her side.

They reached the quay, and the sailors unloaded the cart and horses. The empty cart wasn’t particularly interesting to the crowd, but Anna got an idea.

“Leave the cart here for a moment and remove the cover!” she told Paul. He looked at her in confusion. He would no doubt have preferred to leave as quickly as possible. But with Anna, anything could happen, so he did as she asked.

She jumped into the empty cart and shouted over the crowd of people.

“I have food for everyone, come closer!” The bracelet buzzed intensely now, and she grabbed it, wishing that the cart would be overflowing with fresh food and bottles of milk and fresh water! The skin under the bracelet burned, but there were dull sounds from the cart’s boards as they gave way under the weight of the huge mountain of food that suddenly appeared.

People rushed forward. Anna shouted again:

“Take only what you and your family need to survive for a few days. I want to hear from each of you what you think is wrong in our land and what solutions you think could help.”

People stared at the young girl, and then the talking began. They all knew the story about the young innocent girl who would come to help when the Queen disappeared; could it really be her?

They told of taxes and levies that were charged beyond the usual customs. They told of the Lord’s abuse. They spoke of the old days when everyone was safe and equal, but now a kind of upper class had formed that allowed itself to do anything.

Anna quickly realized that this imbalance in the land stemmed from the Lord. She had to break his power over the people!

When everyone had taken food from the cart and happily left the harbor square with their arms full, Anna smiled wearily at Paul.

“Now we must go back to the Manor and the Mill, but it’s too dangerous to be spotted by the Lord. I’ll try to speak with Lady Elara; I must know if she’s the sister who knows where the Queen might be!”

They traveled through the landscape along the river, which still flowed backward. They were constantly on guard, wondering if anyone might be lurking. But the bracelet was silent and cold, smooth as always.

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If you missed the Prologue and the first chapters, you can read them here: