Aeryn gazed upwards, a deep feeling of content starting to settle within her. The glowing moon shone down on the pair, a small sphere of bright light in the sky. Tiny stars glittered above her, splattered like paint against a canvas on the night sky. Nearby was the sound of a rushing stream. She could clearly vision it in her head; a huge, blue body of shimmering water, battling against all the jagged rocks and stones in its way. Aeryn was snapped out of her trance as a whisper penetrated the still air.
“Here he comes.” Aeryn tilted her head to look over the large rock they hid behind. A castle came into view. It’s tall, ominous, cobblestone walls towered over them, and Aeryn suddenly felt very meagre. She locked her misty blue eyes on every window silhouette, searching for the man who had bravely volunteered to steal from King Gawyn. At last, the brunette spotted a dark figure landing on the ground with a barely audible thud. As he neared, Aeryn heard the unmistakable sound of jingling. Gold. Diving behind the rock, the man bent over, panting.
“Seri,” Aeryn spoke, eyes glittering with barely suppressed excitement. “Success?”
Seri dipped his head respectfully to the Deputy. “Yes, Aeryn,” he replied quietly, looking quite pleased with himself as he lifted the large sack he gripped in his hands. Glowing with pride, Aeryn spoke once more. “Then we leave at once!” She whirled around. “Iris, prepare the horses.”
The woman who had alerted Aeryn of Seri’s arrival nodded, then turned to the steeds’ that had been unusually silent during the whole ordeal. Suddenly, shouting filled the night, along with the sound of hooves.
“Go!” Aeryn ordered, mounting her white horse, “to the stream!”
Everything went by in a blur after that. They raced through the forest, not stopping for the whispering of the trees, determined to reach safety. Billowing gusts of wind not only sent Aeryn’s red hair flying in every direction, but also her thoughts. What if they were captured, stealing from the King? Her leader would be so disappointed.
It didn’t matter anyway, did it? They would be dead by morning. Shaking her head, the Rogue Deputy forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
“We need to jump!” she called out to the others.
“What?!” they exclaimed.
“Over the river! Trust me!” Aeryn gripped her horse’s reins tightly, narrowing her eyes to slits. Her steed whined in fear at the intimidating stream, but nevertheless continued pelting forward. “Now!” she yelled. The next second, Aeryn was in the air, flying over the river and plummeting to the ground. It was exhilarating. The wind whistled, and she blinked against it’s cool force. She felt as though she were a bird flying for it’s first time. Two thuds from behind told her that Aeryn’s friends had dome the same.
Satisfying shouts of frustration came from the other side of the river, but soon died out as they bounded away. Eventually, they found a large cave to camp in for the rest of the night. Aeryn triumphantly dismounted her horse, and walked into its depths. Iris had started a fire, and it’s warm glow filled the cave with light, welcoming them into its warm embrace. “I think it’s time we take a look at what’s in that sack,” Aeryn declared. Eagerly, Iris nodded.
“Yes! Open it, Seri!” They gathered around the sack, watching Seri as he untied it with shaking hands. It’s folds fell open. Iris leaped back with a shriek, sitting down and covering her face. Looking down into it, Aeryn’s eyes widened in horror.
“We’ve been fooled!” howled Seri. Shimmering objects filled the sack, seemingly cackling at their foolishness. Slowly, Aeryn picked up one of the shards. The world seemed to be crumbling, bestowing its weight on Aeryn’s stiff shoulders. “Elewys won’t be pleased,” Aeryn mumbled.
It was glass.
