Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Fantasy

   Adrian was grateful to Commander Igralle for his offer as nobody, but the chieftain had accepted this orphan boy. The Commander helped Adrian onto his white horse, and gave the horse a quick nudge. They began their journey to the capital of the western capital Asmarta Regentia.
   "I've been thinking about you Adrian, and I don't think being an aid to me is the best choice. You can handle yourself well and you have the courage. I'd like to sponsor you as my squire. I know it seems sudden." Igralle said seriously.
   "Me a squire!? I never thought I'd ever be asked to serve under the knights? I thought only nobles became members of knighthood?" Joseph replied.
   "Not in Asmarta, we have many boys from all social classes serving here in the Empire capital. Skill is looked on even higher than noble birth, and the Empire needs boys like you who can think and do. I have a squire in the Empire, yet he has no experience with traveling in the plains or forest. Both of you could learn from each other." Igralle explained.
   The boy and the commander continued their journey to the capital in the Western Empire. The journey was quiet for a long period of time.
They traveled far and wide. Once they reached the bridge leading to the other side of the forest, they found a ransacked Caravan and wounded civilians. As Adrian reached down to assist an injured man. When Adrian reached down the man, tried to snatch him. The commander unsheathed his blade and stabbed the Bandit in the chest. The bandit managed to pull Adrian away, and forced a knife to the lad's throat. Another Bandit snuck behind the commander and hit him over the head to knock him unconscious.
   Adrian, tried to cry out for help, but the Bandit forced his hand over the boy's mouth to gag him. The boy struggled with his assailant, but he could not break free of the man's grip. The bandits took Adrian to a wagon, and tied his hands and feet with rope. One of the bandits picked up the boy and placed him in the wagon. The Bandit reached over the boy and placed a handkerchief into his mouth and tied it. 
   The thugs took young Adrian, to a farmhouse outside of a factory.
The Bandit leader hurried the boy inside of the house. He took the boy over to a bed. There was terror in Adrian's eyes when the man put a knife to Adrian's throat.
   "Now. you listen to me kid! If you don't want to get end up on the side of the road bleeding to death, you had best keep your mouth shut!" The Bandit threatened.
   The boy nodded compliantly and the
cloaked man left the room, locking the door behind him. The boy struggled trying to loosen the ropes. A sound off in the distance, sent chills down the boy's spine. He had a cold feeling that he wasn't alone. He looked around the dimly lit room, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He tried to get loose again, but he was unable to break free. The boy was able to hear a conversation, in another room.

"What do you plan to do with the kid?" one of the Bandits asked.

"Did you see who this kid was with? It was that Commander from the Knight's table of the Western Empire." The leader answered.

"This kid, I don't like the idea of making the knights angry. If anything happens to the boy, you can bet it'll be our heads on a pike. I say we let him go without hurting him now, before it's too late. The young man replied to the leader."

"Think about how much this kid is worth to the Knight Commander. Why would he be escorting a boy across the plains? My guess is that this boy is either of noble blood, or Royal lineage." The Bandit said tapping his fingers on the table.

"I don't like this boss, there's something that stinks about this whole idea. This boy doesn't look anyting like the members of the Royal Family. He doesn't even resemble any of the Nobles or shopkeepers in the city. My guess is that this might very well be that Knight's Squire." The young man answered with concern.

"It doesn't matter whether the boy is Royal lineage or if he's just some peasant. The Knight Commander seemed, that he cared about this boy very much. I bet he'd give everything he had, to rescue this poor boy. I'll demand a ransom for the boy's safe return. If the Knight Commander is willing to pay the ransom, then nothing will happen to this boy." The Bandit Chief answered standing up from the table.

"As long as the boy doesn't get hurt, I'm okay with it, but I can tell this isn't going to be easy. The Knight Commander's, are among the strongest warriors in Asephulas. If we start ticking off the knights, then we'll be in a world of pain. They could make our lives on the highway very hard for us. Aand I don't want to see are brothers, fall to their blades." The young man said, heading outside to do his rounds around the farmhouse.

   The Bandit Chief left the farmhouse, while the other three guards kept watch over the captive boy. They were unaware, did they were not the only ones that were after Adrian. Another group of people, appeared as if they had came from the Shadows. Blades flailing and knives sliding in wind, the smell of blood filled the air. All that lay on the ground, or the bodies of the now-deceased bandits. The mysterious cloaked men went after the captive boy. Once the men kicked in the door, one of them approached the bound boy. Adrian cried out, begging them to free him from his binds. Instead, one of the men pulled out a syringe containing a clear substance. Adrian, didn't know what to think of this, as he had only seen a device like this once when a doctor visited their village. The cloaked man, walked next to Adrian, and bent over him.
   Fear was in Adrian's eyes, he didn't know what to expect, but he knew that he wouldn't like what was about to happen. Another one of the cloaked men came to the other side of him, and he held him down. Adrian struggled, as the man injected him with the needle into his left bicep.
   The man removed the needle, and put away the syringe. The man holding him down still continue doing so, with the aid of another one of the cloaked men. At first Adrian began to cry, as he did not know what they had just done to him. Everything began to become hazed, as Adrian looked around. He stopped crying, and fell unconscious.