Seeing what happened, my heart skipped and I quickly looked around to find Dolores and Tyril but they were nowhere to be found. I didn't even find any weapon to defend myself with. I flinched when I heard the old man whimper in pain in the dark. I wanted to speak but couldn't. I had to act right to prevent bloodshed. Soon, the old man was led out of the darkness by Tyril, with his knife crossed over his throat in an arrest.
"Tyril?" I exclaimed. "what is this? What has this kind man done to you?" I asked but Tyril ignored me and spoke to the old man instead.
"Get it out. Now." He yelled.
"I… I have… I have nothing on me… I… I… swear." The man cried out.
"Tyril let him go. What has gotten into you?" I said to Tyril but he ignored me and kept pushing his dagger close to the man's neck until he surrendered.
"Okay, okay, okay. Here, have it. Have it and leave me alone, boy" He said shivering and bringing out a pouch.
Tyril took it from him and quickly pushed him away from him.
"I'm sorry, yo… Karen but this old man here is nothing but a thief." Tyril finally spoke to me.
"He was kind enough to help us get a place to rest the night…"
"At what price? What he did was extort money from us and then brought us here to rob us." Tyril said angrily. The old man quickly covered his face in shame and left.
"How did you notice him?" I asked.
"I told you it's my duty to protect you, Your Highness, especially from thieves." He said.
"So you didn't sleep after all." I said.
"Yes. I see you were weak. You slept..." Tyril said but paused as a mischievous grin spread across his lips.
"Tyril?" I called him peering at him suspiciously.
"You slept... Well." He said.
"I don't think that's enough reason for that grin."
"Well... You slept like a log and..." He hesitated before he finally spoke "you snore." He said.
I quickly looked around and put a finger over his lips.
"I don't. C'mon, where's Dolores?" I quickly said and drove our conversation in another direction.
"She's out... Hunting I think." He responded.
"In the middle of the night?!"
"Yes. That's the best time." He said then opened the pouch he had collected from the old man to see what he was going to steal. The pouch contained lots of gold coins and pieces of jewelry which included my Onyx ring, Dolores's pendant, and her tiniest silver dagger. Tyril pulled out the ring and stared at me, narrowing his gaze in suspicion.
"What?" I asked and snatched the ring from him, swiftly.
"I mean no disrespect but you really are a thief?" Tyril said.
"I didn't steal it. It belongs to me in every truthful way." I responded and slipped it back into my pocket.
"Then it's a second time you almost lost it." He said.
"Actually... It's a third time. I got to be more careful, hah?" I said but Tyril responded with a nod.
"Do you think he knows what it was?" I asked.
"No way. He is just an old man whose intention was to steal from us. He was probably going to sell it and put himself in trouble." Tyril said.
"You have a point. I'm sure he never even left Troy before." I added.
Dolores quickly walked into the room with a dead bird in her hand.
"We don't have to worry about hunger tomorrow." She said.
"You really did go hunting at night?" I said to her.
"And you really are up. Come on, you should rest. The one true future Queen of Devon can't show up before lord Zhai looking like a scumbag. Trust me he won't be impressed." She said. "I'll set up a fire outside and roast this bird. Don't worry, you can have some in the morning." She added and left without noticing her pendant and dagger in Tyril's hand.
"Good night." I said to Tyril and went back to bed.
In the morning the next day, we woke up and got ready to leave but the old man was nowhere to be seen.
"You really did scare him off last night, Tyril." I lamented.
"He was a thief and if he really left because he couldn't steal from us then I bet his intentions were not genuine." Dolores responded.
"Your highness, please check your belongings and be sure nothing is missing, especially your ring. He may have stolen something before he left." Tyril said.
I checked for my ring and every other thing that belonged to me and nothing was missing.
"Nothing is gone." I said.
"Mine is intact." Dolores added.
"That is all that matters for now." Tyril said.
"Right. Let's go. We'll find the palace on our own." I said.
"No." Dolores responded.
"I'll gi check out the roads first and be sure people can move around today. We don't want to make Lord Zhai our enemy before even we get a chance to state our mission to him." Tyril said.
Dolores and I nodded in approval and so he left.
MEANWHILE IN DEVON
The old man had traveled all the way from Troy to Devon with information about our whereabouts to King Stefan. Turned out he saw my ring, recognized it, and is greedily going to sell us out to King Stefan.
He made his way to the palace when he got to Devon and was quickly apprehended by the guards and taken to their Almighty King.
"Who are you?" King Stefan asked with no trace of emotion on his face or voice.
"Greetings your Majesty. My name is Sky." He responded.
"Sky, I didn't ask for a name." King Stefan said rudely with his demanding gaze piercing Sky.
"I'm sorry your Majesty. I'm Sky, a farmer from Troy and I've brought you information. Good news even." He said.
King Stefan looked at him wondering what good news such a man could have brought a king.
"Speak," King Stefan said.
"Your doom is back King Stefan. Naya Mongolia is alive and they are coming for you." He said.