Lacey moved down into a crouch and the child had to let go so she would not be hit in the head but her knee. "What's wrong? Where's your mother?" As she spoke to the little girl, the other two children rushed over to try and pull their friend away from Lacey, who was still crouched. Lacey stared at them as they dragged the little girl to the corner of the house where Lacey guessed they felt safer.
"They must be orphans." Ray said, as he offered her, his hand to help her up. "It's best to just leave them alone, plus there's nothing you can do for them right now." Lacey sighed nodding, but before they started walking again Ray pulled something out of his pack and walked over to talk to the children.
Lacey stood and waited not knowing what to do. The city was a far sight to what she remembered it being the day she had gone to the docks to board her father's ship, the place looked neglected and dying.
Ray rejoined her, he took a hold of her elbow and led her down the street, Lacey turned her head to see the children waving at them as they walked away. "What did you give them? Or say?" She turned to look at Ray who still had a grave expression on his face.
"They were starving, so I gave them my dried meat. And I asked them where their family was." He paused letting go of her elbow. "They said they had woken up and disappeared one night and never came back just like some of their friend's families had done." "Oh my…" Ray sighed "let's get to your castle and see what's going on, because it can't be good if people are leaving and not taking their children."
Lacey's mind was filled with speculation about what could be happening to her kingdom, if her family's people were disappearing?. Even if her father had died, (which she still did not quite believe,) her brother would have kept the kingdom rolling, he loved the people even more than her father.
She looked up at Ray. "What did you say?" He smiled. "Your distracted. But I asked how you planned to get into the castle?" She shrugged. "Well I was just going to walk in and say hi I'm back from the dead."
"Well if it works it works." He smiled again, Lacey noticed he was in a lighter mood, soon silence fell and they walked on.
The Black clad man halted at the heavy oak door then he glanced at the other man set to guard. The guard nodded, the man scaled and pushed the door open enough to slip in.
He bowed then slowly moved towards the figure of a man that sat slumped in the chair at the end of the long table, he could see half eaten food sitting in front of them his eye pasted over the women that sat to his left she had her head down.
The room was dim so he couldn't see the expression on the man's face. "Well Dustin… I was not expecting you, we were to meet tomorrow. What are you doing here?" Dustin sighed. "Well boss, I thought you might want to know that there's a girl claiming to be the long lost princess and is heading this way, with a magic boy."
There was a pause then the man stood with a jolt knocking his chair to the floor. "What!"
Lacey looked up at the castle gate, she knew there would be guards on the other side so she raised her hand and looked at Ray.
She banged her fist a couple of times and yelled. "Hello!!" There was cursing on the other side as the gate swung up.
"How may we help you?" Questioned the two guards who opened the gate. "Well, first of all it took you long enough."
The guards glanced at each other. "Second, I'm Princess Lacey Walela Toughton, I demand to see my brother, he's the king, right?" She pushed past him, Ray reluctantly followed, the guards pushed the gate closed behind them.
Lacey was met with four other guards that stood in front of her, holding their swords at the ready. Those who had opened the gate drew their swords as well. "What's going on!?" Lacey looked around in surprise.
"What?..." She grabbed her spear and was ready to fight when. "LACEY!!" Ray yelled as pain spread through her head as everything went black.
Ray grabbed for Lacey as she fell towards the ground, barely getting his hand under head before it hit the ground. He stared up at the men, his eyes falling on Dustin was his name, holding a stick in his hand he had used to hit Lacey over the head.
Ray growled at the men, they looked back with pitying expressions.
He tried to use his magic as Dustin pulled back his stick for another swing, but nothing came as he called for his magic again.
The stick hit his hand and he tried to push it off but was hit from behind. 'They knew we were coming because that idiot told them, but why can't I use my magic.' Were his last thoughts. Before he blacked out.