David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb by T.C. Crawford (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

night with very little windows to let in any natural light and air, and hardly any torches to boot.

They were fed mostly scraps from the kitchens, but it was barely enough to feed the dozens of captives held prisoner at any given time. They said the place left a thick kind of despair on you, one that felt like death itself was moving in around you. Eventually you get to the point that the escape of death was almost welcome, some even pleading for it openly, screaming for the guards to take them to the noose or kill them on the spot. She remembered the nightmares she used to have as a child after she heard those stories, they would leave her waking up screaming in the middle of the night, covered in sweat. Her mother would always tell her the same thing while softly caressing her face, “Hush child, it was only a dream. You’re safe here. You’ve got your Momma with you.”

She felt the deep pain of her mother’s loss, wishing now more than ever that she were here to comfort her and reassure her that this was all just a nightmare that she would soon be waking from.

Erin wondered now what fate she would have if she ended up in those dungeons too. She wondered how long she would be able to last before begging for death to take her.

She felt the wagon suddenly come to a stop and heard the soldiers calling out to someone up ahead.

They began shouting and suddenly the distinct ring of steel being drawn rang through the air. She heard the roar of what sounded like a group of men at full charge. It sounded like they were coming from every direction, from the woods to her left and to her right. Something slammed fiercely into the side of the wagon, knocking her onto her side and against the opposite wall. She scrambled to look out the window and see what was going on, but she couldn’t see anything from her angle.

A scream filled the air and the sickening thud of arrows landing into soft flesh ended the battle cry with a choking gurgle. Quickly following was a muffled grunt, then an unnatural shriek of pain, accompanied by what sounded like a bucket of water being poured onto the open ground.

The screams of battle abruptly ended. Her heart was pounding so loud she could barely hear herself think.

Who could possibly be attacking the Royal Guard? She wondered to herself. She didn’t know of any enemies of the Kingdom and from what she heard in West Post, no one seemed to second-guess the General’s sudden rise to the throne, but embraced it as the truth, never questioning its validity.

Suddenly the sound of keys rattling rang by the door of her prison, snapping her out of her thoughts and back to her awareness of the real danger she was in.

She scrambled backward to the far side by the cell, away from the door, foolishly hoping the extra distance would protect her from whatever horrors were coming. When the door finally swung open, it flooded her dark cabin with a blinding light forcing her to shield her eyes. She briefly saw the outline of what looked to be a man before he stepped forward and blocked the opening. She felt her heart stop.

“Erin? Is that you?” a familiar voice asked in surprise.

“Who’s there?” she asked, frightened, not fully recognizing who it was.

The man stepped forward into the wagon to allow the light to fill the space around them. When her eyes finally adjusted, her heart leapt for joy. She recognized the man that now stood before her.

He was tall and built like a horse with broad shoulders and strong arms. He was older with speckles of gray littering his short dark hair, but the smile that now stretched across his face was as boyish as always.

“Oh Ryan, I can’t believe it’s you!” she cried, running into his arms.

Ryan had been in the Royal Guard ever since she could remember and had always been a loyal friend to Tyrius and the King. He had reached the rank of Captain faster than any other officer, or so she had heard.

He was a fierce warrior in combat but had a compassionate side of him that could melt the heart of just about anyone. When they were attacked by soldiers outside of Eldergate, Erin had feared the worst. She feared he had been captured or killed, but she knew he would never have betrayed the King.

“It’s good to see you again, kid. I thought you were dead. I looked all over for you, but the kingdom was sprawling with loyalists to General Krauss and the battles were becoming fiercer with each moment we searched.

“We had to escape or risk getting captured and losing our chance of ever taking back the kingdom. It took a lot to leave that city without you, especially with the state of the place. It was pure chaos.” he finished.

“I understand, Ryan. I’m just so thankful you’re alright. You couldn’t have come at a better time.” she said, still smiling.

When he led her out of the wagon and her eyes fully adjusted to the onslaught of light, Erin looked around at the group of men that stood near Captain Ryan.

“These men are loyal to King Eldergate, the one and only true ruler of the Northern Kingdom. When we heard the King was taken prisoner, we tried to fight our way to General Krauss and rescue the King, but his team of elite soldiers were already blocking the way to the King’s chambers. We tried to fight them off, but there were too many. We just barely made it out of the castle alive.

“That’s when we went to find you and any family members we could, but you were nowhere to be found. We decided to leave the kingdom and regroup with anyone still loyal to the true king. These men are all that’s left of