Month: May 2011

DAY 1: Saturday , May 5th, 3012
Hi, I’m Starr. As you can probably see, this is already a pretty strange looking book. But that’s not important. What’s important is the story that this book contains. Tyler is my sister… well… SOUL SISTER, to be exact. We’re both 16, and we aren’t even actual sisters. Tyler grew up all alone on a farm in Nebraska. I grew up in a secret agency in Washington, DC. I was sent out to be her “friend”, because it was rumored that she had discovered a Trans Reality Portal. That’s a Magical Portal which you touch with you’re hand. You are then whisked away to the Bridging Reality, then to the Alternant Reality. The Bridging Reality is a room that is completely white. You walk across to the other side of the room, touch the other wall, and you’re on your way again. The Alternant Reality is a separate version of here, only your Altered, the other version of you, made the opposite of most of your decisions. Finding a Trans Reality Portal is very dangerous to our current Reality. I know this all sounds kind of strange, but it’s the truth. Now, I’m going to a boarding school in Maine, along with Tyler. I’m a spy, and I absolutely hate being one. Tyler doesn’t know yet, so don’t tell her.
Hey, my name’s Tyler. I’m a girl, and Starr’s my SOUL SISTER!!!!!!! She rocks, but she can sneak up on me sometimes, and it’s kind of scary. Starr has shoulder length, straight, brown hair, and grey-blue eyes. I have blonde–brown, fluffy-straight, shoulder length, hair, and chocolaty brown eyes. I also have glasses. Starr’s the smart one, and I’m the strong one. Starr tells me I’m almost as smart as her, and I tell her she’s almost as strong as me! She is my best friend.

3 days later, we were headed towards what seemed like a giant wall of rock.
“Sorry about running off earlier.” Twist said.
“No, that’s okay!!!” I told her.
“Really?”
“Yeah! It’s fine.”
“Oh. Okay…” Twist said. “Well, Toast and I… we’ve been
talking…”
“About what?” I asked.
“You.” She replied.
“Oh.”I said.
“Well, Toast told me you must be very powerful.” She
continued. “He said I must try even harder to protect you now that you powers are known.”
“Why?”
“Well, now monsters in search of powers like yours will be on our tail.”
“Oh.”
“See that wall of rock up ahead?” She asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “What is it?”
“It’s Crescent Rock. The rock Rististuf stood on when he cast the Stone of Jairagen into the Drifting River.”“We must be getting close.”
“Yeah.”
Then we stopped.
“Why’d we stop?” I asked.
“Because,” Twist said, brushing aside a bush, covered from top to bottom in bright red berries. “Look.”
In front of us was a glistening rock, and if 5 fully grown cats stood on top of one another, I don’t think they could’ve reached the top.

“So we forgot to explain to you.” Toast said.
“Yeah.”
“Well why didn’t Twist explain?”
“I don’t know! Ask Twist!”
“Ok. I will.”
Then he swiftly brushed through the leafy stems of a small plant.
“Twist!” I heard him say. “Go explain to the kit!”
I was enraged. He called me a kit! I may still be young, but I was more that 5 and a half moons old!!!
“Sorry about him.”
I spun around. Being jolted from your thoughts is never very pleasant.
“Twist!”
“Hey. Toast told me to come explain.”
“Oh ok.”
“It’s kind of a long story”
“Oh, well we’ve got time, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well then go on.”
“Well, it all started about 300 years ago. There was an evil ruler by the name of DrakShardow. He owned the evil empire Darrken. He was ruthless and full of hate. So one day, one of his miners found a beautiful stone and used it to defeat DrakShardow and seize control of Darrken. He renamed it Shirann. Shirann prospered for another 200 years befo—” “Wait,” I interrupted. “How did he defeat DrakShardow with a stone?”
“It… it was a…magical stone…” Twist said.
“Oh… well, um… what’s it called?”
“The Stone of Jairagen”
“Why?”
“Well because about 200 years after Shirann was
renamed, Rististuf, ruler of the Trellist, conquered Shirann and renamed it Jairagen. When he discovered the Stone of Defeation, he called it the newfound stone of Jairagen. After discovering its mystical but dangerous powers, which had killed his own mate, Nataliliana, he threw it into the mystical waters of the Drifting River, where it was never to be seen again. Toast was told by the Speaker herself that one of DrakShardows kits, one of the ones he had with his first mate, Straftiller,
had started a family, Lighkellerr, their kit, had chosen her mate
Loscorlld and had given birth to her litter of three. It was said that Lighkellerr asked Loscorlld to murder two of her kits, so she would have a small family. Less betrayals from her kits that way. Her kit, LostShadow, had her mate, Crularre, murder the rest of her kits, the same way her mother did. This continued on, generation after generation, until we have the current cat, Midnight, trying to find the Stone of Jairagen, to create a new empire by conquering our current world, Shrifire.”
“Wow,” I said. “So we have to find the Stone of, um, Shrifire
before Midnight does?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok!”
“Yeah, its going to take us about 3 more days until we reach our first obstacle.”
“Wait. Two more questions.”
“What?”
“What are Chosens?”
“Oh. We’re Chosens. We are the ones who were chosen to defeat Midnight to save Shrifire.”
“Ok. Well then, what’s a Speaker?”
“The Speaker. Not a Speaker.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Anyway, the Speaker is a she-cat who can communicate with special cats by talking to them in her mind.”
“Oh, well Mommy always told me that was my conscience.”
“What?” Twist stuttered. “You— You’ve heard the Speaker?!?”
“Yeah.” I said.
“Oh!!!” Twist shrieked and raced off after Toast.

As we wandered farther and farther into the forest,
I was stopping more and more, admiring flowers, trees, shrubs, bushes, berries, and leaves. The list just went on and on.
“Will you hurry up???” Toast asked.
“Come on, Toast,” Twist said. “She’s never been outside
before!”
And with that, he stalked forward, rustling the undergrowth.
“Don’t worry,” Twist said, smiling. “He’ll lighten up. You just wait.”
I wasn’t too sure about that, but I didn’t object. And at that same exact moment, I realized I had just left home with two complete strangers. I wasn’t really scared, but I was plenty curious.
“Twist,” I asked, “Where… where are we going?”
“Um… hmmm…. I think we’re going to a meadow close to the Drifting River.”
“Oh… ok… why?”
“Oh!!! That’s right!!! We haven’t explained anything to you!!!” Twist exclaimed, and raced forward into the brambles after Toast.

“Mommy!!!!” I whined. “I’m hungry!!!!”
“Hold on Lily Ann,” She said sweetly. “I’m coming!!!”
Then she brought me some freshly-killed vole.
“Mommy,” I said. “I’ve never had vole before. Is it as yummy as mouse?”
She then chuckled and said “Of course it is!!! Otherwise, why would I give it to you???”
“Oh… Ok!!!” I shrieked, and took a huge mouthful. “Yummy!!!” I shouted.
“Honey!!! Shhh!!! You’ll wake your siblings!!!” Mommy whispered.
“Mommy!!” Another kit said. “We’re already awake!!!”
“Lily Ann, Sammy Lee, Kari Anna, and Susie Lee, go back to sleep!!!” Momma said, at the exact same moment two strangers brushed through the brambles at the entrance to the den. The kits glimpsed only a few flashes of the strangers faces before they were once again enveloped in the warm feeling of their mothers fur.
“Who are you?” Momma questioned them.
“I’m Toast, and this is Twist.” Said a bright orange tom. “And we’re here to get Lily Ann.”
“What?” Mommy said. “No!”
“Have you ever noticed her eyes? They’re purple!!! Just like ours!”
“So, that can mean anything!” Mommy objected.
“No, it can’t!!! You know she’s not yours. She was a Chosen
from the moment she was born, and you know that!!!” Toast shouted.
“Yes, I know.” Mommy replied sadly.
“Lily Ann,” A sweet looking black and white she cat said. “Come along now. We need your help.”
“Yes,” Toast said. “Twist is right. Will you come along?”
I looked to Mommy. She nodded solemnly. I turned around towards Toast and Twist.
“Yes…” I said slowly. “I’ll come.”
“Thank you.” Twist said. “You have no idea how important this is.”
Then, as Toast and Twist left the den, I said my goodbyes, and followed them into the woods.

The tide rises, It falls again.

Dragging under the innocent, It’s little game is played.

But while people hope, the tide can’t grab them.

But as soon as sadness is allowed to spread over,

The tide grabs the innocent with it’s little white fingers,

And only their memory remains.

So don’t give up hope, or the tide will wash you away.

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

My name is Amelia ray,I live in California on a beach. But I’m not an ordinary girl I can control the 6 elements. Fire,Water, Air,Dark,Light and Cheese. I’m not joking on the last one. I have to train day and night. And I must not disappoint my father. My father is the most powerful human in the world. He thinks I can be something,but personally I think  I can’t be anything. My trainer is the Egypt Goddess of Cats,Bast. She trains me with demons,vampires and exploding donkeys. Don’t laugh their not funny at all. I have fiery red hair,up to my shoulders. I wear a leather jacket with a blue shirt. I wear ripped up jeans and combat boots. I also never ever leave my headphones there usually resting on my neck. Bast was waiting for me in the gym I ran over to her. “Today we work on Fire” she said. “Okay” I said. “Okay just imagine this dummy on fire” she explained. “Easy” I said. “Don’t be too confident” Bast warned. I closed my eyes,I thought about the dummy on fire. How the fire burnt the dummy making it go to ashes. I pointed my wand at the dummy,I heard fire burn. I opened my eyes I saw the dummy on fire. “Excellent” Bast complimented.  ”Now make it bigger” she said. I pointed my wand at the dummy and made the fire bigger. “Now put it out” she said urging for more. I pointed at the dummy but it won’t work. “It’s not working!” I said freaking out. “Don’t freak out just take it out with Air” Bast said calmly. I commanded,”Air” but it didn’t work. The fire got worse! Bast unsheathed her claws and slashed the dummy in half. The fire suddenly stopped. “I’m sorry” I said feeling sad, “No need to be sorry failing leads to learning”  she said understanding. “And that lesson is??” I asked. “Don’t get too confident that may intefere with your magic” she said. “Thank you Bast” I said bowing. Bast smiled,her yellow eyes glowed but it was a pretty glow. You might see her as a cat lady I see her as a friend.

Chapter 5

The men laughed as they closed in on him.  The largest of the group stepped forward and smiled smugly, as if he had already won.

“Well, well, well.”  He said and grinned, showing his yellowing chipped teeth.  He turned to the smallest man of the three.  “A prince, Balthazar. This is what royal flesh looks like.”     His other two companions half-smiled and the smallest of the three, Balthazar, stepped in closer to Edward, the grip on his dagger tightening.  There was an eye patch covering his left eye, and he had jet black hair with a streak of red running through it.  His clothes looked somewhat regal-he was dressed like Oaklay, and he had a large red stains on his sleeves.  Blood, blood of innocent men. Edward thought and tightened his grip on Oaklay’s sword, his knuckles turning white.

“If THIS is what royal flesh looks like on this deck,” The man picked up Edward by his collar, and held him up to his eye level.  “His royal blood must look fantastic spilling overboard.”  He smiled wickedly and snapped his fingers.

The third man ran behind him and grabbed Edward’s collar, pulling him farther upward.  The small man took his dagger and held it up to Edward’s throat.

“Now, are you going to cooperate, or are we going to have to work the hard way?”  His voice was smooth as silk, with a slight twinge that should intimidate you.  It was certainly working.

Edward said absolutely nothing, and tried to wriggle his way out of the third man’s grip. He tried kicking the man in the shin, but he stepped out of the way.  The small man snapped his fingers again, and the third man shook Edward.

“I do wish you would cooperate.” The man’s lips curled into a half smile.  “Oh well, I gave you your chance, Prince Edward. You leave me no choice.”

He pressed his dagger a little further into Edward’s throat.   Edward gasped as a trickle of dark red blood started to snake its way down to his shirt.

The large man laughed.  “Believe me, boy.”  He turned to the young prince. “He can do worse.  Much worse.”

Edward gulped as he felt the tip of the dagger press a little farther into his neck, and the trickle of blood became larger.

The small man removed the dagger from Edward’s throat, and examined the tip coated in blood.  He ran his finger along it and held it up.

“The first royal blood to be drawn, but certainly not the last.”  All three laughed, and the third man threw Edward down onto the deck.  The small man bent over, his face inches away from Edward’s.

Edward could hear his heart pounding louder than it did at when he was running from the fire.  The blood he saw was making his dizzy.  He knew there was no escape from this, unless there was some kind of miracle.

“Well, Prince Edward, we finally meet.  Pity this will be our first meeting- AND the LAST.”  He smiled smugly and stood.

“Kill him.”  He said simply.  The other men nodded and made the prince stand.  The black haired man ran to the other side of the deck and swung himself overboard and started climbing down a rope ladder.

The two other men grinned wickedly and pulled out their long swords, the blades stained a brownish-red.  Edward gulped and held up his sword.  The long blade seemed to be made of pure silver, and it was not stained anywhere.  Edward looked to his left and saw Oaklay sitting there, watching him.  His eyes locked with Oaklay’s, and Oaklay half smiled and closed his eyes. A feeling of warmness suddenly came over him.  He was dizzy for a second, and when he focused back, he felt as if he had all the knowledge he’d need for this duel.  For the first time that day, Edward grinned.

He stood on the balls of his feet, poised to attack.  The men looked surprised but said nothing.

They surrounded him once again, and both lashed out at once.  Edward parried both their blades with the blade of his sword and pushed the two men back.  He managed to block all their lashes, but could never strike them.

They both closed in on him at once, and Edward parried one while kicking the other in the gut, just like what he had seen Jack do.  Then he pushed them backwards, and they both fell.

But they came back quickly, and Edward lunged at the largest one, but his attack was parried and Edward was sent backwards to the other man, who had clearly been expecting this.  He lashed out at Edward before he could turn around, a managed to make a long, thick cut in Edward’s back.

He suddenly became dizzy, and his legs were numb.  He couldn’t move.  He heard a pounding in his ears, and the world became spotted with black.  He saw a small pool of scarlet blood starting to form under him, and then he couldn’t hold himself up.  He fell to his knees into the pool of blood.  He heard the men laughing at his weakness.

The large man smiled and placed his hand on Edward’s head.  “Say Goodbye, Prince Edward.”  He held up his dagger, and started bringing it down.  Edward closed his eyes and prepared, for the second time that week, to die.

But Edward didn’t feel cold metal piercing his skull.  In fact, the dagger never came down.  And all he heard were two thunks, two groans, and a soft chuckle.

Edward opened his eyes, and despite all of his pain, he smiled.

Before him, the two men who had tried to kill him were lying on their backs, unconscious. As Edward wondered how they got there, he looked to the side, and saw Jack standing over the large one, holding both the men’s swords and daggers, and chuckling to himself.

“How did you-” Edward started, but Jack smiled and interrupted him.

“I was never unconscious.”  Jack half smiled and started walking toward the other end of the deck, and Edward saw he was holding the club which had struck him down.

When the sun goes down,
my heart starts up..
it’s the time to see
to see myself more clearly…

i don’t want to be a monster
and live in solitude
but i know,
truth cant be changed.
past cant be altered,

I must face this
I can still not be a monster
I can still not be the bad guy

This time of the day
When sun’s rays become unreachable
I get my rays of hope

Hope to still be a human
If it’s possible.

Her name is Sorrow,
she visits everybody’s burrow,
She is Happiness’ twin,
who always gets to win,
but no worry, she won’t be here tomorrow

Chapter 4

Edward stumbled towards the rail of deck, and finally saw what was going on.  Apparently their ship had been invaded a little while ago by wild looking men.  But taking another look at them, Edward realized that they were different than the others.  They looked like they would kill, while the men from Pride of Atlantis didn’t seem interested in killing anyone, just defending themselves.

But who could those people be, and what did they want?  They couldn’t be a trade ship-those men were much more regal.  But what about……pirates?  Yes, they had to be!  But what did they want?

Edward’s thoughts were interrupted when the man that had dashed at Jack a minute ago was now running towards him.  Edward practically jumped off the deck, and started sprinting toward the other end of the ship.  But the man was catching up with him; Edward could feel his breath against his neck.  The blade of his sword swishing behind him, trying to find the right angle to run him through.  Hide, you fool! The voice in his head yelled at him. HIDE!

He ran toward the large mast in the middle of the deck, which was surrounded by large barrels on either side.  The man who had been chasing him had disappeared from view, but two more men, who were attacking the crew of his ship, were close enough to run him through with their swords.  He prayed there was nothing in the barrel and lifted the lid.

Inside was- burlap? Oaklay traded burlap?  Burlap wasn’t of any value where Edward came from.  But he had no time to think about it now.  He needed to hide!

He pushed some of the burlap down to make a cushion, and then climbed in.  He put on the lid of the barrel and waited.  Outside, he could still here the clashing of swords and the cries of wounded men.  Edward shuddered at the thought of those long cuts.

But what did those pirates outside want?  After a few moments, it occurred to him.  Jack told him he was worth a lot of money, and he needed to protect him.  And to, whatever he did, not get caught.  That’s what those pirates wanted.  They wanted him, Edward.  PRINCE Edward.  And they could take him easy as anything if he was hiding in a barrel.  He needed to get out of there, fast!

He started pushing the lid of the barrel up, hoping no one would notice him.  But as he was pushing it, he felt something sharp below him.  He stopped his work and lifted some of the burlap.  Underneath were weapons; swords, daggers, bows and arrows.  Oaklay was a weapon trader. 

Edward took a shining dagger with an obsidian handle and emerald inlay, and used that to pry up the lid of the old barrel.  When he had pried the lid off, he slowly raised his head to look out.   He saw many men lying on the deck, some dead, some wounded.  He also saw only one fighter remaining- Jack.  He was fighting three men at once.  The blade seemed to be part of his hand, and he blocked every slice at him.  But Edward saw another member of the attack crew coming up slowly behind Jack with a large club in his hand.

Edward wasn’t thinking when he yelled. “JACK! BEHIND YOU!”

Jack turned toward Edward, and then looked behind him.  He blocked the man’s club, and gave him a knee in the gut.  The man doubled over in pain, and Jack kicked his head, sending him backwards, unconscious. But when he turned back to the three men, they had surrounded him, and while Jack was fighting off the one in front of him, the man behind him took up the club that lay on the deck, and before Edward could yell to him again, the man hit Jack on the back of the head, and with an ear-splitting crack, Jack crumpled and lay on the deck.   The men turned toward Edward now.  His yelling had given away his hiding spot.

Edward jumped out of the barrel and ran toward a group of unconscious men, and stumbled on a few of them. The three men were catching up to him; he could hear their large feet pounding against the deck.  But they weren’t athletic, and started having trouble keeping up with him.  He ran to a corner of the deck, near a man cradling his cut and bleeding arm.

“They’re gonna get me.”  Edward sighed.  “Looks like the end.”

“Maybe not, Prince Edward.”  The wounded man said, and Edward turned toward him.  He had eyes the same striking green color as Edward.  His long black hair was slightly wavy, and he wore a regal blue shirt and brown trousers. But on his face, which would have been handsome, there was a thin white scar running the length of his cheek.  Why did this man seem familiar?

“How can you help me?”  Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.  The men were very close now, all waving their swords.

“Take my sword.”  The man said, and indicated the long sword lying next to him.  It was had an obsidian handle with emerald inlay, like the dagger Edward had seen before.  It suddenly came to Edward why this man looked so familiar.  With a large grey tri-corner hat, and a long green coat, this bedraggled man was Oaklay. Why was he helping Edward?  Probably so he can sell me later! Edward thought with disgust.  But he picked up the sword anyway and held it towards the men charging at him.

But a thought suddenly occurred to him when he held it up.

“Wait!  Mr. Oaklay,” Edward’s voice was tinged with panic.  “I never learned to swordfight!”

Oaklay laughed.  “What better way to learn then experience?”

And before Edward realized what was going on, he was surrounded by the three bloodthirsty pirates who were chasing him, seeming ready to kill.

Maybe, I was a little harsh,

Or maybe I wasn’t thinking straight,

Maybe, it was all just some kind of bad dream,

But I think I was the one who made you leave.

Chapter 3

“Who are you? Where am I?  What’s going on?”  Edward turned his head towards the man cutting through the rope on his side.

The man pretended not to hear, and continued with his work.  He had pumpkin colored hair, cut unevenly above his blue-green eyes.  He was wearing a long sleeved beige shirt with brown laces going up the sleeves.  His trousers were brown, and had red stains all over them.  He wore heavy work boots that were up to his knees and looked a size too big for him.  He had a sword and a small spyglass tied to his large blue belt and a metal whistle on a necklace.  But the most peculiar thing about him was his left hand.  On the backside of his hand, there was a long scar running to just below his elbow.

The man finally sighed and stopped his work.  “Do you really need to know all these things?  Can’t it wait until later?”  A look of irritation stared back at Edward.

“At least tell me your name.  How hard do you think this is for me?  I thought I saw my father dead, and I wake up hearing someone will put a price on me.  Don’t I have the RIGHT to know what’s going on?”  Edward turned fully toward him as he spoke.

The young man sighed and put away his penknife.  He pulled one of the ropes, and they fell off of Edward and into the young man’s outstretched hand.  “My name is Jack, and I’m first mate to Nikolas Oaklay.  You’re on the ship Pride of Atlantis.”

Edward nodded.  “But you still haven’t told me what’s going on.”

Jack stood up and started pacing.  “Josiah Cromley is a very rich businessman, and his business is buying and selling people.  He somehow heard you were on our ship, and because princes can be sold for a very high amount of money, he wanted to get you to sell you to who knows who.

“But for some reason, Oaklay didn’t want to sell you.  He told me that last night, which I found strange knowing the money-hungry man he is.  So when Cromley came, I bought Oaklay more time to think it over.  He could either keep you for ransom, or sell you to Cromley.  Who knows what he’ll do?”  Jack stopped pacing and sat down on one of the iron chairs.  Edward just stayed sitting on the floor, afraid of getting up.

“Which is why I have to protect you.”  Jack added, then went silent.

“Protect me?”  Edward whispered.  But wasn’t Jack a part of Oaklay’s crew?  Why would Jack be commanded to protect him?

“Oaklay commanded you to protect me?”  Edward asked, staring up at Jack.

“No, it’s not like that…”  Jack started, then stopped himself as the floor started to shake.

“Oh no,” Jack whispered, slamming his palm against his forehead.  “Not yet. Oh no no no!”

The floor shook again, and a booming sound echoed through the cabin.  Jack started grumbling to himself, and grabbed Edward’s sleeve, pulling him up.  Jack stood and put his other hand against his sword.  “Whatever you do, don’t let anyone take you. It’s as simple as that.”  Jack let go of him and looked at the green door.  “Meet me-” The rest of what Jack said was unintelligible because of the loud crash that came from above.  “What’d you say?”  Edward yelled.

Something started hurling itself at the green door, as if trying to break it down.  Jack mumbled again and stood up on the iron table and felt around the ceiling.  A slight grin on his face told he found was he was looking for, and punched the ceiling.  A small section of the paneling swung upward, and Jack started to climb up into it.

Even though he was in the lower cabin, Edward could hear all the crashes and booms, yelling and screaming coming from the upper deck as Jack started climbing up.

“WAIT!”  Edward yelled as Jack pulled himself through the trap door.

“What?”  Jack put his head in the opening as Edward climbed on top of the table.

“Where was I supposed to meet you?”  Edward asked the face looming over him.

A large bang on the green door made a huge dent in the center, causing Edward and Jack to look that direction.

“No time for that now!”  Jack yelled to be heard above all the noise on the top deck.  “They’ll be in there in a matter of minutes!”  Another huge crash seemed to justify what he said.  “GET UP HERE!”

Jack started to move out of the opening as Edward started climbing up into it with difficulty.

“One last thing.”  Jack cried out to him, his voice cracking.  The green door was hit again, causing a giant shake. Jack held out his hand and helped Edward up onto a secluded part of the top deck.

“What?”  Edward asked as he saw a youthful man, no more than thirty, with a shirt like Jack’s, ripped in several places, and faded red trousers start running towards them with a sword lashing wildly.  His blonde hair was mostly covered by the green bandana that he wore, and he ran towards them looking almost like a wild beast.

Jack turned away and pulled his sword out of his belt, standing right in front of Edward to cover him for a few seconds.  The expression on his face turned from calmness to pure horror as he saw the man running towards them.  “No!”  He whispered.  “No! This cannot be!”

Realizing Edward was still at his side, he pushed him the other direction and yelled:

“RUN!”

Chapter 2

When Edward woke up, his was so dizzy he could barely see.  The whole room seemed to be swaying, and he started to panic inside.  Where was he?  What was going on? Was his father dead?  He suddenly heard a muffled voice, and sat up, trying to find the source of it.  Looking around, and regaining his eyesight, he was able to see he was in a wood-paneled room that resembled a cabin of a ship, only larger and not stored with anything but himself and a small table and chairs made of iron.  He tried to stick out his hand to grab a chair, but his arm wouldn’t budge.  Only then did he realize he was wearing restraints that were keeping his arms tied to his chest.

He tried to yell for help, for he could not control himself anymore.  But the only sound that came out of him was a muffled yelp, too soft for anyone but himself to hear.  The voice inside his head was screaming at him in panic, and Edward became dizzy again.  But he was determined to get out of there.

He shuffled closer to the chair, knowing that there would be a sharp point on it somewhere.  Examining it as closely as he could, he found a sharp point that had not been ground down.  He was about to rub the ropes against it when suddenly a green cloth came down over his eyes, and he felt the brush of a hand against his head.

“Don’t do that.”  A young man’s voice whispered in his ear.  “They’ll only tie you up again.”

Edward turned his head toward where the voice was coming from, and made another muffled cry.  He felt a strong hand on his shoulder and the voice spoke again.  “I must get out of here.  If they find me they’ll hang me for sure.”  He heard the young man get up and mumble to himself. “A boy?  The Captain was sent to look for a boy?”

Then it was silent once again.  He heard a gentle swish of water, and lied back down.

The next thing he knew, he heard heavy boots clomping toward the room.  Something creaked, which he guessed was the door.  And by what he could hear, more than one person had entered.

“Is he still unconscious?”  A gruff voice asked, with a tone that suggested agitation.

“To my knowledge, sir.”  The young man who had come in earlier was speaking now.  “But I came down two hours ago.”

A third man spoke up.  “What do ya plan to do with ‘im?”  His voice had an accent Edward had never heard before.

“My orders are to hold him for ransom now.”  The gruff-voiced man replied.  “Unless someone else is willing to pay good money for him.”

The third man laughed.  “Oh Oaklay, I cannoa’ beliave ya do these things!  You, fetch ‘im ‘ere, will ya?”

“Of course, Mister Cromley.”  The young man ran to Edward’s side.

“Don’t be afraid.” He whispered in Edward’s ear.  “The Captain should be coming at any moment.”  Then he lifted Edward and carried him to the two men, Cromley and Oaklay. He laid Edward down on the floor, and he lay as still as possible to make the young man’s lie seem truthful.

“Who is he?”  The man called Cromley asked.

“He’s Prince Edward, was going to be dubbed king, of Oakhaven. The invasion at Oakhaven Castle last night is why he’s here.”  The man called Oaklay replied softly, as if a seemingly strong man like him had remorse.

“Can ya take off the blindfuld, boy?”  Cromley ordered excitedly.  The young man bent over and untied the blindfold.

“Oaklay, ya do good work. Naow, ‘ow much for ‘im?” Cromley was clearly excited about Edward.

The young man spoke up before Oaklay could reply.  “Mister Cromley, Master Oaklay cannot place a price on a prince, can he?  He needs to see Jeremiah Wilkin, the slave trader, before he can tell you that.”

Cromley’s voice clearly showed his disappointment.  “O, alraght then.  Lemme know when ya hav’ a price.”   Someone walked out of the room, Edward guessed Cromley, and Oaklay sighed.  “Thank you, Jack.  You can wake him now.”Edward opened his eyes a bit and saw a tall, well built man with long, wavy black hair, a green coat, and a grey captain’s hat leave the room through a large green door, obviously Oaklay.  As Edward pondered what he had just overheard, the young man sat him up and took out a penknife.  “I’ll have you out of these bonds in just a minute.”  The young man said, and started sawing through coarse rope.