The Stolen Kingdom

“Taylor.”

  Taylor jumped from his slumber and somehow made his sword appear.

  “Whoa!” Robert cried. “Calm yourself. I have not come to kill you just yet.”

  “Sorry,” Taylor said, placing the sword back down. “What time is it?”

  Robert shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  Taylor laid his head back and rubbed his eyes.

  “Come,” Robert said, “I have somebody I want you to meet.”

  “Meet? Here?”

  …………………………………………..

  Lord Marks was a wealthy man, used to the finer things in life: wine, grand carriages…

  “Flies?”

  Nome Flag reached out his grubby hand to the small, bald man beside him.

  “No thank you,” Lord Marks said, “though I appreciate your generosity.”

  Nome shrugged and stuck the flies into his mouth.

  “Lord Marks,” said Robert approaching, “may I introduce you to Taylor James?”

  Lord Marks rose from one of the makeshift logs that had been placed down around the fire pit, long extinguished. The man beside Robert was tall and lean, just as he had described him. When he shook, he did so with a sturdy hand and an honest eye.

  “How do you do,” Lord Marks said. “Robert has told me much about you.”

  “A pleasure,” Taylor returned, “though I must confess, Robert has not told me so much about you.”

  “Well, then,” Lord Marks said, “permit me to explain myself.”

  “Most certainly. Please…be seated.”

  He motioned to the log, and the three men sat. Taylor asked Nome Flag if he would excuse them, to which the husky man begrudgingly complied, and then the conversation began.

  “I come from Dermer,” said the lord, “where I am the cultivator of vast lands. If it wasn’t for Robert’s father, however, I would own nothing but a box. He saved my life from a madman once.” Lord Marks pointed to a scar under his chin before continuing. “This was when I was no older than you are now, and Robert’s father no older either. I told him afterwards that my life was his own, and our friendship endured even through harsh times. Now I hear that Sir Roth is dead, but that his son has a problem to which I may be of some assistance.

  Taylor looked to Robert, but Robert’s eyes were fixed on Lord Marks.

  “You have too many people here,” Marks proceeded. “Women and children who are in danger. I can help. I know a way to get these women and children to Dermer…”

  “I’m listening…”

  “There’s an old trade route,” continued Lord Marks, “one which nobody ever uses anymore because it has been replaced by newer, better ones. It runs right next to my land in the south. You can pass into Dermer by it.”

  “What if someone were to notice?” Taylor asked.

  “I can guarantee its safety,” Lord Marks replied. “I own all of the surrounding land, and truly there is no one to notice anyhow.”

  “What about the king? How would he react to such an arrangement?”

  “The king is a bloated fool. He’s far too dense to ever discover anything, and even if he did, the worst he could do would be to cut off the trail.”

  Taylor thought for a moment.

  “How did you find us?” he asked.

  “I didn’t,” said Lord Marks, smiling at Robert, “you found me.”

  Chapter 27

  Arugula