Quest of the Bounty Hunter: Kidnapped

Elizabeth

"Magical?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"Yes. Grace is a shapeshifter. Useful for me in the bounty hunting industry." Disantia explained.

"I see. We could definitely use her on our mission as well." Elizabeth mused, twirling her blades around on the table.

"Yes. And we could plant someone in the castle to gather information." Disantia suggested.

"Ah. I'm one step ahead of you. The princess's own maidservant is on our side." Elizabeth said with a smug smile.

Shocked, Disantia replied, "Her maidservant!? That's the highest treason you could possibly commit!"

"Yes. But she won't get caught. We've been friends for a long time and I know that she is a clever spy. She's only been in on the mission for a few days but pretty soon she should be sending a report on how everything is going."

"Okay. Let's talk about how we are going to break Grace out of prison." Disantia said leaning forward on her elbows.

"Where is she being held? What jail?" Elizabeth asked.

"I believe the bartender said that she is being held in Meldest." Disantia replied.

Elizabeth sighed. She had known it would be Meldest though she had hoped she would get lucky with Agswal.
Meldest was in the center of the five kingdoms therefore making it the most powerful. This was the kingdom in which the princess ruled. Surrounding Meldest was Firsalar to the north, Termira to the east, the Dead Lands to the south, and Agswal to the west. Firsalar, hence the name, was a kingdom of forests, mainly fir. They sold lumber as a main export, though not many people lived there. Termira was very mountainous and its people lived in caves under the ground. Only the kingdom's citizens knew how to get into the underground lairs, so obviously this was the safest kingdom from attack. The Dead Lands were a wasteland owned by no one and ruled by no one. The ruffians and criminals lived there when they wanted no one to find them. And lastly, Agswal, the second grandest kingdom only to Meldest. Its population was the greatest of all the kingdoms, with shops and cities seemingly more numerous than the stars and very near to the shore. The streets were always cluttered with people and a plethora of merchants selling their wares. This would've been the easiest place to break someone out of because all the people would have made it easier to blend in.

Right now, Elizabeth and Disantia sat in a small tavern in the woods of Firsalar. Meldest's jails would be fifty miles from where they were, near the border of Firsalar.

"Well, at least we'll be closer to the princess." Elizabeth said finally.

"Do you have any ideas regarding the kidnapping?" Disantia asked.

"Not yet." Elizabeth said shortly. "Hopefully Klieria thinks of something."

"Klieria?"

"The maidservant spy."

"Oh." Disantia nodded. "Is that her real name?"

"I think so." Elizabeth said. "That's all I've ever called her. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that Grace said that she knew someone named Klieria. That's not exactly a common name. If Grace knows that Klieria is helping with the kidnapping, maybe she will help us as well."

"Hmm. That's interesting." Elizabeth said softly thinking over the web of relationships in her mind.

"Elizabeth, I have a question. Who employed you to kidnap the princess?" Disantia asked with question etched on her face.

Elizabeth sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "Honestly, I don't know. But if it means that we will be able to overthrow the most powerful kingdom, I'm all for it."

"But Meldest isn't an evil kingdom. Why would you want to overthrow it?" Disantia defended.

"Power." Elizabeth said stonily.

"We won't rule the kingdom. Just ransom her for money. The king is still alive, you know." Disantia said with a scowl.

"I know, I'm just doing my job, okay?" Elizabeth said exasperated.

Disantia nodded. "Me too. When are we leaving for Meldest?"

"Tomorrow morning." Elizabeth said. "You're friends with the bartender?"

"Yes, we're...acquaintances." Disantia answered.

"Do you think he would let us sleep upstairs for the night?" Elizabeth asked.

Disantia smirked. "If you have enough money."