The people of Grandwood murmured to each other. Kirsten could see that the others were also skeptical of him, not trusting what he had to say.
“You may be wondering why I’m here. After your city was attacked, the new emperor and ruler of Kartania sent me here to protect his lands from all future attacks. I have been directed to ensure the safety of Mergwood, to whatever end. In that prospect, you’ll be allowed entry to this lovely city after a brief inspection. Once cleared, you may be reunited with your loved ones who’ve missed you so dearly,” Rankstine said with a smile while motioning toward the few townspeople passing by who oddly continued about their daily business as if nothing special was happening. “If you would be so kind as to form a line, my men will ensure that there are no threats to Mergwood’s safety.”
“Threats?” Kirsten nearly shouted. “Who the heck does this guy think he is? This is Grandwood, our home. Not some Merglan-infested place called Mergwood. This can’t happen,” she said trembling with anger and, striding boldly toward shore.
As she drew near, the watchmen standing sentinel at the end of the dock crossed their spears, blocking her path. She halted, looking irritated. She didn’t recognize them as anyone she knew. They must’ve been assigned to “protect” the town, along with Rankstine.
“Let me through,” Kirsten said firmly. The watchmen didn’t move an inch, holding their spear-like axes in place.
Kirsten clenched her fists and said more emphatically, “Let me through, now.”
Thomas and the others had closed the gap and were now standing right behind Kirsten. Britt still had her sword drawn.
Governor Rankstine saw what was happening and, before they could cause more of a commotion, he quickly strode the short distance to the end of the dock.
“What seems to be the problem, my dear?” Rankstine asked in his calm, soothing voice.
Kirsten scowled at the man from behind the crossed spear shafts. She clenched her jaw at Rankstine’s remark, losing her temper, “I was forcibly removed from my hometown, taken as a prisoner, put through hell for weeks on end. Now I come home to this, and you ask me what my problem is?” her voice rising to nearly shouting. As tensions on the dock rose, she somehow managed to rein in her emotions and lower her voice before she lost her temper completely.
“By the way, it’s pronounced Grandwood, not Mergwood,” Thomas added stepping alongside his sister.
Glancing at her brother, Kirsten smirked, feeling the urge to berate the man more due to Thomas’ sudden outburst of enthusiasm, “And I’ll tell you something else…” But before she could utter another word, Rankstine flicked his wrist and Kirsten’s mouth snapped shut. She tried to open it to continue to berate him, but couldn’t.
Rankstine held his hand near shoulder height, with his index finger pressed firmly against his thumb as though he was pinching something. The current position of his arm naturally spread the front of his cloak slightly. Kirsten noticed something glowing faintly blue, something secured around his neck. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was and she scowled.
“You will cooperate with my laws, or be banished,” he said in a calm tone. “I have already informed the people of Mergwood that Merglan is the true sovereign and savior of our lands. They believe it to be true with all their hearts; I made sure of that,” he said as for the first time his voice took on a maniacal tone. “You can try to warn them of whatever it is that you believe will help you, but their loyalty now lies with the emperor of Kartania.” Rankstine unclasped his fingers and let his hand drop to his side. Kirsten felt her voice come back suddenly.
“You won’t get away with this,” she growled.
“I already have,” Rankstine said, turning to walk away. He paused for a moment and spoke over his shoulder to them, “Oh, and don’t bother trying to leave. I have orders to make sure you become settled in your home.” He laughed to himself as he walked away.
The last of the Rollo Islanders’ shuttlecrafts returned to their ships. Kirsten watched as the ships that had brought them home readied to depart. Britt’s ship was the only one among the fleet that remained. Her crew wouldn’t leave their captain behind, not even if ordered by their new chief.
One of the men dressed in black and gold warriors’ leather approached the end of the dock. “Step forward one at a time and spread your arms and legs. If you have any weapons on your person, place them in the hands of the watchmen. We’ll pat you down to make sure you aren’t hiding anything. Once you’ve been cleared, you may enter Mergwood and return to your families.
“My family is dead,” Kirsten said to the man with a stark expression. “Killed on orders by your new leader.”
“That kind of talk will not be tolerated,” the man said through clenched teeth. “Consider yourself warned, and the next time you speak such blasphemy, you’ll hang for it.”
Kirsten thought of talking back to the man but stopped herself. She believed that he really meant the threat. She glanced at Thomas and the others. “Okay Britt, let’s get out of here,” she said.
They walked swiftly along the wooden deck toward the small shuttle boat. Kirsten tried to get into the boat, but something blocked her. It was like hitting an invisible wall, caging her inside the confines of the wooden dock. Britt shoved Max and Thomas aside after seeing Kirsten’s failed attempt to get into the boat. She stuck out her hand, reaching for the boat. Just as Kirsten had, Britt touched the hard plane blocking them in.
“What the?” she said and motioned for them to stand back.
She lifted her sword with both hands over her head and swung it down hard at the air in front of them. The steel struck the hard plane, shattering the blade as she recoiled from the blow. Britt looked down at the missing blade, hilt still clutched firmly in her hands. She faced Thomas, Kirsten, Max and Bo, her mouth agape, and her eyes wide with disbelief.
“We’re trapped,” she said.
After submitting to the search and seizure of the remaining weapons in their possession, Kirsten, Thomas, Max, Bo and Britt were allowed to enter the city. They weren’t the only members of the captured returnees to put up a struggle against Rankstine’s men. Others had tried to force their way through the watchmen but were met with similar repercussions; they, too, were threatened with death for any further disobedience. Kirsten realized that the thought of being prevented from reuniting with their family members kept them from revolting. After all, they’d gone through, they’d been led right back into the arms of their captors. The thought made her sick to her stomach.
When they were allowed to pass the watchmen, the rest of the militant townsmen left, returning to the heart of Grandwood with their new governor. Kirsten and Thomas yearned to return to their home atop Highborn Bay. They desperately wanted to see if it was still standing or if the raiders had burned it to the ground as they had so many other homes in Grandwood.
“Come on, let’s go to our farm,” Thomas said.
“The ships are leaving without me,” Britt said in disbelief as she saw the Rolloan Navy oaring out toward the open ocean. “My people are abandoning me. I need to get back to my ship.”
“But we can’t get past the barrier,” Max said.
“Maybe it’s only here?” Kirsten suggested. “You can try to get back to your ship from Highborn Bay, where our house is. We have a small boat you could use to reach them.”
Britt glanced at the ships as they began rigging sails, continuing toward the Rollo Islands. All of the ships had abandoned her except for one, her loyal crew. At least she knew her crew would never leave her. She nodded, “Okay. How far is it? I want to get out of here quick.”
“It’s about four miles,” Thomas said. “We can get there in about an hour if we hustle.”
As they made their way to the edge of town, Britt kept looking back.
“What’s up?” Max asked her as they neared the edge of town.
“Those two watchmen who barred us at the docks, they’ve been following us,” she said in a hushed tone as she pointed discreetly at their position.
Max glanced over his shoulder, seeing them trailing slowly at a fair distance. “What are they doing that for?” he asked.
She shrugged, “They must see us as a threat; otherwise they would’ve gone back to their posts.”
“Hmm,” Max groaned, and they continued to follow Kirsten and Thomas.
