The parchment was barely out of his reach. He needed to know what the letter said. It didn’t matter to him that he wasn’t alone, or that this person in the doorway probably meant to hurt him. If he was going to die anyway, at least he would be content knowing what was in the letter that had started this whole crazy day.
He tripped over himself in his haste to grab the parchment. Behind him, the door slammed shut and the woman cackled again. Garinor could hear the sound of metal against leather, as if the woman had drawn a sword. He risked a glance over his shoulder as his hand closed around the king’s letter.
Silver light flickered from the doorway, where indeed the wicked woman brandished her short sword and prepared to come at him with it. She had a look on her face as if she was going to enjoy this. Chills ran down Garinor’s spine.
He turned his attention back to the letter and he scrambled to his feet and dashed toward his bedroom door. The woman was upon him, but he shoved a chair in front of her and tripped her up. Into his room he fled, slamming the door and carelessly dragging his small wardrobe in front of it. He then unfolded the crumpled ball of parchment and gaped when he saw the words written upon it.
“It is time,” said the letter. It said nothing else. It didn’t have the king’s signature. No salutation. Nothing else. Shocked, Garinor turned the sheet over and over; he even held it up to the light in the window, but there was nothing else to see. Just those three words.
He was so stunned by this, he barely registered the loud banging on his bedroom door. He couldn’t focus on the fact that the mad woman was still trying to capture or kill him. He had risked so much to come back here only to find out the letter had no clue for him at all.
The only good thing was the house didn’t look a mess, except for the chair he had knocked over and now the wardrobe that was still putting up a fight against the intruder. His family must have gotten out safely and without trouble.
Time was running out. He needed to act fast. Answers hadn’t come from returning home, and if he didn’t escape right away, then he would never know what any of this was all about. He pounced onto his bed, threw open the window, and fell hard against the ground.
The banging noise still sounded from his room, but it wouldn’t be long at all before she broke through and found him gone. He decided quickly. If the king had sent the letter, then he wouldn’t have also sent the hunters. Therefore, he must go see the king. Maybe he would be able to explain all this.
Sneaking around the house and returning to the village bridge, Garinor skulked his way over the River Cross and then speedily vanished into the distance.
He knew at one point his pursuer had broken free of the barred door, because a horrible shriek of rage had trailed after him. But ghosts like that only pushed him onward faster now. He made up his mind. He needed to see the king.