Philippe of Morgarath

Episode Seventeen

By the time the night had fallen completely, and everyone made sure their weapons were within reach, they left the tavern to spread out through the harbourtown. They had made a plan earlier to try and catch one of the figures, to ask them what exactly was going on.

Philippe sat crouched down, hidden behind a hay-cart. Pensively he tried to make a personal plan of attack, if he would see one of the men that haunted this little town. He did not know where the others were hidden, and wished he had asked them.

He realised that this entire happening had touched his heart. Even while the island was not his, and the family of Delelia had not seemed friendly, the people needed him. And he wanted to be there for them.

That's when he saw something move. He instantly tried to focus to the place where it happened. As quickly as it had happened, it also disappeared.

With his hand on his sword he looked at other places, hoping to see the movement again. What could it have been?

Again his attention was drawn. He jumped up and took a couple of steps closer to the light of the tavern.

That's when the shape appeared in front of him, not far away.

The moment the shape realised he was seen, he started running. Philippe chased him. With his sword firmly in his right hand, and his left clenched to a fist, he ran as fast as he could. He tried to see if he could see something strange in the man. The figure did not seem inhumane, but also not quite human. It was so dark, and the clothes it wore were pitchblack as well. It made him almost blend in with the background.

The figure ran to a dark corner, and disappeared. Just like the lady had said before.

Philippe stopped running at the exact place that the figure had disappeared and looked around him. It couldn't have been possible for the shape to disappear like that. He had to be somewhere... but where?

Sudden movement startled him, and that's when he heard a loud *POF*.

He noticed a near centimeter away from his face, that an arrow had landed in the wooden building behind him. The weapon's impact was deep, and he could almost not see the arrowhead anymore.

Someone ran to him. 'I'm so sorry Philippe', Merya said. 'I thought you were one of them. I'm glad that I changed direction when I started doubting.'

Philippe's throat had gotten dry. If this was her changing direction, her aim was way too good.

'I just can't catch them', she continued, like nothing even happened.

Philippe looked up to the sky and saw that the light was slowly coming back.

'It's fine, let's head back to the tavern. We need a different approach. This way we will never succeed.'

-

They sat at the same table they had sat the night before. 'Let's just go', Reagon said, impatiently. 'While it's not our problem yet.'

Davon did not agree. 'It's already our problem, Reagon', he defended Kryku. The boy was staring at his empty glass, and did not move when Reagon hussed.

'In what way?' the scarred man said. 'It's not like they kidn*pped Merya and...' The girl screamed.

'That's it!' she said, while a wide grin appeared on her face. 'That's it', she repeated herself. 'Let them try and take me.'

That's when Reagon started laughing. 'Hilarious', he said sarcastically. It was obvious that he was faking his laugh and did not agree with her enthusiasm. 'No way in hell', he made sure everyone knew his opinion.

The looks on the faces of his friends made him hesitant. 'Right, Phill?' he tried to find support with his friend.

'Actually...' Philippe said, slowly. Which already said enough to Reagon. 'I do not think it's that bad of an idea.'

Merya smiled triumphantly.

'But', Philippe followed up, making her smile disappear as quickly as it came. 'We need good prep, before I agree. I do not want you taking any unnecessary risk.' Merya raised one eyebrow.

'Philippe, I do not need your permission. If I think it's a good plan, I will do it. You can be the regent's son, but I do not answer to you. Nor your father, for that matter.'

Philippe instantly defended himself: 'I said I liked your idea, didn't I?'

Merya stuck out her tongue, after which she looked back at Reagon. 'Do not worry about me', she said to him. 'When push comes to shove, I defeat all of you with one hand bound to my back.'

Reagon snorted. 'I'll bind them to your back alr-', Merya coughed, making him stop his sexist comment.

'What do we know of the kidn*pped?' The girl continued. 'Men, women and children are being taken. How will we let them take specifically me?'

A grin appeared on Reagon's face. 'We can always put you in a dress, they won't know how to handle themselves.'

Merya shook her head. 'I'm not trying to be r***d, i***t. I'm trying to get them close enough to take them down.'

'But what if you...' Davon started, but he stopped. Merya looked at him insistingly, so he continued. He did not sound very certain of what he said, though: '.. let them kidnap you as well?' He looked at his friends, and quickly explained what he meant. 'I mean, what if they take you to the others that have been taken? And maybe the figures as well. If you kill one of them, the issue will not have been fixed.'

Philippe was not sure if he liked the idea. It sounded very dangerous. Reagon on the other hand, laughed. 'It might even work', the big, scarred man said. 'But how will we know where they take her?'

Davon shrugged. 'If she puts bright white pebbles in her pockets, and drops them every now and then, we will be able to track her down.'

This time Reagon did not agree. 'I can't see the difference between a pebble and a pebble, boy', the man said. 'I am not sure if that will work.'

Davon shrugged once again. 'Then it's a good thing I can', he said with a calm voice.

Philippe looked at Merya. He felt a bit anxious, but mostly for her. He tried to see if she was scared, but she seemed completely comfortable. 'If you don't want to do this', he said. 'You do not have to.'

The girl smiled. 'The only one that seems worried here, is you, little prince', he answered.

The five decided to try and get some sleep, to start looking for the pebbles in the morning. Davon took Reagon to go hunt some down near a creak, so they'd be as bright and white as possible. Merya and Uhno decided to have a warm-up, by training together for a couple of hours. Merya wanted to be prepared for everything.

Philippe on the other hand, used the daylight to speak to random strangers. He wanted to hear as much as possible about these masked men, or figures, or shapes, or whatever they were. It made him sad that no one had any useful information for him. Everyone came with slightly different stories, some portraying the shapes as demons. Some didn't even believe they existed, but they still refused to go out after dark.

By nightfall, they came together and went through the plan one more time. Everyone would stay close to Merya, but hidden of course. That way they could run after her, the moment they took her. Merya was not allowed to fight back. She wouldn't even bring a weapon. They needed the kidnapper to want to take her.

Reagon kept insisting on Merya wearing a skirt, but to Philippe's enthusiasm, the woman never gave in. 'One skirt per island is more than enough', she said.

Philippe sat down on the floor behind the same bale of hay he sat yesterday. Philippe had been staring at the hay so much yesterday, that he could have swore that he recognized some of the pieces. Some hours had passed, and Merya was still walking around with a small bucket in her hand. She appeared to be moving sand up and down the street. She had been doing it very well, and Philippe got exhausted even by just looking at her. She seemed not to show any tiredness, nor laziness. It appeared as if she was genuinely with her mind with the bucket and the sand.

Philippe had gotten a bit anxious. What if the men would not show up today? He did not want to wait many more nights. The island of the Delelia family had already taken much more time than he expected. He needed to continue. Why exactly, he was not sure. With every day passing he started to second guess his choices more and more. Was he genuinely so worried about the Muerthalls, or was he just escaping his duties back at home? His fatherhood?

Loud clutter made him look up. He saw Merya's bucket roll on the floor. Merya was gone.

Philippe jumped up, and ran to the place where the girl had been not five seconds ago. He did not see any movement. It took only a couple of seconds before the others were gathered with him.

'Where is she?' Davon said. 'Where did she go?' He was scared, and startled. He started looking at the floor. 'I can not see the kebbles. It's way too dark!'

Reagon growled. 'What do you mean you can not see them?' he screamed. 'Are you out of your... What do you mean you can not see them?'

Davon shook his head as hard as he could. 'It's too dark', he said again. He looked up at the sky. 'I need moonlight, Reagon. It's too cloudy.'

Reagon pushed him aside. 'Do not stop searching, boy', he said.