CHAPTER 11
Goodbyes were said and promises were made for a return visit, and the group of friends had set out.
They had covered a lot of ground, and there were times where they found themselves slightly turned around and had to backtrack to find their place. Luckily, they hadn't met any trouble on their journey and they all prayed their luck would last long enough for Veronica to find Avalon.
It had been three days since they left the Zanga and five days since they left the treehouse. Everyone was tired and sore and they were running low on supplies but no one mentioned it aloud. They would wait until the last possible moment and then they would suggest making a brief stop to gather what food they could find in the neighboring area before starting out again. No one dreamed of making Veronica turn back now.
Veronica knew she was getting closer, she could feel it in her very bones. As each day had passed, she felt more confident she knew which way to go almost as if she was being guided.
"Veronica, I think we should set up camp before it gets dark. We passed a good place a couple minutes."
Veronica wanted to go on, but she knew Roxton was right. There was no point in trying to travel in the dark and risking their lives. "All right, lead the way."
After a couple of minutes, they reached a small clearing that was bordered by a line of trees. Everyone threw down their bags and started through the normal routine of setting camp. Challenger and Malone started setting up the tents, Roxton and Finn went to gather wood, and Marguerite and Veronica gathered up the canteens to get water.
Luckily there had been a river running parallel with them for the past several days and they hadn't needed to stray very far to find a fresh source of water. They still had food for a couple of days, but whenever they saw some fruit, they would stop and add to their supply.
Veronica and Marguerite had reached the edge of the river in a few minutes time. While Veronica bent over to fill up the canteens, Marguerite kept watch. They had a brief scare their first night when they stumbled upon several different species of animals drinking from the river and decided to be prepared for anything that might sneak up on them.
Veronica finished filling up the canteens and handed some of them to Marguerite who slung them over her shoulder. "We're almost there, Marguerite, I just know it."
Marguerite cast a sideways glance at Veronica as they walked. She truly hoped they did find Avalon for Veronica's sake. "Well, hopefully we'll be there soon." Marguerite smiled at Veronica and then felt a shiver run through her body.
Veronica saw it and stopped walking. "What's wrong?"
Marguerite shook her head. "It's nothing. I just had a funny feeling is all."
"What kind of feeling?"
Marguerite looked through the trees, her eyes scanning and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It felt like we were being watched, but I guess I was wrong."
Veronica frowned at Marguerite's words and looked around as well. She hadn't gotten the sense they were being followed, but decided there was nothing wrong with being cautious. After her own scan turned up nothing, they both started heading back to camp.
They heard several branches snap and a loud thud behind them and barely managed to turn and dive out of the way of the charging raptor. "So much for our quiet walk through the jungle!" Marguerite quickly got to her feet and quickly removed her pistol from its holster and tried to get a shot. The raptor was moving closer to Veronica who was still lying on the ground.
"Veronica! Get up!" Marguerite couldn't get a clear shot without risk of hitting Veronica. She fired a couple of shots in the air hoping to distract the raptor from Veronica. The raptor briefly looked in her direction before turning back towards Veronica.
"Damn it!" She looked frantically for something on the ground to throw at it when she heard the raptor cry out and collapse on the ground. She saw a large sword sticking out its side and briefly wondered where it came from. She started to run towards Veronica when she saw several men half dressed leaning over her. "Hey you get away from her!" Marguerite aimed her pistol at the man closest to Veronica and prepared to shoot when two men appeared from no where and grabbed her from behind. "Let me go you brutes!"
Marguerite tried wrestling out of their tight grip, but she could see these men were nearly twice her size and she wouldn't be able to break free. She saw one of the other men lean over and pick Veronica up into his arms. "Hey, I told you to get away from her! Put her down this instant!"
The man with Veronica turned and started to walk away and the others started to follow him. The two men who had a firm grip on both of her arms steered her to follow. "Who are you people? What do you want from us?" Again she was met with silence. "Look pal, our friends are camped not far from here. They probably heard the gunshots and it's only going to take them a moment to find us. I suggest you let us go before someone gets hurt."
Marguerite saw the stony faces of the men and saw she wasn't getting through to them. "You know you could give the guards at Buckingham Palace a run for their money. I could put in a good word for you…" Marguerite stomped down hard on the foot of the man on her right while she elbowed the one on the left and managed to take one step forward before they reached forward and resumed their grip on her arms. It wasn't hurtful, but it was firm enough.
"You will come along quietly and cause no trouble."
Marguerite raised an eyebrow. "So you do speak. Thought the cat had your tongue for a moment there." Marguerite looked ahead and saw Veronica was still unconscious in the arms of the man leading the way. "Look, my friend needs medical help. Let us go!"
"We do not take orders from you." The one on the left spoke this time.
"Who do you work for? I'm going to have to have a talk with someone about this treatment!" Marguerite wiggled her arms for emphasis.
"We serve and pledge our life to the Protector."
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