CHAPTER 5

—--day 16

The next morning, Sarah had everything ready to go and ate breakfast in her room with Beowulf. He likes meat and eggs. He even ate the potato hash and buttered toast. Sarah grabbed all her bags after putting on her cloak and went downstairs. She gave the key to the innkeeper and went outside to the barn. The wolf followed her and sat watching her saddle and pack up Dathúil.

She led him out of the barn and asked, "Do you want to ride for a little while or keep up walking and running." The wolf yipped twice. "Well if it gets to be too much, let me know." He yipped. Sarah rode on through the rural scenery.

During the afternoon she stopped and went to the bathroom. Beowulf was sniffing around and peeing on all the trees. He caught sight of something. Sarah got out some nuts and fruit to eat for lunch. The wolf found a small ground squirrel or a chipmunk. Sarah thought he found his lunch.

When he was done eating he trotted over to her and Sarah asked, "Are you ready?" He yipped. Sarah got back on her horse and they went towards the last town of Ghrian (sun) in the Fairy Kingdom. Sarah needed directions into the Goblin Kingdom to the Labyrinth.

Before entering town, Beowulf jumped up into Sarah's arms, she clipped on his leash and sat on the saddle between her arms as they went to the inn. Sarah grabbed all her baggage and walked into the inn. People gasped at her wolf walking next to her. She walked up to the fae innkeeper and said, "Can I have a room for two nights?"

The innkeeper looked her over and said, "You have a wolf with you. I don't want any trouble." He stood there in a white shirt and brown pants. He had reddish blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Sarah said, "He goes everywhere with me. I have him on a leash. He's no trouble and still a half grown pup."

The innkeeper said, "Alright, seven silver a night. Room six." Sarah gave him a gold and four silver. She took the key and went down the hallway to room six. She dropped off her gear and locked her room up. Sarah secured it with a wish and went to board Dathúil.

The blacksmith asked, "Where did you get your wolf pup?" He was a fae man with dark blonde hair with blue eyes. He had on a leather apron with a white cotton shirt rolled up to his elbows. He looked to be in his late thirties.

Sarah said, "I found him and he adopted me. He was hurt in the forest alone and I healed him. He is a good wolf and very smart. I love him. He's good company."

The blacksmith said, "You should be careful of people who may try to kill him because they are considered killers and mean."

Sarah said, "Not my wolf. He is fed well and he stays with me unless he is hunting nearby in the woods." Sarah hugged the stallion and left saying goodbye to the blacksmith. The blacksmith thought the boy was odd, hugging a horse and traveling with a wolf.

Sarah walked into the inn and sat down at the counter. Everyone was staring at her and the wolf. The innkeeper asked, "What do you need?"

Sarah said, "Two dinners and a wine, please?" The fae man was surprised at her politeness. He poured her wine, came back with two plates of roast mutton with vegetables and two pieces of bread. Sarah sat the dinner plate on the floor and the wolf started eating.

Sarah was eating when the innkeeper asked, "My name is Orron. Where are you from?"

Sarah said stoically, "Very far away from here. My name is Haras." She shook his hand.

He said, "I figured that from the way you talk. It's odd for anyone to be traveling with a wolf. How did you come by him?"

Sarah said, "I was camping in the woods and found him hurt and bleeding. I healed him and he has adopted me. The leash is unessential because he sticks right to me anyway. People are less scared when we go into towns because they think I am in control of him. I let him free when we travel, camp and when he's in my room. He's a very smart animal." Beowulf whimpered and put his head on her leg.

Sarah asked, "Do you want your piece of bread?" He yipped. She broke off pieces and fed it to him. When he was done he laid down on the floor.

Orron asked, "So, where are you headed?"

Sarah said, "The Labyrinth and the Goblin City."

Orron asked, "Why are you going there?"

Sarah picked up his empty plate and handed it to Orron. She said, "I was wanting to see a few friends of mine that live there."

Orron said. "You have to be careful there, because sometimes those goblins get tricky like the king and will play pranks on you if they don't like you."

She said, "I'll be careful. Can you give me directions to the Labyrinth? I can take it from there."

Orron said, "Yes, I can tell you what direction to go but you have to cross a mountain after the next town and it will take three nights to get across. The next town in that direction is two nights away, so you have some distance to cross. I'll write down directions for you."

Sarah said, "That is very kind of you and much appreciated. Sarah looked up at him and he saw her face and gasped.

He whispered, "You're a dark haired fae woman."

Sarah quietly giggled and said in a whisper, "I know. I have to be careful when traveling." He nodded and smiled tugging her cowl hood forward.

He said, "Now I understand a bit more. You're from very far away. Do all your people have dark hair?"

Sarah said, "Some do." He nodded.

Sarah had finished up her dinner and took another wine with her, to her room after saying goodnight to Orron. Sarah and Beowulf settled in for the night, Sarah took a bath. Afterward, she made a wish to make all hidden stashes of valuables that don't belong to the owners, patrons and employees appear in the middle of her floor. There were three waxed canvas bags of gold dust. Sarah thought that it was odd to stash that unless someone was prospecting. Sarah thought there was a big mountain about three days away. She reorganized her things to accommodate the bags. She and the wolf slept hard.

—--day 19

Two days later in the morning, Sarah was packed and ready to go on her next two nights of camping to get to the town of Sicín (chicken). She came down for breakfast with Beowulf and she asked for tea and two breakfasts from Orron. He gave her directions to get to the Labyrinth. She thanked him. Sarah put a small bag of fifty gold in his hand with the key to the room as she left the inn.

Sarah packed up and left with Beowulf following her closely. They stopped in the evening at a beautiful spot by a lake, big trees and a rock outcropping formation. She set up camp and got a good fire going to cook dinner. She shot two rabbits on the way for dinner for herself and Beowulf. Sarah skinned both rabbits and gutted hers and beheaded it. She left the other intact. She started roasting her rabbit over the fire on a spit. Sarah ate hearty and so did her wolf.

After the sunset, Sarah could see the sprites on the lake dancing and making little splashes here and there. The moon was big and full, shining brighter on the lake's reflection. She loved the peaceful beauty until she heard a horse or more than one horse. Sarah grabbed her bow and arrow putting her hood up and aimed her arrow at the riders. There were four of them and they approached without their horses. They came closer to her fire and when she saw they were all fae. She whispered a wish.

She said, "I 'wish' for all four fae men to have their hands bound and forced to sit down across from me by the fire." Beowulf growled and stood half way blocking her knees in a protective stance.

The men all yelled and shouted, "What did you do that for?" "What's going on?" "What the hell?" As they were compelled to sit where they were designated across from the fire.

As their butts hit the ground, Sarah asked, "So, tell me gents, what were you thinking of doing to me, approaching my campsite in the dark?" Not a word.

Sarah whispered, "I 'wish' these men would have to tell me the truth."

Sarah said, "I will ask you again, what is your intent to do to me tonight?"

They struggled and said at the same time, "Rob you.","Rape and rob you.","Rob you.","Steal all of you belongings, kill your wolf, rape you and then kill you."

Sarah looked amused and said, "That is such an honorable profession you four are doing. I'll be right back." She walked over and brought their horses over to the fire and unloaded them completely, taking them and staking them securely by the lake and plentiful grass. Sarah sat down and started going through their belongings. She found six bags of mixed coins in their large saddlebags, four jewelry boxes full of jewelry, several pocket watches and some gold and silver nuggets in three medium size bags, and two small bags of cut stones.

Sarah said, "My, my, you boys have been busy. This is quite a haul to be carrying around. Do you have more on you?" They all said yes in unison.

Sarah stood up, turned around and whispered, "I 'wish' all the valuables and weapons these four men have were in my lap when I go to sit down." Sarah went to sit down again. Everything that was on the men flew out of their pockets and untied from their belts and landed in her lap. Sarah liked the boots one had on and the vest the other had but that didn't matter much anymore. They just lost everything but the clothes on their backs.

The one man asked, "How are you doing all of this?" Sarah chuckled.

She said, "Now I can't tell you all of my secrets. I am going to make it now that you can't commit a crime again or hurt anyone deliberately because you will lose all your magic. You will be nothing better than humans that look like fae. I 'wish' these four fae men could not participate in stealing, raping, swindling or harming anyone or their property or they will lose all of their magic completely." The magic surrounded the men and they looked completely shook up.

The one man whined, "Oh by the gods! He's got wish magic!"

The second one said, "How can you have that only the Goblin King has that in the whole Underground?"

Sarah said, "Yes, wish magic. I'm not from here, I'm from very far away." They groaned.

The third one said, "Are you a witch?"

Sarah chuckled and said, "I could be a monster for all you know, but I am not. You will be banished with ten gold in your pocket and your horses except for one and you will be sent to Gorias. I suggest you find honest jobs or you will be magicless. I 'wish' these four fae and three of their horses, except the white mare with the black mane and tail, were sent to Gorias with ten gold in each and their clothes." They all vanished. She wished the perimeter of the campsite was secure.

She stood up and walked over to the mare and unsaddled her. Sarah patted her and said, "I am going to call you Àlainn (lovely). It means lovely." She got the brush for Dathúil and brushed Àlainn down. She was a pretty horse, solid white like her stallion with a black mane and tail. Sarah brushed Beowulf too. She put all of the loot in the tent with a couple empty valises. She wished all of the fae's camping equipment, tents, blankets to people who deserve them. Sarah pulled out her lit crystal she kept stored away, took everything in the tent and started sorting it.

Much of the jewelry was some top notch items. She filled her big jewelry box with the best stuff for herself. Sarah dumped everything in her necklace and any extra coins in her purse: gold and silver nuggets, 967 gold, 2096 silver, 353 copper coins, all gemstones, and gold dust. She looked at the pocket watches, she kept the best gold one from before but a heavier nicer one with a heavy gold chain was in the thieves stashes. She kept two of the best gold ones and put one of them in her large jewelry box. Sarah kept two prettiest jeweled daggers for her boots and put the rest with the jewelry. There was a built-in sheath that was perfect to conceal them. She kept the best of the four longswords and hunting knives with a couple whetstones to sharpen them.

Sarah sighed because there was more jewelry to get rid of and she hated having to take it over the mountains. She decided to reduce space, and opened all of the jewelry bags. She wished for the jewelry that would fit inside her necklace, as she held it open. It sucked up everything but a few pieces of jewelry and the two daggers and a few pocket watches. Sarah grinned because it eliminated the big majority of it all. She was going to have to wish to get individual types out of her necklace until she could sort them. She kept a tally sheet in her head. Sarah approximated 31,350 gold, 5,290 silver, 500 copper coins, cut gemstones, gold dust, gold nuggets and an abundance of jewelry in her necklace. She locked it and laid down and got some sleep with Beowulf outside the door watching over her and sleeping.