Chapter 40: Royal Raiders.

"Hargh!" Star’s eyes fluttered open sharply. His breathing was loud and frantic, and his head throbbed painfully.

He blinked several times, desperately trying to clear the fog clouding his mind. Only then did he realise something was terribly wrong.

He was tied to a metal chair inside what appeared to be an old cave, his hands restrained behind his back. The cramped chamber was barely large enough to accommodate him. Strangely, however, the place was illuminated by ornate royal candles, their golden flames casting a warm, almost homely glow across the otherwise dreary surroundings.

Whoever had brought him here had apparently gone to considerable trouble to make the cave habitable.

"What the heck!" he murmured. "Royal raiders." His heart gave a frightened jolt. "But it’s been ages since I came to this side of the Seven Kingdoms. They can’t possibly have recognised me as a prince." ℴ

He swallowed, trying to convince himself that he hadn’t been kidnapped for ransom. Yet the fact that he had been locked away alone suggested otherwise. Of the three friends, he was the only one with royal blood. If the kidnappers had discovered his identity, they would have had little reason to keep Sarah and Zuru beside him.

"Sarah and Zuru. I have to find them... but first, I need to get out of these bloody cuffs."

He tensed his muscles, preparing to wrench the metal restraints apart with brute force, but stopped just before exerting himself.

’The noise might alert them.’

He didn’t know how many people were outside, and the last thing he needed was to announce his escape before he had even begun.

Instead, he calmly arched his head backwards, but even when his neck was nearly at its limit, he couldn’t see the type of cuffs around his hands.

"Ugh!" His head slumped. "This is hopeless."

But just then, his bent head allowed him to see the cuffs around his legs, and almost immediately, his eyes lit up.

"Haha." He chuckled triumphantly. "I hoped so."

He was cuffed with the restraints Nethros produced, and luckily for Star, he had spent time around the blacksmithing factions where the dwarves made them. That had given him a chance to see what the keys looked like.

He had even used his ability once to smith a few of them. Back then, it was like a sort of self test, to see how proficient he had gotten with his abilities.

Therefore, if these kidnappers were indeed Royal Raiders, there was a good chance they had stolen the restraints along with the other royal treasures they had acquired.

’All I have to do is check the numbers written on them and make a key of the right size.’

He bent himself against the restraints until he could get a glimpse of the tiny number written on the cuff.

’23.’

’There you are.’

Without wasting another second, crimson energy spilled between his fingers in delicate, fiery threads. The strands curled and intertwined, until they hardened into a slender metal key with a narrow shaft, a small ridged head, and precisely cut teeth designed to fit the lock.

Star smiled to himself.

He then went ahead and searched for the keyhole with his hand, closing his eyes as he kept feeling around until...

’Gotcha!’

He inserted his crimson key and twisted it. The cuffs loosened around his wrist at once.

"Whew! Star rolled his shoulders, rubbing the sore skin around his wrists. "Star, you rock. And still rock."

He freed his ankles next, then rose from the chair and crept towards the chamber’s narrow entrance. Before stepping out, he leaned forward and cautiously peered around the edge.

The cave had a narrow passage lined with more of those royal candles, which opened into the heart of the cave, where the golden glow of the flames was much brighter.

Seeing that no one was watching, he slipped out and headed towards the opening. He moved as quietly as possible, especially since he could see someone’s shadow stretching across the ground and climbing up the cave wall.

Therefore, he kept his back against the wall as he approached the heart of the cave. When he reached it, he peered out again.

The first thing he saw was Skar. The beast was at the far end of the place, where two people appeared to be binding it with thick ropes.

What surprised him, however, was how quiet Skar was. It made no sound and didn’t even resist them. It was as though it were actually enjoying itself.

"Universe! It’s like they have beast sedatives," Star murmured under his breath. "Of course they would. If you’re planning to capture royalty, you have to be prepared to deal with their beasts, too."

He tore his gaze away from Skar and studied the room.

Two people were tying up the beast, while another stood in the centre of the cave, tending to a fire he had built to keep it from dying out. The last one was closer to where Star was hiding. All of them were dressed in fancy robes, and their masks still covered the lower halves of their faces.

All in all, there were four of them, and they all looked like young kids, much like himself. But who was counting? Sarah and Zuru had once been the most dangerous thieves in Nethros.

Star’s gaze swept over them once more. This time, however, searching for weapons, weaknesses, or anything that might give him an advantage. He couldn’t afford to underestimate them, but neither could he afford to wait around until they decided what to do with him.

Sarah and Zuru were somewhere in this cave, and he had no intention of leaving without them.

"Universe," he muttered, slowly curling his fingers into a fist. "I’m about to do something incredibly stupid."

Without giving it any more thought, he jumped out at once. He lunged at the person closest to him, hooked his left arm around the boy’s neck, and brought his right hand up beside it. A crimson dagger materialised in his grip, its sharp edge resting against the boy’s neck.

"Do anything stupid," he whispered into the boy’s ear, "and I’ll slit your throat."

The boy immediately threw both arms into the air.

The one tending to the fire had already sprung to his feet and thrown both arms into the air as well.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... easy!" he cried out at once.

Star frowned. The panic in the boy’s voice sounded remarkably genuine. ’Would Royal Raiders really care this much about one of their own?’

Quickly, he pushed the thought aside and pressed the dagger even closer to the boy’s neck as the other two approached. They had also raised their hands and were walking towards him with surprising caution.

Star wondered whether these people were real royal raiders or whether he had simply been lucky enough to stumble upon a bunch of amateurs. Either way, it didn’t matter much now. He had the upper hand, and he intended to use it.

"Where are my friends?" he demanded, tightening his grip on the boy he held.

The red-haired boy who had been tending the fire glanced at the others before turning back towards Star.

"I told you he wouldn’t leave without his friends."

Star’s brow furrowed.

"What?" He looked from one masked figure to another. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The boy looked back at him. "Just calm down... and I’ll explain."

"Stop!" Star yelled back at him. He had no intention of engaging in any conversation. For all he knew, they could be trying to waste his time, throw him off guard, and then pounce on him.

"You know what? I don’t care. Just give me my friends, and I’ll give you yours."

"Just calm dow—""

"DO AS I SAY!"

"WHOA!"

Star had tightened his grip on the boy and made a sudden movement as though he were about to slit his throat. All three of the others immediately thrust their hands forward, waving them frantically in a desperate attempt to stop him.

"It’s me, Star! It’s me!" the red-haired boy called out frantically.

Even through his mask, Star could make out the bewildered frown on his face.

"Don’t you recognise me?"

Star raised a brow. "Of course I do," he drawled sarcastically. "You’re a royal kidnapper."

The boy gasped and closed his eyes in deep shame. "Gods, the mask! I’m still wearing the mask, aren’t I?"

Star shrugged.

The boy chuckled, shaking his head, then went ahead and pulled off the mask.

Star froze.

The rage in him seemed to plummet all at once. He released his grip on the boy he was holding, who staggered away, still a little shaken.

A bright smile appeared on Star’s face as he regarded the boy once more.

The red hair. The familiar face. That unmistakable expression he hadn’t seen in far too long.

Apparently, these weren’t the Royal Raiders he’d feared after all. A bright, disbelieving smile slowly spread across his face. This was...;

"D-Druid?"

The boy nodded, smiling. "Son of a bitch still remembers me."

Star burst into laughter as he stepped forward and threw both arms around him in a warm embrace.

"You’re still as small-headed as I remember!" Star exclaimed when they finally pulled apart.

Druid scoffed, shaking his head. "And you’re still as insane as I remember. Always trying to violence your way out of every situation."

Star nodded as he threw a guilty glance at the boy whose life he had just threatened. "Yeah, I guess that’s fair."

However, the others went ahead and took off the cloth covering their faces as well.

Star had been too focused on escaping and finding Sarah and Zuru to stop for a moment and realise that the person standing close to Druid was a girl.

"Hang on." His eyes widened. She wasn’t just any girl.

Meanwhile, Druid had already gestured towards her. "Uhm, this is..."

"Kezara," Star supplied with a startled scoff.

He spread his arms to hug her, but she had already stretched out a hand for a handshake. Star’s face flushed with embarrassment as he drew back to extend his hand, but by then, she had already withdrawn hers and was spreading her arms to hug him.

The two stared at each other for a painfully awkward second.

Druid winced. "Gods," he muttered under his breath, apparently sharing in the embarrassment, if not more.

At last, after a brief and rather clumsy negotiation of their conflicting intentions, they settled for a handshake.

"So you know her?" Druid asked.

"Yeah," Star replied a little too proudly. "She was my cho..."

"Chef," Kezara cut in sharply. "I w-worked as a royal chef... with my mother back then, of course."

"Is that right?" Druid answered, throwing Star a thoughtful glance.

Star nodded, forcing a smile.

He had no idea what Kessarah was thinking, but her interruption hadn’t escaped him. She had cut him off before he could finish, and the nervousness in her voice suggested that the correction had been deliberate.

Perhaps she simply preferred to leave their shared history buried beneath the dust of years gone by. Whatever her reason, Star found himself strangely reluctant to challenge her.

Some things, apparently, were easier left unspoken.

"All right, Star," Druid said ever so cheerfully as he turned towards the boy standing beside Kezara. "This is Jesper Thorn."

The boy had black hair, dark eyes, and a muscular build. He wore an elegant black doublet embroidered with intricate patterns, fitted trousers, and polished black leather boots, an attire that sang of a nobleman’s son.

Star nodded apprehensively and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Jesper took his hand, and Star’s hand practically disappeared into his much larger one. Star nodded, slightly shaking his head.

"Well, what a firm grip you’ve got there."

Jesper only chuckled.

"Now, finally," Druid continued, "this is Jeremy Thorn."

"Hmm," Star simply mumbled. "Thorn, as in..."

"Jesper Thorn’s brother? Yes," Druid answered.

Star nodded and extended his hand to greet the boy.

Jeremy shared his brother’s black hair and dark eyes, though his build was quite different. He was tall and slender, with a more reserved appearance that contrasted sharply with Jesper’s imposing frame.

"Well, I’m guessing we’re all acquainted now," Druid finally said. "Let’s move over to the dining section. I believe your friends are also dying to meet you."

Star nodded sharply.

But just before they could make any move, Skar rose to its six gigantic legs and suddenly staggered towards Druid.

The two boys beside Druid recoiled slightly at its imposing approach. But before Druid could move, Skar had already stretched out its massive tongue and given him an affection lick, as though it demanded like it too should be introduced.

"Ugh!" Druid’s shoulders slumped as he stared down at himself, thoroughly drenched in th

e beast’s saliva. "That’s disgusting!"

Star couldn’t help chuckling. Skar would never show such familiarity with someone it considered a threat.

So, If the beast had licked Druid like that, then Star could trust him.