Abby and Tasha made their way through the dark wood with little difficulty, maneuvering through the tangled branches and criss-crossing roots. They occasionally referred to the map to adjust their course, but for the most part, they did fine. The two spoke as they walked: of the local gossip, their difficult lessons, and of various boys. They did not once, however, speak of their near future responsibilities and duties.
Abby and Tasha continued traveling in this fashion for hours before their surroundings got less and less familiar, and eventually, they were lost. Tasha, in the lead, was first to notice this. She abruptly stopped, and Abby, who had been enthusiastically describing a young fisherman, knocked into her.
"Hey!" Abby exclaimed. "You almost made me drop the lamp!" The lamp she held shook crazily, making shadows dance wildly on the trees.
"I think we might be lost," Tasha said, furrowing her brows and turning the map on its side.
"Let me see," Abby demanded, and Tasha handed over the map doubtfully.
"We're not lost!" Abby proclaimed triumphantly. "The map says this is the witch tree--" Abby patted a warped trunk next to her-- "and the warlock tree should be half a mile North."
"This is not the witch tree," Tasha said, her hair swinging as she shook her head. "The witch tree is ash, remember? I'm pretty sure this is an elm, so if anything this is the warlock tree."
"No," Abby insisted. "I know because the bark has a nice brown color in the light."
"It's NIGHT time, there is no light!"
"Well this lamp counts as light! This tree is a witch tree, so let's just keep following--" Abby was suddenly interrupted by the loud SNAP of a fallen branch cracking. Her eyes widened in fear. That was far too heavy for a rodent or bird. Somebody was hiding nearby. Tasha put a finger to her lips and Abby nodded. Tasha then extinguished the lamp, leaving them in darkness.
Abby held her breath--she could tell someone was very near, but was it Tasha, or...someone else? A hand covered Abby's mouth and she was pushed into the grasp of someone very strong. Her wrists were tied with rope and her pack was removed from her back. She heard the clashing of Atlantian spears, and with every hit blue sparks erupted from the collision. Abby struggled against her captor and bit their hand.
A jolt of power burst from Tasha's crystal and she fell to her knees, stunned by the quick loss of energy. Six savage men were thrown back as the ring of power hit them.
The glow remained only long enough for them to see that the men all lay motionless, then darkness engulfed them again.
"Abby, the light," Tasha said weakly.
"I can't," Abby said, ashamed by her helplessness, "I'm tied up."
Tasha crawled over to her and untied Abby's hands then relit the lamp.
"Who are they?" Abby asked. The men were grungy and missing several teeth each.
"Press gangers, I think," Tasha panted.
"Press gangers!" Abby exclaimed. "This is something I would put a stop to when I must rule."
"Well what should we do with these men right now?" Tasha asked uncertainly.
Abby chewed her lip. "Well, we can't just leave them here," she said. "Someone else would become a victim."
"So we have to lug them all the way back?" Tasha asked, glancing at the large men.
"How about we spend the night and then deal with it in the morning," Abby said, more of a conclusion than a question.
"They'll wake up eventually," Tasha pointed out.
"They'll wake up tied to a tree," Abby said with a grin, picking up a coiled rope.