CHAPTER 4

　　Like the time before, no one noticed the dark shadow that was watching them ride back into town. He was staying back in the shadows biding his time. He was not sure who he wanted revenge from the most. He was going to make the three of them pay for the humiliation that he suffered. He was mad at Jade for raising the curtain and exposing his temper and abuse of Airow. He was mad at Airow for the disrespect and finding out who his real father was and making it harder for him to become the ruler of Dragano. He was angry at Dominic for not training his son and held him responsible for his son’s death. He had hoped to get rid of Dominic and that way he would be made ruler of Dragano. That is the way it was supposed to work but instead he had taken the boy instead of finishing him off. Now he was considered an outlaw. Well, they would pay for what they had done to him. Poor Ethan! He never could take responsibility for his own actions.

　　Jade got up early that morning as she wanted to go and take Moonlight a treat. She also wanted to get a head start on some of her chores at the stable before time to begin training. Sometimes the stalls were really a mess. But she didn’t mind, as it got her out of the house and out of the duty of learning how to cook. Her father had told her that when she married, she might have servants to serve her but if not then she would have to be able to cook for herself and her husband. She didn’t mind so much about the cooking so much as she hated the cleaning up after cooking and the meal. That was enough to make anyone’s nose turn up. Yuk!!!! Dishes.... Anyway, Jade went to the stables with a couple of apples in hand for her horse and Airow’s. She always brought one to Moonlight and one to Silvermist. While she was cleaning the stables, she didn’t notice the stranger watching her from the loft above. Today was his revenge against the small girl who raised the curtain. He watched her clean out the stall of her horse and put fresh hay back down on the floor for her horse. He even let her finish giving the horse a fresh apple.

　　He slowly crept down the stairs, careful not to make a sound. Jade had finished closing the stall door when she heard a noise. She called out for Airow as he was the only one who ever came to the stables this early in the morning. When he did not answer or come, she became a little leery. She crept slowly around the corner always looking to see if she could see around her. She headed for the door when.... Wham!!!! She never saw it coming. She was knocked out and then a burlap sack was thrown over her head. After that she did not remember much. All she knew was that her head hurt and she was not in the stables anymore but instead she was in someone’s house who was not a very good housekeeper.

　　That morning Airow got up so he could go see his friend, Jade and his horse. His father had asked him what they wanted to do today. Whether they wanted to ride some more or work on something else. They got to talking and the time slipped away. Dominic and Airow walked toward the stables to get Jade but when they got there she was nowhere to be found. As they were going to leave, Jade’s father walked in. Dominic went and shook his hand.

　　“Sir Jonah, have you seen Jade today? We were coming to get her to go riding." Said Lord Dominic.

　　Jonah told him that he had come to the stables to find his daughter so that they could eat together. While they were talking, Airow went to where the horses were housed. The apples that were supposed to be for Silvermist and Moonlight were on the ground outside the stable gates.

　　“Sir, I found these apples outside of our horse’s stalls”, said Airow.

　　Jonah looked and thought those were the apples that Jade was bringing to the horses this morning.

　　“I wonder why she didn’t give it to them.” Said Sir Jonah.

　　Lord Dominic suddenly began to get a sinking feeling about all of this. They began to look around for her very quickly. While the two adults were looking around, Airow started his own search. He went to all the places he and Jade liked to go. As he was walking toward the courtyard, Airow saw a black cat. It was not just any cat; this one was the same color as Jade’s horse. He somehow felt that this cat had something to do with Jade. So, he followed it. He followed it through the town, past the stables, past the house that Jade lived in and was headed towards Ethan’s old house. He knew he should have gone and gotten the adults, but he was afraid for his friend or that he would lose the cat if he did.

　　? Airow did not think that anyone was inside but decided to go in and check just in case. He left the door open as he walked in, when suddenly, he heard a loud door slam.

　　"Wham!! “Well look who walked in..... I get two birds with one stone." Said Ethan.

　　I thought that I was just going to get even with one person today and now I can get rid of both of you. You two have been a thorn in my side that I plan to rectify right now. Ethan had been plotting this for over two weeks. He had planned this for only one but since that they were both here, he was going to take advantage of the situation. I might even get to take care of all of you in one day. Airow knew that meant he was planning to do something to his dad, Lord Dominic. He remembered all the times that he had talked about Lord Dominic and how he was bad for Dragano. Dragano would be better when he became the ruler, he would make changes for the better. Someone at Dragon Fang was helping him but he couldn’t remember who it was. Airow had to worry about how to get them out of this mess. He was looking around the room but was unable to find Jade.

　　“What have you done with my friend, Jade; and where is she?” Asked Airow.

　　“It’s funny that you should ask. She is tied up in your old room.” Said Ethan.

　　Ethan remembered that is where he had put her so that whoever came thru the door would not be able to see her. Little did either of them know that Lord Dominic and Sir Jonah were fast coming their way. While Ethan had been talking to Airow, the black cat had gone back into town and was leading the adults right back to the cabin. Jonah knew of his daughter’s ability to shape shift into a cat when she was in danger and had been kept secret from the town of Dragano.

　　Jonah and Dominic had seen Airow thru the window. They were going to have to proceed very carefully so that neither child gets hurt. Jonah was going to go thru the front door and Dominic was going in the back. This way Ethan could not get past either one of them. Jonah came thru the front door but as he came in Ethan swung a pan and hit him in the head knocking him out. When Ethan turned him over and saw that it was Sir Jonah and not Lord Dominic, he was furious. He knew he had to get out of there fast, so he went to get Jade and found that she was gone. He then turned to grab Airow and go out the back door to get away. As he opened the door to escape, Lord Dominic was standing there waiting. Lord Dominic knocked him out with one punch. He went in and found some rope and tied Ethan up and untied his son. After that, he went and checked on Jonah who was coming around.

　　“I am okay...I think.” Said Sir Jonah.

　　Airow told him where Jade was tied up and when they opened the door all they saw were the ropes and she was nowhere around. Jonah and Dominic got on their horses; and Airow got on behind his father. Jonah promised to explain why no one could find Jade later. They pulled Ethan behind their horses. He walked into town being pulled by Dominic and Jonah on their horses. It was a humiliation that he would never forget and added to hatred of Dominic and now Jonah. Once into Dragano, they took him to the jail till they could wait for trial. As they rode into town, everyone was staring at Ethan being towed in. They went to the jail and handed him over to the knights. He was not to have any visitors. Dominic went and took Jonah to his house and called for the medic to be called. The medic was to come and see if Jonah needed stitches or not. Dominic and Airow sat at Jonah’s table waiting for the news of their friend. The medic came out and told them he had to have a few stitches but that he was going to be okay. He just had to take it easy for the next few days, but after that he can return to his regular duties. Jonah then came into the room and sat at the table with Dominic and Airow.

　　Through the window, Airow saw the same black cat. Jonah asked him to go and get the cat and bring it in. Once he brought it in, Dominic and Airow got the shock of their lives. The cat began to change and before long Jade stood right before them. Jonah explained that once when Jade was a small child there was an accident. The house that they lived in had caught fire. She was still a small child and was in her crib at the back of the house. I thought for sure that she had died in the fire as it took me a while to get to her. When we got the flames down to where I could go in, Jade was not there. It was just like she had disappeared and then this black cat showed up. When everyone went home, the black cat turned back into my daughter, Jade. That is when I knew that she had the magic to change herself when in danger.

　　“I didn’t change into the cat before there was danger.” Said Jade.

　　Ethan surprised me so I didn’t change until after he had taken me back to his house and put me into Airow’s old room. Only then did I change and then ran into Airow. He followed me to Ethan’s and then that is why everything else happened the way it did. Dominic was amazed. There was only one other person that he knew of that could do that. That person was Airow. The bandits had shown him that.

　　“Jade, you and Airow are very special. Airow can also transform when threatened." Said Dominic.

　　The day that the bandits were caught, I was able to see what happened. I saw the vision of Airow and a wolf standing beside his carriage. I also saw that wolf then attack those men. So that is the reason that he is probably still here with us. But I have seen him as a wolf when some town boys were picking on some other children. One of the boys had hit Jade and he transformed into the wolf to protect her. I guess that our children have their own kind of magic to protect themselves and others.

　　“Thank you, Jonah for sharing your secret with us. As it is your secret, so shall it become ours.” Said Dominic

　　Lord Dominic stopped at Harrison’s on his way home to inform him of the current events on Ethan. Harrison informed him that he would set a time and place to start the trial. The sooner we do this, then the sooner the town will be safe it seems. Then Dominic and Airow headed towards their own home. Both glad that this day was over, and that Ethan had been caught. Now they could enjoy and rest before the time came for him to go to school in Dragon Fang.

　　Sir Harrison, the next morning sent a messenger to the king letting him know of the capture. The king upon receiving the message was relieved to know that Sir Ethan had been captured. The king wrote back telling Sir Harrison to strip him of his title which did not belong to him. The king was unsure how he got the title, but he was going to make sure that it didn’t happen again. The next day, Sir Ethan was brought before Sir Harrison and the Dragano Court. Dominic was the first one to come in and testify against him. He testified about what he had seen from the bandits. He also told them about the night Airow was beaten up during the Winter Festival and how Ethan had kicked Airow out of his house and when he kidnaped Jade and Airow the other day. Jonah was the next to testify. He confirmed the kidnaping of Jade and Airow and the story from the Winter Festival. The last person to testify was the bandit they brought from the jail. He told of how he was hired by Ethan to kill Airow. He told how he was scared off and that Ethan had taken the child.

　　Sir Harrison, then turned to Sir Ethan and asked if he had anything to say about the charges. Sir Ethan kept looking back as if someone was going to come to his defense. When no one came, he turned around and said he had nothing to say.

　　“Sir Ethan, you are hereby stripped of your title and will no longer be considered a knight. You shall serve out your sentence in the jail of Dragano until the knights from Dragon Fang can come and get you." Said Lord Harrison.

　　After the reading of the sentence, Ethan was taken back to the jail till the knights come or he figures a way to escape.