A betrayer and a prisoner

Saira

When the guards burst through the fragile door of my healing house my eyes landed on the face of one to the left. It was the one from the main gate the day we came through! He was the one who told me to watch my back that day! I stood frozen in fear, I was rooted to the spot, unable to understand anything. If it wasn’t for Acantha I would have never gotten out of there. After we separated, I ran blindly through the maze of abandoned city streets.

“Saira!” A familiar voice shouted my name. “Saira, stop!”

It was Massell! He got away too! But wait how was that possible? There were so many of them, how did he get away? I slowed down, more because I was out of breath and I needed to get my panic under control. He was getting closer, my instincts told me that I should defend myself. I turned and face the direction he was coming in and stood in a defensive position with my knives ready.

“How did you get away?”

“After they broke off to go after you and Acantha, I was able to get away.”

He was a good fighter; it could be true. But why did I feel this way?

“We have to go.” He said taking a few steps closer to me.

I was able to see him better now in the dim lighting, he didn’t have a single scratch or scuff on him. “You have no injuries.” I pointed out.

“You know I can handle myself in a fight.” Another two steps closer.

“They were at least four men and you were unarmed.”

This was so confusing. My instincts told me to run, but I knew him, trusted him. I even loved him. He took a few more steps closer to me and was able to reach out and wrap his arms around me. “Saira, it’s all going to be okay.”

“Well done, boy.” A voice said from behind me before the world went black.

Cold water splashed me in the face shocking me out of unconsciousness. I coughed and spurted as the water filled my lungs. I tried to wipe away the water from my eyes but my hands were bound to tightly and all I could do was blink until the settings became clearer.

“It's about time, I was beginning to grow very impatient with this nonsense.” The voice was high pitched and accompanied with the sounds of sharp nails tapping on a table top.

“Who... who are you?” I knew already who it was but couldn’t help the question.

“You are in no place to ask any questions.” She slapped me, leaving my cheek burning and my eyes stayed blurry.

I continued to blink until my eyes became clear enough to see her. My head was hurting so bad at the back. I must have been hit there by the person who said “Well done”. I knew I couldn’t trust him there; I was right and still allowed my feelings to get in the way!

“Please let me go!”

“I may let you go one day, but it won't be for a very, very long time. It's been a long time since I had a fun toy to play with.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Her laugh was an evil one and sent chills through me. “Because I can! Why else?” She continued to laugh more at me.

There was no point in talking to her any more. I wouldn’t give her whatever she wanted. All I had to do was wait. Aurelia promised that she would always come for me. A knock at the door stopped the Queen’s incessant laughing. She walked over to it with a look of annoyance clear across her features.

“What are you doing here?” She asked unkindly to the tall young man who stood there. He was frightening to behold. The look in his eyes alone had my heart pounding in my chest with absolute terror.

“I wanted to see if the reports were correct. So, you have caught the healer. What will you do with her now?”

“She will become of use to us. She has such power to heal those rats in the city streets; I intend to use that power for our own gain. What have you done with the betrayer?”

Were they talking about Massell? I hope that he was locked away in worse conditions then I was for what he did to me. He betrayed us all! And worse he used my feelings against me in the end. If I got out of this room alive and saw him again, I would kill him!

“He kept his word; he will get the position he wanted within the guard.” They talked as if I wasn’t here!

I listened closely hoping that they had nothing to say about Acantha or Aurelia.

“Lycus, the guard told me that there was another woman with them. The betrayer said she was just an aid, but she killed one of our men and got away. I want her found.”

So, she did get away! That meant it would be no time at all for Aurelia to come and save me! They talked a while longer about where he should look and her ridiculous expectations. Before he turned to leave, his evil eyes came to linger on me once more. The way he looked at me with such hate reminded me of my father and brothers.

He left without further word and I was alone with that hateful Queen. She came to stand in front of me, I braced for another slap, but her hand went to a pocket in her dress instead. What she pulled out had me filled with such anger that the corners of my vision went red with hate! How dare she handle my crystal!

All I wanted to do was scream and thrash about, but I didn’t. I couldn’t let her know how important the crystal was to me. “Where did you get such a thing?” She asked me.

“From my homeland. My grandmother gave it to me, it’s just a pretty rock to look at.”

“It's mine now.” She turned and stomped out of the room leaving me alone finally. The fear and anger that I tried to hold back came rushing to the surface and spilled out of me as uncontrollable tears. Better to get them out now before anyone came back.

There was one small window that was the only light in the room. I watched as it moved across the sky and there was no sign of my rescue. I was devastated when the sun had set and I spent the night alone in the dark chained to a chair. Sleep was impossible and the only company I had were my fears and doubts.

I could hear someone coming, whoever it was running fast. The door burst open and of all the people I thought would show up there, the least of all would be Massell. “Get out of my sight!” I screamed at him; my voice unrecognizable thanks to the anger I felt.

“There was no choice, your kind are evil and I had to stop you before you became too powerful. All your kind is good for is death and destruction. Every single second I have had to spend with you has been agony! Now I will be rid of you and the others will never know.”

“She will know. And when she does you will never be safe again! She will hunt you down, and if I survive this, I will help her!”

He smirked at me, my threat meaning nothing to him. “I intend to make sure that you do not survive.”

He took a few steps closer to me and drew a small knife. He intended to kill me here? I screamed as loud as I could, no one came running though. My scream was drowned out by something much louder one and full of despair.

I started to laugh as I knew the source of such a sound. Aurelia was coming for me. My laughter grew to that of a mad person. The sounds of destruction filled the room and the screams of the city people grew louder as the carnage continued. More guards were heard running towards the room and I wasn’t the only one that could hear them coming. Massell frowned but put his knife back on his belt, with one last hateful look he crept out of the room hoping to be unnoticed.

“Who opened this door witch?” Demanded the first guard to round the corner.

“It doesn’t matter right now! The Queen gave us orders to get her out of here! Let’s go before you get us in trouble with the prince.”

They untied me and yanked me out of the chair with ruff hands. My legs were so weak they had to drag me out of the room. Each large window we crossed by I was able to get a glance of what was happening in the city. There I saw her; Aurelia was laying waste to every part of the city she hated. The fires raged high and out of control. Everywhere people ran and screamed for help.

She flew over the ship yard and started to burn the ships down that the Queen had just ordered to be built. Then, from one of the ships a metal net flew at her and wrapped around her before pulling her down to the water. “No!” I screamed out of the window.

I couldn’t believe that my best friend had been shot down and was now captured just like I was. I vowed that if I was free of this place one day that I would search out that ship and I would end whoever stole her from us. The guards began to push me through the hallways once more. “Where are you taking me?” I would yell over and over, no one gave me an answer.

They shoved me through a final set of doors that led to a room that was clearly fit for a Queen. She stood at her window and watched as the fires raged below. People screamed form their burns and other screamed as they tried to extinguish the flames.

“My Queen we have brought you the Warlock bitch.”

“Leave us.”

They left the room with confused looks on their faces but didn’t say another word. She continued to look upon the city as she ignored that I was even there. I made a move hoping that I would be able to get to the door before she was able to yell for guards, but movement in the corner of my eye told me that it was not just the two of us here like I had thought.

“What do you want with me?” I Had to try and draw her attention, the silence was making me nervous.

“I want you to do a spell for me. I desire to be eternal.”

“There is no such spell.” I didn’t know if that was true but I wouldn’t do it even if it was. It went against the laws of magic and life.

“Is that so,” she said as she turned and walked out of the room without an indication to follow. “Follow me of your own will or have my men force you. It is your choice.”

I was tired of being pushed around so I followed her into the hall. The way she talked; it was like she knew something that I didn’t. All of my teaching told me that it is a forbidden art. Did she have a lost spell or knowledge? The halls we walked through seemed like a maze. I was too tired to be able to keep track of all the turns we took. The room we eventually entered was empty for the most part. There was no furniture and seemed to be a room used for storage of old paintings.

She pulled one away from the wall and reviled a secret passage way that seemed endless in the darkness. Curiosity pushed me through it without a word or command from her. We walked in silence for a while and eventually came out into a room that looked like the dream world Aurelia and I visited.

“This is where you will stay until you complete my spell. Then one day I may set you free. Everything you need will be brought to you.”

I walked over to a book shelf curious to see if the same books from the dream were here. When I reached out, the sound of the door behind me startled me enough to look away. I was left alone with one guard and no hope of getting out!