Chapter 3 #2
Throbbing pain in my temples woke me up.
I blinked, adjusting to the bright afternoon sun.
My eyes landed on the tiny window by the ceiling.
A rich current of orange and gold entered the gloomy cell with joyous, ignorant urgency.
A pure strip of light brushed the rough mattress of my bed and the compelling desire to get closer to the window forced me to sit up.
I shifted my legs forward and inched closer to the light then the whole room spun in front of my eyes.
I was lightheaded and weak, my stomach contracted and I fought the nausea as I straightened up and leaned on the opposite wall to support myself.
My breathing sounded loudly in my ears as I reached up closer to the window and felt the uneven surface of the stone wall with my scratched fingertips.
The light from the window was so close. I could almost feel the sun on my skin.
More than anything I wanted to get outside and see the sky one last time.
I extended my arm and pulled myself up, standing on the stone border.
For a moment, the shock of the pure, blinding light paralyzed me, and I could see nothing but the glare and flashes from the sun.
My lips stretched into a weak smile when I saw the silhouette of a black dragon slowly gliding through the sky. It was a sign that I could finally let go, that I could leave this place, at least in my thoughts. Just for a moment, I could imagine myself being on the other side.
As if seeing me, the magnificent creature spun around in the air and flew toward me. I lifted my hand high as the vision drew near. It was so close; I could see its eyes, black as night, and the matching opaque scales of its body.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered.
Then the ground moved below my feet and everything around me went dark.
I was drifting between worlds, not feeling the heaviness of my bones and muscles.
Somewhere, from really far away, there were voices.
I winced, knowing that I was all alone, there was no one else with me.
The voices sounded so urgent and agitated that, at last, something pierced the stupor I was in, and it made me anxious.
Then I felt a pair of strong hands wrap around my body, lifting me up off the ground.
I protested, my voice weak and almost unrecognizable.
Still only half conscious, I made sure to open my eyes, noticing the strong profile of the man who carried me through the barely lit corridor.
He had olive-colored skin and dark brown hair that reached almost to his shoulders.
His dark eyes with thick eyelashes concentrated on something ahead that I could not see.
I tried to lift my head but I could not move.
I was hallucinating, seeing things that were not there, and for the first time, I was fine with it.
The closeness was soothing and comfortable.
I relaxed in his arms, soaking in the warmth of human touch.
“Ty? We have to make camp,” a female voice sounded from behind me.
“Are you nuts? Have you seen this place?” a man responded.
“She’s right. The girl won’t last long,” a deeper voice joined in.
“Sure. Side with her. All of you have lost your minds,” the first male said.
“We’ll find a secure location and barricade ourselves inside,” the low, soothing voice was so close to me, and I looked at the young man carrying me one more time.
“It’s a death trap, and the sun is almost down,” the first male said.
“We can’t fly her anywhere. She won’t make it,” the man who carried me responded.
Fatigued and exhausted, I closed my eyes, returning to the state between two worlds, not dreaming and not fully awake.
The next time I opened my eyes, a girl was leaning over me. Her hand stilled on my shoulder.
“Hey, easy now,” she whispered.
Something cold touched my lips and I turned away.
“Drink this. You’ll feel better. I promise.” She nodded to me.
The girl had gorgeous blue eyes and two braids on the sides of her head. Her light blond hair contrasted with her slightly tanned skin. She wore a leather jacket, with some inclusions of fur on top of her shoulders.
I tried to speak, but gave up, and watched her confident movements.
“This is a healing potion. It will make you as good as new in no time,” the girl added, placing a vial to my lips.
The liquid burned my tongue and the insides of my cheeks. The hot substance traveled down my throat, making my insides blaze with fire. The feeling was shocking, and when I thought I could not take it any longer, a soothing coolness settled the flames and I relaxed.
“Better now?” the girl asked.
I turned my head, noticing the unfamiliar layout of the room around me. Slowly my conscience returned me to the present, but I could not be completely sure I was not imagining things.
“How is she?” a new voice came from very close by.
I moved my head to see who was talking. It was a tall man with skin the color of the richest coffee.
His shoulders and neck were so broad that it made his figure appear almost misshapen.
I had never seen any man that looked like that.
Somehow his presence did not alarm me, on the contrary his low, deep voice made me feel calm and protected.
“Really weak. We have to keep giving her water and maybe find some food for her.” The girl straightened up.
“Here.” The mountain of a man produced a wrapped bundle from his inner pocket.
“I love you.” The girl’s eyes sparkled as the parcel exchanged hands.
“I don’t get it. It’s just a girl,” another male voice came from the furthest wall.
I turned my head and saw a young man with ashy blond hair that practically stood up straight. He was smaller than the other males. His eyes shifted from me to the girl with long braids.
“What’s your point?” she asked.
“Don’t you think that we found the wrong person?” he continued.
The girl glanced at the dark haired man who was looking out the window.
“We are exactly where they sent us,” the leader responded.
“I don’t get it. Did they explain it in the note?” the short guy asked.
“They said nothing about the prisoner. That was Erin.” The man by the window tried the steel bars and swore.
Just then, my eyelids grew heavy and I heard nothing else.
It was pitch black outside when I woke up, my eyes darted from the bed to the wall and my heart plummeted.
I thought that everything I had seen, and the people who came for me, was just a trick of my imagination, a cruel dream.
But, a moment later I saw the figure of a man sitting by the entrance door, his long legs were stretched out and his head was touching the steel surface.
It was not a dream. Blood rushed to my face, and for a moment, it felt like I had too much air in my lungs.
I was not alone. Someone was here with me.
I sat up and saw the blond girl lying on my bed, close to the wall.
She had her sword on her chest, and even as she slept she clenched the sheath in her hands.
My eyes shifted to the other wall and I saw an extremely large silhouette sprawled on the floor.
I moved and the bed creaked. Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder.
“I wouldn’t make a noise,” the blond girl whispered.
I turned, trying to see her face in the dark.
“What?” I replied.
“Crawlers are very sensitive to sound. Sleeping is the best thing you can do. If you can,” she added.
I pressed the blanket closer to my chest, lying back down.
“So . . . what’s your name?” the blond whispered.
“Alina,” I breathed.
“Alina? My name’s Frid, the giant man is Solomon, the grumpy one is Tynan, and the tiny one is Victor.”
“There’s nothing tiny about me.”
“Anyway,” Frid did not react and continued, “What did you do?”
“What do you mean? I didn’t do anything.”
“Come on, you can tell us,” Frid said.
“I . . . really . . . I don’t think I did . . .” I stuttered.
“Then why are you here?” Victor asked.
“It’s a mistake.” I felt my cheeks burning.
I knew they did not believe me, and I could not blame them. How could they? Innocent people do not get imprisoned. I turned my head, feeling suddenly exhausted.
“Are you from the capital?” Frid asked.
“Capital?” I looked back at the girl.
“You should really try harder. I can almost believe you,” Victor snorted.
“Are you telling me that you don’t know about Railand?” Frid adjusted her sword.
I shook my head.
“She’s lying! We made it all the way here, went through a labyrinth infested with crawlers and we don’t even know if she was the target!” Victor sounded frustrated.
“Enough! Go back to sleep. We have to make it all the way out of here tomorrow,” Tynan’s authoritative voice stopped all of the questions, and all at once, everyone went quiet.