Chapter 16 A Whole New World
Chapter sixteen
A Whole New World
Alaceandra
Iawake with a start; my head is pounding.
Where am I? Using both hands to press into my temples, I try not to puke.
Assessing my surroundings, I realize the ground I was sitting on was rough and sand-like in texture.
The atmosphere is cold, not necessarily in temperature, but due to an ominous chill swirling itself through the air.
Groaning, I crack open my eyes and look around.
The last thing I remembered was my bracelet glowing as I reached for a red object sitting on the edge of a rock and then…
nothing. I shake my head trying to knock the grogginess out of my body and sit up.
I must have been… transported somewhere.
I do not recognize these lands. My palms begin to sweat.
I am alone. Worse than that, the area around me is covered in decay.
Skeletal trees weep red sap and cast spindly shadows across the ground.
The bushes surrounding me are blackened, their leaves barely hanging on to brittle branches.
The area smells of something freshly burned.
Before I can fully gain my bearings, I hear a noise in the distance coming in my direction.
Rolling to my feet I quickly throw myself behind one of the bigger trees before the voices can materialize into people.
Fuck. If Sam and Sorin are not with me, where did they go?
Why am I alone here? I continue looking around, but father never told me much about the other kingdoms, making locating myself impossible.
I tuck myself against a tree when I feel something dig into my thigh.
Pulling up my skirts, I let out a sigh of relief.
Sam’s dagger! I strapped it to my thigh before departing on this adventure.
Thank Ptheryeth it is still with me. Let us just hope I will not have to use it.
I huddle more into myself pulling the bits of the dress closer to my body.
The voices are now uncomfortably close. I listen in on the conversation.
“… more than that boy.”
“I agree, I think I sensed four new energies.”
“Wow so many?”
“I know the portal does not usually allow so many through, I wonder it’s plans.”
“No matter, they cannot come to fruition. We need to capture them before they can cause too much trouble for the king.”
“Yes, but maybe we have some fun with these intruders before handing them over, we haven’t gotten to play in so long.”
“Of course, the king only said we needed to find them and bring them to him. He never specified the condition they needed to be in. If they just happened to have died before making it to him well… there are lots of dangerous creatures out here.” They both laugh at this.
Okay… maybe I will need to use this dagger after all.
Steeling myself for an altercation, I unsheathe the weapon and slowly move to a crouch.
They are being thorough in their search, which means it is only a matter of time before I am found.
Not that it is hard. The skeletal trees and bushes do not provide much in the form of coverage.
They only need to pass my location in order to spot me.
“Let’s ensure we do bring them back to the camp though first, hmm? Maybe the boy will be more apt to talk if we can find some of his comrades.”
The boy? I wonder who they are speaking of.
Also, a portal? I assume is what dropped me here, but seeing as, at most, there was only three of us at its entrance, maybe they are speaking of something else?
As I am pondering this, I notice the men have stopped talking.
Looking up I see there is the edge of a boot at the base of my tree.
Fuck they have noticed me. I quickly hurl my body at the booted body stabbing my dagger into its thigh along with my body weight.
The burly giant grunts and tries to grab for me.
Using the leverage of my dagger in the man’s thigh, I push away from the man and roll out of the way.
He screams in pain and stumbles back. Sending a mental thank you to Sorin for urging me to sharpen the blade before our departure I stand up and ready myself for my next move.
My eyes zero in on the dagger still embedded in the man's thigh and I cringe.
Probably not going to get that back… fuck what do I do without a weapon?
“Looks to me like we are in the presence of royalty,” the man I stabbed grunts out, blood pouring between his fingers as he clutches at the dagger.
“Seems like we are,” a voice says from behind me.
Cocky of him to speak so close, I think to myself, ducking and spinning out of his reach.
The men both now stand in front of me ready to pounce on me, their faces filled with malice.
I do the only logical thing I can think of, I run hard and fast in the other direction, clutching the front of my dress for dear life.
I have no idea their level of skill and, from their conversation, what they plan on doing to me, so I do not want to chance my nonexistent hand-to-hand combat skills in a fight.
Weaving in and out of the trees I hear the other man laugh.
“I love a chase. The king is going to be so happy with this find!” he calls out, far closer than expected.
Picking up the pace, I turn towards a more densely covered path in the forest, hoping to lose the two men in the brush, but as I continue to weave through the forest to try to gain distance, I feel a tug against the back of my dress.
Crashing to the ground, I gasp for breath.
My dress got caught on one of the branches of a lifeless bush.
Panicking, I yank at the gown. Looks like I will need new clothing once I find safety.
I wish I could cut the end of this fucking dress off.
I mentally chide myself for leaving the stupid dagger in the man's thigh.
After what seems like a millennia, it yanks free, but it is too late.
The uninjured man takes hold of me, holding a cloth tight to my face.
Wriggling violently, I kick out with my legs and throw us into one of the prickly bushes, but he holds me firmly.
Hissing in pain, his grip tightens as he pulls me closer to him. Chuckling in my ear, he whispers, “I am going to have so much fun with you.” That is the last thing I hear before I pass out.