-Lara's POV-
Okay I know I'm close now. Those men must have been posted outside to keep outsiders from coming inside. Hopefully there won't be a lot of Solarii soldiers to deal with. I haven't really thought this through. All I know is I have to hurry, get Sam and others and get the hell out of here. Roth would probably yell at me right now for not having a plan. He used to tell me when I was younger that my recklessness was going to be the death of me one of these days. I hope he's wrong this time. He's almost never wrong. He-
"My brothers!"
That voice!
I immediately whipped out my bow after hearing that monster's voice.
I crept silently until I could start to make out the silhouettes of figures in the crowd; the crowd of Solarii soldiers watching my closest friend about to be burned alive for a crazy ritual.
I bobbed and weaved out of sight while Mathius continued speaking, "Listen to me now. Out in the world, we were nothing. But here… here we are the Solarii, the Sun Queen's children. She brought us here for a reason. I know you want your freedom. I know you want to escape this place. But to do so, we must release our Queen. Like us, she is a prisoner. If we can free her-"
"Sam!" I silently whispered. I could see her struggling against her bonds.
Mathius raised his fist in the air, "- we free ourselves! This girl… she carries the blood of this land. She could be the key. The Ritual of Flames will show us the truth!"
My heart sped up as he gestured towards Sam. She looked so fragile and petrified. I don't know how I'm going to get her out of here, but I have to do something! She can't just die!
"Himiko, you are the first and the last…" Mathius said as another Solarii soldier walked towards Sam with a lit torch.
No! They can't do this!
Mathius yelled in joy, "Speak to us now!"
I aimed my bow at the bastard's head who was about to burn my friend. Without a second thought, I shot him through his skull. The arrow had zipped past bare inches of Mathius' face. I aimed my next arrow for Mathius, but I barely had time to register the horde of men swarming towards me. I blindly shot another arrow and missed the man who rammed into me, and flipped me on my back.
The breath was knocked out of me, and I felt a hard force hit my chest.
"You killed our brother!" The man screamed and punched me in the face repeatedly, "Now I'm going to kill you!" I was yelling out in pain and trying to get as far away from him as possible, but another man forced me to stay in place as I was being beat to death. "This is for Vladimir outsider!"
"Enough!" Mathius' gruff voice yelled at his subordinate, "Dmitri, Nikolai! Bring her to me."
My whole body ached and went lax as I was stripped of my weapons. I felt myself being lifted up by my arms and dragged towards their leader.
"Ghh!" I yelped in pain when Mathius roughly grabbed the top of my head, forcing me to look towards him.
He started saying something to me but pain was the only thing my brain kept repeating, so I didn't care to listen.
The man had started the fire at Sam's feet. I fought through the haze in my mind, and tried to comfort her. She is going to die because of me. EVERYONE that boarded the Endurance is doomed to die here because of me. The least I could do was tell Sam I'm sorry.
The flames were almost within her reach as she started to scream into the piece of cloth around her mouth, but as quickly as they came… they died out.
Everyone was in awe at how Sam was still alive. I'm just grateful she'll be okay for a little while longer. They all started discussing their next plan of action, and I heard something about a throne room I think? That's where they're taking her next. I have to-
"Ugh!" I groaned when I was forced to my feet again. They are taking me away from Sam.
The others are captured, and Roth is injured so I am the only one who can save her. I can't die. Not yet, please! Please!
My fight or flight instincts took over my mind more so than rational thinking was at the moment when two men started to drag me away to finish me off.
We reached a place that smelled of rust and blood, secluded from everyone else, and I immediately went into action.
I quickly lunged for the machete at the guy on my right and I pushed him off, and into a bloody sea, then I went for the one on my left and dug the machete deep into his stomach, and kicked him off of my machete to tumble down after the other guy.
No matter how much it hurts, I have to keep going. Sam is still in danger and the Solarii think I'm dead. Roth… I hope you'll be proud of me, because I've figured out a plan.