Temujai Kidnappers
In the aftermath of the battle of Skandia the Temujai raiders fled west to their homelands. That is where my story begins. The Temujai in their loss decided to inflict as much damage as possible to Skandia. Raiding and looting the farms and villages in their path. In this way however they lost more men. Deflated they came across our settlement. We had lived there for only a year; me, three families, and their slaves. I was working in the fields harvesting the weeds from our crops when the sounds of horse hooves came from off in the distance.
"Jael get in here NOW!" Rudolf yelled. The sound was deepening I could see the birds flying to the air as the sound got closer. I began to run but already I knew I had been still for far too long. Potato spouts sped past me as I ran for the fence. Suddenly I heard the far off neigh of a horse. I turned half hoping they wouldn't see me. A regime of dark horses appeared through the fir trees. The soldiers a top them like dark flames against the forest. Some began to raise their bows. I sped forward pushing as hard as I could; the gate of the fence looming closer and closer. Still I heard the distant twang of bowstrings and the soft whiz of arrows. Two sped into the ground behind me the third struck the ground ahead. Now I could see Rudolf's face dark as the fir posts. Our master however wise he was wasn't willing to wait for a slave boy like me to get behind the fence. The horses where moving now, I could hear their hooves beating the earth. Strange what panic does to you, sometimes it freezes you and sometimes it pushes you. The cold spring air was burning in my throat. I knew I had to try even though it was pointless. Rudolf was cheering me on begging our master not to close me out. Suddenly an arrow struck my thigh. The other ones whizzed past my head kicking up dirt in my face. I heard Rudolf yelling and then the thud of an object falling to the ground. Rudolf was running towards me he was barely two meters away when a horse sped up to me. I felt myself being picked up.
"RUDOLF!" I shouted. A Temujai rode up and hit him on the head with a club. I felt the arrow being pulled out. The pain ripped through my body. The most I had ever felt was being whipped when I accidently tripped a customer. (I used to work in a food house.) The only family I knew was Rudolf.
"Please." I prayed "Please let Rudolf live." Then the club struck my head just as I saw the fence burning. MARIA!
