Chapter Two: Pain to Endure

            Buddi looked up as the door opened. Emi walked in, her eyes wide with anticipation. Buddi narrowed his eyes, "what do you want?"

            Emi made no reply but reached into her sack. Sweat built up on Buddi's palms and he demanded,

            "If you wanna kill me, kill me and get it over with."

            Emi smiled and knelt by the cub. She caressed his face and Buddi tried to pull away. Emi replied. "All in good time, I want your mother to see you die. Let your blood spray on her face."

            Buddi growled at her but she slipped two bracelets onto his arms, on the upper arm. She smiled.

            "I hope Ursa trained you well. I intend on making you squirm."

            That said, she lit up her hand. The band son Buddi's arms as well as the shackles on his wrists and ankles began to constrict. Soon, he could feel his bones being crushed. Tears formed in his eyes but he blinked them away. He looked down at his hands. They were turning white. He tried to rub them but couldn't.

            Emi laughed, deeply and evilly. She extended her claws and grabbed the cub by his neck. She dug her nails into his neck, not deep enough to be life threatening. But it caused agony in the cub's body that he had ever imagined.

            Emi released him. The cub tumbled to ground and tried to clutch his neck but the chains held him firm. His wrists burned with pain. He had been preoccupied with Emi but the chains still constricted, they would until his hands were sliced off, he knew it. He couldn't let that happen. There had to be a way to stop it. Everything had a weak link.

            Emi lifted the cub's face up to look her in her eyes. Fear crept over Buddi's heart. Her eyes…they were so ruthless, so cold. The cub shivered involuntarily. Emi took this in and smiled. She rose and said,

            "Don't get too comfortable. I'll be back."

            She closed the door. Once again alone, Buddi shuddered. Her touch…oh, she was so cold! Her touch was like ice. Those eyes…

            Buddi felt a fear pierce his heart just thinking of those eyes.

            They were cold, dark, empty…pitiless. They were dark, focused on the task at hand. He had never seen such evil eyes.

* * *

            Sunni stared at her captor with trembling eyes. Emi had not killed her but she was in immense pain. In all her life, she'd never dreamed it was even possible to feel such pain! She screamed.

            "Does that hurt?" Emi asked her, with false sympathy. Her curled fist turned a darker black. Sunni felt agonizing pain cut through her body.

            Her mind was being torn in two. Stomach pains hit her so intense that she doubled over, tears streaming from her eyes. Her eyes burned and her ears throbbed. She collapsed where she was, sweating and screaming.

            Emi opened her hand and the pain stopped.

            Sunni's breath came in gasps, amid the agonizing but fading pain. She struggled to rise to her knees but eventually decided that it was not worth the effort. She laid on the cold dirt strewn floor, simply trying to restore her breathing to normal.

            Emi walked over and planted a foot into the arch in the girl's back. Yanking by the blond tresses, she pulled the girl's face up so that her neck was arched unnaturally and uncomfortably. Sunni winced as she found herself staring into cold empty eyes.

            "Does that hurt?" Emi asked again. Sunni made no reply. Emi threw her face down and rose. Sunni trembled.

            "Why not kill me now?"

            "Because," Emi replied. "I want to see you suffer. All the knights of Gummadoon could not defeat me when there were over three hundred. My power's too great." She smiled evilly. "And I want your 'parents' to have your dying image ironed into their minds."

            Sunni shook in both still present pain and fear and only calmed when she could no longer feel Emi's presence.

            "I'll get out of her, I will," she silently swore, 'I will not let you win. No, not this time."

* * *

            Cubbi stood by Sir Plucki, standing tall and brave. He wasn't not afraid. Only a fool would not have been afraid.

            Wooddale and the other Gummadoon Gummies had found that Sir Cubbi was correct. They could send Gummies into Emi's land but only three, just as Cubbi had said. The knights and others were watching the chosen travelers: Gruffi, Calla and Ursa.

            The three who had been chosen nodded as the five council members began their chant. They spoke far to swiftly for anyone to truly understand them.

            A deep golden glow overtook the three and then, in a flash of golden powder they vanished.

            Cubbi closed his eyes and wished silently to whatever spirits were listening,

            "Please, bring them all back to us safely."