Sorry for the long update; I've really got no excuse. I hope you enjoy this chapter anyways.
Eyes wide with disbelief, Sheena was too startled to talk. The guard noticed her facial expression, causing him to flash a brief grin as he continued to formally address the pair.
"It is required that you two come as soon as possible. My orders were very clear, and I am strictly a man of duty." Slowly moving his hand towards the hilt of his sword he added, "Which will you two be? The criminals who come by will, or the one's who put up a fight and demand a chase in which I have to hunt you down?"
From behind them, she heard the light fall of footsteps, and in what sounded like one fluent motion, two guards roughly grabbed her arms and forced them behind her back, rapidly tying them together with a heavy cord of rope. Still astounded, she deliberately allowed them to bond her wrists together, putting up no resistance as they forced her and Zelos out the door, and into a dark caravan. With a slam, a shaggy haired man closed the door and a small click signaled the locking of their only means of escape.
Momentarily speechless, Sheena listened as she heard the men mount their horses, the leader shouting rough directions. In a few brief seconds, the group was off, the wagon bouncing on the dusty road. With each jostling bump in the road, Sheena heard the wood creak and groan from underneath her.
"Well, things could be worse." Zelos mused after several minutes of the uncomfortable ride. "I could be in the dark by myself. It's a good thing I have one of my favorite hunnies with me."
"I swear to god Zelos, if you try anything..."
"It was a joke... You need to learn how to lighten up."
She sat in silence, staring blankly into the darkness and pondering what he had just said. Slowly, she began to wonder if there was any method they could escape from the aged wooden cage they were currently trapped in, and eventually, as her arms began to become sore from their awkward position, she absentmindedly began working with the stubbornly tied ropes.
It wasn't long after she had started when he spoke again, breaking her concentration and causing her to mutter an inaudible curse under her breath.
"You don't need to go and ignore me now Sheena. Just because we're stuck in the dark together doesn't mean we can't talk or anything... Wouldn't it be nice just to have a regular conversation? We could talk about the weather, which is kind of a bad topic considering we can't really see outside, but maybe we could talk about something... Anything really, it doesn't matter. We could talk about what we did last week, or maybe last month, or--"
"Zelos, will you just shut up for a minute?" It sounded a lot worse then she had intended it to, but he instantly quieted down, and with her nimble fingers rapidly untying knots, she just as quickly slid the rope off her hands and onto the floor. Rubbing her sore wrists she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, mind reeling with ideas.
"We need to get out of here." She said quietly, making sure that none of the guards could over hear her. Sheena imagined that he nodded, but with the darkness that surrounded them, she wasn't quite sure. It made an awkward silence, and as Sheena became lost in her own thoughts, she began to wonder what was to happen to them if they arrived in Sybak. Her first assumption was that, as the man who had captured them said, they would be put on trial, although she figured it would be anything but fair, and no matter how much evidence there could possibly be that the two were innocent, it was in all likelihood that they'd be condemned guilty. If Meltokio hadn't burned down, they'd probably be sent to the prison there, where they'd have the opportunity to fight in the coliseum until they faced death. The other option was undoubtedly immediate execution.
With a shudder, she stood up from her sitting position, stretching out her stiff limbs and trying to erase the morbid train of thought that had descended upon her, she began to pace the length of the cart. A sharp jounce however, sent her ungracefully to the floor, and moments later she overheard the guards scrambling off their horses and noisily digging through their packs for something.
Crawling on the floor, she desperately searched for the rope she had struggled out of and had no later tied it loosely back on when the yet another guard opened the door and slid in two plates of food. Taking the initiative to push the platters towards them, the man chuckled.
"Good luck tryin' to eat in the dark."
The door slammed shut once again, and the cart begin to move, undoubtedly tossing whatever creation they had prepared for them onto the floor. She undid her bonds, and crawled over to the red-haired chosen, attempting to remember his previous location. It was as good as a try as any; he was leaning against the wall in the same position he had been before, heavily breathing as if trying to ignore whatever pain he was in and get a moment of rest.
He must've heard her coming, for when she reached out for his hands he released a tiny smirk.
"What took you so long, hunny? You could've just come over here earlier." He said, and even with her eyes unaccustomed to the darkness, she slapped him hard across the face. Surprised by the sudden infliction upon his handsome features, he quickly added, "...I guess your hands are untied then... Any chance you can undo mine?"
"Well," She began, hurriedly untying the knots to avoid any further comments, "That was what I was planning on doing... If you get any ideas into your head about right now, I'll make sure you regret them later."
With a deep exhale of breath, he tenderly massaged his wrists. "I'm assuming we're on or near the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge," He stated, and if his eyes could penetrate the lightless environment, he would've seen a blank expression cross her face. He sensed it even with the distracting darkness, and continued. "Think for a minute. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the traffic crossing over it... Now anyways, this would probably be best once we get over, but..."
Oanga grimaced as the gigantic piece of architecture came into sight, watching carefully as the wagon bounced along on the dirt path. Ahead of him, his leaders rode on their horses, leaving him with the duty of holding up the rear end of the traveling party. Although he wasn't quite sure to how the two captured criminals had been involved in Meltokio's demise, it was of enough importance to send almost a third of Sybak's army to capture them.
The two themselves made an odd enough pair; he recognized the man as the former chosen of mana, and although he had seen him carousing the streets with numerous women, his eyes had never graced upon the one that sat bound in the caravan with him. He easily admitted to himself that she was a pretty one; it was too bad they hadn't met under different circumstances.
Another loud sound from inside the wagon caused him to jolt back to his senses, and he realized that strange noises had been emitting from the vehicle within the last hour. Dismissing the uneasy feeling, he nodded to the border guard as his horse carefully trotted onto the pavement of the bridge. Despite the perfect weather conditions, the sea tossed ominously below him, and the sick feeling settled regretfully into his stomach. With a clenched fist hard around the rein, he continually glanced over his shoulder and almost fell directly off his horse when his commander asked him a question.
"Once we get over the bridge, be sure to give them some water; there's no use in letting them get dehydrated." Resolution meddled with the commanding tone, and it almost lurched Oanga's stomach to a point that would've made him ill. Something foreboding lurked in the corner of his mind, and the thumping sound emitted once again from the cart behind him. The rest of the guards, obliviously watching the endless bridge ahead of them, paid no attention to the distracting droll, forcing him to single-handedly deal with the situation at hand. What was going on?
The sky was a crystalline blue and the sea a shade that contrasted beautifully with the lush green landscape in front and behind the traveling party; a scene so picturesque that it vaguely reminded him of some novel he had read years ago when he had had the time to do so. There were no clouds within his sight, and hardly a trace of wind, yet the waves tossed and turned as if something was stirring the sea in a cooking pot and thunder rumbled in the distance as if something had shaken the mountains. Beautiful weather with potent side effects were things Oanga typically distrusted.
As the guards and caravan slowly traversed off the bridge, he noticed that the strange noises had subsided some time ago. Turning around to face the cart and place drinking rations inside the vehicle, he was blasted out of place when the caravan suddenly burst into flames, splinters of wood churning in the air and bright orange flames licking up the dry material. Stunned, he lay on the ground helplessly, unable to react and numbed by the explosion, watching hopelessly as two figures ran past his range of vision in the distance.
The criminals had escaped.
Their steady running pace had gradually slowed into a walk, and physically, Sheena couldn't have been more relieved. Her body ached with weary muscles that were exhausted from overuse without any rest, despite the fact that her mind constantly held its keen edge - no doubt one of the advantages of being raised in Mizuho. It was only around noon; the sun was at its highest in the sky, and although a thin blanket of trees covered the sky above her, the scouring heat of the day pressed downwards upon them.
"What a beautiful day to be outside with my violent demonic banshee!" Zelos stated, casually throwing his arms behind his head as they continued on a perpetual path through the glade. Obviously ignoring the new humidity in the air, most likely caused by the storm she had quickly thrown together with the aid of the summon spirits, the former Chosen placed a ridiculous smile on his face. "If only this day would end with me seeing my hunny in--"
With a fiery slap across his face, his smile faded and his comment dissipated from the air; she had always found it to be the easiest solution to his angering habits.
"We'd probably be safest in Mizuho." She said, desperately hoping that he would agree, for she knew that her patience was spreading thinner by the moment, undoubtedly ready to become a mere shadow of what it normally was. Much to her unspoken relief, he nodded in agreement, running a hand through his bright red hair.
They continued at a decent pace, traversing through the woods and clinging to desperate hopes that nobody would discover them; the only prospect that propelled her forward was the idea of a warm bed in Mizuho and safety for at least one night, despite how dire the circumstance became. After an hour of cutting through thick forest, she became impressed that Zelos had managed not to talk or say anything ridiculously perverted, yet as the thought crossed her mind, she could sense irony fill the air.
"So how is my voluptuous hunny this morning? You've hardly spoken to me all morning, and it must be terribly hard to resist my masculine sexiness."
"I'm fine actually, and not talking to you is definitely a lot easier than trying to." Suspecting he would blow off the comment with incredible accuracy, she didn't turn to face him as he began to speak.
"Harsh words from my favorite hunny." He gave a slight laugh, and Sheena almost smiled, even with the degrading nickname added into his statement. She never really understood if her comments struck him as insulting, but she knew she would feel terrible if they did, despite his lecherous, flirtatious and overly obnoxious behavior.
The day soon faded into evening, and with dusk came the first few shadows tossed about by the rising moon. Only when the pale orb ascended high into the sky did they decide to stop for the night, dropping their packs in a brush covered area, presumably close to the Gaorrachia forest. Satisfied with their progress for the day and slightly uneasy about the coming night near the treacherous woods, Sheena volunteered for the first watch, her hands loosely placed near where her cards were concealed within her outfit. Zelos rolled himself over to a flat patch of ground near a large tree, and within several minutes after he lay down, she could've sworn she heard the steady fall and rise of his breath; a signal to her that he was sound asleep, finally catching up on some needed hours of rest.
Unsure of who may have been searching for them, they had decided it would be in their favor to avoid lighting a fire for the night. Although the people who had organized their arrest may not have been aware of their escape, it was possible that they had sent out extra security that would patrol and scavenge the area for any unnatural sign or trail that led to the two weary travelers. Without the light from a burning fire, Sheena was forced to rely on the steady beams of light cast down by the full moon. Sound traveled rapidly through the forest, and with her body set in a relaxed tension that could explode at any moment, she silently waited for any sign of ominous danger.
...And much to her relief, nothing suspicious approached her for the several hours she was on watch, and Zelos naturally snapped awake several hours later, asking to finish up the night and allow her a quick few hours of sleep. For the first time she didn't mind pushing herself to an unreasonable limit by spending the remainder of the night listening for noises that never occurred, and she gratefully accepted the opportunity to receive a few hours of dreamless sleep. When she awoke however, a throbbing headache convinced her that the sleep was hardly beneficial at all.
Zelos appeared awake, and if he was tired, he didn't show it. With a large smile he began to greet her, but after a small fixed glare in his direction, he instantly quieted down and substituted his sentence with a quick, "Good morning."
A small pain in her stomach made her remember that she hadn't eaten for a long time, but she knew she had been through worse, and she wasn't about to complain anyway. With little left to do, they set off rather quickly, silently fearful of discreet followers hidden in the woods. For the entirety of the morning, she nervously scanned the area, taking carefully allotted time to destroy all traces of their path. By midday when they had reached a small stream relatively closer to the outskirts of the village, she released a sigh of relief.
"How about taking a break?" Zelos peered towards her as she knelt down to the stream and quietly splashed the cool water onto her face. She observed the heavy, dark lines under his eyes, and she nodded her head slowly. As much as she desired to reach Mizuho, they were both exhausted, and undoubtedly needed rest. He plopped down beside her, leaning against a large rock that protruded from the ground and slowly put his hands behind his head. "So why were you in Meltokio the other day? We never really had the chance to talk."
"The king wanted me to be an emissionary of peace."
Zelos chuckled sarcastically. "Well, after all you made such a great emissionary of death."
She glared at him a for a brief moment, in no mood to even attempt coping with his comments. "I'm surprised that you didn't hear about it. It seemed like most of Meltokio was there."
"Why miss an opportunity to party?" His smile slowly faded, and he pensively stared into the woods. "To tell the truth, I've been left out of the loop lately. I haven't been hearing anything interesting, and more importantly, my hunnies have been playing hard to get."
Sheena scoffed. "Of course that's the most important thing anyway- your hunnies have all been leaving you alone. Did you ever consider that they would get sick of hanging around you?"
"How could they get tired of me?" Suddenly a drake clamored through the underbrush, and Sheena leaped to her feet, cards in hand. Zelos was close behind, and she could hear him cursing under his breath as he searched for his sword that he had absent-mindedly set on the ground. The creature wildly hissed at her, and dodging it's swinging tail, she proceeded to strike the animal from behind.
Out of the corner of her vision she noticed another set of wings soar into the clearing, and she quickly spinning herself to face the new opponent, she dodged frantically as another drake through itself at her.
"Zelos!" She shouted above the din of the roaring drakes as they furiously slashed at her. She managed to effectively defeat one of them, however more appeared to be coming. She felt a large claw rip through her back, tearing open her skin and causing her to fall to the ground. Momentarily stunned by the blow, she fearfully watched as the drake raised it's large head upwards in a maddening roar and proceeded to slam itself downwards towards her. Rolling out of the way, she attempted to bounce to her feet but was knocked over as the tail of another drake connected with her body.
Noticing that Zelos had joined the fray, she realized she had an open opportunity to back out of the battle for several moments. Gathering all of her strength to get off of the ground, she crept off behind a large tree. Breathless, she utilized the thick wooden trunk for support.
"Hammer of godly thunder! Volt, get rid of these things!" White lightning filled the woods, illuminating every shadow cast from the canopy of leaves above them. The drakes were eradicated in an instant, causing Zelos to be slightly appalled for he had been inches from one of the creature's sharp claws.
For the rest of the afternoon, they diligently pushed forward, and all though they were both past exhaustion, they vitally comprehended the importance of reaching Mizuho before nightfall. The forest had undoubtedly mutated into an unsafe sanctuary, and although Sheena recognized nearly every nook and cranny of the familiar woods, a dark presence had ominously settled itself over the familiar woods. The wound on her back burned as she pressed forward, and each step brought an uncomfortable sensation throughout her body. Her muscles trembled from overuse, and she desired nothing more than a full night of rest.
Without food or water for nearly 24 hours, dehydration had allowed a massive headache to reverberate through her skull, giving her little opportunity to think and blurring her vision. She vaguely noticed that the sun had began to set, casting an orange glow over the surrounding forest. They continued to blindly stumble through the woods until Sheena spotted the wooden poles that marked the entrance to Mizuho. Mustering all the energy she could, she madly dashed for the entrance, Zelos' pounding footsteps echoing her own.
Her first step into the village, she collapsed, unable to move any further.
Silverfox09: Well, that's about it. Hopefully I'll have the third chapter up in a shorter amount of time then it took for me to put this one online... Please review (and thank you to all of the people who did for last chapter)! Have a nice day everyone!