Oh my... I do apologise for my long absence. I've had the hugest writersblock! I couldn't put two words together if my life depended on it. (My grades depended on it, and I fear the results :") ) Therefore, this chapter didn't turn out quite the way I intended. But that's just the way it is. I hope you enjoy it anyway :)
6| Tartaros (Underworld)
Two rosebushes stood inconspicuously at the edge of the treeline. One of them rustled and startled a rabbit that scooted across the clearing. "Would you sit still?!" Whispered the left one.
"I would be able to sit still if this thing wasn't so itchy!" Responded the right one angrilly.
"Are you complaining about my disguise?" The left one bristled.
"Autolycus, rosebushes aren't even indigenous to this area! We stand out like a solstice tree in the summer!"
"Oh like those horde people know that!"
"What if they do?"
Silence once again fell over the clearing. Autolycus scanned the opposite side of it. It was quiet, too quiet. Nothing could be seen in the dense foliage. But the absence of activity told just as much. The Horde was there, they just had to find a lapse in their defences. So the thief searched on, and after a little while he found it.
"Gabrielle, look over to the right, to the hill past the gnarled old oaktree." Gabrielle followed his gaze.
"It's a cave! But what if it doesn't have an exit? Or if it leads us back into Amazon territory? Or worse, what if a bone-gnawing Horde family lives there?"
"Always the optimist... Trust me, I've got a nose for this. Behind that hill lies Greece. That cave is our best shot at getting there...in one piece that is."
The rosebushes started to move between the trees, the foliage hiding them from view. It was slow going, but infinitely better than ending up on tonight's menu.
By the grace of the Gods they reached the cave entrance unnoticed. They shed their prickly disguises and crept along the dark hall. Autolycus reached out a hand. "Here, hold onto my hand, Gabrielle, so we won't lose track of each other." Gabrielle stopped and quirked an unseen eyebrow. "Autolycus, that's not my hand..."
"Oh! Hehe, you're right. My apologies." He stuttered. But she could hear the smile in his voice.
They shuffeled their way through the cave for a candlemark, yet no exit was to be found. As they moved on it got colder and more damp. The only sound was the sound of their breathing, echoing between the high walls, accompanied by an irregular symphony of water droplets splashing on the floor.
"Aah!" The thief yelled and stopped suddenly.
"What is it?" The Princess asked in concern.
"I've hit my nose on something hard." He spoke in a nasal tone of voice. Gabrielle sighed loudly and felt around her to search for the offensive object, only to find out it was a wall.
"When you said you had a nose for this, I didn't think you meant you would HIT IT AGAINST THE SUPPOSED EXIT OF THE CAVE! We're stuck! It's a dead end!"
"Do not despair, my lady, there is always a way!" The King of Thieves proclaimed in royal fashion. Gabrielle was not impressed. She groaned and stamped her foot to strengthen the sentiment. This produced a cracking sound, which slowly turned into a loud roaring. "That doesn't sound good..." Autolycus remarked dryly.
Suddenly stones started to shuffle and the ground fell away under them. They screamed as they tumbled along slippery slidings, desperate to find something to hold onto. There was a moment when they were floating weightlessly in the air, only to splash into a river that ran right under the overcropping the next moment. The Princess and the thief broke through the surface of the water to find themselves ouside...and, seeing the hill was behind them, apparently on the other side of the border. They looked at each other, breathing heavilly, and suddenly started laughing. If 'luck' could be defined by an event, this would be it.
"Haha, whoah! That was quite the ride!" Gabrielle smiled.
"I told you I'd get us out of there!" The king of thieves proclaimed proudly.
"Yeah, well, last time I checked I was the one who broke the floor."
"Because you were angry with me." He winked.
"It doesn't really matter now. I'm so glad we made it!" For a moment, the Princess let herself float on her back in the river with her arms strechted out.
"I'm happy too. Your shirt is see-through."
Gabrielle looked down and flushed red. "Let's get out of here."
They trudged along the muddy banks of the river in silence. Eventhough they had reached Greece without much problems, they were wary. The whole forest was known for being part of Horde territory. It seemed counter intuitive that they were safest out in the open. The pair watched their footprints being washed away as the water splashed on the bank. At least they wouldn't leave any trail to follow.
Gabrielle stopped dead in her tracks and groped for Autolycus' shirt. He turned around, looking at her questioningly. She pointed her hand to a tree just to the left of them. On the bark bright red smudges were visible in the form of a handprint. Just then a horn sounded not far away. They crouched down immediately and hid in a ditch. Gabrielle peeked through the tall grass. A few leagues from them figures appeared. A procession of around ten men carried a litter to the river. Something about the scene made Gabrielle's stomach clench painfully. The men were clad in leather rags and wore skulls on their heads that appeared to be human. Their faces were painted and bone trinklets adorned their attire. She crouched closer to her friend. "The Horde?" She whispered.
"Yes." Autolycus merely answered.
The procession stopped near the riverbank and set the litter down. The men surrounded it, hiding their intent from view. When they dispersed they held a person up between them. They were too far away to even see if it was a man or a woman. But whoever it was seemed to be unconcious. One of the men thrust a curved blade into the air and screamed a war cry for all he was worth. The others screamed with him. Autolycus reached out his hand to cover his friend's eyes, but she pushed it down. She couldn't seem to look away. The horn sounded again and the blade came down, cutting deep into the person's throat. Blood splattered on the executioner and he seemd to relish in it. Gabrielle gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. The men merely howled in victory and threw the body in the river. It floated there for a few moments, then sank to the bottom. The stream went back into Amazon land, the Princess knew. It would only take a few days for her sisters to find the body. The implications were huge. The person must have been an Amazon, maybe someone she knew. This was the Horde's way of provoking them. They just slaughtered a person like they were cattle! Suddenly she felt really sick. Cold sweat broke on her forehead and she breathed rappidly.
"Sssh, Gabrielle, it wil be alright. You'll be alright." Autolycus whispered while stroking her back. She fell down upon her hands and knees and threw up. Things were definitively not alright.
