Every time I finish a chapter I'm like "Yes! Another chapter down more to come! I wonder what people will think this time?" and so with that don't forget to review and enjoy! =)
I'm woken up by the sound of a flute, close. I rub my eyes, realizing it had only been a couple of hours, by the looks of the melted candle.
I look for the maker of the noise and find it comes from Tinsi. "That's a magnificent song," I mumble, sliding my feet from the soft blanket Tinsi must have put on me to keep me away from the cold. He stops at the notice of me being awake.
"Everybody fell asleep, an hour ago, I did not have the courage to wake you up. It looked like the sleep was well needed after your long journey over two territories. Those tigers can get uncomfortable after awhile."
"What territory are we in right now?" I ask.
"I think they said Eastern Plaguelands. . . we're on our way to the Wetlands, which might take a few days now."
"Eastern Plaguelands? Why are we here?"
"Because it wasn't safe for us to hide in Ghostlands and we couldn't make it to The Hinterlands by nightfall, and traveling in the plague lands at night is dangerous. And if you're wondering how we got past all of the guards, we passed straight on through the Dead Scar. Had to kill some of the plagued to get through they did."
"You weren't one of them that kidnapped me?" I ponder.
"No, I was one of the few that stayed behind to see how far they would get and where camp would be set up at nightfall."
"You are a passive one, aren't you? You didn't want to be in any of this?" I ask staring at his silver eyes, searching for an answer, but coming up with none. This subject was now closed.
"Let's go on that midnight walk, Rouge!" he says, holding out his hand. "Grab your weapons, it is unsafe at night."
"But-" Tinsi points to the table, at the belt sitting there. I grab it, pull it on and follow him into the dark night. "Where are your weapons?"
"Here!" he exclaims, pulling a long sword from his belt and turning it in his hands, examining it in the low light. "Beautiful. It's name is Saver of the Dead. . ."
"That's a pleasant name for a sword," I mumble.
"Yeah, my dad named it, he gave it to me before I left. . ."
"Oh," I say, following him past more soundless tents. "Where are we going?"
"On a tour, like you asked!" He smiles.
"Then why aren't you pointing out things? Like the person wandering over there!" I point out. He notices the person and pushes me to the ground, covering me with his whole body and me getting self-conscious.
His broad chest was pushed against my slim frame. I feel heat rise quickly to my face and my hands sweating.
The person quietly passes by us, not even noticing the two of us. Moments pass but feel like an entirety, but slowly me moves off me and mutters, "Sorry, I'm not really to be out at this time without a guard. Or with you outside and untied."
"I understand," I say brushing myself off and following him through the maze of tents and into open air. I hear noises I never heard before in the peaceful lands of Eversong Woods, but then again I have never been outside of that little world before. Now I was in the plague lands.
I shiver again from the cold night, realizing I didn't have Firefoy's cloak anymore. I watch as Tinsi pulls his coat off and puts it around me, a silent gesture in a world of cold. We pass a tree line and not a word passes between us.
"Where are we-" I start but a Scrounge monster tackles me down and before I could pull my daggers out he has his claws drawn at my throat. I'm in shock and can't move, I hear Tinsi say something, a slicing through bone sound and a hand picks me off the ground.
"Are you all right?" he asks, putting his weapon back in its sheath.
"Yeah," I say, but not really feeling okay. I rub my neck feeling something bubble up into my brain.
"Can we head back?"
"Sure, I was just thinking that."
I walk behind again, my mind full of thoughts once again. I already hate this. I might never see them again. I just found out that my life would be over before it started to progress. I will live in the same routine for the rest of my life. I need to get out of here.
Not a word passes between us, not a sound even. He opens the tent, holds it opens for me and follows me into the almost dark tent. He sits down in the chair by the table and the diminishing candle. I sit back down on the cot, listening to his breathing slow.
He puts his hand over it and blows softly, dimming the tent to complete darkness. I stain my ears to the sound of his heart. It slows into a steady sleeping beat. I pull Tinsi's coat closer to my skin, ready for the plan I have made in the moments notice.
I move my cold toes, knowing they weren't covered and will suffer for this. I'm ready for this run. A long run. I think to myself. I move silently, not knowing if Tinsi was a heavy or light sleeper. I move the tent opening out of the way, looking left and right in the midnight air for any guards.
Not seeing a soul I rush through the tents not knowing where I was heading, and how long I would be running until I got to Light's Hope Chapel or Quel'Lithien Lodge somehow. I run over rocks and sticks hurting my feet all the while making me wish I brought my shoes.
I hear footsteps behind me, biding me to run all the faster. Arms wrap their way around my waists, twisting me around and around in circles until finally we both fall onto the ground. In the low light, lighten only by the crescent moon, I didn't see a face I recognized but a voice I did.
He lay atop me like he pressed his warm body against my cold one on the tiger. "I'm sorry for holding you captive but it's against our orders to let you flee in the middle of the night. You sure are fast though."
"Let go off me!" I yell, trying my best to get out from under his slender but muscular body.
"Stop struggling like that and stop yelling or you'll get yourself into more trouble," he says into my ear. "I'm Rein. This is a bad way for us to get to know each other, Arcissa."
"How do you know my name?"
"Everybody here knows your name." He ties my hands back up.
"Why?"
"Because you were are soul objective on this mission and everybody needed to know your name and what you were skilled at."
He picks me off the ground, slings me over his shoulder, and heads back to the direction of the camp. "You really shouldn't go running off into the woods like that at night. You might not know what could be hiding behind a rock and if it'll be friendly," he advises.
I stay quiet, thinking a mile a minute again, and hanging on his shoulder like a practice dummy I used to throw axes at. We enter camp and he walks into Tinsi's tent, waking him.
"You are a heavy sleeper now," Rein says. "Light the candle!"
"Y-yes Rein!" Tinsi stutters, moving around. The candle was lit and the tent comes back to life. I finally get a chance to see what my chaser looks like. His skin light blue and his green hair keeps falling out of place only to be moved back into place by Rein.
Rein towers over Tinsi by a foot, and me by three. His hand at his waist, holding the hilt of his sword, ready for an attack. "You should watch over her more closely and not fall into a deep sleep so easily!" Rein says to Tinsi.
Tinsi doesn't reply, looks at me, and straightens the table up, getting ready for the departure. "Both of you, be ready in an hour! Arcissa, you're riding on my tiger!" he states not even glancing at me. He walks out and closes the tent opening, letting the morning sun creep in.
"Arcissa! You said you weren't going to runaway if I untied you!" Tinsi says through clenched teeth. "You lied to me! You got me in trouble!"
"I'm sorry, I don't want to live in the Alliance forever, I like my friends," I mutter, not looking at him.
"You'll just have to deal with it! Next time think before you act!"
I stare at my feet, bloody and bruised from the run, my back aching from the take down and my mind regretting the choices I have made. I just seem to be getting myself deeper into the hole. I might regret everything I ever did, but at least I know I have done something good. Now that will change forever; I need help from Firefoy!
Tinsi moves all of the papers and books into a bag, he folds the legs of the table and lays it on the ground. Moments pass, not noticeable by me but by the voice of Tinsi, "Come on, get off the cot, it's almost time to go. Rein is outside waiting for you!"
I stand and head out the tent, not saying a word to Tinsi. A majestic white tiger stands four feet from the entrance of the tent, sitting on it is Rein, barking out orders to other night elves. He spots me, holds out a hand and says, "Come here, we're leaving early!"
Hesitantly, I take his hand. He pulls me up and onto the soft fur, whispering in my ear, "Hold on tight!" The tiger bounds forward and heads beside the rising sun and away from the falling night with a guard of ten other elves.
