Back to Cinders POV
I was walking down the road to town with Adam and Thyme. We were going to meet Peter, to see if we could convince him to let us meet his new friend. Who was a girl. Adam was particularly excited.
Flying around the corner came a wagon with five men. We moved to the edge of the road to let them pass, but one reached down and snatched me from the ground.
I gasped when my feet left the ground and I screamed as the wheels of the wagon nearly crushed me. Thyme screamed as well, and Adam yelled something.
"Help—" I yelled before the men hit me. I kicked and hit at them, but two others tied my hands and feet together. They galloped full speed down the street, leaving a racing Adam and Thyme in the dust. I still kicked at them, but they could kick harder so I stopped.
We were galloping down the street when a horseman jumped in the way of the wagon. We swerved and I took my chance to jump, only to be slammed back into the wagon.
"Cinder!" the horseman bellowed. It was Abe.
"Cinder eh? A strange name, even for a gypsy," one said grabbing my face and yanking me to him. His breath smelled like onions. One ripped my hood off, he had a mustache. They laughed at my surprised face. I fell to the floor as the wagon jolted over a ditch.
"Oi! Stephen, do you think we could get there alive?!" the one mustached one yelled.
"Once her prince charming stops chasing us!" he yelled. I looked around seeing Abe was following us on a trail through the forest.
The men who kidnapped me fell into bickering in a different language. I recognized their language. It was Greek. It had been a while, I could only pick up pieces of what they said.
One man who had been watching me, suddenly lunged, tackling me to the bottom of the wagon. I shoved him off me, and turn over to crawl off the wagon. He caught me again though and dragged me away from the edge by my ankles. I kicked with both feet at him, desperate to jump off the wagon. He slammed my face into the wood again, I felt warm liquid trickle down from my eyebrow.
"Gregory," the one who was the leader barked, "leave her be, he won't want her back as much." Abe was racing towards the wagon when he saw Gregory attack.
Gregory ignored the leader though. So the leader stabbed him in the back and Gregory collapsed—dead—on me. I screamed. Abe had reached the racing wagon then and was fighting the one who had a mustache.
The onion man rushed for me as I stood up. He shoved me down to the floor before he went to fight off Abe. I crawled to the edge, where the leader stopped me. The others were focusing on driving or keeping Abe away. He cut the ropes around my ankles and threw me off the wagon in the direction of the cliff.
I screamed terribly, causing the fight to stop.
He kept hold of my wrists though, and my feet scraped along the edges of the cliff face. I screamed in panic, tears running down my face, mixing with the blood. The leader began to loosen his hold. I looked up at my slipping hands and grabbed at his arm, trying to kick off the cliff back to safety.
"Wait, stop!" Abe commanded bashing a sword against the onion man.
"Then you!"
"What could you want with that girl?!" Abraham yelled, Goliath darting around a tree.
"Meet us at the safe house; we will have our commander there. Come alone, or the girl will die"
"Don't go Abe-!" I yelled before the onion man tied a gag on me. I still scraped along the cliff face.
"Abe? She—"
"I will come, and I will come alone, just leave the girl"
"No, I don't think we will. She seems to bring out a very nice side of you," the leader said setting me back in the wagon.
I could use my legs now, and ran off the edge, kicking the mustached man away from me. I lept from the edge of the wagon towards Abe. Abe dropped his sword and reached out for me; my teal eyes were wide in fright.
I slammed onto the side of the wagon. The leader and onion man had caught me and I was bashed and banged some more getting back on the wagon.
The leader regained his confidence after yelling at the two men.
"Come alone Abe, come at dusk, not a second earlier."
XXXXX
I was cowering in a corner of a small one room cottage. They had pushed the horse harder, leaving Abe frozen in his place. The leader hit me so hard I passed out.
While I was unconscious they drug me inside a house and chained me to the corner. I shuddered and quaked, waiting for dusk, watching the sun. I begged it would come fast, I was frightened. Each time the door opened I would freeze, hoping they wouldn't notice me. It worked sometimes and other times it didn't.
Soon they sat down for dinner, munching loudly and speaking in Greek. Eventually a man, taller and broader than the rest of them, walked in.
"Poú eínai?" he growled deeply. The driver, Stephen, pointed a bone at me. The commander turned around. I lifted my chin in pride, matching his glare.
"You know," he said walking to me, "you have been under my protection so I expect a little respect from you." I kept my eyes on the floor as I responded to him.
"Protecția dumneavoastră nu înseamnă nimic atunci când am abuzat atât de" I said defiantly in the tongue of the gypsies.
"Oh, you are a gypsy. Well Cinder," he said leaning to whisper in my ear, "I know you can speak this language, a certain letter told me." My eyes grew wide and I looked up at him; he had read my letter to Abe. The commander grinned at my shock and went to the table.
"Gypsy!" the now second in command barked, throwing a tambourine that hit me, "sing a song." The men glared so horribly at me that I complied. I beat and shook a tune out of it, chanting a song in the gypsy language.
Then, I heard hoof beats. They did as well and they walked out in a group to Abe.
I heard them talking gruffly to him. So given the opportunity I crawled towards the table and attempted to reach for the key. It was too far, I thought I would rub all the skin off my wrist trying to reach it. So, I stood up and tried to reach it with my foot. I still couldn't get the key though.
I rushed to curl back up in the corner when I heard them walking back in. I was curled in my cloak, my hood off. I looked up at them as if I'd been this way the whole time. I saw Abe's face twist quickly when he saw how battered, dirty and bloody I was. The expression quickly disappeared.
"What do you need me for?" Abe said impassively, ignoring me.
"I believe it is best to have this conversation in Greek, the girl," the commander said, "is a liability here, anything gets out that shouldn't…" The men who kidnapped me looked at me. I looked back at them with wide eyes, barely able to control my terror.
"Fine," Abe said and continued in Greek. I could only watch as they talked and argued in Greek, gesturing wildly. The commander frequently pointed at me, which caused Abe to pale. Only Abe would counter something and make the commander frown in disgust.
I worked under my cloak at my chain, unsuccessfully. I watched and prayed for Abe as he fought and berated the men alone. The commander whispered something, horrible by his tone. Abe quickly stood up at this, knocking his chair over.
"You wouldn't," he growled
"Oh, wouldn't I?" the commander says standing up; I watched them horrified. What would he do? I shrunk back farther into my corner. They watched me cower; Abe's face was twisted in so much anguish I started to fear for him. That's when I stood up.
"You will lose your leverage if you do" Abe said, watching as Stephen walked up to me with a knife. I ran, away from Stephen, to the end of my chain. My eyes grew quite wide then, as Stephen raised the knife above me. I let out a noise as I yanked viciously at the chain.
Abe ran at Stephen, tackling him to the ground. They kicked and hit each other, wrestling on the ground. The commander only waved the mustached man over to me.
"No!" Abraham yelled hitting Stephen so hard he fell to the ground and didn't move, "anything but this!"
"Amusing offer!" the commander yelled as Abe went to fight the mustached man. I stood up, running to dodge the onion man who came to at me next.
"Cinder!" Abe cried dreadfully, trying to keep the mustached man's knife from penetrating his chest. I slung my chain around the mustached mans neck and ran from the onion man. The mustached man was ripped off Abe, dropping the knife.
However, I fell to the floor with the force of the man's fall. The mustached man was unconscious on the floor, but the commander came to kill me. I was already trying to out-maneuver the onion man.
Abe ran up with a sword and began battling the commander. I yanked the knife from the ground, trying to get some protection from the onion man.
"Get out of here Cinder!" Abe cried ducking out of the way of the commander's sword. I couldn't though, Abe was still here. And I was tied up, but Abe was still here.
I slashed at the man, cutting through the air as he dodged it. He stabbed at me as I stabbed at him, only one of us made contact. I dropped the knife as blood spilled from my shoulder. He stabbed at me, which I blocked with the chain, causing sparks to fall to the floor.
Evidently it gave the commander an idea and he knocked a burning log onto the wooden floor. Then he poured a pitcher of alcohol and it spilled into the fire, making it spread.
"Cinder, what an appropriate name" he laughed as his twisted his sword around and plunged it into Abraham.
I screamed loudly, and threw my knife in the center of the commanders back. He crashed to the ground, his face still with a look of success.
The onion man ran from the house.
"Wait," I called, coughing violently, "help us!" The onion man did not return. Abe did not wake up. Blood was everywhere.
I yanked harder on the chain. It wouldn't loosen. If only I could make my thumb go through, then we could get out of here. I only knew of one way to get my thumb that flexibility.
I went to get the fire poker, to break my hand. I hit my hand with it, it took a few tries, and many tears and shouts, but I eventually did it. My hand was broken, I was crying and I got my hand out of the shackle.
The first thing I did was run for Abe, who was still bleeding.
"Abe!" I cried, flipping him over. He didn't give any sign of still being alive.
The fire was spreading fast, and the roof creaked ominously. I loped my arms underneath him and drug him—much to my torture—out of the house.
"Abe, please," I sobbed as we got outside the house, "please wake up." His green eyes remained close as his face turned frighteningly pale under the soot. I didn't know what to do. The longer I thought, the more he bled out. So I ripped the skirt of my dress and bound up his side.
Then I grit my teeth and drug Abe back into the brush, hiding him just in case the onion man came back. I needed to get help and I couldn't take Abe with me. He was bigger than I was and my hand was broken, but who should I ask for help?
I jumped onto Goliath and pushed him forward. Not knowing where to go, but Goliath started running in a direction that I hoped was his home.
I prayed Abe would live. I prayed I would get there in time. Oh! I was so worried and scared it nearly eclipsed the pain I felt in my hand.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and pushed Goliath harder. He bolted through the meadow and back into the woods. I held on tightly, until we saw the town. I swung Goliath around and we raced along the alley to the run down house. I lept off Goliath and banged loudly on the door with one fist.
Adams groggy face appeared in the window.
"Cinder? What's going on? How did you escape?" he said, his eyebrows shooting up
"It's Abraham! He's—"
"What? Where is he? Is he alive?"
"I don't know!" I said tears gushing down my face, "I had to leave him in the woods."
"Is he awake?"
"No!" I cried, wishing Adam would hurry. Abe was dying! The house shook a bit before Adam appeared at the top window and scurried down.
"We need a buggy, can you drive?"
"No,"
"Come," he said, grabbing my broken hand. I cried out and clutched my wrist. "Wha-?"
"I broke it to escape—hurry, he's dying!" I explained. Adam paled suddenly and raced me to a rich man's stables.
He strode into the stable, pointing at a groom with authority and urgency.
"You, hitch up that buggy to our fastest horse. Do it in under ten minutes or I will have your head," Adam growled darkly. The groom stood up and knocked his friends arm out from under his head. The first ran to prepare the horse, shouting some order at his friend, who took off.
"Where's Peter?" I asked. Adam shrugged.
"I don't know, he said he got another job
"Do know where he is?"
"I have a feeling," he said.
"Sir, the buggy is ready," the groom said.
"Took you long enough, you're lucky my father doesn't hear of this," Adam growled, flipping a copper into his and his friends hand.
Adam snapped the reins hard and the horse jumped from the stables and thundered down the street.
"Which way?" Adam yelled, guiding the horses.
"That way," I pointed, telling Adam where to go. The horse was quite fast, nearly flying down the road. The buggy threatened to overturn more than once from speed.
It still wasn't fast enough for me. Abe was dying and I wasn't doing anything to help! I hoped my bandage held. I hoped he wasn't found. I hoped the buggy wouldn't tip over. I hoped Abe would wake up. I hoped and hoped, but it wouldn't help Abe any.
Finally, we got to the building, which smoldered and glowed dimly with patches of fire flickering in the remains of the house.
"What did you do?" Adam half yelled- aghast. I did not care for the house.
I flew from the buggy towards Abe. I ran to the bushes, where I had left Abe, my heart jammed in my throat and rocks in my stomach.
He was still there. I sighed and feel on my knees next to him.
"Abe," I said putting my hand on his chest. His eyes were closed and he was deathly still, but his heart still beat. His face was turning ashy grey, even under the soot.
I checked my bandages. They were still on snug. I pressed my non-broken hand on the wound, just in case.
Adam grabbed Abe by the shoulders and proceeded to drag him towards the buggy.
"What's this blood from? It's all over him," Adam said, "You know what, never mind. You can tell me when we get there."
I jumped in the buggy. Adam picked Abe up and dropped him in the buggy with a loud grunt. He climbed up into the buggy and snapped the reins urgently, sending the horse running down the street.
I kept checking Abe to see if he was still breathing.
This night was killing me.
We finally got back to town. Adam apparently knew where the doctor was. He pulled the horse to a stop and we got Abe out of the buggy, one of us on each side. He and I got up to the door and Adam kicked the door.
It took a while for anyone to come to the door, and when someone did, it surprised us both. It was a very tall black haired girl.
"Yes-? Oh, come in, come in. Let me get my father." She held the door open before bolting up the stairs to get the doctor.
We walked him to the back room and laid him on a table. I glanced over at Adam, who was beginning to look tired again.
"You can go if you want to," I offered. He sighed and rubbed his face in exhaustion.
"You alright? They chasing you or anything?"
"No, we killed all but one, I don't believe he would track us this far."
"Not bad Cinder," Adam said nodding his head, going back to sleep, "I'll have to take you up on that. I've been very worried about you, so has Thyme."
"You look very relaxed,"
"I got Abe for you."
"You ran that far?"
"To that meadow you were always at. He had another little horse with him. Thymes got it, he said it was yours?"
"I only have the use of her."
"That not how I interpreted it," he sighed as he got up, "anyway, got to get that buggy back before their boss gets up." I nodded at him and he left. Adam nodded as he passed the doctor.
"What happened?" the doctor demanded.
"He got stabbed in a sword fight,"
"Anything else?"
"We were trapped in a burning building for a time,"
"Alright," he said as he began his examination. I turned my head with a very deep blush. He was very handsome, Abe.
"Well," I said, averting my eyes, "is he out of danger?"
"I believe he is. I do not believe he was ever in danger,"
"Why isn't he awake?"
"Loss of blood, not that much blood. This bandaging is superb, better then my Abigail could have done,"
"I heard that," the tall girl said walking into the room. I was astounded how she did not blush or flinch at seeing Abe. Although, I did notice she looked at him more than I like.
"It is late; would you like to go home?" Abigail asked looking over at me, "I'm sure your brother will be fine,"
Brother? He's not my brother. I'm his…friend. What was I to him? I did not know. That saddened me, but I would not like Abigail to know that. I nodded at her and left, going back to Her.