CHAPTER 2

A loud bang at the door startled Miache from her thoughts. Instinctively she cowered on the sill and drew the heavy curtain around her body, instead of going to answer the door. The choice was a good one as she heard a loud slam, seemingly in her room. Miache peeked through a gap in the curtains and trembled. There stood 5 large bodyguards dressed, not in Carthaki colours, but in bronze and dark green. Beside them there was an old, chubby man, who Miache recognized as the owner of the purse that she now held in her hand. He sneered as one of the soldiers placed a hand over Aiora's mouth to stifle her screams as she woke up from her nap. The short man walked over to her bed and laughed at her.

'Well, well, well. I expected you to be a merchant, a man, and a big one at that, but it seems that you are but a peasant girl. Oh well, it will make the job more easier for the men. You see," he said with malice, as Aiora's head shook from side to side. Miache longed to run to her friend and fight off the guards, but she knew that there was no hope for her against 5 men, each twice the height of her and each carrying a longsword and a silver dagger. She could only sit there and watch in horror.

"You see," repeated the rich man, looking at Aiora like he wished she were a bug he could squash under his foot. "The purse which you stole, it has an important piece of paper in it. A notice, which is for my eyes, and my eyes alone. WHERE IS MY PURSE!!" he suddenly screamed, causing Miache to flinch behind the curtain. She hoped no one had seen the movement.

Aiora was still shaking her head from side to side. The fat man laughed.

"Well, still refusing, are we? Then let's let my soldier have some fun with you and see what you say at the end of that, shall we?"

Miache shuddered, knowing what was going to happen next. She closed her eyes and heard pants unzip, a rough tearing off of clothes, probably Aiora's, her muffled screams for help and the wooden boards of the bed groaning. She shuddered again. For her best friend to be raped, while she herself was only a few metres away, was just too much.

Miache peeked through the curtains and saw a guard straddling Aiora, one hand on her arms and one hand on her mouth. Aiora looked around the room with terrified eyes. She glanced at the window and seemed to see Miache hiding there. She winked at her hidden friend and with one quick burst of energy wrenched her arms free of the man's hold, pulled the dagger out of the scabbard at his waist and plunged it into his stomach.

The guard seemed too surprised to do anything. He simply choked, clutched his neck, and rolled off the bed. Aiora's neck was in an instant surrounded by 4 large, sharp swords.

The fat man smiled. "I had hoped that you would be a little bit more co- operative. However, I do not think that you will give us any information. Guards, kill her."

Swords went in and out of Aiora's neck in an instant. She collapsed onto the bed, obviously dead. Miache had seen death before, of course, but had never seen anyone close to her murdered. She wept silently behind the curtain.

The rich man called out to his men, "Let's leave now, before someone finds out." The group of men left the room. Miache, blinded by tears, didn't notice a few of the guards hiding under the bed and behind the door.

She crept slowly out of her hiding place and went to Aiora's bed. Aiora lay peacefully on the bed, as if she was asleep. Miache whispered, "Why did they do this to you?" She heard the swish of fabric and leapt around, but it was too late. Three men holding swords to her neck surrounded the bed.

Miache heard the door open, and saw the fat man and one guard walk in. The rich man laughed. "Well, well. What have we here?"

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6-2 opal- Thanks for the review. Keep checking for more chapters!

Dreamer9981- Thanks for your advice. I've changed Chapter 1 a bit, so the peasant's accents aren't so heavy. Keep r/r!

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