Hostage
Lonara woke with a splitting headache. Where was she? She looked around.
The floor was wooden, as where the walls. She was laying on a comfortable little bed, covered with a blanket. There was no furniture but the bed, and the window was far above her head. She couldn't look out, which made her mad. She strode towards the door. Grabbing the knob, she turned and yanked. The door didn't move.
She changed her tactic and pushed the door, hard. Nothing happened. Lonara began to cry. She wanted her mother!
The door creaked. She scrubbed at her eyes hard. She didn't want anyone to know she had been crying! A smiling man walked in, carrying a tray.
"Lonara, good morning!" he said cheerfully. "Are you hungry?"
"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously. "How do you know my name? And is that oatmeal?"
"I'm Clemen. I read your name on the necklace you are wearing. And yes, this is oatmeal." He gave her the tray.
She sniffed. Yes, oatmeal, but better than normal; this was thick with rare spices like cinnamon and some of those berries she had found in the forest. "Only Mommy and Daddy and their friends can read those runes. The learned at a sool for chosen people, or something like that anyways."
"That's a 'school.' I went to the same school as they did."
"Are you their friend?"
An odd look crossed the man's face. "I cared for Buttercup very much, and Nechtè and I knew each other very well." He added under his breath, "Too well."
"Mommy never told me 'bout you. She told me about Tom, and Renè, and Noru, and a bad man named Cemen." Realization dawned on the child and she opened her blue eyes wide. "You're Cemen!"
"Right first guess, Lonara." Hatred, before suppressed, now shone in the man's eyes. "I hated your father.parents, I mean. I tried, a year before you were born, to take my revenge on him. I failed. I will not fail again." He walked out the door, slamming it shut. There was a click. Lonara was, again, trapped.
~~~
I clenched my fists hard against my sides. "What do you want?" I asked, gritting my teeth.
"Oh, nothing too much.when you consider the life of your child is at stake."
"She asked you what you wanted." Nechtè growled. "Do not make her ask again."
"Don't threaten me." Clemen ordered softly. "To be truthful, I don't know what I want. Maybe it would be amusing to make one of you walk off a cliff. Maybe I am in the mood to lock you in a small room underground and keep you there till the air runs out. Yes," and his face lit up with pleasure, no doubt imagining some horrid fate for the hapless 'rescuers' to suffer. "Yes, the possibilities are endless. I will deliver the child to.to this warrior when the method of punishment is decided." He glanced scornfully at Gaia, then turned and walked off into the forest.
"Was he always like this?" Gaia asked.
"Yes," Nechtè replied, his trembling voice filled with hate. "He was always like this."
Lonara woke with a splitting headache. Where was she? She looked around.
The floor was wooden, as where the walls. She was laying on a comfortable little bed, covered with a blanket. There was no furniture but the bed, and the window was far above her head. She couldn't look out, which made her mad. She strode towards the door. Grabbing the knob, she turned and yanked. The door didn't move.
She changed her tactic and pushed the door, hard. Nothing happened. Lonara began to cry. She wanted her mother!
The door creaked. She scrubbed at her eyes hard. She didn't want anyone to know she had been crying! A smiling man walked in, carrying a tray.
"Lonara, good morning!" he said cheerfully. "Are you hungry?"
"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously. "How do you know my name? And is that oatmeal?"
"I'm Clemen. I read your name on the necklace you are wearing. And yes, this is oatmeal." He gave her the tray.
She sniffed. Yes, oatmeal, but better than normal; this was thick with rare spices like cinnamon and some of those berries she had found in the forest. "Only Mommy and Daddy and their friends can read those runes. The learned at a sool for chosen people, or something like that anyways."
"That's a 'school.' I went to the same school as they did."
"Are you their friend?"
An odd look crossed the man's face. "I cared for Buttercup very much, and Nechtè and I knew each other very well." He added under his breath, "Too well."
"Mommy never told me 'bout you. She told me about Tom, and Renè, and Noru, and a bad man named Cemen." Realization dawned on the child and she opened her blue eyes wide. "You're Cemen!"
"Right first guess, Lonara." Hatred, before suppressed, now shone in the man's eyes. "I hated your father.parents, I mean. I tried, a year before you were born, to take my revenge on him. I failed. I will not fail again." He walked out the door, slamming it shut. There was a click. Lonara was, again, trapped.
~~~
I clenched my fists hard against my sides. "What do you want?" I asked, gritting my teeth.
"Oh, nothing too much.when you consider the life of your child is at stake."
"She asked you what you wanted." Nechtè growled. "Do not make her ask again."
"Don't threaten me." Clemen ordered softly. "To be truthful, I don't know what I want. Maybe it would be amusing to make one of you walk off a cliff. Maybe I am in the mood to lock you in a small room underground and keep you there till the air runs out. Yes," and his face lit up with pleasure, no doubt imagining some horrid fate for the hapless 'rescuers' to suffer. "Yes, the possibilities are endless. I will deliver the child to.to this warrior when the method of punishment is decided." He glanced scornfully at Gaia, then turned and walked off into the forest.
"Was he always like this?" Gaia asked.
"Yes," Nechtè replied, his trembling voice filled with hate. "He was always like this."