Ok…Wow! I really really really really really liked writing this chapter. I tried to edit it as best I could, but honestly, editing my own work is sorta pointless. I just can't see the mistakes that seem so apparent on other people's writing. Let me know if the mechanics and grammar are ok on this one. Ok..enjoy.
Uncontrollable
By: Karigan Marie
Chapter: WHITE
*****
Miliani sat in the closet, darkness all around her. She waited. She pulled at her nightgown, trying to tuck it under her freezing feet. When the closet door swung open, she screamed in alarm, throwing her hands up.
"Ani. It's me, Jade." Miliani looked up and almost began crying.
"You scared me."
Jade licked her lips and looked around. She was shaking like a leaf and her throat strung horribly. Her mind kept wandering to thoughts she refused to even consider. She'd wake up soon and all this would be over. Things like this didn't happen. They just didn't. "I'm sorry." She wrapped her mother's claw necklace around her wrist with trembling fingers and tied several knots in it to keep it in place. "Umm, I think…I think we should stay in here. At least…at least until all the fighting…" She was thrown against the wall with such force she felt the breath slam out of her lungs. Gasping for air that didn't seem to be coming into her lungs, she heard Ani screech in fright. When she could finally open her eyes without them watering, she looked up and noticed a man dressed in a black tunic and breeches with a silver sash tied across his waist. He hefted the struggling princess under his arm and began walking towards the door, Ani kicking and screaming for all she was worth.
Jade stood, and with as much energy and force as she could muster, ran towards the man. She slammed into him as hard as she could. It wasn't much, considering, but he was caught by surprise and nearly dropped Ani as he jerked to catch his step. Jade heaved for air; she couldn't seem to get enough of it. The man turned and swung his foot towards her when a small blazing red form slammed into the man.
Jade jumped back in surprise and almost cried in relief. Kitten, having released the man, was down on all fours, crouched in a lunge position, ready to attack again. Her sharp silver fangs were barred in a way Jade had never seen before. She was making a noise in the back of her throat that was somewhere between a trill and a hiss, and she was so red, she nearly glowed. The man pulled out a dagger from his side pocket and swiped at the small dragon. Kitten jumped, quick as lightning, out of the way, and positioned herself for attack again. She pumped her hind legs and lurched at the man, digging her teeth into the arm that wasn't holding the tiny princess. The man screamed and tried to shake the dragon off him. Kitten dug her front and back leg claws into him, spiting and hissing in anger. Jade watched from the corner of the room with wide eyes. The man swung around desperately. In a moment of luck, he swung the blade around and caught kitten in the side. The dragonet squeaked in pain and flew to the wall, dagger impaled under her wing.
"KITTEN!" Jade screeched in anger. She ran to the corner, picked up a broom and swung it at him as hard as she could. It cracked on his shoulder and splintered. Dropping Ani, the man screamed and swung at Jade. She felt the fist land on her jaw and was thrown around and to the floor where she felt the taste of iron fill her mouth. She spit out blood and stood quickly. The man was reaching at his shoulder where the splintered broom had imbedded in his flesh.
Running past the man, Jade grabbed on to Ani's arm and both girls scrambled from the room, Jade clenching the pain of Kitten out of her head. Taking the lead, Jade barreled down the stairs with Ani's hand tightly gripped in hers. She heard the man yell behind them and tried to go faster, but Ani's little legs couldn't keep up with any more speed. Jade grit her teeth as she felt her foot catch on something and sting. Ani was barefoot as well and when they reached the courtyards again, the frigid snow and frozen earth tore at their feet. Jade pulled them through the garden corridors, being able to see in the darkness only by the dim glow of the fires and her familiarity with them. They reached the back garden that Atune and her studied in often during the spring and slammed the old wooden door closed. Ani was crying frantically and Jade felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest. Looking around, she walked up to the tree and made a decision. "Ani, we're going to climb the tree over the wall."
"What?" The young girl sniffled pitifully.
"We're going to climb the tree and over the wall. It leads into the royal forest, we can hide in there."
"I can't…I can't climb trees."
Jade turned to her and reached for her. "I'll help you. It's not hard. Come on." She lifted Ani with all her might and instructed her to grab onto the branch. After some jostling, Ani finally pulled herself up and waited for Jade. Gripping the branch, Jade quickly hefted herself up, swinging her legs up and pulling her body up. Ani starred at her. "What?"
"Wow. You're really good at climbing trees."
"Ya, I've been doing it a while. Now, come one. Reach for that one." She helped Ani into the next branch and reached up to pull herself up. The old wooden door opened and the man in black and silver from inside stuck his head in and peered around. He caught sight of them and yelled out. "Ani! Hurry! Keep climbing! GO!" Ani reached up and continued to pull herself up, Jade following closely. When she had to give Ani a two hands to help her get to the top branch, Jade felt a hand wrap itself around her ankle and yank savagely. She nearly fell out of the tree. She caught the branch and felt her nightshirt and breeches rip on the wood. She kicked furiously and pulled herself back up when she felt her foot freed.
"Bok! Over here! There here!" The man yelled and began climbing the tree himself. Jade reached the top branch and shoved Ani on to the stone wall. Following Jade grabbed her hand and ran down the thin stone ledge. After about 20 yards, Jade noticed a hay stacking cart and thanked the God's for the small favor. Ani seemed to have caught on to her thinking and quickly shook her head no. Instead of wasting time convincing the girl, Jade shoved her hard.
Ani screeched bloody murder as she fell the 13 feet. Landing in the pile of hay. Jade quickly followed. They scrambled out of the hay stack and Ani hit her across the arm repeatedly, yelling at her and telling her how much she hated her.
Jade was about to yell at her when she heard two men up on the stone wall. "RUN!" She grabbed onto Ani's hand and ran for all she was worth into the forest, where there seemed to be an endless supply of howling wolves and animals.
*****
Empress Kalasin crossed the courtyard at Atune's reassurance she had Miliani. When she passed a crossing, she felt a body slam into her and throw her into a corner. Otadon still clutched in her hand, she screamed and fought the hand that covered her mouth. "Empress! It's all right. Empress!" She opened her eyes to one of her young guards and whimpered in fright. His dark brown hair and light tan was hardly visible in the darkness. "I won't hurt you Empress." She was breathing so heavily, she felt her lungs contract painfully.
"Lt. Lenex!" She breathed a sigh of relief and almost crumpled right there. When she heard a shrieking from not to far away and knew it was Jade, she swung around to look for Atune and Miliani. Noticing them not there, she panicked. "My daughter! Lt. Lenex! Miliani!" She struggled to go back and find them, but Lenex held a tight grip on her.
"Empress! You can't go back. I need to get you and his highness to safety!"
"No! My daughter! We have to get Ani!"
"Empress! We can't. I need to keep you safe!"
"NO!" Kali screamed. "MY DAUGHTER!"
Otadon was silent next to his mother, but he tried to peer back around the corner, looking for any sign of Ani.
"I'll find her. Empress, I'll go back and look for her. But you need to think of Otadon now. You must keep him safe as well." Kalasin was frantic with indecision. "Empress, if you go back, Otadon may not live to see the day break. I'll take you to your father and his guards and then I'll look for Miliani, I promise. Tears streamed down the Empress' face as she nodded.
*****
Ani cried in fright as the two girls pushed through the snapping tree branches and bushes. They had slowed down considerably; the uneven ground and unknown objects cutting at their feet to badly to go quicker. It seemed however, they were using just as much energy as when they were running as fast as they could. Miliani's dark raven hair was plastered to her face, wet from some snow flakes falling on her. Her tan face was incredibly pale and her body shivered violently. Her white satin nightgown was so filthy, it was nearly brown. Jade herself was a sight to see. Her own hair was wet and tangled, making her growl every time she had to push a lock of it out of her sweaty face. Her mouth hurt considerably and she was forming a hefty bruise on her hip from being slammed into the wall so hard. Her white night breeches were ripped and torn and her feet stung worst of all. She didn't acknowledge the blood splattered across her night shirt.
She fell to her knees when a particularly bad cramp shot up her leg. And she didn't find the strength to get back up. Miliani cried and looked at her in fear. "Don't give up."
"What!" She asked Ani, angered at her suddenly.
Ani shrugged and whimpered. "I didn't say anything."
"Don't give up." Jade swung her head around, looking for the source of the words.
"Who's there?" She called out. Ani looked at her strangely.
"Don't give up." Jade jerked her head to the side and starred at an evergreen in amazement. "Ani."
"What?" The five-year-old was looking at her like she was crazy.
"That tree is talking to me."
Ani looked at the tree and then back at jade. "None of the trees in Carthak talk."
"Don't give up." The whisper was more urgent now.
Jade let out a laugh. "Don't give up? Why? I can't outrun them!" She glared at the tree.
"You are the hunted now." Jade jerked her head to another tree, farther down. She started to feel scared. "Your power will not betray you." A bush this time, or was it the winter weeds that grew through the snow. She heard twigs break behind them and heard the two men closing in. From another angle came a sharp voice, so much clearer this time. "Run!" So she ran.
The two girls ran deeper into the forest. When Jade peered back she felt her heart speed up when she noticed two bodies not to far away. In the dark, if she could see them, they were much to close. She didn't know quite where they were, she had an idea, but the snow had changed the land marks and she was just running for life at this point. They reached a clearing covered in white snow, perfectly flat. Pushing past the last tree, a heavy willow covered in ice crystals, Jade and Ani picked up their pace and ran harder.
Her feet were slicing through the snow too easily. This was untouched snow, light and feathery. Not even animals had packed this snow in and she wondered idly, why. Then she heard it. She felt it more. But the sound confirmed it. She felt slick hard smoothness under her feet when her feet cut through the snow. She slowed to a stop and listened. And then her heart stopped in realization when she heard the low groaning.
They were on ice.
The lake! They were on the lake! Jade heard the groaning of ice under feet and froze. Ani looked at her expectantly. "Jade?"
"Ani. We're on ice. Hold still." Ani's face got whiter, if possible, and she started to cry and move back. "NO! Ani. Don't move." She tried to think frantically. They were only five or six feet from the edge, but if they went back they would get caught. If they didn't, they might fall in. She was about to instruct Ani to lay flat on the ice when the two men reached the edge and stopped.
"Well, looky here. Two innocent girls…caught on the ice. Isn't this funny, Bok?" The man was pressing onto the wounds on his arm and shoulder.
The other one laughed. "You know girls, this couldn't be more perfect. Onam wants the royal family dead. And well, he has a special dislike of green eyed girls."
Jade grabbed on to Ani's hand. "Ani," she whispered. "No matter what, don't let go of my hand, alright?" Ani nodded, keeping her eyes on the two men laughing at the edge of the lake.
The man that had attacked them in the room reached behind him and hefted his war ax into his hands, twirling with a smile. Jade clenched Ani's hand painfully. She started shaking in fear when the man brought up the ax and swung it down hard on the ice. Both girls jumped slightly as the ice cracked around them, groaning loudly.
"Jade!" screeched Ani, clutching her hand frantically.
"Don't let go of me!" Jade felt her stomach lurch in heat, the fear gripping her entire frame. The man swung the ax up again and swung down with all his might again. She heard the ice break around them and then felt the world drop away from her. She wasn't quite sure if the high pitched screech that rung out over the forest was hers or Ani's. All she knew was the world turning black.
*****
The two men laughed, hitting their knees in glee. "What do you think we'll get for this? Fifty, sixty pounds?"
"Nooo. At least one hundred pounds, dope." The second man, Bok laughed hysterically.
"Either way, Onam is going to give us a ton of land once we take over Carthak!" He whooped in joy. And then his breath was cut short when an arrow pierced through his neck. Bok lurched around in surprise.
Jogging towards them was one of the young Cartheki guard, brown hair blowing in the snowy wind. His dark black eyes snapped in livid rage, one armed raised aiming a reset crossbow at the man's head. "No one is taking over Carthak. I guarantee you that. I suggest you get out of the way." The young guard rushed forward and shoved the man against the giant willow tree, his eyes flickering to the hole in the ice frantically. "If you move, I'll put an arrow between your eyes," he ground out angrily. Unexpectedly, the man slammed his elbow back into the guards face, catching him off guard. He fell back and landed on the ground. The guard reached down, grabbing the ax from his fallen partner and swung it up and back.
They were both blinded then, from the lake covered in ice and snow. Brilliant green light burst through the cracks in an odd puzzle like design and exploded. Under the clear ice, the water glowed brilliant green. The Cartheki guard lifted his arm up to his eyes to shield them from the glare reflecting off the white snow. Bok looked around wildly and screamed when the giant willow at the edge of the lake groaned so loudly, it deafened their ears. The young guard looked around wildly as streaks of brilliant green light shot from the lake in every direction, continuing on beyond his range of sight. All around, the forest groaned and cracked. The giant willow tree swayed violently, cracking and splintering with the effort. It bent nearly in half crushing its branches into the lake's icy surface, efficiently crushing the man with the ax as well. The young guard looked on in amazement as the tree began to right itself. The stress from bending so dramatically evident in the trunk; cracks and splits ran along its side from top to bottom. And then he saw a body, two actually, one slightly larger than the other. Two girls, one gripping at a branch weekly with one arm and in the other she carried the younger girl, the princess. She seemed to loose her grip and splashed pack into the water.
*****
It was black at first. Painless really. Just a lot of black. And then she came back to herself and pain ripped through her. A thousand needles pierced her skin mercilessly. She couldn't breath. She tried, desperately. The frigid ice around her entire body was ripping away at her in painful strips. She tried to breathe in, again. All she got was a lungful of frozen water and more icy pain. She could feel her lungs fighting the pressure. The reality of the situation was setting in and she suddenly realized with fright that this was all too familiar.
Her dream. This was her dream.
She felt her left hand grip onto Ani's hand with unrestrained conviction, refusing to let go. She wouldn't let go. She followed her bubbles up and soon ran into a layer of white. White so bright it hurt her eyes. Her left hand gripped in Ani's, she reached up with her free right hand and tried to punch through the white blanket above her. Pure white, yet, so incredibly dark.
She couldn't remember ever being so scared in her life.
If she couldn't breathe, this would be it. Her heart was pounding at her chest, trying to break through her ribs. She scratched frantically at the white sheet in sharp thrusts as the horror of what was happening slowed down time around her, dragging each second out endlessly. If she could just…take…one…more…breathe. This was supposed to be the end of the dream. This was the part where she woke up, when she didn't think she could get any more frightened. She raked her hand across the hard surface again. The fear ripped through her body so violently, her heart nearly stopped. Opening her mouth, she let out a water filled screech of unrestrained horror.
She felt something at the pit of her stomach burn through her body. It ripped through her so violently, she nearly blacked out. And suddenly, everything inside her exploded. And then the world that was so white was suddenly brilliant green.
She felt something crash through the surface above her and slam her down further into the water. She gripped onto Ani's hand for dear life and clung to what ever was in the water. They were pulled up quickly and Jade felt the air rip into her lungs painfully; she swallowed every breath. She was bogged down in freezing water and the windy air was ripping at her face. She couldn't feel her fingers and couldn't grip whatever it was she was holding on to. She fell back into the water with a slight splash, grasping for the edge of the ice. She pulled a motionless Ani up and tried to use the last of her strength to push her on top of the ice, but her arms gave out and she cried out in frustration, though her voice was nearly gone. Then an arm reached over them and pulled Ani out easily. Jade let go of her hand finally and grabbed the edge of the ice again, attempting to pull herself out. She got halfway out when the same arm reached for her shirt and pulled her the rest of the way out. It dragged her flat against the ice until she reached the side of the lake. Her eyes were blinded from the freezing cold, but after a few moments, it cleared slightly to a blur and she could barely make out a man over her instructing her to strip down.
She was utterly confused. She didn't know what to say or think, and she was suddenly very sleepy. Her teeth were chattering so hard, she had the wild idea she might actually chip one. When she noticed him frantically pulling off Ani's clothing, she tried to focus on Ani's face. Her lips were blue and her face whiter than even the snow. She stared at the lips, squinting through the blur. She noticed something. "She's not breathing."
"What?" he asked, her voice had nearly died away and the words hurt to rip out.
"She's not breathing."
The man looked at Ani and scrambled to her face. Time seemed to still for Jade. She noticed him leaning over the girl, breathing hard, shaking her body and commanding her to wake up. Jade watched as Ani finally breathed and the man almost seemed to collapse in relief. He finished stripping the five year old naked. He struggled to get his winter guard jacket off of himself and wrap it around the girl. It seemed to cover her thoroughly from head to toe. He rubbed his hands along Ani's arms and legs hard and viciously, creating desperately needed frictional heat.
He looked at Jade then, and she wasn't sure what to make of his expression, it was much too blurry to try and decipher facial expressions. "Get these off."
"Huh?"
He reached forward and grabbed at her shirt, pulling her arms out, her black curly hair that had been dripping water was now frozen in place, icicles cracking noisily as he pulled the shirt up over her head. He reached down and pulled at her breeches and she couldn't help but notice, through her daze, he seemed to be strategically averting his eyes. She had to wonder at that. She sat then, naked on the frozen forest floor and she couldn't move or think, the wind ripping at her skin painfully. When she stopped shivering violently, she was almost relieved, until he seemed to grow frantic next to her, telling her to open her eyes. She hadn't realized they were closed.
He stood and pulled at his shirt, ripping it over his head. She just looked at him, curious, and very sleepy. He stooped down and pushed his shirt over her head, reaching in and pulling her arms through it. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. And it hurt. It hurt like nothing else, but she couldn't really seem to find the energy to tell him to stop. He stopped rubbing at her and pulled at the gloves on his hands. He ripped them off and began shoving them over hers. They were much too big she thought, and tried to voice her opinions. When only a croak came out, she cleared her throat.
He looked up at her face then, noticing she wanted to say something; and then he froze. He starred at her eyes with wonder, and Jade had never seen anyone looking at her like he was just then. He wasn't afraid or angry or even apprehensive. He seemed completely pleasantly amazed. "Your eyes…" he started, his voice fading.
"I know." She said with a sigh. She cringed at her own voice as it cracked. "They don't look right." It came out no louder than a hoarse whisper.
She heard his slight laugh, deep and throaty, but couldn't make out the smile through the blur. "No. I was just going to say…your eyes, they're glowing."
"Huh?"
In a resigned voice he
whispered. "There's nothing wrong with
your eyes. They're beautiful." She squinted, trying to see his face. He looked to his side, checking on the
princess, who was still shivering violently.
She heard screaming from far away.
She was momentarily frightened until he stood quickly and yelled in
reply. "OVER HERE!"
She was so confused at what was going on, she didn't realize anything had happened until a familiar face reached down and took her from the offered hands of a guard and placed her in front of him on a horse, curled up against his chest. "Here there, lass. You're safe now."
"Uncle George," she murmured.
"Hush. We're going back to the palace. Everything's all right now." She didn't have the heart to tell him how wrong he was.
She was drifting in and out of consciousness as they rode back to the palace. When she opened her eyes at one point, she noticed one of the guards, looking at her from his place on the ground. He was shirtless…right…the man that pulled her out. He smiled at her then, and all she could do was shut her eyes and fall into sleep.
*****
OK…review review review. I think this has to be one of my best chapters. Hope you all like it. I really want to hear reviews from this chapter, because I hope you all like it as much as I do, even if it is kinda sad and depressing. See ya soon!