Chapter 14~
Kel shivered. It was a cold night and an even colder wind. Pulling her cloak more tightly around her shoulders, she looked ahead into the darkness.
They had decided to travel on through the night, since the Kirizo were obviously after them they needed to find somewhere safer to sleep. Peachblossom was grumpy because he was so tired, and wouldn't behave.
"C'mon you old horse, we have to keep moving." Kel whispered when he stopped to graze on a patch of grass. He just snorted, as if to say "Look, you aren't the one carrying extra weight in the freezing cold in the middle of the night. Don't you tell me to move."
"Come on!" she whispered again, this time giving him a little nudge with her legs. Raoul and Dom, not realizing that she was falling behind, kept on moving. Kel looked up, and thought about telling them to wait up, but she feared to raise her voice in case there were any Kirizo near by. "Peachblossom we have to keep up with them or else we'll get left behind. Let's go!"
Starting to get worried, since she could only just barely see the other two ahead in the darkness, she dismounted and tried to lead Peachblossom. He just planted his feet into the ground and wouldn't budge. "Peachblossom please! We have to keep going! I'll give you a treat and warm blanket just as soon as we get to safety, but until then, we have to keep moving!" He seemed to consider it for a minute, but then decided he was happy where he was and still wouldn't move. 'Dom, Raoul! Hold up!" she called, raising her voice just barely.
They didn't hear her call, but they did hear the cry she made as she was grabbed from behind.
"KEL?" Dom yelled as he whirled his horse around. "Kel? Are you alright?? KEL!"
Raoul cursed and looked around. They were surrounded by forest on both sides of the road, and the moon was hidden by clouds. Everywhere around them it was pitch black. Dom was getting frantic, and he forced his horse to dive into the woods.
"Dom! Get back here!" but the young sergeant didn't here him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a pounding head, Kel awoke from unconsciousness. Forcing herself to sit up, she took in her surroundings.
It was dawn, and fog covered the ground. Her hands and feet were bound, and she was lying at the edge of a campground. All around her men were coming out of their tents and stretching. Several men began stirring their fires from the night before, many of them looking over at her and smirking.
Oh gods, what on earth have I gotten myself into? She thought as a skinny little man came over to her. She couldn't help but notice the Kirizo insignia he wore on his cloak.
"Well, well, well. So you're finally awake." He gave her a bored look. "My name is Riix. You've been put under my charge. Hope you're not hungry-- We don't have food to spare on prisoners." He grinned. "Anyway, we move around noon, and you'll be taken to the Boss. Aren't you the lucky one."
As he walked off, Kel tried to reach for the dagger hidden in her boot. Her regular sword and daggers that she kept in her sash were gone, but this one she could still feel in its hiding place.
"Oh, thanks. I was needing a new dagger," an old man said when he saw her try to sneak it behind her back. Plucking it from her grasp, he tucked it into his own belt and went back to his work.
With a sigh, Kel tried to get comfortable, since she would obviously be there for awhile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kel! KEL!"
Dom was exhausted. He had been wandering around aimlessly in the woods all night as he looked for Kel. Why hadn't he thought before he ran off?
"Well hello."
Turning to see who the speaker was, he saw a young girl; around 9 summers at most he guessed. "Um, hello."
"Are you lost?" she asked innocently.
"I think I might be. Do your parents live around here?"
She laughed. "Parents? Please. I've been on my own for several hundred years."
"Little girl, I don't have time to play games. Are you an orphan?"
"I'm no little girl! I'm 517 years old next month."
"Of course you are. I have to go now." Dom turned his horse to continue his search, but she was in front of him again. "How-You were just standing over there-"
"You don't believe me do you?" she asked, her face turning red.
"Um, well, you're only 9 years old, aren't you?"
"You idiotic humans are all the same! Never believing anything, even though you have magic of your own you refuse to accept the fact that there are other creatures out there with more powerful magic and much more wisdom. It makes me so mad that I can hardly stand it!"
Dom blinked. Had her high little voice just gotten lower and cracked with age? And were those wrinkles that lined her young face? Her curly black hair was graying right before him, and her eyes were filled with outrage.
"You think that you are superior simply because you dominate the earth, because you have technology and your stupid studies and book learning you feel as if you know everything. You don't seem to realize that if we wanted, we could destroy your ridiculous civilizations, and wipe out your entire existence!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Raoul studied the ground. He had waited until morning, and then had started tracking Kel, sure that Dom was well enough off to take care of himself, as long as he didn't lose his head again.
Noticing the broken stems on a bush, and several trampled flowers, he continued, always keeping an eye out for sentries. It was now midday, and he was starving. Taking a break, he sat down on a fallen log and pulled out a piece of bread. While he ate, he fretted about Kel. She was probably being taken to the "boss" whoever he was, and he didn't sound like someone who would treat Kel with any respect. As he sat there thinking, he was being watched.
When Raoul heard the footsteps behind him, he whirled around. Peachblossom stopped short, afraid that he would be scolded. Almost laughing, Raoul went over and patted the horse on the neck.
"So, any idea where Kel is?" he asked, not expecting to get an answer. Yet once again, the wild-mage's magic had greatly effected the old horse, and he began to neigh. "You do? Can you take me to her?"
Immediately Peachblossom trotted into the forest. Raoul mounted his own stead and followed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So, what did you think? Please review and tell me what you think, and add any suggestions that you might have for the story.
Kel shivered. It was a cold night and an even colder wind. Pulling her cloak more tightly around her shoulders, she looked ahead into the darkness.
They had decided to travel on through the night, since the Kirizo were obviously after them they needed to find somewhere safer to sleep. Peachblossom was grumpy because he was so tired, and wouldn't behave.
"C'mon you old horse, we have to keep moving." Kel whispered when he stopped to graze on a patch of grass. He just snorted, as if to say "Look, you aren't the one carrying extra weight in the freezing cold in the middle of the night. Don't you tell me to move."
"Come on!" she whispered again, this time giving him a little nudge with her legs. Raoul and Dom, not realizing that she was falling behind, kept on moving. Kel looked up, and thought about telling them to wait up, but she feared to raise her voice in case there were any Kirizo near by. "Peachblossom we have to keep up with them or else we'll get left behind. Let's go!"
Starting to get worried, since she could only just barely see the other two ahead in the darkness, she dismounted and tried to lead Peachblossom. He just planted his feet into the ground and wouldn't budge. "Peachblossom please! We have to keep going! I'll give you a treat and warm blanket just as soon as we get to safety, but until then, we have to keep moving!" He seemed to consider it for a minute, but then decided he was happy where he was and still wouldn't move. 'Dom, Raoul! Hold up!" she called, raising her voice just barely.
They didn't hear her call, but they did hear the cry she made as she was grabbed from behind.
"KEL?" Dom yelled as he whirled his horse around. "Kel? Are you alright?? KEL!"
Raoul cursed and looked around. They were surrounded by forest on both sides of the road, and the moon was hidden by clouds. Everywhere around them it was pitch black. Dom was getting frantic, and he forced his horse to dive into the woods.
"Dom! Get back here!" but the young sergeant didn't here him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With a pounding head, Kel awoke from unconsciousness. Forcing herself to sit up, she took in her surroundings.
It was dawn, and fog covered the ground. Her hands and feet were bound, and she was lying at the edge of a campground. All around her men were coming out of their tents and stretching. Several men began stirring their fires from the night before, many of them looking over at her and smirking.
Oh gods, what on earth have I gotten myself into? She thought as a skinny little man came over to her. She couldn't help but notice the Kirizo insignia he wore on his cloak.
"Well, well, well. So you're finally awake." He gave her a bored look. "My name is Riix. You've been put under my charge. Hope you're not hungry-- We don't have food to spare on prisoners." He grinned. "Anyway, we move around noon, and you'll be taken to the Boss. Aren't you the lucky one."
As he walked off, Kel tried to reach for the dagger hidden in her boot. Her regular sword and daggers that she kept in her sash were gone, but this one she could still feel in its hiding place.
"Oh, thanks. I was needing a new dagger," an old man said when he saw her try to sneak it behind her back. Plucking it from her grasp, he tucked it into his own belt and went back to his work.
With a sigh, Kel tried to get comfortable, since she would obviously be there for awhile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kel! KEL!"
Dom was exhausted. He had been wandering around aimlessly in the woods all night as he looked for Kel. Why hadn't he thought before he ran off?
"Well hello."
Turning to see who the speaker was, he saw a young girl; around 9 summers at most he guessed. "Um, hello."
"Are you lost?" she asked innocently.
"I think I might be. Do your parents live around here?"
She laughed. "Parents? Please. I've been on my own for several hundred years."
"Little girl, I don't have time to play games. Are you an orphan?"
"I'm no little girl! I'm 517 years old next month."
"Of course you are. I have to go now." Dom turned his horse to continue his search, but she was in front of him again. "How-You were just standing over there-"
"You don't believe me do you?" she asked, her face turning red.
"Um, well, you're only 9 years old, aren't you?"
"You idiotic humans are all the same! Never believing anything, even though you have magic of your own you refuse to accept the fact that there are other creatures out there with more powerful magic and much more wisdom. It makes me so mad that I can hardly stand it!"
Dom blinked. Had her high little voice just gotten lower and cracked with age? And were those wrinkles that lined her young face? Her curly black hair was graying right before him, and her eyes were filled with outrage.
"You think that you are superior simply because you dominate the earth, because you have technology and your stupid studies and book learning you feel as if you know everything. You don't seem to realize that if we wanted, we could destroy your ridiculous civilizations, and wipe out your entire existence!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Raoul studied the ground. He had waited until morning, and then had started tracking Kel, sure that Dom was well enough off to take care of himself, as long as he didn't lose his head again.
Noticing the broken stems on a bush, and several trampled flowers, he continued, always keeping an eye out for sentries. It was now midday, and he was starving. Taking a break, he sat down on a fallen log and pulled out a piece of bread. While he ate, he fretted about Kel. She was probably being taken to the "boss" whoever he was, and he didn't sound like someone who would treat Kel with any respect. As he sat there thinking, he was being watched.
When Raoul heard the footsteps behind him, he whirled around. Peachblossom stopped short, afraid that he would be scolded. Almost laughing, Raoul went over and patted the horse on the neck.
"So, any idea where Kel is?" he asked, not expecting to get an answer. Yet once again, the wild-mage's magic had greatly effected the old horse, and he began to neigh. "You do? Can you take me to her?"
Immediately Peachblossom trotted into the forest. Raoul mounted his own stead and followed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So, what did you think? Please review and tell me what you think, and add any suggestions that you might have for the story.