Chapter II
The crowd had suddenly transformed into a giant mob, panicked and scared. She quickly darted off to the side of the road to avoid being trampled and hung close to the wall of a straw-thatched hut. She didn't know whether to run or hide, but plunging back into the crowd could very will end up with her being crushed to death. She climbed to the top of the hut to see what everyone was running from. She had only gotten a few feet up when heard a fleeting sound and saw a dancing bolt of bluish light hit her square-on, unleashing a paralyzing flood of pain as she fell into darkness.
She woke up to darkness yet again. Faint, glowing orange lights grew stronger and nearer. She sat up and investigated her predicament. She was in a large, reeking, metal cage, with a thick layer of straw covering the floor. She had shackles around her ankles and wrists. She leaned up against the back of the cell, which was not metal bars, but a tall earthen wall. She looked left, right, across. The long hall-like passage way was lined with cages like her own, each holding one sullen occupant. Maybe they were in a cave; it was really dark and dank. Along with the approaching light came voices. Not soft and fluttering like before, but deep, loud, and resonating. Evil. "I want a lotar for my son, one young enough to be molded into a proper slave. A male," said one figure as he paced before the cages, "In case he should be needed as a host." The girl wondered: if they were looking for a male, why were they looking at her?
"You!" The girl could now see the speaker, illuminated by the glow of the torches. He was tall, bald, strong-looking, and dressed in a strange array of robes and clothes. He was attended by many; a dozen or so hulking guards in steely uniforms, with snake-shaped helmets pulled over their heads, not to mention what looked like two crazed and hooded priests, and seemingly calm people with horrible cuts, slitting a large X shape on their stomachs. The girl decided that the man, obviously the leader, couldn't possibly be friendly, and found his impossibly deep voice un-nerving. "Rise!" The voice spoke again. This time, the girl was almost entirely sure that he was speaking to her, yet she remained seated. She raised only her head, to meet his eyes directly. Not easily molded, she thought, and maybe he'll go away. Just stay, don't do anything, and maybe he'll go away… "Come here." She remained, unblinking, looking him directly in the eye. She had noticed that the others all averted their gaze. Go away, please go away. The figure reached for something now, some device. "Why do you not fear me?" he asked in a false, sticky-sweet voice, "How is it that you do not know me? Your God."
