A/N: Hey, back again. Wow, I'm so, so sorry for leaving updating this for so long. I guess all I can do is TRY to be more regular and prompt...
And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to my wonderfully, fantastic and supportive reviewers. Your advice and all have been absolutely superb and I find it all very encouraging. You all know who you are :)
Anyway, here's a fairly lengthy chapter to get you going. I've used it to get Ella's state of mind into perspective, plus the title gives a little more clue :) Enjoy!
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Chapter 3: Into the Ogres' Lair
We travelled all through the day without any stop for rest. The hot sun beat down like fire upon my unprotected head and face. I could feel my cheeks blistering beneath its intense glare and I knew that I was getting badly sunburned. I had had no food since yesterday afternoon and I was growing very dizzy and light-headed. My mouth was dry and salty from the lack of water. But I could do nothing in my current predicament except watch the landscape fly by.
The ropes that bound me were still as tight as they had been that morning. My wrists were raw and bleeding from where my bindings had continuously rubbed against my skin. When I tried to move, my wrists stung like a swarm of hornets had ravaged them.
No one spoke in the long trek across Kyrria, the air filled only with sounds of the ogres' deep grunts of exertion as they pushed themselves onwards. I was mildly confused. What could possibly be rushing them so? But then I remembered that they had broken out of the royal menagerie, eating the guards in the process. Surely King Jerrold would have sent his knights out after them, intent on revenge. I hoped so.
With each long stride NiSSh took, my heart grew heavier with dread. We were travelling at a pace that could have rivaled a spirited gazelle, racing across the plains – perhaps even faster. I tried not to think about what would happen when we finally reached the Fens, but it grew increasingly difficult as the fact that we were quickly drawing nearer kept slapping me full in the face like a windy blast.
I had tried to think about any possible way of escape, but none came. All my ideas were irrational and hopeless. I couldn't even untie the ropes that bound me, even though I struggled with them all the way, despite the pain. NiSSh's grip was also firm and strong. Unless the unthinkable happened where he put me down and loosened my bindings, prospects of escape were very slim. And there were also at least ten other ogres, not including SEEf and NiSSh, who could outrun me with no trouble at all, especially in my weakened state. If I weren't so hungry or thirsty I would have wept.
I tried to console myself by thinking of something cheerful. Char's face I firmly ignored as he resurfaced, smiling, in my thoughts. The bittersweet memory of him did nothing except make me feel sad, causing a terrible and painful twisting of my heart. He and I could never be together, even if ogres hadn't captured me. Tears pricked my eyes but I blinked them back. It was too hard to bear.
Finally, although after much effort, managing to push aside my sorrow and sense of loss, my thoughts turned to Mandy. By now she surely would have noticed my absence and, at this very minute, was trying to rescue me. My face then fell. But she didn't know where I was! Much less that I had been captured by a band of hungry ogres, and being spirited away to the Fens. But then again, she was a fairy. My fairy godmother. A single hot tear spilled out down my cheek. But she wouldn't use her fairy magic to find me. Mandy would never use big magic. Not even for me. I would have to escape all by myself. Although how was still a mystery to me.
The ogres ran on and on until the sun was behind us in the west and sinking low to the ground. It was at this point that I noticed some subtle changes to our surroundings that made my blood run cold: piles of bones.
At first there were a few dotted here and there, almost randomly. But soon I could see them at every angle I could turn my head. A sudden image of the pony Slannen and the elves had lent to me last year emerged in my mind. I could not suppress a shudder at the pile of bones the ogres had reduced it to. We were nearing the Fens.
Suddenly I noticed with horror that SEEf was now running right beside me. His eyes bore hungrily into mine. I was taken aback at the ferocity of his gaze.
"Not long now," he crooned softly into my ear and licked his lips suggestively. My blood froze in my veins and I trembled. I did not doubt his meaning for a moment.
I felt NiSSh shift slightly beneath me as he turned to look at SEEf, but the ogre had dropped behind us, although I could still feel his beady eyes boring into my back.
"Are you all right?" NiSSh suddenly asked me.
I was so shocked that I didn't move. What did he just say? Was an ogre concerned for my wellbeing? Ha. More likely he was worried that I will manage to make myself too stringy by exercising my muscles. I could have laughed out loud at the irony of it all. I wanted to reply, 'Oh, why yes, I'm quite fine. At least as well as I can be when I know that I'm going to become the main course on the dinner menu tonight'. But gagged as I was, I simply nodded.
"Don't worry, it won't be so bad. You'll see," he replied. I thought I heard a tinge of sympathy in his voice. But that was easy enough for him to say. After all, he wasn't the one about to be eaten.
The soft green grass was soon replaced by hard red earth and large stone boulders dotted the landscape. A little later, the ogre band suddenly started to descend a rocky incline into what looked to be a very large canyon. My head shook loosely up and down with NiSSh's movement as he moved down the path. I felt like a limp rag doll, completely helpless.
At last, I felt the ground level out beneath us. I relaxed a little, but then every fibre of my body tensed when NiSSh then said, "Welcome to the Fens, Ella."
We had arrived.
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I could not stop shaking as NiSSh carried me further into the canyon. It was incredibly dark and my dress was not designed to keep the wearer warm. I could not help but feel upset at the state of my favourite of Mother's gowns. It was completely ruined. The once white fabric was stained and grubby, and the hem was badly ripped, fluttering in tatters around my feet. By some miracle though, my feet still wore both of my glass slippers. A deeply ironic smile crept slowly across my face. I was suddenly overcome with a mad desire to laugh wildly. Here I was, in the middle of ogre-country, and worrying about the state of my clothes! Perhaps I really was succumbing to madness.
I suddenly wrinkled my nose, trying not to gag. A horrible rotten stench filled the air, but I then realised that this smell had been present ever since the ogres had captured me – now it had intensified tenfold. My heart jolted inside my chest, pulsing madly with uncontrollable fear. The terrible ogre stench could only mean one thing…
But despite myself I was curious. I squinted into the darkness, trying to look around at my new surroundings. I had never before heard of anyone who had ventured into ogre country and had lived to tell the tale. Ogres were extremely dangerous creatures and to wander in areas where many of them dwelled, namely the Fens, was completely suicidal. Only someone with a longing for death could be found in ogre country – and yet here I was. Still, I did not know what to expect.
As I continued to peer through the murky gloom, I gradually became aware of large dark shapes in the cliff face. All at once I realised that they were caves. Ogre dens.
Oh, really. Did you honestly expect them to live in tents or wooden cottages with quaint little rose gardens? I thought to myself scornfully, only half-aware that my fear was making me irritable.
New grunts and snarls now filled the air around me, mingling with the sound of Ogrese being spoken, but I was still too far away to hear clearly what was being said. I tensed as we passed the first of the ogres. From what I could see of their frightful faces in the dark, they were gazing at me with famished hunger. Their beady eyes bore hungrily into my skin. I was sickeningly reminded of SEEf.
I became conscious of yet more and more ogres coming to gather around us, watching our slow progress through the crowd.
"Fresh meat," I heard one sigh in Ogrese somewhere to my left. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled uncomfortably. "Fresh and tender meat at last."
"But it is such a skinny little thing," I heard another say grudgingly in reply. "There is not enough meat on its bones to feed us all."
My hopes rose a little. Perhaps they would all share the same view as that ogre and not bother with eating me at all.
"Not all of us," the first ogre said again, "but I intend to be one of those fed."
My hopes died.
I squeaked as I suddenly saw one of the ogres reaching out towards me. Quickly I shut my eyes, not wanting to witness my inevitable fate.
"No!" NiSSh said suddenly and abruptly stopped. He turned to face most of the ogres that crowded around. They quieted their grumbling almost immediately. I was amazed. "She is not for eating just yet. We are taking her to see TShNOO, on his orders. Any who interfere will answer to him."
Again I was fascinated by the power of this TShNOO over them all. At NiSSh's words they obediently stepped backwards, allowing us an easy path through the middle. Who could he be? Their leader perhaps? I would find out soon enough.
Still NiSSh carried me through the crowd of gathering ogres. I was alarmed. There were so many of them! Never had I seen so many ogres together in my whole life. I wondered if Char and the knights were aware of their numbers. For Kyrria's sake I hoped so.
I then realised that we had come to a halt. A sudden hush descended upon the ogres and the night was completely silent. Immediately my heart began its frantic pounding once more. I felt myself being carefully lowered to the ground, and despite my fear, I was thankful that he did not simply throw me down. I tried to swivel my head to see what was going on, but the dark along with my tight bindings prevented it. I winced as the ropes pressed into the raw welts of my skin.
"This is the girl?" a deep voice grunted in Ogrese.
"Yes. We brought her just as you ordered," I heard NiSSh reply.
Silence followed and I wondered what was going on. I wished I could see what was happening.
"Turn her over," the ogre ordered suddenly. I froze as I remembered that ogres could read thoughts. I would have to be careful of what I was thinking. Or maybe I should just stop thinking completely. Was that even possible?
NiSSh unceremoniously rolled me over and I stared up with frightened eyes at the huge dark shape that towered over me. Immediately I knew that this must be TShNOO. And that he was the leader of the ogres.
"Ogre-tamer they call her?" he asked NiSSh derisively, who I saw nod in reply.
I could practically feel the coldness of his eyes tearing open my skin, just as I knew his and many other ogres' teeth would be doing so shortly. I braced myself.
But suddenly, and completely to my surprise, the ogre named TShNOO began to laugh! It was more of a wheezing sort of grunting, but definitely a laugh. I wondered what was so funny.
"Ah, this human is a funny one," he said in amusement and he looked like he was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. Despite my hopeless position, I couldn't help but feel indignant at being laughed at by an ogre. "We will have much fun with her yet, I see. Take her away."
NiSSh carefully picked me up off the ground and bore me away, myself feeling shocked and confused. Was I to be eaten or not? Was this the usual behaviour? What was going on?
But I knew one thing for sure – no matter what happened next, I was definitely not looking forward to it.