A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for my lack of updating. Wow, it was definitely a long time this time, wasn't it? Oh well, semester one has just ended, however, so now I've got plenty of time to write! Yay! Hang on… didn't I say something like that before? Uh oh :)
Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for my lack of updating. Wow, it was definitely a long time time, wasn't it? Oh well, semester one has just ended, however, so now I've got plenty of time to write! Yay! Hang on… didn't I say something like that before? Uh oh :)Also, finally solved bold / italics problem! What a relief! So yeah, you guys can enjoy those now. And I'm also going to start thanking people personally for their reviews – starting with this chapter. So everyone who reviews this chapter will get a nice, cute thank you message :) Thanks to all my wonderful, fantastic reviewers – you guys so rock! Every single one of you has been so encouraging and I hope you have time to come back and read this next installment :P
Once again, sorry for the wait and I hope you like where I'm taking it…
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Chapter 4: A Strange Opportunity
NiSSh carried me to a cave. It was cold and dry, and the air incredibly stale. I was practically wheezing through the filthy gag, my lungs desperate for fresh air.
He deposited me gently upon the floor and left me alone in the darkness. Just as I was beginning to feel as if I would pass out, NiSSh returned, carrying an armful of things. The smell of dried blood made my stomach churn, hungry though I was. I was overcome with the urge to retch. I thanked heaven that I had not eaten recently.
"I will untie you," he then said at last, "but you cannot use our language against us."
I nodded quickly, accepting the order. I was too ecstatic that I was to finally be rid of these wretched bindings to care about a command that only doomed me further into imprisonment.
I heard him step forward and felt his hands untying me. At last the ropes fell away and I gratefully relaxed, only to find to my horror that I was stuck in my tied up position! Experimenting, I flexed my hand muscles and felt my fingers move a little. My stiff body protested and I couldn't help but let out a soft moan through the gag. I then felt the binding of my mouth come away and I gasped gratefully for more air, trying in vain to ignore the ogre stench that mingled with the metallic smell of blood.
"I will leave you now," NiSSh then said. "I have brought you some food and water to ease your hunger. I will come back in the morning." And with that, he left me lying on the floor of the cave. There was a loud grinding sound and then silence. I was completely alone.
Bit by agonising bit, I forced my aching muscles to move. Stuck in my bound position for so long, they tingled uncomfortably and were unbearably sore. With another groan, I reached over to gently massage my legs, taking off my somewhat gritty-feeling glass slippers to relieve my feet.
The cave, or den, or whatever it was, was so dark that I could barely see my fingers wiggle in front of my face. I forced myself to stand, shaking on unstable legs, and shuffled across the floor. My outstretched fingers quickly came into contact with the hard and flinty cave wall. Using it as a guide I explored my prison.
It was very small I soon realised. The air was very cold, but not moist, and I shivered in my ragged, dirty gown. I tried not to panic at the air's growing staleness. Suddenly, the wall I ran my hand across curved inwards towards me. I tried to examine it closer. It was slightly smoother than the rest of the cave and… harder almost. Then I realised sourly that it was a large boulder blocking the cave's entrance, preventing my escape. I tried to move it, but it was too heavy and I was very weak and tired from the lack of food. A breath of coolness washed over my ankle, making me bend down in curiosity. It was a gap to the outside! Quickly I pressed my face closely against it and took deep gulps of the fresh air. But catching a whiff of the familiar ogre stench, I jerked my head back in horror and gagged. It was absolutely disgusting! I looked back into the darkness of the cave. But as long as I was their prisoner I would have to bear it.
Suddenly aware of my growling stomach, my thoughts turned to the food NiSSh had brought. I crawled on my hands and knees across the floor, until I bumped into them. Water sloshed onto the front of my dress, as I nearly knocked it over, making me jump in fright as I felt wetness soak through the thin material. Quickly, I scooped handful after handful of delightfully cool water into my parched mouth, over and over until I was gasping for air. At that moment, it was the most delicious water I had ever tasted.
I then tended to the food. I could not see what NiSSh had brought me, but my nose told me that it was definitely some sort of meat. I wrinkled my nose in distaste as I picked it up and brought it closer to my face. I couldn't eat it. It felt dry and tough, and the smell of blood was making me insanely dizzy. No matter how hungry I was, I could not stomach that poison.
As I sat there wondering what to do, a sudden wave of fatigue swept over me, making my body feel weak and shaky. My eyelids drooped like stones dropped into water. Feeling so constantly afraid had left me with an intense headache. I was so tired… Finally, I curled up on the hard, cold floor and drifted off into a restless sleep.
It was still unbelievingly dark when I awoke, but I could tell that it was indeed morning. A little of the sun's light shone into the cave through the gap to the outside.
I splashed a little water on my face and drank some. My stomach whined at me again. I winced as I rubbed it. There were now painful cramps twisting my insides. I needed some decent food soon.
My head pounded and I brought my hand up to rub my forehead when something hard brushed against my skin. I jerked my hand away in surprise and looked down. I gaped in astonishment. Of course! How could I have forgotten Lucinda's ring? A wide smile crept across my face. Thank you, Lucinda! This could very well be my chance to escape.
Then I frowned, biting my lip. But what was I to wish for? Lucinda had said herself that it only granted wishes of small magic. But perhaps Lucinda's idea of small magic was… different to those of other fairies. For once, I hoped so.
"I wish to escape from the ogres," I said aloud, experimenting. But nothing happened. "I wish to get out of this cave." Still nothing happened. I tried many wishes. I wished for someone to rescue me, for Mandy to bring me home, to make the ogres unable to eat me. But with every futile wish I made, nothing happened and disappointment and despair grew in the pit of my stomach like blocks of lead.
My head snapped up in fright. I could hear heavy footsteps approaching the cave's entrance. My body was frozen to the spot. The sound of grunting and grating stone then filled the air and abruptly the brightness of the sun's light shone directly into my eyes. I raised a hand as a shield and squinted up at the two dark shapes of ogres that were silhouetted against the light.
"Good morning, Ella." It was NiSSh. "Did you sleep well?" I had never thought that an ogre could be so diplomatic. Nevertheless, I said nothing in reply.
"Nice and tender from your rest?" said another voice, oily and smooth. I could recognise SEEf's voice anywhere. "You will make a tasty breakfast treat."
I tried not to react, but I felt my face drain of colour at his words.
"Come," NiSSh then said, apparently ignoring SEEf. "My uncle has ordered us to bring you to him."
His uncle? I was momentarily confused, but then realisation suddenly dawned. TShNOO, the leader of the ogre clan, was his uncle. I had wondered why SEEf had felt the need to justify himself to his son. It explained why SEEf did not brush him off as I was sure he would do to any other that stood in his way. NiSSh was an ogre of status. I had to hide the amused smile that suddenly wanted to crawl across my face.
"Hurry up, breakfast," SEEF growled suddenly. He reached out and grabbed my arm with such force that I opened my mouth to scream, but all that came out was a hoarse croak.
"Father, leave her!" NiSSh said sharply. He glared at the other ogre. "TShNOO said that she was not to be harmed."
That confused me some more. They were to eat me and I was not to be harmed? What on earth was going on?
SEEf returned his look with one of his own, although his grip loosened a little. Finally, with a snarl of defiance, he shoved me away and let go of my arm so that I tumbled to the ground. The fall winded me and the horrible throbbing inside my head began again. At last I climbed back to my feet, swaying a little.
"Are you okay, Ella?" NiSSh asked me in concern.
I looked back at him through glazed eyes. "Fine," I murmured slowly. "Just fine."
"Come, then. They are waiting for us." He then turned and walked to the mouth of the cave, while I just stood there, blinking stupidly at him. He looked back at me. "Come, Ella," he ordered more forcefully.
Dully I realised my feet walked after him of their own accord. It was like they had a mind of their own.
I stepped outside. Although the air smelt terrible, it was a great relief from the growing staleness of the cave. Already I felt a little better. The sun was dreadfully hot and I had to squint against its glare, having been imprisoned in the dark for so long. It seemed around late morning or so.
I now had my first proper look at the Fens. It seemed to be located in the middle of two large cliffs and covered in dry, dusty red earth. Blood red, I thought sullenly. There were numerous caves in the both cliff sides, seeming to stare down at me with gaping, sightless black eyes. A cold feeling shuddered down my spine. There were piles of bone everywhere – skeletons of both large and small animals alike littering the ground. And then there were the ogres. Again their numbers horrified me. There were so many, and the ones nearest I could see were staring transfixed at me like I was a captured fairy queen. Quickly I lowered my head as I followed SEEf, not making eye contact with anyone. I was going to be their meal. My fingers twisted the ring around and around my finger in agitation. I did not want to be eaten, but there seemed nothing I could do about it.
SEEf led us in the direction of the opposite rocky wall, dotted with yet more black caves. There were different levels of rock and paths connecting them all to one another. It looked like a giant had carved a huge maze in the cliff side. SEEf took us up one of the many stone paths. We climbed for what seemed like forever, right to the very top. Eventually we stopped outside the enormous mouth of a cave. It was situated right in the middle of the topmost caves and seemed to be the largest. I looked up and for a moment my heart stopped. On the overhanging ledge above, hundreds of ugly ogre faces leered down at me; some in curiosity while others – the majority – smiled in greedy longing. My mouth dried in terror. I tasted the salty tang of blood and realised I had chewed right through my lip.
SEEf then turned to us, giving me a particularly nasty look. "After you, my dear," he crooned in his slippery voice, gesturing to the cave with a hairy arm.
I hesitated and looked at NiSSh who nodded reassuringly. I relaxed a little. He did not seem worried. So, bracing myself, I raised my chin and walked forward, soon to be swallowed up by the cave's mouth.
My eyes took some time to adjust to its blackness. After being exposed to the bright sun, white spots of light floated in front of my face at a dizzying speed. I blinked and slowly the inside of the cave came into focus. It was not as dark as the cave I had been contained in last night, but still very dim. Nervously I twisted Lucinda's ring about my finger, eyes darting to all corners. I kept expecting an ogre to jump out from behind the slabs of rock and devour me whole. The thought sent shivers down my spine.
I jumped as I felt a heavy hand upon my shoulder. Glancing up in alarm I could just make out NiSSh's hairy features in the darkness. "Keep walking," he said, and my shaky legs obeyed.
The endless rocky walls did not change as we moved through the endless cave passage. We did not speak, the only sound coming from our noisy footsteps. My heart was pounding so loudly against my chest that it seemed deafening in the silence. Faint squeals and chatters suddenly sounded high above us. I squinted up into the shadows, but saw nothing.
"Bats," NiSSh said so unexpectedly that I jumped. "Don't worry, they're harmless and won't bother you."
"But we will," SEEf growled softly from behind me. I shuddered, yet refused to look back at him.
Gradually I began to realise that the passage was growing lighter. It curved around in front of us, however, so I could not see from whence the source of light came from. Eventually we rounded the corner.
I stared in horror. There in front of us was the largest, ugliest ogre I had ever seen before in my life! He was at least a full head taller than SEEf and his body was large, muscular and powerful looking. He was seated upon a large rock slab that served as a throne of sorts at the back of the cave, flanked by four ogres that stood in pairs on either side of him. Small holes in the walls of rock let in bright, steady streams of light, which illuminated the enthroned ogre. His beady black eyes narrowed as he watched us come forward. Watched me!
"Stop, Ella," NiSSh commanded as we drew closer. I stopped, still staring in undisguised fear at the ogre in front of us.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw both NiSSh and SEEf bow low before him. I did nothing, merely stood and gaped at him like a fish. This had to be TShNOO, the leader of the ogres – and NiSSh's uncle.
"Rise," he said in a deep, grunting voice, which I recognised from the night before, although his eyes were locked on my face and did not waver. He regarded me silently, watching with a thoughtful look. I had never seen an ogre look thoughtful before. It was a strange sight.
"Ella of Frell," he then said and my heart resumed its frantic beating. "Ogre-tamer, tell me why I should not allow you to be eaten?"
What?
I blinked at him in astonishment. "I – er…pardon?" I managed to choke out at last.
His eyes flickered. Was it amusement? The look was gone too quickly for me to tell. "You are polite, Ogre-tamer, but slow," he said solemnly, although SEEf and a few of the ogres surrounding him laughed throatily. "I am giving you a chance to live, although I know I should not. You have assisted in the capture of eight of my ogres. Your human friends have kept us prisoner, feeding us but scraps while we remained captured, and insulting us from the moment when the sun rises, to the time when it sleeps."
"Then why give her a chance to live at all?" SEEf growled suddenly. Looking at him, I trembled as I saw the malice burning in his eyes. "Give her to me, for it was me she wronged, and I will see that she gets the punishment she deserves."
"QUIET!" TShNOO roared suddenly, and so loudly that I felt the ground vibrate beneath me. I almost toppled over in my terror. "It is not your place to tell me what I should and should not do." SEEf grunted, and fell into a sullen silence, glaring at me all the while as if it were entirely my fault. Yet in a way I suppose it was.
"So, Ogre-tamer," TShNOO said, turning back to look at me with his beady eyes, "tell me why should you be allowed to live?"
My mouth was so dry that it hurt when I swallowed in nervousness. He was not going to kill me – that is, if I managed to come up with a good enough reason. But I had no time to wonder why he was doing this. From the way the ogre was looking at me, I could tell that he was quickly running out of patience.
But what could I say?
A hundred thoughts must have crossed churned through my mind in those few silent seconds. Desperation began clawing at the edges of my thoughts as I struggled to come up with something – anything – that could save my life. But mostly, all I could think of were the people I would never see again. Char, Areida, Father, Mandy… Mandy!
Suddenly an idea came to me.
It was incredibly risky, but I had no choice. Straightening with a sudden burst of precarious confidence, I raised my head and looked the ogre directly in the eye. "TShNOO, leader and ruler of the ogres," I began in a clear strong voice in Ogrese, "you have very kindly and generously offered me a chance to save myself, even when it seems that in your eyes I do not deserve a show of such benevolence. Nevertheless, I do have a reason as to why you should let me live – for I feel that it would be of great service to you."
There was silence as I paused, although my heat was beating so loudly that I was sure every ogre in the room could hear it. However, and to my complete surprise, I saw interest flare within the ogre leader's eyes.
"Go on," he said – a command I had to obey even if I hadn't wanted to.
Fortunately, speaking and surviving were the only two things I cared about at that moment; but it all depended on whether what I was about to do next worked or not.
"A great service I can bring to your clan, and that would be…" Sweat from the nervousness I felt formed on my upper lip. Please work, I prayed silently.
And then, as quietly as I could, I murmured the words that could either doom me or save me: "I wish for my magic book."