A/N: Got myself a job, robbed me of my time on top of my usual laziness, haven't updated for a while, and I apologize for that.
The earth beneath her shuddered violently, jerking her awake. Groggily Andromache raised herself up on her elbows while her eyes became accustomed to the dark. Then it clicked in. As soon as her brain assessed the situation her thoughts immediately turned to her son. Her eyes circled around fearfully until she saw what she sought for. The boy was still sleeping soundly, curled up in a corner.
The roof groaned, and the door slammed open and shut. Andromache scrambled up, and with one hand swooped up her son into her arms, calming him as he whined in protest. In three strides she was to the shaking door. That was when she realized that they were alone in the little cabin. She cursed. Where are the other two? The roof creaked again.
With a short glance around the room, Andromache dashed out of the trembling house. When she was reasonably far away from it she collapsed on the ground and checked the squirming bundle. Satisfied that he was all right, Andromache climbed to her feet again.
People ran by, screaming and shouting. She looked around and saw more escaping from their cabins. She swallowed the panic in her throat. Just then a couple rushed by.
"Hedia!"
The couple stopped. Andromache hurried over to the woman, who was once a trusted servant, but now had gotten married.
"Hedia, have you seen Helen? Or Briseis perhaps?" She asked anxiously.
The woman shook her head. Andromache let out a long breath, then debated with herself.
"Here, take Astyanax," Having made her decision, she handed the child over, placing a kiss on his forehead. Hedia's eyes widened.
"I'm going to go look for them!" Andromache yelled above the noises. "Phylo," she turned to the man, "Listen to me, make sure that everyone is outside of their cabins. Round them up, get them to gather in the clearing. Stay clear of the trees. And stay together."
"But, my-"
"Go! Be careful!" Andromache turned away before she changed her mind. But really, Astyanax was as safe with Hedia as he was with her, maybe even safer if Phylo did his job. And she had no doubt that he would. Taking deep breaths, she quickened her steps, and headed into the woods.
"Briseis!" She stumbled over an extended root but quickly regained her balance. The shaking had eased somewhat and she prayed that it would stop soon.
"Helen!"
Where are they? Where would they go at this time of the night? Andromache thought about the possibilities of them roused by the shaking and headed outside, but somehow she didn't think that they would go on their own, not when she and her son were still asleep.
"Helen!"
So they were out already before the quake started, Andromache concluded. Where could they have gone? Taken a walk perhaps, she mused, turning the idea over in her head. But wouldn't they come right back when it all started? Unless they couldn't, she thought with a sickening feeling in her stomach. What if they were hurt? Knocked out? Unconscious? Dead?
You are getting carried away, she told herself firmly. But she wished she was sure. Her heart pounded in her ears as she thought of the things that could have happened to her two cousins. She pushed those horrific thoughts away.
"Briseis!"
Her throat was beginning to burn and her legs ache. The ground was much more stable now, thank goodness. She hurried on, not noticing the small pile of rubble at her feet. She stumbled, fought for her balance, but still fell with a crash, knocking her head against a fallen tree in the process. For a moment she lay there, dazed, catching up her breath. She shifted, wincing at the pain in her leg. As she looked down to check on the gash she noticed something else. Pain forgotten, she crouched down and took a closer look.
Footsteps.
Her heart jolted. Then she realized that it couldn't have been the footsteps of either one of the women. They were simply too large, and too heavily imprinted. Andromache frowned. Where the hell had this come from? She was sure that none of the men had ventured out here before. Nervous, she looked around. There.
On one of the branches hung something. She picked her way over carefully. As she got closer she recognized the object. It was a bow, with the arrows tied to the bottom in a rough little sachet. Her brows knitted together. Was there someone else out here tonight? She wondered apprehensively. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw something else snagged on the tip of one of the arrows.
Cloth.
Torn jaggedly. A very small piece. But Andromache could make out the colors and the patterns. The material came from Helen's dress. She put one and one together. And cursed.
Whoever this man is, maybe one of the Greeks that decided he wanted a little fun, had kidnapped Helen and most probably Briseis too. He'd taken them somewhere. Andrmache's throat closed up and she had to force herself to keep breathing. Fear ate its way through her like acid. She took a moment and took several deep breaths to steady herself.
She had to find them.
She snatched up the weapon. She figured that whoever had done this was dangerous and even though she wasn't that skilled with archery it was better to be armed. When she thought what could have happened to Helen and Briseis, her blood boiled. He stole them from right underneath her nose. With her weapon in tow she straightened and followed the footsteps.
The son of a bitch was going to pay.