Welcome everyone to chapter 8!
Beginning of a Capture The Flag rematch!
So, rereading through my chapters showed me that I had completely left out this entire chapter. So I'm here to add it in once more!
I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!
When Amira opened her eyes two days later, the first thing she saw was white.
She winced at the brightness and blinked several times to let her purple eyes get accustomed. Soon she was able to see and, looking up, she saw someone sifting through some cupboards. His back was turned so she couldn't see his face. Her hand went to her head with a small groan, her head spinning.
Glancing around told her that she was in some sort of healing-house with several beds lined against one wall and cupboards on another. The guy turned around when Amira groaned.
"Morning, sleepyhead. 'Bout time you woke up. How're you feeling?" He asked kindly, moving to her side.
Amira nodded slowly, her head throbbing. A part of Amira's mind noted he looked like the boy she had been fighting beside; he too had blond hair and blue eyes but his hair was darker and more golden and his eyes were lighter in color.
"I am alright. I just *wince* I exerted myself past the limit of my energy. But my strength will return when given time." She reported weakly. The boy nodded.
"That's good to hear. I'm Will, by the way. Will Solace." He introduced with a smile.
"My name is Amira." She replied. She tucked a strand of her wavy hair behind her pointed ear.
"You gave us quite a scare out there the other day." Will told her as he placed his hand on her back to help her sit up. "But how did you do that? The lightning, I mean."
Amira bit her lip. She wasn't really sure if she should tell a bunch of people about her having magic but she really didn't know how to make up an excuse for an answer.
"Magic," She said as she waved her hands to make it seem like she was joking. Will rolled his eyes and chuckled.
"All right, sure. That was a really cool trick though and you helped a lot." He thanked. Amira again brushed her hair back.
"It was my pleasure. I could not allow danger to come to those here just because I would not help."
Will nodded then went back over to a cabinet and pulled out a small bottle. He opened it and shook out two small white pills. He filled a cup with water and handed them both to Amira.
"Aspirin. He explained, seeing her confused look. "Just swallow: it'll help with your headache."
Amira and did as instructed, drinking all the water and handed the empty cup back to the medic. Will placed the cup on one of the counters as Amira stood up, her spinning head lessening slightly thanks to her quick healing. She felt a missing weight and looked down to see that her sword was gone.
"Where is Arvindr?" Amira asked Will. The blond looked confused.
"Where's who?" He wondered.
"Apologies, I meant my sword."
"It's over there." He gestured towards the door and Amira saw her sword belt placed on one of the counters. "I didn't want you to stab yourself in your sleep."
Amira nodded her thanks and walked over. She pulled her sword from its sheath and the purple blade's deathly-sharp edge gleamed in the light. Amira sighed sadly, again remembering why she had it. She missed Balenda so much but she had absolutely no idea where her soul-partner was and since their mental connection was apparently muted on Earth, she couldn't even begin to start searching.
Amira then wondered how her dragon was doing. Was she on Earth or was she still in Alagaesia? If she was then Amira hoped that Eragon was still searching. Was Eragon looking for her? Or was he instead helping with the after-effects of the war? What was everyone else doing? Did Eragon tell anyone about her disappearance?
Dozens of questions jumped around in Amira's head as she re-sheathed Arvindr and buckled the belt on, feeling better with the weight of her sword around her slim waist. She swore quietly in elvish as she brushed her long purple hair from her face.
She was going to have to do something to keep her hair out of her face.
"You look like you're doing better already. You think you'll feel good enough to play Capture The Flag with us later?" Will asked as he walked over, bringing Amira from her thoughts. She cocked her head to the side.
"What is that?" She wondered.
"It's a game we play here and we were actually playing when you showed up. It kinda stopped the game so we decided to have a rematch today. Well, the other campers are gonna play, I'm more of a healer than a fighter so I just sit it out until someone gets stabbed." The medic grinned as he held her wrist to check her pulse-rate.
"Oh… um… so what is it?" Amira asked awkwardly as he hadn't actually explained what the game was.
"It's a game where there are two teams that both have a flag. Each team has to try to steal the other team's flag and take it back to their side. It's kinda like a mock battle." Will chuckled.
"I am not sure if I will play but that sounds as though it would be fun." Amira admitted as she adjusted her tunic.
Will nodded before glancing out outside for a minute and then saying,
"You slept all of yesterday and most of today so dinner should be starting pretty soon. You wanna come or would you rather stay and get a bit more rest?"
Amira thought for a moment. If she did go then she would undoubtedly be asked a bunch of questions. Yet, at the same time, she really didn't want to stay inside. Plus she was hungry; thinking about it she realized that she hadn't eaten in several days.
"I will come. It will be nice to be outside again." She decided as she felt almost back to normal already. Will nodded again and he and Amira walked out of the infirmary.
As she knew, she was instantly mobbed by a group consisting of a bunch of campers unknown to her.
"That was awesome!"
"Are you alright?"
"How did you do that lightning thing?
Are you a child of Zeus?"
What were those weird words you said?"
"I lost a bet cuz I thought you died!"
Questions bombarded and overwhelmed Amira and she unconsciously took a step back, her purple eyes widening in surprise. The questions suddenly stopped and the crowd stared expectantly at her as they waited for an answer. Amira swallowed, nervous and confused.
"Uh, I am not sure… um… " She tried, her voice fading out. She bit her lip and was thinking of an answer when a movement to her left caught her attention: it was the boy she had fought with walking a ways away. "Excuse me, please."
She pushed through the small crowd and ran over to where the boy was. He stopped when he saw her coming and waited for her to near.
"Hello again." He greeted her with a smile when she reached him. "Glad to see you're up and about."
"And you. Um… I wanted to thank you for helping the other day. An- and saving me." Amira thanked him, a bit awkwardly, but the boy just smiled.
"It was no problem. Besides, you saved our butts with that lightning trick you pulled so consider us even." He told her with an easy wink, his beautiful blue eyes shining. Amira blushed slightly at the action.
"My name is Amira." She introduced herself.
"I'm Jakob. You can call me Jake though." They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Jake offered his hand. "I was just heading over to dinner. Care to join me?"
"Sure." Amira smiled, accepting the gesture and placing her hand in his.
His hand casually held in her's, Jake led Amira over to a large pavilion. Marble columns surrounded the floor, ringed with torches while a fire the size of a three-week-old dragon blazed in the center. Just as they reached the marble floor, a horn rang across the camp. Tugging her hand gently, the blond led Amira over to one of the many tables as the campers began swarming in.
The Alagaesian then realized that she still had her hand in Jake's and let go with a blush.
The blond sat down and gestured for Amira to join him. Not really knowing where else to go, she agreed and sat. The two made casual conversation for several minutes before Chiron stamped his hoof and attracted everyone's attention.
"Today, Capture the Flag will be rematched as the previous game had been interrupted. The team captains will be the same, Cabins Six and Three, and alliances will remain the same as well."
"Wait! Amira needs a team!" Someone called out. The voice sounded like Jason and Amira searched for the blond but didn't find him in the crowd.
"OVER HERE!" Percy and Annabeth both shouted at the same time. Everyone in the pavilion turned to the purple-haired teen and she felt her face pale slightly.
"Um…" Amira wasn't quite sure what to say or do, the attention making her nervous. "I, uh… I shall join…" She looked back and forth between Percy and Annabeth, not knowing who to choose, before making a snap decision. "Um, Percy's team."
Percy cheered in response, pumping his fist in the air with a 'whoop'.
Annabeth sighed; Amira would be hard to beat. Those who had seen her fight Jason were either relieved to have her on their side or scared to face her. The room broke out into discussion but Chiron stomped his hoof again and announced,
"Now that that's settled, let us enjoy our meal." He raised his goblet. "To the gods!"
Everyone around Amira raised their cups and repeated the toast. Wood nymphs then came forward and set platters of food on every table. At Jake's urging, Amira filled her plate with fruits, vegetables, and bread. She pointedly ignored the meats as she stuck to her elven diet.
She noticed the demigods had started getting up to dump a portion of their meals into a brazier- "a sacrifice to the gods," Jake explained- but she didn't join the offerings as she didn't worship the Greek/Roman gods and therefore felt no need to.
The dinner was nice. Amira ate and chatted casually with Jake and the other children of Apollo. She was surprised to see Will Solace there as well and found that she was enjoying herself as she talked. She received several questions but the campers quickly noticed that she was uncomfortable and stopped, much to her thanks.
After dinner, the young Alagaesian heard the conch sound and everyone stood and cheered as Percy and Annabeth ran into the pavilion with their flags; Percy's was sea-green with a trident embroidered in the center, the symbol of Poseidon, while Annabeth carried a silvery-gray banner emblazoned with an owl, the symbol of Athena.
"Remember the rules: the creek is the boundary, all the forest is fair game, all magic and magic items are allowed." Chiron reminded after the cheering had calmed. "No maiming or intentional killing. Banners can have a maximum of three guards and must be easily seen and accessible. Captured campers may be disarmed but not bound in any way. You have half an hour to prepare and plan. When you hear the conch horn, the game begins. Arm yourselves!"
The food suddenly disappeared and the tables were then filled with armor and weapons. Already having a sword Amira picked up a metal hand-shield, hefted it briefly, then discarded it. She said her goodbyes to Jake and the other children of Apollo before heading over to Percy.
"No armor?" The son of Poseidon asked her as he finished putting on his bronze armor.
"I have no need for it. I can use my magic to protect me if need be." Amira reminded. Percy pulled out and uncapped his pen. Riptide sprung to life in his hand and the Alagaesian stared in surprise at the weapon's sudden appearance.
"Can I try?" He asked, holding out his hand.
Amira loosened her leather-bracer and slid it off her arm, sliding up her sleeve and offering her forearm to Percy. The demigod lightly dragged the blade across her wrist and Amira hissed and yanked her arm back as the blade broke her skin.
"You sure you don't want armor?" Percy again asked, raising an eyebrow.
But Amira denied the repeated offer as she was still wearing her Alagaesian clothes. Her leather bustier-style top and bracers were made of firm leather that doubled as a form of light armor. She muttered a spell to heal her cut, hating how that one spell was weaker in this world, and then replaced her sleeve and bracer.
All the campers on their team gathered around and Percy got their attention.
"Okay everyone, here's the plan: you half will attack while you guys defend." He explained. "Anyone have any questions–"
"Is that it?" Amira interrupted, confused. "Is that the extent of your battle strategy?"
"The best plans are simple ones cuz less can go wrong." Percy defended himself with a shrug.
"But only to a certain point."
Percy crossed his arms with a challenge on his face, hiding the fact that he had been hoping Amira would speak up. He was curious about the purple-haired girl's battle knowledge and wanted to see how she would strategize.
"You got a better idea then?" He asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes I do," The Rider answered surely. "But I first must know: what are you all able to do?"
Amira crouched in the bushes as she waited for the conch horn.
When it went off, yelling and the clash of battle rang throughout the woods as the game began. She saw a group of Apollo kids leap over the river and just as Piper had predicted, Jason came sneaking over the river near her hideout while attention was drawn by the Apollo kids. As soon as he was out of sight, she ambushed him with a quiet apology and knocked him out.
"Moi pömnuria sja." Amira whispered and with a bit of concentration, she now looked like Jason. She probably wouldn't fool someone if she had to talk to them or if they looked closely but the disguise was good enough to work with their plan.
(Change my look)
After hiding her own sword from view and grabbing Jason's, she quickly leaped back over the creek while keeping low to the ground.
She spied several of her enemy team members through the trees but when they recognized Jason's face they relaxed and turned their attention back in the direction of the creek. She let out a breath of relief as her disguise worked. Amira arrived at the rendezvous and a moment later Percy's head popped out from the bushes.
"I really hope you're actually Amira." He whispered.
"It is me," Amira assured. Percy blinked.
"That's really weird, to hear you talk but see Jason." He chuckled.
The son of Poseidon handed Amira his sword and she grabbed his wrists before leading him to where their scouts had told them the enemy flag was. She emerged into the clearing where the guards saw what appeared to have been a successful capture.
"Jason, where are you going? Prison's that way!" Frank called out as they neared, pointing in the direction they came from.
"I am sorry…" Amira apologized before leaping forward and pressure-pointing his neck, knocking him unconscious as well.
"Hey!" The other guard shouted. He was only able to partially draw his sword before Percy tackled him and grabbed the flag.
"LET'S DO THIS!" Percy cheered as he threw the flag like a spear. Amira caught it midair and the two took off.
Another guard shouted after them that "Jason" was on their side but the Rider smirked and released her spell so she looked like herself again. The guard facepalmed and threw a small white sphere. Amira yelped and ducked as it flew over her head and hit the defender who had run in front of Percy. The camper turned into a pig and Amira skidded to a halt.
"Did you just try to turn me into a pig?" She asked in disbelief before she slammed her sword into the side of her helmet. The force of the hit dented the metal in but she made sure to not leave them any lasting damage to the camper.
Percy ran forward with the look of an excited kid and grabbed Amira's wrist to pull her along behind him. They passed multiple enemy campers but members of their team would appear just in time to engage the enemy in combat, allowing Percy and Amira to keep going.
"Percy!" Amira's purple eyes widened as she saw a net fall and she tackled her friend before the trap could catch him. Percy laughed as he got to his feet, clearly having a blast.
"Thanks! C'mon, we're almost there!"
They jumped up and were heading for the boundary line when an Ares kid jumped in front of them. Amira extended her free hand, Gedwëy Ignasia glowing with magic.
"Jierda thierra kalfis!" She shouted. The camper suddenly collapsed with a horrible scream, their fibula bones breaking. Percy winced in sympathy but didn't stop.
(Break their calves)
As planned, cabin four (Demeter) raised up a wall of bushes around them while a small corridor through the bushes opened up, a clear run toward the creek for Percy and Amira. But then Leo appeared and blowtorched his way through behind them.
"You're not winning today!" He shouted with a smirk, throwing down a grenade.
"Watch out!" Amira shouted her warning. She thrust the flag into Percy's hand and spun around but the bomb just exploded into popcorn.
"NO! Wrong one!" Leo cried miserably as the white treat filled the air.
"Nice try, Leo!" Percy laughed before dousing him with creek water and sending him sprawling.
Amira giggled and started off again, her Rider speed quickly bringing herself close to Percy. But before she could catch up, someone jumped in front of her from their position overhead in a tree, swinging their sword in an arc as they fell.
Amira fell to her knees and leaned back, sliding under the camper's legs after they landed. She waved to Percy to keep going and he nodded. The camper looked down in surprise as his target disappeared but Amira jumped up behind them and they spun around. She quickly punched their stomach and as the camper doubled down, she kicked her knee up and there was a loud crack as their face and her kneecap collided, their nose undoubtedly breaking. The action threw them back.
Amira turned back to Percy and she watched with an excited smile as he jumped over the creek with the flag in hand, seconds away from winning the game. But before he could land, a swirling portal opened on the ground below him.
"HOLY S**T!" Percy's sea-green eyes widened and he shouted a curse as he tumbled into the swirling vortex, the flag falling from his hand.
Amira froze and her hands went to her mouth as with a gasp, her purple eyes widening in shock.
"Amira-?! Wait, who are you?"
Amira heard a familiar male voice call from the portal and her heart literally skipped a beat.
"Eragon!" She gasped.
She immediately broke from her shock and sprinted to the green and brown portal, running faster than she ever had in her life. The portal started swirling faster and faster. Amira's heart beat painfully hard as she ran but she forced herself to keep going.
"AMIRA WHERE ARE YOU?! AMIRA-" Eragon's voice was cut off as the miniature vortex suddenly swirled faster then closed, disappearing into nothing without a single trace.
"ERAGON NO!" Amira fell to her knees with a cry, getting there not a millisecond after it closed. She knelt where the swirling vortex had been less than a single second before, tears already falling. She pounded her fists against the ground, crying and screaming for the portal to reopen, but to no avail. She had missed her chance to return and Percy entered instead.
Her only chance of returning home to Alagaesia was gone.
And that concludes the eighth chapter of A Strange and Different Land!
Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue the story. Please feel free to leave a review. Criticism, advice, compliments or corrections are welcome.
Have a good one and I'll see you later!
