Fugitives: Chapter 18

About a week and a half later, I was able to walk, a plus in my opinion. There would always be someone from the Rebellion with me, usually Asher or Lark, but sometimes Echo or Thicket. Asher led a rescue operation, and was able to rescue Naya and Torin. As far as I know, they're in Lythel by now.

    One day I was downstairs eating, with Asher across from me, when there was a pounding of horse hooves. Asher was out of his chair in an instant, and at the window. “Esryn!” he hissed. Again, with the speed, he appeared at my side, and helped me up. We raced for the back door, him nearly carrying me. Asher flung open the door and burst outside, and froze. Soldiers were already in a ring around the back of the house. There was no escape.

    “We have them!” a younger soldier exclaimed, no more than twenty. Asher hissed, picked me up, and flew back inside, up the stairs, and to a window. He wrenched open the window, setting me down for a moment, then picked me up and used the escape vine to swing us to the large ghinpok tree. We alighted on one of the branches, and Asher gently set me down.

    An arrow catapulted through the leaves and branches, and into part of my shirt, pinning me to the tree. I cried out in shock, and Asher immediately checked my shoulder. Satisfied that the arrow didn't pierce my skin, he pulled it out. We were about to run away, but Esryn called, “Leave, and they die.”

    We paused, and looked back. Mister Lemuel and Granny Jasie were in the arms of the soldiers, and Esryn had his sword at Granny Jasie's throat. Asher swore under his breath, but stood up. “What do you want, Esryn?” he called, but he knew the answer. We both did.

    “Both of you to come down here,” Esryn ordered. “Do so, and we'll set the old man and woman free.”

    Asher hesitated, then let out an owl's hoot, three times. Then Asher grabbed a vine, and held out his hand to me. My throat tight, I grasped his hand. We stared into each other's eyes for a second, then swung down on the vine to the ground. Instantly, soldiers surrounded us, but none of them touched us. Asher and I were still holding hands.

    “I'm not letting them go until you come away from the vine,” Esryn said in a spiteful tone.

    We obeyed, stepping away from the vine, and soldiers grabbed us, wrenching us away from each other. Esryn stepped to Asher. “Who are you?”

    Asher stared steadily at him but did not answer. Esryn's features curled into an evil smile. “Well, we'll find out soon enough.”

    He turned to me, and a smile played at his lips. Seeing him again sent the cold thrust of fear through me. It was like a nightmare come true. “Kya, Kya,” he whispered, reaching out and stroking my cheek. I recoiled away from him, shivering. Asher's eyes went black.

    Esryn's lip curled. His hand grabbed the necklace from Kielle. “Who gave this to you?” he said quietly, in a dangerous voice.

    “No one,” I gasped. Esryn was pulling kind of hard on it, and it was hard to breathe. “No one gave it to me.”

    “Then where did you get it?” His grip tightened, and I gasped in pain.

    “No....where.....found it,” I choked.

    His eyes narrowed. “You're lying. A little girl gave this to you. Now, where is she?”

    “What....little.....girl.....don't know.....what you're talking about,” I gasped, choking on his hold. I was getting really dizzy, and these white stars were exploding in my eyes.

    Just before I could pass out, he let go, and I heaved in gulps of air. My head was spinning around, and it took me a couple of seconds to realize that he had his sword hard against my throat and a trickle of blood was running down my neck.

    I stared up fearfully into his eyes. Understanding dawned in his eyes, and he took the sword away from my neck, and held it over Asher's. “Tell me where you got the necklace,” he said quietly, “or your friend here dies.”

    I stared in dismay at Asher, then looked down. “A little girl named Kielle gave it to me,” I said quietly. “She drowned in a river.”

    Prince Esryn froze in shock. “You're lying.”

    My head snapped up in anger. “Everything I say seems to be a lie with you!” I hissed. “Even when its the truth!” A tear trickled down my cheek.

    He shook his head. “I don't believe that she drowned in a river,” he insisted.

    The young soldier, the eager one, suddenly came forward. “Your Highness,” he said. “There was reports of a slave that drowned in the river.”

    Esryn closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He did this for several seconds, and I realized that no matter how he acted, or what he said, he still loved his sister. These feelings were buried deep inside of him, but they resurfaced when he learned of Kielle's death (or so he thought).

    Esryn sheathed his sword. “Fine.” He turned to the soldier. “Let the old couple go, and prepare to move out. It's time we go home.” He turned to look at me, his eyes colder than before. “With two new slaves.”

    Asher raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

    Esryn whipped around. “Be silent!”

    Both of Asher's eyebrows were raised. “I don't think that Kya and I are slaves, thank you.”

    Esryn froze. “What do you mean?!” he roared, his eyes wild. “You are both now slaves! There is no way for you to escape!”

    A small smile twitched at the corner of Asher's mouth. “Are you sure about that?”

    Esryn's head snapped up to a large ghinpok tree just as there was a twang!, and an arrow shot out. Esryn threw himself to the right, but the arrow still snagged his tunic, pinning him to the ground. Immediately, hordes of arrows followed, and the Rebellion soldiers appeared and engaged Esryn's soldiers in battle. In the confusion, the soldier that had been holding me let go, and I was free.

    I rolled to the side, and Ember appeared beside me. “Here,” she panted, thrusting a sword into my hand. “Come, now, before Esryn catches you again!”

    Grim determination hardened inside me. “No. Not this time!” I jumped up and raced off into the confusion of battle, ignoring Ember's calls for me to come back.

    Esryn was working to wrench himself free of the arrow (which seemed to be stuck in the ground), when I appeared. I put my sword at his throat and he froze. We were both breathing hard. “Well,” he said. “What happens now?”

    “What happens now,” I said, my voice low and dangerous, “is that you leave me alone. Your sister Kielle is dead. Why come after me?  I am now apart of the Rebellion, and you'll have to fight the Rebellion to get to me.”

    Esryn's eyes narrowed. “You're right. I don't need another slave, do I? Well, in that case...” His sword suddenly appeared in his hand, and he quickly cut off the piece of clothing that was attached to the arrow faster than I could have imagined.

    He leaped up and I jumped back, and he held his sword up. “If I don't need you as a slave, then I can dispose of you,” he said quietly.

    His sword went into an array of moves, moving so fast that the blade was just a blur. I did my best to block it, but suddenly I was disarmed and his sword was at my throat. We were both breathing hard, and this cold, blue fire was in his eyes, and his scar seemed to glow. “You stupid girl,” he hissed. “You should have accepted the fact that I was showing you kindness by buying you, back at Taraketh's farm. But you had to think that I was performing a horrible act, and you ran away. If you had just accepted it, then there wouldn't be any of this trouble.”

    Understanding dawned in my mind, and my eyes widened in shock. “That's it,” I said. “You can't get over the fact that I ran away. I ran away rather than be your slave, and that was a bigger blow to you than I realized. I hurt your pride.”

    Esryn's eyes narrowed. “It was an act of kindness!” he hissed. “I bought your mother! She's at the palace right now! If you hadn't have run away, than you would have been reunited with her! But its too late now. When I went back, she was sick, and dying. She may already be dead now. And this is all because of you.”

    I was frozed with shock. Mother? Sick? Dying? No. No, no, it can't be! “No...” I whispered, a tear trailing down my cheek.

    Esryn brought his sword up, and brought it down on my neck. But it didn't matter anymore. My mother was dead. And all because of me. I deserved to die.

    The sword never reached my neck. Asher appeared and blocked the blow, pushing me behind him. Esryn yelled with fury, his eyes wild. “Who are you?!”

    Asher smiled slightly. “Someone.” Then he attacked. The duel was fast and fierce, with neither side gaining an advantage. Ember appeared beside me.

    “Come, we must go!” she hissed, gripping my arm so I wouldn't run off again. I resisted, just as Esryn was disarmed and on his back.

    Asher stood over him, sword point at his throat. “I think that you need to leave Kya alone. Because if you don't,” he leaned in, his eyes hard, “I will kill you. I'll spare your life today, but keep that in mind next time you decide to hunt her down.” Asher used the butt of the sword, and brought it down upon Esryn's head, knocking him out.

    Asher turned around to face me, a bit of a smile on his face. “Well,” he said. “I don't think he'll come after you again. I think you're safe now.”