“The sky was so black I couldn't see the sun.”
“Hold still. This will need stitches.”
“Let me go and find her!”
“Edward, please be still.”
He shook off Eternal-Fury and her poultices and needles. He paced, impatiently waiting for Dark-Sorrow to make her appearance. He needed to go to his mate. He needed to hunt down the bastards who stole her from him and eradicate them from the earth.
There were four warrior women missing; Grave-Keeper, Iron-Shadow, Raven-Sword and, most importantly, Widow-Maker.
“Bone-Crusher,” Dark-Sorrow called his name as she walked toward him.
Edward met her in the middle of the clearing. “Please tell me we ride out immediately.”
Esme shook her head, tears in her eyes. “Tell me what you saw.”
His gaze dropped to the dirt. “It was insanity. Isabella and I were fighting back to back until Alise was taken. I was holding her hand, I swear I was, but she ran off and told me to stay put.”
“But you did not.”
Edward raised his head with fire in his eyes. “Nay, I could not! I was meant to protect her; ʼtis my duty! I alone was supposed to have her back, Esme, and now she’s gone. I can't just stand by while they do what they please with our warriors; with my wife.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me what you saw, and remember to whom you speak.”
He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When Isabella went to get Alise back, I followed. The smoke was so thick it blinded me. I could no longer see the sun in the sky, much less find my wife or the others. I don’t know what happened, precisely, but I do know Alise wasn’t taken by a member of The Forsaken. It was a shadow being.”
“You’re positive?”
“Aye, your highness. It was tall enough to pull her directly from the horse, and rather bulky looking under the armor it wore.”
Esme rubbed her hands over her face. “You understand it is two of my daughters missing. My flesh and blood. And yet, the fate of our people rests on the decisions I make going forth.”
Carlisle joined them. “The others saw nothing but the smoke. Aro is beside himself over Sulpicia’s disappearance, and the others are quite shaken.”
They all looked up as Jasper strode over to them. “The four they took have brown hair. Could it be they were after someone in particular?”
“No one knows of The Watcher’s gift.”
Strong-Bow raised a brow at Dark-Sorrow. “Are you certain?”
She sighed. “At this point, I am certain of nothing more than what I see with my own two eyes.”
“Bone-Crusher, what did you see?” Strong-Bow asked.
He tried not to sigh at the repetitive question. “A shadow being took them. The smoke might have been magic.”
“And you tried to follow them?”
“I tried to, but my vision was compromised.”
He recalled the terror he felt when he couldn't make out any shapes, or even the sky. The sun was the most important symbol to him, and it couldn't be seen. He went in the direction he thought Isabella had gone, but he simply couldn't see her. He heard the scream she let out, though, and vividly recalled the terror it sent up his spine. He called her name, but received no reply.
TES
There was nothing but smoke surrounding them on the battlefield as she felt the strong arms wrap around her. They were unusual; there was no substance to them, but they held her in an iron grip. She looked frantically for Edward, but the cloying smoke was so thick she couldn't see her own body when she looked down. She was thrown on a horse and couldn't release her arms as it took off at a gallop. The sky remained dark, but the smoke began to clear incrementally as she rode. When they finally reached their destination, she was dragged off the horse by a member of The Forsaken. They were wild creatures with painted faces and scars, wearing bones, horns, and pelts.
Isabella was bound, but it was more sorcery than reality. She stared at the dark sky as she was led to the entrance of the dungeon. The sun was gone, hiding behind permanent clouds of smoke. She thought it might have something to do with the magic tricks The Forsaken had been pulling. Once she was pushed into the dank stone building, it no longer mattered what was going on outside.
The Forsaken had been speaking in a language Isabella didn't understand. She and her comrades were separated from the beginning and she didn't know where they’d each been taken. She was led deeper into the dark until a cell door opened and she was roughly shoved into it. She’d picked up on a few words in a language she did know, and she wasn't happy about what he was saying.
“Meyla will be swallowing my hordund before long,” the tall one in front of her said. His irises were so pale they seemed to disappear into his sclerae. He had a scar over his left eye and a tattoo or paint over the other. His dark hair was wild around his head and seemed to move on its own.
Isabella tossed her head to put her braids back behind her and glared at him. “So you do speak English.”
“Aye.”
“Then listen very carefully. The rest of my clan is coming for us, and there will be nowhere you can hide. You might have gotten the drop on us with your sorcery and sleight of hand, but you only get to use those tricks once before we know what to expect.”
“Stop talking now, I find myself bored with you.”
She tried very hard to hold in her anger. It would do her no good to show her strength when it wasn't the right moment. “Where is my sister?”
“Don’t think I’ll be telling you anything, meyla.”
She sucked in air and blew it out carefully. The more he called her little girl, the closer she got to just breaking his nose and running for it. But first, she wanted to know the others could get free. It wouldn't be right to leave them there, however capable she knew them all to be.
“What do you want with us?”
“You have gifts we require.”
She nearly shouted that she didn't have any gifts, but he might just stick a sword in her if he thought she was useless. “That’s what you’ve been after this entire time?”
He gave her an indolent smile. “Many questions, few answers. Do not despair, once The Behemoth decides which of you is the most valuable, the others will become thralls. You, I will have for my own.”
He leaned down and grasped her chin tightly. She clenched her teeth to keep from reacting foolishly. Her hands were bound behind her back, but she could have headbutted him at the least. Instead, she stared directly into his creepy eyes.
“Over my dead body.”
He laughed loudly, muttering more crude remarks. She glared as he released her and backed away. He left her then, closing and locking the cell door. She listened for retreating footsteps before she began to whistle for the others. She received no response.
She had to formulate a plan. The first step was to test her bindings and find a way out of them. She had experience with such; it was part of her training. Then, she would see if she could unlock the door or if she would need to take down the next person to open it. If she overpowered them, then she would need to escape the building and find the location of the others. Since no one had responded when she whistled or called her warriors’ names, the place itself was left unguarded.
It was both foolish and arrogant to leave the entire dungeon abandoned. She assumed they had more than one, given that the others were elsewhere. If they’d each been taken to a separate location, there were four dungeons at least. She’d have to check each one to find the missing. It could be dangerous, she knew, but there was no chance she’d leave without them.
She’d seen each of them being dragged from the massive shadow horses once they’d arrive at Grimhold Castle. They would each be formulating their own plans right this second, something which made her feel better. The best news she could think of was that The Forsaken hadn’t a clue how strong and well-trained the True-Sworn were. Being taken by surprise with the sorcery used against them was not going to happen twice.
And when she did get loose, well, she wouldn't mourn the loss of those whose lives she took down on her way.
No comments:
Post a Comment