"Damien!" Faye's sharp voice brought him out of his reverie. He was working on balance with her in the training room, and he was balanced in the middle of a thin pole stretched across the room about four feet off the ground when he had started drifting off and loosing focus. He jerked toward the sound of her voice, and then began loosing his balance. "Whoa-" Damien called out just as his foot slipped and he fell to the ground.
It had been three days since Faye's experience with the fire, and she had just been acting as if nothing had happened. She held out her hand to Damien, who was lying on the floor groaning, and hoisted him to his feet. "You need to learn to concentrate." Faye sighed.
"Well I'm sorry." Damien scowled. "You had me up on that pole for about an hour. What did you expect?"
"Damien, you were up there for about five minutes." Faye scoffed and threw his boots at him. "Now put your boots back on."
"You put your boots on..." Damien grumbled as he pulled them on and began lacing them back up.
Just then, a loud sound blasted through the tunnels. Damien clasped his ears and Faye jerked upright. The sound lasted for about fifteen seconds before the sound slowly died down.
"What was that?" Damien asked sharply, but Faye was already running out the door. "Faye!" Damien dashed after her down the hall. "What's going on?"
"We're under attack!" Faye screamed back at him. "That was the war horn! We use it in case of emergency."
"What?" Damien yelled as Faye careened around the corner. He followed and found a large group of people gathering there. He immediately spotted Derek and rushed to him.
"Derek!" Derek turned and Damien grasped his shoulders. "What's going on?"
"The Hand Guard is invading! We're evacuating!" The group of people began running down one of the halls.
"Wait!" Derek stopped. "Where's Rosa?" Derek's face went momentarily blank, then horrified.
"She said she was going to the roof." Derek whispered.
"What are you two doing?" Faye screamed at them. The group was pulling away, but Faye ran back. "We have to get out of here!"
"We have to go get Rosa!" Damien yelled. The war horn blasted through the tunnels again and they had to yell to be heard. "She's on the roof!"
Faye's shoulders deflated and she looked anxiously at the rapidly receding group of people. "The roof where I taught you how to connect?" she asked softly. Damien nodded. "OK. You guys go with the group and get out. I'll go get her."
"No, Faye, let me come with you!" Damien grabbed her hand, but Faye shook her head.
"No, you need to just get out. You don't know the passages, and I can go faster without you. Go, now! Before they leave!" Faye pushed them to the group.
"Faye-" Damien hesitated, but Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him away. Then the two of them were running after the group of people, leaving Faye standing alone.
Faye watched until the boys were out of sight before she turned and dashed in the other direction. "Please don't let them attack from the roof. Please don't let them attack from the roof." Faye muttered under her breath as she ran. She knew these tunnels well, and before long she was pushing open the door that led to the pass up to the roof.
She ran up but no one was there. "Rosa!" she screamed. "Where are you?" She ran to the middle of the space, and saw Rosa huddling up behind a rock. "Rosa!" She ran over to her. "Come on! We have to get out of here!"
Then Rosa screamed and pointed behind Faye. Faye whipped her head around, but before she could see anything, a blast of power sent her flying through the air.
She flew about ten feet before hitting the ground and skidding to a halt about a foot away from the edge. She shook her head, clearing it, and slowly looked up.
About twenty men stood there, one of them holding Rosa with his arm around her throat and the other around her waist. The man in the middle took a step forward. He looked about twenty four and he was dressed in full metal armor.
"Fayela, it's so good to see you." he said softly.
"I can't say the same about you, Amis." Faye growled. "Let her go."
Amis sighed. "Now Fayela, you know we can't do that. She's a prisoner of war. The only way we could ever let her go would be if there was a trade..."
Faye struggled to get to her knees. "Are you suggesting I give myself to you in return for her freedom?"
The boy holding Rosa laughed. "Of course not. That would mean you have a choice of whether or not you're coming with us." Faye looked at him closely. He was just a little older than her,
"Drago." she whispered. The color drained from her face, but she made her voice remain strong. "So you're the king's puppet now?"
"Fayela, you will do better to be more polite about the king." Amis chided lightly. "Now Drago, if you would, please go retrieve Fayela."
"My pleasure." Drago smiled, and pushed Rosa into the arms of someone standing nearby. "Come here, Fayela." Drago took a few steps forward.
"Get away from me." Faye drew her sword and finally made it to her feet.
"Fayela, I much preferred you on your knees." Drago smiled, and then he looked at Faye's lower legs. Suddenly her legs were engulfed in pain, and she screamed and fell. Her legs were bending awkwardly, almost as if there were no bones in them at all.
Then Drago moved his eyes to her face, and her legs straightened and the pain went away. Faye was panting as Drago took the last few steps. She pointed her sword at him, and he stopped. "Stay away from me."
"Fayela, haven't you learned anything?" Amis sighed. "Her shoulder, if you would, Drago."
Drago looked at her shoulder, and she felt it come out of socket. She breathed in sharply and her sword slipped through her fingers. Drago bent forward and grabbed her under her shoulders, hoisting her up.
"Let go of me." Faye growled, trying to break free of his grip.
"Stop struggling." Drago snarled.
Faye closed her eyes and focused on the concept of fire. She felt it building up, about to burst and start an actual fire, but then something cold and hard was snapped around her neck and the power slipped away.
"We'll be having none of that." Drago laughed. Faye reached up and touched her neck, and found that there was a metal circle tight around her throat. It wouldn't move when she touched it and was exactly the size of her neck.
"What is this?" Faye whispered.
"It was your mothers." Amis smiled as he reached down and picked up her sword. "The king used it to keep her under control." Faye growled. "And this was also hers, wasn't it..." He slid the sword into an empty scabbard at his belt.
"Give that to me!" Faye yelled at him.
"Fayela," Drago sighed, "you're a woman. You have no right to carry a sword." Faye screamed in outrage and fought against his arms.
"Enough!" Amis yelled. "We have what we came for. Kill the other one and we can leave."
"No!" Faye screamed. The man holding Rosa pushed her away from him and then drove a sword into her chest. Rosa squeaked, looked at the sword sticking out of her chest, and fell to her knees.
Just then, Damien, Derek, and Burne burst up off of the path leading to the roof. "DAMI-" Damien heard Faye scream just before the group of men vanished, taking Faye with them.
"What was that?" Damien asked sharply, but Faye was already running out the door. "Faye!" Damien dashed after her down the hall. "What's going on?"
"We're under attack!" Faye screamed back at him. "That was the war horn! We use it in case of emergency."
"What?" Damien yelled as Faye careened around the corner. He followed and found a large group of people gathering there. He immediately spotted Derek and rushed to him.
"Derek!" Derek turned and Damien grasped his shoulders. "What's going on?"
"The Hand Guard is invading! We're evacuating!" The group of people began running down one of the halls.
"Wait!" Derek stopped. "Where's Rosa?" Derek's face went momentarily blank, then horrified.
"She said she was going to the roof." Derek whispered.
"What are you two doing?" Faye screamed at them. The group was pulling away, but Faye ran back. "We have to get out of here!"
"We have to go get Rosa!" Damien yelled. The war horn blasted through the tunnels again and they had to yell to be heard. "She's on the roof!"
Faye's shoulders deflated and she looked anxiously at the rapidly receding group of people. "The roof where I taught you how to connect?" she asked softly. Damien nodded. "OK. You guys go with the group and get out. I'll go get her."
"No, Faye, let me come with you!" Damien grabbed her hand, but Faye shook her head.
"No, you need to just get out. You don't know the passages, and I can go faster without you. Go, now! Before they leave!" Faye pushed them to the group.
"Faye-" Damien hesitated, but Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him away. Then the two of them were running after the group of people, leaving Faye standing alone.
Faye watched until the boys were out of sight before she turned and dashed in the other direction. "Please don't let them attack from the roof. Please don't let them attack from the roof." Faye muttered under her breath as she ran. She knew these tunnels well, and before long she was pushing open the door that led to the pass up to the roof.
She ran up but no one was there. "Rosa!" she screamed. "Where are you?" She ran to the middle of the space, and saw Rosa huddling up behind a rock. "Rosa!" She ran over to her. "Come on! We have to get out of here!"
Then Rosa screamed and pointed behind Faye. Faye whipped her head around, but before she could see anything, a blast of power sent her flying through the air.
She flew about ten feet before hitting the ground and skidding to a halt about a foot away from the edge. She shook her head, clearing it, and slowly looked up.
About twenty men stood there, one of them holding Rosa with his arm around her throat and the other around her waist. The man in the middle took a step forward. He looked about twenty four and he was dressed in full metal armor.
"Fayela, it's so good to see you." he said softly.
"I can't say the same about you, Amis." Faye growled. "Let her go."
Amis sighed. "Now Fayela, you know we can't do that. She's a prisoner of war. The only way we could ever let her go would be if there was a trade..."
Faye struggled to get to her knees. "Are you suggesting I give myself to you in return for her freedom?"
The boy holding Rosa laughed. "Of course not. That would mean you have a choice of whether or not you're coming with us." Faye looked at him closely. He was just a little older than her,
"Drago." she whispered. The color drained from her face, but she made her voice remain strong. "So you're the king's puppet now?"
"Fayela, you will do better to be more polite about the king." Amis chided lightly. "Now Drago, if you would, please go retrieve Fayela."
"My pleasure." Drago smiled, and pushed Rosa into the arms of someone standing nearby. "Come here, Fayela." Drago took a few steps forward.
"Get away from me." Faye drew her sword and finally made it to her feet.
"Fayela, I much preferred you on your knees." Drago smiled, and then he looked at Faye's lower legs. Suddenly her legs were engulfed in pain, and she screamed and fell. Her legs were bending awkwardly, almost as if there were no bones in them at all.
Then Drago moved his eyes to her face, and her legs straightened and the pain went away. Faye was panting as Drago took the last few steps. She pointed her sword at him, and he stopped. "Stay away from me."
"Fayela, haven't you learned anything?" Amis sighed. "Her shoulder, if you would, Drago."
Drago looked at her shoulder, and she felt it come out of socket. She breathed in sharply and her sword slipped through her fingers. Drago bent forward and grabbed her under her shoulders, hoisting her up.
"Let go of me." Faye growled, trying to break free of his grip.
"Stop struggling." Drago snarled.
Faye closed her eyes and focused on the concept of fire. She felt it building up, about to burst and start an actual fire, but then something cold and hard was snapped around her neck and the power slipped away.
"We'll be having none of that." Drago laughed. Faye reached up and touched her neck, and found that there was a metal circle tight around her throat. It wouldn't move when she touched it and was exactly the size of her neck.
"What is this?" Faye whispered.
"It was your mothers." Amis smiled as he reached down and picked up her sword. "The king used it to keep her under control." Faye growled. "And this was also hers, wasn't it..." He slid the sword into an empty scabbard at his belt.
"Give that to me!" Faye yelled at him.
"Fayela," Drago sighed, "you're a woman. You have no right to carry a sword." Faye screamed in outrage and fought against his arms.
"Enough!" Amis yelled. "We have what we came for. Kill the other one and we can leave."
"No!" Faye screamed. The man holding Rosa pushed her away from him and then drove a sword into her chest. Rosa squeaked, looked at the sword sticking out of her chest, and fell to her knees.
Just then, Damien, Derek, and Burne burst up off of the path leading to the roof. "DAMI-" Damien heard Faye scream just before the group of men vanished, taking Faye with them.
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