Chapter three

                  

Cortana awoke in a dark, unfamiliar place, unable to see even her own hands. Beneath her she could hear the rustle of leaves and above her she could hear the brush of the wind against the trees. Ignoring the groan of her aching muscles she crawled around the darkness until she found a flap in the tent. She crawled out and surveyed her surroundings. She was in a forest, much like the one from her dream, but absent of a silver glow and vines. The forest was rather ordinary actually. Vast, with light filtering in through the leaves and the hum of cicadas and chirps of birds.

                A strand of midnight back hair blew into Cortana's face and she brushed it out and realizing with a start that she was clean and wearing a pair of jeans and a black t shirt. Band-Aids covered the small scratches on her face and hands. Her silver bracelet was also twinned around her wrist, as if clinging to her like a real vine would.

                Cortana felt rather lost, and was completely unaware of where she was. She knew there weren't forests like this in New York, and that her mother and brother were missing. Listening closely for any sign of human life she was relieved to hear the murmur of voices through the forest to her right. Cortana, aware that she could be in a very dangerous situation, crept through the trees, watchful of her surroundings.

When Cortana found the people she had heard earlier she was surprised to note that they were dressed normally, in typical clothes for being outdoors. Jean and t-shirts or tank tops with hiking boots. They were all gathered around a roaring bonfire, talking and laughing and singing, like one big family cook out, some type of wild bird roasted over a the flames, wafting mouthwatering scents Cortana's way. She was about to step out and make her self-known when she saw the glint of something shiny in a young boys hand. Taking a closer look she saw that he wielded a dagger and was tossing it in the air and catching it with obvious ease, not at all afraid that the weapon could probably slice off one of his fingers. Cortana scanned the crowd, eyes landing on a girl with a pixie cut. In her lap sat a deadly looking sword that she was polishing with a rag. A rag that evidently had red stains smeared on it. In fact, many of the people sitting by the fire had weapons with them. After realizing this, Cortana thought it would be better not to ask the strangers for some of their food, no matter how much her stomach was growling.

                Cortana's eyes floated back to the boy. He had silvery white hair, un-styled and overgrown. He looked about sixteen or seventeen. His face was turned down to the blade in his hands but it was obvious that he had beautiful, delicate features, like a farie. She watched as he slid the dagger into his belt and, with a word to the person beside him, slipped off into the trees. He has probably gone to go the bathroom. She thought, as the group of people began to cut pieces off the bird. It had been so long since Cortana had eaten anything besides the occasional pizza and a TV dinner and she was starved for some real meat.

                 The thought of disgusting food only made Cortana home sick a she wished more than anything that she could be sitting at the table with her mother and brother, safely eating dinner with her family, even if the food was gross and probably had almost no nutritional value. Cortana knew she needed to find them, but she also knew that they weren't in the forest with her. She had seen them whisked away into some strange portal, and she had known that she had not been allowed to follow. She also knew that if she wanted to find her family then she should would have to keep her strength up, which mean she would have to eat. But she also knew that if she went to go get some food and got stabbed then she would probably not be very strong and would probably not be able to see her family.

                 Cortana was still trying to decide what to do when a hand suddenly slammed her into the tree she was hiding behind, sending a twinge of pain through her aching ribs. Cortana struggled to turn around but cold arms had her pinned against the trunk, wrapping around her like a twisted imitation of a hug. She felt cool metal kiss her throat and a warm trickle of blood as a dagger pierced her skin just a bit.

                "If I drove this in just an inch or two you would bleed out slowly and painfully, with no chance of survival." Said a soft voice.

                Cortana froze. This guy can't be serious. This is all just some bad joke. "Well shit, don't drive the knife in." she said, trying for a cheerful tone.

                That was, however, exactly what the boy did. He pressed the cool metal against her throat a bit harder. "That was probably not the best idea, considering the situation you're in right now." He murmured, lips brushing her ear, his voice like a silk cloth over a jagged piece of metal, ready to slice through the fragile cloth at a moment's notice. Cortana saw a flash of white hair from the corner of her eye.

                Cortana began to exhale and then stopped when she remembered that there was a real knife at her neck. She sucked in her breath again. She was pretty amazed that she could forget that there was a dagger pressed against her skin, even if there was a boy that was her age and extremely good looking, in very close proximity to her. "Okay, I'm sorry. I won't run away so can you get off me now?"

                "Fine." Said the boy, sliding away from her with a quiet laugh.

Cortana turned to look at him. He was the boy that had left the campfire earlier and he was very beautiful, but cruelly so. All pale and white and all angles. He really did look like a farie. Cortana didn't particularly like him. He was obviously well aware of his beauty and flaunted it, which was pretty irritating when he had just pressed a knife against her throat. Plus he was an asshole. Cortana could tell he expected her to worship him or something of the sort. With a vexed sigh she crossed her arms.

                "Where-" she began.

                "Shush Cortana" He interrupted. Cortana's irritation grew. "Azura will explain everything to you."

                The boys words registered in her head and Cortana put together a few puzzle pieces. "Okay, so you know my name and I assume you're taking me to your leader so why did you attack me in the first place if you know me?"

                He shrugged with a careless smile. "I thought it would be funny."

                Cortana's anger blazed. "Yep, go ahead and terrify some poor girl that you kidnapped all because you think it would be funny," she stepped forward, whipped her hand across the boy's face and cracked a smile at his thunderstruck expression. "and don't talk to me like you know me." She added, thinking of the way he so carelessly used her name.

                "You're going to pay for that." He said reaching for his dagger. Cortana backed away, smile fading from her face. She stepped back. He stepped forward.

                "Ace!" Barked a voice. A woman, probably in her mid-twenties, materialized from the trees, causing Cortana to flinch. "Put that thing away."

                With outraged mutter Ace stalked off through the trees casting Cortana a furious look with his steely gray-blue eyes. Cortana knew his eyes were telling her I'll get you later. Cortana was bewildered, lost, confused and hungry, but despite all that she couldn't get the silent threat of his quicksilver eyes from her mind. Why did that angry, reckless boy show her so much hate?

                Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You must be hungry. My name is Azura. Why don't you come join us by the fire? We have, much to discuss?" and with a gentle touch Azura lead Cortana in to the flickering light of the fire. Heads turned in her direction, silent, curious, hostile. Unearthly eyes peered at her from beautiful faces. Hands shifted toward concealed weapons. Cortana was trapped under the expecting gazes of about fifty strangers, in an unfamiliar forest, and she was all alone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James braced himself as the whip came down, again and again. He winced at the sharp crack and the sound of his mothers screams.
"Where is he? Where is he!" Came a harsh shout, accompanied by the sound of the whip lashing across his mothers skin.
"I told you, he's dead!" Screamed his mother, Lucy. "He's dead and he's gone and he's not coming back!" Tears colored her voice.
It was like this every day. Someone came into their dark little cell and questioned Lucy, and when she didn't give a satisfactory answer they beat her until she passed out. James, blind folded and gagged, screamed through the thick cloth but only whimpers of protest could be heard.
Now they were back at it, beating Lucy, and he had to sit there and listen to her screams, silent and chained to a chair, wondering if his sister was alive, and waiting to find out what the hell was going on.
So there James sat, in his little chair, his hands trapped uncomfortably behind his back, aching with hunger and exhaustion, listening to one of the most important figures in his life being tortured and he couldn't do a single thing no matter how much he wanted to. And he did want to. He rattled the chains and tried to scream and break free but it was no use. As Lucy's cries pierced his head he kicked out and squirmed even harder until his chair toppled over. He hit the ground with a thud, his head banging into the cold stone floor, his shoulder twisted under him.
The room was silent, save for the soft sobs of his mother. She was no longer being whipped. Then, footsteps and a soft voice close to his ear. "If hurting you won't convince you to tell me then maybe your son can help me out a bit." Suddenly rough hands grabbed his inky black hair and dragged him across the room, presumably to where Lucy was gasping in horrified breaths.
James was thrown to his knees the gag and blindfold were ripped off his face. He kneeled their, heart racing until he heard a low chuckle. James didn't even have time to turn around before the whip savagely came down.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top

Tags: