“Hurry up and finish, we have business to attend to.” He said suddenly, after minutes of silence, turning towards the entrance of the hut.
The half-breed nodded, taking one last bite of the food before she stood, slightly dizzy as the effects of the sleeping agent still lingered. She stared at Tarian, waiting for his next order as she frowned, the sudden light-headedness worsening. She stumbled, crashing into the leader as he laughed, easily catching her petite form. She shuddered as a strange taste filled her mouth, turning her head to the side as the contents of her stomach violently exited her mouth.
Panting for breath, Astria pealed herself away from Tarian, her throat burning as she heaved dryly. Unable to understand what was happening, she curled into a tight ball on her side as the leader of the bandits watched, neither one of them knowing what to do in this situation.
“You must be having a bad reaction to the sedative.” He murmure
Astria followed Panett from the hut in silence, pulling the hood of her cloak further over her face, ensuring that no one could tell who she was by a simple glimpse. They went over the plan of escape several times over the course of the night, dawn appearing over the horizon as they strolled through the masses of fabric homes, each one knowing that they would only get one chance at making it out of the camp alive. Though perhaps not even that as they walked past the bandits who arose early from their slumber, each one glancing in their direction. The half-breed became increasingly nervous as the men around them began to chatter, wondering where the medical man was taking their leaders captive. She prayed to the spirits that they would make it past them without incident, the less people she had to kill the better; she just wanted to see her mother again. She wished she would get the chance to meet her father, to spend more time with Gilmy and explore the world beyond what she
“Get up Panett, we have to go!” she shouted, her voice rising over the scorching flames.Yet, the medical man made no move to get up from where he knelt on the ground, his eyes screaming that she should leave him there, that she should leave whilst she had the chance. Astria looked around her, watching as the men died in the flames, the fire spreading towards the huts as she attempted to buy more time. She needed to find a way to get him to move before they began to put out the flames, the anguished screams fading into angered shouts.“You must get up, I cannot slow them down for much longer.” she said panicked, pushing more flames from her hands as she spoke.“Astria you must go without me, I am of no use.” he countered, shoving her back a step. “I am ready for death.”“Well I am not ready for you to die, I cannot do this alone, I need you.” she whispered harshly, “Please come with me.&rdq
“That is different.”“Are you sure? Because to me they seem very similar, you hope to see your mother again, and yet you say that it is foolish to hope for something that may not come to pass.”Astria smiled down at the mare, knowing that he was right; she couldn’t help but hope to see her mother and Gilmy again, no matter how foolish it may seem she held onto it tightly, just as she did the mare. It was hard at times knowing that it may never happen, but she would keep it alive within her heart, no matter how tough things may seem, she can dream.“You are right.” Was all she said, watching as the sun began to descend behind the trees.The road through the forest became almost impassable, the narrow turns between the trees difficult to navigate for the young half-breed, though Panett seemed to manage quite easily. She pulled to a halt as the road split into two separate paths, not knowing which one she should choo
Tuviel’s eyes widened at the sight of her daughter, her arms bound behind her, she had fought as best she could to escape the Deus; to protect Astria. But it was clear that she had failed. Gilmy beside her, the Deus having disarmed the both of them when they were captured, they had been ambushed in the night; just like when Tarian took the girl. Though this time it was much worse, it was the people they had been running from for all of these years. What would happen now that they had been found? Would they kill them here and now? Or take them back to the Deus capital?The ebony-haired woman smiled cruelly, her eyes alight with pride. She had done what no other could, she had captured the traitor. “Isn’t it nice, a family reunited.” She mocked.The half-breed jumped down from her horse, Panett quickly attempting to follow her; only to be stopped by the white-haired man. She had no inkling of what she was doing, she doubted that she could take the
He was a medical man and had little fighting experience, he would only get in her way; even if he was trying to help.The half-breed reached her mother in seconds, quickly spraying the rope that bound her with fire, and carelessly doing to the same with Gilmy. She didn’t have enough time to be cautious as the other Deus surrounded them, each one itching to force Astria and her mother into taking their final breath. The two men from before took a step towards the girl, their swords drawn, they would not show her an ounce of mercy; after all, she was a monstrous half-ling, one that needed to be disposed of. Though, she would not go down so easily, if she had learned anything since leaving Lacus, it was that one must fight in this world just survive. She couldn’t show weakness, not now. She had to save her mother.“Gilmy, get a weapon.” The girl shouted behind her, knowing that she couldn’t kill them all alone, not without the help of h
“Without him I wouldn’t have escaped.”Tuviel stepped forward, glancing towards Gilmy in distain. It was clear to the girl that they still didn’t get along very well, despite all that he had done for Astria and her mother. She had missed Tuviel’s beauty, her hair the shade of the setting sun, and her curved shape more prominent in the trousers and tunic that she wore.“If what Astria says is true, then we welcome you; but I must also apologise as now you are going to have to travel with us to Miake.” The girl’s mother said strongly, leaving no room for an argument.“You swear that he has not harmed you?” Gilmy scowled back at Panett, still distrusting as he did not know the man.“Yes, I swear.” Whispered the half-breed, her arms wrapping around Gilmy in a loving embrace. She had missed her friend dearly. “He is a healer. He treated the wounds that Tarian bestowed upon me, with o
“I have had enough of secrets and lies. i almost lost you to the Deus not even a day ago. I thought i was all alone. Where would I have gone? Did you even think about that?! without the knowledge of my father, without a name or a face, how would I have found him in the elven lands?! HOW?!”Tears sprang free from her mother’s eyes, the strong woman the girl had always known crumbling down into a wreck. “I cannot lose you Astria, not after all we have been through.”“You will lose me if you do not reveal all that you are hiding from me, mother.”“Then I must.” Tuviel said to herself knowing that the truth would be revealed once they reached the elven lands. Whether she wanted it or not. “Your father is Miek, he was the first in line for the elven throne when his father died, which was the reason he left me alone in Esina. He had to go back and take the throne before his time ran out. But he never came bac
The road was treacherous and long, but they must travel it in order to get to where they needed to be, it didn't matter how fatigued they were, nor did it matter that they wished to spend a day resting. Astria and her mother must make it to the eleven lands before the Deus caught up again, before it was too late and they would be unable to save themselves; the world around them more dangerous than it had ever been before. she knew what would happen should they be caught and she didn’t think she would be able to fight them all on her own, she needed her mother’s ability as well; though that seemed to be a long shot. Tuviel had barely used her power in the years they had spent hiding in the swamps of Lacus, meaning she was weak; her power couldn’t present itself as it once did. What would happen if her mother couldn’t fight? Would the young girl lose her as she had her home and everything else that she knew?Yawning, the half-breed sighed; they had