by Lommy » Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:50 pm
Caran + Lommy part 3: Encounter
There it is. A faint humm and a slight glow reveal the presence of the magical barrier. The last miles she jumped from tree to tree, avoiding the traps they placed for her. Even the trees were trapped. But they were lazy. It was easy to avoid them.. too easy? Senses keen. Being alert all the time. No distraction. Focus. The shield. The guards were able to walk through it. It opened for them. She takes position on a near by tree and watches the guards for a day and for a night. They seem to have an amulet, resonating with the shield. "Lesson 431: Magic fields often correspontent with the mage, who created them. Even small modifications while interacting with it, may cause an alarm. " Caution. Try to sneak in. Waiting for the night again. " Lesson 36: Darkness, shades and twilight give cover." She can still kill the guards if they notice her.
Light. Suddenly the room is flooded with light. Her eyes hurt. They must have left her in the cell for some days. Her arm is better and her fingers healed. But it did not stop glowing. It even glows stronger from day to day.
The twilight protects her. Crouching like a hunting panther, she sneaks to the gate, pressing herself near to the ground, she blends perfectly into it. She waits. There. The guards approaching. Every single muscle is tensed. Patience... they touch their amulets… stay calm… the magic field opens… wait… they step through… go! She slippes through the narrow space between the guards and the shield. They stop. Look around. One bows down, scratching his leg. The guards close the field again. About 15 minutes before they come back. Smirking inside, she remains on the ground for a moment before she sneaks on.
It takes a while before she can see. She is in her cell.. in Carans bloodsplatterd prison. Two big men approach, bind her hands together and hang the rope into a hook at the ceiling. She hangs more than she stands on the ground. “Leave us alone!” The hated voice of her second master hits her ears. “So you finally ended up on the side you belong to, slave!” He laughes grimly and gives her a first swing of the lashes. Her breath stops for a second, as it hits. She knows, the painful part is when he pulls it back. He waits a moment before he rips off her skin with a sudden and powerful motion. She screams in agony. Blood runs down her back and legs, while he makes his swings. He talks to her. His voice is frightening but she doesn’t hear his words. Everything appears unimportant beside the pain she feels. Her legs don’t carry her anymore.
First step taken. Now the building. She runs in the cover of the building. Her feet barely touch the ground. Stop at the corner. Listen… steps… voices… 2 guards… metall scratching… armoured like the other two doing their round outside the magical shield.. aim for the throat… kill fast and silently. She readys her bow and quiver, nocks an arrow to her bow. Blending with the wall she sneaks around the corner, takes aim, shoots at the first guard and before the second one is able to react, she draws another arrow in a smooth motion and launches it for his throat. Two down. Two outside. Many to go. She removes the arrows from the guards, inspecting them, throwing one away, cleaning and nocking the other one to her bow again. Waiting for the other two returning from their round. Steps.. just in time… listening… they are walking side by side… she nocks a second arrow to the bow, glances around the corner, waits, shoots, approaches, checks them. Four down. Her back is free. She takes an amulet and hides it. Silent screams reach her ears from inside.. wailing… they are still torturing… they will die. She readys her bow, nocks an arrow, heads for the entrance.
A few swings later he steps close to her, grabs painfully into her hair and pulls her head back. He is close to her. Breathing his foul smell into her face. There is still his voice echoing in her ears.. so near… so satisfied. Her body is sore from pain, numb. Tears running down her face. He won’t kill her. Even if he was the one, who killed most of the slaves, he wont kill HER.
Looking down the narrow hallway. Doors… cells…no cover. Adjusting the position of her dagger. She works through the building door by door, cell by cell. Most are empty, the others die a fast dead. Something is wrong… far to few people… the building used to humm like a beehive… a trap?… don’t matter. Survived far more difficult lessons… they knew she was comeing… her mark…trap or not. She has to deal with them. Better now than later. Careful.. senses sharp. They made her a huntress. Now they will have to face their creation.
She cries, she shivers, she is desperated. There is only one thing she really wants, that she wishes from the deepest ground of her soul. She wants to die. His fist breakes her nose, and he shouts into her ear. “Say it!”
Next door. Her old cell. Screams. Taunting voice. Lashes. Two people. One to kill. One already half dead. She knows that voice. Heard it more than once. No time to pay back now… but he will die slowly. Perhaps slow enough. Arrow through his windpipe, will drown by his own blood… cant scream. She opens the door, aims, shoots.
A silent hiss, and he goes down. Slowly. His one hand holds still her hair, pulling her head into her neck painfully, before he releases her. He does not speak, not scream, no sound leaves his lips.
She smirks as he falls to the feet of his victim. Kind of satisfying.
A bloody heap hangs from the ceiling. Sobbing. Barely alive. Standing in a puddle of her own blood. Skin ripped off her back. A mark glows at her arm.
She sees her arm glowing brightly. Someone stares at her.. for a minute… or two… The time has come. Lomea gathers her strength to turn her head to the door. She wants to look into her eyes, she wants to show her, that she is sorry about what she had done, and that she accepts the death from her hand.
She moves. Looks at her. Ruby red eyes. She has seen them before. Not hypnotic anymore. Awaiting death.
They stare at each other. Something is odd. Instinct says don’t kill. She nocks an arrow, takes aim and seperates the rope holding Lomeas hands on the hook. Lomea falls down, facing the widend eyes of her torturer. An arrow penetrates his throat. He is still alive, fighting his death.
Steps echoing the hallway. She has to go on.
She looks up to the door, but Caran has vanished.