Bow and Sparrow

CH 3

My legs were sore and my back ached from riding through the woods for so long. The tips of my fingers were going numb from the blistering cold that had set in further into the forest we rode and also where they gripped the edge of the saddle to maintain the distance between me and the man behind me. I knew I was lucky though, the other girls were dragged along beside the horses and even when I tried, I could not block out the sound of their shuffling feet. Everytime my muscles would start to relax, I would feel the brush of fingertips along my side, my spine, and I would snap back to attention. He was testing me. 

Before long the horses started to slow, and talk about setting up camp began. I could barely see the moon through the thick treeline but I thought we had been riding for at least half the night. My eyelids had started to droop with exhaustion and I longed for a nice, warm bed but I knew I would not find one out here. Perhaps, I'll wake up and this will all have been a fiendish nightmare.

Once a suitable clearing was chosen, the men tied the horses to some trees and set about preparing for the night. The raider behind me was the last to dismount from his horse. I waited for him to untie me from the saddle but he busied himself with rifling through his bag instead. I huffed from atop the horse.

As if suddenly remembering his captive, he turned to me. Instead of reaching for the rope that bound my hands to the horse, he grasped my boot and yanked it off, leaving my foot bare. He did the same to the other side. "No more tricks." He snarled, referring to the dagger I had threatened him with. How I wished for another one. He tossed the pair of boots carelessly into one of his bags.

Finally, he untied the rope to my hands and I slid from the horse. My legs crumpled beneath me and my knees hit the ground hard, jarring every bone in my body. The man sneered as I struggled to get to my feet again. It felt like I was walking on pins and needles as we approached a fire that was now burning in the middle of the clearing. He shoved me to the ground on the outskirts, next to a broad tree. A pair of shackles were clasped around my wrists, the cut bowstring falling to the ground. A small chain connected the cuffs. Taking the same rope I was tied to the horse with, he wound it around the trunk of the tree and tied it off so that my back was pressed against the rough bark.

"There's nothing but woods out here. If you run, you hope the wolves find you before I do." The man leaned down and snarled in my ear before rejoining the circle of men gathered by the campfire. The other girls were at the opposite end of the clearing and I noticed that they had been fitted with their own shackles with a rope that tied them all together. Their faces were downcast, staring at nothing on the ground. I tried to catch Taylen's eye, to tell her that we were going to be okay and that we would find a way back home, but her back was turned to me. I gave up and tried to find a comfortable position, a dull throb already starting in my shoulders from the awkward posture. I watched as the men passed around food and drinks and chattered as though they hadn't just reduced an entire town to embers.

My mind wandered back home, to Ayla, to Davin and the desperate hope that he was still alive. I wondered if word had reached my father yet in the capital about the state of his town or his missing daughter. I had seen him only two days before when he was called away for a meeting in Bellevue, Verdana's capital city. It was a full day's trip from Dast. Tensions had been running high again between our country and the neighboring county, Rezantri. I had tried to persuade him to let me join him on his trip but he had refused.

"It's an important meeting I'm to attend. I can't bring my daughter to it."  He had said this to me, alone in his office. Although he didn't disapprove of my training with Davin, he still didn't allow me to know much about his job as a general. Maybe a son. He would never speak it outloud, but I knew that's what he thought sometimes.

"I don't even have to go to the meeting. I just want to go to the city. Explore a bit. That's all." I pleaded, knowing full well I was going to smuggle my way into it one way or another. Even if it meant eavesdropping at the door, which I had gotten very good at with practice.

"No. You will stay here with Ayla until I return. It shouldn't be but a few days at most." Father's hair was tousled like it normally was when he was stressed about something and his broad shoulders were tense. He ruffled through a stack of papers on his large, mahogany desk.

"But-"

"No, Noreena." His papers slapped against his desk when he threw them down. "I have too much to get done before I leave. I can't be arguing with you about this." His tone was final and I stomped out of his office, slamming the door shut behind me. The sound reverberated through the house as I had stormed out the front door.

My eyes watered at the memory. How I wish that I could take back our last moment together. I wouldn't have pushed him so hard. I had been selfish and nosy. And now I may never make amends. No, I scolded myself. I mustn't think like that.

Looking around the camp, I noticed that it was quieter. The raiders were starting to settle into their bedrolls. I caught a few of the men eye me crudely before making their pallet on the ground.
I had been left alone all evening, forgotten in the background. In an attempt to stay warm, I shifted and drew my knees to my chest, determined to keep watch all night. I would not fall asleep in such a compromising position. There couldn't be much left of the night as it was already past dusk when we left Dast and we traveled for several hours on horseback. I estimated that there were only a few more hours before sunbreak. I could stay awake for a few more hours, I told myself.

Everyone had long ago fallen asleep. I could hear a few snoring loudly, and the fire had burned low when I heard a trig break to my right. I swiveled my head to the sound, watching the darkness for any movement. I could barely make out the shadow of a man not four feet away from me. He crawled on all fours and as he crept closer to me, I realized it was the leader of the raiders. His mouth was drawn into a feral smile, and his eyes were beady and black. I tried shifting away from him, but I could hardly move with the rope wrapped tight around me. Panicked and heart racing, I kicked my legs at him but to no effect. He kept advancing. When he was only a breath away, he lunged for my neck, his mouth elongating to the snout of a wolf, jaw open wider than should have been possible, displaying rows and rows of sharp canines.

I jolted awake with a cry, slamming the back of my head into the tree behind me. The camp was awake too and the sun was just beginning to rise, painting a horizon of reds and oranges. No one glanced my way, which I was grateful for as I was still slightly disoriented. A cold sweat dripped from my brow and I tried wiping it on the shoulder of my dress.

Only after everything had been packed away and the fire stomped out, did the leader come untie me. Now in the morning sun, I could get a better look at him. He had a long, straggly brown beard that tapered off mid-sternum and when he sneered, a row of yellow teeth appeared. His face was smeared with dirt and soot and looked as if it had never seen a washcloth before. It was hard to tell but he seemed around middle aged, his hair thinning on top and cut short.

The rest of the men were mounting their horses and the girls were standing next to them with their shoulders sagged. My body was stiff and I was slow getting to my feet. I was led back to the horse who looked refreshed after a peaceful night. It was the first time I envied a horse.

A/N
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-T