Insurrection [On Hold]

5 Arrested

My heart pounds in rhythm with each step of my feet as I run through the forest, ignoring the branches scratching my skin and catching on my pants. When that happens I only yank on the material, tearing it. Nate and the man I shot pound at my mind, demanding entrance, but I block the images out of my mind and focus on the roots and rocks covered with dirt.

"Princess Raksana, stop."

The voice catches me off guard, causing me to stop abruptly and trip on a rock. I fall, my cheek scraping against a rock. I spit out dirt. Two pairs of hands pull me to my feet. Both are men, and both are tall. One has brown, shaggy hair, while the other has a blond buzz cut. Looks like these two just earned themselves nicknames.

"Where have you been?" Shaggy demands, his hands squeeze my arms.

"Let go of me."

They disobey.

"Princess, your father is worried about you." Buzz begins to drag me forward, and Shaggy joins in.

"Really? I'm sure that's why you're arresting me."

"Arresting you?" Buzz asks horrified.

"Chill it, Luther." Shaggy's fingernails dig into my skin, and I grit my teeth. "We both know the Princess is right. She's a wanted little girl."

"Yes, because I'm sure a little girl could avoid the King's army for this long." Hardly even a day, but longer than most manage.

Ten minutes later we step out of the forest and into a camp. Fifteen tents of varying sizes flap in the wind. The camp is almost empty besides for a few soldiers remaining to guard the camp.

Shaggy's eyes narrow. "I'll give you one more chance, Princess. Where were you?" He's been asking this non-stop.

I raise my eyebrows. "You know, your eyes are really ugly."

He snatches me out of Buzz' grip and drags me by one arm toward a white tent. Now we'll finally get something done. 

Inside the tent a metal table is in the center, and handcuff activators lie on one side. A chair is positioned on both wide ends of the table. All of it's basic. Not like the permanent interrogation rooms my family has in large cities.

"Sit," he says as he forces me down.

"You already handled that for me."

He sticks the black boxes to my wrist and crystal blue rings wrap around them. He links them to the receiver on the table. At my feet is another pair of activators he uses to cuff my ankles to the chair. I sigh as he positions himself across from me. He leans forward, his lifeless eyes making me feel nothing but boredom. "Where were you? Why couldn't we find you?"

"Would the King really approve of this interrogation?"

"He's quite angry with you. I think he'd be doing the same thing."

I shake my head. No, he would be holding a gun to my leg. "You don't know my father."

"I know him better than you. I've served under him for years--"

"You mean months?"

"If you weren't a princess I would have killed you for your mouth by now."

I raise an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

"I've served under him for years."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I've heard that. You forget that he trained me all my life. You believe that the king is brilliant and strong, and his teaching is infallible, correct?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then I suppose you should consider that I am quite well trained in interrogations by him, and you thinking that I won't be able to hold up is quite disconcerting."

He steps back, tilting his head up. "No wonder why he wants to send you to the front lines to die."

It feels as if I've been punched in the gut. He doesn't really want me to die. I turn my hands around in the handcuffs and look at the knife slices across my palms. Who am I kidding? Of course my father does. 

"What's your name?" I ask because with what is about to take place in this tent a nickname is not serious enough to call him.

"Jonah Mycroft."

"Well, Jonah, I guess it's time to begin."

"Begin? What do you think we've been doing?"

I smile. I can last. I can hold up. At least until my father sees me. Then I'll be at his mercy.

"Playing."