Oceanum Collis

•Chapter 22• Snatched Away

The man raised his sword above his head, about to slay the brown-haired boy. Orlando shut his eyes and turned his head away. This was it. This was the moment he was going to die. All that running was now over. As if it had been for nothing. After a few seconds, Orlando was still sitting with his eyes shut and head turned away. Was this man going to kill him? Was he going to take him in and take him to the emperor? What was going on? Suddenly, Orlando heard a loud growl and a bark. As he opened his eyes, the young man, saw the head guard turn his attention to something behind him. A massive wolf, with glowing golden eyes, was looking directly at the head guard. The animal growled at him again. This wasn't Misty, who had saved him before. No. This was Asher. He was protecting Orlando? Saving him from death? Before another thought could cross Orlando's mind, Asher attacked the head guard. He used his sharp teeth and claws to pull the armor off his body. The creature then put his teeth to other use. He attacked the guard's neck, ripping the skin off harshly. Orlando pushed himself up from the ground and backed away from the murder happening in front of him. Blood was slowly pouring onto the ground. Orlando could also see the blood on Asher's teeth. The wolf eventually let go of the man, leaving him to bleed to death. He swallowed the pieces of skin that were still between his teeth. Orlando looked down at the creature. "I thought you wanted me dead." He said. The wolf huffed and moved past the young man, pushing him aside slightly. Orlando turned to see Misty, back in her human form, running towards them at an extremely high speed. Orlando quickly grabbed her by her arms when she was close enough. She was panting loudly, trying to catch her breath. "They've taken her." She tells them. Orlando frowned at her. "Serena. They've taken her. I tried to stop them. Her brother... her brother is running after her. He's running off to his death." She panted. 

Another arrow was shot at one of the horses the guards were riding on. But the arrow missed once again. Hayes was trying to catch his breath as he continued to sprint after the horses. Serena was seated on a horse with a bag over her head. She had fought so hard. But she wasn't strong enough to take on three of those men by herself.  The rusty chains around her wrists and neck made her weak. Too weak to fight back at this time. From a distance, Hayes could hear his sister's screams in pain and see the burs starting to form on her skin. Hayes started to fight even harder as he heard those screams. He fought as hard as he could to catch up with them. One of the men on the horses turned slightly to shoot an arrow at Hayes. It hit the elf right into his shoulder. The elf stopped for a second to look at the arrow in his shoulder. Hayes pulled it out of his shoulder without any emotion. He continued his sprint towards them. But the pain started to become worse in his shoulder with every step he took. Blood started to pour from the wound in his shoulder. Eventually, the elf collapsed in the grass from lack of oxygen. He pushed himself up slightly and watched as Serena was taken into the distance. He was trying to catch his breath as he tried to push himself up. He couldn't. As much as he wanted to, as much as he struggled, he couldn't manage to push himself up from the ground. He started to cough as he tried to call out Serena's name. He even tried to whisper some elvish words to stop them. But no words came out. After a few minutes, Hayes was sitting on his knees in the grass. He could no longer see the horses or his sister. Orlando, Asher, and Misty caught up with him. Orlando put his hand on Hayes' back. "Are you okay?" Orlando asked. Hayes continued to pant loudly. "Where is she? Where's Serena?" Asher questioned. 

A few hours later, one of the guards burst into Erix's chamber. The emperor looked up at him. "What have I told you about knocking?!" He yelled. The guard cleared his throat. "My apologies once again, sir. But the search party has returned successfully." He tells. Eric's eyes lit up with joy. Happiness started to rush through his veins. "They have the boy?" The emperor questioned. "No, sir." The guard replied. The smile on Erix's face faded away quicker than he could say 'revenge'. "Then what are you doing here?! I need the boy!" He exclaimed loudly. The smile remained on the guard's face. "We have something better, sir." He said. Serena was pushed into the room and the bag was pulled away from her head. Erix's eyes lit up again. "She's an elf." He said quietly. The legend says that either an Adelio or an elf could open the door, as it was sealed by one. The emperor noticed the chains around her wrists and neck. He saw the burns on her skin. "So that's your weakness." He whispered. He stepped even closer to the girl. He pushed a strain of hair behind her pointy ear. "I thought your ears were bigger." He tells her. "The smaller the ears, the more dangerous the elf," Serena replied. Erix chuckled at her. "You're a brave little one, aren't you?" He said. The emperor then brushed his fingers over her cheeks. "Tell me, darling. Where's your friend?" He asked her. Now it was Serena's turn to chuckle. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?" She asked him, "Elves are considered to be more intelligent than humans." She added. Erix tilted his head. "And where did you learn that? In the school for elves?" Erix asked her. Serena smiled at him before she knocked her forehead against his nose harshly, almost breaking his nose. The emperor started to laugh and looked back at her. "I learned that in school too." She said. The emperor wiped the blood away from under his nose. "I like her." He said. He glanced up at the guards standing behind Serena. "Take her to the door." He ordered. Serena got pulled away harshly. "Not even a drink for the lady?" She called out as she was dragged away. Erix walked back to his desk. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a small knife and a key. "Don't worry. We will take good care of you." Erix tells her.