Masquerade

Chapter Seventeen

I wake up to the strange sensation of being rocked. Though I was the one who ran off in the first place, part of me hopes that it's Jac. It would be nice to know that he cares enough to come after me, I suppose.

I sleepily open my eyes, surprised to see that it is still dark outside. Surely I slept the whole night through? I'm even more surprised to see that I'm not being rocked at all; he's holding me in his arms, running at an incredible pace.

And then I see the foreign, colored bracelets on my carrier's wrists. This is not Jac.

I scream and flail around, causing the stranger to drop me. I fall to the ground with a painful thump, winded but quick to take action to escape. I look up, heart stopping when I realize that my carrier isn't a stranger after all; it's the nomad, the one who has been pursuing us this whole time.

But before I can let out another scream, he flicks his hand in a simple motion. A strange mist clouds my vision, and I fall asleep once again.

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This time when I wake up, I'm stationary. My eyes flutter open, quicker this time. Now that I know I'm in danger, I need to be ready to assess the situation and defend myself.

But my new environment doesn't seem dangerous at all. In fact, I'm in a comfortable tent, filled with brightly colored pillows and mats. A different nomad is lounging in the corner of the tent but straightens upon seeing that I'm awake.

I do the same upon noticing her, my mind wandering and imagining all the weapons she must have in her possession. Weapons that will most likely be used against me.

I open my mouth to scream again, unsure of what else to do in this situation. The nomad, a slender woman, runs over to me and covers my mouth with her hand before I can get anything out. I struggle against her, grasping at the foreign fabric of her clothes in a clumsy attempt to trip her.

"Shh, it's alright. We're not going to hurt you. We're on your side," she says quickly, relaxing her grip but keeping her hand on my mouth.

I eye her suspiciously, wondering if she thinks I'm stupid. Only a fool would trust a person who quite literally kidnapped them. That is, if this woman works with the nomad who's been tracking us. I suppose for all I know, they could be on different sides.

But still, I don't trust her.

"We are trying to break the curse. That's what you're here for too, right?"

I perk up, suddenly interested. Is there a chance this woman could be one of the lake nomads? The ones we've been looking for?

She slowly removes her hand and looks down at me expectantly, as if waiting for a response. I'll admit I'm curious to see where this conversation goes, but I also can't allow myself to put all my trust in her because of one simple statement. So I stay silent, not wanting to reveal anything.

She sighs and shakes her head, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the entrance of the tent. I struggle against her once again, but to no avail. For a small woman, she is surprisingly strong. If she is dragging me to my execution, then there is no way I'm getting out of it.

We exit the tent to come onto a rather overwhelming scene. Ten nomads sit around a roaring campfire, all dressed in similar clothing. They look just like the one who brought me here, with their plain brown garb but brilliantly colored jewelry and masks. They're all dripping with feathers and shiny stones, every single item natural and only to be found in the forest. It's clear none of them have seen civilization in a long time.