The Fairy Self

Chapter 10

As soon as I gave the door a push, shadows burst forward, ropes of darkness wrapping around my arms.

"Ammolite!" Swiftmane neighed loudly. He bit at the darkness, and was thrown back, knocked unconscious. "Swiftmane!" I yelled. A faerie stepped out of the door, gossamer wings still.

"So, the doubtful Faerie princess, is it? The one who was sent away from the Faerie realm to avoid the wars."

I frowned for a moment about the comment on wars, but there was no time to think. Another two faeries stepped forward, holding Pearl, a glowing knife at her throat.

"What are you doing to her?" I screamed at them. My heart jerked and began pulsing rapidly. Cold sweat leaked down my forehead. My stomach fluttered. "Let her go!"

Pearl. I had only just found her, yet immediately her life was in danger. I may have prepared for what I'd thought was the worst, but nothing would've been able to prepare me for this. And it was all my fault. I was the one who'd caused the Faeries to come to capture Pearl. Why else would they be here? They were looking for me, and now Pearl was in danger. I had to do something. I bit my lip. Fear coursed through me, and my stomach fluttered harder.

"Of course, all in due course. She'll be let go, if you come with us without resistance."

"I'll come with you. I'll come! Just let her go!" I cried in desperation. "Don't kill her, please!" The dread writhed in my stomach, unrelenting, a group of snakes jumping, hissing. Why had I rashly opened the door without a plan? I should've known Pearl wouldn't have stayed at such a place. Mother had given us all emergency money in case we got lost. Pearl didn't have to stay in some random slum, no matter what. Why had I been so stupid? I could have saved Pearl, and there wouldn't be a chance that she would die. The snakes wriggled harder.

The faerie pulled me along. "Now, Your Highness," he mocked. "Just stay still and come with us, and we won't hurt you or your sister."

"I've already said I'll come!" I snarled recklessly, but luckily, the faerie didn't take insult at my snarl and merely laughed.

"For a faerie so weak and no better than a mere human, you certainly have a strong spirit. I suppose I should've expected no less from our virtuous princess." He gave a mock bow.

"Just take me wherever you're taking me," I wearily sighed. The faerie snapped his fingers, and shadows enveloped me. Darkness spread itself open in front of my eyes, a blindfold of black. Then, the black retreated, and I was somewhere else entirely.

"Welcome to faerie, your highness?" The faerie remarked. "How unfortunate that you won't be able to see most of the realm, considering you're now a prisoner." 

I sighed as I was pushed into a cell, along with Swiftmane and Pearl, who was placed on the bed. The faeries left and clanged the iron door shut.

"This prison definitely isn't as comfortable as the SU's," Swiftmane sighed.

"You should have ran," I told Swiftmane.

"It's fine. I don't mind this," Swiftmane responded, nuzzling my hand. "We'll get out of here, Ammolite. Don't worry about it." 

 "I'm not worried about that. They want me, not you. You should have escaped, especially before they discover some sort of ingenious way to hold you for ransom too." I reasoned. Swiftmane stuck to me resolutely in response. 

I sighed. "I suppose there's nothing we can do about it now, anyhow. Anyway, they shouldn't harm me if I do as they say, and so on. Like the witches of the SU didn't harm us."

Mentioning the SU gave me another pang of denial, sadness, guilt at Azalea's departure from me.

"And I'm sure we'll get out before that. Right? Ammolite?" Swiftmane nudged me. I stroked his head gently. I then waited, waited for the faeries to return again, yet nothing happened. Food was sent in, but apart from that, I had practically no contact with my captors. A few hours later, I was starting to get confused about what they wanted, why they needed to capture me and what scheme they had. But at least they didn't harm Pearl. I eventually fell asleep on the hard cell bed. I was then woken by loud clanging.