The Forgotten Light

14. Fairlight

Faster! Move!" An Invicta in black armor yanked her harder by the arm, pulling her so fast that she almost lost her own legs.

A few minutes before that, three guards burst into her hospital room and forcibly put Fairlight on her feet. She hadn't even yet awoken properly or fully buttoned up her yellow shirt, and one of them was already pushing her in front of him, telling her to go.

"Where are you taking her?" asked a nervous Kendra once again, led by the other Invicta. The green shawl fell over her shoulders, revealing her buzzcut. "She is not yet at full strength, and she should rest. Does Prince Darksen realize this?"

"The King's son is too busy making plans with the King, he doesn't have time to rule the roost for now. The order comes from King Thandor. There is no place for parasites in his castle," the creature at the front snapped in response.

"It has only been a week of her treatment. She isn't fully functional yet."

The man stopped so abruptly that a breathless Kendra almost bumped into him. Fairlight's heart froze with fear. Invicta, who was leading her, passed the one who was measuring Kendra with a deadly gaze and dragged her further, with a third guard following behind them.

"If my eyes don't deceive me, the girl still has one fully functioning arm. You were supposed to go with her to the greenhouse, where there is a shortage of people to work, but there will be another job for you" Fairlight heard. She wanted to turn around to look at Kendra, but firstly the pain in her collarbone wouldn't allow her to do so, and secondly she would only see the Being walking behind her anyway.

She gritted her teeth to keep from growling at the brute tugging on her arm. Few details reached her in this frantic march through dimly lit stone corridors. She was very weakened. Everything around her was blurring, as if they were rushing at an unknown speed. This was probably the cause of Invicta putting her on her feet so abruptly, almost pulling the IV out from under her skin.

She didn't hear a single word Kendra said. She felt bad that it was because of her that the Being had taken her somewhere else.

Suddenly the light of day blinded her and the warm air hit her. She didn't remember anything about the path they had taken her on, she didn't even know how long they had been walking. She only woke up when she smelled the fragrance of fruits and vegetables, and heard other voices.

"Silence!" shouted the second guard.

Fairlight recognized people of all ages. They all wore yellow shirts and tattered overalls. They froze at the presence of the Beings.

"This is Prince Darsen's new servant. Show her what's what." The man holding her pushed her in front of him so hard that she fell. "Get back to work!"

The creatures, without waiting for an answer, left the huge glass room. Only then a few people dared to approach her and help her up.

"Are you all right, dear?" the elderly woman asked, seeing that Fairlight winced in pain as the others grabbed her under the arms.

"My shoulder," she grunted weakly. She felt someone's hand on her back, so she didn't wobble as much on her own feet.

The thin woman lifted back the collar of her shirt away without asking, looking at the bandage on her collarbone. "Come with me." 

She took the girl under her healthy arm and led her aside behind a wall of wooden crates. She looked around suspiciously for curious eyes and only then unwrapped a long, lightweight shawl from her head, revealing her shaved skull, and began to roll it into something.

"I know from Kendra what happened to you. Unbelievable that you've already been kicked out of the hospital bed. It's not so easy here, but we have to manage somehow, don't we, dear? Now, put your hand here. I think this will replace a sling for you. What's your name?"