Different Worlds

Painful Heights

The old centaur had been right.  It had taken a few more hours like he'd said, but I had finally begun to get feeling back into my arms and legs.  I sat up slowly in the small bed and managed to prop the pillow up behind me.  I looked up and watched my carer trot around the room, getting things ready for their evening meal.

"Ahem."  I cleared my throat, which came out sounding not quite as subtle as I'd been hoping it would.  The old centaur looked over at me and chuckled.

"Is there something you wanted to say?"

"I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me like this.  I don't like being a bother to you."

"You're not bothering anyone.  On the contrary, it's quite an honour to have a human in my humble home.  Not many people in this world can say that."

As I watched him I felt my face fall into a genuine smile - the first I had been able to give since I had gotten here.  "What's your name?  I mean, what would you like me to call you?"

"My name is Jacek.  Well, Jacek Odein the Fifth, but you can just call me Jacek."  He flashed me a cheeky grin that made his whole face light up.  In that brief second I could picture what he would have been like when he was young - as young centaur galloping around causing as much mischief as he could.  Even though he was old now, I got the feeling that he would still be quite capable of causing just as much mischief now as when he was a youngster.

"I'm Sienna."

"That's an unusual name.  I don't believe I've heard that name before -  not in my whole one hundred and sixty three years."

My eyebrows raised as I heard how old he was.  "My mother always liked it."

I jumped in my bed as the door to the room flew open and Devon came bolting in, slamming the door shut with such a force that the whole room shook.  He stood there in the middle of the kitchen breathing hard, his black hair falling messily into his blue eyes and his clothing hanging about him untidily.

Jacek looked over at his grandson, and for the first time since I'd met him his wrinkled face took on a worried expression.  "What's wrong?"

Devon pointed towards the door.  "The King's soldiers, they're on their way here - right now.  Someone must've seen me grab her."  He nodded at me as he spoke.  "They know she's with us, we have to get out of here - immediately!"

My eyes widened with alarm as I watched Jacek and Devon begin rushing around grabbing things and stuffing them into bags.  I threw the covers of the bed off me, swung my legs onto the floor and attempted to stand up.  But as soon as I tried, my head began to spin so badly that I had to sit back down again.  I put my fingers to my temples and slowly rubbed.

"What would the King want with me anyway?"

"You're a human."  Devon spoke, stating the obvious.  "That's why he wants you."

"Why?  So that he can be the one to put me into a zoo?"

"Our King isn't as kind as that.  He hates humans."

"But I thought you said that humans haven't been here for six hundred years?"

"The King is over six hundred years old."

"Six hundred and eighty seven to be exact," Jacek put in as Devon swung the bags over his back.  "He met the last human that was here, and things didn't end well.  If he manages to get his hands on you it won't be good."

"Why?"

"He'll probably find the longest, most painful torture he can devise to use on you before he eventually kills you."

I stood up so quickly that my head began spinning again, but this time I ignored it.  "He's gonna torture and kill me?"

"Only if he gets hold of you, and we're going to make sure that doesn't happen."  Devon looked at me as he slung a bag over his shoulders before coming over to me.  He took hold of my hand and led me over to Jacek.  "Up you go."

"What?"

"We have to get out of here.  The fastest way to do that is for Jacek to carry you.  Humans can't run as fast as we can."

I looked down at his human-looking two legs.  "You have two legs, just like me.  I can run."

"Not as fast as me you can't - up."  Before I realized what was happening, Jacek grabbed one of my arms while Devon pushed me up onto Jacek's back.  I felt a surge of nausea wash over me as I looked down.  It seemed to be a long way off the ground.

"I'm not too good with heights."

"Just close your eyes and hold on tight,"  Jacek warned before galloping full speed out the door, with Devon keeping up easily beside us.  I closed my eyes as tight as I could, trying to fight the nausea that was rushing through my body.  The last thing I remember before blacking out was hoping like crazy that I wasn't going to fall off.