Untamed

Chapter 24

(ELAINE)

I watched Peter across the room as he rocked back and forth with my children in his arms. They were freshly fed and freshly changed. Time to be rocked to sleep by their favorite uncle. Wrapped in blankets they fit perfectly in his arms like two loaves of bread. I smiled at the sight in front of me as. It was magical. They were magical and I loved them more than anything. Almost anything. My thoughts were tied up with a large warrior who was missing somewhere out in the snow. I wondered if he was safe. If he was warm. If he was alive.

Peter had been great for the past months but I wanted something different. Their father should be the one rocking them to sleep and bouncing them on his knee. Their father should be the one who was comforting them when they cried. Their father should be here but he wasn't. I couldn't help but have the gnawing feeling in my gut that something was wrong.

A few days ago we were informed that Chedix was gone, that it had been completely destroyed. The thought was unreal. If a town like Chedix could be flattened then what could be done to Elondra? We were less protected than Chedix and we were mostly women and children with the men off to fight in the battle against Roderick.

I wanted to go find Ben. Find out what happened to him at least. I believed that he was alive but I had to know for sure.

In a few weeks it would be warm enough to travel. The snow would be melted and the roads free. But I wouldn't be traveling on the roads. I knew where Ben was. I knew who had him. He had to be with Roderick and that assured me that he was alive. Roderick wouldn't let him die because that would end of the torture. Roderick wouldn't let Ben die because then he wouldn't be able to hold anything over me. He would be enjoying himself too much to let Ben end his own suffering.

§

(BEN)

"Are you alright?" Jericho asked.

"I'm fine." Ben replied with a hoarse voice that didn't sound convincing even to him. He knew he didn't look fine. The escape attempt had earned him a brutal beating. Jericho threw Ben a dirty rag that could at least be used to mop up the blood running down his cheek. Jericho then passed him a moldy piece of fruit. If it could be called that. After all the mold was cut off it was more like a chunk of mush. But Ben was grateful. Living on a diet of next to nothing had been difficult for him. Roderick wouldn't just starve them to death that would be too easy. Bens soldiers were being used to train Roderick's' soldiers. It was good practice to be able to fight to the death. At least the death of Ben's soldier. Roderick's men always made it out alive no matter what. An arrow would mysteriously end up in the thigh of one of Ben's men in order to help even the odds. In hand to hand combat Roderick's man would have a dagger hidden in his boot.

Ben hadn't been allowed to fight yet. Roderick was keeping him in the dungeon so he could watch all of his companions get killed off one by one. The men would be brought back with deadly wounds and they would slowly bleed out and die. The men couldn't do anything except watch as their friends and brothers died in front of them. Ben had tried to escape but it was of no use. The escape attempts had failed miserably and the beatings had been terrible.

While in the dungeon Ben had found out how they had been captured. Roderick's men had come in the middle of the night. They had been spotted by the night watch and all chaos had erupted. Half of Nate's men had been paid by Roderick to turn and run. With half of their numbers paid off they had been an easy target. There were minimal casualties for Roderick's men and Ben's men were taken. Those that fought were killed on the spot. The attack had been easy and Ben wondered how they could have been better prepared but it was useless. With half of the men paid and gone they were extremely unprotected and the capture had been easy. The men told Ben that he had fought and Roderick's soldiers wanted to kill him. Roderick had given them specific orders that Ben must be kept alive. Instead of killing him they had knocked him out.