The Ephean

Chapter 3

I woke up to a throbbing pain in my head. Someone must have wacked me with something. Well they did a very good job at knocking me out. I look at my surroundings. I am not at home, or in Greenlea forest...I actually don't know where I am. The walls were stone so there is no way to break out. Have I been kidnapped? I got up off the floor and ran to the door in attempt to open it somehow. It's shut tight. "OPEN THIS DOOR AND LET ME OUT!!!" I screamed.

"And why would I want to do that?" A man asked.

"Because you kidnapped me and I want to go home." I replied.

He laughed. "Well tough luck love, I'm not setting you free."

"So your just going to leave me in here with no blanket and food?"

"Yep."

This guy is really starting to anger me. "Why am I here?" I asked.

"Protecting the emperor." He replied.

"By locking up an innocent human?"

"Your not a human." I froze. Did he just say that I wasn't a human? Oh my god he knows.

"Then what am I?" I asked slowly. Maybe he will say something else, Just keep calm Raelia.

"An Ephean." He replied. So much for keeping calm.

"What makes you say that?"

"A Child of Wesha told me."

"Children of Wesha live in the far West of Wildevein, how could one be here?" I asked.

"I have my ways." Even though I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was smiling.

"My Lord, the Guillotine is ready." Someone said. Wait, did he just say Guillotine?!?

"Thank you." I heard keys jingling and the prison door opened. There stood the man I had been talking to. He was mediocre looking with dark brown hair, combed back out of his face and Ice blue eyes to match his cold personality.

"So who's the Guillotine for?" I asked nervously.

"haven't you worked it out yet?"

"No."

"You my darling." I froze. For me? Just like in my dream. Although this wasn't a dream...It was real life. The guard standing behind me started pushing my back to that I kept moving. Sweat started beading on my forehead and my hands shook as I neared the Guillotine. This is it. The 21 year old, unmarried, Ephean who's life will be ending in about five minutes. Tears formed in my eyes as I knelt down ready to be beheaded. I heard executioner bring the axe up...and fall to the ground next to me. A bandit, along with three others jumped out of the crowd and started attacking the guards surrounding me. That was when I knew, it was my time to escape. I don't know how to fight but I am quite good at evading.

"Are you alright?" The bandit asked. He had messy black hair and forest green eyes. his blood red tunic hangs just above his knees with a brown belt around his waist which holds three little pouches on each side...handy.

"Well I came really close to getting my head chopped off but apart from that I'm okay." I replied. "We should get outa here." We left the scene followed by the rest of his men and hid in an alleyway. "So who are you." I asked.

"I'm Alorek, these guys are Eroch, Hemeth and Syred." He smiled.

I held out a hand. "Nice to meet you Alorek, Eroch Hemeth and Syred, I'm Raelia." He took my hand and shook it.

"So why did you save me?" I asked confused. There has to be a pretty good reason for it.

"We are Ephean's too." I stared at him in disgust. He has the decency to save me and then joke about my race. I don't think so.

I slapped him square across the face. "How dare you come waltzing in here, save me and assume your an Ephean. The only Epheans that have survived are my mum and I!"

"We are Epheans though." He pulled out a necklace that was hidden under his clothes. The pendant was a silver leaf with specks of emerald through it.

"The necklace of Strymmithia." I gasped. That necklace is given to every male child in the Ephean race.

"So where are we?" I asked.

"Highglen." He replied.

"And to get from Highglen to Freyden would take about?"

"a bit more than a week."

"a week?!? are you kidding me?" I could not believe he just said that.

"We had better get walking." He smiled as he walked past me.

Well this is going to be fun...Not