The Fae Chronicles: The Hollow Forest

Chapter 12

"Mantis, if you would." Mandrake said, obviously proud of himself for capturing us.

"Of course, your royal highness," Said a voice from above us, dripping with sarcasm. I heard Piper gasp as a girl crawled upside down on the chains above her. She was small and lean, with green and yellow paint around her eyes. Two thick, dark brown braids dangled in front of Piper's face.

"Wow, you're right. They are ugly." She said incredulously.

Piper glared at her. "Oh, we can get a lot uglier sweetie."

The girl, who I assumed to be Mantis, rolled her pale green eyes. Mandrake grinned. "But she's rather cute when she's angry, huh?"

"You think I'm cute right now, beanpole? Well I'm about to be gorgeous!" A flash of light above our heads got my attention. I turned my eyes upwards just in time to catch a flash of lightning crack through the dark gray sky.

"You might want to calm down," I hissed through clenched teeth. Piper had the Protector's mark, which meant electricity was drawn to her. We were surrounded by iron, which was a suprisingly good conductor of heat and electricity. If Piper got angry or scared enough, the lightning could travel to us and strike the chains. I could only be killed by an iron stake straight through the heart, but I'm pretty sure a lightning strike all the way through my body wouldn't be too easy to heal.

"Oh, and who do we have here?" Mandrake said. He glanced at Mantis, and before I could even blink, there she was, dangling in front of my face. She surveyed me with intelligent eyes, and I could see the wheels spinning behind them.

"Well, this one's obviously one of us. Ooh, pretty eyes!" Mantis exclaimed as my eyes flared golden out of anger, surprise, and a teeny bit of disgust. "Hmmm....good form, really good form." She slapped my face. I growled at her, baring my fangs. The shadows agitated around us, responding to my emotions. "Woah, nice set of chompers! How old are you, anyway?"

"It's rude to ask one of us our age." I sneered.

Mantis made a wierd hissing noise and her eyebrows furrowed angrily. She pulled her fist back back, ready to punch me square in the nose, but she was cut off by rustling from the bushes and a yelp of surprise as a boy--probably no more than twelve or thirteen in human years--tripped over a rock and fell on his face. We all stared at him as he got up and sauntered over to Mandrake.

"So," he grinned at him. "How'd I do?"

Mandrake stared at him. The boy had messy brown hair and dark teal paint splattered around his startlingly blue eyes, which were quite similar to Piper's. He continued to look expectantly at Mandrake, obviously proud of his acccomplisment, whatever it was. Mandrake dragged a hand down his face and groaned.

"Fish, you did great--"

"Really!?"

"Up until now."

"Damn."

"Good job on the stream, but-"

"Oh wow, I thought it was kind of messy." Fish pointed at the "stream". The water floated off the ground and coiled into a ball of liquid. He moved his hand down to his waist and pointed to a sort of flask and the water flew to it, curling into the flask. He could control water like I could control shadows. "But then again," he flashed us a smirk. "That just shows how stupid they are. Say Mandrake, do you think their ugliness did damage to their brains?"

"I dunno, Fish. It's possible."

I struggled against the shackles and realized something. The chains were just reunforced with iron. Sure, it'd burn, but I'd be able to get out.

Piper are you angry? I asked.

Yes, and frankly, with the way Mr. Ladies' man is sizing us up, a bit scared of losing my virginity.