Ellie's Garden // luke hemmings au

Chapter Thirteen:

I ride silently beside Caleb, neither of us speak. I watch the woods start to disappear as we enter a small village. Well at least the remnants of it. Burned black and trampled to the ground. I look in horror, passing the living quarters that was completely destroyed, ransacked and the family...

I jump off the horse, well attempt to until my dress catches on the saddle and sends me spinning to the ground. I cry out in pain and writhe on the ground.

"Damn it all!" I screech holding my hip that collided with a rock. Caleb finally turns around to see me crawling towards the demolished house. I let out more cries of horror as I run through the house. "Hello? Is anyone in here?" A hand snakes from behind my head and clamps into my mouth. Another latches onto my waist and drags me into a room to the right.

"Shut up!" The voice hisses. I reach out into the darkness and slap blindly into the dark, back handing Caleb. "What was--ow! What the hell?"

"You scared me half to death! I thought I was dead." I snap at him. I can imagine him rolling his eyes at me.

"You idiot. You almost got both of us killed. When you fell off you made so much noise a look out solider came out of the woods and went to alert his troops. The whole fleet is coming through now because of you!" He snarls, but I choose to ignore his snappy tone.

"You should've maybe told me that before! You should've told me we were passing through an abandoned slaughter house!" I growl back at him. He scoffs.

"I should've done a lot of things and like you would listen to what I have to say." I've had enough of him. I smack my hands on the walls around us and I grab a hold of the handle and throw myself out the door. I land on my shoulder, sliding on ash.

"I am never wearing white again!" I scream brushing off the ash so it doesn't get into the cuts now lining down my arms. I look up from tending to my arm to see a man shifting stuff around in the house. I move over to a short wall and stand with only my head poking out. I feel something brush my leg, but I slap at it blindly, keeping my eye on the man.

"Jake! Look 'ere!" He yells, calling another man a little taller than him in the room. They both are clad in tight green military suits like Reynold. Palace guards I'm guessing.

"Derrick we are looking for the girl and that's it." He groans before snatching whatever was in the first man hand. "Damn this family was obliterated."

"Yeah, I saw the mom and daughter on that wall over there." Derrick motions towards me. I jump back behind the wall, only to collide with something next to me. I trip over that and something else falls on my chest. A corpse.

A scream ripples out of my throat. I crawl out from under the dead body and throw up next to a scorched couch. I hear movement and I feel a hand on my back. I wretch again, my breaths coming out in short gasps of air. Soon there is nothing left in my stomach, and I let out a few short gasps before I turn around.

Caleb stands with his back to me and his arms opened in my defense. I crawl to his legs, using him to stand. The two men have their swords drawn. The bigger man, Jake, then slaps on the other mans hand, telling him to lower his weapon.

"Got alert the commander. We found her." Jake barks. Derrick scurries off out of the house. "Ellie Wren, we are here to take you back to the palace."

I sigh and finally stand on my own. Caleb looks over to me in horror.

"You're not going with them." He snaps. I raise my eyebrow at him.

"You want me gone don't you? Why do you care who I leave with?" I snarl back. Then I follow Jake out the door. Caleb jogs up and catches my wrist.