Silverclaw

Ambush!

 Jason stayed crouched low, watching between some branches as Anya walked through the trees nearby. She was completely alone, and he narrowed his gaze in suspicion at the sight. As he watched, she hummed happily, sitting on a tree root and drawing her sword and a whet stone. She ran it deftly up and down the length of the blade, too relaxed to be suspicious of the area.

 One of the soldiers glanced over at him, and he shook his head. Not yet. It wasn't time yet. Charlotte crouched next to him, her own blade in her hand as she waited, tense, for when he gave the signal. As they waited, Anya yawned, and sheathed her sword. She stretched, and stood. Removing her boots, she tested the moss on the forest floor as Ariadne landed on a nearby branch and trilled at her.

 'Ariadne! Hello. Did your foraging go well?' Anya smiled up at her, and Jason could feel his men's confusion. Is this really the girl we were sent to capture...? He could see it in the eyes of the men, and he inclined his head briefly to indicate that yes, this was the girl that they were after.

 He continued to watch as she set one dainty foot on the branch and began to climb the tree. Not good. If she stays up there too long, she could spot us. He signalled them to start dropping back, only to stop when she quickly slid back down to the ground, laughing happily. He blinked. She was... acting like a teenager. A regular teenager, enjying a few hours of freedom. Well, all the better for him and his men, then. It would be so much easier to capture her when she was behaving like this. In an instant he had stood and stepped out of the bushes, a smile pulling his lips back from his teeth as he narrowed his gaze on her.

 To his surprise, however, she didn't even flinch when she saw him. Instead, she simply sat back down on the tree root, her pale blue gaze fixed on his face. 'Hello, Lord Jason. It's been a while, hasn't it? Isn't that your sister back there in those bushes?'

 Charlotte stepped out next to him, her chest heaving with eagerness as she stared at Anya. 'You little whore.... I'm going to cut you up and feed you to your precious little Princess...!'

 Anya stood, and looked up at Ariadne. 'Tell Okril, Ariadne. And tell Princess that I'm sorry I couldn't come back.' Ariadne chirped cheerfully and flew off, her wings flashing in the light as Anya turned back to them. 'You haven't changed much, Charlotte. Still as misguided as always. And it's the same for you, too, Lord Jason.'

 The pity in her eyes was too much for Charlotte, who lunged at her, screaming in fury. Anya stepped to one side, grabbed her wrist as she flew past, and used the side of her hand as a blade to hit her at the base of her neck as she stumbled. Jason hissed his fury.

 'You will pay for that, girl!'

 'I don't think I will, Jason. Unlike you, I only kill when I have no other choice. If she had waited, I would have let the two of you take me prisoner. I need to speak with King Adonis, and you two are going to take me to him.' Her eyes were calm, matching her voice and face as the rest of the men emerged from the trees and bushes. She drew her sword, and threw it on the ground, followed by the knives that she kept hidden in her boots and shirt sleeves. 'You wanted me, Jason-well, now you have me.'

 Jason gaped at her in shock. Where was the screaming, the crying for mercy?! Where was the anguish that he had been expecting...? He shook his head, and signalled his men to put their blades away and tie her up as he checked on Charlotte. True to Anya's word, she was still breathing, and there was no sign of a break in her spine. Opening his canteen, he emptied about half of it over her head, causing her to come round instantly, spluttering her indignation.

 Charlotte gaped up at her stony faced brother a moment, and then ground her teeth together loudly. 'I'll kill her!!! No-one does that to me, Jason, NO-ONE!!!'

 Jason sighed, and smacked her across the cheek. 'Be quiet, you little harpy. We need her alive. And besides, she knows you too well. She's just shown you that, Charlotte. If you even had a chance of killing her, it's gone now.' He turned his gaze on where Anya sat on the ground nearby, hands and ankles bound and a rag shoved in her mouth. 'I'm amazed she let the men take her as it is.' He hauled the now even more dazed Charlotte up onto her feet. 'Listen to me, now, Charlotte. You do not harm her, in any way or form. If I find the slightest bruise on her before we get back to King Adonis, I will personally skin you alive. Understand? We need her alive and unharmed!'

 Ariadne spiralled in to land on Princess's back, trilling her song loudly to Okril as she did. Okril froze, wide-eyed, and turned to stare at her. 'Forgive me, Lady Ariadne, but... what was that about Her Majesty letting herself be captured...?'

 Instant chaos ensued. The usually calm elves exploded in anger at the news that their Queen had been captured, and Ariadne flew back up into the air, squawking indignantly as she flapped her wings. Finally, it took Iris yelling at the top of her voice to settle all the voices once more.

 'QUUUIEEET!!!! If you keep yelling, then we will never find out what's going on!!!' She glared at them from where she sat on Marita's leather saddle, helm under one arm and her hand on her sword. Many of the elves had learned to respect Iris and her temper over the past year, and this was shown to the fullest by the silence that followed her roar. She stared at them a moment, and then held her spare arm up to Ariadne, who landed on it with a tinkle of song that ran through Iris's mind.

 'What is your message, Ariadne?' Iris asked, her green eyes meeting and holding the silvery bird's. Ariadne trilled at her, and she nodded, before sighing in exasperation. 'Typical Anya. Okril! She's given herself up to Lord Ristarl and his sister. By her own choice, too, from the sounds of it. Something about wanting to meet one of the kings in another country.'

 Okril sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'She should have said if she wanted to meet the man. We could have arranged for-' he stopped, and his face turned pale. 'Did... did Ariadne say which king she wanted to meet, Iris?'

 'Someone called Adonis.'

 An unhappy murmur ran through the crowd, and Okril's face turned even paler as Arkeus spoke up. 'She's going to that one?! Okril, did you not teach her about the dangers of a Daughter of the Silver Lady meeting with one such as him?!'

 Okril's head snapped up, and he snarled at Arkeus. 'Watch your tongue, boy. You are nothing in age compared to me, do not ever forget that! And no, I hadn't. Things have been happening so fast that Dievra and I haven't had the chance to teach her anything since we started this blasted journey.'

 Darian, stood between Princess and Carlos, spoke up. 'Okril. What will happen to her?'

 Okril sighed. 'If she's lucky? Her powers won't work as they should. She'll be weaker, slower, more susceptible to injury.'

 'And if she's not lucky?' Darian met his gaze firmly, challenging him to tell the truth.

 Okril swallowed before replying. 'She'll die. Adonis's connection to the Star Father will suck all the life out of her, and we will loose her forever.'