Stolen Apprentices

Chapter 1

Ajax didn't have a clue where he was. He woke up, groggy and out of place. He tried to stand up, only to realize that his hands had been tied up, and the rope stretched to a tree, connecting him to it. Ajax felt the warmth from the fire only a few meters away. He realized he should probably figure out where in heavens he had been taken to. Looking around, he seen some trees spread out sporadically. Looking back towards the fire he saw a person sitting next to it stoking the flames.

"Hey, where am I? Who are you?" Ajax asked the man. His voice sounded rough, even to him. The man turned his head towards Ajax and sighed. He stood up, and Ajax thought the man was coming towards him, but he walked in a circle around the perimeter of the camp.

For the first time he noticed the 4 other kids tied up in different places around the small campfire. One was tied up another tree. Two of them had been tied up to the poles that held up the house, and one of them wasn't tied to anything. He was just tied up at the hands and legs, so he couldn't even try to escape. The kid wasn't too far from the house though. Ajax wonders why they were not taken into the house. He detected this in just a few seconds.

Ajax had always been able to compute and understand things faster than all the other kids his age, but he had never understood why. The kids saw that he was different, and had made fun of him for it. He had been made an outcast with the rest of the kids. Ajax recalls meeting that strange old man that lived on the outskirts of his village for the first time. "You are destined for greatness young one. You have an affinity for elemental magic. This I can see. Do you not feel more at home in a certain location child?" the old man asked. Ajax cannot remember his name, yet he was sure he had been told. Ajax didn't think he was more at home in any particular area. He thought that the earth as a whole called to him and made him comfortable. Ajax had not told this old man that however. He ran away, being only 8 when this happened, back to the comforting arms of his mother.

Ajax doesn't know why he recalled that memory at a time like this. Ajax needs to figure out how to get out of these ties. Ajax was uncomfortable in this position, and the ropes were starting to hurt him. The guy completed his perimeter check and sat back down in front of the fire. "Tell me where we are at." Ajax said. The man rolled his eyes and continued stoking the fire. "Hello? I'm talking to you. Didn't your parents ever tell you it's rude to ignore people?" Ajax said again. He was getting irritated.

"Look kid, shut up, and it'll make all of this easier." The man told him. He stared shamelessly as the man went inside the house, and another one came out.

The second man came straight to him and pulled out a knife. Ajax became afraid, but the man just sliced his chains holding his hands together, and the ones connecting him to the tree.

"Come on, kid. Help me get the others free and woken up. We have to get out of here. Fast." The man said. "How do I know I can trust you?" Ajax asked the man.

"The Council sent me to get all of you kids out of here. We don't have time right now. I'll explain later. Come on!" The man whispered. He glanced towards the house nervously. "Here take this. Go get the kids by the house. I'll get the other two." the man said, as he pressed a small knife into Ajax's hand.

Ajax decided to help him for now, because this was his best chance to get out of here. Running up to the first kid he realized she was a female. "Get up, get up." Ajax whispered. "We have to get out of here." After slicing through the bonds, Ajax pulled the girl up, and pushed her towards the other guy. "He knows where to go. Follow him." Ajax said to her. He turned his attention to the other kid, repeating the process of cutting the ropes. Ajax was cutting the chains when he realized the kid was a guy, like him.

"Dude, get up and follow me. Hurry!" Ajax told the boy. The kid got up and was making his way after Ajax.

The man who first freed Ajax huddled them together, and pushed them towards the back of the house. "We don't have much time. Only a couple hours before they realize we're all gone. We have to get out of here fast." The man told the kids.