I Am: Silver

Chapter 16

My rather exaggerated escort, led me out of the castle gates, and over the giant drawbridge. Green grass branched off on either side of me and my fingers twitched to just, escape. This makes me think of those horror movies people watch, and you say "I would have totally ninja kicked him", when the victim starts screaming and struggling in her captor's arms. Believe me, it ain't that easy, or I'd be long gone by now.

I balled my hands into fists, my eyes flickering down to see that nothing appeared. No blue flame, nothing. Not even a spark.

"Nice try, darling." Hunter 9 sneered behind me. "Do you really think that Nadu was stupid enough to leave you wielding fire? Dangerous for little girls you know." My knuckles turned white at that last unnecessary comment, and I bit my tongue at the snarky reply I had in mind. So I have to be in enchanted chains for him to crack a joke, knowing I couldn't retaliate? A small smirk played at my lips at that thought.

The procession followed a thin winding dirt path that led down to the bustling village of Norwell. The path I walked on was dry and dusty, well-worn tracks imprinted in the dirt by various carts that came to and fro from the castle, no doubt carrying goods and tradable items.

Mental Note to Self: Find out how thorough inspections are.

If I ever make it out alive, I thought bitterly.

As we entered the village, I was awed by its cleanliness. It was in no way like the ones you read about in fairytales, with chooks running wild, dogs covered in fleas, and small rickety stalls along a cramped cobblestone path. Alright, I lied about the path. The path was still cobblestone.

There were still stalls, but they were very few, and all clustered at the beginning of the village, like there was a market or something going on. It looked like many of them were traders or merchants that were just stopping by. Past that, there were buildings and one or two taverns. There was an open food market, but that was about it. A few dogs lounged in the sun outside some of the buildings, and they looked healthy and well-fed, big busty dogs like Rottweiler's.

Someone must run a fighting ring or something.

We passed all of the buildings, a few alleyways, less significant paths, led around the village, and I soon worked out that there were four main roads in the village, and I figured that at some point they must meet at a crossroads. The rest of the smaller roads led to houses and smaller buildings tucked away behind the more common buildings. Past the lower end of town, I could see the upper-class streets packed with shops.

As we got further into the village, I got more and more stares from the villagers, all of whom were dressed rather cleanly. No, not fancy suits and dresses, but not exactly tattered rags either. Every now and then I would see groups of figures robed in black, their faces hidden hoods, but I was pushed on before I could investigate further. I was correct in assuming there was some sort of a crossroads in the center of the village, because we soon reached it. The crossroads was more of a large square, where there were yet more stalls that lined the outline of it. The center had obviously been cleared, and instead there sat a giant bonfire, ready to light. King Zelrox sat in his throne to my left as we entered the square. Above the bonfire, there was a large beam from which hung a brown rope, ending in a tight hangman's loop. The wood was all standing up, held together by ropes, the same as the hangman's noose, that wound around the wood, creating some sort of cocoon. It only reached my chest.

Of course they wanted to watch me burn.

Sick bast- You get the point.

Pegasus? I hopelessly called. Pegasus, I need you. Like, now! Still no answer, although I could feel the mental barrier thinning. If I put enough energy into it, maybe I could break through Nadu's spell. Pegasus, I need you! I tried, and felt the barrier give a little, only a murmur slipping through. I prepared myself for one last try, and channeled all of my energy I could into the message. PEGASUS! I felt the mental barrier shudder, before it collapsed, and my voice broke through as a scream. I mentally applauded myself, although I felt my body sagging at the amount of energy I had expended. Before I gave up, I sent a quick message. Pegasus, I need you. Center of the village. About to be executed. Would be great if you could just, you know, drop in and save my bacon?