Ring of Power

Chapter 7: The Capture

Emerald had also woken up to the shouting in the village, but couldn't figure out what they were about.  She picked up her weapons and headed out into the trees.  She had never gotten close to the village, but today she had to.  She needed to know what was going on.  She had never heard a single sound from the village so if there was shouting loud enough for her to here, there was definitely something wrong. 
     She made her way to the tree line and paused, thinking her decision through before she did something stupid.  Was this a good idea?  Finally she decided it didn't matter what the result was, her curiosity once again won her decision over and she started walking toward the village wall.
She made sure she was extremely careful.  She was now out in the open and very close to where her only enemies reside.  She wanted to be very cautious.
Once she approached the wall she just looked at it for a moment.  She noticed it was many thick, long stones stuck together, so there were cracks between the stones.  She pulled out two arrows and used their tips to climb to the top of the wall.  She was careful to check and make sure there were no guards on it.  She lay down as flat and close to the wall as she could, and looked down at the scene in front of her.
She saw the Guard Patrol shouting at the town and knew it couldn't be a good thing.  She saw a line of teenage boys standing in front of the patrol.  One man was walking up and down the line of boys, looking over each one carefully.
She recognized Pyramus, the one looking over each teen, and felt anger boil up inside her.  She took a few breathes to calm herself down and continued to watch.
All of a sudden, a guard came out of a nearby alley, holding on to a struggling boy.  She was too far away to make out his features clearly.  He was thrown into the line and she saw the guard confront Pyramus, telling him something she couldn't make out, but he was pointing toward the boy he brought out of the alley.  The boy had his head down but looked up at something the guard said.  Then two guards came and carried him away.
She climbed down off the wall and ran back to the tree line and into the forest.  She continued her daily routine, but couldn't stop thinking about the boy being carried away.  What did he do?  Was it really that bad?  Something told her she knew that boy and a feeling of unease grew inside her, she hoped it wasn't Xavier, but he would be the only one in the village she knew.  Suddenly she became very worried for him and for her own safety, they remembered him from the night before.  No!  It couldn't be... could it?
She tried to dismiss the thoughts from her mind and quickly gathered her gear, checking her traps before the sun set.  She couldn't get caught tonight.  If they had Xavier, they were probably coming for her next. 
She watched her back all evening and when night finally set in, she was in her fort.  She wanted to avoid being in the forest as much as she could.
She only had to do one more thing.
After dinner she checked to make sure the coast was clear and headed down to the river bank to visit the graves of her parents.  She knew Pyramus had seen the graves, but she didn't think he would come looking for her here.  She decided she couldn't stay long, but she couldn't just not go.
She arrived at the river and sat down in her usual spot.  She was so wrapped up in her thoughts form the day that she didn't hear the snap of a twig in the bushes behind her.  She had let her guard down by thinking she was safe, which was her biggest mistake. 
The next thing she knew, she was surrounded by the Guard Patrol.  They were waiting for her, and she never suspected them.
Emerald jumped to her feet, surprised they were here.  How did they know she would be here?  Then she thought back to earlier that day.  It was Xavier!  He told them everything, she thought.
Filled with anger, she drew her sword and struck down the nearest guard.  She couldn't run, so fighting them was necessary.  She hoped all her training would come in handy.
Another guard came up behind her and she quickly turned, plunging her sword into his shoulder.  He screamed and fell back in pain, eventually passing out.  She fought all the guards, injuring them but not killing them. 
She was becoming tired, but still had to keep going.  Most of the guards were down, she was winning.
Then Pyramus emerged from the bushes in front of her.  He was the best man in the Guard Patrol and was confident he would succeed in his mission.  He towered over her at over six feet tall and was covered in muscle.  Emerald couldn't help but gulp when he stepped up to face her, causing a smile to crease his face.
"Did you really think we would never find you?" He said in a mocking tone of voice, "I knew that boy would come in handy.  What was his name again?  Oh yes, it was Xavier."
She stopped cold.  It had been Xavier; he sold her out to save his own life.
"Ah, so you did know him... good" He said, grinning.
Then he drew his sword and jumped at her.  She snapped into the present just in time to avoid his attack.  Pyramus fell and she jumped up running toward him. 
He was faster than she anticipated for such a big man.  He was up and gone before she could reach him.  She quickly turned and swung her sword at him, cutting his shoulder and making him angry.  There was no way he was going to let a teenage girl beat him in a sword fight.
He came at her, now angry, and swung his sword.  She managed to avoid most of the blow, but not all of it.  She felt the sharp blade pierce the skin on her right thigh.  Crying out in pain she fell and looked at the cut.  It went all the way across her thigh and was very deep.  She could barely stand, and when she did, she was grabbed from behind.
She tried to get out of the strong grip, but the more she struggled the tighter she was held.  Her captor put a sword under her throat and looked at Pyramus.
Pyramus looked at her and was about to give the signal for her death, when he thought of something.
"I have a better idea," He said, a mischievous look in his eyes, "We will take her to the village and show the people.  They doubted me all those years ago, and now I have proof.  Then we can kill her, but I will do it my way."
Fear struck deep in Emerald's heart.  She had a feeling he wasn't going to kill her quickly and she dreaded what was to come next.