Somewhere Else

Chapter Six

I have now been here for three days. Everyone in camp is packing up and getting ready to continue on to our next destination. When I asked Adrian where we were going he just shook his head and went back to packing.   I hoped that we were going towards the City or maybe the King’s Kingdom. The longer I wasted here, the more time Alex lost.  I was afraid for him.  What if I didn’t get there in time? I would never forgive myself.

          As all of this was going through my head, I was on a horse sitting in front of Adrian as he guided the horse with the rest of the group.  I turned my head so I was looking around him and saw the rest of the prisoners walking in a herd, blocked in on all sides by soldiers.  Why wasn’t I back there with them? After all, I was a prisoner.

          When Adrian turned back and saw what I was looking at, he kicked the horse and steered it away so I couldn’t see anything but desert and the rising of dust on the horizon. Just like the day he found me. The day I was betrayed.  I shook my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts.

          I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn’t really processed how ahead of the group we were. The wind was whipping through my hair and I felt myself fall against Adrian.  His chest rumbled with what I guessed was a laugh as he pushed the horse faster. I loved the feeling that I was experiencing right now, even though he was there.

          “Where are we going?” I shouted over the wind. I knew he heard me, I’m not exactly quite.

          “We’re going to a secret place.” He didn’t shout it but I still heard him crystal clear. 

I decided not to push for information and enjoy the ride while it lasted. I leaned back against Adrian, closed my eyes, and threw my arms out. I felt like I was flying. The wind was whipping through my hair, pulling it out of my face. I decided to talk it down. I brought my arms in and undid the braid that had held my hair since I left home.  There was a small gasp, and then I felt Adrian rest his chin on top of my head. I wasn’t in the mood to fight, so I let him.  I could feel him smiling as he transferred the reigns to one hand and brought the other up and stroked my hair. That’s when I got this crazy feeling. My stomach flipped and I felt my heart speed up by at least 100 times per second. It was an amazing feeling, I never wanted it to end.

          After who knows how long, we arrived at a wall made entirely of rock. I don’t know how I hadn’t seen it before.  Adrian hopped off the horse and after checking that there was no one in sight, moved a few rocks around and revealed a large hole.  After leading the horse and I into the cave, he lit a lamp and moved the rocks back into place, trapping me in here.

          “Adrian…” I whispered, scared to speak to loudly.

          “Shhh, I brought you here to explain everything, just give me a minute.”

          I nodded but knew that he didn’t see me.

          After a little bit, I heard a strange noise.  Almost like if you made a big splash in the water and the ripples were hitting the edge of the tub. Except this sound was a lot softer, you couldn’t hear anything splashing around.

          A minute later, Adrian stopped and put the lamp down. He helped me off the horse and tied him up to a rock. Then, he carefully led me to a spot on the ground.

          “Sit down, and close your eyes. Nothing bad will happen, trust me, I won’t hurt you Lovista.”

          I decided to trust him. I sat down, but something was weird about this ground. It felt soft and kind of grainy.  I reached down and found that I could pick up the ground. I let it run through my fingers. It wasn’t at all like the dust that you found outside, it was nicer. I couldn’t explain it. But I defiantly liked it.