The tears of a Phoenix

Chapter 3. Isaletta pov

There was only darkness. Though sometimes she thought she heard voices. But they disappeared as soon as they came. She felt pain too as she faded in and out of conciseness. Lots of pain. In her few moments of awareness there was always wind. Storm like wind tearing at her. And she moved like on a boat. It made her feel sick but she was never conscious long enough to throw up. One time she was able to open her eyes slightly. At first she thought she was still in darkness but then she realised it was a talon. She was being carried in a talon. Why? She did not know. She tasted blood and her head spun. Darkness then pressed in on her again. She tried to fight it but it was too strong. Everything went black again.

She had no idea of how much time had passed. But at some point she could think straight again. Her head and rest of her body still hurt but she didn't faint. At least, not yet. She could feel the cold air brushing against her body and skin even though most of her was well held in a talon. A Phoenix talon. She had been taken. Why she was still alive was a question she wasn't sure she wanted the answer too. Who knows what they would to to her. All she knew was that she had to escape.

"Should we make a last stop before crossing the ocean?" A male voice she did not know asked. "No, the longer we wait with crossing the ocean, the more time the enemy gets to stop us." That was the voice of the Phoenix that had attacked her. Isaletta's eyes were wide. They were going to take her back to their kingdom across the ocean. Her father would not be able to save her there. She had to escape now. She moved her hand to her boots hoping for some luck. Pain tore through her whole body but she bite her lip and ignored it. The small knife she had placed there was still there. Lucky her, those birds were all fools after all.

Her hand trembled as she held the blade. Then she pushed the blade into the talon that held her. The bird schrieked in pain and out of instinct dropped her. Air tore at her clothes as she fell through the sky. The sudden vision of sunlight blinded her. But she could hear screams from at least more than twenty birds around her. She opened her eyes over and over again fighting the sunlight. But she couldn't get a clear vision. Only blurs raising above her, diving for her. All sound was lost to her. There was only the strong rush of air and her swirling hair she could hear. She spun around in the air looking down. A forest came fast into view. Now close behind her she could hear the beating of wings. The birds were close and could catch her any moment. The trees came closer and closer, they would surely be her death if she crashed into them with the speed she was falling. But if she summoned her magic now to slow her the birds would catch her. So instead she summoned her magic to go faster. Only when she was seconds away from the treetops did she use her magic to slow her. She closed her eyes bracing for impact. Knowing this was going to hurt her badly. But nothing could prepare her for the agony when her belly hits the top of a tree. She tears her eyes open a scream escaping her just before her last eaten meal comes back up. She tumbles sideways of the tree falling between two trees. Branches hit her from all sides and her body keeps spinning around. Leaves, thorns and twigs scratch her already wounded body. A branch hits her leg hard and she hears the crack of bone before she feels the pain. Finally her back hit solid ground knocking the breath out of her. The was the cracking of bone again. Twice this time. Her leg again and a rip she was sure. For it was suddenly very hard and painful to breath.

Light and dark dance before her eyes as she just lay there trying to breath. Brilliant move Isaletta. Just brilliant. I should have giving my escape more thought. Before the trees the birds now circled shrieking. Would it be possible for them to land with so many trees around? She wondered for a moment hoping they could not and had to leave her. But the a bird tore out a hole tree, roots and all. Dirt and grass flow around as the tree rose into the sky. A view more trees got torn out. Isaletta didn't care any more. Her head felt like exploding as all the pain slowly got to her brain. Ones more there was only pain and a blurred vision. She didn't notice three birds landing and shifting not far from her. She hardly heard their voices. Her eyes shut and darkness claimed her once more.

"We have to treat her wounds." A female voice said. "She will otherwise die along the way." A male groan sounds somewhere not to far away. "We're almost there she can hold on a bit longer." The sound of a viper like hiss. "No you brain of flames! She's a her limit, if we don't tend to her wounds now she will die and all our work will be for nothing!" Faint murmurs then a sigh. Then another male voice speaks up. "Very well." Silence. Suddenly disturbed by crushing pain. Isaletta's eyes fly open as a scream fills the room. It takes her a view seconds to release that it was her scream, her pain. There are hands all over her holding her down. She struggles trying to resist. Trying to free herself. But the hands are strong and she can't seem to get them off. Her vision is a blur of light, people, faces. A female voice calls to the people to hold her still. Fear rushes through her. They are going to kill me. Is the only thought that gets past the circle of pain clouding her mind. Then there are hands on her broken leg and within seconds someone breaks them again. She screams. Now desperate to end the pain she reaches for her magic. With much strength some one pushes her broken bones back into place. The pain makes her vision spin as she now tries to claw at the men holding her down. Fire on her finger nails as her right hand finds hold on someone's wrist and she digs her nails in deep. A painful groan sounds but the person holding her does not release her. With much effort she manages to turn her head. Her vision still blurred she can barely make out the man holding her. He has bright red hair and is strongly build. She can't make out whether or not he's eyes are focused on her. But they should be. For she is holding him in her grip as much as he is holding her. "Please..." Her words are soft almost unhearable. But the slight tilt of the man's head tells her he heard her. But before he or she can speak pain flooded her vision again. Fire. Fire burning her flesh. She bulks tugging violently at the hands that hold her down. And she screams. Then words escape her mouth even before she can think them. "Stop, please stop! Just kill me! Just kill me please!" Her breathing turns ragged as her head spins. "Please..." But no one listens. No one cares. And the pain does not end. The pain of fire on her flesh comes again and again until she finally passes out.