The Archress [HOLD]

V

Ciar knew a lot of things. She knew that Armia was hiding in the canopies above her, watching as the Huma were rounded up into small groups by strangers in scarlet red cloaks. She knew that they were associated with Beasts, or someone with a magical power. She knew that whatever Beast had come here was evil, and knew that Master Sasge had been dabbling in magical affairs. It was obvious that that was how she died. Ciar also knew that Ulysses was in a new debt, but she didn't know with whom the debt was owed to or what it was.

Yet.

Ulysses had always been too proud and arrogant for his poor sister. They were both reckless, but he in a way that killed people and ruined lives. Armia, however, would do anything to accomplish her goals. It was a trait that had been passed down from their mother.

"Ciar, are you okay?"

Rolling her eyes, Ciar grabbed Lonco's sweaty hand and squeezed it. They, along with Boak, were packed tightly together in the back of a wagon, loaded on as if they were nothing less than sacks of flour. Ciar was tossed on top of both boys, her back against their chests. Boak was nervously twitching with the rope that bound his wrists together, and Lonco had been talking nonstop for however long they had been there.

"Yes, she's fine." A red cloaked man holding a wickedly long and thin curved dagger stopped in front of the group. From what Ciar could tell, he was a sort of leader among the red cloaks. His face was narrow and bony, with cheekbones that looked like they could stab you, and pale eyes as light as the sun. He didn't look very evil; he looked like the sort of man that would read plenty of books and know a lot about the world around him. He looked smart in the scholar way, not the plan-an-evil-scheme way.

"Aren't you?" he asked, looking directly at Ciar. He also looked like the type of man who could tell the same joke hundreds of times in a row and still think it funny.

Ciar stubbornly looked up past him, into the canopies. Armia was still there, but so was something else. Something--

"Aaahhh!"

The world seemed to slow down as Armia went falling from her hidden tree perch. Fortunately, a few branches slowed her fall. Unfortunately, she was obviously hurt with a wound near her shoulder, surrounded by dried blood. Her mystically silver hair was tangled and homed bunches of stray leaves. She looked like she had just fallen out of a war zone.

"What was that thud?" Boak asked, still twisting and pinching his bonds.

"Man, can you please stop with the rope?" Lonco whispered-barked. Even tied up and nailed under a body, his personality was still as loud as ever.

Ciar didn't need loud right now. She squirmed and wriggled her fingers.

"What is it?" Lonco asked, all seriousness.

In response, Ciar grunted and tilted her head as best as she could over at Armia's crumpled body. Facing the wagon's opening, Boak saw what she was gesturing to and muttered, "Last time she'll ever nag me about falling out of trees."

"What is it?" Lonco asked again.

"Apparently, Armia fell out of a tree," Boak answered matter-of-factly. "That, or someone pushed her."

Lonco gasped. "Really? I had no idea that you couldn't be pushed out of a tree. Have you ever heard of such a thing before, Ciar?"

Ciar rolled her eyes. When would they ever stop?

A few red cloaks rushed over to Armia's unconscious body and picked her up. One lifter almost dropped her when they touched her shoulder and Armia gave a violent shake.

Sighing the leading red cloak boomed, "What's wrong now, idiot?"

'Idiot' immediately straightened his posture. "She's bleeding, sir," he answered.

"Oh, really?" Lonco, Boak, and the red cloaks muttered all at once. Ciar again rolled her eyes. It seemed like her eyes were doing a lot of looking up inside her head lately.

"Yes, sir."

Red Cloak waved his hand impatiently. "Fine. I didn't think to bring a doctor with us during a raid and siege," he mumbled. Louder, he said, "Are any one of you Huma here a medic?"

Ciar could feel every one of the assassins' eyes on her. Confidently, she raised her head and glared at Red Cloak.

"What do you want?" he asked, then paused. "Oh, you're the doctor. Fine. Get up, then. Unless you can't walk, either."

Lonco thrashed under Ciar. "That little-"

"Ssh!" Boak snapped. "It would help if you would untie her, sir," he said in a respectful tone.

Red Cloak clapped his hands joyfully. "Yes! At least one of you Huma know how to treat those above you. You!" he barked at someone else. "Untie the medic!"

Another cloaked man--this one was younger--arrived and unceremoniously tossed her over and undid Ciar's roped hands. She was shoved and hustled over to Armia's body, where the leading red cloak was hauntingly standing. Without looking at him, Ciar bent down and looked at the silver-haired girl's face. As her doctor's hands flirted up and down her chest, she saw that Armia's eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling. She was alive, just knocked out from the fall--or surprise from the day's events. A single, purple and green tipped bird's feather was on the ground next to her.

It was about time.

Rising, Ciar took a few steps closer to Red Cloak. "Is the girl okay?" he asked, as impatient and rude as Ulysses.

Ciar slowly began to nod, and let out a sharp whistle as her head jerked up and down. Quickly and quietly, a hidden knife slid from her sleeve and fell into her hand. A split second later, a royal purple bird with green tipped feathers flew down from the air and landed in her shoulder. He was barely bigger than Ciar's fist, and was never far from his usual spot, digging his mini talons into her skin. She was used to it; after all, Par had been with her almost since birth.

Ciar whistled again, and this time, Par returned the tune. The bird then dove into Red Cloak's face, scratching and tearing at his cheeks as Ciar ran and cut through Boak and Lonco's ties.

"It's a good thing Armia never forgets her pocketknife," Lonco piped. "Good thinking, Ciar."

She didn't know why the heat rushed to her face at that.

"Quick," Boak said, pointing to a pile of shining swords, quivers, bows, and daggers. "Get those and start freeing the others. Ciar can--wait. Where did she go?"

Ciar was already gone, disarming and putting down more of the red cloaked kidnappers.

Suddenly, the ground shook, shaking even the sturdiest trees. Ciar froze and looked around. Her eyes dashed in every direction, looking for the threat, something extra...

Right then, she knew three things: something evil, strong, and terrible was coming towards them; Ulysses was gone; and that the kingdom of Caos would never be the same again.