The sun shone brightly over the shimmering pond where fishes jumped about with unseen joy. Butterflies fluttered from a cluster of wild flowers to another cluster as the birds played along with them. The grass swayed gently with the moving breeze. Such a picturesque scenery- only, if those two young people with dark clouds over their heads could really appreciate it. As Jane sat staring blankly at the pond, Alastair was sitting above a tree which was a few feet away. Neither of them uttered a word or breath. It was like time had come to a standstill, preserving the eternal beauty of nature in shackles. The leaves of the trees rustled as the gentle wind picked up a stronger appeal. Alastair let out a sigh.
"That was quicker than what I had expected" he said while looking up at the sky.
"Quicker? What are you talking about?" Jane asked in an indifferent voice.
"We have been found out"
Jane's emerald eyes grew large as she heard it and looked around frantically. A faint laugh of an old man was heard from among the trees surrounding them.
"You have a keen sense of vision, young man" The voice went on. Alastair merely smirked and jumped down from the tree with a graceful landing. As he stood up facing the way in which they had come from, he spoke looking at the trees.
"Can you please come down, you and your other hidden assassins? You should not be climbing trees for your age, old man"
An old man with a crude appearance and a long white beard jumped down the exact way in which Alastair did moments ago, even more graceful than him.
"You should give respect to your elders, Mr. Reed, 16 years old since last Spring, if I am not wrong."
"Ah. So you know who I am" Alastair said in a cautious tone and defensive stance.
"So you are the same age as me?" Jane asked in a puzzled tone to which the old man chuckled.
"He just looks older. I guess that is what experience does to you. But I do wonder, why did you-"
"Enough of that" Alastair interrupted the old man.
"Pray do tell, what is your business with me?"
"I am afraid that my business is not with you. It is with that lovely young girl behind you- Miss Summers!"
Alastair turned around and looked at a bewildered Jane. Again, he resumed his defensive stance but with a firm look of resolution on his face.
"I am sorry to say that Miss Summers won't be available"
The old man merely smiled, showing his wrinkled dimples. A group of twelve men jumped down from the trees and took up defensive stances before the old man, simultaneously cornering Alastair and Jane in three directions. A young girl emerged from the thick bushes from the other side, making a closed circuit and leaving the duo cornered on all sides.
"Ah, There you are Evelyn! Meet Alastair, he is the same age as you" The old man said with a chirpy tone.
"I am not interested in boys who lack maturity" she said, giving Alastair a disdainful look.
"Besides, this girl" she said, while pointing to Jane, "She is Jane Summers right?"
"As always, you are way too clever"
"She is exactly as I thought her to be. A bumbling idiot."
Jane's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and anger as she stared at Evelyn with rage.
"I do not see how I may have offended you in any way, Miss Evelyn"
"Oh please, you don't know me well enough to use my first name. You can call me Miss Hammond, commoner."
"Are you not the same, Miss Hammond?"
Evelyn merely laughed and walked towards Jane with little steps; steps with a menacing flair.
"I am the co-leader of the Rebels, not a maid in the Palace."
"You are still-"
"Enough Jane!" a familiar voice interrupted her. Slowly, a young boy supported by two other men limped forward which made Jane give out a cry of alarm. It was Haytham! He was barely able to walk and his body was bruised badly. He had a deep cut over his right forearm which was still bleeding and all the colour from his face was drained. Jane staggered a few steps back when she recognized Haytham. All her pent up feelings of guilt and frustration attacked her simultaneously.
"Hay-Haytham...! you're alive-"
"So you survived huh?" Alastair cut in. He looked at Haytham with menacing cold eyes.
"I will never let you harm Jane" he continued.
"Why do you think I was going to harm her?" Haytham asked in a weak confused voice.
"Because you were going to take her to the Rebels! And now you've lead them to us!"
Everyone surrounding Jane and Alastair laughed, including Haytham despite his condition.
"Why are you all laughing?"
"Because you're completely delusional!" Evelyn said between laughs. Haytham managed to compose himself and said,
"She knows I was taking her to the Rebels so your act of bravery and murder by sending me to jail to be hanged- is all wasted"
Alastair looked stunned. It was the first time he had ever been made a fool out of. By a girl, no less. He turned slowly to look at a shaking Jane with tears in her eyes.
"Why did you not tell me this, Miss Summers?"
"Ah. I-"
"You thought I could not be trusted with such a trivial information? That you are travelling with that good-for-nothing idiot to join the Rebels?"
"Alastair, it was not like that!"
"Then what is it? Was working as a maid for Allen so tiring that you want to conspire against him by joining the Rebels?!"
"I did not want to join the Rebels!" Jane screamed out.
"I just wanted to trust Haytham's words; that this will solve the questions I have about my parents; that I will finally know why I was left alone in this world."
Alastair could not say anything any more. He was completely taken aback by Jane's outburst and almost about-to-cry face.
"Fine, do whatever you want. But you won't be seeing me any more."
"No no, not so fast, Mr. Reed" Evelyn interrupted.
"Though Haytham had done a lousy job and deserves to rot in prison, he is still a Rebel and you have tried to kill him. We can not let you go just like that."
"Heh. So, you are going to kill me?" Alastair asked with a smirk.
"Now now, you won't be valuable to us if you are dead Mr. Reed, taking into consideration your- heritage. So, we are taking both of you as hostages!"
"Hostages?" Jane cried out in alarm, fearing the worst.
"Relax Jane, you are not going to die. Trust me" Haytham tried to comfort her. Evelyn's hands twitched and she struck a blow to Haytham's head, knocking him unconscious. She turned to stare at the trembling Jane and said in a cold voice,
"You better pray to that dead parents of yours that you will get out of this alive."
YOU ARE READING
Mage of Eden
Fantasy"There's a power in this world that no one has seen before. It is gentle and sweet; but brutal and devastating. Maybe, if it could be seen, everyone would fight over it. That's why no one has ever seen it. The universe hid it so that no one could ge...
