The Abyss: Confusion

Chapter Three: Shay's Secret

I made my way slowly to where they had said she was. I stayed out of sight as I made a plan to get her. She was hiding behind a lone tree there was 25 metres of open area before the tree, then another 50 to the birds hut. I was hiding behind a cabin; I lied on the ground and peeked around the corner. There were ten soldiers placed on the other side of the camp, five were facing the camp, five were facing the clearing. An idea flourished in my head and I waved Rain down from the skies. I quickly scribbled a message and tied it to his thin legs, and then I sent him to Amber.

I turned as he flew off and snuck back across the settlement to my horse. I called it over to me and motioned for it to attack a set of four soldiers at my call. I snuck a few cabins down and motioned for the horse to do its bidding. It disappeared in the direction of the four soldiers, I heard shrieks of surprise and pain as the horse attacked them. The three soldiers that I had snuck up near turned to face the commotion. I ran up right behind them pulling my short swords out and yelled "Run!" they turned startled.

I took the advantage and kicked one backwards; he hit the side of the cabin with a thud and dropped to the ground, still breathing. I heard the cry of pain that said Amber had gotten my note. I faced the other two warriors as I whistled a quick tune, Rain above me screeched and flew into the trees. Just before the first fighter made a move Rain returned with a few other birds and started clawing at them. They cried out in pain as they were bitten, stabbed, and clawed at.

I turned and ran to the cabin I had hidden next to when I wrote the note, I saw a red-faced Amber panting as she ran the last ten metres. I peered around the corner and saw a soldier aiming a bow at her. She was close but the archer would have a clear shot of her until she got to the cover of the cabin. I whipped out a dagger, aimed, and threw as fast as I could. The dagger hit the archer seconds before he let the arrow fly, it whistled through the air and missed her by a metre.

She ran the last few steps until she was safe and fell to the ground. I whistled loudly to call my animals off, as I knelt to pick her up. "I don't think I can walk or run any farther, I tripped so many times while I was running. My leg hurts so much." She looked at me apologetic.

"I can carry you for a bit." I said as I picked her off the ground careful not to bump her leg. I snuck to the edge of the camp and waited for Rain. He came flying over with some of John's ravens that he'd let out but not commanded to leave. I commanded them to follow Rain, and for Rain to go take a message to Lynn and tell the clan that we have been attacked and that it is not safe anymore. As he flew away I picked Amber up again and started to cross the area between the camp and the forest.

I ducked behind trees and ran as fast as I could— while holding Amber—to other trees, slowly edging my way to the forest. When I finally reached the forest edge I looked behind me at what had been my home for five years. The enemy was now burning the cabins and searching for us, I kept going further into the trees until I met my horse in a small clearing. He nickered as I approached him; I placed Amber on the saddle and walked with him to the dam, thanking him for helping me. An hour later we were at the dam and I was looking at Ambers wound.

Her wound was much like Drew's; it was some gashes on her legs. Although unlike Drew she had it on both legs. "I'm surprised you made the run, by the look of these it must have been excruciating. How did you get them?" I looked at her as I washed them of as carefully as I could.

"I was running behind the others away from the birds hut and Drew got hit. Mitchell picked him up and carried him. I was about ten metres away from the tree and I was cut by some arrows, I fell to the ground. The others kept going, they didn't hear me. So I crawled to the tree, but as I was crawling someone must have noticed me because before I was behind the tree I was cut again." She watched me as she spoke. I was covering her wounds with a special mixture that helped them heal better.