Cursed by the Gods

Chapter 1

"Can I please burn this place to the ground?" I asked pouting and sticking out my bottom lip as I got a frown and a stare.

"Hey, I want to join in! Emmy lets do it" Willa said agreeing with me and together we stared at our other best friend who sighed and put two fingers on the bridge of her nose to signal she was done with us. after three days stuck in a carriage with Willa and I, no one could blame her. 

"Seeing as it's a castle made of stone, I don't think fire is going to do much damage," she said smartly. That's what you think I though smugly already feeling my hands twitch with heat.

"But trying will make me feel better and it's not like these arrogant sols don't deserve it anyway. It's time to mess with their heads a little bit." 

I go to walk in the direction of the nearest flammable object when Emmy's strong grip latches onto my arm. Willa tries to sneak out of sight but Emmy stops her with a glare. Dam that woman always ruins our fun. 

"Neither of you are going anywhere until we find our rooms. For the sake of the gods we just got here to Blesswood and you're already thinking of ways to burn it to the ground" I huffed at her disappointed tone. Way to take all the fun out of it Emmy. How else was I going to bring these annoying toerags to heal?

My mind started concocting all kinds of schemes when they were so rudely interrupted by two loud and boisterous sols. Confused I tilted my head trying to figure out what they were doing, it was target practice by the looks of it. A very dangerous target practice were one sol had been bound to the tree while the other held a crossbow aimed at his chest.

Along with the rest of the group of dwellers that we had arrived with we watched the scene in confusion. I rolled my eyes, these idiots were supposed to be our future gods and they were doing stupid things like this? If your going to try and shoot someone tied to a tree at least make the ropes tighter, even I could see from about twenty meters away that the ropes were slack enough to make an escape. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, way to take all the fun out of it.

The courtyard we were standing in had multihued stones underfoot and a giant ancient piere tree that stood in the center breaking up the cobblestones with thick paper white roots. Curiously I tapped my foot gently against the ground and saw that the cobblestones shook lightly with the touch. Interesting, that could definately be useful later. 

Oh, and did I forget to mention the sol who was holding the crossbow was also blindfolded. The idiot tied to the tree was laughing at him and directing his shot. The sol tied to the tree looked a little older than me, his bright eyes sparkling with laughter. I wanted to see the color of his eyes, maybe run my fingers through his golden black hair....

The sol tied to the tree noticed us and he started to laugh even harder. "Turn" he shouted.

The guy with the crossbow raised his arm aiming the bolt directly at the other's chest before slowly turning. To face us. Instinctively I grabbed hold of Willa knowing that if she tripped and fell into this arrow like she did everything else then we were in for it. I loved Willa like my little sister and if she so much as flinched right now I was going to hang her to that tree by her toes.

None of the guides did anything to stop the sol, he had the same golden tarnish to his hair as the one tied to the tree, though it was more of a copper color, and his skin was a shade more tanned. He was also built like he tore up trees from the ground for a hobby. The blindfold over his eyes seemed to mask more than just his eyes. But I could still make out the infinitesimal smirk twisting his lips.

"Stop!" the one tied to the tree shouted.

The crossbow—and the guy holding it—paused. The bolt quivered ... and everyone turned to stare at me because it was now pointed directly at me. I gestured for Emmy to grab Willa and I stood in front of them. I was ready to stop anything that came our way.