Fire's Grace (Being Edited)

Chapter 5

I see light. There is a sharp pain on the back of my head. Everything is blurry. I am in a daze and don't remember anything that happened before I passed out. I don't even remember when I passed out.

My vision starts to clear. I remember what happened. Panic starts to set in again. I try not to move, hoping I will trick my captors to make them think I am still asleep. It doesn't work.

I hear the harsh voice of the captain. "I know you're awake. No point trying to fake it."

I unwillingly open my eyes. Seeing my surroundings I try to piece together where I am. It doesn't help that I have never been out of my house before.

"We should just kill you know. You're an orphan, a female, and the daughter of a magic wielder."

I say nothing. I am lying down on a wooden cart, my hands bound by rough rope behind me, in the middle of the forest. This must be the perfect situation. For the guards at least.

"Nothing to say? To bad. I was really looking forward to you trying to yell for help," I try to speak. Nothing comes out of my mouth.

"Stop the cart! It's almost dark."

Dark! I was asleep for the whole day? No, not asleep. Knocked out. Rendered unconscious.

The guards stop the cart and set up their camp. Leaving me in the cart, probably for the night. Only once that night did they stop to give me food and water. They started a fire. I concentrated on it, willing it to move like in Ben's stories. Not once did anything abnormal happen.

"Dad! Show me the dancing fire again!"

"Okay. Just don't try to touch it again."

"I won't."

I watch my dad make the fire fly with just one thought and one flick of his hand. It dances around the room changing from fiery orange to icy blue. It swirls and flips as if doing acrobatics. It amazes me. And Emma. She reaches out to touch it. I pull her away.

Dad laughs as if I told him a joke.

"Do you love your sister more than me?"

I look at him in shock. Then he starts to laugh and I know it is a joke.

The guards make sure I'm not going to be able to go anywhere. My hands are tied even tighter. It feels like my blood stopped flowing. Then they go to bed. Or to get drunk at least.

Once I'm sure they are asleep I try to sit up. I barely lift my head when my vision swirls. I fight through it. I look around me again, just praying there will be something I can cut the rope with. I see it. A small shard of sharp glass. I crawl over to it and attempt to cut the rope. The rope resists to give. I drop the glass.

After what felt like a few minutes, I release a breath I didn't know I was holding. I try to cut the rope again. It takes multiple tries before the rope finally gives away to my blade of glass.

I try to stand on the softness of the grass. I fall. Thinking I woke the captain from his slumber, I bow my head in defeat. The captain never comes. I am given a new chance.

I try to stand again. This time I almost fall but don't. My legs wobble as if I am on stilts. Someone by the captain wakes up. He looks at me and starts to run. I try to run but my legs betray me. The enemy get closer. Just when I think I am done for, I run. I run towards my freedom.

The forest is up ahead. But my close escape caused the captain and everyone else to awake. I have the entire enemy running towards me at full speed. Just a little farther. I am out of breath. I feel as if I will collapse. Freedom is just up ahead.

The captain yells orders but I don't understand them. Everyone who was chasing me stops. I don't understand but I keep running. Then I understand. The captain shoots at me with his bow. The arrow flies past my head.

He misses! The captain missed me. I start to think I am safe when more arrows fly past my head. I run faster. I can't think. I just run. 20 yards. 10 yards. Then I am shot. I am shot in the shoulder. I go down. The ground around me starts to stain with blood. My blood. I am losing too much blood too fast.

My vision blurs as I see the captain come up to me. He has his wicked grin on his face. I can tell he is pleased with his catch. He caught his prey. I was so close to freedom. Darkness surrounds me once again.