Somewhere in the mountains, Pharmacum Province, Arietes Orbis
Year: 4995
Adrastea slowly opened her eyes and stared into the black nothingness in front of her. For a frightening second she thought that maybe she had gone blind, and then for another frightening second she thought that she was dead, but both scenarios were proved wrong when a rough hand ripped the blindfold off, taking several strands of Adrastea's brown hair with it. The light flooded into her vision quickly and it took a moment for everything to come into focus. When it did, Adrastea wished she had stayed unconscious.
She was sitting on the hard earth ground of a sort of cave, surrounded by a large and unpleasant group of brigands, clad with a variety of furs and fabrics - some even in mismatched jewelry - and about a fourth of them were Cieven. A little less than half were Human, and the rest were mostly Elves with a few Shefro. For so many different races to be in one place was truly a spectacle Adrastea never thought she would see, but was also one chance that if offered, she would have wholeheartedly declined.
The cave had a large opening where Adrastea could see into the forest and there were several tents scattered about. It looked more or less like a permanent camp, at least in the cave, but she could not be all together sure.
Twisting about to get more comfortable Adrastea felt a sharp pain around her wrists and she looked down, seeing that they were bound with a thick cord and had started bleeding. Her broken arm was still in a splint but the medicine Aule had given her had worn off and the throbbing started up again.
"I would not advice moving," a man said from behind.
His voice was smooth and elegant with a tongue rolling accent as most of the Humans from the South of Satis had. Adrastea could practically see him already. Dark and sleek with shining black eyes and startling white smile.
She was not wrong.
"Let me introduce myself," he said, stepping in front of her and bowing. "I am Didac Pavia...And you might be...?"
Adrastea glared up at him with her green eyes and did not answer. She was merely assessing the man but her expression made it look as though she wished to murder him. The first thing that Adrastea noticed was that he looked exactly like he sounded, elegant and handsome, but once again, if anyone had offered her the chance to meet such a man out of her own willingness, she would have declined. He was not a man to take lightly, no matter how charming his disposition.
"If I may?" he said with a smile, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his coat pocket. "Ahem, 'Royal family murdered, Princess escaped, description enclosed'...13 years of age, strait light brown hair, large green eyes, oval face, a tendency to frown...Would I be right in assuming that this lovely creature is you?"
Adrastea's eyes grew wide in surprise and she stared at the paper, wondering how he had come by such a notice.
"You see, my men are extremely good at what they do and never miss details," Pavia continued. "And you, mi querido, are without a doubt the most enticing detail of this unfortunate event. How lucky we were to have you simply ride onto our doorstep!"
Adrastea rolled her eyes and twisted her wrists despite the pain, trying to get loose. Didac Pavia did not miss this slight motion and his smile slackened as he knelt down, his face only a few inches from Adrastea's. She looked down but he grabbed her chin and forced eye contact, smiling once more.
"Another thing my men are good at," he said quietly. "Is making sure that valuable prisoners such as yourself never escape."
Adrastea glared at him once more he laughed, letting go of her chin and standing up.
YOU ARE READING
The Hunted - Book 1 of the Lost Royals Series
Fantasy"I shall never tell," the Queen replied. Without another word the man thrust the dagger into her and Adrastea let out an involuntary scream, quickly covering her mouth. But it was too late. The Human snapped his head around and looked at the do...
