The Raven

Chapter 11 - Elleya

I watched in horror as Alrien fell to the ground, the shaft of an arrow protruding from his back.  As he hit the earth, my brother met my eyes, and I saw a look of complete peace in those green eyes, though I could tell that he was still confused at his dwindling moments to live.  He held that look for what seemed like an eternity, before completing his descent to the ground. His pack tore free from his shoulders and fell to the ground, its contents exploding everywhere.  I longed to run to my brother, but my feet were firmly planted behind the tree line, and terror kept them rooted.  Next to me, 306 inhaled sharply.  I saw something like surprise flash in the amber eyes.  Another arrow embedded itself in the tree just to her right, but she didn't even flinch.  Before us, the men were closing in.  Why couldn't they just leave us alone?  Alrien and I had been through so much in the past few days, why did this have to happen?  I was glad of the help that the girl from the city was offering, but I had to wonder how far her loyalties went.  When would the limit be tested and she would turn us in?  Then again, it might only be me turned in.  Alrien mightn't make it.  

I swallowed a sob, and tried to move forward to my fallen sibling, but my muscles were still seized up and I ended up tripping beyond the safety of the trees.  "No, don't!"  I spun to see 306 thrusting up her hands as if to keep me rooted.  "That's suicide!"  She screamed.  An arrow struck a nearby tree, shattering bark in her face.  The girl drew her hands to her face for safety.  I glanced back at my brother.  Maybe he was alright.  Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked.  I was about to rush ahead, when a hand closed on the collar of my shirt and hauled me back to the cover of the trees.  "Keep going."  306 hissed in my ear.  "I'll deal with this."  In my confused state, I briefly marveled how far this girl was willing to go to help us.  

I didn't want to leave my brother's fate in the hands of a stranger, but I had no choice.  So, I trusted 306 and spun on my heels.  I charged into the undergrowth.  As I sprinted through the leaves and trees of the dense woods, I heard the screams of men behind me and wondered just was that girl was doing.  She was powerful alright, and she knew it.  

I cleared a fallen tree and stumbled on.  As I raced through the dense foliage, branches and leaves whipped by, smacking my face and making my eyes water. Roots grabbed at my feet, threatening to pull me to the ground, and tall grasses cut my ankles. Through all of this, I keapt running at full speed, terrified of what I was leaving behind. My breath was the only thing I could now hear, coming in short, sporadic gasps. There was a crashing in the undergrowth behind me and I sped up, thinking that some fortunate soul had escaped 306's magic and was coming after me.  However, in a matter of seconds, the pursuer had closed in and was coming up on my right.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large being tripping alongside with me.  I tried to outrun him, but to no avail.  My energy was spent.  Then I saw who it was.

It was 306!  She had slung Alrien over her shoulder and was full out sprinting with me!  I had no idea how she was doing it.  She had to be my age, and had used up so much more energy protecting Alrien and I with her magic.  Yet, here she was still up and running.  Slumped over her shoulder  like a naughty boy, Alrien twitched slightly in his deep sleep.  Blood seeped from where the arrow had entered, and wound its way down his arm and to the ground.  A trail of bright red followed 306 as she weaved in and out of the way of trees.  Just the sight of my brother safe gave me renewed vigor.  

I slowly fell into line behind 306, seeing as I had no idea where I was going.  I wanted to sing for joy, but my constricted lungs were trying to squeeze the breath out of me at every footfall.  Working the farm a home had given me strong arms and legs, and I could outrun many of the boys in town.  However, I still had a breaking point, and now, running through the woods like a frightened rabbit, I was reaching that point.  My hands were starting to tremble, and my lungs were on fire.  I longed to stop for a minute to catch my breath and give my burning muscles a rest, but the thought of my wounded brother and the pursuing men behind me forced me on.

Ahead of me, 306 stumbled a little and swore loudly.  I'd forgotten about her ankle.  Again, I wondered what kept her going on.  Over her shoulder, Alrien mumbled something and shifted slightly.  He was still out, probably from blood loss.  Streams ran down his arm and onto the ground.

My vision began to tunnel.  I was pushing myself too hard.  The strain of sprinting flat out through the beggar's camp and through the woods was too much.  I began to slow down.  My feet started to trip over one another till I was stumbling through the undergrowth.  Through my fuzzy vision, I could see 306 slowing gradually.  She had begun to limp ever so slightly, and Alrien was slipping down her shoulder.  Blinking, I tried to clear my bleary eyes.  It didn't work.  My feet caught on a root, and I fell to the ground, limbs sprawled.  My head connected with the ground, and white hot pain raced through my spine.  My head swam.  I did not have the energy or the will to get back up again.  My legs and thighs had longs since stopped burning and were now icy cold and shaking badly.  They didn't seem connected to my body at all, only distantly attached to the slightest degree.  I tried to at least sit up, but an immediate seize of nausea overcame me and I managed to lean to the side just in time to vomit on the ground.  I whimpered. 

I was a pathetic creature.  I couldn't even drag myself off the ground to save my dying brother.  My vision was failing me and blackness was closing in. From a distance, I could feel something warm tricky down my cheek.  Through my dazed state, I could hear snapping twigs to my right.  I slowly glanced upward into the grey eyes of an old man.  His threadbare cloths hung off a muscular frame, covered with scars from years of handling tools.  His face was badly misshapen and a thick, corded scar ran from his temple down to his chin.  However, his steel colored eyes were kind enough and offered no malicious intent.  I tried to struggled my way off the ground, maybe to stumble away, but my legs refused to carry any weight.  I was helpless as the mountain of the man knelt in the dirt and slid his thick arms under me.  I didn't know who he was or what side he was on, but my mind was too dazed to care.

The man straightened and turned in the direction I had been heading.  I slumped helplessly across his arms like a scarecrow left out in the rain, limp and motionless.  I swayed every time he set his foot to the path, and my pack bounced rhythmically against my hip.  For several minutes, the man carried me away from where I had fallen.  Even over the course of this short time, strength refused to return to my limbs.  Blankly, I wondered what had happened to 306 and Alrien.  Had they also been taken away by strange men?  My mind began to drift away.  I felt like I was floating.  The swaying of the man's arms lulled my mind and body and I my eyes started to close.  I no longer had the strength to keep them open.  They slid shut, and I fell prey to darkness.

AN

Sorry for the short chapter, guys.  I needed to just kick out a chapter, even if it wasn't very long.  However, Chapter 12 will explain everything and be pretty awesome if I don't say myself.  Please keep holding on!!!