The Wolf and The Blossom

Chapter 11

Anne

The Europeans crowd us in, separating me from Waya, leaving chaos around me. Gun shots ring out and my heart stutters each time one goes off. Fires are set, sending the wattles up in flames.

Children cry and I whip my emotions together. Kids. Keep them safe. I make my way to the children, gathering them by the outskirts of the fight. The children gather around me and I comfort them, keeping myself calm despite the fire inside me.

The fighting is chaos and my insides flip over and over, Waya lost in the crowd. A man I recognize as my mothers brother separates from the crowd, eyes wild and locked on me. "Anne?" his voice is raspy.

Adrenaline courses through me and one of the children press a knife into my hand and I close my fist around it, I step in front of the children and widen my stance. "Anne, I've been searching for you, I was beginning to wonder if these savages had killed you."

My jaw clenches at the word savages. If anything they are the savages. Taking my peoples land, killing for no reason, pillaging this village for one girl. "Leave," I growl.

"Come on we can go together."

"No. Leave, I am not coming with you."

He shakes his head. "This isn't your home."

"It is home, this is where I belong." I pull out the knife between us.

He makes a gesture and three other men close around me. I swipe at him with the knife and then at another. My knife isn't enough to hold them off. They are going to take me. A man lunges at me and I punch the knife into his thigh and then step back into another man. Hands clamp around me and I scream, bucking and thrashing. Another set of hands grab my ankles and I thrash as hard as I can and scream.

Twisting I catch a sight of Waya and reach out towards him, he lurches towards but is attacked. Tears blur my eyes and my chest aches.

"Let me go! Get off me!" I kick my feet and twist my body, futilely.

But the hands only tighten.

Carrying me away from Waya.

-~-

The men throw me in a carriage and I push the door open and take off running.

Or attempt to.

A hand clamps around my hair, yanking me down and I slam into the mud and they throw me back in, the seat hitting my head and darkness consumes me.

-~-

My head aches and nausea roils my stomach. Light shines through a window and when I open my eyes, wood is all around me and my surroundings sway. I get off the bed and my literal surroundings sway. My eyes widen and I rush to the window.

Ocean.

Ocean.

Ocean, lays before me. No, no, no! My chest aches and tears roll down my cheeks. I move towards the door then I am stopped short, looking down at the chain around my ankle.

No!

I grab the small end table and hurl it against the door, screaming. Yelling, angry voices sound beyond the door and it abruptly swings open. My uncle stands in the doorway.

"I see those savages have rubbed off on you," he sneers. "It's a good thing we left them in shambles."

His words hit me like a punch to the stomach. "Take me back. I was happy there. It is my home."

"No," he bites out. "London is your home. Your foolish father never should have moved your family out here to begin with."

I yank on the chain. "Let. Me. Go," I snarl.