Reign ✔

II

Danger.

I didn't have a single idea about what Elizabeth was talking about. But panic struck me like current. My mouth hung open at the word 'danger'. Something was wrong... very wrong. Eliza quickly grabbed my arm and whisked me away.

"We have to go", Eliza said, fear clear in her shaky voice. But what was so frightening that scared even Elizabeth? Because as far as I knew, nothing could ever Eliza. She was a brave one; the bravest I've ever known. I had seriously no idea what frightened her so much.

"But why? What had suddenly happened to you?" I asked.

"Don't ask, just walk" Eliza snapped back at me.

Without anymore questions, I simply followed Elizabeth like a puppy. The wind howled again, tugging at our long satin skirts and making it uneasy to walk. Despite that, we kept a steady pace. We walked miles and miles but still didn't reach our small cottage. We took a left turn, then a right, again a right - but in the dark, we had no idea whether we were heading the right way. And soon, in no time, we were lost in the darkest hour.

But still, we continued with some hope. As we went through the rough places, kicking at the dirt and the twigs, I suddenly tripped over a stone and rolled down a steep wall. I rolled and rolled down, shouting for help, until my back hit the hard ground. My head smashed against a rock and crimson blood oozed out. I was nauseated by all the blood. Pain shot through me at an instance. Tears quickly rolled down my dirty cheeks. And then, I remained there in the ground, until I had the power to open my eyes again.

After some minutes, maybe hours, my eyes finally opened. The first thing I did was touch my forehead where I had hit the rock, and I felt dried blood there. It hurt a little, but the throbbing pain was gone. Gathering my strength, I stood up and examined the place.

It was dark. The outline of trees and leaves could be seen and they looked like scary creatures. The entire area was barren, with only some trees nearby. Scared, I walked towards a tree. I searched every corner I could see, trying to absorb the fact that I was completely lost. There was no sign of Elizabeth, neither of the cottage. Only darkness all around and the sound of the rumbling thunder could be heard. Losing hope, I slumped to the ground, against the tree, unaware that I was griming my beautiful gown. Hugging my legs tight to my chest, I dropped down my head and cried. The wind heavily tucked at my skirt, but I didn't care anymore. I was lost, what more worse could happen? Dirt and sand whizzed past me, and a few slow drops of rain pelted down and I quietly sobbed. Hunger made my stomach churn. I cried some more before I heard footsteps; heavy footsteps.

Happily, I jerked up and listened carefully. The shoes clacked in the rough ground. I listened carefully, with a glint of happiness in my wet eyes. I slowly got up on my feet and searcher for the source of the voice. But then, I realized something. The sounds were of heavy shoes; the type of shoes men wore, the type of shoes that Eliza would never wear! I stopped and shuddered at the thought. They are hunters and if they see me, I was dead!

The heavy footsteps got near. And then, it slowed down all of a sudden. Panic struck me again. It made my head hurt. Trembling, I turned around and started to run. As I started my legs, so did the footsteps. They were now following me.

Danger.

I tripped and fell, my enormous gown making it difficult for me to run. So, I pulled the hem of the skirt up till my knees, tied a knot and started to run again. Little did I care about fashion at that moment! In the complete darkness, I had no idea where I was going. I ran through the dark forest, kicking at the dirt and punching the tendrils and branches that came my way. The sharp ends of the branches scratched at my arms and legs, but little did I care. Sometimes I fell and sometimes I ran, but I still didn't reach safety. The footsteps just won't leave my trail. Then, I heard gunshots echo the whole arena. And with it, rumbling thunder added to the piercing noise.

'Danger'. Eliza's word echoed in my mind. I got a fair idea of what she meant. Danger.

I ran as fast as I could; as fast as my legs slender legs could carry me. Suddenly, I could no more see what lay in front of my eyes. Tears flowed down with force and blurred my hazel eyes. It hurt my eyes. I had no idea why I was crying at a moment like that, maybe it was due to fear and realization that i was going to die at a very young age.

"Sarah!" I heard a familiar female voice call from a distance. Elizabeth! It was Elizabeth! Hope showed up in my face again. I wiped off my tears with the tip of my fingers. But tiredness drowned in me. My legs could no more carry me. My body ached from all the slaps I got from the tough sharp branches.

"Sarah!" Elizabeth cried again. I jerked my head up in search for the trail of the voice. As I did so, the back of my gown stuck on a twig beneath, and pulled at me with such force that send me flying on the floor.

The footsteps stopped. But it sounded so near, it frightened me of my too short life. Tears spilled out again. I cursed myself for crying so much. Trying to fight back my tears, I sat up on the ground and started tugging at my skirt. But no way would it come loose. I twitched and turned my long skirt but it was too stubborn to get untangled. Angrily, I tried to tear up the skirt, but that would not happen either. As I struggled, a dark shadow lurched over me. The man stood just a few steps away from me.

Danger.

The small distance gave me goosebumps. It was so little that in no time, the man would come and kill me with his revolver! The thought made me mad and cry more. Tears flowed out like a river. I tugged at my skirt harder, my whole body shaking with fear. On the other hand, the man started taking small steps towards me. Soon, I could see the tip of the gun pointing towards me. At that moment, I understood what Eliza meant by the word danger. More than I did before because at that moment, I was in a situation of life and death.

Danger.

As the man took to the trigger, I hurriedly stood up, flipped my hand in a crazy manner and pointed it towards the man; shouting "Go away! "

My sapphire pendant glowed in the dark. A flickr of bright glowing light hissed through the air, out of my finger. In the darkness, it struck the man right on the forehead and the air resounded with an explosion. Light and dust haloed the man. Wide eyed, I searched for the man, but he was there no more. The air around the man burst and vanished into thin air.

I sat there on the wet grass, panting and then looked at my hands. Then I glanced at my fingers. It glowed with a dark blue shine, yet as I watched it; the color returned back to normal. I clenched my fists tight, astonished at what I just did. But swiftly, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I felt feeble and in agony.

The thunder roared loudly and the wind howled. The rain pelted down my trembling body. Down it came with such force that the ground was soaked in a second.

"Sarah! " I heard Elizabeth call, with a glint of happines in her voice at finding me. Elizabeth was the last thing I saw. 

Unconsciousness soon took over my body, and I sagged on to the ground; a blanket of rain covering me up.