Empress Dosha

Chapter 8

Dosha ran between bushes, dry straws bruising her legs as some cloaked men were chasing her. At the same time, she also heard voices, multiple of them. She was half asleep - half awake.

The rope grabbed her legs making her fall down with a thud and she shut her eyes open gasping out loud.

Looking at the thatched ceiling, with a blank mind, she blinked severally wanting to put her scattered pieces together. She couldn't remember where she was, how she got there.

Processing everything, she spinned her head left, saw two men looking at her, one seated and the other one standing, and also looked right seeing another two looking at her.

The pain striked her as she tried to sit up but still managed. She processed everything that had happened, she remembered she ran and fell to the ground, with unknown men hovering over her figure, some words spoken into the air of which she couldn't remember and then, blacked out. Taking a deep breath, she looked at all four grown up men and they looked dumbly at her.

Dosha placed a hand on the injury wincing and saw herself in another clothing. She was shocked, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. She tried to speak but nothing came out, cleared her throat multiple times but her voice failed her. 'Did they change my clothes?' She noticed they all looked alike.

"It looks like she wants to speak. Can she not speak?" The first one sitting spoke as he examined his hand.

"Is she dumb?" The third one asked, she looked at him, frowning, shaking her head vigorously, "She says no. Your voice?"

"I said it, she is a spy. They do not speak, even if it will cause them their last breath." The fourth one answered for her and she glared at him.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you are my twin brother." The second one said eyeing him.

"And I wonder if you are the eldest amongst us." The first one concurred, clicking his tongue. That is when the realization dawned on her, they were two pairs of twins. And they really look alike.

"It is simply...." The fourth one tried saying but was cut shut.

"I think I know why she cannot speak, those men put poison at the back of her neck, seizing her voice. That is why his hand is paralysed, because he carried her all the way here." The second one explained glaring daggers at the fourth one, and her eyes widened in fear at their explanation. "Not to worry, it is temporary. It will wear off soon. How is your hand?" He asked the first one squatting beside him to examine his hand.

"Better," The first one answered to the question. "If those people almost hurt her, then she is not safe. What would happen to her if we hadn't showed up when we did? They would have taken her to their king and he would have done the unthinkable." He asked answering his questions.

"Then she should hurry and get going. Who knows if they followed us here?" The fourth one asked.

"Would you keep quiet?" The third one who seemed to be quiet voiced out in anger.

"Are you shutting me up? Are you forgetting that I am older than you?" The fourth one was angry.

"Forget about who is older than who. Be real for once." The second one answered, hissing as he moved to lean by the corner.

Dosha watched all their bantering, looking forward and backward to each of them as they are quiet. 'Are they fighting over me?' She did not miss the way the fourth one was glaring at her. She dearly wished for her voice to come back.

"Sorry for judging you." The fourth one apologised bending his head slightly. Perhaps, he saw she was innocent.

'What am I supposed to do?' She tried to speak but it came out as a croak. She just nodded in acknowledgement. She touched the back of her neck feeling its numbness.