Death Sentence (Excerpt only)

Chapter 2: The Escape

Photo of Julian --->

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Death Sentence

By Adriana Weaver

Chapter 2: The Escape

My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, I forgot why I was on the ground. Why my skin tingled everywhere and it felt like I had a stinging sunburn. Why Julian's face was hovering over mine... The fear swimming in his eyes took me aback.

"Sari. Sari, are you okay?" he asked, sounding panicked.

"I'm fine." My voice cracked.

He helped me up, and the room spun, causing me to stumble. Catching me, he steadied me in his arms.

"No, you're not," he said, as his fingers bit into my arms, which nearly made me gasp from the pressure on my sensitized skin.

I regained my balance, retreating from Julian's hold. My legs were wobbly like jelly, and I worried that my body would cave in and I would end up falling flat on my face. It was by sheer force of will that I kept myself upright. It was then that I noticed Terra, who was watching me closely. Clarity washed over my muddled mind. Everything - the reason for my being there, for seeking out the witch - slammed into me.

Alarmed, Terra's gaze shot to the door. "You must leave now. Leave Fayria."

That was when it hit me. How could that one piece of vital information slip my mind?

"How?" I prompted. Julian and I had implemented the plan, but had never gotten past meeting up with the witch. Time and time again I'd pondered the possibility of a special doorway that could transport us back home, to our human world. But we'd never heard of a way. The faeries must have been careful not to ever mention it, for fear of their slaves escaping Fayria.

"The only way I know of is in the center of the queen's throne room. There is an emblem in the floor. There is a magnetic field built into the stone. Hurry, now. They're coming!" Terra's voice came in a frantic rush.

I exchanged a look with Julian, and then as one, we sprang for the partly opened door and started down the passageway. I heard them, the soft patter of their footsteps, the faint flutter of wings-not all faeries had wings, but some did. Just as Terra had warned, they were coming. They must have known something was amiss, especially after the way Julian had attacked a faery instead of acting like an obedient slave. As far as I knew, no one ever fought back. None of the other slaves I'd seen had ever rebelled. Not that I had witnessed it, anyway.

It wasn't until we were half way down the corridor that I felt a wave of dizziness sweep over me, and I staggered into the wall, my fingers splayed out against the vine roped surface for balance. My body quaked as I tried to steady myself. Julian was at my side, grabbing me by the elbow.

"You're not okay, Sari," he said, his breath tickling my ear.

I knew I wasn't, but I wasn't going to admit it out loud. Even though all I felt like doing was to lie down and sleep, I knew I had to keep it all together. Now wasn't the time for weakness. I needed to push myself if we were going to have any hope of escape. Looking over at him, I knew what must have been running through his mind. His eyes seemed to say, You're not okay. You're going to die. But I was grateful he didn't vocalize it.

Instead he said, "We need to get out of here."

Silently, I nodded. When I tried to take a step forward, I wondered if I was going to die right then. If I didn't have weeks, days, hours... I shoved the grisly thought away, firmly stamping it down. My muscles felt taut, like they didn't want to move at all. Like my body was made entirely out of lead. Each step I took wasn't without great effort. I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, with Julian steering me along, allowing most of my weight to rest on him as I leaned into him.