The Otherworld
(¾)

by Sidney Arden
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Chapter One:

Forced To Leave My Home Behind
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I twirled in front of the tall mirror, my gold dress flicking outward, the light reflecting off it, scattering the room with flecks of light. It was perfect. The gown clung to my body until it reached my waist where it fell loosely to just above my knees. It was strapless and showed off my slim figure and elegant neck. At sixteen my body had formed its feminine curves and the dress flaunted them. The golden colour contrasted the green of my eyes but complimented the bronze colouring of my skin. I tilted my face left and right and decided to do without makeup for tonight, the King's mid-year ball. I preferred the natural look and was sure that Ciaran, my escort and boyfriend of three years, saw past my face and did not care whether I enhanced my features or not.

The only problem with my image was my dull brown hair (I refused to colour it) which frizzed and curled past my shoulders. It was an unruly mess and I knew from experience that nothing and no one could tame it except for my friend and maid, Caitlin but there was no time to ask her to fix it up now, she and the other servants would have already retired to the servant's wing, preparing themselves for the night ahead. No one was exempt from the ball, rich or poor, all were welcomed for a night of fun where lords and ladies, knights and soldiers, duke's and duchesses, farmhands, servants, stable boys and all in between mingled in the Great Hall.

I grabbed a thick hair tie and pulled my hair back into a knot. I studied the result. With my hair pulled back from my face my cheekbones looked more defined and my nose seemed thinner. Strands still escaped here and there, curling over my forehead and down the nape of my neck. I shrugged my shoulders concluding that it would have to do.

I was pulling my coat over my bare arms when the Gods stuck their noses into my world and decided to have a bit of fun with my life.

I heard a high pitched scream coming from the opposite side of the house. Mom! I thought with panic. Just as I reached for the door it flung open and I stumbled back in the room. In the doorway were two men, a lean but muscled stranger and the silhouette of a bulkier, musclier man behind him. The man in front's face was dark and menacing and there was a sick excitement in his eyes. He approached me like a hunter stalking prey.

"Dad! Mom! Finn!" I called out to my family. I could hear muffled sounds of a struggle and a lot of swearing from an unfamiliar voice. My hunter sneered.

"No one's going to come running for you, my dear Ellyaz." He took another step forward, I took one back. Fear made me stumble in my heels, shoes that I had cherished a few minutes ago but now I wished I was wearing something much more practical. As I steadied myself the other man stepped through the doorway and into the well-lit room. I felt the blood run from my face as I recognised the square face, the piercing brown eyes.

"Be quick about it, Rigger. The rest of the family's been restrained, we need to be out of here before they start it," said General Colt, the king's supposedly loyal war leader and commander. The king most definitely wasn't displeased with my family. He had visited my father, his favourite knight, just yesterday and was as kind as usual so there was no way he would have ordered Colt to kill my family. Why would the general hurt us? We were good friends with the royal family.

His eyes bore into mine from the other side of the room. As I trembled in fear the corner of his mouth turned up with a smirk.

"Do be careful with the goods, Rig. It wouldn't do to have her bruised."
I shuddered. This man was evil and his actions had nothing to do with the king. He must be a traitor.

The other man, Rigger, jumped forward at me and I tripped backwards, surprised. Before I could regain my balance, Rigger slammed into me and we both fell back. My head hit the corner of my desk and instantly the room went fuzzy. Spots of light and dark filled my vision and I blinked rapidly to clear it. I still couldn't see clearly but I could make out the shape of a man standing above me. I waved my hands in front of me in an attempt to fight them off but I was suddenly exhausted and couldn't hold my arms up.

In the back of my mind I registered the acrid smell of smoke in the air and dimly came to the realisation that this was what the general had meant when he said that they had to leave before something was started. They were lighting a fire that would burn my home, my family with it. And the general seemed to want Rigger to take me out of the house with them, not wanting me 'bruised' as if I were some kind of fruit that he was selling.