❤Hearts of Pandore❤ (Part 1): The Crossing

Rayne/Luke/Auster: Rescue

I focused all my energy on the bars in front of me. I willed time to speed up in the space between my hands. The bars began to rust and crumble away and I jabbed at them repeatedly to hurry the process. The sounds of footsteps were drawing closer and closer, the hair rising on the back of my neck.

I was halfway out before they all shot into the room. I pulled the bars back up to cover the hole. In a snap, they were perfectly in place. A masked figure walked up to the cage and kicked it. I toppled over, my head smashing into the floor. I bit down on my tongue to keep from screaming obscenities. He shoved a sword through my spear as my back was turned, the blade slashed through my side.  

I shrieked in pain, feeling the blood gush through my fingers as I tried to stem the wound.  

I waved my hand and the sword was reduced to dust. The other figures in the room nodded, impressed

"This Elitian, has powers of Fabric." The Fabric referred to the universe; Time and Space especially.

There was silence.

"She has the power to control Time."

Hands shot into the air.

"Six Million Reits!" I could almost here the clinking of coins jingling around in a leather purse.  

I could feel a state of icy shock cloak me. But while my heart was screaming that this was a dream, my mind was already calculating possible escape routes. I wound a strip of my dress around my palms, ready to start fighting my way out of here.  

I was trapped and being paid for, like a slave! An animal!

"Die," I whispered quietly, forcing the bars around me to whither with age. They watching in horrific shock for Time can beat anything. Even Elite-proof bars.

Because at some point, everything has to die.

I could hear shouts as I passed over the Seive. The disgusting pigs, I spat mentally.  

They were probably fighting over another choice prisoner. If it really was about "changing our criminals for the better", then I was a slug.  

All it was for was picking out Elites and shipping them to the highest glutton there.

Auster was quivering.  

"Please sir," he had gotten a lot more courteous now that we were in the air, "Can we save her?"   Her shrieks grew louder. It was haunting.

"Mother!" I cried, running through the castle.  

"Mother where are you?" I screamed, tripping over my feet in haste.  

A bloodcurdling shriek resounded in my ears. My heart slammed against my rib cage. I looked up, my hands were stained with blood. It was running down the corridor, like a river of crimson liquid.

I tugged on the reins sharply, and Azureine sped downwards towards the moth of the cave which was the Seive.

Azureine's claws dug into the gravelly floor, the ivory talons gouging slashes in the walls. The masked men drew back in fear, their hands over their money bags. I snarled at them,  

"Get lost, cowards!" Azureine shot fire into the sky, a blazing inferno of swelthering heat embraced the cave. Auster drew his dagger from a leather belt at his side and rushed towards a blackened cage in the middle of the room. He hurried to the padlock and slashed through the chains binding the metal gate together. The door fell open with a clang and a figure stepped out.

It was a girl. She had ashen blonde hair that trailed down her back. Heavy dark circled ringed her eyes like a mask, her pale face gaunt with fatigue. But her eyes were tracking my every movements, in her hand she held a small sharpened stone.

"Gonna attack me with that little thing?" I sneered as she glared heavily at me.

She gripped it tighter and turned to face Auster, her voice raspy,  

"Where's Lynnie?"

"I-I don't know, Madam," he bowed respectfully at her feet.

"I'm warning you, cur," she spat angrily. "I don't know what you... Barbarians have done to her. But I want her back. Now!" she screamed. She grabbed onto the front of my shirt and brought my face on level to hers.

"What have you Darkorians done to her?"