Forever Young

Chapter Thirty. Captivity.

Chapter Thirty

Captivity

Erika soon realized that the kidnappers were ignoring her wild undulations on the pole. She stopped struggling. Bound, gagged, and blindfolded she had to rely on her hearing. The frequent synchronous splash of paddles and the gurgling sound of water streaming past the prow attested to their rapid progress down the lake. The oarsmen, except for the occasional grunt, remained silent. 

The pain in her wrists and ankles increased, but it was impossible to convey her agony to the rowers. The involuntary shivering of her naked body in the cooling, damp air eventually garnered their attention. The paddling stopped. She felt the touch of nimble fingers releasing her ankles from the pole and gently lowering her legs on to a soft fur that lined the bottom of the boat. They then released her hands in a similar manner. Laying there with hands and ankles still bound she adopted a foetal position wrapping the fur around herself in an attempt to conserve some body heat. Someone tossed another fur over her and the paddling continued. 

Locked in her fur cocoon, Erika thought of escape. It seemed futile. Even if she somehow managed to release her bonds and overcome the guards, she would be completely lost in uninhabited wilderness. Maybe Lars, Janik, and Leitus would be able to track them down, but then what would they be able to do against what were bound to be overwhelming odds. Thoughts of escape turned to curiosity. Who were her silent captors? Where were they going? What did they want with her? If only she could see or talk. Slowly the rhythmic motion of the boat, the sound of rippling water, and the scented warmth of the furs took effect. Despite her fears, Erika dozed. 

The sound of the boat scraping across a pebbled shore wakened her. Instinctively she sat up. Had they arrived? She couldn't hear any clamorous welcome, only the sounds of wood chopping and twig gathering. Then she heard someone giving orders in a strange high-pitched voice, orders that were in an intelligible tongue, Darsian.  

"Please let me go. I think you've made a terrible mistake. I'm from Darsis. I'm Darsian just like you." 

There was no response from the figure bending before her, untying the ankle bonds. When they freed her, someone gently passed an arm around her waist offering support as she stood for the first time in several hours. There was a tingling in her feet and the rocking of the boat made her unsteady, but the support remained firm until she was able to stand-alone. The anonymous figure then took her left arm and led her to the edge of the wildly tilting boat. She heard a splash. A hand grabbed one ankle, and planted her foot in the shallow water at the lake's edge. The other foot followed and she was guided over the pebbly beach to a grassy knoll where she faced the heat of a roaring fire.  

Gentle hands turned her body and removed the blindfold. At first, she could see little but black splotches before her eyes, but gradually she adjusted to the flickering firelight. There stood three men, identically dressed in beaded tanned brown animal skins, staring at her in obvious wonderment. Slowly they approached and circled her. She desperately wanted to run but the fourth member of the party was holding her firmly. 

As a form of self-defence, Erika examined the scrutinizers. They looked so similar, and so obviously Darsian. All of them had slightly bloated faces and their legs seemed to be disproportionably long. There was no evidence of facial hair, and they all spoke with the same squeaky voice. 

"Enough," said the leader, who had helped her from the boat. He grasped her by the elbow and led her to a small wooden shack by the fire. 

"Why don't you talk to me? Please tell me what's happening." 

The leader gazed at her with his large almond eyes and slowly shook his head. 

"Well can you at least untie me? I have nowhere to run."