Fate to Reign

Invasion

The men hidden under the cover of shadows crept along the castle wall. Their black hoods obscuring their faces from any present witnesses. Squeezing past the gate and the guards was a little difficult, but nothing they couldn't handle. They had done this a million times, of course. The ginormous building crafted of brown and gray stone provided a good cover. They slinked over to the back opening, their footsteps hardly making any sound. Pausing under the window, the leader nodded his head towards the others. With a curt nod of their heads, they began to climb up to the unlatched window. Honestly, the leader thought, this is almost too easy. He climbed up to the window and jumped through. He nodded to the others, and they withdrew their blades from inside their cloaks. He felt the familiar weight of the gun on his hip. With one last gesture to his team, they left to execute the mission.
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Dinner had just ended, and Wren was in the library. She was researching, you guessed it, drugs to assist her in getting rid of Nathaniel. Permanently. She was making little progress, but she had a small list of things she needed to pick up in town. Her headaches were severe. Every few seconds she would feel a little shock of pain split through her head, Nathaniel threatening her. I am not going to back down, she thought as she scribbled on her notes. Wren glanced out the window and saw that it was dark. She slipped off her glasses with a sigh. Packing up her books and papers, she started to walk back to her bedroom. As her footsteps echoed throughout the empty halls, she felt something nagging at the back of her mind. It was a little too quiet. She stopped, looking over her shoulder. Nobody was behind her. She shrugged it off and continued walking. Of course that was the exact moment that a big meaty hand closed around her mouth and dragged her towards the wall. Her arms immediately dropped her books and she batted at the person holding her. He was as strong as an ox, with muscular arms that circled around her from behind. Wren felt the barrel of a gun press into her temple. Her back was against her captors chest, and she hoped he couldn't feel how loud her heart was beating.

"You're going to come with me, quickly and quietly. Got it? Or I put a bullet in your skull." His low voice whispered in her ear. Don't fight, she told herself. Act frightened and be cooperative. Then when their guard is down, find a way out. She had read that somewhere. Wren feigned a shiver and nodded her head. The man yanked her forward, his hand still clamped over her mouth. She fell into step with him, trying to show no signs of resistance. The halls were empty, like usual, so they reached the empty room that the man was taking her to in no time. He shoved her inside, closing the door securely behind him. It was one of the empty rooms in the castle that nobody used. About seven other men in black cloaks occupied it. Wren spun around and got a good look at the leader. He was tall and muscular, with short blonde hair and a hard featured face. Swirling tattoos crawled up his thick arms. The gun he had threatened her with was clenched in his hand. Everyone was staring at her. Wren wrapped her arms around her and faked a whimper of fear. It seemed to work, because everyone seemed to relax a bit just then. The leader stepped forward and tossed the gun on the table. They must think she didn't know how to operate a gun, or had the stomach to actually fire one. He went over to his buddies and they started to converse in hushed voices. They glanced back at her from time to time. Analyzing. Every time they did, Wren would look down and pretend to shiver as if she was terrified. What could they be after? Wren wondered. Ransom? Blackmail? The group of cloaked men continued to talk, their backs turned. Wren's eyes flickered to the gun sitting on the table. Nobody was watching her. She smirked to herself.
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Nobody made a sound as they hurried through the halls of the castle. Wren was gagged and shackles secured her wrists in front of her. Wrens fists were clenched tightly, so she wouldn't drop what was in her hand. Only the leader had a gun, Wren observed. The rest had knives. Two hands were around each of Wren's forearms, dragging her forward. She was getting a little nervous. When would she find the opportunity to make her move? Where are the others? Will she get out of this? They burst through the back doors, the night air hitting Wren like a slap. They rushed forward, trying to get to the gates as fast as possible. Definitely ransom, Wren thought.