Faefalling (working title)

17- I return to civilisation and find it still sucks

I glanced around. Then, a thought came to mind, one that should've been obvious earlier. If I could see neither the captain nor Fionn through the smokescreen, the same was true for them. I was alone. A smile cropped up.

Draoi was silent, presumably holding out to see what I'd do. Best not to keep them waiting for long.

I raised both hands. The motion must've been too quick as the blade neared my neck, edge digging into skin, and I winced.

"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down. My right hand. There's a paper. Take it," I soothed.

"You don't burn..." came an awed whisper.

I didn't answer, though the words had me gritting my teeth. Damned iron blades. Cutthroats and thieves to be sure.

I extended my right hand, the paper held between two fingers. Moments later, it was ripped from my grasp and vanished into the fog. Time trickled by, as if slowing with the sole goal of extending my horror.

"Captain," Draoi said, "why are there two stowaways behind you? I certainly hope you aren't planning on a surprise attack of any sort. That would result in a number of fatalities your ranks just couldn't handle right now."

"N―no, I swear it was just us three!" Captain Cathal trembled.

"They're with me," I muttered.

Draoi fell silent. "Alright. Captain, thank you for bringing this to our attention. I'd ask that you take your groupie and leave. Know this, next time you come here without invitation, there'll be consequences."

The smoke was beginning to thin. I caught a glimpse of Cathal and Fionn scurrying back the way we'd come.

"Alright, boys, let's bag this one and haul him back to base," came a pleased sigh. "I've a feeling this is gonna be fun. Oh, and would one of you please invite his friends along as well? We can't leave anyone behind, now can we?"

The dagger slid away. Before I could do much of anything, my hands were lassoed up behind me and a bag flung over my head. A method of transportation that was getting rather old.

"Who are you?" I asked as they started leading me away.

A dry chuckle was my sole response.

It didn't take long to get to their camp. Blind as I was, I tried to memorise as many of the twists and turns that we took as I could. My captors spoke in hushed tones during our little stroll, if not remaining in complete silence. They jostled me around at any misstep, nearly leading to a couple unfortunate tumbles. Draoi drifted around me. I could feel him observing, a mischievous presence, but nothing was said.

Finally, we came to a stop. A door swung open and I was shoved through. The guiding hands left my shoulders and I was lost in the void. The withering daylight vanished in one go, plunging me into darkness. Stomping steps circled all around. I didn't dare move.

"Bring the others to the waiting room. I'm sure he'll want to meet this one first," Draoi said, grabbing one of my arms and jerking me to the side.

He gave me a shove, and I stumbled around for a moment before tumbling onto a sofa. A door creaked shut and the dreaded click of a lock rang out. For a moment, nothing happened. Had he left me on my own? A poor plan on his part.

I began fiddling with my bonds. They hadn't even bothered to strip me of weapons. Either a huge mistake, or sign that I was in way over my head.

Just as I managed to wrestle a blade out of its sheath, it was ripped from my hand and tossed into the ground. The dagger sank into a wooden floor, catching the side of my foot as it did. I swallowed my cry as someone leaned close to my ear.