Bonded

Chapter 2

Jza closed her eyes as the fight drained out of them. It's all over, she thought. 

She knew her chances of surviving in a castle the enemy had taken over were slim but to be caught so early and so easily was infuriating. 

"Who are you?" The man asked in an accent that was clearly foreign. The minuscule hope that he might be one of their own men was crushed.

Jza opened her eyes to observe the man. He had leaned in so close that she could not see anything fully beyond his eyes and could only feel his breath on her face. He had a strong hand over her mouth so it was ludicrous he expected her to be vocal with such an impediment. Jza knew that even if her mouth was completely free she still would not talk; too many lives were counting on her.

The man applied more force in his grip. Her captured wrist was squeezed painfully and her mouth started to ache under the pressure. Her only hope was the fruit knife hidden in her free hand. The knife itself was small with a gold gilded handle. It was so small that with it closed into the handle it could easily fit inside a person's palm. This feature made it easily concealable but the knife supposed sharp edge itself was blunt and diminutive enough only for fruit. Jza was worried any attack from it might be completely ineffective.

Jza tried to move her free arm but it was trapped between the man and her body.

"I repeat, who are you?" The man asked slowly as if her ability to comprehend was limited. He leaned in even closer and Jza felt like she was enveloped in his haunting eyes.

Deciding enough was enough Jza took the only course of action available to her. She bit his hand.

The man instantly backed away with a hiss and Jza took the opportunity to free herself. She tugged at her captured hand so violently almost as if she intended to leave her arm behind if it helped her escape. She managed to break free and headed out the door in a flurry of skirts.

Without even a glance behind her to gauge if her captor was still following her she ran with all the energy she could muster. She cursed her soft slippers and wished she was wearing her more robust boots as she felt herself slowed down because of her footwear.

Jza was running towards the east and she mentally calculated the safest options. The east contained the guestrooms and the entertainment areas. She suddenly remembered the ballroom and its access to the kitchens. On one side of the ballroom was the staircase the servants used. If she went down the stairs she could enter the kitchens and even escape from the castle itself but in case the kitchens were already occupied by the enemy she could make her way towards the attics. They were large rooms filled to the brim with Royal clutter. Just seeing their dusty, cobwebbed countenance would probably hinder the enemy from searching them.

Jza stopped as she reached the corridor which contained the entrance to the Ball room and looked around. She crouched against the wall and slowly shuffled towards the door, trying to remain hidden in the shadows. She entered the vast room and exhaled a sigh of relief. There was still hope that she might find her safe haven.

The Ball Room was one of larger rooms in the castle. Unlike the rest of castle, the floors were covered in white marble and the walls had gold gilded grooves in the panelling. The precious stone hung from the chandeliers added to the grandness of the room. When the torches were fired up the stones reflected in the room in a way that made the whole room glisten. She had fond memories of her own debut Ball in this room.

At that moment the room could not match even a fraction of its former glory. The large windows were smashed; the curtains ripped; two of the chandeliers were lying on the floor in pieces and there were parts of furniture everywhere. Jza slowly walked across the room feeling distraught at the damage done to her home.