The King of Saminu

Chapter 7

It was strange to wake up in a tent. First things first, I could feel the split in my lip from when a guard had shoved me to the ground only a few hours ago. Second, my chest was screaming after having been wrapped for well over the time I was supposed to have it. Third, my hands were burning with the constant heat that was preventing me from using my ice powers. Lastly, a fear was caught in my throat when I realized that two swords were pointing my way as soon as I opened my eyes.

    "You need to get up, boy. We have a long journey ahead of us, and we can't leave you without proper guards," I grunted as a form of response, standing up the best I could with my hands and legs tied. The two guards, who seemed to be at about the same rank as Vaindari, didn't chuckle like the knuckleheads I had gotten to know during the raid of Maeri. I was led out of the tent, one guard to my right while the other stayed behind me. Their hands rested on their swords, as if they hadn't seen my pathetic attempt of an escape the night before.
"What's the holdup? You two need to be getting everything together. Leave the boy to me," Vaindari ordered, grabbing onto my handcuffs and pulling me towards him.

    The other guards rushed off, and Vaindari took a moment to stare me down in silence, his startling red eyes forcing me to keep quiet. After he had thrown me to the ground and properly restrained me as a "dangerous prisoner" should be, he had tossed me off to the other guards and went off to the luxurious tent he had to himself. I was tossed into a tent, just as large, but shared by the two guards from earlier. The twins had been frustrated, angered at the fact that I had foolishly woken them up when they were the first ones who needed to awaken in the morning. All the while, they were telling me just how much I irritated them.

    "I don't remember catching your name," Vaindari spoke, and I shrugged, looking away from the harsh red eyes that were staring into my soul.
"I never gave it," He cleared his throat, and I grunted, kicking my foot into the dirt of the forest floor. "It's Ren,"
"How old are you, Ren?" Vaindari put extra emphasis on my name, happy with himself about the fact that he had found out a fact about me.
"Fourteen," I answered. It was a confident one, as I had been telling people I was fourteen for almost five years now. Vaindari nodded, the smug look on his face only deepening.

    "Sir, we're ready to leave," Vaindari nodded at one of the lesser ranked soldiers, grabbing my handcuffs once more and leading me back towards the rest of the prisoners. My parents first caught my eye. They looked worried, as any parent would be when their child disappeared in the night. It didn't take them very long to realize the mistake I had made, and that look of worry disappeared, only to be replaced with something else I never wanted to recognize. Disappointment. All of the prisoners could see me now, my hands placed in the gloves that symbolized gifted people. As Vaindari dragged me away, the whispers started.

    Every cell in my body was panicking. I had never publicly shown off the fact that I had powers and had very much gone out of my way to hide them. Even on the off chance when I healed people, I kept myself covered, my identity a secret. No one could be trusted by my family, and I believed it.
"What's the big shock? They upset you got caught?" Vaindari asked, and I jumped. The whispers seemed so loud in my ears that when he had spoken so close to me, it felt as if he had screamed. I remained silent, and Vaindari shrugged, too much in a rush to focus on his personal prisoner. He continued leading me away, and I stumbled, not able to focus on anything but the stares and whispers of my people.

    The crowd held my attention until Vaindari led me to a group of horses that I hadn't noticed were with us. Truth be told, I had been near the back of the hostages, too far away to notice the fact that the higher ranked soldiers probably all had horses in the front. They wouldn't want or need to get tired, after all. 
"Are you going to be able to get up, or am I going to have to help you?" Vaindari asked, a chuckle in his voice. The horse in front of me was rather large, his shoulder reaching just above my head. His neck was thick, but his back was short. His saddle was thick leather, expensive, something Slifni's military could never dream of affording. The animal exuded dominance over his companions, rippling in muscles that were accentuated by his glossy black coat. I had never been this close up to a horse before, but the excitement that usually bubbled in my stomach and throat around them was hidden by the panic that took all of the room within me.