The prisoner wagon caromed and jerked across the rocks, the wooden wheels bouncing and doing nothing to stop the constant jarring. Draxx's head throbbed from the insistent bobbing; he rubbed his temples and wiped his hands across his face. Anese and Pela sat directly across from him in the wagon. Pela sat facing him, and Anese sat with her head against the bars. He watched her head shake and bob as the wagon lurched and struggled to continue. The other three prisoners were barely clothed, wearing only dirty brown linen pants and rough-sewn, dingy white linen shirts. They were also barefooted and grimy, with hollow eyes and cracked lips. How long had they been kept captive in this cage? Draxx tried to make eye contact with one, but he shied away into the corner of the wagon; he caught Pela's eye and whispered.
"Can you use any of your magic to get out of here?"
She looked up at him and held her hand out; a small flame ignited into existence in her palm and then winked out. She did it again with the same result, then looked at him and shrugged.
"Your magic isn't working? Why? When?"
She looked at him and shrugged again. He was growing frustrated with not being able to communicate with her fully. He looked behind the wagon as the forest lands turned to sandy, low tree growth and faded into the distance. He was still determining exactly where they were, but he had guessed they were heading north towards the Thanish lands since this was a Thanish army. A guard rode horseback on either side of the prisoner wagon, both adorned in an iron breastplate of purple and brown with a snake in the center and iron leggings to match. If they were in such armor, surely they wouldn't have ventured that far from their camp? Draxx had never been a fan of so much armor, especially when having to ride into battle. It was cumbersome and hot and chaffed in all of the wrong places. He decided to try to speak to the one riding beside him.
"Hey, horse guy."
The rider glanced his way and then snapped his reins to pull ahead.
"Fine, didn't want intelligent conversation huh?" Draxx called out.
"He doesn't speak the common tongue." The other horseback rider said as he pulled closer to the wagon.
Draxx turned and smiled; as he crossed the small caged wagon, it groaned with his weight, the other prisoners quickly shifting to the opposite side.
"Where are we going?" Draxx asked.
The rider pulled off his helm and set it on the saddle handle; wiping his brow, he responded in a clipped accent, "War camp. Maybe a few miles away. We should be able to see the flags soon."
Draxx tried to look ahead, but the front of the wagon was walled off. Anese had turned and was trying to hide that she was listening.
"What are we going to do at the war camp? I can't imagine we'll be treated to a hearty breakfast."
The rider smiled, "No, no breakfast. Minnow is there and will decide what we do with you and the boys."
The boys, Draxx, had forgotten that Pela and Anese had shaved their heads to mask the fact that they were girls; it hadn't fooled Poppy and anyone from Dry Lake but these Thanish soldiers it had worked on.
"What did you do with my Nila?" Draxx said and repositioned himself against the bars.
"Who?" The rider looked at Draxx with a dark brown eyebrow cocked in a questioning expression.
"That big ass swine that was tied to a tree."
The rider nodded in understanding, "Left it tied to the tree. Probably going to die there, too."
Draxx shot a hand out between the bars, grabbed the rider's leg armor, and pulled. Startled, the rider was caught off guard and tumbled from his horse with a yelp. There was a commotion in front of the wagon as it came to a stop. Draxx stood up in the cage as much as he could and looked down at the soldier.
"She won't stay there for long, asshole. That was for leaving her,"
The soldier scrambled to his feet, unsheathed his short sword, and smacked it against the bars, catching the sword's flat against Draxx's fingers. He jerked his hands back and glared at the man.
"I hope Minnow puts you in one of his games, Club Hand. With your reputation, the entire camp will be cheering to watch your death."
Draxx smiled and rubbed his hands, "I hope so too because I'd love to ruin that little shit's games and whatever enjoyment you traitors get."
The soldier reared back to slap the bars again but quickly snapped to attention and sheathed his sword as another man on horseback rode towards him. This one was obviously important as his helm was a deep purple with metallic scales painted on it, and a plume of brown feathers adorned the top. He wore a brown cape over his armor and sat straight back in his saddle.
"Soldier, do we have a problem? Why are you not on your horse?"
The soldier stammered, "Club Hand reached through the bars and pulled me off, sir."
"You allowed yourself to get that close to a man as dangerous as the Club Hand?"
Draxx pressed his face against the bars and laughed, "I fucking hate that name."
"Commander...I...yes.." The soldier said as he looked down.
The Commander eyed Draxx coldly and then looked back at the soldier, "Back on your horse, Veronis. Move to the front of the procession; I'll follow along back here. I've received new orders to carry out."
Veronis saluted and quickly mounted his horse; he turned to Draxx and spit on the ground as he rode towards the front. Draxx watched him, chuckled to himself, and then regarded the Commander.
"What's your name? It's unfair that you know mine, and I can't call you by your name." Draxx said as he sat back down.
"That is not your concern; you may address me as Commander Hyrule." He said as he pulled his horse up along where Anese and Pela sat.
"Nah, ain't my Commander. I'll just call you bitch tits."
Draxx had expected some retaliatory anything from his remark but instead was greeted with only silence. That was impressive; he usually knew how to get under a man's skin. He watched the Commander eye the girls as they rode, almost as if studying them. Anese looked up briefly but quickly put her head back down, seemingly trying to blend into the wood floor she was picking at. Pela watched the rider, though, moving her eyes from the horse's gait to the man's posture to meeting his eyes and holding his gaze.
"You got a thing for little boys?" Draxx said after a few moments, eliciting a few snickers from the prisoners.
Commander Hyrule snapped his attention to Draxx and, in a stone face, called for the wagon to halt. He walked his horse to the rear, where the cage door was, and dismounted from his deep red horse. He was still tall, even off of his horse, and with his visor pulled up, his steel blue eyes demanded attention. A full black beard covered his chin and upper lip, short trimmed and showing signs of age with speckled gray. He stared at Draxx as he reached for the keys at his side.
"Your mouth will get you into trouble one day, son. That day may be coming sooner than you know. Send your two boys to the door." He demanded.
Pela looked up at Anese, her eyes wide in fright. Anese made a sign with her hand to calm down and looked at the Commander.
"May I inquire as to why?" She said with the best deep voice she could muster.
Draxx stood up, hunched over from the low ceiling, and moved towards the door, "I don't think so, buddy. What's the game here?"
Amery had been sleeping for most of the ride, and as Draxx stepped over him, he awoke with a jolt, "What's happening? Are we free yet?"
He looked around, surveyed the scene, and then looked up as Draxx was looming over him and staring down someone behind him. He adjusted his position on the floor of the wagon and saw that there was an armored man that Draxx was talking to. He touched Draxx's leg to get his attention.
"Hey buddy, what's happening here?" He whispered.
Draxx looked down, "Seems like Commander bitch tits here wants to have a closer look at the two young boys."
Amery brought a hand to his hair and ran his fingers through it, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes, "Bitch tits? That's his name?"
Hyrule kicked the wagon door, spraying dirt into the air, "That is, most certainly, not my name. I am Commander Hyrule of the Thanish army; I control the mounted attack and oversee the prisoners of war. My men have captured you; you are my prisoners now, and under the rule of Minnow DeKriel, you will answer to me!"
The other prisoners shied away even more from the commotion as Draxx laughed, "Open that door and let me show you what your rules mean to me, traitor. I fought alongside your King, your true King, Herrod. I helped free these lands, and I helped your people settle their lands. Can you turn your back on the people who gave you what you have? Do you think I'll turn a blind eye to your civil uprising? Guess again. If you want these boys, you've got to come through me."
Amery pushed himself up and stood beside Draxx but didn't have to hunch over, "And me too."
Hyrule looked Amery over and smirked, "All knees and elbows, boy. If I were you, I'd sit my skinny ass back down."
The three previous prisoners were all backed into a corner and bunched up into a corner, trying to keep as far away from the conflict as possible. Anese and Pela were pressed against the front wall as Anese attempted to shield Pela with her body. Hyrule laughed and motioned towards the front of the wagon,
"Looks like we're going to need to start convincing with spears."
Draxx turned his head and saw four soldiers, two on each side of the wagon, producing spears and pointing them toward the wagon bars. This would be like spearing fish in a barrel.
"If I catch one of those spears, you're fucked." He growled.
With a dismissive wave, Commander Hyrule chuckled, "If you catch one of those spears, it'll be in your ribs. Now, move to the side and allow me to inspect these boys. They are of age for magics."
That's what this was about; they wanted to check for magic, and if they knew Pela had magic, then this would be the end of the line for everyone. They would take her, and Minnow would either take her magic or give her to Lucan, but neither way was good. Draxx held a hand up,
"Listen if they knew magic, do you think you would've caught us so easily?"
Hyrule paused, bringing a gauntleted hand to his bearded chin, "You're right...but I have my orders. Stand aside, Club Hand, or your story ends here."
Draxx growled and kicked at the bars; two spears thrust through, and one sliced across the top of his thigh. He grabbed the shaft and pulled, snatching the soldier off his feet and crashing into the wagon. Two more spear thrusts came through the bars as Anese screamed. Amery ducked, but as he did, a low thrust came and punctured his side; he gasped in pain. Draxx half turned and stomped down on the spear, snapping the shaft. He pulled again, and the pike he had caught came free from the soldier's grasp. He spun it around and jabbed it through the bars towards the Commander, who carelessly stepped away. His leg throbbed, and he could feel the sticky, wetness of blood dripping down. He looked down briefly and saw Amery clutching his side, just below his ribs. His world went red, and he charged the door. Spears thrust through the bars at him but just missed; he collided with the door as the wagon lurched and fell over to its side. There was a crash followed by a plume of dust and dirt.
"Well, that was certainly entertaining to watch but didn't accomplish much, did it?" Commander Hyrule said as he leaned down and peered through the door.
Draxx lay on his side, still clutching the spear haft, but the tip had broken off in the fall and lodged itself into his right arm. It wasn't too deep, but it hurt like his leg. He tried to twist his body around and find Amery and the girls, but he couldn't. The door to the wagon opened as Commander Hyrule reached in with one of his soldiers and drug Amery out by his feet. He was unconscious and bleeding heavily from his side. Already, his shirt had turned from a dingy white to red with his blood. Draxx watched intently and saw that he was still breathing; shit...what had he done? His actions here had not only hurt himself but also really hurt Amery. What about the girls? Were they ok? He tried to call out, but his throat was dry from the dirt and dust of the crash. The soldiers carried Amery away from the exit and to the right of the wagon, where Draxx couldn't see, as that was where the top of the wagon was now in his field of vision. He felt another body being slid off of him and saw one of the old prisoners. His neck was bent at an odd angle, and his body was limp; Draxx knew that positioning and knew that his actions had killed this man.
Hyrule came back into view and carried a chain, "This is for you, as you've shown your cooperation is nonexistent. Minnow will not be happy that your actions have directly led to the deaths of two of his prisoners."
Two? Draxx thought. Who was the other? He craned his neck back, trying desperately to find the girls; he twisted in his positioning and felt the spear tip bite deeper into his arm as fresh blood flowed from the wound. The cold of the chains wrapped around his feet caught his attention as he was hauled out of the wagon. He slid across the bars, bouncing over each one and again feeling the spear slide more into his arm and tear the wound open. Sunlight exploded around him as he was finally pulled from the wagon. He sat up and stared into the wagon, searching for the girls, and his breath caught in his chest. Anese was huddled over Pela, crying; blood was trickling from Anese's head and Pela's nose. God's above and below, had he hurt or even killed her? Anese looked up. She must've realized that Draxx was no longer in the wagon, and she quickly met his glance. There was anger in her eyes and a darkness that Draxx had never before seen.
"You could have killed all of us! You did kill two of the old prisoners, but you could've killed all of us. Look at yourself! Look at Amery!"
Draxx did, looking over at his friend, who was unconscious and breathing shallowly.
"You only think about yourself, trying to be a hero and trying to be a big man, huh? They could've run us through with spears like they did to Amery, and he'll be lucky to live. You're such a moron Draxx Club Hand!" Anese screamed as she wiped the blood from Pela's nose.
He could see that she was breathing, but a purple knot was already forming on her head. Without her magic and without her being awake, what could he do? That was the problem, though; he had already tried to do something, and this was the predicament they were in now. With a broken wagon and two dead prisoners, Amery ran through with a spear, himself with two spear wounds, and Pela was unconscious as well. This is why he had retired from the army and tried to live a solitary life with just him and Nila. Every time he fought, those that he loved and those that he attempted to protect would die. Sure, he had helped King Herrod unite the lands, but so many of his friends met the wrong end of a sword or returned to the dirt and dust. It was always just Draxx that lived.
"I'm...sorry." He managed to croak through his dry throat and split lips.
Commander Hyrule barked a laugh, "The big man is sorry. How about that? He acts like a moron and causes a mess, and his best foot forward is saying I'm sorry. How touching, how beautiful. I see now why you retired from the army for the best interest of all involved. Bring me high-voiced 'boy'"
Anese huddled further back into the wagon and tried to cover her body over Pela as the soldier reached in and began pulling her out. She tried to kick, but they caught her foot and used that as a means to drag her from the wagon. Pela was next as she was carelessly pulled from the wreckage as well and laid out beside Anese in the dirt cart path. Hyrule walked over and squatted down next to her.
"You're not a little boy at all, are you?"
She met his gaze with a level and dead eye, "I am. My name is Shath."
He smiled and pulled off a gauntlet, wiping his bare hand across his sweaty forehead. He drew in a breath and then slapped her hard across the face, sending her sprawling in the dirt.
"Shath is not your name because that is the God of Death; no one names their child after such. Now, what is your name, or will I need to hit you again?"
She brought her hand to her face, redness and swelling already showing on her pale white cheek. Tears began welling up in her eyes, and she cleared her throat, "I said...my name is Shath."
Hyrule sighed, stepped towards her, and slapped down again, knocking her to the dirt. Draxx strained at the chains on his ankles and wrists and tried to stand up but was forced back into a sitting position by a soldier he couldn't see. Anese rolled to her side and spat out a wad of blood. Hyrule stood over her again, already raising his hand to strike again.
"Her name is Anese!" Draxx barked.
Hyrule stopped himself from swinging and turned to regard Draxx with a look of amusement, "Anese? As in Anese Starr of the Flame Sect's own Battle Master?"
"You damn idiot," Anese muttered as she coughed and wiped blood from her chin.
"Yes, it's the same," Draxx said as he watched Anese.
The Commander walked between the two and raised his bare hand to his beard, stroking it in contemplation, "The same Anese, whose father was branded a traitor and then sent to the dungeons to die. The same Anese who ran off with a little girl was said to have more magic in her than anyone had ever known. The same little girl that Lucan has put a bounty on. Interesting, I think that Minnow will be quite pleased to learn of this."
"You don't have to keep us prisoner. You could let us go right now. We aren't even trying to fight in this war; I was trying to get Pela to the Emerald Castle." Draxx pleaded.
Hyrule cocked an eyebrow, "Oh really? Why would you be going there?"
Anese rolled over and glared at Draxx, but he shrugged her off, "I don't know, really. I know she wanted to go there and knew I had to help her."
"How noble of you!" Hyrule laughed.
"You don't know what she is or what she's capable of," Draxx said, doing his best to remain calm.
"Capable of? I know she has more magic than anyone else. I don't see how she can use them if she's not even awake." Hyrule said as he approached her and prodded her with his armored foot.
Draxx shook his head, knowing that what he was about to say could either screw them up or get them to Minnow's camp faster, "Her magic isn't working right now. If it were, we wouldn't have been captured by you dumb fucks."
Hyrule turned to look at Draxx, "Fair enough point, what's wrong with her then?"
Draxx shrugged, "I don't know. I've never had magic, so I can't say one way or another."
Anese wiped her face again and left streaks of dirt and blood smeared across her cheek, "You didn't knock her out, Draxx. You caused the bump on her head, but just before you went all ape-man, she said something about 'He comes' and then passed out."
Hyrule turned towards Anese and smiled, "Wow, you people just get more and more interesting."
Motioning with his hands, Hyrule pointed to his soldiers and then to the prisoners, "Let's get these prisoners situated. We need to make haste to the war camps. Minnow knows we have Club Hand; he'll be ecstatic to know we have the girls as well."