"One day's march from setting up camp outside of the archer's range," Minnow said as he walked around triumphantly, his chin in the air and wild eyes darting between the girls.
Pela was still unconscious, her deep breathing creating puffs of white fog around her face. There was a crispness to the air that burned the lungs, while the skies were painted the deep gray from the present snowstorm. Her body lay straightened but limp on a hastily made litter that sat on the carpeted ground. It was fairly warm inside Minnow's elaborate tent compared to the outside, but Anese still shivered. Something seemed very off with the man, namely the fact that he would hold his arms to his side and pretend that his hands were mouths and make them talk. She had never seen this kind of behavior before, but as alarming as it was to watch, she felt he was dangerous. Hanging on by a thread before he goes crazy kind of dangerous.
Anese sat next to the litter and stroked Pela's hair, not because it calmed her unconscious friend but because Anese was terrified. Draxx and Amery had been taken off, and Pela was unresponsive for some reason. She was alone and could only imagine what a deprived liege Lord like Minnow could want. Minnow walked around behind her and made a sound like he was hissing. Holding his hands up like he was imitating snakes, he began to talk again.
"One day, after a celebrated night of entertainment."
That was the right hand supposedly speaking, though all the words came from Minnow's mouth.
"We should offer our new friend a part in the games."
The left hand this time, as the right hand nodded. Minnow just watched and moved his eyes toward each hand that was speaking. H smiled grimly at Anese as he leaned down toward her.
"I think she would love that. Though we will have to pry her from the threads of the unconscious Pela." The actual Minnow said.
She spun around to face him but quickly tempered herself, "What games? What will you do with Pela? Just turn her in and over to the madman?"
Minnow smiled, and there seemed to be venom behind it; his eyes were wide, but there was a distance to the gaze. His right hand came up and slightly bobbed back and forth in front of Anese's face.
"You won't be a big part of the games, just a surprise addition when it looks like things might be dulling."
The voice was quite different from what Minnow used when speaking as himself. It was sultry and thick and dripped with hanging S sounds.
"What about Pela? I don't care about me, but what about her?" She blurted out as she scooted closer to her friend, her swollen lip slurring her speech.
"Hmmm, truly undecided. We won't play with her tonight, though she can watch. We'll bring her into battle tomorrow, leading from the front." The left hand said.
"Leading from the front? What do you mean?" Anese whimpered.
Minnow smiled again, and cold chills ran down her spine as she cowered closer to Pela, "She'll be at the forefront of my army, riding a Flame Snake. We'll let the Emerald army decide how valuable she is and ensure that Lucan also shows up."
She looked down at Pela, her eyes fluttering beneath her closed lids, and shook her head, "You can't give her to him. He'll kill her."
Minnow's right hand darted towards Anese's face and stopped only a hair short, "What he does is what he will if he is the one I believe him to be."
The one he believes him to be? What did that mean? She stared down at the closed eyelids of Pela and thought for a moment. What had happened to her friend in the prisoner cart? One minute, she was wide-eyed and watching the commotion; the next, she was unconscious but fervently dreaming as her eyelids fluttered every few seconds.
Anese looked up at Minnow as he poked his foot into Pela's ribs; she swatted his foot away, "Who do you believe Lucan to be?"
Minnow smiled sideways, and his left hand responded, "Oohhhhh, you don't know? Of course you don't, why would you?"
His right hand pecked at the left, "Shut your mouth. If she doesn't know, then she isn't privy to the information we are."
She was so confused watching the charade, "We? Are you...are you ok? Like, mentally? Are you all there?"
Minnow laughed from his belly, his chubby jaw and second chin shaking with the action. His laughter cut off abruptly as he cracked his neck to the side.
"We are just fine, and if your mouth doesn't watch the words flowing from it, then we will do as Hyrule did. Is it another black eye you want?"
She wanted to crawl inside of herself and be rid of this monster. Her eyes tried to betray her with tears, but she held them back. She had to be careful with this man because there definitely was something not ok with him.
"No...no sir." She managed to squeak out.
He sat heavily on the pillowed cot behind her and stared at Pela.
"Oh, she is a special one, indeed." His left hand said.
Anese tried to hold back her terrified shakes and dreaded every moment alone with Minnow. She hated how he felt and how his sanity seemed to waver with every word. Even Lucan, who she knew to be slightly mad, was not even as unnerving as this man. Her senses were heightened due to the fear, and she could feel him staring at her from behind, but she refused to turn around and meet his wild gaze. Suddenly, the tent flaps opened as Commander Hyrule entered. Snow had gathered on his shoulders, and she could see the falling flakes outside, white specks on a black night sky canvas. Her body loosened and she realized her muscles had drawn taught by Minnow's presence.
"My Lord, the ring is ready, and the men await the games. Shall I grab the prisoners?" Hyrule said as he snapped a salute.
Minnow smiled, reached down, and put a hand on Anese's shoulder, immediately bringing back the tension.
"Ah, yes. I think it is time, though first, I would like you to take this little one to her holding chamber. I assume my throne is ready as well?" He replied.
Hyrule nodded, "Yes, my Lord. It has been built and is ready for you. I shall take her immediately and then commence with the gathering of the two."
"Such a good soldier. I will take care of this...Pela. Off you go then." Minnow said dismissively as he pushed Anese toward Hyrule.
He bent down, helped her to her feet, and produced a purple linen cloth blindfold, "Put this on, child. Then I shall take you to the chamber."
She eyed the cloth, and her eyes finally betrayed her as large tears formed and fell down her cheeks. She reached out with trembling hands, slid the fabric over her eyes, and felt Commander Hyrule's hand clasp her arm and lead her outside the tent. The wind whipped and tore at her thin clothing as the cold assaulted her every inch. Where was the holding chamber, and what was the ring? Was that where she was being led to?
"What is...what is going to happen to me?" She asked meekly, struggling to walk in the snow.
"You're either going to live through the nightmare or be consumed by it." Commander Hyrule said.
It came across so callous; what was wrong with this army? How could they so mindlessly follow their leader, who was obviously not well? Tears continued to flow down her cheeks in warm streaks against the icy wind.
"How can you follow him? Can you not see-" Her question was abruptly cut off by a slap that knocked her to the snowy ground.
"You will hold your tongue. I see my discipline earlier was forgotten."
Gods above, what had she gotten herself into? Here, she was caught by an army in the middle of a civil war, being led to an unknown destination to be a part of some apparent game in which she might or might not die. She had seen her mother torn apart and her father taken prisoner, and now he was possibly dead. She had tried to help her friend, Pela, and she was unconscious while Draxx and Amery were being held prisoners as well. Somehow, everything she had ever known was taken apart and broken into tattered remnants, ripped from her hands and stomped on by the world. Somehow, this was her life now. Her head spun from the blow, and the previous bruises throbbed.
The sound of a deadbolt caught her attention as Hyrule held her up. She tried to listen, feel, and pick up on anything around her, but all she could sense was the snow falling and biting cold. Metal sliding on metal marked the deadbolt opening up, and a creak of hinges signified a door opening. She was pushed in the small of her back forward.
"Take a step up and mind your head," Hyrule spoke from behind her.
She felt his hand gently push her head down to duck, and she stepped forward onto the wood. The soft soles of her cold and wet feet slightly sliding as she was pushed the rest of the way into her chamber. Through her blindfold, she had been able to see a faint light of the moon, but with the slam of wood on wood and sliding of metal, all went dark. The deadbolt slid into place, and she immediately ripped the blindfold off. Everything was dark, her vision unable to pick up the slightest trace of light. She held her hands out to feel her surroundings; her fingers found the walls, tracing the wood from floor to ceiling. She was in a box barely larger than her. She could reach the ceiling on her tiptoes and then felt it. More hinges, directly in front of her. She felt for edges and breaks and found another door, which slanted from the floor to the ceiling; where was she?
Slowly, her eyes adjusted, and she could make out moonlight through cracks in the boards of her chamber. She was in an enclosure, no doubt about it, but where was this chamber? It was cold, and she could hear the wind through each of the gaps in the wood planks. Did that mean she was outside, or was her chamber facing the outside? She put her face to the floor and tried to peer between the gaps; it was too dark, though, and seeing anything was impossible. She moved to the left side of the chamber, where she thought she had entered, and could see moonlight, snow, and a dark sky. Repeating the process on her right and back, she saw the same thing, but from her front, there were no gaps; the wall did have a slant to it, though. She still had no idea where she could possibly be, only that most of it was outside.
She had exhausted her options of knowing where she was and what was happening and now could only wait for whatever fate would befall her. She slumped down against the back wall with a heavy sigh and heard muffled voices. They were coming from behind her but coming closer, though she couldn't make out a single word. The chamber lurched, and she was forced against the wall; groans of straining metal and wood sounded from her left and right. Was that the sound of wheels in motion? Was her chamber some rolling apparatus? She reached out her arms and pressed them to the walls to steady herself as the room continued to move and ungracefully make its way over rocks and uneven terrain. She tried to count how long she had been moving, but what would she do with that knowledge? Next, she tried to determine the direction they were moving in because if she managed to escape, then she would know the direction that Pela was in.
A muffled sound grew louder and louder but stayed indiscernible; it sounded like a buzzing. Like a growing swarm of bees or wasps, it washed over the chamber and seemed to bounce off the walls around her. A new light spilled in, a yellow and orange glow...was that...fire? She pressed her face against the wall gaps again and could make out the flickering light of torches and a purple canvas. What was this? New tones caught her attention as the muffled talking sounds became yelling, followed by the buzz. Was that cheering? Is that what that sound was? Where had she been pushed to? Was it this ring that Hyrule had mentioned? Was this part of the games that Minnow wanted to make her a part of, and would Draxx and Amery be there? Her mind was reeling with the possibilities and anticipation of what was coming when footsteps sounded before her. No, not in front of her...above her. What in the Gods above? Was there some platform above her?
The chamber lurched into motion again, and she had to reach out to steady herself and stop from falling. It only moved a small distance, but the buzzing became louder where it moved and seemed to come from the left, right, front, and top of her. It seemed she could even hear Minnow's tone yelling from above her. This felt dangerous, and it felt like death. If she was forced to fight, she wouldn't last long; her training with any weapon was nonexistent. She could definitely tell it was cheering now, and Minnow's voice echoed from above and swam around her room. She frantically tried to feel all around her for any weapon, but to no avail. Panic was beginning to rise inside of her chest, and her breathing became heavy as her chest constricted.
"Oh, Gods above, please help me." She whispered as fresh tears began rolling down her cheeks.
She heard a yell and voices that sounded like Draxx and Amery as the crowd grew louder. Frantic, she began banging on the walls.
"Draxx! It's me! I'm trapped; please help me!" She screamed in despair.
The crowd was too loud; there would be no way either of them could hear her cries for help. She was on her own and terrified. She felt along the wall for the door she had entered and began trying to push it open. It gave a little; she could make out torches and see soldiers above her on wooden stands. If she could get it open enough, she could squeeze through and...and what? Escape? Help Draxx and Amery? Dammit, what could she do? She backed up, covered her face with her hands, and screamed. What had she done to deserve this? She needed Pela; she needed her magics now more than ever, but she didn't even know where she was, not to mention that she was unconscious.
The crowd roared again, and she distinctly heard Amery yell for Draxx and heard his wordless scream. This sounded bad; whatever they were fighting seemed to be winning in her mind. Was it some animal? Armored soldiers? Would she have to face this thing, too, and when? Minnow had said when the action...what...went dull? What did that mean? She rammed into the door with her shoulder, and pain exploded into her head as she collapsed to the cold wooden floor in tears. Helplessness enveloped her as she curled into a ball and began crying so hard she shook. She hated Minnow, Hyrule, Lucan, and his stupid mage, Vanni. She hated so much, yet there was nothing she could do.
"It is time!" Minnow excitedly yell from above her.
She started as the back wall began sliding forward. She pushed against it, but her soft-soled shoes slid along the wood as she was driven backward. She screamed from exhaustion and fright, from her frustration, and tried to push. The wall continued to slide forward. Oh Gods, she was going to be crushed between the slanted front wall and this wall, and no matter what she did, she couldn't stop this. She couldn't stop anything, she couldn't do anything! The tears poured from her, and she alternated between sobbing and screaming.
She was only feet from the front wall when the crowd exploded around her. Were they cheering because Draxx or Amery had gotten hurt or, even worse...killed? She couldn't afford to think about it; she was about to be crushed, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to help. She screamed again and pushed with everything she had; a hiss of air blew against her back, and she felt the bite of cold air against her skin. She spun around as the wall that was the front opened up. She gasped as she saw the ring for the first time, purple canvas wrapped around poles with torches and soldiers on all sides cheering from wooden stands. In the middle, Draxx was on a knee and covered with blood on one side, his head hanging. The back wall moved forward with a last heave, and she was shoved out into the ring, falling to her hands and knees on hard-packed stones. She looked up and saw Amery, as well; his shirt was red with blood, too. He and Draxx were tethered together by a chain attached to their wrists.
Amery spun around, and his eyes widened, "Anese?!"
A wooden contraption slightly resembling a snake covered with shields was moving behind him, its face pointed directly at him. Another lay on its side a few yards away with smoke billowing from between the shields, a third rolling towards Draxx. Two twangs could be heard above the crowd's cheering as she reached out, yelling his name.