Fear tightened it's vice-like grip around me as I took in the scene playing out in front of me.
Two Moratan girls were being attacked by a trio of Rhadjari males.Like their fellow warriors these three were also heavily scarred and inked, but less so than the ones I had seen in the street.Their intention with the girls was clear from the greedy sounds coming from their mouths.One girl was being held down by a male ,that was shorter compared to the others, as he franticly tried to rip her dress.The girl was paralyzed with fear, her body immobile as she stared at the dark sky with blank eyes.Barely audible sounds came out of her mouth, like the sounds of a wounded animal.
The other two males had their attention on the second girl, who fought like a wildcat to get free, and to keep the males from wrestling her to the ground.The sounds coming out of her were a load roar compared to that of the other girl.She screamed profanities as if that would deter the males.They muttered to her to be quit and one of them suddenly slapped the girl, and she was momentarily dazed.The sound of the hard hit resonated in my head and it snapped me out of my daze.
Without thinking,I looked around me to find something that could be used as a weapon.My eyes landed on a large piece of wood to the right.The males had not yet noticed me and I ran forward, picked up the piece of wood and with a loud cry I swung it at the head of the closest male, one of the two holding the struggling girl.
My breath hitched as the wood made contact, making a hollow noise.The Rhadjari turned around at lightning speed, ready to attack whomever had dared to do so to him.
As his eyes looked down at me I slightly shivered at the murder I saw in his eyes.He came closer, so close that I could practically smell the hatred and violence on him.
His lips twisted into an cruel sneer, as he said: " Perhaps you and I will not have to share after all, Mythras." The other male holding the girl, Mythras, only laughed and answered his friend. "Something tells me you will have your hands full with that one.I say good luck to you." My stomach tightened in despair as I realized what those words meant.
Undeterred by his friend's jesting, the male in front of me lashed out and pulled by my hair with such a force, that I uttered a cry of pain, as I was dragged to the ground. And another scream tore out of me as the male got on top of me, crushing me with his weight. Panic set in as one word slammed over and over in my mind.
Nonononononono.
As if that one word was the only one I knew. In this moment I wanted more than anything to be somewhere else, someone else. But I was here and now and all that mattered now was that I had to stop the male who was going to hurt me. Tears of frustration and fear pooled in my eyes, making it harder to see, as I struggled more when I felt the male raise up the bottom of my long dress.
"Stop." the voice of another male said. His voice was a deep rumble, and though he had not said the word loudly his voice carried command. The Rhadjari on top of me turned his head towards the entrance of the square.
The male who had spoken, strode forward and he came into view. He had a hard face, which was touched by the firelight from the torches, with long dark hair. His eyes were hidden by shadows , so I could not see them clearly.
" Stop," he said once again.
"Get off her." The Rhadjari on top of me did not get off, but he had evidently lost his interest in me. All his attention was for the man in front of him. The other two Rhadjari males had also snapped their attention to the male in front of them.
"Ryke? Why should I let her go? She is just a worthless human girl." ,he said.
I recognized the word ryke ,a term the Rhadjari used to refer to a leader amongst the warrior clans.
"Do I have to repeat myself? ",the other male said in answer, a dangerous growl in his voice.I could not see the expression on the face of the male who held me down, but after a few seconds he got of me.My body sighed in relief as his weight disappeared, but I was not yet safe. I wondered why this male had stopped the warrior, even though he was clearly also Rhadjari, and a leader nonetheless. A leader would have encouraged his warriors to take every advantage of the raid, hence the males trying to rape the girls.
But I did not have time to ponder it any further.As soon as I got to my feet, still slightly shaking, I made a move for the exit.
To my surprise not one of the males stopped me. More relief, mixed with unbelief, coursed through me. I started running the paths that led to the main gate, where I could escape into the night, before I was killed or captured. The cold night air whipped against my legs and arms and it stung my nose. But I could not stop. I encountered few people as I ran. If it was because most of them had escaped, or most had been killed, I could not tell. I tried not to think of the latter option. I was almost there.I could already see the high structures of the gate.
Suddenly, I'm forcefully pushed from behind. I let out a small cry, as I land on the ground.I wince as the hard dusty ground connects with my stomach. I turn around, a glare on my face at whoever pushed me. All I see is a hooded figure. I can't make out what iskrai it is, or if it's a male or female. But one thing is very sure.It's not human.
And I don't want to wait to find out what iskrai it is. I hastily get to my feet, already scanning my surroundings, looking for which way will lead to the gate the fastest. My stomach sinks as the figure stalks in the direction that I was taking to get to the main gate. I never get a chance to find an escape route, because the figure leaps, leaps, forward and grabs my arm with an iron grip.I start struggling, desperately trying to get free. Alright, now I know that he or she is definitely not human.Something about it feels wrong. Terribly wrong.I don't know what, just that there is a frightening certainty that horrible things can happen to me because of this creature. It starts walking, dragging me with it, towards the gate, the very place I had been headed to. Why was this iskrai taking me there? And for what purpose?
If I wanted to know all I had to do was ask.
" Hey! Hey, I'm talking to you, are you listening? ", I screamed. "Where are you taking me? "
The iskrai did not answer. He or she only kept dragging me. I once again struggled to get free but it was useless, just like talking to the iskrai was useless. I would not get any answers.
The gate came into view and there was chaos. Villagers were trying to escape through the gate, only to be held back by a line of Rhadjari standing in front of it. Only a few people, mostly men, were trying to break the line of Rhadjari, but to no avail. The sound of approaching horses filled my ears and I swung my head to look to the right. Four big steel cages where being pulled by horses attached to them, the horses being manned by Rhadjari. As one the people seemed to understand what was about to happen and they once more tried to run in every direction, screaming in fear. But the Rhadjari were waiting. They started rounding up the people, dragging screaming women and cursing men, and throwing them into the cages.
Young women were shoved into one cage and young men into another. People who were to old or weak were left alone, screaming at their loved ones being taken away.But there was no use in fighting.
The iskrai walked towards the cages, dragging me with it.As it did, it momentarily looked sideways at me.It was a female, with a harshly contoured face . And her eyes were as black as a moonless midnight. Shadowy tendrils danced around her eyes.She was beautiful, in a deadly way.Like a mesmerizing snake. I finally understood why she had taken me.
She was a vinur, iskrai created by the same god who had created the Rhadjari. Their purpose was to serve the Rhadjari. Vinurs had the abilities to see inside someone's head, take out their fears and make them reality. They thrive on the death and fear that the Rhadjari sow. Vinurs are but shadows, and can take on the form of other iskrai or animals.Their trademark shadowy eyes betray what they are.
This vinur had taken me because she was a servant of a Rhadjari, who'd no doubt given her orders to find any remaining humans and imprison them. A thought snaked through my mind. It was not common for Rhadjari clans to raid human villages, much less take many prisoners. They considered us to weak to be of much use. Then what was the purpose of this raid?
I did not have time to think any more on it. The vinur had reached the cage, that held only young women. She opened the cage door and threw me in it.I fell on my knees and lifted my head to look around the cage, spying for anyone I knew.There were about a dozen other girls cramped together in the cage.All had their eyes wide with fright, their tear-streaked faces speaking of the horrors they had seen or been through.I knew almost all of them by face but had never spoken to them.All of them were silent.I turned around to try the gate of the cage, but it was chained shut. In frustration, I started yanking at the gate, until I gave up with a small frustrated scream. It was useless. Why could I not get that through my head yet?
I was a Rhadjari prisoner, escaping them was near impossible.Either they found me useful and I got to live, or they found a reason that warranted my death.How bleak is that for a future. I wasn't even sure if I would live through the night. No one would even know what happened to me...
My brothers!
Everything had happened so fast, I hadn't even thought about Cylian and Zachion. Earlier this night they had been out with friends, most likely hunting in the woods near our village. Were they even alright?
Yes ,they had to be.My older brothers are strong. And they are among the few men in my village able to fight. If they had escaped, and I hoped they had, then I was glad. If they had not, then they had to have been taken prisoner by the Rhadjari. Then I'm going to find them. And we are going to find a way to escape the Rhadjari. No matter how impossible it seems. After that?
The gods only know.