Hello Lovely Readers!
I am sorry for the late update, I accidentally may or may not have gotten high earlier this past week and kind of made some adjustments to my chapter/deleted it and wrote something completely different that really should not have ever been written. Le Whoops. Anyway, now we all know that I am a terrible role model to have, feel free to give me a follow, message, comment, vote, etc. because you know you want to.
XOXO Ally Layne.
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"I am going to need your hair clip, Irene," I told her, holding out my chained hands to take it directly from the back of her hair. She stiffened when I grabbed it from her person.
"Why do you need such a thing?" She asked, and I snickered slightly as I started to work on the lock on my feet. There was no way I would be able to reach the lock on my hands, but at least with my feet free, I would be able to run.
Besides, I didn't need free hands to take out these men. I just needed to be able to make sure the others would get to safety, first.
"You pickin' the lock?" Anthony asked, looking at me curiously.
I eyed the boy sharply. "You know how?"
He looked to Irene, Elfhild, Timmy, and then back to me as if he were searching to see if anyone would snitch on him later. A part of me wanted to scare the kid into helping, but I doubted with the others it would get too far.
Anthony shrugged, having made up his mind. "Sometimes I gotta get some food for my lil sis."
I grinned. "Willing to help me out?"
The dark-haired boy eyed me curiously. "Would you get me out of here, then?" He looked at Timmy quickly. "And Timmy too. You gots to take both of us."
"No one gets left behind," I affirmed. "Now do you want to get me out of these chains?"
His answering grin was all I needed to put the rest of my plan into play.
After he finished canoodling me out of the restraints, I was the first to rub his hair in silent affection. "You did good, kiddo."
Anthony looked to Timmy in shock, who merely smiled at his friend. I suppose he wasn't used to hearing too many compliments being friends with that young genius, so a part of me was proud to be able to give the kid a moment of heroism.
At least, so that he can look onto the memory somewhat fondly.
"The next moment this carriage stops, we are going to escape," I told them. "I am going to distract them and you lot are going to get out of the area, just in time for me to get rid of them."
Elfhilda looked at me oddly. "How will you do that? They are strong grown men who-"
I rolled my eyes. "They are strong men, but they got the jump on me earlier and this time it's my turn to pay them back in full. Now, I don't want you all going too far away, considering we might be nowhere near civilization, and we are going to need this carriage and horses to make the trip back."
Nods and shifty looks fed my vision. "How are you going to get them all at once?" Nesta asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Would it not be impossible given there are five men in total? You-"
"There are five men?" I asked as a diversion started to play out in my mind. Nods were given again, and a giddy feeling pooled in my stomach. Or was that vomit?
Oh, well.
I would obviously need to use my powers, but they might already be aware of it and try and knock me out. Actually, I would be surprised if they didn't know about my powers, as I was obviously targeted since Elrohir was not taken as well.
Or was I taken because I was simply not an elf? It was obvious no elves had been taken, so what gives?
"Were there any elves involved in this at all?" I asked, looking between the hostages and trying to peer into their eyes to show my seriousness. Why would I be taken while I was with an elf if they were not targets?
What could have drawn these slave traders out all the way to Imladris, where heavily guarded thousand-year warriors roamed, to kidnap someone like me? How would they even know I existed in the first place? It's not as if I had been out of Imladris save for the small battle at the village.
And even there, I doubt anyone would have known better.
"No, there have not been any elves, at least, until you showed up," Irene said, looking down at me worriedly. "Why, what is the matter?"
I shrugged, trying to ease myself before drawing more unnecessary worry forward. "It's fine. I was just wondering, that's all."
"There are no dwarves, either," One of the little girls, Aria, commented, eyes wide in earnest. "Isn't that odd?"
"Perhaps, that is because the dwarves are a very interconnected and secretive race that very much keeps to themselves," Timothy said, looking at Aria with a slight frown. "Why, I haven't seen a dwarf in all my life!"
"And what a very long one you've lived," I muttered, raising a brow at the young boy. "You still have a long life ahead of you, buddy."
"Not if you don't get us out of here," he said right back, his lips tugging slightly upward.
I grinned. "Don't worry, I've dealt with worse. That'll be a cakewalk."
Tira gasped in excitement, clapping her hands together with barely contained joy. "There is going to be a cake?"
"We never get cake," Laila whispered to her younger cousin, her eyes also wide and honest. The young girl's voice was raspy, I realized, from misuse. She hadn't been whispering, I think she was actually using all the voice she had left.
I wonder how long she had been screaming for.
"There won't be cake, unfortunately," I admitted, rubbing my wrists together while trying to figure out how to explain. "It's a saying where I'm from, the whole cakewalk thing, that means something is going to be really easy. Like walking and having cake."
I didn't try to explain any further, and they didn't seem to be too confused. At least, no one asked any more questions.
I had a feeling they were doubting my awesome abilities, but I couldn't help but understand as I would be pretty skeptical of someone like me, too. Some raggedy girl that says she could take on five men at once? And a girl who had been kidnapped and had a concussion from those very same men? Not something I would bet money on.
Yet, for some reason, the whole purpose of me being here was weighing down upon my thoughts. Something did not seem right with this scenario, and it was bringing an even worse headache to the forefront of my brain.
I looked at the two buckets they had for us in the carriage- one full of water, another for us to do our business in. Luckily, I hadn't felt the urge to use the second bucket, but I knew the first one, even though it may only have been half full, was going to be our ticket out.
Then, I looked at the younger kids who were leaning against each other with closed eyes, I knew it wouldn't be wise to share my little watery secret before the whole thing went down. If the men out there got any inkling that something bad was happening back here- I was sure these kids would be the first ones targeted when things got hairy.
I refused to let kids get caught in the crossfire. Not now, not again.
Kids had no place in battles. I knew that better than anyone.
My head leaned back against the boarded side of the carriage, and I closed my eyes. I was going to need all the energy I could get if I was going to pull this off.
"How'll we know when we need to escape?" Elfhilda's shaky voice sounded in the shadowed carriage. "Will there be some sort of sign?"
I opened my eyes and turned my head to face the woman. "I will use water as a diversion. When you all see a large splash of water, then run."
Most of the older people captured looked absolutely befuddled. "Water?" Nesta asked in disbelief.
"How will that create a large enough diversion?" Irene quietly asked at my side. "This is more than just a few of us, and we will need enough time to escape, Persephone."
I blinked. "Do you think I don't know what I'm doing?"
She let out a harsh breath and leaned back against the side of the carriage. "I don't know what to think, to be frankly honest. I know that you seem like you know what you're doing, but there are children with us, and I don't know if we should take that small chance."
I pursed my lips. I knew that I shouldn't just reveal my heritage to random strangers, which is dangerous in itself, but in this old-school world, I had a feeling if they got wind of the truth I might just be tried for being a witch.
But again, if they don't listen to me, we will all be dead anyway.
There are many moments where I absolutely hate being a demigod, and this is definitely one of those moments. The idea of a win-win scenario is generally always a lose-lose.
Demigods never win. Even on our good days.
I sighed. "Look here, everyone. I normally am not allowed to share this, but I don't think that we have any choice."
"You're not in love with girls or something, are you?" One of the teenage girls asked, making me very nearly spray her with water in response.
I grit my teeth and prayed to the Valar for patience.
It didn't work.
But in life-threatening situations, sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches. "No, I am not in love with girls." I paused. "At least, I think I'm not. I don't think I've actually ever considered it-"
"You had a point?" Irene asked, prodding me and my spaghetti mind along.
I nodded and gave her a small grin in response. "Yeah, and it has nothing to do with relationships. For the most part, I guess. Actually, it does."
"So is this about you liking girls or not?" Anthony asked, placing his head in his hands. "Is that even possible?"
"Girls can like girls?" Tira whispered up to her older sister. Aria only shrugged in response.
"I guess you can."
Tira seemed pleased. "I wanna like girls, now. Girls are really pretty."
I bit my lip. "No, this is not about liking girls. Have you ever heard of the term, Demigod?"
A staggering silence was enough for me.
"What do you think would happen if one of the members of the Valar went and had a child with an immortal?" I questioned, trying to generate something out of nothing. "They would essentially be Half Human- Half Valar."
"Has this happened before?" Timothy asked, sitting up straight. "Who are they?"
"Well, I don't know if it's ever happened, but on other worlds it certainly has."
Pause.
"Other worlds?" Timothy nearly shrieked, following a massive "Shh!" and Anthony lunging over to his friend and slamming his hand on his mouth to muffle his exclamation.
"Quiet!" I hissed. "And yes, other worlds do exist."
"How do you know?" Nesta asked, her eyes bright and intrigued. Many of the others quickly agreed with her, wanting to know how I had come to be acquainted with such knowledge.
"I happen to be from another world, that's why," I claimed, shifting to cross my arms across my stomach. "My father was a god, my mother was a human. That's why I am a demigod. Demi for half, god for well... god."
We sat in silence before Irene raised a brow. "Prove it."
I smiled. "Thought you'd never ask."
Feeling a familiar tug in my gut, I moved the water out into the open air, and created a pegasus out of the molecules with its wings flapping up and down, legs moving as though it were running, just as if the beast was flying amongst us.
The gasps that rang out along the carriage were enough for me to realize I got my point across.
"My father, he was the equivalent of Lord Ulmo here in this world. He was the god of the seas, earthquakes, storms, and horses. That is how I can control water like this," I explained before moving the water back into the bucket.
Wide eyes stared.
"At least now we know how you plan on making a scene," Irene deadpanned.
I let out a chuckle. "Not to mention, I am pretty handy with a sword, too. I've beaten Lord Glorfindel and the sons of Lord Elrond are too afraid to face me."
"Yet you were kidnapped by a group of men?" Timothy asked, eyes bugging out of their sockets. "What happened?"
My head started to hurt. "I didn't see them coming."
"Well, hopefully you can live up to what you did," Irene told me. "Because I have a feeling we are going to need every ounce of luck you can muster."
"Believe me, I have the worst luck in the world," I said dryly.
Tira dramatically threw her face into her hands, letting out a muffled, "We're doomed!"
Time passed. I don't know how long we sat there in the back of the carriage, but when the carriage slowly came to a halt I knew it was time to place the plan I had in action. The others immediately looked to me for direction, and I insisted that Irene place the chains back behind my back to make it seem like I was still bound. She carefully took care of the chains at my feet before moving to my hands, giving my wrist a light squeeze before she shifted away.
No one dared move a muscle, let alone let out a peep.
The sound of the latch on the back of the carriage rattled, sending a shiver down my spine. My head started to hurt even more than it did before, most likely from how hard I was working to concentrate.
If I could just...
The doors burst open, sending a jolting bright light into the cabin of the carriage. I let out a low moan of protest before cutting myself off by biting my lip through the pain the light caused. My head was not just aching- it was pounding to the beat of the laughter of the men.
"Oh look! It's that girl we had to stop and grab!" One of the men said, but I didn't dare look up to see what he looked like. The way he spoke didn't sound sophisticated to me, but I wasn't sure if that was because I had been spending a lot of time with the elves.
The sound of boots stomping on the floor of the carriage followed the vibrations of one of the men clambering in. "Wakey wakey girls and boys! Now go take a piss and do your dirty little business so your shit doesn't smell up the place."
I noticed some other men slowly filing out the others, binding their hands in rope as they went. "Ya all know what we do to people who try to run, don't ya?" Another man snickered. "If ya try to run, we gonna hunt ya."
"I hope one of 'em tries to run," another voice said lowly. "I've been itching for some fun."
"Shuddup Tig, we all know you just need to fuck a girl and call it good," The man who had walked into the carriage said before he kicked the bottom of my foot. "Haha! She hasn't moved!"
I decided that would be my best bet.
The other men immediately started to laugh. "Musta' hit her pretty hard there, Jimmy!"
Tig's voice sounded, "Bet ya wish you'd shag her all over, Jig-"
"Looks like you's too horny, Tig-"
"Jimmy just make yourself useful and make sure they don't go runnin while they shit!" Jig's voice sounded, sharp and cutting just like any leader of a battle. I had a feeling this was going to be the guy I needed to worry about.
"Whatever ya say, boss," the man who entered the carriage must've been Jimmy, as the man who stood before me walked away before the sounds of shuffling feet could be heard further out the back.
According to Nesta, there were five men. I had counted three. There were two more men- one I could possibly assume was tending to the horses, the other keeping watch as their hostages were out to relieve themselves.
I peeked my eyes open and noticed that I was the only one in the carriage. Not only that but obviously those chuckleheads didn't even realize that I wasn't cuffed in my chains. Perhaps I had more luck than I thought.
Time for the distraction.
I felt the tug in my gut as I stood up in my spot, eyes opening fully as I let the fury that ricocheted through my veins show clear as day.
"What the-"
"It's time you fellas got a taste of your own shit," I growled, thrusting my hand forward and pelting the men in front of the carriage- Jig and Tig, sending them flying to the ground.
I quickly hopped out of the carriage and let out a loud whistle. "Hey, escaped prisoner here! Come and get me, boys!"
The three other men turned from their posts to see me standing there with wide arms and a shit-eating grin plastered on my face. If they had been close enough to see my eyes, they would have seen anger incarnate.
They looked from their two partners, now knocked out on the ground, and back at me. And, like any group of idiots, they let out war cries and charged.
I slipped out a curse, and hurried to Tig- no, Jig- wait, or was this Tig? Well, I ran to one of the men on the ground and grabbed their sword hanging loose on their belt, and prepared to kick some ass.
These men were not trained well, and I immediately felt embarrassed about how easily I had been captured.
They must have been hunters, dominantly with bows, which I noticed on the backs of their horses. That explains how Elrohir had been shot easily enough, but the fact still remains that I was kidnapped by these scraggly worms and it was not my best hour.
I stopped in my place when I heard a scream come from the direction where the others had run off to, and paid dearly for that mistake when a sword cut into my side.
A hiss sounded from between my teeth, and I quickly kicked him away before turning my back on the battle I was facing and ran into the woods after the group.
The number of things they might have run into were numerous, and every single horrible beast that I envisioned was worse than the previous. The kids must have been slaughtered, they wouldn't be fast enough-
"Tira!"
My heart dropped as I ran to where the young blonde girl lay on the ground, holding her leg that was obviously broken in pain while screaming bloody murder.
I saw Irene, Aria, Nesta, and Elfhida were trying to help the girl while the others were standing around, unsure of what to do.
The men were coming, and we were here like sitting ducks.
They would have had enough time to grab their bows. They could pick us off one by one.
But I couldn't let that happen.
My mind was quickly made up. "I will stay with Tira, the rest of you run and don't slow down," I told them. "If you need to sleep, sleep in the trees. Keep your heads down and find a body of water, it will lead you to the next city over."
A few of the young girls let out sobs that threatened to cut my heart out from my chest. "What are you going to-"
I cut Irene off with a hand. "No, you guys need to go." I looked to Aria, who kneeled down at her sister's side with wide, tearful eyes. "I will save her, and we will find you. But first, you need to run."
"How will you find us?" Anthony cried.
I gave him a wry smile. "You all saw me move water around in mid-air, and you ask me something like that? Now go, Tira and I will see you on the other side."
I didn't dare say what the other side would be, but I could only hope for the best.
Nesta was the first to urge them along, likely hearing the shuffling of the sticks and leaves coming from behind us. Elfhilda grabbed Aria by her shoulders and hurried with Irene, who immediately took the hands of Timmy and Laila, and they ran off.
We were alone for a few minutes.
But I knew they were coming for us.
Our time was running out.
I looked down at Tira with a sad smile, combing my hands through her hair. "We are going to be okay, you and me. Do you trust me?"
Her bright blue eyes, red with tears, widened at a sight behind me.
That was the only warning I had before I felt like my scalp was being ripped from my skull, as my hair was pulled and I was dragged along.
I struggled against the grip, but I started to scream as I saw one of the men standing over a sobbing Tira with his sword over his head.
"NO! Let her go!"
"MOMMY!"
I rolled my body over to try and get the man to free my hair, but I kept being dragged away from the scene. I choked out a sob when I saw the sword start to fall.
"NO! STOP!"
This sight would haunt me for the rest of my days.
Another nightmare to add to the nightly catalog.
More blood I would never be able to rid my hands of.
"TIRA!"