Elgaboth, the Kidnapping: Chapter 1

A scream rent the night, the last act of a dying man before his air was cut off forever. no friendly ear would have marked his passing had not fate conspired. Years ago a soldier, staying in the Satum's garrison had slammed his fellow into a certain wind which could never afterwards be closed completely. It was due to this circumstance that despite a very cold fall evening a window in what had long since become the boy's dormitory was open.

Kurt was a light sleeper and could go from unconsciousness to full alertness in a matter of seconds so he heard the scream. Not that he had any idea of what the sound signified but it pulled him out of his dreams and into his bed. Some sixth sense compelled him to glance out the window.

Panic and fear flowed through his veins as he saw the dark shapes climbing down the inside of the wall. In a few seconds they were displaced, if not replaced, by a surge of adrenaline. He had only two thoughts, first to warn everyone and second to find and protect his sister and... Lucy.

There was nothing he could do that would stop the attack, but never the less he started yelling. Few people could hear his actual words but it roused them. And by that time they could smell the smoke. The attackers, possibly having studied the methods of beekeepers, had lit a fire on the right side of the building.

Kurt's mind quickly processed the meaning of the smoke and he instinctively moved left. He, however, stopped a few seconds later. His father's words came back to him, well not the words but the general idea. If the enemy wants you to go one way, go the other. It was obvious which way they wanted him to go, it was the way he, himself, wanted. But instead he slowly moved to his right. The smoke thickened but he kept moving and finally made it to a window.

The fire was much smaller than the smoke had led him to believe and looking out the window he thought he could clear it. He jumped.

In his short life Kurt had never com really close to death. It is not the par of a rich Lords to dance with demons. But that night he came within centimeters of it. The flames licked him as he flew but somehow they could not catch hold of him or pull him into their blistering oblivion.

He hit the ground hard and instinctively rolled forward. There was a sharp pain in his ankle but he forced himself to ignore it as the one man left to guard the fire was in pursuit.

The main building  included the classrooms as well as the girl's dormitories. Once it had housed twenty kings and their retinues. Now it held at least that many princesses. It loomed ahead of him in all its imposing Majesty.

Kurt was fast but the pain in his ankle and his assailant's speed conspired to force a confrontation. He knew that if he didn't turn soon he would be attacked from behind so he spun on his heel and struck out with his fist at the same moment. The element of surprise was enough to sway the first moments of the fight to his advantage. The initial blow pushed him off balance and Kurt took full advantage of that, throwing himself at the man. It was only then that Kurt noticed the other figure.

The man’s hair was so blond it was almost white, even lighter than Lucy or John’s hair. He wore a thin mustache and his face was even thinner. His clothes were the same as those his men wore but no one could doubt that he was to be obeyed. He leaned his face close to Kurt and one of the men forced Kurt’s head up with the hilt of a sword only then did Kurt notice that he had mismatched eyes. One was very Light blue and the other was so dark that Kurt couldn’t locate the pupil.

“I know your father,” His voice came as a low whisper. Kurt’s body shook slightly as if a force beyond himself compelled his actions, “And I don’t mean that in a good way.” His hand went to a thin scar on his cheek.

Kurt wanted to spit in his face, that was what his father or brother would have done but his mouth was strangely bereft of saliva. There was a presence about the man that made even breathing difficult.

“So you’re not going to beg for your life?”

That thought had entered Kurt’s head but he knew instinctively that with a man like this it would do no good.

“Good, you really are your father’s son.” He stood and started to leave but then turned offered Kurt an ironic smile. “Of course he would have spit in my face by now.”

White hot rag engulfed Kurt but he held it in and pretended that he was still immobilized by the man's powerful stare. The man holding him took about a minute to shake off that hold. Then one rushed off after his master and the other jerked Kurt upright. Kurt didn't wait. He catapulted his whole body upwards catching the man's jaw with the top of his head. Then he ran, the anger dulling the pain in his ankle.

He slowed when he came close to the girl's dormitory and threw himself behind a bush. He watched as the girls were dragged out screaming, often in their night clothes. But he didn't move. There was no way he could fight all of them and he had to find Cassie. A hand covered his mouth and a surge of terror shot through him. He struggled silently until his assailant hissed in his ear.

"Eh, It's me, John."

Kurt turned and found himself staring into his friend's ice blue eyes.

"We find the girls?"

Kurt nodded though he knew for John there was only one girl.

"If we climb the west side we can get in their window. Maybe they're still there."

"You've thought about this have you?" whispered Kurt smiling.

John gave him a questioning look.

"How to get into the girl's dormitory."

John gave him a thin smile and shook his head. It was a lifelong goal of Kurt’s to instill a sense of humor into his icy friend.

They were silent and swift as they circled the building to the back. They decided that John would climb because of Kurt's ankle. There was plenty of Ivy and John pulled himself to the third floor like a spider and disappeared through a third floor window.

It seemed like an eternity for Kurt trying to ignore the now nearly unbearable pain in his ankle. The fire continued to consume the boy's dorm and dark shapes showed up against the flames, small struggles won and lost. Something fell to the right of him and he jumped.

He looked up and saw that John seemed to have tied a series of sheets together to make a rope. He considered making a joke about elopements but it was soon forgotten as he saw a cloaked female figure crawl out of the window and lower herself using the sheet rope. This took about three minutes and Kurt met her at the bottom. 

"Kurt," The voice was Judy's and disappointment threatened to drown him. He reminded himself that Judy was a princess of the realm his oaths to the king bound him to her, more than that she was his friend and he wanted her safe.

Another female figure climbed down the sheer wall. He waited again, breathless. Anna dropped into his arms and sent agony through his ankle but for the moment he didn't care. Anna hugged him tightly. They had been friends since childhood and she was almost a sister to him.

"They took them." She whispered, close to tears.

Terror flooded back into Kurt's body. "Cassie and Lucy?"

Anna only nodded.

"We need to get to the forest." said John sliding down beside them.

Kurt barely heard him. His blood was up and he was considering the possibility of running straight into the mist of the black clothed men. John saw what was in his friends mind and grabbed his shoulder.

"No Kurt."

Kurt nodded grudgingly as another wave of pain brought him back to reality. Limping he followed John and the two girls towards the forest. By the time they reached it he was leaning heavily on Anna for support.

"The wall is shorter over there," Anna pointed. "Maybe we can get out."

John nodded and they proceeded as quietly as possible through the trees.

The wall was in fact shorter. It had fallen down over the years and now it stood over them, only about ten feet all told.

John wasted no time; he gave Kurt a few short orders. They picked up Judy and she scrambled onto the top of the wall. Judy's golden head disappeared over the crumbled wall and they heard a plop as she reached the other side. The boys lifted Anna to the top of the wall where she perched to help with their accent. It was then that the difficulties began. Their flight up till then he'd been accomplished with almost surreal ease but now Kurt's wounded ankle began to tell. Kurt was not above average height but well-muscled and therefore he weighted a fair amount. John was only a few inches taller than his friend and a good deal thinner. With his ankle Kurt wouldn't climb up last so it was left for John to boost him over or try to. Hon could barely lift Kurt and not without intense pain in his ankle. They made three attempts and each time ended with Kurt sitting with his back to the wall desperately trying to breathe. Judy called something over the wall, her voice thick with terror. And they started hearing the shouts and footsteps of the men who were beginning to make a search of the forest.

After the third attempt Kurt grabbed John's shoulders and gave a few forceful words. John nodded reluctantly and pulled himself with Anna's help atop the wall. He eased himself down the other side. When he was safely on the other side Anna's face hardened and she slid back down to stand next to Kurt who had passed out.

John yelled over the wall. "What are you doing?

 "I'm not leaving him unconscious for them to pick up."

"Anna, I can't just…"

"There is nothing else you can do. Go get help. Run."

She heard the two sets of footsteps recede hesitantly at first then faster as they began to run.