Elgaboth, the Kidnapping: Chapter 2

Lucy sat perfectly still in the group of prisoners. She did not understand why everyone else seemed to suddenly be struggling with all their might to simply breathe; she felt nothing. She reached over to do what she could for Cassie who was on her knees gasping for breath. The guards were similarly struck dumb but they at least seemed to be able to breathe. She looked up. The man with the white-blond hair stood over them. His piercing mismatched eyes searched the ranks of assembled prisoners. They lighted on Lianna and Elwin, Judy's half-sisters. They were Identifiable not just by the fact that they were identical but by their hair. When Judy, who shared a name with her daughter, left Pinkland she had not left all its traditions behind, at least with her oldest daughters. Their pale blond hair had never been cut and now Lianna's single braid fell past her knees and Elwin's lose hair hit the ground.

The man grabbed Elwin by the hair and dragged her forward. "I want your sister, I want Judy. Now Judy will step forward or her sister will be the one who suffers." He began to hack away at Elwin's hair; the pale strands fell all around her. "Next it will be her fingers."

Lianna stood. She showed no sign of the paralysis that gripped everyone else. Her pale hair glinted in the moonlight, and her face, so like Elwin's but so different, was set.

"You should know better than to play with the daughters of the North." Lianna's voice and her eyes were filled with ice and darkness. It seemed to Lucy that black mist began to surround Judy's half-sister.

The man looked straight at her but she did not even flinch. His eyes widened then be began to smile.

"Does your mother know about this I wonder? If so she must never have told you."

He stepped back and signaled to two of his men. One of them slammed his spear butt towards Lianna's head. She Cried out in a voice not her own and fire surrounded her. The other soldier came at her from behind and a dark something flew from her had toward him. “ENOUGH,” The mans voice was much more powerful this time and he made an odd gesture with his hands toward Lianna. She cried out again and the fire around her went out as she fell unconscious towards the ground. One of the soldiers caught her as she fell. The black mist seemed to cling to Lianna and the men holding her.

Something exploded from the back of the crowd. The twin blueland princes and a few other boys had taken advantage of the man’s distraction and thrown themselves at the nearest guards. “HALT,” The powerful voice came again and almost all the boys froze and were easily over powered. All except Jon. He continued to wrestle unabated with the guard he had selected. The man looked startled  and flicked his head towards Jon but Jon was ready and he spun around and smashed both his fists into the lackey who was trying to knock him out. The silver bracers around his wrists seemed to change in the air and cover his hands like gloves. The man with the spear fell boneless to the ground. The man did not this time try to use magic. He nodded at several more soldiers and soon Jon was brought down by force of numbers.

“To the cages and make sure he had no opportunity of escaping.”

The man grabbed Elwin by the arm. “What I said still stands. Give me Judy or I take her fingers.”

Someone had to step forward thought Lucy. But Judy wasn’t here. Then a thought struck her. She and Judy were about the same size and if he truly didn’t know what Judy looked like he might take her white blond hair for Judy’s golden-blond braid and her pale blue eyes for Judy’s dark blue ones. She didn’t let herself think about anything but the knife over Elwin’s fingers as she stood.

“I am Judy, Princess of this land and I ask you why you have invaded this neutral ground.”

The man turned slowly toward her and smiled. “Now we are getting somewhere.” He motioned toward the two men holding Lianna. “Take that and the double to the cages. And I want you to take off your clothes and burn them. I also don’t want anyone going near either one. Is that clear?” The men nodded and hurried away.

“Why are you taking my sisters away?” Lucy did not flinch under his gaze.

“What are you girl?” he said almost to himself.

“I am a princess and it would behoove you to remember that. I asked you a question.” Lucy did not know where the words came from but somehow the reserve that kepter her so quiet most of the time was gone.

“Well you see little princess, your mother’s first husband had a dirty little secret, I would guess about his mother. And that renders it important that they be kept safe. They will not be unduly harmed.”

“Know this fiend; any harm to them will incur a blood debt far beyond your ability to pay.”

Her light blue eyes met his mismatched ones and they held each other for a long moment.

“After tonight there will be enough blood to go around,” said the man. “Come, we have wasted enough time.” He strode forward, took Lucy’s wrist in his powerful hand and motioned to his men. Thick ropes were brought out and laced around wrists and necks until the entire school was strung out across the courtyard in two long lines. The teachers and remaining guards were tied hand and foot and carried into the teacher’s hall.

“What will happen to them?” Lucy asked.

“They will be left for your families to find.”

He stepped forward dragging her along behind him. Her foot hit a root in the dark and pain shot through her knee so intensely that she could not breathe for a moment. He turned in annoyance.

“What is it?”

“My knee,” Lucy gasped when she could speak. There was no point hiding what he would find out as soon as they began moving.

He made a grunt of annoyance and lifted he petty coat. She noticed that he placed his body between her and his men. Once her leg was exposed the ugly metal brace which had entombed her fragile leg since childhood and had followed her every step like an unwanted dog eager for a master.

He met her eyes again. “A cripple?” and recovered her leg.

She met his eyes. “To family, yes. To marriageable men I am whole and unblemished.”

“And how pray tell did a princess lose use of her knee.”

“Doubtless you know of the Arnes Caren sickness.”

He nodded but showed no sign that he knew, as everyone did, that Arnes Caren was the Opus Magnus of the dark magicians of his country. That it had been unleashed on a small outpost of Mixupland soldiers and had quickly gotten out of hand infecting more than half of the population in a one hundred mile radius. It would have spread further had not the Toram, a secret brotherhood dedicated to the study and cure of disease quarantined the area.

“I was five years old,” Said Lucy, reverting to the truth. “Do you even understand the atrocities your country has committed?”

He did not answer her but straightened up, seeing that his men had finished with the prisoners. “We move out now.” He looked back at Lucy. “Can you ride, your highness?”

She nodded stone-faced.

He took the bridle of a large black horse which had just appeared behind him. He lifted Lucy easily onto the horse and led them forward. The men had been waiting for such a sign and began to prod the lines of prisoners into motion. She caught sight of Lianna, Elwin and Jon looking no worse than before in cages on a cart. She searched desperately with her eyes for Kurt or Anna but could see neither. She did find and hold Cassandaline’s eyes for a long moment before she was prodded onward by spear butts.

The procession set off at a surprisingly fast pace with Lucy at their head. A jolt of pain snaked its way up her leg with every motion of the horse.