Once the wound was wrapped once more, I thought back to what William had said. Would Markus do this, and if so why? What was in it for him, and who wanted me dead? I had so many unanswered questions and I knew only one person would be able to answer all of them. As I gazed at the roof of the white tent, I wondered what he'd be doing and if he was healthy.
Frowning at my thoughts, I closed my eyes. "Why am I worrying about someone who tried to kill me?" I whispered.
I knew the answer to it though. I still cared about him. Even my own heart would beat faster at the mere thought of him, but yet now I didn't get excited when I thought of him. I used to spend all my time with him, but now the thought of being near him sent fear through my veins.
Turning my head to the side, I gazed at William's sleeping form. He looked so tired. His once-styled hair was no more, and his skin now tanned as if he had spent too long in the sun. Under his eyes were dark circles and to anybody else they would frown at it, but to me I thought they looked good. It was somewhat nice to see him with this type of imperfection. When I met him the first time during the Rogue attack, he still looked well-groomed. I liked this side of William more. It showed me he was human too.
As I bit my lip I sat up on the bed. The stinging pain I had felt a few hours ago had subsided leaving a dull ache. Marry had rubbed some herbs into the wound, and from the smell of it, I could only assume she used mud to pack the wound. Some of the healing herbs that she used were still on a small tin tray beside the bed, but none of the bottles were labelled. How was she able to tell the difference between each one? They all looked the same to me.
A small chuckle had me looking up in shock like a little kid caught snatching something from the fruit stall. Looking at me with an amused smile, William lounged back in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest. "What are you doing?"
Clearing my throat, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. "I need to speak with Markus," I said, ignoring his question.
At my words, a frown instantly settled on his face. "Why would I let you do that? He tried to kill you, Abagail. Not once, but twice.""What?" That had to be a lie right? There was no way he would try for a second time.
Leaning forward, William rested his elbows on his knees. "After we found a way to save your life, we caught Markus sneaking into your tent with a needle." Standing, he moved towards me. Stopping in front of me with an angry far off look, he continued. "That needle would have ended you, Abagail. It held a mixture from a dark healer that no one would be able to fix, not even the healing water."
Sighing, I clenched my fists. He had to be lying, he just had to. Closing my eyes I gritted my teeth. "I need to speak with him."
"Why? What could he possibly tell you that I can't?"
"Information on who is behind all this!" Staring up at him, I felt power flow through me. It almost felt like Aurora. Shocked, I licked my bottom lip. "I swear I just... I thought I felt Aurora."
Bending down to my height, William's eyes seemed to shine with something. "Try and contact her, you may be able to see where she is."
Closing my eyes, I tried to get into contact with her. The feeling was growing weaker, and as I tried a ringing almost seemed to start in the back of my mind. My vision seemed to blur out to show a small concrete room. On the walls were large chains, made to hold the largest of beasts down. As my gaze moved to the dirty damp floor, I noticed a lot of blood.
Abagail.
Opening my eyes, my vision was back to normal. Back inside the tent, with William still bent down in front of me, I couldn't help but sigh. She was being held captive. That much I knew, but by who? Staggering to my feet, I made a move towards the door but was stopped by a hand on my arm.
Gazing down at me with a frown, I watched his jaw flex as he took a deep breath. "If you're going to see him, I will be coming with you."
Nodding, I gently gripped the hand on my arm. "Then let's go."
As we stood outside a large white tent, my heart started to pulse loudly in my ears. My hands felt clammy as I flexed them by my side. I was nervous to face him and afraid of the truth he would tell me. Standing beside me was William. He was giving orders to four guards who would be coming inside the tent with us. William had said it was for my protection but I honestly doubt I needed it.
Without a word, I made my way into the tent. A few people shouted in protest but I ignored them. I need to see him. I needed to get answers and find out where Aurora was and why she was being tortured. Sitting on the dirt floor with his arms locked behind him on the pole, Markus sat there eerily still.
"Come to torture me some more, King?" The words that left his mouth seemed to be filled with so much hatred and anger, and as I moved closer without a sound I watched his head move, eyes making contact with mine. A shocked gasp fell from his lips as he tried to stand, but his efforts were useless. As soon as he tried to get to his feet, two guards ran towards him with clubs smacking the back of his knees. He groaned in pain as he fell to his knees, and as the guards went to hit him again I moved closer.
"Enough!" I couldn't have them hurting him... not yet.
Stopping the clubs mid-swing they looked towards William. Nodding his head, I took a closer step towards Markus. "Lower your weapons... For now."
Ignoring his words, I gazed down at Markus. His own eyes were on mine, tears slightly brimming in them. "Abagail..." he sighed. "I'm so sorry."
"Lies!" Shouted William. "If you were sorry you wouldn't have betrayed her and your land. All for what? A title you were never going to get?"
Lowering his head, I watched a small smirk play on his lips. "You think you know everything."
"Well is that true?" stepping forward till I was only a few feet away, I gazed down at him with no emotion. "Is that why you tried to kill me not once, but twice? Is that why you betrayed our friendship!"
Gazing up at me through his lashes, Markus smirked. "I did it to protect the people I loved and cared about. I'm sorry I had to hurt you, trust me when I say this but it was never my intention."
"Well I'm sorry but that's a little hard to swallow." I spat. Once again I was angry. Angry at the fact I cared so much about him. Angry at the fact I had trusted him with my life only to have him stab me in the back. "Tell me where Aurora is."
With a shake of his head, Markus leaned back against the pole, a small smirk on his lips. Long ago that smirk would have my knees shaking, now it has me wanting to knock it off his face.
"Do you think you'd be able to get your Dragon back?"
Moving close, I resisted the erg to hit him. "Where is she?"
"Where King Toban rules." Tilting his head, I watched his eyes dance over my face. "I must say you look a lot like him."
Snorting, William stood beside me. "Then you must need your eyes checked."
Throwing my hands in the air, I turned around. "Will you both just shut up for one second!" Turning to gaze at them, I frowned. "All I want to know is the truth, is that so hard to ask?" Turning to Markus, I noticed his smirk had fallen. No longer did he seem confident, instead he almost looked scared.
"I can't tell you, if I do I'm as good as dead." He whispered.
Gripping the sword strapped to his hip, William took a step closer. "You're as good as dead anyway."
"Markus?" I whispered. I felt like I'd gotten nowhere. It was almost like we had been running around in circles, like a cat chasing a mouse. "You need to tell me where she is."
"Why does it matter? She is a breading vessel now, and you'll be dead within a few days."
Shocked by his words I took a step back. He did wish me dead. Everything we had been through was for nothing. Blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, I took a step back towards the door. My stomach was starting to hurt, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
Gazing down at Markus, everything I felt for him vanished. The love, respect and trust were now all gone. Taking a deep breath, I took one final look at him. "And to think I was in love with you." Turning around, I made my way out of the tent.
Throwback:Running beside the lake just on the outskirts of our village, Markus my closest friend, ran toward the river before crouching low and throwing some of the water in my direction. Squealing from the cold water that hit my exposed skin, I stopped in my tracks to frown at him."That wasn't nice!" I yelled. Folding my arms over my chest I continued to pout.Smiling mischievously in my direction, I watched as he slowly bent down to cup some water in his hands. Slowly unfolding my arms, I backed away as he came closer to the water. "Markus Dwell, if you value your favourite sword I suggest you put that water down."Shaking his head, I watched as his smile reached his eyes. "Sweet Abagail, it seems you have a little bit of dirt on your face." Running towards me with a loud cheer, I quickly turned around heading in the direction of our village."Abagail, you won't get away from me!" Laughing, Markus jumped over a fallen tree.Smiling to myself I rounded a tree. Bending down I picked
Bursting through the tent, I took a deep breath of fresh air. I felt suffocated almost like someone had their hands around my throat. Letting out the air in my chest, I staggered my way through the crowd of people."Abagail, wait!" Shouted William from behind.I couldn't stop for him, if I stopped now I would break down. All the memories I had with Markus were flashing in my mind, almost suffocating me. I felt like I was being stabbed all over again, but this time it felt like it would kill me. Gritting my teeth I hissed as I felt a tear fall from my eyes. I could hear William shouting as he was catching up to me, and even in my weak state as I tried to run it was to no use."Stop!" He shouted. Gripping my arm, I was pulled into his chest."What?" I whispered. I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was go back to my tent and sleep.Frowning, William stepped closer. "You loved him?"Sighing, I felt my anger grow. "Is that really why you stopped me?" Turning to him, I frowned."Answer the
"I think we should talk about this, Abagail." Stated father.Rolling my eyes, I leaned back in my chair. The meeting had gone on after my little mishap, and the riders all agreed that moving the camp was important. Talios had gone on to explain we had stayed in this camp for about four months now, and if we wanted to stay undetected by Toban then we needed to move.Although I wasn't keen on the move, I knew to protect the people travelling with us we had to go. William wanted to send all the surviving people to another haven not too far from here, whilst the soldiers and riders made their way to the new camp. I agreed with him. Doing this, if we were caught no innocent lives would be taken.Leaning back in my chair, I gazed across the table at my father. He looked clean-shaven, his hair tied back. Letting out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding, I tilted my head as I gazed at him. "There's nothing to talk about with you. All has been said.""Not about your mother." He said.Frown
Unknown POV:"Is it done then?" Mumbled the King.Sitting in the throne room on his black metal throne carved like a dragon, King Toban gazed out at the hundreds of Rogues before him. All of them were down on one knee, their heads bowed in respect to their king.Standing in front of him was Anna. She wore a floor-length black dress, her blond hair pulled back behind her shoulders. Lowering her head in respect, she nodded. "Yes, My King."Smiling, Toban spoke, "Very good." Standing from his throne, he moved towards her.Her eyes darted around the room, anywhere but his face. Toban noticed this, causing his lips to twitch. Standing behind her, Toban ran his hand along her bare collarbones. Humming under his breath, he moved his head near her neck, his other hand fisting her hair. With a harsh tug, he pulled her head to the side.Groaning from the sudden action, Anna's breathing quickened. She would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid. The man before her held so much power, and with a
Placing my hand through my bow, I let the heavy metal rest on my shoulders. My stomach burned at my actions, causing me to grit my teeth. The wound wasn't healing, and without any healing water, nothing would help. I'd slowly get worse. Bending down I was careful to not open the wound further. Healer Marry had come in the morning to check the wound, and just by the frown on her lips, I could tell it wasn't looking good.I remember her talking in hushed voices with William and my father about being out of healing water. What this healing water was still had me confused. No one had mentioned where it came from, or what it was made out of. For all I knew, it could've been some ploy from the healer to gain our trust before my death.Shaking my head, I grabbed my small haversack. After our little ordeal with Markus, William was adamant we leave right away. The surviving villagers were sent to another compound that was heavily guarded, the area even to me unknown. Once I had everything I ne
As the sun started to rise in the sky, I watched the clouds start to turn a beautiful shade of pink. The land of Athena looked so peaceful at this time, and if you were a traveller you wouldn't know of the horrors that had been going on. A few of the small villages we passed were all destroyed. The huts that once covered the lands, were now a pile of ash. I could only pray that those who lived there all made it out without injuries.Gently grasping my wrist, I turned my head to see William gazing down at me with a far-off look. "We need to land. We can't fly the rest of the way."Nodding I turned to gaze at Torren. He had been flying beside us all the way, much to Talios' anger. During the flight, Talios tried to push Torren out of the way with his dragon, but Torren refused. His eyes would stay glued to mine, almost like he was afraid I would disappear. It broke my heart to see him like that. The Torren I knew was gone. I couldn't imagine what he had gone through because of Markus.T
Turning around, I left the area. I couldn't be near William or the man I had called my father. I felt like my whole life was a lie. Everything I thought I knew about my family, was a lie. With clenched fists, I made my way out of the crowd."Abagail, let me explain." Shouted my so-called father.The sound of rushed footsteps followed before I was tugged from behind. The grip on my arms tightened as I tried to pull away. Grunting at my failed attempts, I was pulled towards a body."Will you just stop?" He yelled.Gritting my teeth, a small scream left my lips as I was jerked closer to him. "Let go of me!""Stop!" Pulling me into his chest, I felt his arms wrap around me.Placing my hands on his chest, I pushed with all I had but he wouldn't budge. His arms would only tighten at my failing attempts. Sighing in defeat I let my arms fall to my sides, as tears brimmed in my eyes. I wouldn't let them fall. I wasn't going to show how badly this upset me.Tightening his arms, I felt his head
Stepping towards Luca with a frown, Robert gripped the base of his sword. "Were you following us?"Smirking, Luca jumped down off the small ledge onto the dirt road we all stood on. Licking my lips, I kept the arrow pulled back. I still had no reason to trust him, and considering we knew nothing about him I wasn't about to welcome him with open arms.Glancing my way, a small chuckle escaped his lips. "You can lower your weapon. I mean you no harm, Abagail."Glaring at him, I watched him carefully. "How can we trust you?"Walking towards Luca with his sword in his hands, William gazed at him. Quickly glancing at William, I could see he also didn't trust Luca. Biting my lip, I lowered my weapon. Smirking at me, I watched as Luca put his hands into the front of his pant pockets. "Rest assured, I'm only here to help aid you in your task to take back the kingdom."Somehow I didn't feel convinced. Nodding, Talios placed his sword back in its holster. "Very well lad, but just know, one wrong