06-25-2009, 06:19 AM
2)
âNow quickly,â she whispered. âBefore they find us.â
Alston was almost ready to follow the cloaked figure, but he paused. âWait. No. Hallah....â
The figure spun around quickly and with a loathesome scowl, she spoke sternly. âWe donât have time for this, boy.â
Boy? Alston almost laughed at the remark had he not be so out of breath. Despite the armor she wore, she couldnât be any older than fifteen herself. âNot without Hallah.â he maintained.
Grabbing him by the neck of his shirt, she yanked him towards her. âListen, roundie,â she muttered. âI donât care if your people kill each other, but if they singled you out like that, you must be something important.â
âIâm not,â he admitted. I couldnât protect anyone. He turned his eyes downward, unable to meet her stare.
He knew he was being scrutinized by the girl. He had no right to argue. As weak as he was, she had been able to pull him around like a rag doll. âYes, I suppose you arenât,â she grumbled. Turning away, the girl stepped into the green of the forest and quickly disappeared. âGuess Iâll count that back there as target practice.â Her voice traveled to him from a distance already.
âWait!â he pleaded. âWhat about Hallah?â
âWho cares?â was the reply.
Fortune seemed to toy with him today.
By sheer luck, Alston managed to find the cliff where his executioners met their fate. Carefully, he watched from the treeline to make sure no one else was around before he ventured out to examine the two bodies left behind. One of the two was passable. No blood on the coat or tunic. He dragged the body off to the treeline and stripped the man bare.
âJust toss the body over when weâre finished.â
He knew didnât have much time remaining before others would come. After donning the robe and armor, he quickly dressed the corpse in his own clothes. Even weighed down by the new armor, he dragged his double to the cliffside and pushed. Alston turned away immediately, unable to watch as the body hurdled towards the ground below.
The sound of heavy footsteps alerted him.
As quietly as possible, Alston dashed for the trees. Surely the green from the armor would help him remain unseen.
In the dead of night, he returned to the camp by following the patrol. Impossible as it seemed, his ruse worked. One of the men even looked over the cliff to see the âboyâsâ dead body broken on the rocks. Yet they seemed uneasy, and quickly hurried off... not even caring to look back as he ghosted them.
He strode through the camp with ease as he looked for the tent Hallah was being held. It was simple enough to find with the two guards outside. They didnât even question him as he entered...
...entered to see the figure bent low over Hallahâs sleeping form, knife in hand. The hood fell back to reveal the girl from the woods...
...the elf.
âNow quickly,â she whispered. âBefore they find us.â
Alston was almost ready to follow the cloaked figure, but he paused. âWait. No. Hallah....â
The figure spun around quickly and with a loathesome scowl, she spoke sternly. âWe donât have time for this, boy.â
Boy? Alston almost laughed at the remark had he not be so out of breath. Despite the armor she wore, she couldnât be any older than fifteen herself. âNot without Hallah.â he maintained.
Grabbing him by the neck of his shirt, she yanked him towards her. âListen, roundie,â she muttered. âI donât care if your people kill each other, but if they singled you out like that, you must be something important.â
âIâm not,â he admitted. I couldnât protect anyone. He turned his eyes downward, unable to meet her stare.
He knew he was being scrutinized by the girl. He had no right to argue. As weak as he was, she had been able to pull him around like a rag doll. âYes, I suppose you arenât,â she grumbled. Turning away, the girl stepped into the green of the forest and quickly disappeared. âGuess Iâll count that back there as target practice.â Her voice traveled to him from a distance already.
âWait!â he pleaded. âWhat about Hallah?â
âWho cares?â was the reply.
* * *
Fortune seemed to toy with him today.
By sheer luck, Alston managed to find the cliff where his executioners met their fate. Carefully, he watched from the treeline to make sure no one else was around before he ventured out to examine the two bodies left behind. One of the two was passable. No blood on the coat or tunic. He dragged the body off to the treeline and stripped the man bare.
âJust toss the body over when weâre finished.â
He knew didnât have much time remaining before others would come. After donning the robe and armor, he quickly dressed the corpse in his own clothes. Even weighed down by the new armor, he dragged his double to the cliffside and pushed. Alston turned away immediately, unable to watch as the body hurdled towards the ground below.
The sound of heavy footsteps alerted him.
As quietly as possible, Alston dashed for the trees. Surely the green from the armor would help him remain unseen.
* * *
In the dead of night, he returned to the camp by following the patrol. Impossible as it seemed, his ruse worked. One of the men even looked over the cliff to see the âboyâsâ dead body broken on the rocks. Yet they seemed uneasy, and quickly hurried off... not even caring to look back as he ghosted them.
He strode through the camp with ease as he looked for the tent Hallah was being held. It was simple enough to find with the two guards outside. They didnât even question him as he entered...
...entered to see the figure bent low over Hallahâs sleeping form, knife in hand. The hood fell back to reveal the girl from the woods...
...the elf.