C4 Chapter 4

My eyes flickered open, my lashes batting the dust and sand particles that rested on my face. The morning breeze was frigid, and the gentle sway of palm fronds above me worsened the cold.

For a moment, i was at peace; listening to the songs of birds, watching the morning clouds path ways to expose the serene, pale blue sky beyond. But then, the first pang of pain kicked in. My skin burned with stings and when I tried to look at my body, I realized I was stuck in a net trap.

"Help!" I screamed, tears pouring down my face.

My voice echoed in the vast green landscape, but no response was heard.

I tried it again, and again. Every scream louder than the last. I kept on trying until my voice crack and went away.

Something moved.

It moved quickly, and its presence sent all the birds flying away.

A knife sliced through the air, whooshed past my face and struck the rope that suspended the net trap to a palm tree above.

With wild rhythm, my heart pounded heavily.

My eyes were heavy and it felt like I was going to die anytime from now. I didn't know if I'd die first from whoever it was below or from the wounds and bruises all over my body.

Another knife struck the same spot and the net trap was let loose, crashing down several meters down.

I shut my eyes and awaited impact, but I landed on something softer than the rocky grounds.

Flickering my weak eyes open, I saw a man. His gaze was on something else, but i could tell from this angle that this fella wasn't the average human being.

Was it the look in the dark void of his eyes? Or was it the aura that appeared to hover around him like a dark, menacing cloud? Either way, in his arms, i felt unnaturally safe.

He didn't say a word as he dropped me to the floor, and lifted the net off my body.

Even if I was to die here and now, I was satisfied to be as far away from home as possible.

He picked me like I was feather, and i pressed my head against his chest. There was no heartbeat, or maybe I had lost my sense of hearing.

Soon, my eyes got weaker and forced themselves shut.

I was lost in darkness, waiting for death.

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"Wake up, “ A soft voice whispered.

The smell of jasmine struck my nose, calm and healing, it comforted me.

My eyes blinked open and the bright rays of sunlight hit me hard, forcing an instant headache.

" Wake up," The soft voice repeated.

Finally, i opened my eyes and adjusted my vision to the brightness.

Above me were pretty duck lights, moving in circles.

A soft inkling sound of children's music played in the background, and the walls of the room were painted yellow, bright and creamy.

I turned to my left, and my eyes caught the gray eyes of a lady. Her stare was unwavering and intense.

She looked unbelievable, like some mystical creature brought out from a dream.

Her hair was silver, long with bouncy curls wrapped neatly in a white ribbon. The rays of sunlight made her porcelain complexion glow, as though it was also in awe of her beauty.

She looked away from me, and fixed her gaze on a wooden bowl in between her thighs. Spirals of smoke rose from the bowl, giving off a thick, unpleasant odor. It was then I noticed the blue leaves that had been placed all over my skin.

Jeez! It burned.

I reached over to take them off, but her hands moved quickly to stop me.

"Don't!" She snapped, her eyes losing it's initial tranquility.

I forced my hand out of her grip, taking my eyes off her gaze.

"Your bruises are too much," She whispered. "Take them off and you'll get infected."

My entire body felt like it was on fire. Every part of me burned, and she was telling me not to take them off?

"But the pain?" I winced, fighting back tears.

She looked at me as though I was pathetic. Her eyes judged me without her uttering a word.

Rising to her feet, she dropped the bowl and washed her hands in another bowl.

Pointing to a black jar placed on the table side, she muttered."Take this for the pain, since you can't bear it."

I wanted to say something but she turned around and walked to the door.

There, she stopped and looked back at me. "Also, don't think of leaving this room."

Why did she look so angry at me? If she hated me so much, why was she even helping me?

A more pressing thought was: who was she? And where was the man who had saved me from the net trap?

"Arrrgh!" I winced as the blue leaves burned into my skin.

The pain was excruciating, and i wasn't sure I could put up with it.

I reached out for the black jar, pulling out the lid. A sharp pungent odor struck my nose, making me cough.

I knew that herb. And the fact that I knew it changed my mind about everything this lady was doing to me.

It was a rare plant that mama once showed me in the woods. Mama called it the Valerian root, and it was grown only in few farmlands in Bergon.

The root was popular as a laxative that made people sleep for days. Some people never woke up from it.

I dropped the jar back on the table and struggled to drop my leg down to the warm rug.

My hips ached badly, and it felt like I had been hit by a heavy-duty truck, but I had to get out of here immediately as I had no idea why she would offer me Valerian root that could kill me.

Using one of the bedside lamps as support, i lifted myself to my feet, limping on my right leg which seemed to be the only one working.

I rushed to the door and quietly opened it.

There was a long hallway ahead. A long, dark hallway lit by dim wall lamps.

On the walls were numerous pictures. They ranged from old black and white pictures to modern day pictures. And maybe I wasn't seeing well, but there were striking similarities in both the old and new photos. It appeared like it was the same people in all of them.

Who are these people? I wondered.

I reached out to one of the photos where a man in ancient armory stood tall. He looked so much like the man I had seen earlier, but before my hands could touch the picture, I heard fast footsteps approaching.

Quickly, rushed forward to a stairway and hurried down the steps, each step worsening the pain on my hip.

Midway down the endless stairway, i heard voices coming from a shut door.

One voice in particular caught my interest.

It was a deep male voice that echoed in my ears.

"I saw her in the woods." He said.

"So what do we do with her?" Another voice sounded.

There was silence, and it was eventually broken by a lady's voice. "She's human and I'm sure we have hungry little ones to feed her to."

My heart caught in my chest, and i suddenly became paralyzed in fear.

"No!" Another snapped. "We can't be as cruel as the humans. Let's just kill her and dump her body back in Bergon."

At last, the deep man's voice echoed again. "How about she speaks for herself."

In a blink, the door swung open and i was staring at over twenty faces.

There was an oval table, and at the far end was a high chair.

A man in black sat majestically on it, his aura as gloomy as the look on his face. His eyes were ocean blue, and it looked like he could see through my soul.

"You have thirty seconds to convince me to keep you breathing."