Mariloth's Last Journey (Part 2)

(Photo Credit: CC, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Felin_Geri_Mill_Wooden_Fort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_384304.jpg)

        The men had to talk it over, but a decision was made; They'd rob her, if she didn't have anything to sell they'd just have to find a slaver. There were six of them in total but only two made themselves known, slowly creeping from the thin shafts of light between the trees. The odor the men propagated was the first hint, like day old baig dung baking in the sun all afternoon, the second was their dirty faces and their wide grins; they were up to no good.

         "Well look what we have here!" The shorter of the the two said.

         "Don't she know this place is dangerous?" The other one said from her left.

         "Hey little girl, ya know, we..." he said flicking his thumb back and forth between himself and his comrade, " can protect you, for a fee."

         "There are wollars and grenmites roaming these parts, jus' listen." he said, as one of the men in the trees made a high-pitched sound vibrato into a snarl.

         "Ooh scary, now come one, shows us what you got, me an Lont here won't hurt ya, not unless we have to. Lont hold her."

         The two men lurched forward just as she started to run for it, she wasn't quick enough and one of the men grabbed her arm. Her foot came down hard, Lont let go to grab his left foot. She forced her body left and then right, breaking Shorty's grip. The trees were right in front of her now, just within reach. Thud. Black. Nothing.



  She woke in the back of a wagon, surrounded by hay and dirt, her arms tightly tied behind her back, her head throbbing like it was an egg and a baby tharn was breaking free. She felt Baby shift, tears welling in her eyes. Two other people, a small girl and middle aged man, were bound the same way. Next to the cart were most of the bandits; two on either side, and behind. Shorty and Lont were steering the baig driven cart. Up ahead she could see a large wall made of wood that cradled a hefty door. The door had men standing guard with tall pikes in their hands. She could see archers on top of the wall, arrows notched and aimed at the cart.

         The cart approached the wall and one of the men stepped forward.

         "You got you're papers, eh? I don't want to hear no excuses this time, no papers no entry Giravus."

         "Well you'll get you're papers when I get my coin, way I see it you still owe me fourteen dejuin, cough it up and you'll get you're filthy papers."

         The men grab at each other and draw their fists back, a moment passes, and the men start to laugh.

         "Open that grubby door of yours, I've got a market to get to, found me a little something special." He said jutting his thumb behind his shoulder.

         The man from the gate came around back, climbed into the cart, and looked at the middle aged man shielding the little girl. He smirked. His eyes darted to her, he could tell she was pregnant, his smirk grew to a grin.

         "Can I have a quick go?" he said as his hand touched her shoulder.

         Giravus thrust his riding crop across the gate mans back. "There'll be none of that, I have places to be."

         "But she's already spoiled, look, it's..."

         "No! Now open that fucking gate."

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 Sorry this took so long to get up today. I hope you enjoy. I will make up for the brevity of this with the next installment of Mariloth's tale.

Let me know what you think, comments are greatly appreciated, and don't forget to check out all of the other great authors who participate in Free Fiction Friday. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Be sure to check out the other stories;

Follow all of your favorites and read the first 100 words on the groups website:

Free Fiction Friday

Mariloth's Last Journey (Part One)

     Hello everyone, I would like to thank the great people over at Free Fiction Friday for letting me join their wonderful group of writers, and their kind words of welcome.

     I hope you enjoy this piece, it's part one of an ongoing short story; it's set in a wondrous and frightening place. Full of remarkable, mystifying, and strange things, both terrifying and soothing simultaneously.

(Photo Credit: CC, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shadows_in_Coldfall_wood.jpg)

     Blood pounded in her ears as her heartbeat quickened with each pressing step. Terror and adrenaline coursed through her veins. She clutched her abdomen to protect her baby, her chest burning with every gulp of air.  Dried twigs snapped under foot as branches slapped at her, scratching her neck and arms. Each breath a struggle, every step more difficult than the last, she had only one concern: baby. The wind beat her with unfettered fury; she opposed it, driving against it with all of her energy. The autumn air bit and tore her flesh, and loose stones dug into the bottoms of her unprotected feet.

     Strained; faint, but she could hear them from behind, pressing in, hunting.

     She began to slip and reached out, slowing her pace. Fingers felt chapped bark and unguent sap; she grabbed a kelt tree. She paused to look over her shoulder, fearful. Departing, her eyes absorbed the splayed trail, it wasn't her imagination playing tricks. She began to run with a renewed sense of dread. She held back a sob and forced her feet to move, move, and move.

     Ahead of her a low cleft crabbed by trees, she headed there. Down between slender gaps she descended. Huddling near the base of an groa tree, her eyes full of tears, arms draped around her legs, rocking back and forth. This was the end.

     Peering around the trunk of the grao she saw her pursuers: creatures on all four legs, charging right at her. Their skin was scarred, blackened like burnt coal in a fire. Immense teeth protruded from the edges of their mouths. Above; Penetrating cerise eyes. The bones in the backs of these creatures protruded like volatile waves, many of the bones in their bodies jutted above the muscle and sinew to form terrible appendages. Mariloth found herself caught in their glare.

     As her hand sweat soaked into the bark of the tree, an alluring sensation ran up her finger tips, spreading throughout her hand and up her arm. A sense of calm flooded her, eliminating all the fear and worry. The warmth transubstantiated into a pulse gaining an intensity that threatened to envelope her. She looked down, her arm had taken on the hue of the bark. The energy surged through her body. She pressed against the tree and sank into it. Taking a fathomless breathe she felt a coldness fill her lungs, contrast against the warmth inside her. Slowly the cold receded and the sensation filled her completely, she plunged ahead. She saw nothing, but felt warmth, vibrant and smooth. Standing there in the darkness realizing she could feel the wind; its  breeze bonhomously stroking her skin and hair. Her legs no longer ached, and her feet so swollen and bruised were soothed from below; they'd joined with the roots in the irriguous earth. The cuts and scratches from rocks and thorns all seemed to fade away and there was no pain. The trees next to her blithely brushed her arms with their branches. She was smiling, tears of wonder and joy dampening her cheeks. She could feel her child moving inside her, and wondered if that was the way she felt to the grao, one life swelling and growing, living and thriving inside another. Did she feel like a child in the womb?

     She was brought abruptly to herself as something touched her tree, a claw was scraped against the root to her right. The creatures had caught up to her. Her scent lingered around the tree, but they didn't know which way she went from there; they couldn't find her. She waited, they searched the area around the cleft, looking for signs of her, tracking her. There was nothing to find. It appeared that she had just disappeared, her footprints ending at the tree. They walked around the area, inspecting the branches and leaves of nearby foliage, looking for snapped twigs, moved stones or disturbed debris. As they examined the ditch under the cleft they began to move about in a frenetic manner, confused by the disappearance of their prey. She couldn't help but smile at the way they murderously searched the area, and hoped the end of her chase was near.

     They came together and began to grunt and whimper. A large one stood in the center, its size shadowing the others, grunt; his harsh order bellowed, and they all scattered. She felt them move over the land, like drops of water falling onto her feet. She stayed in the tree, crying and thanking the tree. She had been running for so long, with terror as her enduring allegiant. Now she had security, and her weariness crushed her. She slipped into sleep, with the tree sheltering her and her unborn.

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     Let me know what you think, comments are greatly appreciated, and don't forget to check out all of the other great authors who participate in Free Fiction Friday. 

________________________________________________________________________________

     Be sure to check out the other stories;

     Follow all of your favorites and read the first 100 words on the groups website:

FREE FICTION FRIDAY