Didn't Understand

Traitor

Lief's jaw dropped as Jasmine cackled in front of him. In front of them all. There had been a spy, a spy among them. No one trusted anyone. Sometimes, not even their closest friend. They defeated The Blue Queen, saved Monique who now joined the team, defeated Kabez and ended the tyrant, Mortemar. They were off to defeat, and hopefully destroy, the most dangerous and difficult of them all. The Shadow Lord. His ears complained to his brain as Jasmine cackled evil laughter once again. Rye, second in command for The Resistance felt his eyes burning, tears threatening.

"It was you." Was all Lief would manage. Rye held his arm in encouragement but never allowed his gaze to wander from the traitor.

"I'd bet my life on it, that you got Sonia." Rye said very clearly, to his own surprise. He seemed confident, even though deep down, he was breaking. Breaking down and dissolving in the water that was boiling with anger. He might have guessed that Lief was feeling the same, but by far, stronger.

"Careful what you wish for," Jasmine sniggered, brandishing her original dagger, the one she had gotten from her father all those years ago. The one with a mighty, sharp blade, with a spectacular hilt and a small emerald at the tip of the hilt, winking in the depressing light. She replaced it in her boot in the hidden sheath. "Maybe I did, maybe not. It does not matter. The Master will take over and the miserable King will lose his throne." She had withdrawn her massive longbow, once marking her as the Ranger she was, and indicated the boy who once was her companion. Her friend. Her best friend. Lief had sunk to the earth on his knees, and felt anger surged throughout him, as if it was in his blood, and wished to lunge at her and knock her out. But he couldn't kill her. Traitor or not, he'd never be able to do such a thing. But he stayed, the feeling of dread draining his energy.

"Guards!" Jasmine bellowed. Out of the forest, grey-cladded figures surrounded the team. Lief counted two pods of Grey-guards. They were twenty-two of the team here.

Lief and Rye walked the streets and eventually entered the small forest that surrounded The Forge, The Resistance's Stronghold. They heard a scream. Sonia... They ran towards where they had heard the sound. They found her body lying lifelessly. Most importantly, and unfortunately, she had a stab wound in her chest. Blood soaked her dull clothes, becoming bright red like her old Keep Orphan's uniform.

Ebony opened her eyes. Blue and brown sparkling in the sunlight. Saw familiar friends and gave a bark to her owner. Will heard it. He heard it as a sign of a friend coming, yet it seemed urgent. He rushed to the door, Alyss following, a little slower. He opened it and gasped. Alyss, crept behind him and clutched his arm in shock.

"What is it?" Halt called. Will stepped aside, gently pulling his wife with him. Halt stood up, Pauline couldn't believe her eyes. Annocki ran to the door and covered her mouth, blinking back the tears that threatened. She stood swaying and Sholto enveloped her in a warm hug to stop her breaking down too much. Faene buried herself in Dirk's shoulder and he was trying to keep himself up as well as her. Lief lay Sonia on the couch. Rye had dropped to his knees long before. Jasmine had sunk beside him. How much like a sister she had been to her. How much mischief they got in together. How much they antagonised the boys together. They did almost everything, it seemed, together. Jasmine collapsed into Lief's arms and burst into tears without warning.

Or was she laughing? Lief thought grimly. Jasmine grinned at him, as if on queue, as if she had read his mind. Probably, he thought.

Don't think you can stop us, you are badly outnumbered. Jasmine sent the mental message with malice, Lief felt. She clicked her fingers and instantly another figure approached. She had shining black hair, dark as midnight, without a shine of a single lantern, she had no mercy. Anyone could see it. She had very inhuman, blazing red eyes, and pale, white skin on her face and her lips stood out, matching her eyes with bright, scarlet lipstick, twisted in a mocking grin. She soon yelled out to no one, it seemed.

"C'geom'gee geogeut!" And grey figures walked into the scene. They each held two daggers on the right side of their belt, and on the left side hung a sheathed sword. In each of the pairs of hands, a single, but terrifyingly long, whip was coiled. But what shocked Lief was that they appeared female. Grey-guards aren't female! Lief tried to reason with himself, but they were all identical. All had flat, steel eyes. All had the snarling mouth with thin, grey lips. All had grey skin so smooth, it looked totally inhumane. All were armed with blisters. All had a 'scorch' hanging at their belt. Jasmine smiled, a cruel smile, more frequent in her rare smiles than the ones of real humour.

"Now, your majesty, the Master wishes to see you." She mocked a bow, one that set Lief even more off edge then he already was.

"Sat ayp," He muttered. He still hated people bowing to him, calling him 'majesty'. He wanted no special attention, yes he was Adin's heir, yet he wanted to go on adventures, and travel with his two companions. This one went wrong. He'd only have one after this problem. He grieved over what would have to be done in the near future.

"Wan hav Ay dan tat?" Jasmine called. Lief gritted his teeth. Barda's furrowed brow increased with a foreign language, one he was sure was meant to Lief, and he could understand. Jasmine laughed once more. She muttered to the cruel being, the one with bright, red lipstick.

"M'geov'gee geogeut, w'geith th'gee pr'geis'geon'geers!" Bellowed the leader of the female Grey-guards. The team was seized and roughly escorted to the Shadowlands.