Destiny Enslaved (editing)

part 11

I was stood in a crowd of strangely dressed people- more so than the invaders. These people wore colourful clouds made for a constant dreary wintery world. The sky was ice blue, misted with clouds, and incredibly distant in this moment. The trees were tall bare sticks that knocked together, mingling with the rattling of dead leaves that clung on, like a symphony of nature. I tried to take in everything- to know what this meant.

A raven croaked noisily on my shoulder. I jumped at its sudden appearance. It was as large as my head and its wings could cover my face. As I stared into its black eye, full of my reflection, its talons gripped fiercely onto my shoulder. With a sting, I felt it pierce my skin. I sucked in air through my teeth at the sharp pain. The bird flicked its beak repeatedly to the direction ahead of us. As it did so the slight parting let out a murmur of voices that spoke in many tongues. Wincing I turned to look for what it was so urgently pointing at. Ahead of the crowd a circle of armoured guards surrounded a pit. They were incredibly still. Then observed with growing anxiety that the bodies in the crowd too were completely still. I ignored the weight of the raven and its painful grip to walk toward the pit. I weaved through the group, examining the pale faces as I went. These weren’t like the invaders. They were smaller in most every way and their eyes were alight with hatred rather than the fierce love that was burning in Bjorn’s eyes.

the raven squawked impatiently. Its beak opening to let out a crashing discord of whispers. I hurried to the edge of the pit when I heard the distinct hiss that came from it. Peering down into the earth I saw them writhe over each other’s slick bodies; a den of snakes.

‘’so this is who you bring me in my final moments’’

The voice was rough but pleasant to the ear; speaking with an increasingly familiar lilt.

My head whipped this way and that searching for its owner.

‘’you would send a child to do this work’’

I finally looked skywards. There suspended from the bough of a tree hung a man stood in a cage. Atop his shaved head ink faded. His beard was grubby with blood and dirt matting its scraggy form He was battered and bruised but I wouldn’t call him weak. He had a strong body and features that were pleasantly familiar; though they were corrupted by another’s hand. One eye was so bloodied that it had swelled shut like a plum. The other was electric as the charged clear sky- he was a bolt from the blue. I cocked my head away from the raven, for fear it would peck my eyes, as I gawked at the sight.

‘’who are you..?’’ I asked. The words felt like they were altering the shape of my mouth oddly; stretching and contracting unusually.

I was cautious. I wasn’t sure yet why I was able to talk to this man alone- actually, I had never been able to talk to anyone in this state.

‘’hahaha I am to have a civilised conversation before this end.’’ His eyes flickered toward the pit. It was then I noticed he had a braced stance. Even though by the sight of him he must have been in pain.

‘’why don’t you sit?’’ a stupid question but I had to ask- if we could talk to one another then could he move. could I help him?

‘’I’m afraid that is against the rules’’ grinned but his eyes had become sad. Not for himself I suspected but for me.

‘’whose rules?’’ I shouted to the man in the cage and to the sky.

‘’look there he sits - so cheerful at my end…’’ he quirked his brows at me. I swung my head to look for the person but there was none to suspect- perhaps the man who wore the cross? My eyes went to the woods.

‘’ha… don’t trouble yourself girl’’ the man sighed heavily. He was tired, from more than a beating.

‘’I’m told you delivered my message to my sons, girl- thank you.’’ My eyes continued to search the wood. As I absently answered.