A Warrior's Dance

XIV – Escaping Darkness

Hilmer couldn’t find the right word to describe how agitated he was. He rarely showed his real emotion but he couldn’t pretend things would sort itself out because it wouldn’t.

“My daughter can’t do such crimes,” he stated, his dark eyes seeking out the captain. “A-and why would you lock my girl without my consent?!” He hadn’t intended his tone to move an octave higher.

Avery was sitting next to her father while Raq was seated at the dead center of the long table. Elders were at his right, casting him a disgusted look.

“We do not need your consent, blacksmith,” Bo said, head held high.

Anger started to infiltrate his head. He paced in the middle of the room as he looked at the faces before him. “Lady Avery, you knew Sanne. She won’t do that. Not to you. Not to your family.”

The lady said nothing, silently crying to her seat.

Hilmer moved to the chieftain. “Chief Rowen, we have a rule about these things.” He shook his head trying to read the man’s face. He was thin with a sulken face, like a walking skeleton. “There should be evidence!”

“Is Nari’s sudden death not enough evidence?” the chieftain replied.

Hilmer felt the world was slowly crashing him down. “How could you judge your people like that?!” He lunged toward the chieftain who hadn’t expected his move.

“Enough, Hilmer,” Captain Raq said, silencing the room.

“Raq,” he whispered his name, tears building up in his eyes. “I beg you.” He knelt down as he looked up to them. “I beg you. My daughter, Sanne, she can’t do such things. Believe me.”

The other elders disagreed with him, saying everything was possible. Murmurs filled the room, all seemed convincing the captain about the right punishment. Captain Raq, on the other hand, hit the table to shut them off.

“I’ll give you a fortnight to prove her innocence and catch the real culprit. That’s all I can bargain for, Hilmer.”

Hope once again pulsated in his chest. He nodded. “I want to see her.”

“You can’t,” Raq answered. “Prove her innocence first and then you’ll see her after.”

He wanted to argue but knew it was the captain’s final decision. Looking at Chief Rowen and the elders, he stood up and walked out of the room.

****

Lady Avery arranged the scattered parchments on her table. She absentmindedly caressed her womb, trying to connect to the pulsating life inside her. She closed her eyes as she remembered the pain she endured under Nari’s hands. Sure, the man never hit her, but he touched her without consent, treating her like a s*x slave.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she lost her balance and reached out to the wall to straighten herself. A small rock hit her window, catching her attention. Then there’s another one.

She went out the house and headed at the back of the cabin. A man hidden in the shadows was waiting for her.

“Avery,” he called out, desperation in his tone.

The lady moved closer to him. “Hilmer,” she said and threw herself at him, embracing the man she wanted so much to see. Unwanted tears kept on escaping her eyes as she gave in to complete loss.

“I want the truth,” he muttered, eyes begging for help. “Sanne won’t ever hurt you. Or your family.”

She trembled. “I know. I know.”

“Tell me what happened, please,” he said.

“All I know is someone used her to kill my husband.”

Hilmer stared at her for a moment, wiping away her tears. “But who will do that to the captain’s brother? What kind of man will frame a little girl for his dirty crimes?”

Avery shook her head. She sobbed and felt cold at what was happening.

“Is it your father?” Hilmer asked in almost a whisper.

Shock registered into her face. “My father? Hilmer- “

“He’s the only one I could think of!” he uttered in a low tone. “He never wanted my daughter because she’s different from us!”

“You don’t mean what you say about my father,” she muttered, eyes asking for understanding.

“But who can do that to my little girl?” he asked as sobs escaped his trembling mouth. “She’s ten, for Heaven’s sake!”

“We should help her,” Avery said, trying to hold on to the little sanity she had. “We should help her escape.”

****

Sanne felt numbness slowly taking over her body. Her eyes had dried out of tears but her chest drummed, as if her heart wanted to rip itself out of her system. She felt pain pinching her flesh as darkness covered her torment and muted her pleading.

She wasn’t sure she could take it anymore.

Closing her eyes, she conjured a large phoenix in her head, picturing out how beautiful the creature was. She remembered pestering her father into seeing the bird but her father told her that they exist no more. She remembered placing herself as the girl in the story who tamed the phoenix, feeding it with love.

Maybe the Valkan tribe was the great phoenix and she was the girl in the tale. Maybe she could tame their aggressive thoughts and proved herself worthy. Maybe she could be the first girl to ever have a say in that tribe.

But no.

Sanne knew it was not possible.

The gates screeched as it open, shaking her off her reverie.

“Sanne,” he called out.

She said nothing, her head still bowed down, too exhausted to move.

The metal chain binding her hand clanked and she heard something got unlocked.

“W-what are you- “

Azaiah hushed her. His hair was in a braid, showing off his scar. A stranger helped him freed Sanne’s other hand from the metal chains.

“Can you walk?” Aza asked in his own soft tone.

Sanne tried to stand but her body seemed already lost its strength. The stranger caught her before she even reached the ground.

“What are we doing?” Sanne asked, eyes half-closed.

“You have to escape,” Aza answered. “I’ll free you.”

Her chest ached at the care the valkan heir showed her. Tears filled her eyes once more as hope started to swell in her stomach.

“Zelle, help her out,” he ordered to the stranger girl who kept her head under a black hood.

The lean girl helped Sanne, putting the weight on her. Zelle was taller than her, but a bit short in height when compared to Azaiah. She had small cat-like eyes, unreadable, like she was someone trying to go undetected.

“Thank you,” Sanne whispered to her.

She froze for a moment, hadn’t expected to hear that. After all, she was now a slave, held captive by the Valkans.

“We have to move in haste,” Aza said as he helped in carrying Sanne. But footsteps neared them before they could even reach the gates.