The Vicious Queen

e l e v e n

We canter through the forest with tall pine trees that looks like they reach the sky towering us. A canopy is formed at the very top unveiling only a little light.

The forest is dark and ghost-silent. The cold gust blows and it runs shivers down my body.

The mist blurs the forest making it hard to see our way. We only hear the sharp swish of the wind and the slow steps of our horses stomping through the mud.

"I guess, we're close to Zenithara." I point out as my eyes scan the forest. You can only see darkness deep into the forest as if there is no end to it.

"I think we should stop now. It's quite late." Azul suggests.

"Dude." Azura says wryly. "We're literally in the middle of a jungle and this place is so creepy."

"Yeah, but-"

"Guys." Rune suddenly interrupts silencing us all. His voice sounds cautious as his eyes are fixed forward at the blurred mist. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Azura rolls her eyes, annoyed and bored.

Then we hear a sudden rustling of bushes and leaves in this pin drop silence of the forest. We freeze. We turn our heads around swiftly. Then we hear it again. Footsteps. Fast footsteps.

I feel something moving around us. Fast. We spin around. I catch a quick glimpse of a shadow. I feel the beating of my heart getting faster. I feel fear taking me over. I feel slight sweating in my neck and I gulp.

"What's that?" I can sense the fear in Azura's voice but nobody looks at her. But I wish we did because then we hear her shriek. We look around panicked but she's already gone.

"Azura!" Her brother calls out for her in a worried voice but only the silence answers. And then suddenly he's gone. I spin around to see that Rune's missing too.

I look around the forest fast as I take heavy breaths waiting for something to happen to me as well and I feel the presence of someone behind me.

I turn around exactly when my vision goes black.

****

I hear muffled voices of men laughing and chatting.

I slowly open my eye lids to realize that we're caged like animals in a rusted metal cage. The smell of alcohol lingers in my nostrils. I peak through the metal bars and see a group of drinking men on logs nearby in a circle.

We're in a small land in the middle of the forest. Then I notice our weapons stacked up on a corner.

Azura and Azul are in a little cage across us. Azura waves at me grabbing my attention and mouths, her eyes bulging with terror. "What's going on!?"

I mouth back shrugging "I have no idea!"

Rune lies next to me and I try to shake him awake. I whisper. "Wake up!" But he won't move a single muscle. I shake him harder with a tighter grip this time. "Wake up bro!"

His eye lids slowly opens and he scans the place with half asleep eyes. Then he immediately jolts up "Where are we?"

"I don't know." I sigh.

"Who're these people?" he asks as he peeks through the metal bars. When he looks back at me, I roll my eyes and shrug sarcastically.

"Right. How would you know anyway?" he deflates.

A redheaded huge man hears our chatter and bends down to look at us. We immediately back away from the metal bars. He calls out to someone. "These fellas are awake."

Another man, brown bearded, stumbles to us with a bottle of alcohol on his hand.

"Let us out!" I order as I grip onto the bars.

"Aww, aren't you tough? How adorable." He taunts and squeezes my cheeks with his dirty hand. A hoot of laughter chants across the area.

Rune slaps his hand off and roars, his voice sounding authoritative. He glares at him with raging eyes. "Don't touch her."

The man's eyes shifts between me and Rune. "O-oh! I see what's going on here." Then a loud 'Ohhh' fills the place.

"Let's have some fun with them!" someone from the crowd shouts and everyone agrees as they snigger. Just great.

The red head digs his hands into his pocket and grabs a pair of old keys. He unlocks the cage door and pulls us out by each of his massive hands as if we weigh nothing.

He shoves us out with such great force that we almost stumble. He makes me stand facing Rune.

He holds Rune's hands back not letting him ago. Rune tries to get off his grip but he fails. I wait for someone to grab me too but nobody does.

The man with the brown beard walks up to me and strokes my cheek with a long dirty finger. "What a pretty little thing you are." I slap his hand away and he grins.

Then he gives a signal with his eyes to someone behind me which I cannot read. A bony man with dark long hair that reaches his shoulder places a loaded gun on my palm.

Confused, I look at the brown bearded guy and he gestures to Rune. "Shoot him."

"What!?" I blurt out stupidly. I hear everyone laugh at my fear.

"Kora, don't!" Azura screams from the cage but nobody pays attention to her.

My eyes are wide staring at Rune's eyes and he stares back, eyes bulging as anxious sweat drips down his neck.

The man slowly paces to me and whispers in my ear. "Do it."

I stare at him in disbelief. Is he insane?!
"No..." I mumble with my eyes fixed on the ground like an innocent little girl in danger. I feel so utterly weak. I absolutely hate it.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." The man says, roused as he saunters around me. "Shoot him and you'll be my queen. You'll have all the power and I'll give you everything you ever need, my darling. Most of all, I might let you live."

"Kora! No!" Azul yells.

I stare right into Rune's eyes. "Do it, Kora." He whispers but his eyes say the opposite. Eyes never lie. His eyes shine with fear.

The man gives Rune a sarcastic look and huffs. "Acting all tough, aren't you?" But Rune ignores him and continues to stare at me.

The man walks up behind me. He raises my hands with the gun pointed straight at Rune's skull and then let go and my arms still hang in the air.

"Shoot him if you want to get outta here alive." He whispers again in my ear.

I stare at Azul, Azura and then lastly at Rune. They all look terrified.

I shut my eyes for a second and then I shoot.