Sentinel

Chapter 1 - Skye

Dedicated to Jade, the amazing reason I started writing this at all. 

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Chapter 1 - Skye

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Three weeks had brought her to this agonising point. 

Three long, eternal weeks that had shown Skye exactly where her limit was and let her teeter on its edge, walking the fine line of sanity before she'd pull herself away. 

With guards at her back and dark water lurking at every other side, Skye lowered herself on to the final step of the pier. 

She inhaled through her nose as her legs slipped into the freezing water. Eyes closed, she ignored the fact that the lake wanted nothing more than to pull her under and drown her into a viscous oblivion. The extra weight of the shackles around her wrists nearly sent her over as she carefully leant forward and sank them into the water. 

It was there Skye hesitated, watching the ripples flee from her movement and marr the broken reflection. 

 I should just jump in now, thought Skye, her fingers biting into the wood of the only thing that wouldn't prefer her dead. Let the water set me free. Sacrifice one to ensure the many are safe. 

Skye forced herself to blink away from the battered elf staring back at her. If she wasn't going to throw herself in and let the shackles drag her down to ensure her silence, she needed to act. She'd be caught or she wouldn't, the only certainty in her decision that remaining idle would damn her soul to the corruption. 

That wasn't an option. 

Who knows? Skye reached further down to where sharp salvation dug into her ankle. If they catch me doing this, they might kill me anyway. 

Her fingers were within the cusp of her boot when she felt the vibrations in the wood as one of her guard approached. She stiffened, quickly redirecting her hand to her knee and hoping to the deities that the guard hadn't seen her. 

He stopped just behind her and cleared his throat. "Eh, shouldn't you remove your boots before you soak them, elfie? Leather, makes it a little difficult to dry without the sun--"

Skye looked back over her shoulder and met his eyes with a hardened stare. "Makes it a little difficult to remove them when your ankles are encircled with iron, human," she said. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his eyes darting away. "Or are you planning to remove them for me? Perhaps return me to the forests so I may be on my way?"

The human behind her opened his mouth before lowering his hand and making a dismissive gesture at her. "Just get on with it or I'll let me men do the washing for ya."

With that, he rejoined his small squad of five, moving to stand where the wooden platform met the human-dug bank. Skye released a quiet breath before turning back to the water. 

Close. Too close.

She reached for her boot once more, faster this time as her hunter's instinct took over. Her pointed ears pricked, listening to the conversation behind her and hoping that somehow, she'd get her chance. 

"I don't see why we're the ones stuck with guarding her," said one. "We did it last week, an' we aren't even allowed to have some fun with her anymore. Y'no, rough her up, make sure she knows who's in charge around here."

"Jus' be glad you weren't with the other group, Donael. She killed most of em, she did," said another.

Murmurs of agreement coursed through the five of them, and the conversation halted. Skye felt their gazes boring into her back, their judgement and would-be punishments playing through her mind.