Intrepid

Chapter 10: Liberation In Disguise

''Well, well, well. Look what we have here.''

My mother and I took an instant to hop to our feet, with me standing in front of her in a protective manner.

''What do you want?'' 

Edna certainly didn't come alone, not that I never expected it anyway. As I shot dagger eyes at my sister, five men jumped off their horses and briskly encircled us. How she had managed to hire anyone, I didn't know. I mean, who would work for such a scumbag? Oh right, them.

Without warning, Edna gave a brief but commanding nod to the duo directly behind us. Well, I definitely did not see that coming. Their rough hands brought us down to our knees. 

''You see, Alessandra, you aren't as ordinary as you think.'' 

''I don't want to hear anything from that worthless mouth of yours! Let us go!'' 

She looked the men in the eyes and their grip immediately tightened, forcing me to hunch a little. I made up my mind to give myself a nice massage when we arrived someplace safe, that is if we got out of this mess.

''Ah, Mother. You know what I mean, don't you?'' she said as she turned to look at me in disgust, ''Tsk tsk tsk.''

Edna turned and strolled towards the closest man. Yielding a hand to wrap around his neck, she lifted him off the ground as he struggled to loosen her grasp. A woman lifting a man? How was it even fair that I never got that kind of strength?

With one last gasp, his body became limp and fell from her open hand. I gulped, hoping she wouldn't notice the fear that was trying its best to show on my face. She looked around, daring anyone to challenge her. Finally, she spoke and I realised then how much I hated that voice.

''Everyone here is under my control now, including the both of you,'' she pointed her finger at us, ''Fight me and I'll give you a shortcut to Heaven.''

I looked at my mother, who was constantly scowling at Edna, and hoped she wouldn't have to go through the torture I had led us into. Binding us with ropes that were so rough I thought they would cut into my skin and cause a bloody mess, the duo caught hold of us and threw us on their shoulders.

You know, I had to admit, those men were strong. They climbed onto their horses as if we were nothing but feathers. I didn't know where they were taking us and I was dreading the amount of time the trip would most likely take. Well, that was until he lost his grip on me and I fell to the ground.

Then seemingly out of nowhere, the man that had carried me was thrown off his horse with such impact he groaned in pain. Burning with curiosity, though obviously not the first time, I tried to position myself so I could see the source of his agony. 

After taking a brief glance at my mother, who had also experienced a similar fate, I looked at the first thing that caught my eye. A bright light hit me like a boulder and knocked out of me the breath that I had been holding for the past few seconds.

Still half-conscious, I lay on the ground like a drowned victim gasping for air and my eyes rolled up, leaving me senseless. The last thing I heard was someone shouting my name, whoever he was.