TAKEN BY HIM

CHAPTER 11

"Mother, stand behind m-" Gem paused, whipping her head around looking for her mother.

Gem had bent down to weave an arrow headed straight for her face before turning to tell her mother to stay right behind her but alas she was missing.

"Mother! Mother! Motherrr!" Gem whipped around, searching for her mother with fear in her heart. 'This could not be happening' Gem thought as she ran forward, weaving swords and flying arrows from fighting soldiers scattered here and there.
Her gown now looked like the masquerades during the yammoon festival.

She ran back into the great hall and saw her father fighting some soldiers or maybe it wasn't her father she had no idea. All she had seen was a flash before he disappeared into thin air. She ran back out, still searching frantically for her mother.

She finally saw her mother being surrounded and protected by their men and let out a breath of relief.

Gem ran ahead sword raised above her head when she looked forward and saw someone that once again looked like her father and was about to run to his side when she was yanked harshly by her now mess of a hair.

Gem screamed in pain, it hurt so much her head began reeling and she retched some more.

"Move!" the soldier commanded in a hoarse voice and she could not help but feel scared. She began moving slowly. Tears blinded her already dark vision and she felt heavy.

She saw a flash of red, someone that looked like her father and she gained the courage to shout and break free by elbowing him in the Adam's apple.

He retched loudly, letting go of her hair.

"Father!" She shouted, her voice hoarse from screaming for so long. Her energy beyond drained.

"Father! Father!" Gemariah screamed, frantically searching for her father among the throngs of people running around and screaming shrilly. Everything seemed to slow down as she looked around her kingdom, her great kingdom, which she loved with all her heart, under siege and burning to the ground. Dead bodies strewn everywhere with wails that could freeze blood echoing throughout the blessed city.

Gem ran forward and out of the palace gates but the outside was worse than the inside, she could not spot a familiar face and kept running, stabbing enemy soldiers here and there and avoiding flying arrows.

She was still searching, trying to find a familiar face when she was abruptly raked cleanly off the floors and fell down with a thud, flat on her back.

She struggled for a few seconds before her vision went blank. Gem had been hit over the head with something heavy, she was sure her skull was cracked.

Her curly hair flapped widely in the wind as she was dragged mercilessly by her yellow silk skirt towards a large high cart.

"Father!" She shouted, her voice hoarse from screaming for so long. Her energy beyond drained.

"Shut up! Shut up! Or I'll feed you to the dogs," he gestured towards the large wolf like dogs dragging the cart. Even they seemed to snare at her discomfort. Mocking her for who she was.

A prisoner.
  
The guard dragged her roughly across the uneven floor as wounds opened and sand and stone scraped through them, opening skin and closing them back with dirt before flinging her like a rag doll over his shoulder. She screamed and cried as she was yanked by her hair up into the cart by another soldier hurling the prisoners into the high cart.

She struggled, kicking, biting and scratching, not ready to go down without a fight and that seemed to stir a new form of anger and hatred in his eyes.