The 7th Aykeh

Chapter 2

Carrie opened her eyes as she emerged from the other side of the dark and silent space. She was still wrapped in the unfamiliar man's arms. But this time the arms opened up as she pushed them away from her. She stumbled forward before wrenching around to look back at her kidnapper.

"I'm sorry we had to take you by force like this, but we had no other choice." Said the blond man sincerely with a curious gesture, placing his closed fist against his chest and bowing his head respectfully to her.

The others did the same.

She felt confused and scared. She would have panicked if it wasn't for the fact that everything she was experiencing seemed so unreal. She had just been taken by strange men, passed through some sort of liquid portal and now those same men were behaved like this. What did they want with her?

The sudden thought of Alex hurt on the ground made her chest ache. Why did they have to hurt him like this? What kind of people were they? And most importantly, where on earth was she??

She looked around and saw a vast dry land with clumps of short dark trees. Their low curvy branches intertwined. Debris and long-dead grass rustled underfoot, and as she looked around her at the horizon she saw more of the same rocky barren wasteland, straggly dead scrub stretching for miles.... 'Africa?' she asked herself.

A loud drumming sound with rustling of metal behind her made her turn. A large group of men on their horses were approaching at speed. Not sure of what to expect from this new unknown place, she braced herself. They were wearing similar armor to her kidnappers.

Glancing closer at the men next to her she noticed they were bare-headed but otherwise fully armoured in silver-coloured metal, the only vulnerable spots being at the elbows and the back of their knees. Probably to facilitate their movements.

She looked back at the men approaching, realising they were no match for the five or six guarding her, her heart started pounding fast in anticipation. As they approached she counted at least fifty of them. And they were heavily armed by what she could tell.

The blonde man spoke again, "My name is Kai D'Meltser. I am General of the armies of the kingdom of Beldore. These are some of my most trusted men. And you are our Aykeh." Said the blond man to Carrie, gesturing at all the men around them and at the group about to arrive. Then once again, the General and the few men within hearing distance made a curious gesture, hand to heart, while bowing their heads to her.

The General had a long blond hair, half-tied up at the back. His eyes were pale blue, gray streaks surrounding the pupils for a colourless look. He was several inches taller than her and had a very strong presence. His face was compelling; with a broad brow over the intense blue-gray eyes, and Carrie wondered if he was freakishly muscled or if it was just his armor making him seem broad-shouldered. All his accomplices wore similar grim expressions and polished armour, but had nowhere near the same intense, dangerous bearing.

"What?? I don't understand..." She paused. "Why did you bring me here? And why did you beat up Alex like you did?" Carrie asked with watery eyes, worry sharpening her voice as she remembered her fiancé.

The General turned aside, ignoring her questions, and commanded his soldiers to prepare to leave as the other group came in, joining them. Between the soldiers on horseback there were a women. She called out to General Kai as she approached.

"General, we came to get you. We need to move quickly, the Tiregans are heading in this direction." Said the armoured woman, shaking long dark hair out of her face.

"My horse?" The general asked her.

She signalled and immediately the soldiers on horseback led a group of extra mounts towards them, leading a larger pale horse over to where the general stood. The other soldiers that accompanied him mounted on their horses.