Revenge of the Captured

Chapter 2

Things didn't go as planned. I managed to evade the Seractinalia, the alien invaders that have plagued my home planet for several years now, for almost 3 months. But as usual, my luck eventually ran out. I had hunted in the Langreqi forest and at night I would sleep in the trees. But my dreams were filled with so many horrible memories it was hard to sleep most nights. I would think of the many times I had been summoned by my family in the war room to plan our counter attacks and how we would defeat the Seractinalia when they had first started their invasion. Other times I'd remember when I would train the troops, sometimes harder than I should have, to get my mind off the impending doom.

Then, when the inevitable was looming over the horizon, my Father had called me into the throne room. There he told me to leave at midnight and take my sister, Ashilah, to safety. Even when they knew that they would not survive, their first thought was to keep us safe. So, they sent us away. Father also told me that when they were gone, all the surviving military would be under my control. I would be the leader of my people and my sister and I were the last beacons of hope our planet had.

I always thought about how different it would have been if they had lived and we had not been sent away. I could still hear his voice. "Llyiera," he had said, putting his hand on my shoulder, "you and your sister are the last of the Royal House. With you alive, our people will not succumb to the darkness the invaders bring. Teach your sister everything you know. If you die then the burden falls onto her shoulders. For all our sakes.... Live." We both had tears in our eyes, and as we said our final goodbyes, he put his forehead against mine. "Tha a h-uile dad a tha fios agam mu dhraoidheachd an-diugh leatsa."

A bright light struck between us and I felt a rush of magic and knowledge flow from his mind and into mine. It was so intense that I almost passed out from all the magic. I clung to him not wanting this to be the last time I'd ever see his face.

"Dad, please... isn't there any other way? Do you have to die?" Tears streamed down my face. He placed an arm around my mother and drew her close. Their voices merged into one. They smiled and my mother said, "Be Brave, my daughter. You will carry our people to victory."

Then they began to chant. " Leig le ar beatha a bhith na sgiath timcheall ar daoine. Leig le ar beatha ar nàisean a dhìon agus a ghlèidheadh ​..."

My eyes stung and I couldn't believe what spell they were using. They were singing the ultimate shielding spell. The spell that takes two people and uses their very soul, their very existence, to form a shield around their people and an extra kind of shield around the ones they hold most dear. My eyes widened in horror.
"Nnnnooooo!" I screamed as they began to shimmer. I wanted to stop them. I wanted to hurl myself into the spell and die beside them. But I couldn't move, my feet were frozen in place as I watched them dissolve into Magic itself. They kept chanting and then they burst into the glittery yellow and white substance that protection magic takes the form of. Then, they were gone and I was alone in the throne room. My parents had made the ultimate sacrifice. Instead of dying in a battle with the invaders, they had chosen to protect their people and turn into magic.

I dropped onto my knees in shock. "No no no..... This can't be happening!" I stayed on the ground until I was sure I could stand without collapsing into a heap on the floor. I picked myself up off the floor and went to collect my things. After making sure everything was ready, I rushed to where my sister slept, unaware and completely oblivious to our parents final act.

I opened my eyes and the memory faded. A tear trickled down my face and I wiped it away hastily. It has been three years since the invasion and the pain I felt then hasn't begun to heal yet. It's all still so fresh in my mind, as if it happened a few days ago. I clutched a branch and then jumped down to the forest floor about thirty-five feet below. I landed silently and lightly on my feet, then after sniffing the air to make sure there was no trace of the alien invaders, I sprinted off through the woods.

About 10 minutes sprinting at top speed, I came to the Shrilaqe River. If I can keep up this pace, I could reach the Gathering lands by high sun. I smiled. That was at least 75 miles away and I'd already covered fifteen miles starting at the tree where I had slept. I knelt down and filled my water bag. Then I allowed myself to drink some of the cool water that flowed before me. The crystal clear water was absolutely stunning. I sat by the river bank and then unfastened my pack. I took a quick inventory of what I had and what I needed. After carefully packing everything back together I fastened my pack and hoisted it up onto my shoulders. I searched within several yards from the riverbank for herbs. Some of the herbs I'd use for medicine, some for potions, and some for food. What I found I carefully added them to my pack. I was also able to gather several kinds of berries and a few nuts to add the my withering food supply. The river does grant life to those who need it's life giving nutrients. The thought rolled around in my head then disappeared. I thought about catching some fish, but then I remembered I still had a long way to go before reaching my next stopping place for the night.

"Guess I'd better get going," I said to no one in particular. A light breeze blew making the trees sway a little in the cool morning air. I breathed in deep, savoring the fresh air. It was almost sweet tasting. I took off at full speed. The trees became a blur as did everything else. I sped past the old ruins of the Temple of Baskesh not pausing to stop and pay respects as I used to.

The stones seemed to called out to me as I raced passed, but I pushed the calls of the ancient ones out of my mind and kept running.

I stopped only to eat, drink, and to catch my breath. I knew I was pressing the limits of my speed but I needed to reach D'arckalve by nightfall.

I had almost made it to the crossing in the Narda river when the wind shifted and a new smell rode the wind. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. My back stiffened and my step faltered. My hand went to my side where my whip was strapped to my side. I stood still and waited. The smell grew stronger and my nose wrinkled in repulsion. They smell worse than three skunks sprayed with the worst of chemicals in Hashilck's lab and released into the forest, I thought critically. Hashilck had been my father's second favorite chemist. He had loved to experiment on many different kinds of unique chemicals, sadly he too had been killed during the first few waves of the invasion. The memory passed quickly and again I stood, still and silent, waiting for the stench to fade off into the distance. Unfortunately, it only got stronger. And I knew my days of running free and wild were over. My luck had finally run out. After all, if none of my family had survived the attacks, how can my chances be any better?

A twig cracked in the distance and I knew I only had about 5 minutes before they arrived. I don't know why I didn't speak an invisibility spell, maybe I was just frozen in place. In any case, I was stupid and didn't say it. I could see the Seractinalia in the distance now. Unfortunately, we had learned that they are just about as fast as we are and can run just as far at top speed. I knew that if I bolted now I wouldn't make it very far. I would have to fight and either die, or get captured. Both choices weren't good. Those who got captured.... Were never seen again.

I looked closer and saw that they had a tracker with them. How long have they been following me? In that moment I made a choice, and that choice probably saved my life.