Fate's Vinculum

Chapter 3.

Einar was sleeping, dreaming about an expansive field filled with bright yellow flowers. He wandered aimlessly, the field never ending. In the distance he could see a girl dressed in a white dress, long brown hair blowing in the gentle breeze. Yet no matter how long he walked towards her he never got any closer. Finally he gave up trying to reach her, sitting down and picking the yellow flowers.

Wake up, a voice-the voice from his childhood that had spoken to him as his family was slaughtered-said. He hadn't heard it since that night. Immediately the dream ended and Einar opened his eyes.

He was horrified to find a man standing over his bed.

"Either you come with me," the man said, "or I kill your entire family."

This man was dressed in the exact fashion as the people who had killed his family and burned down his house. He was covered head to toe in black, wearing a mask that had a slit for the eyes. Terror dripped throughout Einar's body, making his veins rivers of ice. There was no way he was going to let anything happen to his elderly parents.

"Can I...Can I at least write them a letter?" he asked hopefully.

The man seemed to mull it over. Einar got the distinct impression that a smirk formed beneath the mask.

"No. Let's go."

Not knowing what else to do, Einar slid out of bed.

He was led outside where someone soundlessly sneaked up behind him. A blindfold was placed over his eyes, a rag gagging him. Roughly he was led down to a dock and shoved on a boat. Once aboard the gag was removed, but his hands were tied in front of him.

During the entire voyage he was kept blindfolded. He was given food, water, and provided a bed to sleep on. Einar asked his captors who they were, but he never received a response. He never knew how many were on the boat with him, only hearing muffled whispers as he tried to sleep occasionally through his tears.

Night and day passed without his knowledge. After a while (days? A week?) they ported. Einar was again gagged, this time being led to a plane. He was stowed away in a private cabin, still blindfolded. As the plane took off he cried, equally from the pain in his ears and surmising he was never going to see home again. When they landed (he still had no perception of time) he was led off the plane, blindfold finally removed.

Einar blinked against the harsh sun. He had no idea where he was. He surmised he was in a different country; they were in a jungle, the airstrip carved out of the dense forest. It was hot and humid, conditions that he immediately despised. Two guards had taken him by either arm-they were young men, one appeared to be Asian of some sort, the other Caucasian. They began to lead him down the path, birds crying loudly overhead. In the distance, the sound of rushing water could be heard.

"Where are we?" Einar tried. When they didn't respond it dawned on him they probably didn't speak Icelandic.

He was led to a large building. It looked like some sort of institution, perhaps a prison. Guards, also dressed in black from head to foot with machine guns slung over their shoulders, stood at the double doors. Without warming the wooden doors swung inward and Einar was led inside.

He was dumbfounded, taking everything in. People milled about everywhere, more people than he had seen in his entire life. More surprising was the fact that many of the people were children, early teens. Everyone wore the same black clothes, and many of the children wore backpacks and carried books.

Every race was here, every walk of life-old and young, men and women. What also shocked Einar was the fact that most of the adults, and even some of the children, carried weapons openly. Guns, knives, swords; if it was a weapon that could be found somewhere in the world, he saw someone carrying it.