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Chapter 19
Astria screamed when he pushed the knife under the nail of her middle finger, the agony unbearable as he slowly cut it off; blood oozing from where the fingernail used to be. She bucked and twisted on the ground as he repeated the process four more times, begging for him to stop; though her cries for mercy were unheard as Tarian watched a smile etched into his face. How could he be so cruel? What could he possibly gain from her anguish?
"Please …" She whispered, fighting against the men that held her down.
"That’s enough, you can let her go now." Tarian ordered, his men complying almost instantly.
Tears slipped from the half-breed's eyes as she moved into a seated position on the hard ground, shocked to see the amount of blood that poured from her fingers. Astria watched in silence as some of the fifty men began to walk back towards the large camp, smiles etched into their faces; each one seeing it as though they had won some great battle. She
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But the girl hoped that Tuviel would steer clear of the camp, that she would understand that there was nothing she could do to save her daughter, not now.One of Tarian's soldiers smiled wildly. "Perhaps we could keep her mother also.""That is not an option. The Deus are looking for the mother and we wouldn't want to go against an army of them." The leader shot back, clearly annoyed that one of his men would say such a thing."Why are they looking for her?""Because she broke their highest law when she had the girl." Tarian explained, turning towards the girl as he continued to speak; "Show them."Astria knew exactly what he meant, he wanted her to show them her ears, to reveal that she was a half-breed and face their judgment. Having no other choice, the girl removed her hood and tucked her hair behind her ears; showing who she was. The people gasped, some taking a step back in shock and disbelief."She is a half-breed!""Abominatio
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"Then don't apologise."Astria nodded in response, though wasn’t quite sure as they continued to stare, as if they were waiting for something; waiting for her to make another mistake."Panett, leave us." Tarian ordered."I wish to make sure she is healthy first.""You can see she is quite alright, if there are any problems I will call for you.""Alright, as long as you do.""Of course."Panett stood up to leave, flashing a small smile at the girl as he exited the hut; leaving her alone with the tribe's leader.Tarian moved to sit beside her on the bed, a moment of silence stretching out between them before he finally spoke; his tone harsh. "I would not advise disobeying me again, you nearly lost your life."Astria scoffed, "It is your fault that I nearly died, if you hadn't have done what you did we wouldn’t be in this situation."He lashed out, striking her across the face. "Do not talk to me in such
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Her entire frame trembled as she watched him pull the same bandages and ointment from his small pack, his eyes never leaving hers. Astria recoiled back when he neared her, blood coating her hair and neck as she cried softly; afraid that it would somehow all happen again."I need you to remain still." He said almost commandingly, taking her by the chin.The girl nodded, realising that he was only trying to help; he wasn’t like the others, he was the only one that didn’t wish to harm her. Something that she was grateful for. She supposed that because he was medically trained that he was like her, in the sense that he didn’t wish to harm anyone if he could help it; nor did he wish to kill unless there was no other choice. He leaned forward, applying the white cream to her ears, the pain of what had happened seeping through the girl's form. She winced, jumping back slightly when he placed the bandages over the open wound of her right ear, her eyes swollen
The war of Races Chapter 23
Once they had emptied the contents of the tray, Tarian rose back to his feet, gently brushing the hair from her eyes as she yawned. “I think it is time we both got some sleep.”“Ok.” She whispered, wondering why he was being so nice all of a sudden.He had been so cruel to her only a few hours before, ordering his men to cut off the tips of her ears, even after she begged him for mercy. Yes, she burned him, but that was only because she was afraid of What he would do to her. How could she have foreseen the consequences, known that this would happen?Tarian held out his hand, pulling Astria to her feet as she yawned again, her eyes feeling heavy. She allowed him to guide her towards the small opening in the hut, her legs wobbly and unsteady as they walked through the camp, the silence stretching out as most of his people had retired to their beds. The day truly over. The half-breed was grateful for that, praying that tomorrow would be bett
The war of Races Chapter 24
“Hurry up and finish, we have business to attend to.” He said suddenly, after minutes of silence, turning towards the entrance of the hut.The half-breed nodded, taking one last bite of the food before she stood, slightly dizzy as the effects of the sleeping agent still lingered. She stared at Tarian, waiting for his next order as she frowned, the sudden light-headedness worsening. She stumbled, crashing into the leader as he laughed, easily catching her petite form. She shuddered as a strange taste filled her mouth, turning her head to the side as the contents of her stomach violently exited her mouth.Panting for breath, Astria pealed herself away from Tarian, her throat burning as she heaved dryly. Unable to understand what was happening, she curled into a tight ball on her side as the leader of the bandits watched, neither one of them knowing what to do in this situation.“You must be having a bad reaction to the sedative.” He murmure
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Astria followed Panett from the hut in silence, pulling the hood of her cloak further over her face, ensuring that no one could tell who she was by a simple glimpse. They went over the plan of escape several times over the course of the night, dawn appearing over the horizon as they strolled through the masses of fabric homes, each one knowing that they would only get one chance at making it out of the camp alive. Though perhaps not even that as they walked past the bandits who arose early from their slumber, each one glancing in their direction. The half-breed became increasingly nervous as the men around them began to chatter, wondering where the medical man was taking their leaders captive. She prayed to the spirits that they would make it past them without incident, the less people she had to kill the better; she just wanted to see her mother again. She wished she would get the chance to meet her father, to spend more time with Gilmy and explore the world beyond what she
The war of Races Chapter 26
“Get up Panett, we have to go!” she shouted, her voice rising over the scorching flames.Yet, the medical man made no move to get up from where he knelt on the ground, his eyes screaming that she should leave him there, that she should leave whilst she had the chance. Astria looked around her, watching as the men died in the flames, the fire spreading towards the huts as she attempted to buy more time. She needed to find a way to get him to move before they began to put out the flames, the anguished screams fading into angered shouts.“You must get up, I cannot slow them down for much longer.” she said panicked, pushing more flames from her hands as she spoke.“Astria you must go without me, I am of no use.” he countered, shoving her back a step. “I am ready for death.”“Well I am not ready for you to die, I cannot do this alone, I need you.” she whispered harshly, “Please come with me.&rdq
The war of Races Chapter 27
“That is different.”“Are you sure? Because to me they seem very similar, you hope to see your mother again, and yet you say that it is foolish to hope for something that may not come to pass.”Astria smiled down at the mare, knowing that he was right; she couldn’t help but hope to see her mother and Gilmy again, no matter how foolish it may seem she held onto it tightly, just as she did the mare. It was hard at times knowing that it may never happen, but she would keep it alive within her heart, no matter how tough things may seem, she can dream.“You are right.” Was all she said, watching as the sun began to descend behind the trees.The road through the forest became almost impassable, the narrow turns between the trees difficult to navigate for the young half-breed, though Panett seemed to manage quite easily. She pulled to a halt as the road split into two separate paths, not knowing which one she should choo
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