Try and Catch Me

When curiosity killed the cat (2)
With wide eyes, Lia was frozen in place. Another laugh re-sounded. Because of the darkness, she could not be sure where it was coming from. Was someone tailing her all this time?

Her eyes, adjusted to this dimly-lit place, could already make out the shapes of things around her. Fearing that someone was around, lurking somewhere in the dark, her eyes roamed around.

Then another laugh again.

This time Lia strained her eyes and the rest of her senses. Then, with a jolt, she realized that the laughter came from the other side of the flap.

A thought made her head ached – there were still people remaining in the tent. People from the Unseen. A cold sweat rolled down her back as dread gnawed on her insides. She was dead. Oh, she was so dead.

Then another sound made her paused once more. A low groan followed by a curse. Her heart seemed to have blocked her throat as she realized the owner of that voice.

“You should see that desperation on your face Eldric. It is absolutely lovely.” A bark of laughter followed. The voice, however pleasant to listen to, was full of menace.

Eldric was there, just beyond the tent flap. Alive. ‘For now,’ she thought bitterly. He was with who appeared to be one of the Unseen. That was not good.

Lia chewed her lower lip, to the point that she could taste a bit of iron. She hid the dagger on the secret pocket of her sleeves. She never saw the point of it when Eldric told her about it. But now she was so grateful for its ingenuity.

Gathering the last ounce of her courage, she lifted the flap to make a small opening, enough to allow her passage and crawled her way in, her face almost touching the ground. She could not help but think of the stupidity of what she was about to do. Maybe this was stupid but… but but but.

She could not ignore Eldric, whose ragged breathing echoed in the tent mixed with the maniacal laughter of the man from the Unseen. If she leaves him right now, there was no knowing if he would still be alive when help comes in.

To her relief, there were walls of wooden crates that shielded her from being seen, let alone noticed by the people inside. Lia crouched down behind one of them, trying to be as quiet as possible. If she could silence her breath she would since every one of her movements seemed to be a hundred times louder in her ear.

She peered over one of the crates, thankful that the light was scarce on her side and it was mainly focused on the middle. Because of that, it was easier to tell what was happening in the middle.

Lia almost let out an audible gasp when she saw Eldric. He was kneeling on the floor with both of his arms tied behind him. Blood gushed on his wounds. Lia could only see the side of his face but it was easy enough to tell that his face looked as if it was used as a substitute for a punching bag. Lia had never seen him as haggard as he was now. He was roughed out. Her heart squeezed at the pitiful sight of the protagonist. Yet, despite all of these, his face radiated with hostility.

“Now, now. You should be happy with our reunion my dear son.”

Her eyes caught sight of Eldric right away that she did not realize that there was another person in the tent, the other voice that she had heard earlier. The man walked closer to where Eldric was. He looked like he was in the late thirties or early forties. He was good-looking and regal but with a streak of cruelty and scorn in his eyes.

“I’m not your son,” Eldric growled.

The man gave out a bark of laughter as if Eldric just said the world’s funniest joke. He leaned down so the light on the side cast a shadow on his face but she still could see the smirk playing on his lips with perverse amusement.

“Come now. You’re supposed to inherit my position and all of these,” he spread his arms and motioned to this desolate place before putting them behind him. “But I guess that’s how the king calls you now? Does he also make you believe that you’re equal to the prince when you’re nothing but a speck of dirt picked off the streets?” When Eldric did not answer and just continued to stare, the man sneered. “Tell me what’re you’re trying to accomplish. You could have the world beside me.”

Eldric moved against the rope that bound his body which only made the man laughed more.

“How about we do something for our little reunion?”