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Elite (Part 3)
The Next morning they continued on, however toward mid day, both of her parents stopped walking at the same time and looked at each other in alarm.
“What’s wrong?” Tesa asked. A shiver suddenly ran down her back, the forest became darker and colder. She felt a presence enter the wood.
“They've found us..” Her mother whispered, “Tesa-”, she began but was cut off by the familiar sound of an arrow cutting through the air. Time slowed down. All Tes could hear was the sound of her wild heart beating as her mother’s scream echoed in her ears. Ingrained in her memory, repeating over and over as her world fell apart before her eyes.
“Josie!” her father yelled, running to her mothers side where an arrow was sticking out of her arm. Tes was frozen, her breathing came quickly as the ringing in her ears subsided. Six horsemen entered the clearing, figures clad in black robes a-top soot colored steads. A wave of nausea hit her making her gag, she could feel their presence in the wood like a guillotine blade hanging over her neck. Their faces were obscured by long hoods and they would have looked completely identical if one had not been holding a bow. She looked at her mother, shadows were bleeding from the arrow and were slowly spreading down her mother’s arm. She knew that it was poison before her father whispered it in horror. He rose from her mothers side. His posture was calm and calculated but Tes could see the rage burning behind his eyes. She still wasn't thinking properly. Her father walked past her, toward the Nox.
“What do you want?” Her fathers voice shook as he asked the question.
“Are you Cassius Everett?” The closest Nox questioned, the voice sent a chill through Tesa. though she couldn't see their eyes, she could feel their gazes locked on her, pushing at her mind.
“I am.” he tipped his head up slightly and clenched his hands at his sides.
“We want the girl. Give her to us and we will let you and the woman live.” Her breath caught in her throat, the ultimate fear they had had from the beginning. She began to shake uncontrollably, recalling Aeros’s words: ‘If anything happens I want you to run… Get away and protect yourself, no matter the cost.’. No. She couldn't, not when she was betting on her parent’s life. On shaky legs, she walked forward so she was standing next to her father. He moved so fast she barely had time to think when a fireball the size of her head was hurled at the lead Nox.
“Run Tesa!” he yelled at her, she turned to run, but she didn't move fast enough, with a simple twist of one of their wrists the fireball was engulfed in shadows and it vanished.
“Ah, ah, aaaah.” The Nox mocked her with a click of its tongue. She felt a sharp pain as one of the Nox appeared behind her and yanked her back by her hair. “Thought you could escape that easily did you?”, the Nox growled in her ear, she gagged at the smell of his foul breath. He dragged her so she could see her dad. Who was being held with a dagger to his back.
“Let her go!” her father grit his teeth as he tried to keep the knife from breaking skin. Tesa struggled against her captor, her head flew back as she felt a hard blow to her cheek that made her head spin. She clenched her fists as she struggled to remain conscious. Her father cried out in rage and then pain as the dagger was applied with more pressure.
“Don't fight like you used to, huh pops?” the Nox holding her father sneered, digging the dagger deeper into his back. He only winced and grit his teeth. “Where’s the soldier in you now? It's a shame we shot your wife, she would have made an excellent slave, so pretty.” Soldier? She barely had time to process the information before the grip on her hair was tightened.
“Enough.” her Nox commanded, interrupting her thoughts, then said to Tes: “Now you're going to come with us or ol’ daddy here will be dead before you even have the thought to scream.” Tes looked into her fathers eyes, they seemed to plead with her not to comply, but she couldn’t let him die, her mother was already going to be gone in a few minutes. She couldn't lose him too.
“Ok.” she said, unable to look away from her father’s face that instantly fell. Though she couldn't see their faces she could feel the cruel smiles burning into her. She cried out when the Nox tightened his grip on her hair and forced her to face her father.
“Do it.” he commanded. She couldn't look away as the dagger was pushed up into her father’s heart. Couldn't look away as the life left his eyes, as he mouthed the words, “Be the light.” Time slowed down. Her vision went red. She screamed, the sound that came out of her was not her own, it was broken, it was raw, it was a call for revenge. She barely heard their laughs as she felt something swell within her. Shadows began to circle her body as the dark ring around her iris bled into the other colors, turning her whole eye the color of night. As hot tears ran down her face she slammed her shadows into her captor’s mind, causing him to release her and rip at his face with a howl. She brought her hands up from her sides, the shadows covered her body in a shroud of inky colored mist. Her hair rose around her head like a halo of death. She turned to the other Nox, who were frozen in shock. With one thought the darkness formed into spears of swirling blackness, she shot one toward the first one she saw and he fell to the ground, the spear impaled into his chest, dead. She was consumed with pain, with hate, she would never forgive them for this.
Tes did the same thing with three of the others until only one remained. He cowered against a tree. She walked up to him and flipped his hood back, revealing his face. She looked into the eyes of a boy not much older than her; his face was pale and clean shaven; it was not covered in scars like the stories had told. She hesitated a moment before calling her shadows back to her hands, raising the weapon to finish him. He thrust his arms out in front of him and looked at her as if she was the monster, and he was her prey, a cowering victim frozen with fear before her merciless rage. Tes dropped her hand, her vision returned to normal and her eyes went back to their original state. The shadows receded as she breathed heavily, still looking at the last Nox. Snapping out of his shock, he mounted his horse and took off at a full gallop. She fell to her knees in the middle of the clearing, tears frozen on her face. Shaking, She ran to where her mother lay barely breathing on the grass.
“Mother?” Tes asked, her voice breaking. Her mother cracked her eyes open, lifted her hand to brush a lock of hair behind Tesa’s ear, and gave Tes one last loving smile. “Mama?” She said, tears began to fall down her face. “Please, please don't leave me!”, she cried. “Please…” the hand fell softly to the ground. Tesa’s breathing came quickly and in short bursts her heart was beating rapidly, this wasn't meant to happen, none of this was supposed to happen. She looked around the clearing and saw the 5 dead Nox, their bodies lay broken and scattered in the grass like casualties of war. All of this death, this was her. Her eyes finally landed on her father, the life diminished from his gaze, because of her. A broken cry pushed past her lips and she screamed, again and again, she screamed until her voice was hoarse, until she could barely breathe, she screamed until her eyes rolled back in her head and the darkness met her with open arms. The next morning she ran, taking only the compass, her knife, bow, and journal.
Tes had always known her power was special, even as a child she had an unusual connection with the elements. It was later when she found out exactly how special. They had started her education slowly, with her parents teaching her the basics of how to control each one to the best of their abilities. Like moving pebbles, or using the wind to blow out a candle. But it soon became apparent that Tes had a tremendous amount of power, and she excelled quickly. Moving boulders with her mind, lifting her father in the air with the wind, drawing moisture out of the air and into a glass, and transforming a small, flickering flame to a blazing inferno in mere seconds. That's what made her special, she wasn't just an elemental, only being able to control one element. She could control all elements, she was Elite.
© KordeliaRose_writes
“What’s wrong?” Tesa asked. A shiver suddenly ran down her back, the forest became darker and colder. She felt a presence enter the wood.
“They've found us..” Her mother whispered, “Tesa-”, she began but was cut off by the familiar sound of an arrow cutting through the air. Time slowed down. All Tes could hear was the sound of her wild heart beating as her mother’s scream echoed in her ears. Ingrained in her memory, repeating over and over as her world fell apart before her eyes.
“Josie!” her father yelled, running to her mothers side where an arrow was sticking out of her arm. Tes was frozen, her breathing came quickly as the ringing in her ears subsided. Six horsemen entered the clearing, figures clad in black robes a-top soot colored steads. A wave of nausea hit her making her gag, she could feel their presence in the wood like a guillotine blade hanging over her neck. Their faces were obscured by long hoods and they would have looked completely identical if one had not been holding a bow. She looked at her mother, shadows were bleeding from the arrow and were slowly spreading down her mother’s arm. She knew that it was poison before her father whispered it in horror. He rose from her mothers side. His posture was calm and calculated but Tes could see the rage burning behind his eyes. She still wasn't thinking properly. Her father walked past her, toward the Nox.
“What do you want?” Her fathers voice shook as he asked the question.
“Are you Cassius Everett?” The closest Nox questioned, the voice sent a chill through Tesa. though she couldn't see their eyes, she could feel their gazes locked on her, pushing at her mind.
“I am.” he tipped his head up slightly and clenched his hands at his sides.
“We want the girl. Give her to us and we will let you and the woman live.” Her breath caught in her throat, the ultimate fear they had had from the beginning. She began to shake uncontrollably, recalling Aeros’s words: ‘If anything happens I want you to run… Get away and protect yourself, no matter the cost.’. No. She couldn't, not when she was betting on her parent’s life. On shaky legs, she walked forward so she was standing next to her father. He moved so fast she barely had time to think when a fireball the size of her head was hurled at the lead Nox.
“Run Tesa!” he yelled at her, she turned to run, but she didn't move fast enough, with a simple twist of one of their wrists the fireball was engulfed in shadows and it vanished.
“Ah, ah, aaaah.” The Nox mocked her with a click of its tongue. She felt a sharp pain as one of the Nox appeared behind her and yanked her back by her hair. “Thought you could escape that easily did you?”, the Nox growled in her ear, she gagged at the smell of his foul breath. He dragged her so she could see her dad. Who was being held with a dagger to his back.
“Let her go!” her father grit his teeth as he tried to keep the knife from breaking skin. Tesa struggled against her captor, her head flew back as she felt a hard blow to her cheek that made her head spin. She clenched her fists as she struggled to remain conscious. Her father cried out in rage and then pain as the dagger was applied with more pressure.
“Don't fight like you used to, huh pops?” the Nox holding her father sneered, digging the dagger deeper into his back. He only winced and grit his teeth. “Where’s the soldier in you now? It's a shame we shot your wife, she would have made an excellent slave, so pretty.” Soldier? She barely had time to process the information before the grip on her hair was tightened.
“Enough.” her Nox commanded, interrupting her thoughts, then said to Tes: “Now you're going to come with us or ol’ daddy here will be dead before you even have the thought to scream.” Tes looked into her fathers eyes, they seemed to plead with her not to comply, but she couldn’t let him die, her mother was already going to be gone in a few minutes. She couldn't lose him too.
“Ok.” she said, unable to look away from her father’s face that instantly fell. Though she couldn't see their faces she could feel the cruel smiles burning into her. She cried out when the Nox tightened his grip on her hair and forced her to face her father.
“Do it.” he commanded. She couldn't look away as the dagger was pushed up into her father’s heart. Couldn't look away as the life left his eyes, as he mouthed the words, “Be the light.” Time slowed down. Her vision went red. She screamed, the sound that came out of her was not her own, it was broken, it was raw, it was a call for revenge. She barely heard their laughs as she felt something swell within her. Shadows began to circle her body as the dark ring around her iris bled into the other colors, turning her whole eye the color of night. As hot tears ran down her face she slammed her shadows into her captor’s mind, causing him to release her and rip at his face with a howl. She brought her hands up from her sides, the shadows covered her body in a shroud of inky colored mist. Her hair rose around her head like a halo of death. She turned to the other Nox, who were frozen in shock. With one thought the darkness formed into spears of swirling blackness, she shot one toward the first one she saw and he fell to the ground, the spear impaled into his chest, dead. She was consumed with pain, with hate, she would never forgive them for this.
Tes did the same thing with three of the others until only one remained. He cowered against a tree. She walked up to him and flipped his hood back, revealing his face. She looked into the eyes of a boy not much older than her; his face was pale and clean shaven; it was not covered in scars like the stories had told. She hesitated a moment before calling her shadows back to her hands, raising the weapon to finish him. He thrust his arms out in front of him and looked at her as if she was the monster, and he was her prey, a cowering victim frozen with fear before her merciless rage. Tes dropped her hand, her vision returned to normal and her eyes went back to their original state. The shadows receded as she breathed heavily, still looking at the last Nox. Snapping out of his shock, he mounted his horse and took off at a full gallop. She fell to her knees in the middle of the clearing, tears frozen on her face. Shaking, She ran to where her mother lay barely breathing on the grass.
“Mother?” Tes asked, her voice breaking. Her mother cracked her eyes open, lifted her hand to brush a lock of hair behind Tesa’s ear, and gave Tes one last loving smile. “Mama?” She said, tears began to fall down her face. “Please, please don't leave me!”, she cried. “Please…” the hand fell softly to the ground. Tesa’s breathing came quickly and in short bursts her heart was beating rapidly, this wasn't meant to happen, none of this was supposed to happen. She looked around the clearing and saw the 5 dead Nox, their bodies lay broken and scattered in the grass like casualties of war. All of this death, this was her. Her eyes finally landed on her father, the life diminished from his gaze, because of her. A broken cry pushed past her lips and she screamed, again and again, she screamed until her voice was hoarse, until she could barely breathe, she screamed until her eyes rolled back in her head and the darkness met her with open arms. The next morning she ran, taking only the compass, her knife, bow, and journal.
Tes had always known her power was special, even as a child she had an unusual connection with the elements. It was later when she found out exactly how special. They had started her education slowly, with her parents teaching her the basics of how to control each one to the best of their abilities. Like moving pebbles, or using the wind to blow out a candle. But it soon became apparent that Tes had a tremendous amount of power, and she excelled quickly. Moving boulders with her mind, lifting her father in the air with the wind, drawing moisture out of the air and into a glass, and transforming a small, flickering flame to a blazing inferno in mere seconds. That's what made her special, she wasn't just an elemental, only being able to control one element. She could control all elements, she was Elite.
© KordeliaRose_writes
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