Hidden Past
Part One
Crouched on the damp grass listening to the baying sounds of the slave hounds, the girl gulped gasps of air into starved lungs. Making the simple shift of cotton, move over the many cuts decorating her lithe body. The cuts hurt and she could feel the blood trickling freely down her back. Ignoring the pain, thrusting to her feet, steeling her body to make the impossible effort of outrunning the hounds. She ran. Tearing feet to bloody, spoor filled ribbons of blood over the earth. She ignored the aching agony that threatened to burst her lungs with each desperate breath. She ignored the stinging pain of the lash marks. Nothing mattered, only the next step and the next. It was not hard to imagine the slave hounds at her heels, even feel the wet-painful kiss of those great drooling jaws. The dirty teeth tearing at her flesh, rending it and ripping it. Bringing her down, yet keeping her alive for the sport of her master. Dragging her back, torn and broken to be made the example to others that would run.
Her bloody steps heading towards...something. She had no clear idea of what that may be. Only that she had to escape the shadow of the tower and him.
In a confining semi circle the slave hounds closed in, the pattern bred by their master to give no corner of flight. Giving those that ran, no hope as the net of slathering jaws drew to a close. The girl wanted no part of that dread circle, yet saw no way to escape it. Having no plan, she ran as an animal did. Blindly, desperate and seeking the unattainable. She sensed, rather then saw the graceful shapes loping closer in the darkness as they closed in around her; but the snapping of jaws and that stinking breath, they were real enough. Enough to give her a second wind. To force air into struggling lungs, yet to late it came. A dark shape came out of the darkness. Jaws spread wide to take her. She hurled herself away, tumbling down an embankment. Clawed paws drew fresh blood from her skin and she screamed.
For fear is raw and a hard emotion to suppress. Down she tumbled, towards the other slave hounds that waited at the bottom. She rose to her feet, fists clenched. Knowing it was useless to fight and yet unwilling to give up her life so easy. She had taken so much, in such a short time. She would not die without at least taking her nails and hooking out an eye of one of those demon dogs.
They closed in slowly around the panting, helpless girl, their great jaws gaping wide to rend succulent flesh. Crush bone and teach suffering to a recalcitrant slave. Large eyes gleamed red, almost sadistic as they watched her, the scent of blood heavy in the air. They didn't pounce, they sat back on haunches. Trained to wait, to wait for the master to come and give them their final order. To kill.
It felt like hours, to a tortured heart and blood soaked body and yet it was less then ten minutes before the slave hounds perked and turned large heads in the very same direction in which she had fled.
"Arwenamin. I cannot say, I am not disappointed to find you here." It was a voice out of the darkness. Smooth in its coldness. The dark of the night was much better compared to the sudden light that lit that harsh, yet handsome face. The Elvish features clear in the almond shaped eyes, that held nothing but possessive cruelty as they watched the girl in the circle of waiting death. "That you made it out of the tower, I am surprised at." Paused. "No, curious about. Your powers are bound to me and you to the tower. Unless I give you my leave. How did you get out Arwenamin?"
As soon as the light lit the darkness, golden eyes swept downwards to search the ground. For escape" For hope" Anything that might save her from this fate. "I..I.." Voice now she used it. Shook harder then her aching body did. She didn't know how to answer, she didn't know how she had escaped from that brooding tower or the power that held her inside it. All she had known was the need to escape, to run and be free.
"You will answer me." It was pure command. His tone rang with the knowledge that he'd get what he wanted without having to ask twice. In less then five strides he'd crossed into the circle and with a rough grip of fingers into the fine bones of her lower jaw, forced her head up in a jerk of motion. "How did you get out Arwenamin?" Steel grey eyes, bore into the girls. Ignoring the lull of golden pools in his growing anger. "Did somebody help you?" Fingers dug so hard into silken flesh, that when he let go, his mark remained in painful reminder of five white indention's.
The ache of that strong hold was nothing, compared to the back hand that cracked over her cheek, almost sending her to the ground. Ignoring the blood that seeped from the corner of her lips and smeared under his touch, he grabbed her jaw once again to force her eyes to meet his own. Drawing her closer with the pull on flesh, letting the touch soften. Thumbing the blood over her cheek "Tell me."
If the anger had not been clear enough in his eyes, his nature to beat subservience into those he possessed was known to all. Thus Arwenamin had been ready for his blow and even as the brutality of it dulled her eyes, she kept her balance. Not allowing herself to fall at his feet to be kicked like a disobedient dog. Without choice her gaze was forced to his, the ache that throbbed in her jaw now added to the list of painful injuries
Part One
Crouched on the damp grass listening to the baying sounds of the slave hounds, the girl gulped gasps of air into starved lungs. Making the simple shift of cotton, move over the many cuts decorating her lithe body. The cuts hurt and she could feel the blood trickling freely down her back. Ignoring the pain, thrusting to her feet, steeling her body to make the impossible effort of outrunning the hounds. She ran. Tearing feet to bloody, spoor filled ribbons of blood over the earth. She ignored the aching agony that threatened to burst her lungs with each desperate breath. She ignored the stinging pain of the lash marks. Nothing mattered, only the next step and the next. It was not hard to imagine the slave hounds at her heels, even feel the wet-painful kiss of those great drooling jaws. The dirty teeth tearing at her flesh, rending it and ripping it. Bringing her down, yet keeping her alive for the sport of her master. Dragging her back, torn and broken to be made the example to others that would run.
Her bloody steps heading towards...something. She had no clear idea of what that may be. Only that she had to escape the shadow of the tower and him.
In a confining semi circle the slave hounds closed in, the pattern bred by their master to give no corner of flight. Giving those that ran, no hope as the net of slathering jaws drew to a close. The girl wanted no part of that dread circle, yet saw no way to escape it. Having no plan, she ran as an animal did. Blindly, desperate and seeking the unattainable. She sensed, rather then saw the graceful shapes loping closer in the darkness as they closed in around her; but the snapping of jaws and that stinking breath, they were real enough. Enough to give her a second wind. To force air into struggling lungs, yet to late it came. A dark shape came out of the darkness. Jaws spread wide to take her. She hurled herself away, tumbling down an embankment. Clawed paws drew fresh blood from her skin and she screamed.
For fear is raw and a hard emotion to suppress. Down she tumbled, towards the other slave hounds that waited at the bottom. She rose to her feet, fists clenched. Knowing it was useless to fight and yet unwilling to give up her life so easy. She had taken so much, in such a short time. She would not die without at least taking her nails and hooking out an eye of one of those demon dogs.
They closed in slowly around the panting, helpless girl, their great jaws gaping wide to rend succulent flesh. Crush bone and teach suffering to a recalcitrant slave. Large eyes gleamed red, almost sadistic as they watched her, the scent of blood heavy in the air. They didn't pounce, they sat back on haunches. Trained to wait, to wait for the master to come and give them their final order. To kill.
It felt like hours, to a tortured heart and blood soaked body and yet it was less then ten minutes before the slave hounds perked and turned large heads in the very same direction in which she had fled.
"Arwenamin. I cannot say, I am not disappointed to find you here." It was a voice out of the darkness. Smooth in its coldness. The dark of the night was much better compared to the sudden light that lit that harsh, yet handsome face. The Elvish features clear in the almond shaped eyes, that held nothing but possessive cruelty as they watched the girl in the circle of waiting death. "That you made it out of the tower, I am surprised at." Paused. "No, curious about. Your powers are bound to me and you to the tower. Unless I give you my leave. How did you get out Arwenamin?"
As soon as the light lit the darkness, golden eyes swept downwards to search the ground. For escape" For hope" Anything that might save her from this fate. "I..I.." Voice now she used it. Shook harder then her aching body did. She didn't know how to answer, she didn't know how she had escaped from that brooding tower or the power that held her inside it. All she had known was the need to escape, to run and be free.
"You will answer me." It was pure command. His tone rang with the knowledge that he'd get what he wanted without having to ask twice. In less then five strides he'd crossed into the circle and with a rough grip of fingers into the fine bones of her lower jaw, forced her head up in a jerk of motion. "How did you get out Arwenamin?" Steel grey eyes, bore into the girls. Ignoring the lull of golden pools in his growing anger. "Did somebody help you?" Fingers dug so hard into silken flesh, that when he let go, his mark remained in painful reminder of five white indention's.
The ache of that strong hold was nothing, compared to the back hand that cracked over her cheek, almost sending her to the ground. Ignoring the blood that seeped from the corner of her lips and smeared under his touch, he grabbed her jaw once again to force her eyes to meet his own. Drawing her closer with the pull on flesh, letting the touch soften. Thumbing the blood over her cheek "Tell me."
If the anger had not been clear enough in his eyes, his nature to beat subservience into those he possessed was known to all. Thus Arwenamin had been ready for his blow and even as the brutality of it dulled her eyes, she kept her balance. Not allowing herself to fall at his feet to be kicked like a disobedient dog. Without choice her gaze was forced to his, the ache that throbbed in her jaw now added to the list of painful injuries