Miinhart Forest, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

It was hard to see in the darkness. Everything was shadowed, and Todd could barely make out the faces of their captors. He was dazed and shaken from being ambushed. He had been in the trees, unable to find Annabella, calling her name, and then suddenly he was on the ground, face pressed in the undergrowth with someone pinning him down. He tried throwing them off, to shout a warning to Annabella, but the moment he opened his mouth whoever was on top of him shoved a cloth in it. He choked and coughed as the gag was knotted tightly at the back of his head; he fought the hands, but his were pinned down and then locked behind him with cold, metal cuffs. At that point, he had given up fighting, knowing it was worthless and a waste of what little energy he had left. His captor hauled him to his feet and pulled him through the trees, away from the smoke and ruins. Before he knew it, Todd was in the midst of what looked like some sort of camp. There were a lot of people, all dressed similarly and as silent as his captor. He stumbled as he was dragged toward two stoic figures shadowed by the darkness and holding an air of authority.

"And who is this?" the first asked. Todd was blinded by a flash of light, reminding him so much of the flash of light in his closet that he jerked and fell hard. It was a flashlight, he soon realized, pointed directly in his face. He grimaced and turned away, squinting as his heart raced.

"He was with her, Sergeant," Todd's captor, who sounded rather young, said as he pulled Todd back to his feet.

Todd was thankful when the flashlight was directed away from his face. He was seeing spots, but by the light of the flashlight, he could see that the people before him were dressed like soldiers, a man and a woman. The man was younger and thinner, not much older than Todd himself it seemed, while the woman was built thickly, taller than Todd and probably twice as heavy due to the amount of muscle she possessed. He had no doubt that she could squash him like a bug. Their faces seemed distorted in the dark, but the more he looked the more he thought it might have been because of the strange marking on their faces. He couldn't make them out.

"Take off the gag," the woman ordered.

Todd grimaced again as the soldier untied the gag, tugging on Todd's hair in the process. He hated the taste the rag left in his mouth when it was removed.

"Name, kid." The woman was very commanding. Todd instantly disliked her, and not just because she was clearly Annabella's enemy and therefore his.

Lying about his name didn't even occur to him. What good would it have done anyway? "Todd."

"Todd." The woman practised his name on her tongue as if she had never heard such a name before. "And where are you from, Todd?"

His mind blanked. Telling these people that he was from another world probably wouldn't end well for him, he guessed. "Around?" he stuttered out.

She narrowed her eyes. To his relief, she didn't question him again, because at that moment another soldier approached, pulling Annabella with him. Annabella was breathing heavily, her face twisted in a grimace of pain and frustration. It immediately turned into a mask of stone when she saw the man and woman.

"Annabella LaKline, at long last," the woman said, the satisfaction clear in her tone. "What a pleasure to finally meet your majesty."

Todd didn't understand the taunt, but by Annabella's icy gaze he knew it was a low blow. She didn't respond. Todd himself shrunk away from the murderous gleam in her eyes. It didn't seem to faze the woman at all.

"Is she secured?" the woman asked, looking to the soldier at Annabella's side. At the soldier's nod, the woman said, "Don't underestimate her. Cuff her ankles. I don't want her capable of walking, understood?" As the soldier bent down to cuff Annabella's ankles, the woman stepped forward and grabbed Annabella's chin, forcing her to look the woman in the eyes. "You're silent now, but you won't be for long. We'll make you talk." She roughly dragged her fingers down Annabella's chin, pushing her head to the side carelessly. "Bring them and chain them with the other. We'll deal with them when the sun's up."

Todd shot a look of fear at Annabella. She was emotionless, only a brief flash of pain searing her face as she was picked up and slung over the soldier's shoulder. Todd gnawed on his bottom lip anxiously as the soldier at his side pulled him after them. They were brought to what he assumed was the centre of this little camp, where a fire had been started. Soldiers sat around it, warming themselves. Todd and Annabella were brought around it, to the base of a tree that a girl lay at. She was dressed in the same armour as the others, a deep crimson outfit, and the chains on her wrists were connected to the tree. She was asleep, but it was short-lived, as the soldier carrying Annabella kicked the girl awake. She jerked wildly, rolling as her chains restrained her from pulling away. Her glare at the soldier was fiery as she shrunk away from them.

Todd willingly collapsed on the ground when his captor shoved him against the tree. His hands behind him made it uncomfortable as the soldier connected his cuffs to the chain around the tree, but somehow he knew they didn't care about his comfort. The soldier carrying Annabella dropped her from his shoulder, and Todd flinched when she hit the ground with a grunt. They dragged her up against the tree beside him, connecting her cuffs to the chain as well, making doubly sure that it was secure. She breathed heavily through clenched teeth, and he knew she was in all sorts of pain. His mind fumbled for someway to help her, but it remained wearily blank.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

They were left alone, as most of the group of soldiers gathered around the fire. Todd exhaled slowly, closing his eyes, his mind racing. He could hear the pain in Annabella's breathing beside him. On his other side, the chained girl was breathing steadily, seemingly unfazed by her rude awakening as she gazed at the soldiers several yards away. Todd wondered what she had done to become a traitor. If she truly was a traitor, maybe she could be of help to them.

Todd had to twist his neck to look at Annabella. "You okay?" he whispered.

"Never better." Her face was still stony, but she couldn't hide her grimace of pain as she shifted. Catching Todd's eyes, she sighed. "Sleep, if you can, Todd," she murmured. "You'll need it." Her eyes closed.

Todd swallowed hard, his nerves a jittery mess. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, no matter how tired he was. He shifted uncomfortably against the tree, annoyed at how his hands were bound behind him.

He must have shifted several times, because suddenly the girl on his left spoke, her voice hushed: "Bring your arms down under your legs. You can get them around to the front that way."

It took Todd several seconds to realize what she meant, and even longer to try and follow the instructions. The chain securing him to the tree was long enough to permit his twisting, and with a little help from the girl, he was able to bring his hands around in front of him.

"Thank you." It was much more comfortable that way. He could settle back against the tree properly. The girl gave a nod, staring off into the darkness. He decided that it would be a good idea to introduce himself. "My name is Todd."

She looked at him, studying him with shadowed eyes he couldn't make out the colour of. The first thing he noticed about her was the mark on her left cheek, the same mark the others hand. It seemed to be a tattoo, coloured in black and making it look like charcoal had been scrubbed around their eyes. In the faint, flickering light of the fire, he still couldn't make out what the mark was supposed to be.

"Stephanie," she replied shortly.

He didn't know what else to say. Despite himself, he gave her a small smile. He didn't expect the look of horror to cross her face, nor her hand to clamp over his mouth.

"Are you crazy?" she hissed. "Do you want to be killed?"

He pulled her hand away, thoroughly confused. "Huh?"

"You smiled. You can't do that. Don't ever do that again!"

Todd gave her a baffled look. "I... I don't understand."

On his other side, Annabella shifted. "That's something I didn't mention to you." At his look of confusion, she continued. "Smiling is forbidden. Punishable by flogging. For you, it'd be death."

Todd sat back against the tree, staring at the darkness, unable to fully wrap his mind around this new information. No smiling? That was impossible! It was a natural reflex! "This... this place is messed up."

"You only just noticed that?" Annabella muttered.

Before Todd could respond, a little voice broke into their conversation. "Bella?"

Annabella sat up so fast that Todd jumped. In the darkness, he made out a little figure, a child wrapped in a blanket or cloak, standing just feet away from them. Annabella's gasp was audible. "Bethany?"

The child let out a sob, and by the time she reached Annabella, Annabella had already gotten her hands around to the front. She gathered the child in her arms, holding her on her lap and burying her face in the child's hair. Todd almost thought she was crying.

"She's the only one who survived," Stephanie whispered dully. "I'm sorry."

Todd sat quietly, shivers like cold fingers trailing down his spine at Stephanie's words. He gnawed on his bottom lip again, hesitant. Then he looked at Stephanie. "What happened?"

Stephanie kept her gaze fixed on the fire. "Sarum was associating with rebels, so Motch made them an example."

"And you...?"

"... are a trained killer, so please stop talking to me."

Todd grimaced, obediently closing his mouth and resting his arms on his knees. The people here were definitely unfriendly, but there was something about Stephanie that warmed him despite her cold words. She sagged against the tree beside him, her arms tucked tightly against her chest; she didn't move away from him. He kept tabs on her near proximity. If he wasn't mistaken, she seemed to be waiting for him to disobey her. He nearly did.

Annabella nudged him, and he looked at her. "Don't trust her, Todd," she murmured, her voice so quiet he had to read the words on her lips. "Don't trust anyone. You can't."

He watched her, the unease curdling in his chest. "Then why should I trust you?"

Her next words were unnerving. "You shouldn't."