Dustfinger crept through the undergrowth of the woods, absolutely silent.
Behind him he could hear Meggie's quiet breathing.
They were trying to sneak through the forest to escape into the city of Wendron, home to the Princess Morietta, who was cousin to Violante.
Once there, they would meet Meggie's father, mother and little brother and live happily.
It was a good plan, but sadly, one easier said than done.
So far, they had gotten though undetected, but bandits and evil soldiers where everywhere.
Normally, Dustfinger would just barge on through, using his skills with fire to blast anyone else out of his way.
But this time, Dustifinger had Meggie to worry about and protect.
They had been traveling like this for two days, and he had heard maybe one or two words from her, which was unusual, normally she was fairly talkative.
They crept into somewhat of a clearing, and he motioned for Meggie to stay behind a rock while he scouted the surrounding area.
As he walked away, Meggie leaned back on the rock and closed her eyes.
It felt good to rest...They had been walking for some time now, and Meggie had been suffering from sleepless nights for the past week.
Every time she tried to sleep, horrible dreams filled her mind, allowing no rest.
A twig snapped, and every one of Meggie's cells went on alert.
She grabbed a dagger from her waist and held it to the level of her eyes.
A few seconds went by, and slowly Meggie's relaxed, leaning back on the rock and dropping her knife a little.
Then a large hand smelling like oil and furs clamped across her mouth, twisting her neck at an awkward angle.
Soldier guard!
Meggie kicked her feet, trying to make some noise so that Dustifinger would hear.
"Don't struggle, or i'll snap your pretty neck" The guard growled.
Meggie went limp, and he started to pull her backwards over the rock.
Meggie pulled her feet over her head and rolled off the rock, kicking her assailant in the face as she went.
He reeled back, clutching his eye, and Meggie got her first good look at him. He was middle aged with short hair, covered by a helmet and decked out in light armor.
"Bitch!"
Meggie straightened up and held the knife tightly, watching to see what the soldier would do next.
He drew his broadsword, grinning as Meggie involuntarily stepped back.
"Not so tough now, are we?"
Meggie gulped. Where was Dustfinger? He had the only sword, and she would be captured quickly if all she had was this little knife.
SHe called up all the moves that he had taught her for occasions like this.
The soldier leapt forwards, swinging his heavy sword.
Meggie ducked, then ran to the side, forcing him to come after her.
He swung again, and Meggie blocked it with a parry from her knife. her arm numbing with the sheer force of the blow.
She re-gripped her knife and grit her teeth, ducking under the guard's next attack and kicking him in the stomach.
He stumbled backwards with a curse, and Meggie took the opportunity to run.
If you can't win a fight, you must run from it.
Dustfinger's clever words ran in her ears as she flew over logs and around trees.
Where was he? Surely he would have heard the noise...
Behind her, the sound of the guard's heavy breathing, and the crunch of leaves underfoot told her that her opponent was catching up to her.
She vaguely knew the territory, but he knew it better, so she would just have to keep distance between them, and use her soft footfalls against him.
Already he was falling behind, but she kept on running.
She chanced at a peek behind her.
Big Mistake.
She tripped on a rock and went flying facefirst down a small ravine, rolling through the leaves and dirt, her red shirt and jeans getting stained and her auburn hair tumbling loose from it's pins.
At the bottom she hit her head on a rock, causing her to cry out in pain.
The guard's footsteps were louder, she had created too much commotion during her fall, and he knew exactly where she was.
She picked herself up and tried to run a little ways, head reeling.
Too Late.
the guard had caught up to her, and he was scrambling down the bank towards her.
Meggie tried to run up the other side of the ravine, but it was too steep, causing her to slide back to the bottom, the breathe being knocked out of her with a whoosh.
The guard was in front of her before she could do anything else, ripping the knife out of her hand and pulling her up by her beautiful red hair.
She cried out in pain, and the guard soldier laughed.
"Go ahead and scream all you want, we we have to draw your elusive companion somehow"
Meggie's blood ran cold. He was after Dustfinger...He was going to hurt Dustfinger.
No.
Meggie clamped her mouth shut.
"Scream" The guard said.
Meggie shook her head, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"OKay, then i'll make you"
The guard held up her knife and drew it along her cheek, causing a small trickle of blood to cascade down her face.
Her brown eyes gazed back at him in defiance.
"Okay then" He hissed.
Meggie's eyes widened as he pulled the knife back.
He was going to kill her.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you, just hurt you enough to make your boyfriend mad"
Then he stabbed the small blade into her stomach.
Meggie gasped, her eyes pooling with tears of pain. She wouldn't scream, she wouldn't scream...
The Soldier grinned evilly as he twisted the knife, and Meggie couldn't help it...
She screamed as loud as she could then blacked out, falling onto the leaves with slight noise.
The Soldier grinned and cleaned off the little blade.
"We'll see how tough you really are now Dustfinger"
Please Review to see if Meggie survives!