3. Narina

3

NARINA

T he rough hands of the guards shove me forward, the coarse fabric of the blindfold scratching against my face. My heart pounds in my chest as I try to make sense of the sounds around me - the shuffle of boots on stone, the murmurs of a gathering crowd.

I chance a peek under the edge of the blindfold. Through the narrow slit, I catch glimpses of an enormous chamber lined with rows of benches. An auction house. Fear tightens its icy grip around my throat.

The guards yank us to a halt, their attention diverted by shouts and commotion from the front of the room. I lean in close to Mariel, her warmth a small comfort against the chill air.

"Get ready," I whisper to the likewise blindfolded woman beside me, my voice a tremulous rasp.

My bound hands scrabble against the rough floor, fingertips seeking anything that could aid our escape. They close around a jagged shard of bone, and I work it feverishly against the ropes, sawing back and forth.

One...two...three strands fray and snap. I grit my teeth, sweat beading on my brow from the exertion, but finally the last fibers part. My wrists are free.

Keeping my movements small and furtive, I shift behind Mariel and begin working on her bindings. All around us, the raucous crowd swells in anticipation of the first lot. I can use their distraction to our advantage.

"Narina..." Mariel's whisper is taut with fear, but I press my finger to her lips, silencing her. “I’m scared. What if we get caught?”

"Trust me," I murmur back, and her muscles relax ever so slightly beneath my hands. “I’ll have you loose in a jiffy.”

With a final tug, her ropes fall away. I grip her arm, pulling her close.

"When I say 'go', we run,” I say, holding her shoulders and locking gazes. “Don't look back. Head for the exit and don't stop for anything. Understand?"

She gives the barest nod, her jaw set in determination. I take a steadying breath, my senses straining. There has to be a way out of this cell they've locked us in.

The dank cell reeks of mildew and despair. Mariel huddles in the corner, her eyes wide with fear. I pace like a caged animal, my mind racing. Freedom's so close I can taste it, mingling with the iron tang of blood in my mouth.

Our orc guard shuffles past, his beady eyes glazed with boredom. Perfect.

"Hey, pig-face!" I spit the words at him. "I've seen afterbirth prettier than you."

The orc grunts, confusion furrowing his brow.

"What that mean, human?"

I smirk, pressing my advantage.

"It means you're fucking ugly. Thank God we're about to be auctioned off to Dark Elves. At least they're easy to look at. If I had to spend one more day surrounded by the grotesquerie of Orc culture I think I'd choke on my own vomit."

His face contorts with rage.

"Dark Elves are weak. Orcs are strong!"

"Prove it, coward," I taunt, pressing closer to the bars. "I bet you can't even take on a puny human woman.

With a roar, he fumbles with the keys, yanking the cell door open. I dance back, goading him further.

"Come on, big guy. Show me what you've got."

He shows me what he's got all right. His meaty hand cracks across my face. Pain explodes through my jaw, copper flooding my mouth. But I don't care. The keys jingle at his belt, and as he pulls back for another blow, my fingers close around them.

I stumble back, spitting blood.

"That the best you got?" I laugh through bloody teeth. “I’ve been hit harder by falling leaves in the forest.”

The orc sneers, lifting his hand as if for another blow. Then his exrpession softens ever so slightly.

“You want to end your life, you’ve got plenty of options, human wench. Don’t expect me to do it for you.”

He turns his back on us, then stomps away, muttering curses. I wait, heart pounding, until his footsteps fade.

"Narina!" Mariel hisses. "Are you alright?"

I grin, tasting blood.

"Never better, Mariel."

The stolen keys glint in my palm. Hope surges through me as I fit one into the lock. It turns with a satisfying click.

"Let's go," I whisper, easing the door open.

We slip into the dim hallway. Thankfully, no one is about.

"Which way?" Mariel whispers. "They blindfolded us on the way in."

"I could still kind of see out of mine. We go this way."

I motion for Mariel to follow close behind as we creep down the shadowy corridor. The clamor of the auction hall grows faint, but my pulse still thunders in my ears. Every breath feels like treading on shattered glass.

A door up ahead stands slightly ajar, pale light spilling through the crack. I press my eye to the opening, scanning the room beyond. Rows of dusty crates and shelves laden with strange artifacts greet me. A storage room - and unguarded for the moment.

"In here," I whisper, waving Mariel inside.

We slip through the door, letting it swing shut behind us with a soft click. Mariel leans against the wall, dragging in ragged breaths as I survey our temporary refuge. My gaze snags on a glint of silver tucked between two crates.

I pad over, curiosity piqued. Lifting away a tattered cloth, I reveal an ornate silver choker, a single blood-red gemstone set in the center. It seems to glow with an inner fire, pulsing in hypnotic rhythm. I can't tear my eyes away, entranced.

My fingers move as if by their own will, brushing against the smooth metal. Power thrums beneath my fingertips, ancient and intoxicating. I have to possess it.

A glass globe encases the necklace, but I don't hesitate. Grasping a heavy stone paperweight, I bring it down with all my strength. The globe shatters, shards raining down as I snatch up the choker.

"Narina, what are you doing?" Mariel hisses. "We have to keep moving!"

But I'm lost in the crimson depths of the jewel. It calls to me, secrets whispering just beyond my grasp. I raise the chain over my head?—

The storage room door crashes open. Snarls and heavy footsteps echo around us as orcs pour in, wicked blades drawn. A tall, pale figure follows, features chiseled in arrogant disdain.

"Well, well," the dark elf sneers. "Trying to steal from us?"

I clutch the choker tight, meeting his gaze with defiance. Mariel moves to my side, trembling but resolute.

The dark elf's lip curls.

"Seize them."

The orcs surge forward. I duck a wild swing, lashing out with my fist. Bone crunches beneath my knuckles as I catch one in the face. Chaos erupts as Mariel and I fight with desperate fervor.

An opening presents itself when an Orc and a Dark Elf collide, the two races not used to fighting together. It might be our only chance.

"This way!" I shout.

We sprint for the door, orcs roaring at our heels. The auction hall blurs past in a whirl of color and sound. I spot the exit ahead, a sliver of dusky forest visible beyond.

Almost there?—

A piercing cry rings out behind me. I whirl just in time to see Mariel crumple, an orc's arrow protruding from her back.

"No!" I scream, the world grinding to a halt.

Mariel's eyes meet mine, pain and fear etched into her features. But there's something else too - a fierce determination. With a trembling hand, she points towards the exit.

"Go..." she rasps, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Find...your sister."

Tears blur my vision as I shake my head violently. I can't leave her here, not like this. But Mariel's gaze is insistent, pleading. Gritting my teeth, I give her the barest nod and turn towards the beckoning forest, every step feeling like I'm being torn apart.

The first arrow strikes me as I burst into the tree line, a fiery lance of agony lancing through my shoulder. I cry out, stumbling, but don't stop. Can't stop. Mariel's final wish echoes in my mind, driving me onward despite the black spots dancing in my vision.

Tree branches whip my face as I plunge deeper into the ancient woods, my harsh pants the only sound aside from the pursuit crashing through the undergrowth behind me. Another arrow thuds into the trunk beside me with a dull thunk. Too close.

I careen around a moss-covered boulder, the path opening up into a small clearing. And there, at the far end, the ground drops away into an abyss, the opposite cliffside a hazy smudge in the distance. A dead end.

Skidding to a halt, I whirl back the way I came, but the dark elves are already emerging from the tree line, bows trained on me. Escape is cut off on all sides. I'm trapped.

One of the elves, his cruel features twisted into a sneer, raises his arm, fingers flexing around the bowstring.

The arrow takes me in the meat of my thigh. White-hot agony lances through me as I crumple, leg buckling beneath the impact. I pitch backwards, the world tilting sickeningly as the void yawns up to swallow me.

In those final moments, endless and fleeting all at once, a lifetime's worth of memories flash before my eyes. Mariel, her life's blood seeping into the cold stone. The weight of the token around my neck, now forever lost to the ashes of my village.

And my sister's face, her expression frozen in a look of anguished farewell as she disappeared through the portal, the path to the demon realm sealed behind her.

I'll never see her again.

The thought reverberates through my mind, an inescapable truth, as the cliff's edge crumbles beneath me and I'm cast into the endless plummet.