Chapter 2 SACRIFICIAL FATE

HAZEL POV

I woke up to the feel of the bare floor against my skin. As I slowly tried to open my eyes, they hurt as the light from the window shone into them. Then my head hurt so badly that I could hardly bear it. When my eyes finally flew open, all I could see was an empty room with a steel bucket on the side it should be a latrine bucket. I looked around to find hard walls made from cobblestone. And then the memories came flooding back: how they took me from the house, my mother crying her eyes out, my father rushing to fight for me, and then that mean huge man with broad shoulders who stabbed my arm with an injection. I could still feel the pain from the stab. Why were they doing all this? What did they need a girl of my age for? I hadn't committed any crime to warrant dragging me from my parents like a stolen cow reclaimed by its owner from a thief in a brutal way. When I tried to move, something held me in place. Chains. I looked at my leg and saw two big chains planted into the concrete floor holding me there. I decided to let out my frustration. "What do you want from me? What did I do to offend anyone?" I shouted at the top of my voice. My voice echoed through the emptiness. I sighed as anger surged through my veins. Different thoughts started running through my head, and I couldn't come up with an idea of why all this was happening. How did I suddenly go from being a lovely daughter to a lowly prisoner trapped in an empty cell? As my thoughts continued to run wild, I heard footsteps approaching. I straightened myself up as the doorknob turned. Two guards one I recognized from the abduction scene yesterday and another I hadn't seen before walked in, followed by a maid who looked like she was in her late thirties. She walked in with a tray containing food and water and placed it before me. "You should eat up quickly. You will be taken from here in an hour, so eat to gain strength for the journey," she said with a hint of kindness in her voice. "What if I don't want to eat this crap?" I said with anger in my eyes. "If you don't, it's your business. But I would advise it's better if you do, to avoid collapsing on the way," she said, looking slightly irritated at my behaviour as she pushed the bowl of watery soup towards me. The sight of it made me want to throw up. "Loosen me, or do you want me to eat like a dog?" I said, anger evident in my voice. "Loosen her so she can eat her food," the maid said. One of the guards came and squatted beside me. He brought out a bunch of keys to unlock the chains, and then they fell off. As soon as they fell, I felt relieved. The weight of the chains was already driving me crazy. Then they turned and stepped out, locking and slamming the door in my face. I heard them turn the lock and the retracing of their footsteps along the corridor. I pushed the tray of food away angrily. I didn't even feel hungry, plus the food wasn't appetising. I don't know how long I stayed like that before I heard footsteps walking towards the door. The lock turned again, and the door slammed open. They walked in again, and the maid threw a cloak at me. "Put it on," she said. I picked it up. I was already cold, as it seemed it had already started to snow. She picked up the tray of food, which was still the way she brought it in. With one last glance at me, she left without saying a word. I was grateful she didn't, because I wasn't in the mood to be stressed right now. I had been through a lot recently. "Follow me," I heard one of the guards say. After that, we walked through long stone hallways before taking me outside. When we stepped outside, the cold breeze hit my skin despite the cloak I was wearing. Then I saw two other girls about my age also putting on cloaks just like me. "So I wasn't the only one," I thought, surprised. They led me and one of the girls into a carriage, and then the other girl was put into another carriage. The carriages started to move. "Hi, what's your name?" I heard the girl who sat next to me ask. "Hazel," I said, surprised at her boldness. "What's your own name?" I asked, my voice slightly above a whisper. "Adriel," she answered, trying to force a smile. Then I decided to ask her, "I'm from the Moewe clan. Which clan did you come from?" "Tseki clan," she said. A little silence made its way between us, and then I decided to ask her the question that had been bothering me ever since I was in the cell. "Do you know why they took us?" I asked, trying not to sound weird and creepy. I heard her breath become ragged. She looked at me for some time before she spoke up. "Every hundred years, three 18-year-old virgins, chosen by the priestess, are sent to the dragon realm as sacrifices," she said, still staring at me. Fear made its way to my heart and gripped my being. "What do you think is the reason for all this?" I asked with anxiety clear in my voice as I stared at her. "When I was a bit younger, I found a book in my father's library. In one of his shelves among his many books-I think the title was The Inferno: The Curse of the Dragon it says that the dragon heirs are normally born with a curse, the Inferno, which manifests in them between the ages of 20 and 25. The Inferno makes the dragon crazy with fire, making them burn down different villages if not curtailed fast. And that was how the sacrifice of three female virgins started, as it was believed that this was the only cure to the Inferno. I don't know how it came to place or how they found out that this was the cure, but I think it's about time, and that's what they need us for." "What? This is unbelievable," I said as my body was now shaking with fear. "Are you sure of what you're saying?" I asked like an inquisitive child seeking desperate answers. "After I read the book, I asked my mother and-" before she could complete what she wanted to say, the carriage came to a halt. "We've arrived, girls. Get down," we heard the guards order as they opened the door for us. As we stepped down, we found ourselves in front of huge mountains with stairs carved out of it. Two guards started to climb the mountains. "Follow our lead, girls," one of them said, and then we followed them. The third girl I don't know what her name is she just walked calmly like she had given up on her life. She walked beside us. Finally, we got to the edge of the mountains. My legs hurt from all the climbing, and my feet were now swollen and reddish. When we got there, we were met by the royal family and the priestess. When I looked to the side, I saw my parents. My mother, my father-they looked pale and sad. I could see my mother's red eyes, which I knew were red from crying over me. My heart ached for them, but there was nothing I could do. Soon they led us past the crowd. My mother tried to reach out to us, but the guards blocked her way. Soon we were standing before the priestess. She started saying incantations, after which she turned to us. Then she took a knife and tore our palms. The pain of the knife in my palm was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. She poured a thick liquid on our palms, and then a pattern formed on my hands. Mine was the pattern of fire and a dragon, while theirs was just fire. Soon the rituals were completed, and we were given ten minutes to greet our parents. As soon as the guards gave way, my mother and father rushed to my side. "Oh, my dear," my mother said, drawing me into her arms in a passionate hug. I could feel her tears on my clothes. My father stood close; he also looked sad. Even though he wasn't crying, I knew he was hurt. Then he joined in the hug. I could also see Adriel and her mother, who was also crying. I felt like crying, but the tears refused to fall. Then the ten minutes elapsed, and we were led to the boat which would take us from Aldridge to the dragon realm. I turned back one last time, and I could see my mother had broken down in tears as my father tried to console her. My heart melted, but what could I possibly do? I took one last breath and then stepped into the boat, not knowing what awaited me, but I hoped for the best.