Filed to story: The Chosen Saga Novel PDF Free
Jack’s face turned white. “Wait, what? Really? Why are we headed there?” Tal laughed, and Araiya found herself drawn to the sound.
“All will be answered when we get there. Let us just take the time to get to know one another.” Tal smiled over at Araiya.
Within a few hours they had reached a small clearing in the woods, off the road. It had three small structures around the perimeter and a place for a fire surrounded by logs. They tied the horses to the hitching post and walked into the camp.
“Okay, so there are a few jobs to do to make life easier here. Jack, why don’t you find firewood? You can take one of the girls to help with the kindling. The odd man out can go to the stream with me to get water, and Shavon will start putting some packs together and see about food.” Tal turned and went to the nearest structure to get water skins.
Jack turned towards Araiya and opened his mouth. “Not on your life Jack. It would have been a blessing if I never had to see you again.” She turned and waited by the structure while she heard Tamara laugh.
“Looks like you get me, lover boy, although I am very curious what you did to that one.” Tamara nodded towards her as the two of them walked off.
Araiya waited outside the structure for Tal to come back out while Shavon was pulling out rucksacks from the structure next door. Tal came out with the water skins and looked at her. “Looks like you’re with me. Let’s head down to the stream.” Tal walked into the woods, and she followed. “It is a bit of a hike to the stream. The firewood would have been the easier job.”
Araiya looked out through the woods. “I don’t mind a hike. I have done more manual labor in my life than anything else. So, walking a while is nothing, but there wasn’t any way I would go anywhere with Jack.”
Tal raised his face to the sky. “I knew there was something there. Want to share the story with me?”
“We used to date, but now we don’t.”
“That doesn’t seem like it would create so much hostility; it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, but I am worried it will impact your next few weeks.” Tal shrugged his shoulders. “I just want to know what we have to work with.”
Araiya thought for a few minutes in silence. She would typically dismiss Tal, but something in her soul reached out to this man. “I have always been an outsider because of the way I look. Jack said he didn’t care, and we were together for a year, or so I thought. I was his dirty secret, and when he was offered money, he broke up with me to marry my stepsister. Then he told me I was stupid for ever thinking he would actually date someone like me, a bastard child. So yeah, lots of hostility.” Araiya rushed through her explanation. “I don’t want it to impact my path now, though. I just want to move on.”
Tal stopped short and turned. “Wow, that wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I will only say that Jack is dumber than I originally thought. Only you get to choose who impacts your path, so just choose wisely.”
Tal turned back, and they finished the trek for the water. When they returned, a fire had already started, and everyone was sitting around the fire, eating and laughing. Tal and Araiya passed out the water skins, and Shavon passed them dried berries and strips of venison. Tal sat next to Shavon while Araiya sat across the fire, away from everyone else. She opened up to Tal, something she never thought she would admit to anyone, but her journey now was more important than her pride, and something told her to trust him. Araiya stared into the fire while everyone talked amongst themselves.
Araiya stared into the flames for a long time, the soothing heat lulling her into a relaxed state. She dozed off before she came to with someone touching her shoulder.
“ARAIYA!”
Araiya jumped and looked around, away from the flames. Shavon was at her shoulder. She leaned back into her seat and widened her eyes. “I am sorry, Shavon, did you call my name?”
“You were leaning into the fire; you almost fell into the flames. Everyone had called out your name, but it was like you couldn’t hear us.” Shavon glanced around and turned back to her; concern written on her face.
“Oh, um, sorry. I didn’t notice.” Araiya looked around, and everyone was staring at her. “I guess I am just exhausted.” She turned her face to the ground.
“Well…it is late. Tal and I will take the first hut, Jack can take the second, and the girls can take the last one.” Shavon pointed to each hut in turn. Araiya got up, thanked her, and went into the hut she was directed to. She changed her clothes and laid down on the bed mat and turned towards the wall. Her exhaustion finally won out, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.
Hands grabbed her from the bed and started pulling her out the hut. The sky was just beginning to lighten, so Araiya couldn’t see anything. She was still sleep addled, but the dragging across the ground woke her up. “STOP. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LET ME GO!” she yelled. Araiya started to fight back, kicking and screaming, hoping someone would come out and save her. The man who grabbed her hit her across her face a few times before wrapping rope around her hands.
Araiya’s head exploded behind her eyes; she couldn’t see straight. She was lifted and tossed onto the back of a horse. The man jumped into the saddle and took off, just as she heard the others’ confused voices. Blood dripped down her forehead, and the galloping horse did not help with the dizziness caused by the multiple hits to her face. She could feel her eye swelling closed. “What do you want with me?” she yelled.
“I was paid to collect you and bring you to the Fire province.” Araiya knew exactly who hired this man. She cursed Jon as she lay on the back of the horse. She knew he wasn’t going just to let her go on with her life. Araiya knew she couldn’t just lay here, but she didn’t have many options. She knew this would hurt, but she hoped that if she could push off far enough, she could clear the horse’s back hooves. She opened her one good eye and waited until her vision cleared. She glanced at the back of the man and looked off the back of the horse. She had no idea how far away from camp she was, but this was her only option. She did her best to gather her arms and legs under her. She prepared for a minute and then launched herself back off the horse.
One hoof clipped her shoulder, and she heard a snap. She hit the ground and started to tumble. On the first impact, she felt her arm fold underneath her. She hit a rock in the road and felt a sharp pain in her side, she tried her hardest not to scream, but she couldn’t help it. She cried out again when she smashed into a boulder at the side of the road and came to a stop. Araiya tried to roll over and get her legs under her, but something was wrong with them.
Blood was freely flowing down her face and her side. Araiya could no longer feel her legs, which worried her even more. She lay against the boulder, waiting for the man to come back and grab her. Or maybe she was waiting to die. She didn’t quite know anymore. It was getting harder to breathe, and she couldn’t open either of her eyes anymore. She heard a horse approach, and she tensed. Her abductor got down off the horse and walked closer. The man stood over her, and Araiya tried to move away. Even if she was going to die, she wouldn’t make it easy on anyone.
“Well, just look at you now. You could have just gone easy and wouldn’t be in such a state.”
“I would never willingly go with you, not for Jon.” The man quickly inhaled; Araiya had caught him by surprise.
“You know who hired me, I see. Not as dumb as I was told. Jon told me it was going to be an easy job; grab you up and drop you off, no trouble. I see he was wrong. It doesn’t matter, though. Can’t fight back anymore now, can you.” The man walked closer to her while he was speaking; she couldn’t see, but she felt him lean down to grab her, and Araiya panicked.
“NO!” she screamed, “no, I will never go back, and you can’t fucking make me.” She felt something warm caress her skin, and she heard a thump a ways away. She kept waiting for the guy to grab her, but he never did. Her lungs weren’t filling with air, and it was getting harder to breathe the way she lay on the ground, so she used her good arm to push herself up against the boulder. With her back against it, at least she knew no one could come up behind her. She lay there for however long, it felt like an eternity, but she had no way of telling.
Araiya couldn’t see, her body was broken, and each breath was harder and harder to take. She coughed, and blood poured out of her mouth. She couldn’t help but laugh. This was about par for the course of her life. Never could get out of the bottom. The laugh turned to racking coughs. She slid down to the ground, no longer having the strength to keep her position. She lay in the dirt, wondering where the man went and how long it was going to take her to die. She wished she could say goodbye to Linc and her mom. “I am so sorry, Mom, Linc. I did my best to get away. It just wasn’t good enough. I was never good enough,” Araiya rasped out to herself. She prayed the Goddess would watch over them, they deserved the best in life, and this was the last chance she had to ask for their safety.
As she lay there in a puddle of her own blood, awaiting whatever fate came her way, she heard a deep thumping noise and assumed it was her hearing starting to go. The man must have just been waiting until she passed out before grabbing her. She couldn’t feel her body any longer so she could be back on the horse. Araiya just couldn’t tell. Nor did she care; she was sure she would die before being brought to a healer. The thumping got louder, and a crash occurred next to her. She knew she should be startled, but breathing was almost impossible. She distantly heard her name, but the pain had finally disappeared, so Araiya didn’t want to do anything, even respond.
“Araiya, you have to let me in. Come on, you know me. It’s Tal, sweetie, you have to let me in, so I can save you. Araiya…Araiya, let me in!” Tal yelled. Araiya could hear some pounding, but she wasn’t sure. Like someone pounding on a door, but that wasn’t possible. She was dying on the road.
“Tal, I can barely breathe.” She wheezed out. She felt as if she was floating away.
“Araiya, can you trust me?” Tal called to her.