The Runaway 2

Chapter 2
Town of Cromwell


I couldn't believe what was happening. The tightening of the rope around my wrists, the wails from Sable as Lord James held her back, and the heavy gaze of bright blue eyes staring hard into my back; they had to belong to Lady Clara as she watched the scene unfold from her bedroom window. I looked up toward the manor to see Lady Clara's hand raised up to the glass and the words "I'm sorry" whispered from her bow shaped mouth. She then tilted her face down, her left hand rubbing circles on her swollen belly. I tremble inside as my scattered thoughts start to form an ugly picture of reality. 
Lord Caine's satisfied smirk burned me through and through as he had one of his servants fetch a small wooden chest from the carry on horse he had brought. Lord James released Sable, and she ran to me and hugged me to her slight body and cried into my chest. I just stood there and looked on as Lord James opened the chest and grabbed a handful of gold coins, his deep blue eyes glowing with greed as he slowly dropped them back into the chest to chime with the rest of the gold inside. 

“So that's how much I’m worth.” I mumbled to myself, my whole body going numb. 

Sable's sobs never let up as Lord Caine forced her from me, if anything they grew louder with grief and sorrow glistening in each tear.

“No! Please, my Lord! You can't do this! Lady Clara needs her! I need her! Plea-” Her plea speech was cut off with a sharp slap from Lord James. He glared down at Sable, who had fallen to the ground from the sheer force of the blow. 
Something in me snapped and finally I could force out words.

“Don't hurt her again! Let her be! “ I yelled to Lord James, who looked taken back by my words. 

I stiffen my spine and tug at my restraints when he raised a hand to hit me for my insolence. Shock filled me, however, to see Lord Caine stand in front of me in a rather protective stance. 

His hard blue eyes pinned Lord James in his spot, and a low growl purred from his chest as he stared the man down.

“You may take a liking to hitting your own slaves, but only I hit what is mine. Am I understood?” Lord Caine said in a low voice. 

Lord James swallowed and stepped down from the challenge, a swift nod his only answer. When Lord Caine's eyes turned to me, I swiftly looked away and took a step back when he advanced forward. 

“And you.” He growled, as he grabbed me by the throat in a vise like grip. “You will not speak unless spoken too. Another out burst like that from you and I'll have you punished. And believe me, you won't like that one bit. Understand?” He tightened his hand when I only nodded, making me gasp from the lack of air and squeak out a “Yes, my lord.” 

A slow grin spread across his face as he released my neck and my knees crumbled under me with the rush of air being returned to my lungs. I winced, and raised my tied hands to my throat to lightly touched the flesh there, grimacing when I realized that it would definitely bruise later.  

"Hurry up Caine and get her off my land before the other slaves get wind of this." Lord James said as he shifted the chest of gold under one arm. 

"What's wrong James? Can't control your own property?" Lord Caine teased, an intimidating smirk on his face. 
Lord James grew red faced and glared at Lord Caine. 
"My property is none of your concern, whore son! Be gone! Off with you!" He exclaimed. 

Sable let out a pained whimper and pulled herself back onto her feet. 
"My baby. Eve. Eve! Be strong! You're like your mother, you will survive! You must." She cried out to me.  

I felt a tear break the rim of my eye and slide down my dirty, brown cheek as the rope restraints on my wrists pulled me away from everything I've known. 
Lord Caine's shouts to the slaves he brought to hurry us along, and back onto the road rang loud and clear in my ears. I stiffened my spine and allowed the horses to pull me away from the life I knew, stopping quickly only to nod to Sable. 

"We will see each other again!" I cried back to her, trying my best to turn and face her. 
Sable nodded quickly and stumbled as she tried to follow us out into the well worn dirt road that went through the forests that surrounded the City of Isha. 

"No. No, no! No!" She moaned in agony. 

I closed my eyes against Sable's wails of sorrow and followed silently behind the horses and Lord Caine. My heart closing off more and more after each step I took away from the manor. 

"Evelyn!" She sobbed as Lord James dragged her back toward the kitchen. 

I bit my tongue as more tears fell, wetting my cheeks and leaving little salty trails. Why was this happening to me? I felt my body grow cold as I trudged along behind these strangers. 

What was to become of me now? 

Later that night...

I pulled at the ropes tied tightly around my wrists for the fifth or sixth time. The stinging feeling made it all the more obvious that I'd broken the skin there from all the pulling and moving. The smell of cooking meat mixed with the sound of the crackling fire made my stomach growl and cramp from hunger. Lord Caine was talking with some of the servants he'd brought along, mainly about preparations and sending a letter to the captain of the garrison at Isha. 

"Captain Nikolai wants to meet me at the gates, something about important business, and I just can't wait for him to see my new flower." Lord Caine taunted. 
I rolled my eyes and scooted closer to the tree they had me tied to. I had to escape. I had to escape him before we made it to the Kingdom of Isha. 

"Would you like something to eat, pet?" Lord Caine smirked as he stood up from his spot near the fire to lean over and rip a piece of meat from one of the four rabbits that were roasting on the spit. Walking over slowly, he waved the piece of meat in the air and gave me a look that had me stiffening my spine defensively. 

"Open that pretty mouth of yours, pet." He commanded in a low voice. 

I felt saliva pooling in my mouth as I looked at the food. Caine bent down and leaned closer to me but before he could say another world I pushed all the saliva toward the front of my mouth and spit in his face. 

"Burn in hell!" I hissed as I use my shoulder to wipe the spit on my bottom lip.

"You-" he slapped me. Hard.

I felt my head snap to the side as blood pooled in my mouth. I blinded rapidly as my vision spotted around the edges. Spitting at his feet, I grit my teeth against the pain in my cheek and kick my feet out at him. My left foot connected solidly with his shin and Caine grunts and falls back on his backside, a tan hand rubbing the bruised spot as he glared at me murderously. 

"Alright pet. Alright." He grunted as he slowly stood back up. I hated myself as I felt my body tremble from pure fear and rage. 

Lord Caine crept toward me like a serpent who just found a defenseless nest of eggs. I pulled at my bonds again to no avail, and kicked out at him when the stinging on my wrists became too much. 

"You'll burn in hell for this! Don't touch me! Snake!" I hissed as he advanced forward. 

Suddenly his hand was buried in my hair, lifting my head up and to an awkward and painful angle. Bitter tears filled my eyes as I was forced to look up at him, his hot breath fanning across my face. 

"I admire your fighting spirit, pet. I do. But I'm afraid we're gonna have to break it." I sucked in a sharp breath as I pulled against his hold on my hair, the quick movement ripping out strands of my curly hair. He scoffed at my last attempt at freedom before the back of his hand came hurling toward my face. 
The forced of it knocked my head back so swiftly that it hit the tree behind me. I gasped as my head exploded in pain. I reached back shakily with my bound hands and felt around the back of my head, my fingertips covered in blood when I withdrew them. 
Lord Caine grinned down sadistically at me as he swung his foot back and kicked me square in the gut. I cried out and curled up on my side on the forest floor. Every gasp for breath hurt as I tried to fill my lungs. 
"Did that hurt pet?" I groaned in reply and spit out blood. 
"Answer me!" He growled as he reached down and pulled me up by my hair once again. 

"Yes! Yes! It hurt!" I screamed, tears of pain running down my cheeks. 
He sucked him teeth before leaning close to me, his face a few inches from mine. I could see him out of one eye but the other was swelling shut quickly from the abuse. 

"I can't decide which look suits you more pet? You serving lord James like a good little slave, or this pretty face of yours soaked in tears," he rubbed his nose against my neck before licking up the tears on my right cheek. "Both are very tantalizing sights." He chuckles, letting me go. 

I hold my stomach as vomit moves its way up my throat. Swallowing it down, I glared up Caine. 

"I might have over done it with the second slap however." He sighed, his blue eyes searching my brown face and admiring his work. 

He chuckled softly again as he backed away from me and went back to his seat beside the short, black servant he had been talking to before. 
I laid there on the ground curled up on my side, my whole body aching from pain and cramping from hunger. The wind was starting to pick up and I became all to aware of how cold I was getting. Would I die like this? Freeze to death in my sleep. A twig snapped nearby and I instantly went on alert thinking it was Caine coming back to finish his work. A tall, black man was slowly walking toward me with a wool blanket and plate of stale bread and cooked meat.

 I scooted away from him, my brown eyes following his every move as he stepped toward me. 
"Here." He said in a deep voice, dropping the blanket on my lap. Setting the plate of food down at my feet, he gave me a pitiful look then shook his head as he turn his back to me and walked quietly back to the fire. 


Poking at the bread, I decided to just eat the meat. Licking my bottom lip, I scowled as the familiar sting of a cut lip washed over me. My head pounded with fury as I leaned back against the tree. I'd escape from here, and from him. I'd get away from him if it killed me.