JADE
Argh. My head hurts and my eyelids feel heavy for some reason.
I struggled to open my eyes and when I did they were not focused. I had to blink my eyes repeatedly before it became better. Grey daft walls and iron bars were the first things I saw. I'd know this place anytime. I had been in many of these and escaped so many times to count.
A dungeon cell.
I sighed. And that when I realized I was tied up on a chair with my hands behind my back.
Why the hell am I tied up?
I wiggled a little and felt the rope loosen a little. The person who tied me up did a terrible job because it wouldn't take much for the ropes to come off. Just when I was about to wiggle some more, I heard footsteps approaching the cell.
I stopped moving, shut my eyes, and hung my head loosely to make it look as if I was still unconscious. The iron bar door opened and two different people entered, according to the footsteps l heard.
"She's not awake", the first person said.
"Then wake her up", the other responded.
Out of nowhere, I felt ice-cold water splash on my head, a whole bucketful of water. I gasped and raised my head instantly. I breathed heavily as I stared at the two.
"Glad to see you awake."
I growled at him. Mumm-ra, the second speaker.
"What happened? How did I get here?"
My head flew with the impact of the punch that was unexpected. I felt blood trickle down from my nose. I had to shake my head a little to clear the numbness in my nose.
"Do you remember now?", Aliya, the first speaker, asked as she rubbed her knuckles.
I looked at her slightly irritated.
How can a feeble and innocent looking girl punch so well and hard? And how come it hurts so damn much?! I want to hit her back so bad.
"Very clearly. Am I privileged to ask where we are?", I asked, groaning.
"Sure, since you are going to die here anyway. You, my dear, are in King Jaftar's dungeon", Mumm-ra said smugly.
"So....you are the traitor who has been giving out information to the enemy."
"My dear, I am the enemy. Who did you suspect?", Mumm-ra said, quirking his brow.
"Aliya."
Mumm-ra looked to Aliya and nodded. Again, a strong hit. This time I almost shot up from my seat to hit her back but I sat still, controlling myself.
"I wouldn't want you mentioning my daughter's name like that, with no respect. Since she is going to be the new Crown Princess of Yaznak and Nagnaz, add some respect."
"What do you mean by that?"
"After my brother's untimely but long-awaited death, King Jaftar will end and win the war by killing Amon after he defeats the army in the last battle, then I will kill King Jaftar and me being his second in command will be the next king since he has no family.
I growled.
"How do you plan to win the war?
He chuckled.
"You seem to have forgotten that I was there when you were planning the attacks."
I dropped my shoulders and my head then groaned. Internally, I was laughing my head off at the fact that he was so clueless. They chuckled at my outwardly dejected state.
"Why? Why are you doing all this, Mumm-ra? Why would you want to hurt people who have done nothing to hurt you?"
"You want to know why? Well, I'll tell you why", he said angrily, grabbing my hair and lifting my head.
Then he began.
"This all started because of your mother. I loved her, I loved her so much but she had to go ahead and marry my brother. My brother, the one who got everything I should have. The crown, the woman, the kids, the life... He even took our parents' love away from me."
I groaned in pain.
"Anyway, do you have any last wishes before you die?"
"Go to hell...both of you."
Another hard, very hard hit landed and it had me seeing stars.
"Tell your mother and sister in the Afterlife that I say hi", Mumm-ra said, smugly.
"Fvck you."
Another hit. I shook my head, trying to clear my head of the aftermath of the impact.
"Goodbye, Iris Jade. Dear niece."
I spat at him. He and Aliya chuckled evilly as they walked out of the cell and out of the dungeon. I began wiggling my hands free from the ropes and when I was able to until myself, I touched my face.
Busted lip, bruised left cheek, black eye, and a bleeding nose.
They are going to pay for this, especially Aliya. I have to get out of here.
But they had locked the cell with a huge padlock. Then one thought came to mind.
Lock- picking.
I put my hand in my hair, searching for something.
Found it.
I pulled out a bobby pin, smirking. I was about to get up to pick the lock when I heard footsteps approaching. I put my hands behind me, in a pretense that my hands were still tied up. Two tough-looking soldiers entered the cell, one carrying a sword I recognized as a scimitar.
There is no way I'm gonna die today.
"You here to kill me?", I asked.
They both nodded.
"I guess today's not your lucky day then."
They laughed in this deep rumbling way and the second one to enter said,
"Today is definitely our lucky day."
"Talking about today, how long have I been here?"
"Well since you are gonna die, I might as well tell you it's been about two days", the same person responded.
Two days? Amon will surely be attacking today. Does he know I'm missing? I wonder what he is going through.
I sighed.
"Expecting something today?", the first one asked.
"Your doom."
They chuckled.
"Blindfold her", the second one said.
The other one walked towards me with a black blindfold in his hand.
Time to bust out of here.
I held the bobby pins tightly between my fingers then when he was close enough, I released my Hans and dug the pin into his left eye. He let out a scream of pain and crumpled on the floor, holding his eye, still screaming.
The other man moved fast with the sword in his hand. I ducked the first attack and made a right high kick at his hand. He groaned in pain when his wrist made a painful crack sound and he dropped the sword. I was down and up swiftly with the sword.
I didn't waste time digging the sword through his chest to his heart. He let out a scream then his body became limp as his body slipped off the sword to the ground. I wiped the blood on his clothes in disgust.
Standing there, I felt a hulking presence behind me. I turned and was inflicted with a jawbreaker. I stumbled back at the force. I shook my head to dull the pain. Right then I saw his hulking body ran towards me. I put the sword in front of me, with the blade facing him, and he ran into it but he kept moving till my back collided with a wall before all his energy died out and I watched as the life faded from his good eye then he fell.
I wanted heavily as I bent and searched for the keys to the cell and the soldiers' bodies. Soon my hands came into contact with them. I got up and unlocked the padlock. Slowly, I pushed the iron bar door. Right then I heard explosions.
The last battle had begun.
______________________________________
Almost done with the book.
.....
There is a reason Mumm-ra hates his brother so much? Does that change your view on Mumm-ra and Aliya, who is just following her father? Will Jade be able to find Amon before the war is over?
......
Till next time...
~Sayonara~