Belle walked into the woods as night fell, scared out of her mind. She had no idea why she had agreed to go through with the plan, but it was already too late for her to turn back. She walked into the clearing where Chaiia and Jade fought the Boka, her guard up and higher than it ever had been before. She saw a spot on the ground that seemed abnormal, so she walked towards it. An impression of what looked like a human back was there, showing the point where Rune had landed. She leaned over to touch the grass when she heard a slight rustling of leaves above her. Right as she looked up, a net was thrown over her, knocking her to the ground.
"Well, then. I never expected to see you here in our woods, Belle. This is really a surprise, so much so that I cannot even begin to use words to express my levels of shock. I mean, I almost would believe that there was someone behind this, planting you as a distraction." Sokan grabbed the edge of the net, picking her up like she was a handbag. "You can't lie or keep something hidden from anyone. What's the big deal? Why are you here?"
Belle took in a breath. This was the part she had been preparing for. "They knew that you would be suspicious of me all alone in the woods. I guess they figured if they used me as a distraction, they could get in and save Kyra, Jayson, and Jade. They're on the other side of your base, in the area that you would probably never look for them." She slowly and quietly let out a breath, glad that the hard part was over. Her relief only lasted a few seconds. Sokan looked her in the eye, his glare steely and cold.
"You're lying. They aren't over there, they're probably closer to the hut. You make a very useful distraction. Laila, you lead her back to the base after I finish tying her up." Sokan put Belle down, detangling her from the net. He quickly tied her hands behind her back, handing her off to Laila. Once he was out of sight, Belle quickly whispered to Laila.
"Laila, was it just you two? Are we alone now?" Laila looked shocked when Belle said that.
"Uh, yeah, we are. Why? You can't do anything right now, you're a prisoner." Laila looked really upset as she said that.
Belle looked around and quickly whispered to her. "We have a plan. Do you want to get out of the Boka? We know you wanted to be a Mora but you were forced to join the Boka."
"Belle, you know that I want to be with you guys more than anything, but I can't leave. If I do, then they'll do a lot worse things to Kyra than they're already doing. They told me it wouldn't just be Kyra being punished either."
"Laila, this is why I needed to talk to you and get captured. Rune and the others aren't here yet. They will be coming, but in order for our plan to work, we need you. Do they listen to you and use you for planning or anything else?"
Laila sighed, her face full of dismay. "They do. That's how Jayson and Jade were caught. I told them exactly what I expected would happen, and it did. The only thing I've had wrong so far was when Jade and Chaiia showed up and attacked Sokan and his attack dogs. I thought that they were going to catch Rune that day. They also use me to calculate how to use the farms and food stores left from the others who got stranded here. I'm pretty much involved in every strategic part of the base. I can't leave, though."
"Laila, why can't you? I mean, there's nothing holding you back other than Kyra and the others, is there?" Belle looked her friend in the eyes. "You're hiding something from me. What is it?"
Laila looked away. "I can't tell you. You'd never trust me."
"Laila, you'll always have my trust. Nothing you can do can take that away. I can't help you unless you tell me what else is going on. I promise I won't abandon you." Belle's eyes were filled with love and loyalty for her friend.
"You remember how I always wanted to be with Sokan back at home right?" Laila refused to make eye contact with Belle.
"Laila, no. Please tell me-"
"We're dating, Belle. I don't stand by his decisions, but I love him. I think he loves me too. I can't leave him, since it would break him even more than he already is. Please don't make me betray him like this."
"I take it back. I can't trust you anymore. I sacrificed myself for nothing." Belle started to cry, her heart broken at the betrayal of her friend.
"I'll still help as much as I can, I just can't do anything that would make him think that I had a part in their rescue." She started putting her arm around Belle when Belle jumped back a few steps.
"Get away from me! You aren't my friend anymore! If some monster that is only interested in using you for his own gains, is only using you to hurt your former friends, if he matters more to you than your friends who have always had your back, then run to him! Leave me alone!" Belle turned and ran as fast as she could into the woods.
"Sokan! She got away from me!" Laila collapsed on the ground, tears drenching her face. It wasn't long before Sokan was next to her, wiping her tears away.
"Laila, what happened? Did she hurt you? How did she escape?" He tenderly asked, his eyes cold.
"She wanted me to betray you to help her friends escape, and I told her I couldn't because of our relationship. She got really mad at me, telling me that I was no longer their friends before breaking out of my grip. She said I was betraying all of my former friends because I was staying loyal to the Boka instead of leaving for the Mora. She called you a monster that was only dating me so you could control me and use me for personal gains, even though you would never do that."
Sokan's expression stayed kind, although his eyes remained emotionless. "I promise right now that I'll go get her back, along with many of our other tribesmen." He let out a feral scream, and moments later they were joined by about 10 people.
"She went that way." Laila pointed in the opposite direction as Belle, still loyal in heart to her friend.
"Let's go! No one insults my girlfriend and gets away with it!" The tribe ran off, leaving Laila alone in the clearing. She heard a little rustle in the trees, and she looked up. Chaiia had a horrified expression on her face before she jumped down and grabbed Laila, not noticing that the branch she was on broke as her weight left it. She covered Laila's mouth so she couldn't scream and ran off. As soon as they were far from where Chaiia had taken Laila, she set her down and smacked her across her face.
"I cannot believe you. I thought you were our friend. I guess I was wrong. Have fun getting back to your little treehouse now." Chaiia tied her legs in a way that would take at least thirty minutes to untie and ran off in the direction of the Boka base.
* * *
Kyra sat in darkness, the window into her prison boarded up. She knew her two friends were mere feet away from her, but the knowledge that none of them could do anything to fix the situation was what drove them all crazy. She heard the sound of ropes rubbing and knew that one of her friends was trying to escape. Not wanting to get her hopes up, Kyra turned away from the sound. It wasn't until she heard the cords break that she realized that it wasn't a hopeless struggle.
"Kyra, Jade, listen. I have a plan: all the Boka are gone right now, so this is our best time to escape. I've been rubbing the ropes that have had me tied up against each other so then I could wear them down to a point that I could break them. I finally broke through them just now. Hold on, Kyra. I'm going to untie Jade first, since she has the least amounts of knots to untie." Jayson whispered quietly.
Kyra heard the sound of ropes being pulled and rubbed. Her relief only lasted until she heard voices coming up the stairs.
"I can't believe Sokan made us stay here to guard the prisoners. I mean, chasing Belle is where all the real action is at, right? At least you're here too, Lucas." It was Coron who had been talking. "I finally get to be a part of your job. I've always wanted to see what you do."
"Jayson, get Jade out of here. Break the boards on the window or something. They're coming!" Kyra's voice was barely audible.
"Kyra, I'm not leaving you. I have to get you out of here before they… well, you know what I mean. I can't just abandon you, not when I've been stuck watching what their form of entertainment is."
The footsteps and voices of Coron and Lucas were closer than ever. Kyra started struggling against her ropes until she realized her efforts were in vain.
"Jayson, go! It's the only way!" Kyra heard Jayson's breath catch, followed by a crash and blinding light as he broke through the weak boards on the window. He was just stepping out onto a branch with Jade when the door slammed open.
"They're getting away! Lucas, come on!" Coron dodged Kyra's ropes and tried to grab Jayson, but he missed his arm by mere inches. Jayson and Jade ran off into the forest, quickly disappearing into her leafy embrace. Coron turned from the window, fire in his eyes.
"You know who will take the blame for this? Me. I'll be the one punished because your friends decided to take the chance and escape. Luckily for me, they forgot someone." Coron walked over to Lucas and grabbed the knife out of his hand. "I guess this is just a pre-game warm-up for what you'll be experiencing later." Coron was lifting the knife when Sokan ran into the room.
"You let Jayson and Jade escape!" Sokan was furious. "Why did you do that? What were you thinking?"
"Sokan, I'm sorry. We were going to get the knife and a few other things when-" Coron was cut off by Sokan.
"I don't care about your excuses. I need you guys now. We were going to get Belle, but I decided to head back here, stopping to get Laila first. You know what I found? I found an empty clearing where I had left her, no sign of anyone else around. I looked everywhere for her, but I couldn't see her. It wasn't until I noticed a broken branch hanging down from a tree, a perfectly healthy, strong branch, that I realized what had happened. The Mora have my girlfriend, probably as payback for us having their Love. I need you two to go and find her. Give me the knife." Coron handed the knife to Sokan and left the room. Lucas followed him after he gave Sokan a questioning look.
"Now, little lady, it's time you and I to have a little quality time together." He walked to the door and shut it, using a piece of wood to prevent anyone from coming in. He pulled a torch from the wall, putting the knife blade in the flame. "I've never known anyone else to be as sneaky and clever as you. I bet you're coming up with a plan right now to help you get rescued. Too bad you'll have to rethink one now, since your other one failed."
"Why are you trying to melt the knife blade? Isn't that counterproductive, especially if you want to use it on me. Unless-"
"Yes, Kyra, it would be counterproductive if I was trying to melt the blade. Unfortunately, you misread my intentions." He pulled the knife out of the fire and pressed it against the wall, satisfied when he saw it leave a burn mark where he had put it. "You see, sometimes heat combined with a blade can be much worse than regular heat or regular sharpness. Yes, I will still be using this on you." He ripped the back of her shirt off, smiling at her thrashes of fear, and began to press the knife against her skin, laughing as he heard her screams.
"This is why you don't play with fire, kids. You could get burned, or someone else could get hurt." He continued to draw the pattern on her back until the blade cooled, at which he stuck it into the torch again. Kyra's breath was coming in shallow gasps of pain, causing Sokan to smile.
"Is this too much for you, Kyra? Do you think I should stop? Well, I won't." He pulled the knife out of the flames and started cutting into her skin. When he drew the knife back, he smiled as he saw his finished artwork. He stuck the knife in a bucket of water by the door and walked to face Kyra. Her face was drenched in tears, and her eyes were swollen and red.
"Don't worry, Kyra. That'll stay forever. You'll never forget my mark now." Sokan turned around and walked to the door. He grabbed the piece of wood that he had used to keep it closed, turning to face Kyra.
"One last thing, Kyra. Your friends decided to give you one last thing." Sokan turned around and smacked her as hard as he could in the legs, breaking one of them. "I hope that they'll learn their lesson now. Don't mess with Sokan, or you'll get burned." He walked out of the room. As he descended down the stairs, he thought about Laila. Even though he originally started dating her to keep her around and use her talents for his own gain, he knew that he was starting to develop feelings for her. He knew based on her reaction to Belle trying to sway her to the Mora that she was loyal to him and only him. He was about to turn down a hall when Coron and Lucas ran up to him.
"Sokan, we found her. They left her tied up on the opposite end of the island, near the farmlands. She was next to trees, and she was crying hysterically. We don't know what they did
to her, since she won't talk to any of us, but one side of her face was super red and a bit bruised." Lucas looked at Sokan, smirking at his enraged expression.
"Where is she? Where did you put her after you brought her back?" Sokan grabbed Lucas by the collar and shoved him against a wall. "Tell me now or you die."
"She said one thing to us, and that was to bring her to your room. We listened to her, mostly because she was in a heck of a state. She's fine, other than the marks on her face. Sokan, please don't worry or hurt me." Lucas put up his hands, surrendering to Sokan's fury. Sokan relaxed his grip on Lucas and set him back on the ground.
"Make sure no one gets in and takes Kyra." Sokan stormed off to his part of the fortress. It wasn't until he got to his sleeping quarters that he relaxed, smiling when he saw Laila sitting there.
"What did those demons do to you? Please answer me." Sokan kneeled down, gently touching her face. For the first time in their history together, Sokan's eyes showed the same caring emotion that his face was telling.
"They didn't hurt me like you have hurt Kyra, if that's what you're asking. Chaiia found me while she was on her way to try and rescue the others. She grabbed me and ran, ran until she found a spot far enough away that it would take a while for you guys to find me. She slapped me before tying me up and calling me a traitor. She didn't yell at me as long as Belle did, but she was a lot more blunt." Laila sobbed, putting her head against Sokan's shoulder. He rubbed her back slowly as she cried, slowly moving her to his bed.
"Laila, sleep. I know it might be hard, but you need to rest. I promise I won't leave." Sokan gently lowered her onto the straw mattress, covering her with pieces of fur stitched together to make a blanket. He was about to step back to sit against the wall when Laila grabbed his hand.
"Wait. Please, lay here next to me. We won't have to do anything, I just need you to hold me." Sokan smiled at her request, and quickly obliged. It wasn't long before they fell asleep.
* * *
Jayson and Jade walked back into camp, their expressions blank. People saw them and started crowding around them, but they walked past them. A girl ran up to them, finally catching their attention.
"Guys, what happened? How did you escape? Did you guys see Kyra at all?" The girl, a blond named Aya, grabbed Jade's arm.
"I don't want to talk about it. I think Jayson will say the same. Where's Rune and Chaiia?" Jade asked quietly. The group of seniors exchanged dark glances.
"Go to Rune's cave. Let Ryuu fill you in. She's closer to you than the rest of us. I mean, she is your best friend's cousin." Aya stepped back as Ryuu walked forward and joined Jayson and Jade. It wasn't until they were alone that Ryuu finally said something.
"It's not good, you guys. The last time he went to rescue Kyra, Sokan and two of his goons threw him out of the treetops. He landed on his back, and his breathing hasn't been normal since. He's been laying in his cave for the past two days. He is slowly getting better, but I think it'll be a good while before he's back on his feet. Chaiia has been keeping him in the loop for all the decisions and has been making sure that all of the decisions are approved before we go through with them. Well, I guess that isn't true. We didn't tell him our latest plan to rescue you guys, mostly because we knew that he would try to help in some way." Ryuu stopped when they got to the mouth of the cave. "Here we are. I'm not going to go in, mostly because I remind him too much of Kyra, I guess. You guys should be pretty welcome, though. Go in. It'll probably help improve Rune's mood." Ryuu walked away, heading back to her cave. Jayson and Jade looked at each other before walking in. Chaiia was talking to Rune, only allowing him to respond in short responses. She was in the middle of a sentence when she looked up and saw the duo.
"Jayson? Jade? Please tell me that it's really you and not a figment of my imagination." Chaiia's eyes filled with happiness and joy, until she saw Rune struggling to get up. She quickly held him down again, only causing him to quietly protest.
"Chaiia, let me get up. I have to see them." Rune's voice was barely a whisper. "I have to know they're alright."
Jade walked over and sat next to Rune, Jayson following her closely. "We're fine, Rune. We aren't hurt other than a few rope burns. Don't worry."
"Where's Kyra? I mean, you got her, right? Wait," Rune saw that neither one of them would meet his eyes. "You left her? How could you?"
Jade started crying, all the mental stress coming out in one moment. All the times she had seen her friend abused, hurt, and brought right up to the edge of life and death caused her mind to break. Jayson eyes glazed over, his reaction to the mental pain that he had to bear. Chaiia looked up at them, opening her mouth to say something, when Rune started talking again.
"I trusted you. I thought that you would, if you broke free, would at least bring Kyra back with you! I know that she was right there next to you, Jayson. You could have saved her! Both of you could have, but instead you leave her to the same pain and suffering that she's had to withstand. How could you leave her?"
Jade stood up, her eyes filled with tears of fury. She turned and stormed out of the cave and ran as far as she could. Jayson, without looking up, spoke for the first time since returning.
"You sit here, accusing us of leaving our friend, without even considering what really happened. You don't know what we've had to deal with. You're only concerned about the girl that you wish you were dating. You're not even stopping to consider that maybe we tried to save her, but she told us to go when they found us escaping. Maybe there was no possible way for us to get her. I know you're angry, but you don't know even an ounce of what Jade or I have had to deal with." He turned around and left, following Jade.
"Rune, this is your first time seeing them since Jade and I tried to rescue you. You have no idea what's been happening to them, or what they've gone through. How could you just get angry at them for not being able to save her? They probably tried everything they could before leaving. Jayson did say that they were found when they were trying to escape, which means that they probably tried to get her, but were forced to leave because Sokan or Lucas showed up. I'm not saying that they didn't want to rescue Kyra, I'm just saying that they probably tried and failed. Cut them some slack." Chaiia stood up and started walking out of the cave when Rune reached up and grabbed her hand.
"Please, get them to come back. I have to apologize to them. You were right, I jumped to conclusions too quickly. I don't know what they've been through since being Boka prisoners. I need to know. Please, help me out here." Rune coughed weakly, his breathing shallow again.
"I'll get them back in here, but you can't say anything. You've overextended yourself again. You got too upset. Unless you make some miraculous recovery by the time I come back, I'll do the talking." Chaiia left, walking out of the cave. She signaled to Kyron as she passed, and he ran as fast as he could into Rune's cave.
Chaiia got to Jade's cave, stopping outside of it for just a few moments. She heard Jade crying inside, and Jayson comforting her.
"Jade, it's going to be fine. We're safe now, and nothing we can do can cause any more problems with her. She'll be better off now that we're gone."
"Jayson, you know that isn't true. You know that they'll just hurt her even more now that we've escaped. Anything and everything that goes slightly wrong is used as another excuse to hurt her. We left her, and now she's in even more pain. We're horrible people, we don't deserve to be here." Jade erupted into another round of sobs. Chaiia slowly walked in, and Jayson looked up and glared at her.
"I know this is a really bad time, but Rune needs to talk to you. Right now. Actually, he probably won't be able to talk. Today was one of the first times he's actually been able to make a sound other than wheezing. If you don't want to come, I'll tell him. He just wanted to apologize for snapping at you." Chaiia started to walk out of the room when Jade stood up and walked over to her.
"What do you mean, it's the first time he's been able to make a sound? How've you been communicating with him?" Jade stood right next to her, her eyes asking thousands of questions.
"Well, the only other time he could talk was right after we brought him back to camp after our failed rescue mission. He talked for a little bit before we had Kyron carry him back to his cave. He hasn't been in good shape since, but he's slowly been getting better. I think he's going-" Chaiia was cut off as Kyron ran into the cave.
"Chaiia, it's Rune. I got into his cave, and he was doing pretty good. He motioned to me that he wanted water, but when I came back, he was gone. I saw Sokan leaving the camp shortly after. I have no idea when or how they found us, but I'm pretty sure they have Rune. I tried to go after them, but they had set up some trap that made me trip. They were gone before I could get back up. Hey, where are you guys going?" Chaiia, Jayson, and Jade walked out of the cave.
"Ryuu! Come on, we're going on a little trip. Bring some of those staffs you made. We might need them." Chaiia called out to Ryuu as she passed through the center of camp. Ryuu quickly grabbed four of the staffs that were sitting next to her and ran to catch up with them. As she drew near to them, she handed each one of them one of her homemade weapons.
"Chaiia, what's happening? Why did you need me?" Ryuu asked Chaiia, concern spreading across her face.
"Ryuu, we have reason to believe that Rune was kidnapped by Sokan and the Boka. You're the best fighter of all of us since you made and trained with the staff, and we'd need you in the case that a fight breaks out. Hopefully, we'll just have to knock Sokan out and be able to get away with Rune. I pray that this will go alright, and that Rune doesn't die."