Ranger's daughter bit back a scream of pain when she started beating on her cell door. Her hands were bruised and bloody and her skin was caked with dirt and grime. Her blonde hair had red clumps in it and was a matted mess.
The girl kept at it until she caught the attention of a nearby guard.
"Quiet down miss."
"S..sir please. We need water..please!" the girl hid her face behind her hands.
Her cellmate sniffled. "And some bread?"
The guard glanced around, the girl saw two men coming their way. The guard beat the butt of his rifle against the bars. "What do I look like? I'm not a food charity."
The girl blinked up at him, her mouth opening slightly.
The men walked by, they laughed and spat on her. When they were out of sight the guard crouched down and slid a few pieces of bread through the bars. Both girls ate hungrily.
Next, he sent his canteen, and they both guzzled until they drank every drop.
"I'm sorry," the guard whispered as he took his canteen, "It's all I had."
The girl watched him get to his feet. "Thank you. I'm Savana."
"Ah. Ranger's daughter." the guard smiled sadly. "I hear he's in town today with a group of…dreamwalkers."
Savana gripped the bars. "Wha-? He's here? Now?"
"I'll find out more. I'm Hunter." the guard ducked his head. "I must be going."
Savana slowly made her way back to her cot. Her cellmate was rocking back and forth on the floor muttering. The girl stopped and gave Savana a piercing stare. "I'm Hailey."
Hailey had pale skin, white blonde hair, and dark green eyes, freckles covered her nose and cheeks. She looked to be around eleven.
Savan smiled. "Nice to meet you, Hailey."
...
Elias and his friends came across a packed bar. A group of soldiers were crowded around the bar talking in loud voices.
They made their way inside.
Elias and Toby sat on the left end of the end of the counter, and Levi and Ranger sat on the other. Before entering the bar, Toby had put something in his eyes changing them from brown to grey. If anyone asked, Elias and Toby were brothers who recently moved to live with their aging grandmother.
Toby asked for two beers.
Elias fiddled with his fingers as he listened to the soldiers talking.
"I can't wait for Toby to show his face." a guard snapped. "I'd break his pretty little neck."
Someone behind them chuckled. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, Mason, but Blade already gave me that job."
A boy plopped down next to Elias wearing a loose shirt and pants. His hair was blonde and long, his eyes were amber.
"Would you at least let me bash his head in?" Mason pondered. "We don't want you to have all the fun, Allen."
Elias took his beer when the server brought it to him. He slid his cup toward himself.
"I didn't notice you little one. What's your name? I'm Allen."
Elias licked his lips. "I'm Trevor." he looked over at Allen, who was smiling down at him. The other guys were chuckling.
Allen punched his arm and Elias winced. "It's nice to meet you. What are you doing here alone, hm?"
"Yeah." Mason snarled. "This ain't a place for a child."
Toby spoke up in a low voice. "Don't you ever talk to my kid brother like that."
"Are you threatening me?" Mason boomed, getting to his feet.
Elias pulled his mask down to take a sip of beer. The taste of the drink burned as he swallowed it, but the second sip was better.
"I don't recall threatening," Toby replied, idly spinning his cup around. "I just made a statement."
Mason moved toward them but Allen put a hand on his chest.
"Mason, chill. This place is for everyone." Allen snapped. "If you don't want to be on probation again, you should stop."
Elias took a long drink before asking, "What brings you guys here?"
"My friends and I are here to take a breather." Allen pointedly looks at Mason. "We trained warriors need breaks every now and then."
A guy with red hair snorts. "Especially to see the women."
Elias choked on his drink.
"No, that's just you Austin." Allen took his drink and swallowed it in one gulp.
"You guys said you were trained, right?" Elias said, elbowing Toby in the arm. "For how long?"
"For years," Allen said, motioning for another drink. "Me and a fellow friend, Toby were the best fighters until.."
Toby groaned. "Until what?"
"Until Blade sentenced his family to death. They raided his neighborhood and his home, slaughtering everyone."
Elias blinked, glancing at Toby. "That must've been horrible."
"It was, Toby was only eight when it happened and its worse because he saw everything." Allen guzzled down his second drink. "I was there with my father. My job was to make sure no one escaped, but Toby's older sister was charging at my father with a large rock, and I…"
"What did you do?" Elias whispered.
Allen pulled out a dagger and gripped it in his right hand. "I threw this at her and it landed in her throat. She was dead before she hit the ground."
Elias and Toby exchange and look. Toby got to his feet as he slammed some money on the counter. "Let's go, Trevor, our grandmother is probably wondering where we are."
Elias turned to get to his feet, but Allen grabbed his arm and held the blade under his chin.
Levi and Ranger stood.
"I know you're not who you say you are." Allen snarled. "So either you tell me who you are..or your friend here will be headless."