While all of this was happening, a black crow stood at the top of a small stall in the market watching the girl be dragged away while no one seemed to notice nor care.
Florah walked with the men against her will, the trio exited the market all the while Florah praying and praying some more to somehow escape the situation.
"Walk girl". The man squeezing her elbow grumbled. "Please let me go" Florah pleaded again.
"Shut up and walk" The other man scolded as he also grabbed her other hand and the two started to drag her away from the town folks.
Florah wanted to scream for help ignoring the consequences she would have to suffer for it.
Opening her mouth, she only made it easier for her captors to staff a dirty handkerchief in her mouth.
She let out incoherent sounds as tried to scream for help, wiggling her body trying to slip out of the two men's grip. But it only led to red bruises on her arms and angering her captors.
"SHUT UP!!" The scrawny looking man yelled and punched her cheek. Florah's vision blurred in and out due to the heavy punch thrown to face.
"Please want do you want with me. Did the king send you". Florah asked sbsent-mindedly
But she highly doubted they were sent by the king, because what would he want with her.
"Hahahaa.. Almo, you punched her too hard now she is hallucinating".
"What would that king want with you, dumb girl". The bearded one mocked her.
"Unless...." The two witches said in unison, looking at each other wide eyed in realisation.
Looking at the girl, "Rando do you think she is actually the one" Almo whispered to his companion.
"Why would she mention the king?" Rando asked Almo.
"Hey, girl" Almo shook Florah.
Florah was shaken awake by her captor who looked at her closely and asked "Why would the king be looking for someone like you?"
Florah who was still recovering from the heavy punch that left her cheek throbbing, looked at the man who was too close to her face. She acted oblivious and returned the question.
"Yes, why would the king be looking for me" Florah asked looking between the two men.
The two had thought that the king knew what she was and that's why she mentioned him. But maybe this idiot was just hallucinating, they concluded.
Shoving the cloth back in her mouth, Almo asked Rando "Where should we take her, that wouldn't draw attention to us? I have never visited this peasant town before." He added.
"I have, there should be a forest near by. I just dont remember which route leads to it." Rando replied
"Stay here, let me ask someone" Almo whispered before leaving his friend with the girl hiding behind a small house. He left to go and ask for directions from the village folks acting like a lost passer-by.
Florah tried wiggling free hoping to get lucky since the man was left alone only to be slapped harshly across her other cheek.
"Stay still girl, or I will really teach you a lesson". The man warned.
Florah could barely hear him with the ringing sound in her ears due to the heavy slap she had just received across her cheek. Leaving four red finger marks on her skin.
Florah remained still and quiet afraid to be slapped or punched again. A tear escaped her eye with all the pain she felt in her now pink cheeks.
Such pain evoked memories of the past. An image of a terrified young girl screaming for help on top of her lungs flashed in her mind.
"Rando" A man called awaking Florah from her painful memory.
Her captor named 'Rando' peeped to see who it was.
Upon seeing that it was Almo he asked "Did you find the way"
"Yes, follow me" Almo replied.
Tying Florah's eyes with a piece of cloth, Rando hoisted her on his left shoulder and said "It will be faster this way"
Florah felt her body be carried upside down by the man, her eyes were tied which made more anxious since she didn't get to see the passages the men were using to reach the forest where she knew they were taking her.
Moving swiftly from alley to alley, the two men hurried along the path they took undetected by the town folks. Who were busy retiring to there houses since the night was descending upon the land.
They took the path that led to Florah's house and onto the open grass field, they entered the forest and put the girl down.
Looking behind them to see that no one had seen them nor followed them.
Walking deeper into the forest, Almo removed the blindfold from the redheads eyes whose heart was beating at an alarming pace.
Florah looked around her surroundings which were trees and more trees, crickets and frogs called in the night.
The forest was darker and more scarier than when she was there last time hunting with Jeremiah.
"We should make a plan here" Rando told Almo.
"How are we going to transport her to the mistress without being caught". Almo asked
"And also how can we make sure that she is the one, the mistress wants?" This time Rando asked.
The witches went quiet contemplating on what to do. Florah kept quiet nervously glancing around wondering if she could still save herself or this was the end of the road for her.
"Please kind sirs, I am nothing special. I don't know why you want to take me to your mistress. Please let me go, I am of no use to you, please" Florah put her hands together begging her captors to let her go.
"Was the slap not enough for you, SHUT UP!!" Rando yelled raising his hand to slap the girl again.
"Anhaaa" Almo voiced.
"What is it" Rando asked alarmed forgetting to slap Florah, who anticipated the pain with closed eyes.
"I heard the mistress say that 'the girl shouldn't burn if she was actually the right 'one' that they were searching for. That is why the girls that the others always brought were the wrong ones. Because they always burnt to ashes".
"So that's why she always burnt them to make sure". Rando also put in his thoughts.
"So we should burn her to test if she is the one, if she burns, then we have just wasted our time. But if she doesn't burn to ashes then we were right about this one". Almo concluded and Rando nodded in agreement.
If Florah wasn't already scared enough, now her heart beat purely out of terror hearing the men converse regarding there actions for her.
"No no please don't. Please don't do this". Florah cried, tears running down her face begging and crying for mercy.
"Noooo, I will burn!! HELP!!" Florah screamed hoping for someone to hear her. But all she did was for nought as no one ever came to the forest at this hour.
The witches tied her on a small tree that was deserted from the others. Tearing pieces of her dress to tie her arms and waist on the tree.
"HELP HELP!!!!" 'Thud'. Another heavy punch landed on Florah's cheek shutting her up from screaming any louder.
Harshly squeezing Florah's cheeks, Almo yelled in her face "NO ONE IS COMING GIRL, JUST CONFESS WHAT YOU ARE. AND MAYBE WE WILL CONSIDER NOT SETTING YOU ON FIRE".
"I don't know what I am" Florah muttered inaudibly.
More to herself than to the man currently squeezing her face adding to the pain in her cheeks.