Chapter 17
It was hours before we had reached our destination. There were forest-ey smells and sounds around me and i was dark, probably night-time. I heard the sounds of footsteps on wood and something being unlocked. Then a door opened and two pairs of footsteps entered through the door. Then the person carrying me went in, closing the door behind them.
"My feet are sore," whined Nori.
"Oh stop whining," somebody else said. I didn't recognise their voice. A surprised gasp came from the left of me.
"I didn't see you there Kiyoko-sama," said I think Jarlen. A rustle of cloth and the scuff of a shoe against stone. "We have brought the girl, just as you asked."
A small chuckle. "Good." There was the thumping sound of shoes on carpet. "Let me see her face."
A hand reached over and grabbed the hood over my head, yanking it off. I shook my head, making my hair fly everwhere, and surveyed the room. It was like a cabin; the walls were wood, there was a fireplace opposite the door and a staircase to the right, a giant bear rug in the middle of the room with two couches on either side of the rug, and there were decorative heads all over the walls. Nori was sitting on one of the couches with a human rubbing her feet, and she glared at me. At the bottom of the staircase was an unfamiliar man and Jarlen bowing at his feet. The man moved over to me with his arms behind his back and a quizzical look on his face.
"So... you are the infamous Asterra Ristagov. I have heard a lot about you."
I glared back up at the man. "And you must be that weird Kiyoko guy Jarlen was talking about." He knelt down in front of my face and grabbed my chin. I yanked my face out of his firm grip and hissed at him, receiving a slap that made my head turn to the side. Behind me, Kentaro gasped slightly, as if appauled that his sister got hit. But he didn't move or say a single word. I slowly turned to look at him, a hostile glare plastered on my face. My cheek throbbed and stung.
"A feisty one." An evil-looking smile crossed his face. "I'm gonna have fun with you." He turned and walked a few paces away before looking over his shoulder and sneering, "I should teach you a few manners, but that would be a waste of my time."
He scratched his chin as if in deep thought, then turned towards Jarlen, who promptly stood. Kiyoko walked over and whispered something in Jarlen's ear, making him grin madly. He nodded once and walked over to me, yanked me off the floor, and took me up the stairs.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded. Jarlen just tightened his grip on my wrist and dragged me along after him down a hallway and into the end door on the right. He went behind me and pushed me up a circular flight of stairs. At the end was a wooden door reinforced with iron. Jarlen took a brass key from his belt, unlocked the door, and pushed me in. The door slammed shut behind me, but an iron pannel opened up, showing Jarlen's feirce brown-orange eyes.
"You stay in here until you learn your lesson about talking back to Kiyoko-sama. That means no soul feedings or anything." He laughed evily before shutting the pannel and walking away.
It was hours before we had reached our destination. There were forest-ey smells and sounds around me and i was dark, probably night-time. I heard the sounds of footsteps on wood and something being unlocked. Then a door opened and two pairs of footsteps entered through the door. Then the person carrying me went in, closing the door behind them.
"My feet are sore," whined Nori.
"Oh stop whining," somebody else said. I didn't recognise their voice. A surprised gasp came from the left of me.
"I didn't see you there Kiyoko-sama," said I think Jarlen. A rustle of cloth and the scuff of a shoe against stone. "We have brought the girl, just as you asked."
A small chuckle. "Good." There was the thumping sound of shoes on carpet. "Let me see her face."
A hand reached over and grabbed the hood over my head, yanking it off. I shook my head, making my hair fly everwhere, and surveyed the room. It was like a cabin; the walls were wood, there was a fireplace opposite the door and a staircase to the right, a giant bear rug in the middle of the room with two couches on either side of the rug, and there were decorative heads all over the walls. Nori was sitting on one of the couches with a human rubbing her feet, and she glared at me. At the bottom of the staircase was an unfamiliar man and Jarlen bowing at his feet. The man moved over to me with his arms behind his back and a quizzical look on his face.
"So... you are the infamous Asterra Ristagov. I have heard a lot about you."
I glared back up at the man. "And you must be that weird Kiyoko guy Jarlen was talking about." He knelt down in front of my face and grabbed my chin. I yanked my face out of his firm grip and hissed at him, receiving a slap that made my head turn to the side. Behind me, Kentaro gasped slightly, as if appauled that his sister got hit. But he didn't move or say a single word. I slowly turned to look at him, a hostile glare plastered on my face. My cheek throbbed and stung.
"A feisty one." An evil-looking smile crossed his face. "I'm gonna have fun with you." He turned and walked a few paces away before looking over his shoulder and sneering, "I should teach you a few manners, but that would be a waste of my time."
He scratched his chin as if in deep thought, then turned towards Jarlen, who promptly stood. Kiyoko walked over and whispered something in Jarlen's ear, making him grin madly. He nodded once and walked over to me, yanked me off the floor, and took me up the stairs.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded. Jarlen just tightened his grip on my wrist and dragged me along after him down a hallway and into the end door on the right. He went behind me and pushed me up a circular flight of stairs. At the end was a wooden door reinforced with iron. Jarlen took a brass key from his belt, unlocked the door, and pushed me in. The door slammed shut behind me, but an iron pannel opened up, showing Jarlen's feirce brown-orange eyes.
"You stay in here until you learn your lesson about talking back to Kiyoko-sama. That means no soul feedings or anything." He laughed evily before shutting the pannel and walking away.
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