The Sentence

“On your feet.”

It was an order, but the way it was given suggested reluctance, and there was no force behind it.

The ground beneath him was cold and hard, yet Eddus could feel the loose soil between his fingers. Eyes closed, he inhaled deeply, struggling to catch his breath. The feeling of his heartbeat pounded in his temples as he panted. His cheek rested against the cool grit of the ground on which he lay, its olfactory aroma filling his senses. The damp petrichor was thick, but at the same time, almost refreshing, and he had no desire to move his fatigued limbs.

It was not the first time Eddus had stumbled or fallen to the ground. Those pulling the ropes looped tightly around his wrists had hauled him faster and faster until his legs gave out, unable to keep pace. The two leading him each held a rope. Hovering above him, the rapid movement of their wings, which kept them suspended, created a hum that he could not ignore; a maddening drone that seemed almost to deafen him.

“I can’t-” Eddus gasped, “let me rest-”

With no concept of time and no way to judge its passing, Eddus was completely at a loss. His every muscle ached, and those in his legs cramped, threatening to seize. He opened his eyes as he felt one of his wrists move, the rope around it being pulled, and then the other.

“It will only be worse if you don’t stand up.”

One of the guards touched down, kneeling beside him. The words were simply stated. The guard who said it did not sound malicious, but rather like he was performing a duty he’d much rather not be doing. The guards had been made aware that Eddus had refused to give his true name. Both knew what that meant.

Eddus peered blearily up at the winged being above him who had spoken. Struggling to his knees, he grimaced in pain. He clenched his jaw, refusing to make a sound indicating his discomfort. He didn’t know how anything could be worse than the exhaustion and pain that wracked his body, but he was told the same thing every time he fell.

Getting to one knee, he pushed with all his strength, staggering to his feet. The guard beside him said nothing more, resuming flight. No sooner than had he gotten up, the two hovering faeries started forward, pulling him with a jerk. Eddus made it a few steps, his feet dragging the ground, before he collapsed again, his body unable to move.

There was a short pause, and Eddus could hear the two guards conversing, although he could not make out what it was they were saying.

The rope on his right arm was pulled, rolling him onto his back, then both his arms were lifted, pulling him upward. The joints in his shoulders seared with pain, and a groan escaped him as Eddus felt himself being pulled from a sitting position to his feet, and then off the ground.

Hanging limply by his arms, Eddus managed to open his eyes enough to see the ground getting further away. He closed his eyes as he began to feel the sensations of moving faster through the air and being swung side to side. His own weight tore at his joints, stretching the muscles in his back intensely as he swung in the air.

Groaning in pain, Eddus let his head hang, slumped forward. He tried to cough, wincing as his shoulders spasmed in pain to the point that he could hardly inhale a breath. The muscles in his neck joined those in his shoulders in cramping, and Eddus opened his eyes, just enough to watch the ground far below him blur as his eyes watered and a tear fell from them.

All at once, the force suspending him disappeared. For an instant, Eddus floated weightlessly. Drawing in a breath of relief, he succumbed to exhaustion, immediately asleep. Then just as quickly as he’d fallen into darkness, he was jolted into consciousness as the right side of his body collided with the ground.

Shooting lights filled his vision when his head struck the earth, followed by a pain that enveloped him so heavily he could hardly breathe. Choking on the dust and loose soil he inhaled as he gasped, the muscle in his right thigh cramped violently.

Eddus tried to curl into a fetal position, but was prevented as his arms were pulled out to the sides, his ropes having been picked up again by the two guarding him.

Writhing on his back, Eddus fought to straighten his cramping leg while he simultaneously gagged so hard that he lurched forward, the back of his head slamming into the ground as he came back to his original position. He spat red, the taste of blood in his mouth.

For a moment, he struggled as hard as he could to pull his outstretched arms to his body, but the ropes were held fast. Gasping, Eddus feebly raised his head, looking towards his right arm, at the thin blue mark on his skin, before he expelled the short breath he’d been able to inhale.

Closing his eyes, he slowly lowered his head to the ground and tried to control his breathing and relax, his leg still straining. The image of Abbi’s face momentarily flashed into his mind. Or was it Issabella? Alarm gripped him. He couldn’t remember. Had she given him a different name? Could he have dreamed it all? He couldn’t be sure he’d actually seen her, as it seemed like so long ago. The only proof he had that she had actually been with him was the mark on his forearm.

The ropes around his wrists were again pulled tight, jerking him into motion, and he was dragged on his back for some distance across the hard and rough ground. Flat on his back, he was dragged, his shirt tearing and his skin burning as it was abraded on the hard earth, and the back of his head occasionally striking the ground, he was pulled across.

After what seemed like an eternity, his back was burning and bloodied from being drug so far. He was again hoisted into the air. His body was carried higher and higher as he hung lifelessly beneath the two guards.

Again, he was dropped, crashing to the ground, where for several moments he couldn’t move. Feebly, he tried to turn his head, which rested in an uncomfortable position to the side, where he’d fallen, but he could not. Summoning what little strength he had left, his fingers moved, slowly closing into weak fists before his weary muscles gave out.

The ropes he was bound with were again picked up, though not pulled tightly as before.

Eddus was vaguely aware of the moments that followed in which nothing happened. His throat ached as he tried to swallow, the taste of blood and bile in his mouth.

The two holding him slackened the ropes, lowering his arms to the ground. Eddus did not attempt to move them, but tried his best to focus on his breathing. He didn’t want to give any reason for them to be stretched tight again.

The tension in his side and back persisted, but the muscle in his thigh had begun to ease its hold. Eddus began to drift, not so much out of consciousness, but more like in and out of the pain he felt. Something was being said, but the monotonous hum of the faerie guards’ wings drowned it out. The relentless thrum seemed to surround him, a constant pressure in his mind, compounding the relentless pressure at the back of his skull. A wave of nausea washed over him. If they would only come to the ground, and stop the noise for a moment... just a moment... make it stop.

All at once, he could no longer hear the buzz of the guard’s wings.

“Stop this!” A voice pierced Eddus’s senses, sending a sharp pain through his head, and every hair on his body stood on end. It was not the voice of either of them holding him captive, but a third voice. A female. There was an air of frenzy to her voice, a tone suggesting terrified anger. “You must stop immediately.”

“You’re not permitted here.” The guard to Eddus’ left barked. “You interfere with the carrying out of sentencing passed down by the queen!”

“You have to stop,” the new voice persisted.

“Leave this area, or you will be taken into custody to be held accountable for interfering in the queen’s ruling.”

“You can’t do this! You’re hurting him...” the new voice pleaded. “You’re hurting us!”

“What’s this? What are you saying?” The guard to the right side of Eddus spoke. “Do you know this human?”

“He is my bonded mate. He is my human!”