Page 15 of Scars of His Wrath
It didn’t look like the fine, white sand of the beaches of Fengar or the pale and grainy sand of Cillford. This was darker and richer, like fine grains of gold.
The man placed things on the table from a bag he’d brought in with him—strange-shaped bottles and jars and boxes. Lifting the lid of a small box he’d placed on the table, he rummaged around in it before turning to face her. There wasn’t any maliciousness in his eyes like in the beast’s. In fact, he had a somewhat pleasant face, although apprehension seeped from him in the way he stepped toward her, his eyes flicking over her body.
They caught on her arm where the fabric was soaked with blood. His eyes darted to hers for the first time, fear flashed on his face.
Naya watched him closely. This was strange.
The man went back to his box and rummaged around again, muttering under his breath. He came back to her and this time examined her right wrist and sprayed it with something cool. A sharp sting pierced her skin, followed quickly by tingling. Naya clenched her fist, keeping any sound inside her mouth.
He glanced at her, brows furrowed, still muttering in a deep guttural voice, but the words were unfamiliar to her. Unwinding the bands, he cleaned the wound and then wrapped them back up.
He picked up something from the table and approached her again. It was a strange plant. Covered with knobby bumps, it was almost half his height and as thick as his arm. It was tubular, but one end of it was fatter than the other, the thinner end tapering into a curled spike and the fatter end rounding into a smooth curve.
Turning the strange plant so that the smooth round part of it faced upward, the man pulled out a small dagger and in one swoop cut off its round top. Moving carefully, he stepped toward her and held the strange plant to her face.
Naya wrenched her head to the side, preventing it from touching her. The man released a guttural noise of annoyance. He spoke again, his words quick and halting, bumping into each other as he tried to get them out.
Naya kept her head to the side and refused to look at him. Whatever he was going to do to her, it would be without her permission.
After a moment, the man exhaled heavily and his next words came halting and thick. "You drink."
Naya frowned, darting her eyes to look at him without turning her head.
The man’s features were intense. "Important," he added.
Naya shook her head firmly.
The man let out another string of words before he turned, exhaling in frustration. Lifting the long, knobby plant, he threaded it into one of the ring fixtures at the edge of the table until it fit securely.
Casting a long look at her that she didn’t understand, he headed to the door.
Naya panicked, the urge to say something suddenly overwhelming her. She should try to converse with him, shouldn’t she? He looked like he might be more reasonable than the beast. Maybe she could get him to help her. But her mind scattered about until the blinding light hit her, and then he was gone.
Within a few moments, the light blinded her again. This time three people dressed in similar light-colored clothing entered. They came in so quickly, Naya couldn’t examine them before they surrounded her. Two of them fiddled with the fabric bands around her body, and the force that had been pinning her against the wall disappeared. She fell forward onto them, and they caught her, fixing her so she could walk between them. Naya winced, the pain in her body increasing with every movement.
They led her to the door, allowing her to lean on them while they kept her secure. All were slightly taller than her, each with a firm grip and soft hands.
Naya breathed shallowly, forcing the sensation of the pain into the back of her mind. This might be her chance to escape, she just had to pay attention for the opportunity.
When they reached the opposite wall, she was surprised to see a curtain, not a door. It blended so well with the wall that even from a few feet away it was almost indistinguishable.
One of the three drew it to the side and they ushered Naya into blinding light. An aggressive heat encased her, searing every part of her body. The air was thick with it, like she’d stepped into a wall of hot fog. Even breathing was like drawing in thick clouds of scalding heat.
Even worse, Naya couldn't see anything. The brightness hurt her eyes; she’d instinctively closed them, leaving her staggering and groping for the people who ushered her on. The presence of sand continued outside of the room—it flung from under her with each step and coated her bare feet, tiny grains clinging to her feet and dusting between her toes. After walking for a few moments, the group stopped and pressed hard on her shoulders, forcing her to kneel on the sand, and their fingers fiddled with the fabric again.
A force jerked her forward and her wrists and the side of her torso hit something firm and rough low to the ground. The soft hands let her go and the swish of their footsteps sounded in the sand as they moved away.
When Naya’s eyes finally adjusted, she saw she was sitting on the sand and pinned to a large stone this time by the bands around her arms and torso. It was about the size of her but it wasn’t a natural rock. It had been smoothed and carved into a rounded shape with a somewhat flat top. She tested the fabric bands again, pulling against the force and moving her arms away, but as before, the fabric tightened, preventing her from moving away.
Exhaling a breath of irritation, she sat up and looked out only to be astonished by what lay before her.
Golden sand spread out as far as she could see. The bluest, most beautiful sky she’d ever seen met it at the horizon, no clouds in sight. Together the sight was pure, deep, and stunning.
Naya stared at the landscape, unaware she was even holding her breath. She’d never seen anything like it. The richness of both the blue and the gold was like looking at Mama’s favorite dazzling artwork; vibrant and arresting. The Known Lands had no views even close to this.
Her stomach dropped, the gnawing unease transforming into a bitter dread. She couldn’t be in the Known Lands.
Blinking again, she looked around.