CHAPTER – 5

THE FREE BIRDS FLEE THE CAGE

 

The kidnappers were back on giving guard around the place they had camped in the forest. Since they had some magical equipment and alchemic solutions that repel most of the monsters. All they needed to do was in between making regular checks on the smuggled commodities ⸺ the abducted children.

 

A flicker of flames from the flambeau travels to inspect the last cage inhabited by Dia, Shae, and lastly Caige. The previous other abducted children behaved pretty well as they slept under the burden of fear and an empty stomach.

 

The kidnapper waves the torch around the cage but was only able to find two bodies lying on the floor covered in a dirty blanket. One of them was missing. But he could not see much from far away or who was who in the freezing darkness.

 

“Hey, where’s another one of you?” The abductor asks.

 

Tuk…Tuk…

 

He repeatedly beats the torch's hind on the iron bars but there is no response from the inside.

 

“I am telling you brats if you are pretending I will beat you to bloody death when I come in.” The man speaks angrily, as he unlocks the lock after fumbling through the bunch of keys enrolled in a big ring. He enters the cage knocking off the door.

 

“I said wake up. Wake up, you unpleasant miserable brats.” The man groans as he approaches the two bodies lying soundlessly on the floor.

 

But he only discovers Shae and Caige's faces under the rug.

 

“Where is the little one? Wh..e…eeee.” The man choked on his own words as he felt something heavy lunge on his head.

 

“Caught you!” A small girl’s frolicking playful voice changed the serious attitude of the room.

 

And that was the signal when Caige and Shae jumped into action. They held the cut-off ropes in their hands and moving quickly in the darkness they grapple the man from behind.

 

Since Shae was the eldest and physically the strongest among them she held the ropes around the man’s neck to choke him and not to make any screams.

 

While Caige tied the man’s hands and legs swiftly with the shredded rope so that he does not move and alert others.

 

After a lot of struggle, the man had been finally knocked out unconscious. He was now tied from hand to leg with an impossible number of knots. The rug is pushed into his mouth deep enough that he does not make a single choice.

 

“Big sister Shae did we win the hide and seek? I did as big sister Caige told me to.” Dia asks innocently with a shallow expression. Despite winning she knew little of the happiness that came from it. Most probably her life too had not been much better than that of Caige or even worse might have happened to her.

 

“Yes, and you did great. You are a really good player Dia. Once we are out of here let’s all of us play together.” Caige ruffles the top of Dia’s hair looking forward to their escape at the same time.

 

While Caige and Shae were unable to find any suitable weapons on the man but the keys and the flaming torch were more than enough to create chaos in the night camp.

 

“Shae it's time we move to the next part,” Caige speaks firmly.

 

“Free all the kids and burn everything down,” Shae affirmed the mission in a discrete and malicious tone. Surprisingly lacking all fear or horror that came along with it. Caige was still unable to understand the cold glare from her despite how optimistic things had been for them.

 

“O-okay. Then let’s separate and meet back.”

 

In the next moment, everyone disperses. While Dia was with Shae they decided to take the flaming torch and head to the host’s camp and surprise them.

 

While Caige rushes with the keys and the sharp arrow-head to the other prison cells where the people had been abducted and kept hostage just like her.

 

Fortunately, there was no one else except the man on guard. But they would have soon realized a man missing among their numbers and try to find him. The sooner their plan worked the more profound the effects will be.

 

“Everyone I am throwing in a sharp metal. Cut your ropes while I unlock you.”

 

For the most part, Caige could hear murmurs from inside that it might be a trick while others were still busy cutting ropes. But the moment they heard the key pierce the hole and turn their fates, once again released from all chains... And in front of them stood the girl who had taken her first flight by buying them this one chance by risking her own life.

 

Caige could now only hear comments of relief and those thanking her for freeing them even when they didn’t know each other’s names. Night made it difficult to see that their rescuer was just an ordinary girl child with no great power or any more than what they possessed.

 

⸺But none cared, because even in that dark night, Caige's silhouette dazzled like that of a hero in their eyes.

 

After repeating the same procedure with other prison cells and others helping her too. They had by now almost freed the children trapped in the final prison cell.

 

At the same time, Caige now could smell the signal of making their next move. Dark fumes rose high from the tents made by their abductors. And on top of tents, great flames brought them to the ground.

 

As per the plan, Shae was to get hold of the spirit liquor from their camp which was stored inside the barrels they had previously seen in the basement of the ships. They were flammable.

 

Wetting the curtain and next applying a spark from the torch would turn them ablaze with fiery fire.

 

Unfortunately, those who lay asleep under them would have either died of suffocation or the burning tent collapsing on top of them. Either way, their sleep would be eternally peaceful.

 

But Caige for now could care less about those sacrifices. As she had to make her escape with Shae and Dia. She waited for them at the appointed place while other free prisoners were making their own escaping conversation.

 

Caige knew that she couldn’t let the mob go around with their own mind which might ruin the plan.

 

So, she addressed the freed people who were still unsure of their fate and scared of the world that had made them suffer this misery.

 

“Listen everyone, before they track us down we need to split and go in different directions so that they cannot catch all of us. Make small groups and choose any direction and spread out in the forest. By morning we will be off their trial and free people back again.”

 

The people Caige addressed to was still young in demography. Too young to understand her address's real intention but they knew for survival they needed to follow her directives.

 

Suddenly someone a few years older than Caige approached her and others alike joined.

 

“We have decided to fight for ourselves and show these men our strength, even if it is in numbers only to speak of. We cannot use magic but we can overwhelm them. This world has no longer anything for us, but you all are still young. We will give you an escape route and act as a diversion.”

 

They all had pitiful faces and worn-out bodies. But their stern expression spoke for their resolve.

 

Caige did not think twice. She had read of so many protests and revolutions in the history books from her library. And the existence of such a small radical faction came as no surprise to her. But even so, these were the ones who actually changed the tide and paved the path for others to build a better future.

 

“I am really grateful. So, please once you are sure you must escape yourself.” Caige acted wisely and much maturely for her age.

 

And because others could see it in her eye too and believed in what she believed.

 

An army of escapes, a group of fighting radicals and invaders ⸺Shae and Dia returning after burning the camp as Caige received the news.

 

“They are on the chase. They have unleashed the dogs to catch us.” Shae looks around to see everyone free and ready. She continues her report, “But they should be unaware of our numbers.”

 

“That will be the undoing for all the evil things they had made us do and suffer. They consider us weak and sure are to make a mistake. And that is when we use our brains and beat them. Only fearing theme would do us no good, we have to act and escape from this hell. Are you with me?” Caige addresses everyone. There was an unexpected trait within her that not only moved the people who until then lived in fear to now who could think of claiming their own freedom but they could also see the good days that Caige promised them.

 

“““YES!!!”””

 

“Then run. Run far away as you can so that even your doomed far is left behind you. Fight for yourself and make a new start. Now disperse.”

 

As Caige commanded all the groups moved in different directions after a few of them had picked a torch for each of their groups.

 

At the same time the radical group mushed their knuckles ready for a fight.

 

“Wufff…wooohh..ooo…” The barking of wild dogs followed without a break from Caige’s speech.

 

“Find them you mutts. Kill whoever resists. I want every child back to the camp and locked up otherwise I am going to cut off all your heads and present them instead.” The leader of the bandit spoke. It was the same guy who had threatened Caige with the knife and ordered for her to be thrown into the dark basement of the ship back then.

 

Caige nodded to Shea and they too started running.

 

Shea, Dia, and Caige were moving inside the forest.

 

When Caige looked back for a final time, for a brief moment she could catch a glimpse of the radical party trying to fight off the bandits. In number, they surely won, but Caige crunched her eyes as she couldn't bear to witness blood being spewed and freely flying in the sky.

 

In seconds the children who tried to resist were sliced in half from body, limbs or captured by the kidnappers again. They were simply no match to their magic augmentation or sword skills.

 

The difference was just too big.

 

But the three kept on running despite seeing the horrid scene and Shae was not ignorant to being the witness herself. All they could do was keep on running.

 

Run....

 

⸺Until their legs would start falling from fatigue.

 

⸺Until they see the sunrise again.

 

⸺Until the hounds stop tracking and barking at them.

 

They will be at last free again.

 

But even with that unwavering determination, they were small girls who had yet to see the wide world and its darkness completely.

 

Caige always thought she could identify things as good or evil. Right or Wrong.

 

But the reality is gray. She was yet to see and recognize the fake colors hidden among the truth, the grim color of betrayal.

 

A single stroke of that color from her own family had already turned her world upside down. But a second would have surely broken her.

 

“Wooohoofffff.....ooofff." The dogs barkings was getting closer and closer with every step Caige took.

 

Caige and Shae could feel their sniffs, the shaking of the ground as the hounds tracked them endlessly.

 

The shouts and murmurs of their abductors followed from behind re-capturing every escaped child.

 

Those who resisted were killed and the ones who submitted were chained.

 

"Shae they are onto us. We must fight or we will be back to from where we started." Caige stopped running and asked Shae to provide resistance.

 

"They won't leave us alive if they find us. Remember we were the ones who freed everyone." Shae explains.

 

"But we can't let others be trapped. Together we can help each other out." Caige tries to persuade Shae hoping that she would choose to fight for Dia's sake.

 

"I am not going back to that place ever again. We will keep on running." Shae says as Caige's words meet deaf ears.

 

"But it is dangerous to walk into the forest alone. We will need the help of others so we will have to help them first." Caige still tries to make a point.

 

"I knew the real danger I would be facing would be among us from the start," Shae speaks looking down as she walks towards Caige.

 

They had almost entered the dense part of the forest and the kidnappers were right behind on their trail with the hounds smelling their way through every turn they took to get there.

 

"Shae do you have a plan? Let's do that, I am sure we will make it." Caige could feel a growing shadow on her body as Shae got closer with each step.

 

"Yes, there is a plan. But nothing has changed and we keep on running."

 

"What do you mean?" Caige was flummoxed.

 

"Don't you realize the real danger is you!? So, you will be the bait. Didn't I tell you before that I trust no one. You are to blame yourself alone for this..."

 

"⸺Huh." before Caige could protest she was pushed by Shae and falls into a small shallow pit.

 

Caige’s eyes had an unbelievable expression that until then were hopeful. While that of Shae remains the same, Grey.

 

Caige falls while Dia and Shae make their escape.

 

"Big sister Shae are we leaving that girl behind."

 

"No Dia. She broke some rules of the game and so she is being punished for her foolishness. Do you disagree?" Shae coldly asks her little sister.

 

"Serves her right. Let's get away before we are caught too. We will be the only one to win."

 

Shae casts one last glance at Caige from top, narrows her eyes in a scowl, then leaves the place without looking back even for once.

 

All Caige could do then was find her head bleeding as she had hit the hard ground from a height. Her body was already frail and so a small amount of blood loss gave her headaches and everything started to turn hazy in front of her eyes.

 

⸺Once again, the person inside her could not become what she always wanted to be.

 

***

 

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