Racing+the+Sun

Racing the Sun
She was the fastest in her village, and still she was not fast enough.

Delaena could run the entire length of the stream and beat the water to the pool. Her father called her "Doe", and laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him. Her two brothers would go hunting in the early morning, and could always count on her catching up with them before noon.

Still she was not fast enough.

When her mother asked her to send word to Helvarya as quickly as she could, Doe didn't even hesitate at the request. She was the only one who could reach the elven capitol in time. No one in her village was faster. And with the sun slowly setting on the horizon, she would have to be even faster. Once the light was gone, she would be running dangerously blind in the dark.

Still...

When she heard the rumbling sounds of horse hooves gaining on her, regardless of the high snow and thick bushes, Doe knew she would have to give it her all. Not a horse she knew of could keep up with her in the forests of Athal. Her legs ached and her lungs burned with the freezing air. It had been several hours now, and she felt as though her heart would burst in her chest. How long would the men in the black coats pursue her? With all the strength in her, Doe ran as fast as she could.

Still....

Hanging, snow-laden branches raked at her like claws and tore her hair from her head. Thorned bushes and fallen logs caught her ankles and threatened to pull her to the ground. But she would not submit. Not after seeing what those men were capable of doing. Not after walking into her own home and seeing her mother and little sister... Her father and brothers strung up in the back like.... Doe forced the images from her mind and squeezed the tears from her eyes. She refused to give in, refused to falter. She had to reach the others, to warn them, before....

Still...

Her body betrayed her within an hour of Helvarya. Her legs gave out and she stumbled head over heels until she lie flat on her face, the wind knocked from her already breathless body. "Get up!" She screamed to herself, but there was no air to speak. Lights flashed in front of her eyes before the darkness finally took her. She fell into an exhausted slumber.

Still...

When she awoke, her eyes were still dark. She could not move her body, but not from the strain. Her hands and legs were bound, and something had been draped over her head. Her breath was hot against the scratchy material of the bag. But it was the choaking gag in her mouth that concerned her the most. She tried to struggle against her bond, wiggling her tiny wrists to see if the coarse ropes would give way. It was in vain.

Still...

It was hours later, by her guess, when she heard someone enter the room. A dim light flickered beyond the bag over her head, and she could make out a shape moving around. The distinct sound of metal on metal rang in Doe's ears, startling her enough to make her jump. The shadow in the light figeted with the rope around her neck and removed her hood. It took a few terrible moments for her eyes to adjust, and when they did, she wished desperately that they hadn't. "Tell me, woman," the man in the black coat said. "Do you like pain?"

She was the fastest in her village, and still she was not fast enough.