The sun was high in the sky as Isadora leaned onto the horse, tired and overheated. She imagined that they had left early enough and would be at the camp before the sun was high in the sky. That was not the case.
"When will we arrive at the camp?" Isadora asked hoping someone would answer her.
"We'll arrive there by nightfall," Apollo said.
The elves continued on, appearing to be fine with the heat. She closed her eyes trying to take her mind off of her burning skin.
"Isadora. . ."
She snapped her eyes open looking around.
They were in a wide-open field, wildflowers of many different colors dotting the landscape. A forest was ahead. She squinted trying to look for-
"What are you doing?" One of the elves from behind asked her.
"Just looking." She said.
"Isadora behind you."
A cry caught the attention of the group. Apollo halted the horses.
"What is that?"
Isadora followed his gaze. A black mass was in the sky getting closer to them. "A murder. . ." She felt her heartbeat begin to quicken. Her chest tightened.
A murder, a group of undead birds brought back to life by dark magic. Usually, these birds usually followed orders from whoever created them. They plagued the kingdom during the beginnings of the war before the high priestess used the powers gifted by the gods to fend them off.
"We need to get out of here." Isadora urged.
The horses took off at breakneck speed. The loud flapping of wings was just behind them.
"Toward the water."
As she searched for a body of water, the shackles around her wrists fell off. The elves around her didn't notice and when she thought they did, the rein tied to Apollo's horse untied itself.
Isadora scrambled for the rein eyeing something shining in the sun. The birds were over them beginning to swoop. She grit her teeth, they were after her.
"That way Isadora."
"Find the heart of the murder!" She called to the others as she guided the horse away toward the pond.
The sound of arrows whooshing past her made her move faster. The birds pulled at her hair and scratched her skin.
"Damn it!" She cursed throwing herself off her horse into the pond.
The muffled screams of birds were above her as they hovered over the water. Arrows began to land into the water, one hitting her right in the shoulder.
Isadora prayed to her god, asking for something that would get her out of this predicament. An arrow whizzed by her face narrowly missing her eye.
She felt the water shift around, the water and bubbles branding around each other until a bow appeared. Focusing on the hazy image of birds swarming above she eyed the heart of the murder. An undead bird's skeleton wrapped around a beating heart.
She pulled the arrow out of her shoulder, pulled the bowstring, and aimed. The arrow split the water in two as it exited landing right into the beating red heart.
The birds paused. An unholy scream resounded from the heart as it turned black, disintegrating. Slowly, the birds turned to dust disappearing into the wind.
Isadora emerged from the water gasping for air. She coughed crawling out, her dress weighing her down. The bow in her hand melted back into the water.
She placed her hand over her shoulder wincing in pain. The arrow had been ripped out so quickly she didn't even register the pain.
"What was that?" Apollo pointed his arrow at her.
"A murder." She heaved herself off the ground clutching her shoulder.
"I know what a murder is. I was asking why and how you escaped."
Isadora leaned onto her horse. "My god was looking out for me."
He lowered his weapon telling the other elves to follow suit. "It was after you?"
"Most likely."
"Why?"
She smiled wryly. "I've made many enemies in my time. The kingdom is scared."
Isadora pulled at the strings of her robes until she was just left in her silk chemise. "Do you happen to have any bandages?"
"No." Apollo said flatly watching her. She could tell he was furious, but right now she didn't care.
Pain shot through her arm as she ripped fabric from her drenched robes. Carefully, she wrapped it around her bleeding shoulder. Apollo and the others could have left her for dead, but didn't, meaning they needed her. Hopefully, when she arrived at camp someone would be able to stop the bleeding.
She felt warms hands on her waist. Apollo hoisted her onto his horse, the rein of her horse tied to the saddle of his.
"You'll fall off your horse." He said sitting behind her.
Isadora narrowed her eyes, tying the make-shift bandage tighter. "The sooner we're out of kingdom territory, the better."
He said nothing as the horses took off into the forest once again.
------------------------
The sun was beginning to set and in the distance, Isadora could see a cloud of smoke in the air. She smelled meat cooking which meant they must be getting closer.
Isadora felt herself losing consciousness as her bandage became soaked with blood over the time it took to get here. Her throat was dry, lips and skin chapped from the sun. She was probably pale from the blood loss.
"We're nearly there," Apollo said. "Try to stay awake until then."
His arm wrapped around her waist to keep her steady. She found it strange that he was being nice even though he had been angry with her presence since leaving the castle.
Her vision began to become hazy like being underwater all over again. She could hear Apollo's voice shouting orders, other voices chiming in. The voices became muddled in her mind, layering on top of one another until her brain was overwhelmed with white noise.
She felt herself being taken off the horse. A voice cut through the white noise in her brain bringing her back to reality.
"Did I not tell you to bring her here unharmed?" His voice was haunting, reverberating in her mind. She could hear the ice in his tone as Apollo spoke with him.
Isadora could feel herself leaning against the body of one of the elves that traveled with her. The haziness began to fade as she hoped that when she woke up again, she wouldn't be in shackles.
The kingdom of Eridanos is at war. The high priestess of the kingdom, Isadora Moros, is sold off by the King as a prisoner of war to the elven army advancing on the land.
The tragic events leading Isadora to the elven army make her furious and she promises the elven general known as The Deadly Serpent to help take down the kingdom.
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