7. Dividing Blood: Scorching Thoughts

WARNING!!! Painful chapter ahead!!!

Also, the memories mentioned are ones I remember from that time in my life. I took a trip down memory lane for this one. Also, unlike ember wingfeather, I don't believe in PTSD affecting people if they know how to deal with it. So there will be very little trauma inducing things in my stories. (they would be normally tho... if you didn't know how to deal with it properly)

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@Batwhacker the Freedom Fighter

Gracie had been bustled around by the Fangs since the troll handed her off to a squad to "take to Lamendron." She knew that was bad news from what she had been told by her newfound, adoptive family about the Black Carriage and whatnot. Squinting up at the burning, scorching sun, she looked over at the other prisoner in the wagon bed brow scrunched. Artham had struggled enough that the troll had been ordered to knock him out for easier handling and he hadn't woken up since, and he was already sunburned a brilliant red. (Would that make him hallucinate?... In the school story, she had been reading a few weeks before Aerwiar, someone lost his memory and almost died from sunburn!) She hadn't suffered that fate, (except for sunburn, but she at least could cover herself with her cloak), but she had been assigned to a large group of Fangs. She snorted slightly as she remembered their smellable fear that she'd kill them or escape her chains or both, even though she practically was hogtied with no weapon. Now her movement was limited and she was chained to the side of a wagon with very annoying companions. Two Ridgerunners were watching her, clearly amused, and keeping up a constant chain of annoyance in various formats. She had quickly learned to tune out their chatter, and due to her four siblings, wasn't at all bothered when they poked and kicked at her when she didn't respond to their insults. They hadn't tried tickling yet, and Gracie silently begged the Maker to keep the thought from their minds, as she was ticklish to the point it hurt. Her siblings knew this, but they also knew if they did, they'd get a quick kick or elbow to the face, and a shout-out to Mama. Right now, she had neither of these defenses. Pointedly ignoring a screeching, high-pitched whistle deafeningly close to her ear, she focused on her childhood memories. (She now realized and accepted hers was over for good. Even if she was returned home right then, she'd already changed too much to be a child anymore.) She decided to focus on remembering different memories from each family member to hold onto during, what she was sure to be, a nightmare in the days ahead after this blistering, bumpy road.

Her Papa always came home at four, and when she heard the garage door, she headed to the living room to turn on the radio for Adventures In Odyssey. Mama was a great cook, but while they still were fixing up the house, she had made noodles with hose water, and even Papa had been unable to eat it! Bekah loved to play pretend with her, and Gracie fondly remembered their "run, (collide), drop, roll" hugs. (Just about what they sounded like... on a concrete-floored hallway) Tacha she'd seen as mostly annoying, but recollecting, she remembered how gentle and long the seven-year-old's hugs had been, and how much she loved to snuggle. She had sat between Matt and Rosa on the Long Trip Out West, as a result of the first time she had made a reasonable suggestion to Mama and Papa. She had been going to sit in between Tacha and Rebekah, but she had argued that it would be better to use that seat for a pile of stuff, and then she could feed Matt his bottle. She'd convinced them, and now she associated that memory with growing up and learning to be reasonable with her parents. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered their faces, and desperate not to cry, Gracie decided to think about something else, namely, how someone could have survived that barrel blast. This distracted her quite a bit more than her memories, and she quickly felt her surroundings fade into almost oblivion as her imagination took over, so much she didn't notice when Artham woke up.

Peet was barely cognisant on the ride to Lamendron, and neither was he sane. When the wagon lumbered up to the gate, and a Fang pulled him to his feet, his mind returned in a jolting realization. He wasn't alone in this dire situation. Gracie was there too. He didn't struggle, afraid they would knock him out again and he'd be unable to protect Gracie. The Fangs dragged the two of them through the gate and the crumbling fort to a small interrorgation room. A dark and menacing figure swirled around and balefully looked at them as their chains clanked against their chairs. General Krak gleefully looked first at Gracie, the one he was most interested in questioning.

"Where did you come from?"

Silence.

"Alright... Whatsss your name, sssweetie?"

More silence.

General Krak's eyes narrowed as he tried to gauge whether Gracie was deaf, or was a master of concealing fear plus ignoring him.

"I said what is your name little piggy!"

Gracie didn't respond, and dreamily smiled, eyes looking off into the distance, flashing occasionally with superiority, courage, and other curious emotions.

General Krak whacked her across the face, causing Artham to try to jump up and attack him. She didn't react, somehow still ignoring him. Krak was a master interrorgator, and he knew how to get information from his prisoners. He knew that prisoners who were able to hold their tongue under the first set of interrorgations usually wouldn't break later. He also knew force and pain were great tongue looseners. However, he knew by the confusing way she had responded that those wouldn't work. In short, she'd beaten him, and he knew that interrorgating her more wouldn't result in anything more than she had already given him. He decided to send her to the "breaker."

Actually, Krak was wrong... in a way. Gracie hadn't a single clue what was going on, she was lost in worlds she had only read about, wondering if they were real, and changing stories to have herself in them, or saving characters she cared about from horrible fates. But Krak didn't know this.

"Take her," Krak grunted to the Fang beside him, and Artham lapsed into Peet's mind as Gracie was dragged out of sight to some unknown destination.

PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK!!!

And where do you think Krak is sending Gracie???