Page 98 of Crown of Slumber

The ogre’s thick arms surrounded me. I writhed in its grip, struggling to free myself even as the splitting ache in my skull continued to pound, to blind me. He was going to devour me, but I certainly wouldn’t make it easy for him. My dagger was sheathed at my thigh, but I couldn’t reach it.

I jerked my knee upward and heard a satisfyingcrackas it connected with flesh and bone. The ogre released me, and I tumbled and rolled along the forest floor, twigs and roots and leaves breaking my fall. My elbows were bleeding from the impact, and I tasted blood in my mouth.

But I had to get up. I had tomove.

I reached for my dagger, but the ogre became a blur of movement, vanishing from several feet away and reappearing inches from my face. I staggered backward with a yelp, tripping on another root.

I waited for the hard, unyielding ground to meet me once more, for more pain to come, but to my surprise, the ogre caught me, its arms circling around me once more.

I stared up at the creature. It blinked back with its all-black eyes. Several large, block-shaped teeth were visible from underneath its thick, black lips. My chest heaved with my terrified breaths as I watched, waiting for the beast to lean in and take a bite out of my flesh.

But it didn’t.

Instead, it grunted, the sound low and unintelligible.

Within seconds, several blurred shapes appeared and solidified before us. Three more ogres loomed over me, then sniffed loudly. One of them grunted, pointing at me and looking expectantly at the beast who held me.

I squirmed, trying to free myself, but the three other ogres surrounded me, holding my limbs in place. They continued to communicate with one another until, at long last, the first one nodded, and he stomped forward, flanked by the other ogres.

“No,No!” I thrashed and bucked, desperate to free myself, but it was no use. The ogres were bigger and stronger, and I was vastly outnumbered. I tried to scream, to call for Fenn, but one of the beasts clamped a large hand over my mouth to silence me.

I was powerless as they dragged me from the forest.

But I continued to fight, kicking my legs and twisting around restlessly, hoping that one of them would get tired, that there would be an opening I could seize.

Then, the forest began to blur, and I froze, eyes wide. The tree trunks blended together, the sky became a sickening carousel of foggy stars.

The ogres were carrying me away with their super speed. My head swayed, and my stomach roiled from the movement. It was not a smooth ride. I felt each bump and jostle, and after several moments, I lurched, and I couldn’t keep myself from heaving up the contents of my last meal.

One of the ogres growled in irritation, jerking his hand away from my bile.

I took my opportunity and bit down on the hand that attempted to cover my mouth again.

The blurred motion stopped as the ogre roared, jerking his hand away from me. I kicked again, managing to free one foot, and slammed it into an ogre’s face. One arm was free, and I waved my arm frantically, trying to punch or strike any body part I could find.

One of the ogres grunted something, and a heavy object slammed into my skull. Then, everything went dark.

I awoke to the sound of chanting, though I couldn’t make out the words. With a groan, I tried turning my head, and a searing pain shot through my body. I tasted blood in my mouth. The air smelled of stone and embers and the lingering stench of ogre.

Slowly, my eyes opened and made out a low fire burning nearby, illuminating shadows on what looked like a massive boulder. As my eyes adjusted, taking in my surroundings, I realized it wasn’t a boulder but acave.I tried to sit up, but restraints pulled at my arms and legs. I managed to lift my head enough to see I was strapped down to a huge slab of stone, my wrists and ankles tethered down.

Oh gods…

I screamed, fighting against the ropes, but they only dug further into my flesh, cutting into me.

The chanting grew nearer, and several ogres appeared, wearingstrange brown cloaks, their clawed hands extended and pointing upward.

The ogre in front, a tall, lean beast with thick braids of black hair, drew a dagger from the folds of his cloak. I hadn’t seen this one before; he must not have been in the forest earlier. His eyes were keen and shrewd, and he seemed more… sentient than the others. Like he had a soul, an awareness the others did not.

He dragged the blade along his palm, and black blood dripped to the ground. I stared in horror as he approached, smearing his blood in streaks along my face. I spat at him, turning my head away, but he pinched my chin between two fingers to hold me still.

“What are you doing to me?” I shouted, my voice bouncing off the walls.

I hadn’t expected him to answer. He leaned in close, his breath like rotted meat as he growled, “Your power… will feed us.”

My mouth fell open as I gaped at him. He could speak? Whoever this was, he was more than just a wild unseelie creature.

But perhaps I could reason with him.

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