Chapter 233 - Bk 2 (16)

"My Lady, Help! My Lady, wait for me!" Lizzy screamed as she tried to struggle out of the sinking mud. As though one had stepped onto a horde of ants, everyone scattered in different directions.

The raiders cared no more for the running villagers; they took to the night, escaping frantically.

Helen could see Lizzy was trapped in the marsh but was conflicted if to run or go help her. After a bit of hesitation, she ran back and dragged a screaming Lizzy out of the mud.

At this time, she was not the only one making a sound. Sounds of blood cuddling screams were echoing all over. Looking around, Helen was not sure what was happening.

"My Lady..." Lizzy started to say after coughing enough muddy water from her lungs.

"Shut up!" she scolded the slightly dishevelled Lizzy. They were both covered in mud looking around in confusion. People ran past them without care, no one quite sure which direction they were going.

"Get up, we just can't sit and wait for whatever is happening to get us too." she said and basically dragged Lizzy to the nearest bush. They immediately went under the cover of leaves, laid flat on the ground and made no sound.

On the wet ground, Helen immediately felt as though she was being watched. She rolled on her back slowly and looked up. Right above them on the tree, two villagers and someone dressed like the raiders were looking down on them. She could feel their fear roll down at her.

From a distance she could hear rumbling. It vibrated through the ground straight to her spine. She could feel it moving farther away. Then Lizzy rolled to her back and looked up at the tree. As though Helen knew she would open her mouth, she used her hand to clasp it shut before Lizzy could let out a sound. But right at that moment, the rumbling seized and everyone froze in their position, none daring to move an inch.

Helen could feel her hands and legs itch terribly. She suspected it was from the mud she had stepped in before. Then, she remembered Lizzy had basically bathed in it. She rolled her eyes to the side instead of turning her head; for fear that that small action would spurn doom. Her eyes met Lizzy's and she could immediately see the discomfort in them. Her eyes turned stern, warning Lizzy to not dare move for the little satisfaction of scratching an itch. She could see Lizzy did not at all understand her. Feeling her move, Helen pressed down on her mouth in warning.

Lizzy could feel the tension in her lady's eyes but could not think straight from the need to scratch. In one swift motion, she lifted her left foot to scratch the right leg and the ground opened and swallowed all of them screaming in fear. Then it closed up returning silence to the night.