Krilla Has Her Way. 4.3k Fantasy. A kidnapped girl craves revenge. (standard:adventure, 4062 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jun 25 2020	Views/Reads: 1460/981	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This is one of the stories I wrote about a writer named Pujal's imaginary world of Odia. It is a world he created for a small critique site I used to own. Members would write stories according to his instructions.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

blunder around wildly and tire easily. The hunters could use that time 
to get within bow range. 

The Ammrii also congregated near the valley's water supply, making them
easier to hunt. Traps were set near the entrance to the valley, where 
water was closer to the surface.  Surrii, however, could leach moisture 
from the desert itself, using long absorptive tongues to penetrate deep 
within the sand. Surrii tongue was a delicacy to sell to caravans. 

Her father, after eating, lay down for a nap, leaving Krilla to clean up
his mess as well as her other delayed cleaning tasks.  After she was 
finished, the girl wandered out into the small village to see if 
anything was happening there. 

There were currently several groups of traders in town. Two of them were
vaguely familiar to her, being repeat customers. 

The valley was on a trade route that followed along the top of the
"Scar" and leading to both the plains and forest country. Krilla didn't 
recognize anyone in the third group, although one nice-looking man was 
keeping an eye on her as though he either knew her or wanted to. 

Ignoring the stranger, Krilla spent her time up until dark talking to
the travelers she did know. All of them were headed back east with full 
loads of trade goods. She purposely left her mind open to the 
travelers, exuding an impression of sweetness and naivety. 

By the time the sun set she had cadged a double armful of assorted
produce, as well as a pretty stone. All had been enticed from the 
travelers. In fact, they were spilling out of her arms as she drifted 
back toward home.  Both pretty and personable, the young lady's 
presence was enjoyed by lonely desert travelers. 

“You need any help with that, pretty lady?” It was the handsome
stranger. 

“I don. . . .”  Too late.  He was already picking up the bits she had
dropped along the way.  He took most of the rest from her and grinned, 
his longer arms holding it all. 

They were both silent as he followed her home. As he put his load down
at the front of her cave he asked. 

“Would you like to talk a while?  I don't have many opportunities to
speak to beautiful girls.” 

For the first time, she noticed that his mind was blocked to hers, an
unusual occurrence in the village since few residents had anything to 
hide. Maybe a good trait for traders? she thought. 

“No, I don't think so. Thanks for your help. My father has to rise early
for a hunting trip.  He needs sleep tonight, so do I.” She gave him 
both a smile and exuded a pleasing aura.  “I have to get up early to to 
fix him breakfast. Maybe tomorrow?” 

“Sorry for bothering you, but I won't be able to see you tomorrow. We
leave early for the Western Plains.” 

He smiled and left, with her watching him go. She then went back in and
to bed. 

*** 

In the morning, Krilla overslept and could hear her father muttering
about no breakfast as he readied himself and left for the hunt.  Women 
were often ignored and she was used to it by then, simply rolling over 
and returning to her sleep. 

Suddenly, with no warning, a heavy weight fell on the girl. Opening her
eyes, she could see nothing as a cloth descended over her head. Strong 
hands grasped her as she was picked up and carried. The frightened 
youngster could feel more than two hands, so it was at least a couple 
of strong men. 

Fear dampened her mental abilities as she was carried, struggling, to an
unknown destination.  She fought back but was overwhelmed as well as 
wrapped tightly in cloth bindings. 

Her assailent's minds were both shielded and unfamiliar. Screaming did
no good at all, as it only brought slaps to her head which further 
destroyed her concentration. After being carried for a few minutes, 
they stopped while reaching into the confining sheath to tie her 
ankles. 

Thrown down onto a hard surface, Krilla was left alone. She was being
kidnapped. Although she struggled, the knots were tied well and the 
panicked girl could only lie there, in fear of death – or worse. 

After an indeterminate time, she could feel the surface moving. Krilla
knew then that she was in a cart, probably pulled by a Kranshee. The 
movement had a distinctive rhythm. Sounds of people talking around her 
were evident, but every time she called out she received a slap on the 
side of her head. That treatment seemed to go on for hours. 

Finally she felt her bonds loosen and roughly removed. Blinking her
eyes, she eventually made out a face. It was the handsome stranger.  
Several men were at the other end of a long wagon, with the wide rear 
of a Kranshee looming above and ahead of them. The stranger's eyes 
appeared worried as he silently turned to look back at her, his gaze 
eventually easing away to the floor as though in embarrassment. 

“What are you doing? My father will kill you. And where are you taking
me?”  Surprise being over and a focus obtained, anger took over. “Let 
me go, right now you son-of-a-borch. Take me back home or I'll cut your 
heart out.”  Her face turned green with anger. 

“I'm sorry. My father did it. It wasn't my idea," the stranger told her,
seemingly sincere. "He thought, since you got all those presents 
yesterday, and that I knew where you lived, and even that you would be 
alone, that we should steal you. He thinks you're a mind controller.  
Are you?” He finished with a shrug, “Anyways, you have to stay with us 
cause we can't very well take you back. Your people would kill us.” 

Krilla stayed silent, glaring at the top of his head. She had never
thought of herself in that way, figured that she was only lucky, that 
it was her due. But she had noticed that other girls in the village 
were rarely given as many presents from traders.  And she did find it 
easy to control her father, a normally hard-nosed individual. 

Maybe she was controlling her father without knowing it?  People were
often nice to her, never arguing or anything. Maybe she was one of 
those fictional mind controllers?  She had read about them in books but 
didn't think they really existed. The girl had simply thought her 
father was nicer than most, never thinking she was in secret control. 

With that in mind, Krilla decided to experiment with something small. 
She saw one man in the front of the huge wagon, leaning over the side 
to inspect a wheel. She tried to make him fall over the edge. The man 
slipped. He would have gone over the side if another hadn't grabbed 
him. 

The girl was so surprised that she even lost her anger at being there.
Well, not completely, but it was less than before. The murderous rage 
was gone.  As it left, fear came back to take its place. 

“You tell her what we want with her yet, Sammii?” came from a large man
in front, letting go of the man he had saved from a fall. “Tell her she 
gets a share of the profits, but only if she cooperates.”  He 
continued,  “And she will cooperate, or be left out here on foot. We 
ain't got any time to coddle a captive. She's gonna be either with us 
or gone.” 

“You heard him. That's my father, Shimmii. He's in charge.” Sammii
brought his eyes up, looking sadly at her.  “I'm really sorry.  I don't 
like to meet girls this way. Please do what he says. He WILL leave you 
to die if you don't. Take a little time to decide, but please do it.” 
Sammii scrambled over to the other side of the wagon and pretended to 
watch the sandy plains they were traveling over, occasionally casting 
sideways glances at the girl. 

After a lot of thought she called over to him, in a loud whisper.  “Hey,
where are we going?  Are we going to a big city?” 

He came back to her quickly.  “What did you say?” he asked anxiously, a
gleam in his eyes. 

“I said, are we going to any big cities?  I've always wanted to.” 

“Yeah, when we finish exploring. My uncle knows where we can find
gemstones to make into jewelry. My father's hard, but honest. If he 
says you get a share, I know you will.” 

Now that the ice was broken, he fairly beamed with joy. “You could be
wealthier than your entire village, if we find that treasure.” 

She could tell he was happy to have her with him. Krilla decided to go
along with them, seeing it as probably her one and only chance to get 
out of the poverty of her village – as well as to stay alive. 

“What am I supposed to do, anyway?” 

“You can save us trouble by finding game, and any enemies.  If you can
control them, that would be even better. But just keeping us supplied 
with meat would be a big help. If you have the power, that is?"  He 
moved closer to whisper, “I'm told all in your village use it in a 
hunt?” 

"I don't really know," she admitted. "But maybe I do." 

Krilla sighed and lay back on a bale of supplies. The first thing she
had to do was to try to control Shimmii.  If she could, Krilla 
realized, she might slowly take over this expedition. Krilla could 
still have her revenge, she thought, along with possible riches. Better 
than stagnating in the valley. 

*** 

At first, she was cautions in her relationship with the others. There
was Sammii, his father Shimmii, the uncle named Sohnii, and two friends 
called Cuuly, and Moooe.  Sohnii had once been on an expedition to the 
same area.  While there, he had found a large vein of pretty rock, and 
taken a piece home with him, not even thinking it was valuable – simply 
a pretty stone for his wife. 

On arriving back home, he had lain it on a shelf and pretty much
forgotten it.  A friend, Cuuly, had seen it and had it appraised.  They 
were surprised at its value, selling that one pretty rock for enough 
money to finance the present expedition. 

Figuring they might need an expert with Kranshee's, they had included
their friend Moooe.  Shimmii had also been on a few long-range 
expeditions and he and his son went along. Now, with the girl, there 
were six of them to share any wealth. 

Of course, the rest of them were equally cautious about Krilla, at least
at first. Soon they not only accepted her, but adored her.  Much of 
that was forced on them by her mind control.  Therefore, it only seemed 
natural for the others to share the heavy labor, and not to strain 
pretty little Krilla. On her part, she pointed out where to find game – 
even enticing it into their path -- and did some of the cooking.  The 
rest of the time, she simply took it easy. 

Due to her past life, Krilla also knew ways to cope with the sand and
heat. She showed them how to find water in the vast sandy surface. A 
certain plant had shallow roots. It only grew where the water table was 
near the surface.  Many city dwellers, like these, had died in their 
shade, never knowing that water was close, a few inches under the sand. 
 Also, succulent Surrii drank near the plants, using their long 
tongues. The swift animals could be killed easily if found with their 
tongues extended deep into the ground. 

It took the group over a week to cross the desert, emerging onto an arid
plain which itself evolved into a grassy surface, extending over the 
horizon. It was almost totally flat, with small islands of trees and 
shrubbery at rare intervals. Occasionally, they could see a herd of 
large animals in the distance, but couldn't get close enough for 
arrows. 

Luckily, a few wagon ruts showed where others had preceded them across
the flatlands. Small animals abounded, furnishing them with food as 
they traveled. 

Krilla became adept at causing the latter to pause in curiosity, waiting
for humans to jump down and grab them by hand. 

“Just how far do we have to go, Sohnii?” Shimmii asked. “This sun's
hotter than hell out here.” 

“We gotta follow this trail for about another week, then turn right when
we see three large trees in a triangle, about fifty feet apart.  Then 
it's a days journey to a larger forest. There's a river on the other 
side. The place we want is down the river bank.” He paused to scratch 
his butt. “I left a blue tub on the riverbank, right above where I 
found the stone.  The damn thing had sprung a leak.” 

At night, Sammii and Krilla spent time together in back of the wagon,
doing things young couples do.  Sammii needed no outside encouragement. 
 The two became very close.  Krilla had never had such an easy life, 
with no housework and only cooking when she wanted to break her 
monotony. 

Being bored, she had fun tweaking the others with her mind, finding it
was good practice. She caused Cuuly, and Moooe to dislike each other. 
It made for entertainment as they argued and complained about each 
other to Shimmii.  Also, Krilla encouraged Sammii's father and uncle to 
plot against each other, generating a great deal of distrust. 

Eventually they found the trees and turned. They spent a couple of days
resting in the forest, enjoying the coolness of the shade. Quickly 
becoming anxious, since they were so close to the expected treasure, 
they returned to their quest. 

By then it was less than a day's ride to the river. Turning south, they
followed the river bank for about half a day before spotting a blue 
object that proved to be a small washtub. The jeweled vein was down 
near the  bottom of a twenty foot cliff. A rusty pickaxe was lying 
under it. 

For the next week, everyone but Krilla took turns digging ore and
bringing it up to the top of the cliff in the tub. The cart was filled 
to capacity.  Krilla sat and watched. She had embedded the impression 
in their minds that she was doing her share. They then returned to the 
forest to rest before starting back to civilization, 

“I think I've earned more than one share,” Moooe complained, “since I
furnished the cart and have to take care of the Kranshee. You wouldn't 
have gotten here without me.” 

“Screw that. If anyone should gets more, it's me.” From Sohnnii. “I was
the one who financed the expedition, and the one who knew where to find 
the crystals.” 

“Don't try to pull that crap now, you two,” Shimmii ordered. “We're all
in this together and all get equal shares.”  All five of them joined 
into a loud argument. 

“Cut it out, you guys,” Krilla screamed. “There's enough for everybody.
Don't fight over it.” A voice of reason. After that she was the only 
one trusted by them all. The others fought constantly, egged on by her 
will. 

Already knowing the route, they made good time on the way back. Of
course, they bypassed Krilla's valley, expecting to be killed there.  
Instead, they stopped at another oasis in the desert for needed water.  
Before arriving at the first occupied area, they covered the ore with 
everything available to hide it from casual sight.  Krilla and Sammii 
stayed with the cart while the others went about their business. 

Moooe fed and watered the Kranshee while Shimmii and Sohnnii saw about
filling water containers.  Cuuly went after other supplies. 

“What do you think about mating when we get back, honey?” Sammii asked
her as they watched his father and uncle carrying water down a steep 
embankment from an exposed spring. 

“You knew I'd say yes, Sammii.” She hugged him while sending a thought
toward his father, causing the man to trip on a small pebble.  Shimmii 
tried to catch his balance, but his foot slid – with Krilla's help.  He 
fell, end over end, down the hill, landing on his head. 

Sohnnii dropped his own buckets and hurried to his brother. Shimmii was
dead, with a broken neck. It was an unhappy group that left the oasis – 
though some were secretly glad, since their shares would be greater 
with him dead. Nominally, Sohnnii was in charge, but the others didn't 
trust him.  They suspected that he had tripped his brother. 

Among other things, Cuuly had bought a supply of wine to celebrate the
success of their endeavor. He, Sohnnii, and Moooe spent a lot of their 
time sitting and drinking in the front of the loaded cart, while Sammii 
and Krilla sat in the back. Mostly, they talked and planned their 
future lives together. 

Drunkenly, Cuuly and Sohnnii turned their backs on the others to relieve
themselves over the side. Without warning, Cuuly disappeared over the 
edge. A moment later, they all felt a large bump as a back wheel ran 
over him. They stopped and checked, but he was dead. 

After that, nobody trusted Solnnii. Two members had died in freak
accidents, both in his company. A few mornings later they woke to see 
him sitting in a corner of the wagon, an arrow in his chest. The 
remaining three companions sighed in relief but nobody admitted the 
act. 

With Sohnnii's death, a lot of tension went out of the survivors,
although nobody admitted to shooting him. And, of course, that meant 
that each of their shares had now doubled in value. 

Krilla had obtained a great deal of her revenge on the men who kidnapped
her, but she needed Moooe to drive and take care of the Kranshee. 
Sammii was needed because she had never been to a city and didn't know 
the first thing about selling the jewels by herself. 

“Who do you think shot your uncle, Sammii?” she whispered one night.
“Was it you?” 

“No. It wasn't me, honey. Since it wasn't us, it has to have been Moooe,
we have to keep a close eye on him,” Sammii explained, never once 
suspecting the young woman. “Only one of us can sleep at a time.” He 
paused before continuing, "I'll take care of him later, for murdering 
Uncle Sohnnii and my father, but we need him for now.” 

They finally came to a point where they could see the towers of Elova
Keep, a military base, in the distance.  It was the first sign of 
civilization.  At the sight, the Kranshee picked up its pace, also 
anxious to return to civilization and stable food. 

“Stop here a minute, Moooe,” Sammii called up front. “We'd better get
these things covered better before going on.  It won't be long before 
we run into other wagons.” He grabbed a dirty tarp rolled against a 
rail.  “Some high enough to see in here.” 

Without a word, Moooe pulled the reins, stopping the cart. He started to
turn, only to meet the sharp blade of Sammii's knife.  Sammii quickly 
shoved the body over the edge of the cart. He and Krilla spent an hour 
or two scrubbing blood from the two killings out of the floorboards, 
and trying to hide the nature of their load. They had made a point, 
during the prior stop, of buying large dark cloths for that purpose. 

“Well, that's over, baby,” Sammii told her, taking the reins and
starting the Kranshee moving again. “It's clear sailing from here on.” 

“Oh, Sammii, I'm so sorry about all the killing,” she lied, sitting back
with a hidden smile. 

They made their way to the capital city of Elksta without incident. 
Sammii found a place to sell the ore for a fantastic amount of money.  
Although by no measure the richest couple in town, they were wealthy, 
and happy.  Until, that is, Sammii suffered an unfortunate accident.  
After that, Krilla was happy enough for both of them, indeed happy 
enough for all six. 

The End.


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