Chapter four of Radella

"Avery!" Ella scrambled down the hallway after breakfast.

Avery turned around.

"Avery, I have to talk to you," She said. When he didn't move she said, "In private."

"Oh," he said and they went into the visiting room. Zandra was waiting in the room already.

"Okay, I know you're not going to believe me at first, but -"

"You have got to see the things she has!" Zandra broke in, "I'm sorry."

And Ella went on to tell him all about how the ogres were after her and about the lightning. He sat through it all calmly and only seemed surprised when she showed him the flash light.

"Well?" Ella said after she had explained it all.

"I guess I can believe it," he said, "After all, this world is full of all sorts of unknown magic."

"Really? That easily?" Ella said, "Okay, then I just have one question. Why would the ogres be after me?"

"Why indeed?"

"Okay, I though I might get an answer."

"Well, your question didn't make sense." He said, "The ogres are savage creatures."

"Yeah, but," Ella was disappointed; "I've been here for what, two days? You've been here all your life. There's bound to be something about all this that I don't know about."

"Oh, there's plenty," Avery said, "But right now I couldn't even begin to think-"

He stopped and waited.

"What-" Ella was quieted by him.

"Don't you hear it?" Avery whispered.

They listened, holding their breath and staining to hear what could scarcely be heard. Then at last, they heard it. It was a low rumbling, almost like thunder, but they all knew it wasn't. They knew it was-

"Ogres," Zandra whispered, her breath was coming out unsteadily.

Ella gasped, "But how?"

Then, as if on cue, they were all out the door and running down the wide hallway. They came out in front of the small castle, the rain still falling lightly and the world outside a gloomy forest. As they listened they could vaguely hear the thud, thud, thud, of the ogre's footsteps.

"An ogre!" Zandra screamed, "An ogre is coming! Prepare of flee!"

At her warning people began to run about, some screaming and some in a daze. Many were hitching up wagons. Carriages were crammed full with too many people and soon the stables were almost entirely empty.

"Come, we must get out of here!" Avery was saying.

"No," Ella said gravely, "Give them what they want and they'll go away."

"No!" Zandra cried, "Ella you can't!" Zandra desperately tried to pull her away, but Ella only shrugged her off.

"Fine," Zandra said, "You stay, I stay."

"No, Zandra!" Ella said.

"Friends don't let friends get themselves killed, "Zandra said, and then added, "Alone."

Ella couldn't help but smile. This, she thought, is what a real friend is like.

"Well, friends don't let friends do stupid things either, go!"

"I can't," Zandra said, "It's too late already." She pointed.

Ella followed the direction and found herself staring into the ugliest face she had ever seen. Thick black eyebrows stretched over its bulging eyes and met in between them. The ogre head was just above the trees that stood around the castle.

Ella's heart pounded in, what she recognized as, panic. Zandra and Avery stood behind her with the same expression. The ogre let out a roar that made them all jump and pounded the ground threateningly with his tree sized club. It moved aside the trees as easily as if it were only parting grass.