The Caged Kingdom

by M A Price

  They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, both looking down at those around them. Katanya could see Ivloch’s eyes going between Mara and Camrin. She wondered what he was thinking but daren’t ask; he probably needed to keep some things private, now more than ever. As she herself looked down, her eyes accidentally lingered on Dexter laid out in the grass.

  She picked up the bottle between them and took another swig, paused, and then another. The heat of the spice made her belly feel hot and her mouth feel like fire, but it helped.

  Fire was one of her favourite friends after all.

  She passed him the bottle. “You’re going to want a drink and then I want to tell you something,”

  He looked intrigued but did as he was bid and swallowed the liquid. Then came the look of expectation and an unwritten hope that whatever he was about to discover was not bad news. There had been enough in recent moons.

  “I’m going to join up.”

  He raised his bushy eyebrows and splattered as he reached for another mouthful.

  “I know I said I always wouldn’t, and I meant it, but things have changed, and the stakes are higher…we’ve lost Becca, we lost Elex, and we’re going to lose more of them before this is over.”

  “Kat, you always swore you wouldn’t, that it wasn’t for you.”

  She raised her arm around his shoulder “I did and at the time that was true, but it isn’t now, and we need every soldier. I always used to think I didn’t have enough reasons to fight and I could live my life and deal with the consequences of what happened, but I was wrong. You’re my family, Becca was my family.” She gestured with her free hand down at Mara, Idyn, and even Camrin. “So are they, come what may and I want to be part of protecting them, even this bloody place. I want to officially be a member of Kara’s Guild.”

  Then she told him of the note Mara had found on Becca’s body. He was shocked, but not as surprised as he was moments later when she told him the plan she wanted to set in motion. Dangerous for her; but possibly providing all the answers The Guild needed.

  Ivloch took a deep breath and took another sip of the rum before swearing loudly under his breath.

  “I dunno what to say Kat, you are my daughter,” he took her hand, “…and I don’t want anything to ruddy happen to you, but at the same time, we do need the soldiers and I do need you but I don’t want you to go against everything you’ve ever believed in.”

  “I know, but I think the truth is, it wasn’t what I believed in, it’s more that I wanted to believe in nothing, especially after the Facility and… Kyllian; but I want to do this and I’m going to do it. I just wanted to tell you before I take the vow tomorrow.”

  “It’s dangerous Kat, joining The Guild and this mission you want to go on. I can’t lose anyone else.” He looked her dead in the eye, “…but we’re not going to get anywhere by playing it safe anymore.”

  “I’ll do it. I won’t promise I’ll make it; but I’ll give it my damn best.”

  “You always do. You always do.” He pulled her into a bear hug, her head getting lost in the volume of his messy beard. The smell of alcohol was strong on his breath and clothes, but she couldn’t hold that against him. “Now, ruddy well get down there, go and spend some time with the rest of your family tonight, unwind, we dunno what’s going to happen next so do what makes you feel better.”

  He released her and looked at Dexter, still laying shirtless on the ground. “You know he likes you, can’t take his ruddy eyes off you and I know you’re not looking for a forever anymore, but you could probably do with a now. We all need that sometimes.”

  She looked up at him, down at Dexter, and back to the floor. There was no point denying the truth of his words, Ivloch wasn’t someone that you could lie to, nor someone that you wanted to.

  “What about you?”

  “Me?” he grinned down at her “I’m going to talk to a few more bottles tonight, find somewhere quiet later to let myself have those tears still all built up; somewhere I can tell the ruddy sky how ruddy unfair this life is, and then I’m going to wake everyone up in the morning, tell them to ignore their ruddy hangovers, and ride for camp. We have to sign in the best bloody soldier we will ever have. When, and if this is all over one day; I’m gonna come back here and live in that ruddy house and love it like I loved her, until I get to ruddy be with her again.”

  She finished the bottle with Ivloch, and they carefully made their way down the rocks. He hugged her once more before wandering off towards the little house. She didn’t think anyone else would see him again tonight, and tomorrow he would once again be the leader they all knew and respected.

  The hurt and the loss would come later; but it would come. A lesson she had learnt well.

  She found another bottle from the cart and checked in on Ballaca. She seemed to be eating carrots and resting with Yemtree as if she knew she had the remainder of the night off.

  Next came Mara who hugged her tight and drunkenly confessed her love.

  "I love you too Lars. Don't get sick in your hair. It'll smell for a moon turn however much you wash it."

  After Mara she wandered straight towards Dexter, swigging her new drink as she went. She needed the heat and the confidence; much more than she would ever let anyone know.

  The fiery image they had of her; confident to the end was one she firmly wanted to keep.

  Dexter raised his head from the tall grass as she approached, his green eyes staring at her questioningly.

  “Can I sit?” she asked, and he pat the grass parallel to him.

  She made her intentions clear and promised him no love story.

  He understood as he took her hand and pulled her closer.

  Forty-Five - Mara

  Mara had only ever been drunk once before.

  She’d been fourteen and travelling with the troupe just outside Torlung. It had been the winter before Tess left them and she’d appeared in Maggie’s trailer, a bottle of strange clear liquid in her hand. The memory of vomiting profusely whilst Maggie read her the riot act had remained vivid in her mind since.

  It had been her suggestion to take a walk in the woods and she did her very best not to step on any protruding branch or trip up the vines on the floor, but it was mostly Idyn’s steadying hand that kept her entirely upright.

  He smelled of rum and leather, and her addled brain liked it very much.

  The light of the moon came through the trees but otherwise it was pitch black and all Mara could hear was the sound of their breathing and the animals off in the woods. The noise of everyone at the lake had vanished. Had they wandered further than she thought or were things winding down?

  “It’s kind of nice to get away from everyone after tonight, isn’t it?” Idyn asked.

  “It is, but I feel bad for saying that.”

  “You shouldn’t, loss is messy. Sometimes you need the people you love around you and sometimes you need a few minutes on your own. You need to figure out what’s best for you or you’ll explode.”

  She tried to respond but stumbled slightly as the hem of her dress attached itself to one of the blue brambles. Wylow seemed to have some very odd plant life. She tried to pull away but somehow the dark green fabric managed to entwine itself further on the thorns. She reached down to pull it away, but her other foot lost balance and she fell in a crumpled heap to the floor. She heard the mud underneath her squelch. Her dress had ripped itself free, a giant slit now along the side.

  Idyn reached out a steadying hand which she tried to catch but the weight of her laughter pulled him down on top of her. Mud splattering across both of them.

  The feel of Idyn’s body welcome. They had kissed. They had slept next to each other many times but there had never been anything more.

  No conversation on the topic of…physical intimacy.

  She knew he hadn’t wanted to push her, felt awkward about the conversation and she…this was the last thing she had planned.

  The last man she had given her heart to
had been working for The Unforgiven. He had lied to her for the three moon turns she’d been in the Facility and it made her feel like a fool. Xave had been her first. Idyn had been forced to tell her who Xave truly was. Everything since had been…different.

  She’d been thrown into a world she hadn’t ever imagined and left at the centre of it.

  Falling in love with Idyn had just happened along the way. She could ask him if he felt the same, but what if he didn’t? Would that change everything here? She thought perhaps, somehow, he might but…

  He breathed in slowly and looked at her, seemingly unsure of whether to move away or to kiss her, every part of her wanted him to lean in, just a little closer. She pushed herself up slightly, more aware of the wetness underneath them but not caring. Her face was so near his, their breath mingling in the cold air.

  “Mara, we…”

  She didn’t let him finish the words as she breached the space between them and hurled her lips towards his.

  He tasted like he smelt and before she could stop herself her hands were in his hair and her legs wrapped around his lean waist. To hell with waiting, or the mud or anything else. To hell with being sensible. They were here because someone had died and neither of them could know if there was time to wait…

  She could see the physical effort it took as he hauled himself away from her and sat on the grass. He was breathing raggedly, and his hand was out in front of him, as if to stop himself from drawing back towards her.

  She pawed at the remains of her dress and drew her legs up to her chest. Maybe he didn’t feel the same.

  “I get what you’re feeling Mara, because I feel it too, but this isn’t what you’ve seemed to want before and you’ve had a lot to drink,” he shook his head and reached for her hand. “You’re upset and you’re drunk, not to mention scared. You want to feel something, but I don’t want to rush this or to feel something just tonight because our bodies are telling us to.” He laughed then and she moved away from him. “I really like you Mara, more than I have ever liked anyone I’ve met. I’m not going to take advantage of you or do anything before we talk about that because I don’t want to play games or have some half-hearted fling. That’s not who I am or who I want to be.”

  Mara looked up at him, her brown eyes awash with tears. She wanted to tell him how she felt, that it wasn’t just about tonight or ever had been, but everything seemed to jumble in her mind, and she could feel that familiar sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Then she heard it.

  Katanya had told her to trust her instincts and she knew immediately something wasn’t right.

  A rustling was coming from the nearby trees, a noise that sounded too deliberate to be made by an animal. She raised her finger to her lips and Idyn seemed momentarily confused before he too seemed to notice.

  The other sounds of the forest had disappeared.

  She could make out footsteps.

  She heaved herself up with the help of the branch hanging over her head and Idyn moved swiftly into a crouch. He reached for the sword that was usually on his back, as if he’d forgotten he left it at camp.

  She saw his body go rigid, fear setting in.

  She hiked up the mess of her dress and retrieved the two daggers she’d hidden in her garter. It wasn’t the best weapons stash to rely on, but it was certainly better than nothing. She passed one to him and he grimaced, but there was gratitude mixed in the expression.

  That was the moment an arrow flew towards Idyn’s head.

  She didn’t see where it had come from, but she knew she had to act quickly. Concentrate, concentrate, she told herself and willed her power to do as she wished it to. Katanya had taught her this. She could do it.

  She raised her hand and focused on the arrow in flight. Idyn still hadn’t moved.

  It continued its approach, but she commanded it to stop. Her body moved on its own to shield him, as the arrow froze centimetres from her forehead. She moved her hand into a crushing motion, and it fell silently from the air, its pieces lost to the forest floor.

  Idyn was gaping at her, his mouth contorted in surprise, but she continued forward, towards the arrow’s source.

  A compulsion she couldn’t explain kept her body trudging on as another arrow shot out. She managed to grab it almost instantly this time.

  Movement came from the trees as two dark shapes attempted to run. Curses yelling into the night. Mara concentrated and moved both of her hands in a binding motion. One of the shapes let out a scream as they fell to the floor, limbs immobile.

  She focused on the other shape which had managed to retreat further.

  Another pulse of her power left her body, without her having to ask. The figure continued to flee but then she heard a yelp and a snap which suggested her blast had hit home.

  She pressed on, eager to find her attackers. The branches her enemies had used moments before bent to her will, revealing an easy path for her to follow. Something inside her told her Idyn was behind her but she didn’t wait for him or even look in his direction. She found herself standing above the first fallen assailant.

  They were dressed in the King's colours, with an extra black mask over the lower part of their face. Mara could see the first one was a woman. She used her power once more to remove the mask but didn’t release her limbs. The woman stared defiantly up towards her.

  “Who are you? Where are you from?” Mara demanded, her voice sounded disconnected, shrill even.

  “I owe you nothing,” the woman hissed.

  Mara knelt down and moved her dagger to the woman’s throat. Idyn passed to search for the other figure.

  “Who sent you?” The woman tried desperately to move but Mara didn’t let go. She felt herself push the dagger deeper into her skin. Her mind was telling her to stop but the power inside her wanted her to continue, to retrieve the answers she needed and stop at nothing less.

  “Fine… we were sent to deliver a message from the palace, from Xave, but we saw you and…”

  “You tried to kill us instead?” Idyn said the words as he dumped her accomplice next to her. He was unconscious or dead, Mara couldn’t tell.

  “We thought…the reward would be greater than just a message.” The woman had tears in her eyes and a line of blood forming where the dagger pressed.

  Idyn demanded to know what the message was. Mara just felt her head swim. Xave. How had he known where to find them? The camp was one thing but here...Had he been responsible for Becca’s body? Even the note?

  She just wanted him to leave her alone, more than anything in the world.

  “I don’t know what it is. He has it.”

  Mara finally pulled the dagger away paying no attention to the blood which pooled at her attackers' neck. She walked around to the other figure in black and felt for a pulse. He was dead. She wasn’t sure how; her power had meant to knock him down, not murder him.

  “He fell onto a rock.” Idyn pointed to a head wound and Mara choked back a sob.

  Idyn had been telling her how much he liked her moments ago, now Xave was between them and a man was dead.

  Her power shrunk back as she knelt down and searched in his pockets. The nausea was back but she did her best to push it away.

  The scroll was hidden in a pocket under his armour. She managed to retrieve it without disturbing the body. She stood before she uncurled it. Part of her wanted to see the contents, to know what malice Xave sent, and the other part wanted to burn it. Forget she had ever known it existed.

  The message bore the King’s wax seal.

  The words inside were simple and nothing she or The Guild hadn’t known but they shook her all the same. He had sent these soldiers here and proved he knew where they all were to write ‘Thinking of you Mara. Always.’

  The King of the world they were fighting for had stamped his approval on such a message.

  So much more than the simple yet horrifying words.

  Her throat went dry and hysteria spiralled in her mind. There s
eemed to be no escape from Xave. No escape from his reach or power.

  She managed to take one step towards Idyn before she crumpled to the ground, the letter turning to ashes as fire erupted from her palm.

  ***

  She awoke to find herself on a straw bed, which further confused her addled mind.

  At first only certain words floated out of the fog. Ivloch’s name, Katanya loudly swearing at Camrin, Prisoner, someone said Xave’s name and she hated whoever it was with a passion.

  She wanted to join them, to hear what her friends were really saying and be a part of their conversation, to tell them not to mention Xave, but any attempts to lift her head made her wince. This time she didn’t feel pain, but she knew the darkness was coming.

  Xave was there, in front of her and she was nervous.

  His dark brooding eyes were filled with a yearning, and she wanted to make him happy; the way he had been making her.

  She crossed the room, taking another look down at herself. These stupid tight-fitting clothes they had to wear always clung to everywhere she didn’t want them; they pointed out the bulge of her stomach and the way her thighs were a little bit larger than she wanted them to be. That she wasn’t as thin as Elex and her body wasn’t toned or as willing to comply as so many others.

  Xave’s was. More than most.

  He reached out his arms and pulled her towards him, her head at the height of his protruding chest, so different without the usual chainmail. Smooth brown skin, soft to the touch. He smiled; but she could tell he sensed her anxiety, the fact she wanted to pull away.

  He tried to pull up the bottom of her shirt playfully, but she tugged it down, with a look of mock horror. Maybe she was being silly, for some reason he obviously did want to be with her. To see her.

  He settled for his arms around her waist and he began to kiss her stomach through the thin material, a trail of kisses up and down the part of her she hated the most.

  It made her feel things inside; things she hadn’t felt before. The kisses started to get higher and lower, and she could feel her body reaching out for him, her hands gripping his shoulders.