The Caged Kingdom

by M A Price

  Her body betraying her.

  “You’re going to be mine now Mara,” he proclaimed, pausing the march of his mouth.

  Maybe he really did believe so. His hands slid underneath the material of her top and upwards. He wanted it off she and she considered stopping him. There was no underwear there to hide behind.

  Her body refused and arched so he could pull the cloth above her head and quickly discard it on the floor.

  “You’re special Mara. You’re going to be beside me, I’m going to take care of you now and make sure you’re always by my side.”

  He stared at her, turned her in a circle as if sizing her up. He didn’t smile or show any warmth as he pulled her, naked to the waist, towards him. He pulled at the lace around her breeches with his mouth, all teeth and tongue. He undid the string and yanked them away.

  She rushed to cover her naked form with her hands, but he shook his thick head.

  "Only when I say you can." He didn't let her reply as he picked her up and carried her to the bed, as if she were as light as a leaf.

  “Tell me you want me Mara Lars. Tell me you’re mine. Always mine.”

  The dream clung to her as she woke. A dark shroud that wouldn’t go away.

  The memory of Xave’s skin clearer than it should have been.

  She was in a room, a house even. Becca’s funeral and family home came flooding back to her. Pushing Xave out.

  All the bones in her body ached and her head was pounding, a dull throb across her temple.

  She shifted slightly, the furs she had been wrapped in falling off her. Someone had changed her out of her green ripped dress and she now wore a tight-fitting pink gown she didn’t recognise. Despite the pain she pulled her body up into a sitting position and looked around, some water had been left on the wooden stool next to the bed. She reached for it, her fingers struggling to grip the cup.

  The water helped with the dry iron taste in her mouth, but it made her cough and splutter.

  The door opened within seconds and the sight of Idyn, an angry looking Camrin, Katanya and Ivloch, all standing there and peering in, would have been comical at any other time.

  Everything that happened with Idyn before the attack...

  Katanya stepped into the room first, slightly barging Camrin out of the way. Her hair was unusually messy, and Mara was quite sure she could see a leaf hidden in the lower curls. Katanya’s blue eyes looked over her as she plopped herself on the bed and stroked Mara’s hair.

  “You scared me Lars.”

  Ivloch motioned the others into the room, entered himself and closed the door, a final nod to whomever was still on the outside.

  He signalled to Katanya who grunted but jumped to her feet. She turned in a circle, drawing a box with her hands in each direction, a look of utter concentration on her face.

  “Done. We have about thirty minutes. Nobody will hear us in the meantime.”

  Ivloch paced on the right side of the room, occasionally looking around uncomfortably, Camrin pulled the chair out from the desk and placed it as far away from Mara as she thought possible, while Idyn leaned cautiously against the shut door.

  Mara couldn’t help but be slightly annoyed he hadn’t come to her side.

  “We have to discuss some things,” Ivloch declared, interrupting her thoughts and she quickly banished the memory of Idyn’s kiss and turned her attention to their leader. He looked tired.

  “Idyn?” Ivloch prompted.

  Idyn’s cheeks turned a deep red, but Mara knew he wouldn’t defy an order.

  “Last night, the erm, attack. The woman, her name is Gerry, they took it upon themselves to attack me and Mara. They had a message from Xave. If he knows where we are, then we have to presume that The Unforgiven know”. Everyone looked bleak, but Camrin’s face was made of thunder, Idyn ignored him and continued. "Them knowing about the camp was worrying enough. We need to know how they’re tracking us."

  “We’re also…worried about you Mara”. Katanya stroked her more as she spoke.

  “But I…I used some of the things Katanya taught me, I know I…ended up here but I wasn’t as…useless as I have been.”

  Camrin snorted at her words and Mara was incredibly grateful for the look of anger Katanya shot him.

  “You haven’t ever been ruddy useless Mara, and nor will you ever be,” Ivloch cut in “You were untrained when you came here and the skills Idyn tells me you used last night shows you have come a long way. What worries me is your collapse.”

  Idyn was looking at the floor and wouldn’t meet her gaze, Camrin was sneered, Ivloch resumed his pacing, and Katanya looked like she wanted to scoop her up and take her somewhere safe. Part of Mara liked that idea.

  “You fell to the ground Mara and blood started gushing out of your nose and your mouth. You wouldn’t wake up,” Idyn finally said. He still wouldn’t look at her. “I didn’t know what to do at first and I ignored all of my training and screamed. Camrin came running and we carried you and the woman here.”

  Camrin stopped glowering to smile encouragingly in Idyn’s direction and Mara couldn’t help but feel a small hole inside her open up. Had she failed? Was it the message from Xave between them? The kiss?

  “There is another thing Mara, the letter you got. You burnt it in your hand, we need to know what it said,” Katanya interested quickly. She lifted up Mara’s right hand and Mara could see the faint outline of burn marks across her palm.

  “He told me he was thinking of me, always. That was all.” Idyn had known that. Did he think she lied?

  Idyn looked at her now. His face an unreadable mask.

  “Have you contacted him?” Camrin enquired, Mara shook her head but kept her eyes on Idyn.

  “How long before you can travel Mara? We’ve been here an extra day as it is. We need to get back to the camp and plan. We’re losing and we need to change that” Ivloch roared.

  Mara went to answer and claim she was ready now but Katanya pushed her back onto the bed.

  “She’ll be ready by evening. You can go ahead if you wish, get everything ready, I’ll bring her come nightfall, I’d love to see the state of anyone who dare to attack us.” Ivloch tried to not smile but failed and ruffled Katanya’s messy head.

  “Alright. Camrin, secure the prisoner. Idyn, get everyone ready, we leave within the hour. Mara, rest up for a few hours. We’re going to need you in the pavilion when you arrive. Kat, be careful when you bring her, be safe, we’ll need you too. Are you still sure?”

  “You know me I don’t make half arsed decisions.”

  Mara saw from Camrin’s confusion he had no idea what they meant either.

  With that the four of them left the room, led by Idyn who didn’t say goodbye or even come back once before he rode next to Ivloch an hour later.

  ***

  The ride from the cottage left Mara feeling incredibly sore. Every part of her called for rest and her palm chafed from holding the horse’s reins. She had tried to talk to Katanya on the way but not only had she been on alert; she had also been distracted.

  One-word answers and grunts were all that came from the redhead.

  As soon as they reached the camp, Mara was aware something important was going to happen. Everyone was unusually quiet. Jengen met them to take Ballaca and the strange white stallion she had rode but said nothing, only embraced Katanya.

  The pavilion was the only source of noise, everyone else either hiding or safe in their own tent. The fire pits had never been empty at night before. Katanya inclined her head across the camp towards Ivloch's home. “We should get this over with little one.” There was a look of resolve in her blaring eyes.

  Mara reached for her hand and Katanya squeezed it as they began the walk.

  Something about the evening made her feel uneasy and it wasn’t just the thought of seeing Idyn. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would avoid her again or if everyone else would treat her differently.

  In the past two moon turns this place had become hom
e and the idea of losing that was far scarier than anything Xave could say.

  Forty-Six – Katanya

  There were more than thirty people in Ivloch’s pavilion as she and Mara entered.

  A small furnace had been placed near Ivloch’s bed and he stood beside it, with Idyn and a grim Camrin. The others were crowded around in every space they could fit. Yenna and Jengen. Fendir and Dexter. All the faces she knew; waiting for her and a ceremony they considered sacred.

  She pushed through the mass of bodies towards Ivloch, Mara trailing in her wake. The girl didn’t know what was about to happen and for that Katanya partly envied her. The other part just wanted it over with. The decision meant more than the ceremony to her; but it would please the crowd and that mattered.

  She had meant her words to Ivloch and she was ready for this. It had always been her destiny. From the moment her parents had joined The Guild. Through their deaths and her time with Ivloch and Becca. She had once taken a vow to Kyllian, another man of the Guild. Their Matrimonial Mark would always be etched above her own heart. She’d been one of the only people to ever escape a Facility and it still led her back here. Even her attempt to leave, the outrage at not being able to save Becca, had eventually come full circle.

  She belonged here. With the Guild. No matter what came next; and it was coming soon.

  After the ceremony she would leave for Tonkara. The note bore by Becca had promised an ally and she’d be damned if she wouldn’t try and finish Becca’s work. Perhaps it was a trick from Xave, but she thought not.

  The irony of going to the palace when the one reason she’d wanted to go was already gone, wasn’t lost on her; but things were getting worse and they needed every bit of help they could get.

  One woman may be able to accomplish what an army could not. Answers about the serum. A chance for help.

  Ivloch placed his hand on her shoulder as she reached him, and she turned to face the crowd. They were all smiling, except for Mara who had paused at the front. This would be the first Guild Vow she had witnessed. Hands started to join together, the clapping reverberating about the pavilion.

  The apprehension inside her battled with the atmosphere they provided. It felt like energy sizzled in the air and her power surged in reaction, a heat inside her that wanted to make them happy, to feel powerful and free.

  Camrin came up beside her, he hadn’t joined in with the celebrations.

  “Don’t do this because of what I said to you. You don’t have to do this Kat.”

  She reached for his cheek and rest her hand there. Her brother who had given and lost as much as she had. He thought he didn’t need protecting or aiding but he probably needed it more than most. This wasn’t because of him, but perhaps his words had helped make her realise this had been the right course all along.

  “I’m doing this for me. For us. Not because of you.”

  He looked like he wanted to argue but instead kissed her forehead. “I’m proud of you Katanya. Kyllian and Becca would be proud of you. Vow or no vow.” She felt his words overwhelm her, the threat of a wetness in her eyes but she gulped and willed the emotions away.

  Ivloch raised his hand to silence everyone and the clapping ceased immediately.

  “We’re here today for something that means a lot to each and every one of us. The Guild’s vow has been sacred since the first Guardian of the Mark founded The Guild. It is for life. We swear to protect the one blessed by Kara, those who guard her, and the people of Brodanna. We will love The Guild as much as we love our own families.” He paused to take in the room. “Most of you have taken the vow and the others will understand what’s about to happen here today. Katanya Leshi was born amongst us. She grew amongst us…” he peered away, towards the bed which remained unmade.

  The bed Becca would never again grace.

  “Becca and I raised her and loved her as our own, but we were also lucky enough to know her parents. They would be so proud to have seen her grow into everything they ever dreamed." Ivloch allowed himself a sad smile "I welcome her today to take the vow, to become one of us in name and deed.”

  “Katanya! Katanya! Katanya!” a cheer started to swarm around the room. It was overpowering and exhilarating all at once.

  The only person who wasn’t smiling or chanting was Mara. She looked slightly lost at the front of the mob. Katanya had felt the same the first time she remembered seeing the ceremony. She could recall the feeling of mixed emotions of fear, happiness, and worry.

  Ivloch invited her forward and indicated she should kneel before him.

  She did so, careful to brush her red cape behind her. Camrin passed his longsword to Ivloch, cradling it as if it was a precious child. He moved before her and she held her arms out, ready to receive the sword.

  “Katanya Leshi, will you hold this sword and recite the vow of The Guild?”

  “Willingly and always.” Seeing this ceremony so much over the years had at least meant she knew the words.

  He lay the sword in her outstretched arms and she swivelled to face the crowd. A hushed silence fell across them once more.

  “I swear to Kara. To The Transmitter. To the people of Brodanna.

  “I give my life, my soul, and my body to Kara’s Guild.

  “My family will be beside them in war or peace.

  “My land, my power, and my breath will protect.

  “I will aid Kara’s Marked with all my might, as if she were me and I were her.

  “The Guardians will be my race and my home. My friends and never my foes.

  “Brodanna will be first in my heart, it’s enemies for my wrath.

  “I pledge to deliver The Unforgiven to justice, by sword, hammer or knell.

  “I will serve until the day I die,

  “Forever and always.”

  She didn’t rise as the last of her words echoed across the room; she knew the part that came next. She raised the sword above her head, holding it tight.

  “I am your weapon, your protector, and your friend. I belong with you until I am ashes in the wind. We are The Guild.”

  She brought the sword down and plunged it into the earth before her.

  It had been said if the sword happened to fall or fail to cement itself in the ground before you, then your vow was a failure. You weren’t worthy of The Guild or anyone in it.

  Katanya’s sword didn’t fall.

  It stuck firmly, the pummel reaching the height of her face.

  The cheers began, louder than before, joy in every voice. Even Mara had joined in, Katanya’s name slipping from her lips over and over again, like satin.

  Her arms were already uncovered, her sleeves rolled up in preparation for the final part of the ceremony. Ivloch was standing proudly next to her, his smile wider than anyone else’s in the room. So large that Katanya couldn’t help but beam up at him in return.

  Camrin offered him the brand but he shook his shaggy mane. “I think you should do the honours this time.”

  Camrin seemed choked, but he advanced past her. The brand had already been heated in the fire, she imagined he or Idyn would have prepared it as she recited the vow.

  “Katanya Leshi, Guild member, please give me your left wrist to receive your Guild Mark.” The right wrist was for actual Guardians, the place their Mark always appeared. All Guild members promised to keep it bare in case the honour should ever pass to them.

  Katanya could only hope she would never be so unlucky.

  She presented her arm to him, he squinted in apology as he bought the boiling iron down. The pain was immense, but she didn’t cry out.

  Fire had always been her weapon; it had burnt her before and would burn her again, but that’s why she trusted it, there was an honesty to it.

  She swallowed the bile in her throat and the tears that stung at her eyes.

  She would be the weapon.

  She was The Guild now. A member until the end of her days.

  The Mark was crisp and clear. The swirling G curving under the barr
ier that was meant to protect Brodanna. So similar, yet so different, from the Marks worn by Mara and Ivloch.

  She stood, adrenaline pumping through her veins. The chants had grown even louder, everyone begging to see her. She raised her arms above her head, flashing the wrist she knew they wanted to see more than anything.

  “We are The Guild!” she screamed as loud as her lungs would allow.

  ***

  Celebrations had spread across camp in the wake of her ceremony, more people than had been in the tent coming to congratulate her and clink their tankards.

  They didn’t notice she only sipped hers.

  She spent most of the time talking with Mara who was full of questions about the vow and then avoiding Dexter’s attention. He seemed to want to discuss what happened at Becca’s funeral and she couldn’t bear to hurt him today. They had made no promises, he knew that.

  The stars seemed oddly absent, fires burning across camp becoming the only light. Jengen was drunkenly murdering folk songs with the help of Yenna. She wanted to stay, to stop nursing her ale and join in the party.

  But, it was time.

  Ivloch stood as she approached him. He whispered apologies to Fendir and excused himself.

  They headed towards the stables, their conversations before and after Becca’s funeral fresh in her mind. She presumed his too.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “You saw the note when we got back. If Becca made a friend there, anyone that could help us, then I’ll find them.” She pulled a pile of papers from the bag she’d collected from Camrin earlier. “Jengen had these doctored whilst we were gone. I asked him before I told you. They should get me entrance to the city and the palace. Once I’m inside if there is someone…” She didn’t say what would happen if there wasn’t or that the papers might not be enough.

  “It could be a trap. Someone else could go.”

  “I’ll be better. I’ve dealt with The Unforgiven before, I know what to expect. I know about the serum and what to look for, it makes sense. If it’s a trap I don’t want anyone else falling in it.”

  “I don’t want you falling in it Katanya. We won’t be able to get in and save you. Becca…”