Captured Series Bundle

by Christina Hale

  Vralius chuckled softly and then embraced me, lifting me up to kiss me deeply. “I love you, Nephele,” he told me softly. I grinned, kissing him back, and then I replied breathlessly, “I love you too, Vralius.”

  He set me down and then inhaled deeply. I moved over to the window, noticing how far the shadows had extended. “It’s almost time,” I told him with slight surprise. I didn’t realize we’d been at it so long. He nodded and then sighed, moving to stand beside me.

  “We should go, before they come looking for us,” he told me with another sigh. I nodded and then reached up, taking his hand, while he smiled softly down at me.

  “You aren’t going to be too tired, are you?” I asked anxiously, suddenly fearing that I’d put him at a disadvantage. He just laughed and shook his head, telling me swiftly, “No, I’ll be fine. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to me, I can promise you that.”

  I nodded and then smiled, and he led me to the door. He pushed it open slowly, and then he led me off, no doubt towards the center of the herd, where he and Napius were to fight to see who would get to keep me.

  The clearing was packed when we arrived, and I was walking between Napius and Vralius. I ignored all of the stares and whispers, and focused only on Vralius next to me. Gisor walked ahead of us, while Napius looked straight ahead, refusing to look my way. Vralius, on the other hand, kept shooting me glances. I swallowed roughly, feeling nervous and worried, but he just looked relaxed.

  Gisor brought us up onto the raised platform, and we all faced the crown. He had a dark look on his face as he addressed the rest of the herd.

  “A challenge has been uttered by Vralius, and accepted by Napius,” Gisor’s voice rang out above the silent crowd of centaurs, who looked back and forth from each other, up to Gisor, Napius, Vralius and I. We were gathered again in the center of the herd, where I’d been first exchanged, and the feeling was much the same as last time. Whispers rustled through the herd, but Gisor quieted them and continued. “The terms of the challenge – if Napius wins, he will keep the slave Nephele. If Vralius conquers Napius instead, he will win the slave back, and he will have the right to free her from the bonds of her slavery, by means of marriage.” Shock coursed through the crowd, and I stared straight ahead, feeling both fearful and excited. I only hoped this would be the last time I was on display.

  “Their single weapon is a sword, which have been hand-picked by the two fighters. They will have no armor, and no shield,” Gisor continued in his deep, serious voice. “And though this is not meant to be a fight to the death, serious injuries and death will not be prohibited.” My blood ran cold at these words, and I looked up at Vralius to find that he, too, was shocked. Napius had a sort of smug look on his face that I instantly despised, but I was too horrified to do or say anything.

  Gisor turned away from the gathered centaurs, and instead looked to Napius and Vralius. “There is no time limit, there is no boundary line. This challenge ends once one of gives in.” Napius shot a half-nervous, half-angry glance at his father, and he demanded, “What happens if neither of us gives in?” I could hardly believe that Napius really thought he could take Vralius on. The differences between the two, in size and muscle, should have made it clear. Then again… I had a gut feeling that Napius was going to rely more on speed that brute strength. I knew it was obvious, that all of the centaurs could move fast – but surely weight would affect just how fast? I sighed inwardly, my stomach in knots.

  “If neither of you give in… well, then I suppose it does make it a fight to the death,” Gisor said, almost cheerfully. He seemed to be taking a twisted amusement from this, and I had to wonder why, why didn’t he care for the safety of his son? Was he truly just that heartless?

  Napius looked taken aback, and when he tried to protest, Gisor held up a hand to silence him. “Silence,” he cried, turning back to the rest of the herd again. “Both Vralius and Napius have had the chance to train for this fight. It will begin momentarily. Cazis!” Gisor suddenly called out for Cazis, who appeared from the middle of the crowd.

  “Yes, Gisor?” Cazis replied, his dark eyes sliding over Napius, settling on me for a few moments, passing over Vralius, and then finally settling on Gisor.

  “Go and fetch their swords, will you? I’d like to get this fight started,” Gisor replied, a faint smile toying with his lips. He beckoned for the three of us, and we followed him off of the platform. After motioning with his hand, Gisor had the crowd parted, and it formed a loose semi-circle around us. Cazis left, no doubt to get the weapons, while Gisor grabbed me by the wrist.

  “You are to come with me, and keep your distance,” he told me, smirking down at me. I wrenched my arm away from him and he moved to stand well away from the crowd. I had a clear view of Napius and Vralius, no doubt what Gisor had intended.

  “It’s likely one of these two men will die today,” Gisor murmured. There was no one else near us to hear as I replied icily, “I know it will be Napius. How can you do this to your own son? I know this wasn’t supposed to be a fight to the death.”

  Gisor chuckled darkly and continued in an undertone, “Oh, it wasn’t… But I wanted there to be a real consequence for this fight.”

  I looked straight ahead, but my fists clenched angrily and through gritted teeth, I argued, “And who will suffer this consequence, Gisor? If Vralius dies, Napius won’t care, and the same goes for Vralius if Napius dies!”

  Gisor chuckled once again, and he shifted to stand in front of me. He lowered his face down close to mine, and he hissed, “Oh, no, the consequence is for you, my dearest Nephele… You went against all that we stand for; you turned both Vralius and my son into fools… I’d kill them both right now, were it not for the herd’s excitement about this fight. As for you? You’re just a slave, you don’t mean one damn thing to me. And it will be you paying the price, for all of the bloodshed that is to come.”

  The chief left me standing there, unable to speak. He walked back to where Cazis had returned, and took the swords from him. Cazis shot me a sinister smirk, as Gisor cried out, “Vralius, come and take your sword!”

  I watched as Vralius moved forward, extending his right arm, and I bit my lip. Once he’d taken it, he moved back to where he’d been before, and Gisor cried out again, “Napius! Come, and take your sword!”

  Napius looked nervous again, and he took the sword from his father with trembling hands. He moved back to his position much slower than Vralius had, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

  With both centaurs in their places, Gisor stepped back and declared, “Let the fight begin!” Vralius was the first to lash out, wielding an overly-large, two-handed sword. He swung at Napius, who barely managed to block it – the swing was too heavy, however, and Napius was thrown off balance. Vralius swung again and there was a violent burst of blood as he struck Napius on the arm. Napius cried out in pain and I flinched.

  Despite the blood flowing freely from Napius’ arm, I knew the injury wouldn’t be a fatal one. He looked stunned and in obvious pain, but he could still fight and I knew he wasn’t going to give up. He thrust his sword forward, aiming for Vralius’ chest, and Vralius had to rear up to avoid being stabbed. His flailing legs kicked Napius’ sword from his hand, and both of them scrambled backwards; Napius, to retrieve his sword, and Vralius to put distance between the two of them.

  I, meanwhile, was on pins and needles; Napius was too close to Vralius, too close to almost injuring him…

  As Napius scrambled up, Vralius darted forward again, holding his sword tightly. “Give up, Napius!” Vralius shouted, making me jump slightly. There was a clanging noise of steel on steel as they both attacked and deflected each other’s attacks.

  “I’m not going to give up,” Napius retorted angrily. Despite his courage, I could see him shaking, even from this distance. Vralius was much stronger, and he was putting all of his weight behind his attacks. Either Napius’ sword was going to break, or Napius was.

  I swallowe
d back my fear as Vralius swung again, this time aiming for Napius’ side. Napius darted out of the way, and I began to wonder how Vralius would fair. He’d gotten in the first hit, but what if all it had been was luck? Vralius was larger, and stronger, yes, but he weighed more – and the sword he wielded was massive, which would also likely bog him down. I didn’t know much about swords, or any other weapon, but Napius’ sword was shorter and less bulky.

  With Vralius’ sword taking more power to use, it took longer to stop, especially because he had missed. This gave Napius a free shot, and he made it a cheap one. He lunged forward as hard as he could, aiming for Vralius’ stomach. He made a slashing movement instead of a stabbing one – and it probably saved Vralius’ life.

  Vralius wasn’t able to dodge the attack fully, but he did manage to jump out of the way so that, instead of being slashed on the stomach, his leg was cut up around the knee. He inhaled sharply in pain, and I covered my mouth to force myself to keep quiet.

  Vralius jumped back while most of the gathered crowd began to cheer. Only a few began to boo Napius. Although his wound hardly bled, I knew that movement was going to be difficult now, and he proved it by half-charging, half-limping towards Napius. He struck out with his sword, aiming for Napius’ side again. Getting tired, Napius wasn’t able to dodge as well, and the sword pierced his side. I didn’t know – and didn’t want to know – how deep the sword sunk into his flesh, but I did see the blood that poured from his body.

  Napius shrieked in pain and the crowd fell silent, holding its breath. Clapping a hand to his side, Napius made a wild swing towards Napius, but he blocked it with his own sword. Vralius grunted angrily and grabbed Napius’ wrist, forcing his arm up and back so that his sword dangled over his back.

  “You’ve already lost, boy,” Vralius told Napius harshly, tightening his grip. “Unless you give up, now, that wound is going to kill you. You’re going to bleed out,” he continued, forcing Napius to drop the sword on the ground.

  Napius granted and jerked his free hand away from Vralius. He clamped down on his side with both hands now, but blood continued to gush through his fingers. Vralius snorted and turned his back on Napius, and he moved back over towards the crowd, that was deadly silent. “Cazis,” he murmured, beckoning the centaur forward.

  Cazis snorted, reaching out and taking Vralius’ sword from him. Movement drew my eyes away from this exchange, and I saw Napius slowly, and painfully, bend to take up his sword again. He wielded it clumsily, and I knew he was weak. Even so, he went towards Vralius as fast as he could, and I cried out, “Vralius!”

  Vralius looked over his shoulder, surprised, and then saw Napius. He quickly took his sword from Cazis and then jumped around before he rushed Napius. What happened next felt like more of a mercy killing than anything else… but it was still so brutal. With one great swing, Vralius parted Napius’ head from his body, and both parts fell to the floor positively gushing blood.

  The crowd fell silent for the second time – no one even dared to breath. There was a clattering of metal, and Vralius dropped his sword. He looked down at the lifeless body of Napius, speechless, before the gathered herd shouted and stamped, be it their approval or disproval. I, meanwhile, collapsed.

  I wasn’t sure if I’d fainted from the sheer violence and depravity of the herd as a whole, the fight itself, or fear… but my vision had turned black and I heard nothing else. When I woke up, Vralius was standing over me bearing a sorrowful expression. It took me a few moments to realize where I was, and I sat up quickly. Vralius grasped my by the shoulders, keeping me from getting up off of my bed.

  “Easy, easy,” he ushered quietly, looking at me with concern. I eyed him up and down, and sat that his leg had been bandaged. It seemed unreal, to think that it was the only real injury on him, aside from bruises and small cuts.

  “What happened?” I asked, sighing quietly. My head was pounding, and I rubbed at it gently. I must have hit my head when I fell, because there was a lump on the back of it.

  “You fainted,” he told me, letting go of my shoulders. “And Napius…” Vralius trailed off slowly, and I stiffened slightly, knowing what he was going to say, but having needed the confirmation anyways. Sighing heavily, he shook his head and then gave me a small, sad smile. “You saved my life, Nephele,” he told me, obviously trying to comfort me. I felt my chest tighten and a small, strangled noise tried in vain to push itself out of my chest.

  “Why would he do that?” I whispered, my voice sounding agonizingly choked. “Why would he try to go after you again with a wound like that?” I demanded, though I was still hardly whispering. I recalled all the details clearly despite my earlier confusion… the blood, the gore, the cheering and booing of the herd.

  I knew that Napius would have died from that side wound, so surely, surely, he had realized it too? There had been no more point to fight – no more reason. Vralius had already won, had given up his sword… but then again, maybe Napius had been waiting for that. I half-wondered if Gisor had told his son to kill Vralius. I wouldn’t put it past him, the herd no longer supported their former second in command.

  Tears sprung up in my eyes and I rubbed them away quickly. “Perhaps he knew he was dead either way,” Vralius replied, his voice low and concerned. “He wouldn’t back down even with a fatal wound… he probably wanted to show Gisor that he wasn’t a coward. If you hadn’t warned me, Nephele, it might be me who was dead.”

  Vralius’ words did very little to comfort me. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. “What do we do now?” I asked hollowly. “Napius is dead and… and I guess that means I’m nobodies slave anymore?” I continued, opening my eyes and looking up at Vralius.

  He sighed and replied, “We can’t have the marriage just yet. All of our ceremonies, our gatherings… they all happen in the clearing, and since the fight…” Vralius trailed off, but I knew what he’d been about to say.

  The clearing was blood-ridden thanks to the fight, and I would bet my life that the herd was taking care of Napius’ body right now. I shut my eyes again and told him quietly, “I wish you hadn’t killed him, Vralius, I really wish there had been another way.”

  I heard him sigh again, and when he replied, his voice was just as hollow as mine, though his tone was darker. “I know. I’m sorry… I didn’t have a choice. He’d made his – it was him, or it was me… and if I died, you would be stuck here.” Vralius voice became harsher as he spoke, and I opened my eyes, wearily, to look back up at him.

  “I’m sorry,” he muttered, looking away. I just shook my head and told him, “No… you’re right. I know that’s what would have happened, and I’m just glad that you got the upper hand, even if he is dead. I know it could only go one way.”

  Vralius nodded, solemn. “Anyways… there’ll be a ceremony, honoring Napius’ life. It’d be beyond disrespectful for me to show up, as it would be for you…”

  I gave a cold laugh and said, “Yeah, like I would even want to go.” Vralius just seemed to ignore my comment and continued quietly, “And we should be able to have our marriage ceremony tomorrow. After that… we’ll just leave. I doubt anyone will care if we do – I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m no longer popular around here. And even if I was… well, I killed the chief’s son.”

  I snorted, feeling angry, bitter, and close to tears. I got off my bed, finally, and paced the room. My eyes were drawn constantly to the door and window, and after a few minutes of silence, I stopped and asked abruptly, “Am I allowed to leave now? The room?”

  Vralius looked at me in silence for a few seconds, and then he nodded and got up, opening the door. It hadn’t even been locked. “Yes. Since you’re not a slave anymore, you can do whatever you want.” He gave me a cautious look, and then asked, “Are you hungry?”

  To be honest, I hadn’t been paying much attention to my stomach, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, I realized just how ravenous I was. I nodded, and then said, “Very. All I want right now is to just�
� just get some food and sit outside. I don’t want to be in here right now.”

  Vralius nodded and then gave me what looked like a very forced smile. “Alright. Let’s go and get some food, and then we can go find someplace we can be alone.”

  I nodded, too, and then sighed heavily, “That sounds great.” I followed him through the trees for a few minutes, but he had me wait in a small clearing while he went to get food. While I waited, I cleared the ground of leaves and other debris, and then plopped down onto the ground. I stretched out, sighing, letting the setting sun warm my skin. When Vralius returned with food, I sat up and he lowered himself to the ground.

  As I took my platter, I smiled slightly in an amused way, and Vralius seemed to have noticed, because he chuckled a little and then asked, “What’s funny?” I laughed quietly and then shook my head. “Nothing, really,” I replied, taking a bite of venison, “It’s just that, I was wondering how we would get food, once we leave the herd.”

  Vralius nodded and said, “Ah,” in a knowing way. I quirked a brow at him, taking another bite. “You forget, Nephele… I’m a centaur – a warrior of the forest. I know how to catch my own food.” He continued, amused.

  I snickered a little, realized that, in a way, I had forgotten. It seemed obvious now – the venison I ate, it had to have been shot by one of the herd. And the bread… the wheat was likely grown elsewhere, in a field or a meadow, and then refined and baked here.

  “I guess it’s just… your life, as far as how food works, is so much like mine. Not all of my village are hunters, or gathers, or even farmers.” I explained, toying a little bit with my food. I looked over to Vralius, who nodded and gave me a smile. “I suppose our lives are quite similar. But, as far as the centaurs go, we all know how to hunt, and farm, and gather. We even fish from time to time. For us, it’s normal to be moderately skilled in everything. We even make our own clothing and weapons as well.” He spoke casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal at all… and I suppose to Vralius, it wasn’t. As far as I went? I could patch clothes and make a few things… but I didn’t know anything about hunting animals or anything that the men of my village did.