For a split second, which to Elise seemed to last a life time, its red eyes glowed with fury as it glared at her—its enemy. Then it flung itself forward and resumed its attack with greater malice and vigor.
The horse underneath Elise panicked, buckling underneath her. It tossed her off its back then bolted away. Elise landed with a hard thump on her left shoulder, the sharp, jarring pain from the impact making her groan.
Moaning and cursing, she forcefully rolled herself onto her front and picked herself up to face the creature. Despite her fear, she stood her ground.
The animal was mere seconds away from her, its mouth opened wide, saliva dribbling in ropes down its sharp fangs, ready to strike her down and rip off a large chunk of her flesh.
Elise scrambled to pick up her bow from the ground—luckily it hadn’t broken during the fall. With her heart hammering like a jackhammer and blood pounding in her ears, she swiftly pulled another arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it on the bow.
There was no time...! With very little distance between them, Elise knew she only had one more chance to take a shot.
“Don’t panic,” she breathed to herself, and in that briefest of seconds between life and death, she pulled in a deep breath and cleared her mind of all thoughts like a pro athlete before the starting gun.
It was like time slowed down suddenly. Elise pulled back the bowstring and let go…her mind’s eye picturing the arrow striking the beast dead in the heart.
The arrow soared through the air…Elise’s eyes followed the arc of its trajectory as it travelled along its path. At the last moment the beast leapt into the air—
But Elise had predicted this. The arrow landed, piercing the flesh of the beast.
Elise gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. The creature collapsed onto the ground, mid-air. Her aim had been true. The arrow had struck the creature right in the heart.
Relief flooded her body and washed over her skin in an icy sweat, as tears welled up inside her eyes. The fear and apprehension she’d been holding in burst forth like an erupting dam, causing her to shake from head to toe as the crying began. At first it was a light sob…but then, moments later it turned into a soul-wracking wail.
It was all just too much! Her abduction, this strange world, Callum’s betrayal, his capture along with the rest of the garrison, and her close brush with death mere moments ago!
Elise cried freely, stomping her feet on the ground as she yelled up at the sky, letting out all her pent up anger and frustration.
After a while, the crying subsided and she began to calm down. Wiping the remaining tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, she sniffled a few times, then pulled in a deep, calming breath.
She was okay…everything was okay... She told herself as she closed her eyes and tilted her head skywards, basking in the weak rays of the winter sun.
Over time, the familiar and recognizable noise of small animals moving about, and the chirping of birds returned to the forest, and Elise lowered her head to look around.
Her horse was nowhere in sight, but she was too exhausted to even worry about it. As she tried to peer through the trees, she thought she caught a glimpse of something further up ahead… Was that the sound of gushing water she was hearing?
Her feet moved on their own—before she could even think—heading for a gap in-between the trees. The sound of birds warbling grew louder and more distinct as did the sound of running water.
Moments later she emerged into a glade, and the object standing in its center, rising from the earth, made her breath catch in her throat when she caught sight of it. A large, gray stone archway with a dias underneath it stood tall and erect, occupying most of the empty space, while behind it, a small waterfall gushed out into a narrow lake.
The archway was overgrown with weeds and climbers, with a few leaves and red and orange flowers sprouting here and there along the vines.
Elise frowned. This world was such a strange place. Despite it being winter, the forest was still green and there were even flowers that grew in this cold, windy climate…it was like they were sustained by magic.
Tired and exhausted, she stumbled towards the stone platform, her hand rubbing her sore, aching shoulder, until finally she stood directly beneath the archway. She closed her eyes and prayed the magic of the stone archway still worked.
Then, taking in a deep breath, she incanted the words Cassius had taught her would activate the portal.
“Aramus morveus.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“How long do you think you’re going to be able to keep up this farce, Varian?” Callum snarled, twisting against the heavy metal bindings which bound his wrists together behind his back.
“Long enough,” Varian retorted back, a sneer on his face.
Callum glared at the Fae, hatred and fury brimming from his eyes. “You’re not going to get away with this. The King will order for you to be hunted down,” he growled, frustration burning him from the inside out as he found he was unable to break free. Varian had used his magic to enchant the chains, making them heavier than a tonne of bricks.
A day had passed since Callum had been captured and tied up, and his patience with dealing with the treacherous bastard was wearing thin. The only thing that soothed his ire in the slightest was the fact that Elise had been able to escape. Otherwise they would have used her as leverage against him already to get what they wanted—a subject he still wasn’t absolutely clear about.
It seemed Varian was looking for an object hidden somewhere in the garrison. He hadn’t told Callum what it was, nor asked him anything about it. Instead, he’d ordered his men to turn the entire place upside down, searching for this item.
But he could tell Varian was growing impatient…even now he was drumming his fingers against the wooden table, waiting for one of his minions to knock on the door and bring him some good news.
“My Lord!” One of Varian’s men called out as he hurried into the room.
Varian stood up from his chair. “What news do you have?” he asked, his tone urgent.
“We still haven’t been able to locate the item…” the man looked abashed. “But we did manage to find this in Lady Elise’s room.” The man handed Varian a piece of paper.
Callum went rigid at the mention of Elise’s name. The sound of danger rang like a loud alarm in his ears, and his eyes immediately snapped to the sheet of paper in Varian’s hand, wondering what was on it.
He wished vehemently that he could snatch it away from his enemy’s hands, but the only thing he could do was watch on as Varian read the paper’s contents. Varian’s face suddenly lit up with amusement as he grinned and laughed.
Callum was forced to grit his teeth and bear it—the muscles of his arms straining against his bonds. Every fibre of his being was screaming for him to break free and tear the bastard Varian into little shreds! He’d protect Elise, his mate, whatever it took!
Varian glanced his way, noting his expression. “Do you know what this is?” he goaded with a haughty voice, waving the paper about. When Callum didn’t answer, he said, “Why don’t I show you?”
Grinning, he walked over to Callum who had been forced to sit on floor.
Crouching down, Varian shoved the piece of paper in Callum’s face.
“Recognize the handwriting?” he sneered, and Callum’s face went taut as he saw what was written on the piece of paper. It was a map of the garrison. Realization dawned on him like an anvil crushing his heart: Elise had been planning to escape…away from this garrison—away from him…!
He was crestfallen. It was like in one brief moment he’d lost part of himself…like a segment of his soul had been dimmed. All along, she’d wanted nothing more than to get away from him…
He’d been a fool! Allowing himself to hope she felt something for him…thinking she was slowly coming to accept him—even care for him! But it had all just been his own wishful thinking…
It was a bitter pill to swallow. His thro
at closed up and the fight left his body as he slumped over.
“So, you do know what this means, afterall?” Varian said snidely, making sure to tear apart the wound inside Callum’s heart even further.
Callum refused to reply, but Varian sensed he’d gained the upperhand. He slid out the knife sheathed to his belt and placed the flat of the blade beneath Callum’s chin, exerting enough force for Callum to feel the pressure but not enough to cut him.
“Tell me where the relic is,” Varian demanded, narrowing his eyes dangerously at Callum, “and perhaps I’ll spare your sorry, pathetic life.”
When Callum still didn’t reply, Varian lifted his chin up by the blade of his knife and growled threateningly at him. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll have my men hunt down Lady Elise. When they capture her…I can promise you, none of my men will act like gentleman.”
Callum’s heart twisted inside at Varian’s barbaric insinuation.
“Don’t you or any of your men dare touch her!” he hissed, his eyes blazing with fury and the promise of death.
“That’s all up to you…!” Varian snapped back. “If you give me what I want, I’ll be on my merry way and I give you my word I’ll order my men off her pursuit.”
Inside, Callum’s mind warred with his emotions. He didn’t trust the rat in front of him one bit, but he couldn’t risk putting Elise in harm’s way and leave her at the mercy of Varian and his men. “What do you want?” he spat.
“An ancient book called ‘The History of Atria’. I know you have it somewhere here in the garrison.”
Callum snorted. “A book. A book?” His voice rose with each word as he looked at Varian like he’d lost his mind. “All this for a damn book?! What the hell’s so special about it that you’re willing to betray your own King?”
“It’s not just any old book,” Varian snapped, sneering condescendingly. “It contains information on the location of all the ancient archway portals in the Kingdom—many of which are now unknown.”
“So, that’s what you’re planning…” His eyes narrowed, as his sharp, strategic mind put all the pieces of the puzzle together. “And the fact that you’re willing to reveal such a vital piece of information to me means you’re not planning to keep me alive.”
Varian shrugged carelessly. “You know there can only be one survivor and victor in this. Besides, if I didn’t kill you this time, I’d surely do it the next time we meet. This way, I won’t be dragging on the inevitable.”
“You truly are a traitorous bastard!” Callum spat.
“And yet, right now, I’m the one who has your life in my hands,” Varian said smoothly, pressing the tip of his blade harder against Callum’s neck, nicking his flesh. Callum felt a bit of blood trickle down his skin.
“Well, it’s unfortunate for you I have no idea where this book is,” he smirked, a feeling of immense satisfaction filling his chest as he delivered the devastating news.
“You’re lying!” Varian accused, his eyes narrowing into slits as he bared his sharp, white teeth. “The book is part of the collection in your library—someone told me they saw it there!”
“Well, perhaps that someone got it wrong. Or perhaps you were deceived,” Callum countered, showing nerves of steel. Despite being threatened at knifepoint, he was unafraid.
“Impossible!” Varian shouted, withdrawing his knife and waving it about in anger and disbelief. “I have it on good intel…” he continued to rave. The rest of Varian’s words fell into the background as Callum zoned out, dialling out his rant.
While Varian continued with his tirade, something stirred in Callum’s memory, making him frown…
There was Elise…she was sitting inside her room at the bay window. He went down to sit next to her, and she showed him a book she was reading…
Light have mercy on him! The memory came smashing into him, and it was all he could do to hide his shocked reaction. Luckily, Varian had turned his back on Callum to issue an order to the man that’d entered the room earlier.
He was shouting loudly, unable to control his temper. Just as the soldier was about to turn away and leave the room to carry out the order, there was a distant clatter from somewhere outside the keep.
Varian and the soldier stilled, their eyes shooting to the open door, expecting someone to come in that very moment to explain the disturbance. But no one appeared…
After a few moments, there was another clattering noise. Soon after that, shouts erupted and there was a clash of weapons. The cacophony of fighting began not long after, getting louder and louder as the seconds ticked by.
A soldier raced in. “We’re under attack, my Lord!” he cried, huffing as he bent over, trying to recover his breath from his mad dash.
“Who would dare?!” Varian roared, and jabbed his finger in the direction of the door. “Go find out what’s happening—now!” he ordered the soldier standing in front of him.
The solider hurried out, his armor and mail clattering in his haste, leaving with the other soldier who’d delivered the news to investigate.
Varian spun around and reached Callum in two long strides. He pulled out his sword from the scabbard fastened to his waist and pointed it viciously at Callum’s chest, directly above his heart. “This is your last chance—tell me where the book is!”
Callum stared fearlessly back at him and laughed in his face. Despite how tenuous the situation was, he would not submit to his enemy—even if his life was treading on the thin edge of a tightrope.
“It seems you’re going to fail your mission,” he said, grinning to provoke Varian. “Despite your best laid plans you still can’t manage to beat me!”
Varian clenched his jaw, his eyes widening in fury. “You’re lucky I don’t have time to deal with you properly, otherwise I would gladly take my time with you and enjoy making you regret your words!” he snarled. “But since you refuse to be helpful, I’m going to have to end this now, and leave the King the gift of your head—”
Varian raised his sword high above him, preparing to swing down with all his might as he pulled his arm back.
Like a true battle-hardened warrior, Callum locked gazes with him with nerves of steel, and refused to look away. He would not shy away from his own death!
He watched as the bastard Varian turned his wrist, changing the position and angle of the sword, preparing to swing down. He sensed the end was near.
The blade arced in the air and came towards him, and in his ears he heard the reaper’s bells. His time was up. It was over…but at least Elise was safe. He only hoped she would be able to find her way back to her own realm, far from Varian and his men’s reach.
He was sad he wasn’t able to earn her love in the end, but he did not regret their time together…those moments with her had brought him more joy than anything else in the many decades before her.
I love you… His mind whispered in the moment before Varian’s blade came down. Be well, and stay safe…
But the strike never landed. Instead, an arrow whistled through the air from behind Varian and struck him clean through the chest.
His sword clattered onto the ground, and Callum saw the brief instant when Varian’s eyes rounded in shock and surprise…before he collapsed forward and onto the ground, on top of Callum’s legs.
Callum responded automatically, kicking him off. Immediately after this, his gaze shot towards the open door. He froze, his face mirroring Varian’s shock just seconds ago.
Standing just a few paces inside the room was Elise, dressed like a man, in leggings, leather boots, and a white linen shirt under a dark brown vest.
Bartered to the Fae Lord Page 18