In Chains

by K. L. Thorne

  Sivelle’s muffled cries met him and he spotted her, bound and gagged on the bed, wearing only her undergarments. Shivers wracked her slender frame as she sobbed.

  Lazuli was stood facing the fireplace, staring thoughtfully into the flames.

  Another faerie whom Haros had never met was sat on the settee, casually picking something from between his teeth. There was a tell-tale malicious glint in his eye. He was the one; the man Lazuli had brought here to do the most despicable thing imaginable.

  Rage boiled through Haros’s veins. He was bound, but he would gladly tear the faerie king apart with his teeth if he had to.

  “Now we’re all here, I suppose the show can begin,” the king said casually.

  The anonymous faerie got to his feet and began unbuttoning his shirt. Sivelle screamed behind her gag and squirmed against her manacles.

  Though Haros’s heart was pounding in his ears, he focussed his mind. The soldier who had bound him was truly even worse at enchantments than Mivian. Haros hastily began unravelling the spell, hoping he would have enough time to free himself.

  The faerie removed his shirt and hung it carefully over the back of the settee, as Haros himself had done many times. Sweat beaded on the demon’s brow as he watched the man take careful, quiet steps towards Sivelle all the while unbuttoning his trousers.

  Sivelle wailed, shouting incoherent sentiments around her gag as tears continued to stream down her face. She jerked away from the man’s touch as he reached out to smooth a hand over her thigh.

  Haros jolted forwards, eager to run to her aid, but the two soldiers held him back. He fought against their hold.

  “If you’ll excuse me gentlemen.” Lazuli headed towards the door.

  “You won’t get away with this. You may kill us, but your days are numbered. I swear it. Zelrus will take great pleasure in carving your black heart from your fucking chest,” Haros spat as the faerie king strode calmly passed him.

  Paying him no mind, Lazuli quietly let himself back out into the corridor.

  Not a moment too soon, the binding on Haros’s manacles snapped and his wrists fell free.

  When the faerie tucked his fingers beneath the sides of Sivelle’s underwear, intent on pulling them down, the princess cried out for Haros’s help. A red mist descended over his vision. He could bear it no longer.

  Quick as a flash, he yanked one of the soldier’s swords from the scabbard at their waist and launched it across the room.

  Sivelle screamed when hot blood sprayed over her and the tip of the sword speared through the man’s middle.

  The two soldiers either side of Haros lunged to grab at him, but the demon rolled forwards. He turned and blasted a large fireball of majicka at one and kicked out at the shins of the other. His fire enchantment was nothing compared with the strength of Lazuli’s but it was still enough to scald the guard’s face, making the skin sizzle. The man fell to his knees with a scream.

  Morgwell jumped forwards and Haros punched him square in the jaw, sending him sprawling.

  Haros got to his feet and threw the shirtless faerie off the bed and onto the floor. As he removed the sword from his body, the man’s guts spilled from the wound and onto the carpet. His agonised groans were music to Haros’s ears.

  Sensing a guard at his back, Haros spun to the side, narrowly avoiding the stab of a sword. He slashed out, his sword colliding with the guard’s with such force that it knocked the blade clean out of the faerie’s hands.

  Without a second thought, Haros recoiled and drove his blade through the chest of the soldier. He was unprotected by his ridiculous ceremonial garb. The sword pierced easily through the thin, decorative metal and Haros felt a familiar grinding sensation as the metal scrapped against a rib. The soldier wavered and fell to his knees beside the king’s friend on the floor.

  Sensing his opportunity, Haros leapt forward and scrambled to Sivelle’s side. The girl cried out in pain as he grabbed her wrists and used brute force to snap the clasp clean from her manacle, leaving the rest of it embedded in the headboard.

  The bedroom door burst into flames. The king stepped through the gaping hole his fireball had left behind in its wake. His eyes glinted with fury as he took in the scene around him.

  “Demons… like cockroaches!” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. Bright majicka built in his palms as Lazuli prepared to unleash another huge fireball in their direction. The flames in the fireplace roared to life in response, coating the walls with black soot.

  Haros glared back at the king and clasped Sivelle to his chest. Better to go out this way than what the king had planned for them both. They had, at the very least, scuppered his plans for a scapegoat.

  The balcony windows shattered, spraying glass across the room. Morgwell dived out of the way as Nyre’s large scaly body crashed through the bedroom. With her wings spread out, she knocked Sivelle’s dressing table. It tipped over and fell; all the accessories and knickknacks were strewn across the bedroom.

  Lazuli released his fireball, instead taking aim at the dragonette in surprise. His fireball hit Nyre with a barrage of sparks. Haros squinted against the bright flash.

  When he opened his eyes once more, the sight that met him was truly astonishing. Nyre’s body was alight with sapphire flame as her body absorbed the majicka in Lazuli’s attack.

  The king stumbled backwards in horror, gazing up at the dragonette with true fear in his eyes.

  Haros watched as Nyre took a long, steady breath in. Lazuli realised what the dragonette meant to do and barely managed to throw up a wall of fire between him and the onslaught of bright cyan flame.

  The king yelled with effort as he fought against Nyre’s attack. The king’s bright flames were steadily devoured by the dragonette. Her majicka dissolving his like sugar in the rain.

  “Haros!” Sivelle shouted, hitting her fist against him. “We have to move! Now!”

  Snapping back to reality, the demon launched himself off the bed. Haros swept the princess up into his arms, so as to avoid the broken glass beneath their feet. They stumbled to the hole in the balcony doors, using Nyre as a shield.

  Morgwell stood in their way with his eyes wide and chest heaving. Haros raised his sword, preparing to fight.

  The captain glanced at the blade then over Haros’s shoulder to the king as he fought with the dragonette.

  “Go! Go!” Morgwell shouted and stepped aside, shoving Haros roughly towards the balcony.

  Haros opened his mouth, groping for some words of thanks but none came. He darted forwards into the blistering cold. Snow pelted them and Sivelle shivered violently in his arms.

  They skidded to a halt at the edge of the balcony and both looked down over the edge into the snowy gardens below.

  “We’ll never make it! It’s too high!” the princess cried.

  “I don’t see any other choice!”

  Haros heaved himself up onto the edge. He held out a hand for Sivelle. She took it and he sat her in his lap on the edge of the stone wall, wrapping his arms around her.

  “I suppose it is a better death than being raped and murdered,” she muttered and, despite the seriousness of the situation, Haros laughed.

  “We’re not down and out yet, sweetheart.”

  He turned to glance over his shoulder at the dragonette. He whistled sharply and Nyre’s head perked up. He caught the dragonette’s eye through the chaos.

  “Catch us!” he yelled at her and pushed himself and Sivelle over the edge.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sivelle didn’t scream, just clenched her jaw tightly and braced for impact. The princess had always wrongly assumed that a fall from a great height towards certain death would be peaceful. She thought she would have time to come to terms with her fate and, by the time her body collided with the hard ground below, she would be content with her decision.

  The reality couldn’t have been further from that romanticised expectation. The frozen winter air blasted her sensitive skin as she and Haros
plummeted over the edge of the balcony. Her heart raced, thundering in her ears. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see… Her mind scrambled with panic and regret.

  Sivelle didn’t want to die, not now. She had only just begun to live.

  When she and Haros jerked painfully mid-air, she gasped. The air was knocked from her lungs and her eyes streamed against the onslaught of blistering wind. This was it, the end to her short and miserable life.

  They continued to hurtle towards the ground but somewhere through the chaos, Sivelle heard Nyre’s strangulated squawk. The air blustered around them and their descent began to slow.

  It was too little too late. Sivelle crashed face first into the snow and Haros grasped her tightly, rolling them over in an attempt to take some of the brunt of the impact for her.

  Still clad in only her undergarments, the ice flayed at her skin painfully as they tumbled and skidded along the ground. Nyre screeched as she smashed into the ground beside them. Snow and dirt sprayed into the air.

  They eventually came to a stop and there was a moment of confusion before Sivelle raised her head with a groan.

  They had survived.

  Nyre was already struggling to get up, shaking the snow from her large scaly body. She staggered on her feet for a moment, dazed and blinking her bright eyes.

  Haros’s pained grunt caught her attention and Sivelle clambered towards him through the deep snow. Her limbs felt heavy, the harsh winter draining life from her swiftly as her core temperature began to plummet.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice coarse.

  Sivelle nodded. Her teeth chattered so violently she doubted she could get any words out.

  A guttural yell echoed from above them and the demon snatched her to his chest. He dragged himself up onto his feet, stumbling momentarily.

  “We’ve got to get out of here!” he hissed, glancing around. His eyes lit up as he spotted Nyre nearby. “You absolute beauty! You did it! Get out of here and keep safe. Meet us out on the road.”

  Nyre chittered and obediently took to the skies. Her wings faltered a moment, clearly bruised from the fall, but the dragonette powered through and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

  Sivelle was dragged forwards as Haros limped to take cover beneath some dense shrubbery at the base of the castle wall.

  He unclasped his cloak and handed it to her. Sivelle took it gratefully and draped it around her stiff, frozen body.

  A bright light drew her attention and she watched as Haros imbued healing majicka into his arm. When his shoulder popped back into place with a sickening click, he hissed in a sharp breath.

  He shook himself and the majicka faded “Alright, I think we’re good. I know you’re cold sweetheart, and this is a lot to take in—” He snapped his fingers in front of Sivelle’s face as she stared off into space. “But I need you to focus up if we’re going to make it out of here. Do you know where that cellar is in relation to where we are?”

  Sivelle racked her brain. It was like digging through quick sand. She mentally pictured the castle gardens, plotting the intricate paths that wove through the grounds. She eventually nodded and Haros turned his back to kneel before her.

  “Quick, get on.” He gestured for her to hop up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, grateful for the residual warmth his body provided against hers. Though the demon was only donning a thin, tattered silk shirt, he didn’t seem to be as affected by the cold as she was.

  Haros took off at a sprint through the darkness. Though he stumbled and slipped through the icy snow underfoot, he pelted forward at an impressive pace.

  “Which way?” he shouted over his shoulder, skidding to a halt as they reached a pathway.

  “Left!” Sivelle replied, clinging to him tighter as he continued on.

  “Halt!” a king’s guard soldier shouted and Sivelle heard a sword sing as it was released from its scabbard.

  Haros barrelled towards the man, expertly dodging his blade as it careened through the air towards them. Haros lunged to land a firm punch against the soldier’s jaw.

  Confused and disorientated, the soldier swung his sword at them again. Haros evaded it easily and grabbed the man’s wrist. He jerked forwards, slamming his horns into the faerie’s face.

  The guard stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud. Haros snatched the blade from the soldier’s grip as he slumped into the snow.

  The demon jumped back into action without a word, continuing on. His breaths were harsh as he pushed ahead.

  “Here! Another left!” Sivelle pointed through the darkness.

  Haros slipped as he quickly changed direction.

  “Hold tight!” he shouted as they approached a low stone wall.

  Sivelle squealed and squeezed the demon with her thighs as he effortlessly vaulted over it. His arms pumped at his sides as he sprinted on.

  “Haros! Sivelle!” a familiar voice called out through the darkness.

  The demon’s head perked up and his pace quickened as he pelted towards the castle once more.

  Sivelle spotted Dorian waving his arms over his head. Mivian threw a heavy satchel over the edge of the cellar into the snow before disappearing to grab another.

  “Thank fuck,” Haros came to a halt, gasping for breath. He shook Sivelle from his back and the princess dropped to her feet. Her bare skin burned painfully against the cold snow underfoot.

  “My friend, you sure know how to make an exit!” Dorian laughed loudly, clapping Haros on the shoulder.

  “Princess! Quickly!” Mivian called and Sivelle stumbled towards her handmaiden.

  Dazed, Sivelle allowed her friend to hurriedly dress her, stepping obediently into the leather breeches Mivian held out for her. She slipped into a thick, thermal vest and Mivian hurriedly began buttoning closed a tight leather tunic.

  “These are Faye’s,” Sivelle muttered dumbly, glancing down at the thick winter riding gear she was being strapped into.

  “Yes, Princess. I didn’t think a silk gown would be entirely appropriate for a dramatic getaway!” Mivian laughed.

  Dorian and Haros talked in hushed, hurried voices. The demon quickly shrugged their belongings on to each of his shoulders.

  Sivelle’s eyes widened as she heard echoes of furious yells and the chinking of armour as her father’s men spilled into the castle grounds. Torches loomed closer through the night.

  “I think that’s our cue!” Haros laughed. He tugged Dorian into a rough embrace. “Get yourselves out of here at the earliest opportunity.”

  “Mivian and I will be on the first carriage out,” the chef nodded.

  Sivelle was taken by surprise as her handmaiden wrapped her arms tightly around her neck. Dumfounded for a moment, Sivelle stood stock still before hesitantly returning the girl’s embrace.

  “I’m so damn proud of you, Sivelle!” Mivian whispered, squeezing her tighter still. “Now get out of here!”

  “Will I—” Sivelle began. Haros snatched her hand and began jogging away, dragging her with him.

  “We’ll head to Rosenhall!” Mivian waved with tears in her eyes. “Go! Go!”

  Without another thought, Sivelle ran along beside Haros as they ducked and dived through the castle gardens.

  She was still chilled through, her bones ached and her muscles burnt in protest, but the exertion of running began to warm her slightly.

  Haros jerked to a stop and tugged her roughly to the floor as a group of five soldiers appeared around a corner. The demon clasped his hand over her mouth. She could feel her teeth chattering beneath his grip.

  Sivelle shut her eyes and listened to the soldiers shouting and yelling whilst they quickly investigated the area.

  “Seems clear, move out!” one shouted.

  She and Haros lay still for a moment longer, waiting until the glow of the torches had faded.

  “Come on,” Haros whispered, helping her to her feet.

  They ran as quickly and quietly through the grounds a
s they could. When they reached the tall outer wall of the castle grounds, they skirting along it, following its boundary around.

  Just as they made a break for it across an unnervingly open patch of snow, another group of her father’s men appeared.

  “There!” a man shouted and the soldiers barrelled forwards towards them.

  “Stay close to me,” Haros hissed at her as he braced to fight, holding the stolen sword up.

  Sivelle watched on as he waited patiently, his stance firm and calculated. The first soldier reached them and Haros darted forwards with his blade. The unsuspecting man ran straight into it, impaling himself on the weapon.

  The demon didn’t pause, just pushed the man’s body off his blade and dodged another vicious slash as he ducked to snatch a second sword.

  With a sword in each hand, Haros expertly weaved between the three remaining soldiers. Sivelle cowered, just outside the fray, watching in terror and amazement as Haros made fighting three men look easy.

  In a moment of strange realisation, Sivelle’s mind was catapulted back to that night at the winter’s fayre. Haros had told her he wasn’t much of a dancer, but the princess was finding that harder and harder to believe as she watched his expert footing as he evaded the men’s attacks.

  Before long, the snow was covered in splodges of crimson blood. Haros finished another soldier off, slashing the man’s throat whilst simultaneously severing another’s hamstring, causing him to collapse into the snow with a howl.

  The last of the men faltered, making a play to grab Sivelle. She screamed as Haros launched one of the blades from his hand. The sharp point speared through the man’s chest and he dropped to the ground, just inches in front of her.

  Frozen to the spot in horror, Sivelle allowed Haros to grab her hand once more. She tried to ignore why his palm was warm and coated with a stick substance. She’d rather not think about it.

  They ran on, skirting around hedges and walls.

  “How are you planning to get us out?” Sivelle asked as they stopped to catch their breath momentarily.

  “I’m working on it,” Haros replied. His face was marred with a thoughtful frown. “We’re on the wrong side of the castle to use that grate Mivian told me about now. We might have to risk getting out through the city.”