by Croft, Sky
“Shale’s down there?” Aris asked, keeping her voice low.
“In the cave he’s just gone into,” Kale said.
“Are you sure?”
A raw cry of pain reached their ears, stripping away any remaining doubt.
THERON LAUGHED AT Shale’s cry of pain. “See!” he gloated to Theodysius. “The fiercest warriors fall before me. Even the mighty Amazons.”
Shale yelled again on the third strike of the whip. Though she was still clothed, it offered no defence, the barbs ripping straight through the material and tearing deep grooves into her skin. Blood flowed freely down her back.
Theron stretched his arms and rolled his broad shoulders. He tilted his head side to side, cracking his neck. “It’s been a long day,” he finally said, tossing the whip to the ground. “Now I have broken you, you no longer interest me.”
Shale noticed that Theron caught Theodysius ogling her scantily clad form, but rather than discipline him, Theron grinned wickedly.
“I want you to continue what you’re doing, Theodysius.” Theron indicated the pail of water.
“How long for, sir?”
“Until morning. She’s not to sleep. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You may do what you wish with her.”
Theodysius’s eyes widened. “You mean...” He leered at her openly, leaving no doubt as to what he wanted to do.
Shale spat at him, utter contempt on her face.
Theron laughed. “That’s your reward.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’ll leave my whip, use it if you wish.” He grinned at Shale. “Goodbye, sister. I do hope you have a pleasant night.”
“Our mother...should’ve...drowned you at birth,” Shale mumbled. She had lost a lot of blood, and kept losing consciousness from the extreme pain.
Theron’s laughter increased. “Now, is that any way to talk to your family?” He shook his head at her, and faced Theodysius. “Teach her some manners, would you?” Theron said, then left the cavern.
“Yes, sir. Gladly.”
Shale felt Theodysius’s lustful gaze on her body, and the thought sickened her. She briefly considered allowing herself to fall unconscious, but she wouldn’t let him have her that easily.
As if reading her mind, Theodysius threw the pail of water over her. “Oh no, you don’t. I want you to be awake for this.”
KALE HAD TO be forcibly restrained when Shale cried out. “Let me go,” she hissed. “That’s Shale!”
“Think!” Aris said. “You can’t just go rushing in. You don’t know how many are in there.”
“No one wants Shale out more than me, Kale,” Blake said. “But you’re no good to her dead. We need a plan.” She winced as Shale yelled again, the sound cutting her up inside. Blake looked to her chief warrior. “Aris?”
Aris responded instantly, “It echoes in here, the sound of a fight will draw out the rest of the soldiers. Since most seem to be down that tunnel, I suggest we try and hold them there, it’s vital that our way out remains clear. You three rescue Shale and get to the horses. Leave enough for us, then set the rest loose, they won’t know which to track.”
Blake nodded and started to move, but halted when a tall, broad-shouldered man emerged from the cave Shale was being held in. He walked away from them, farther into the tunnel they were about to go down.
They waited several more moments to make sure he had gone, then again tried to move. This time the disturbance came from the other tunnel, a rowdy group of soldiers that emerged near the stream. The men were clearly drunk, and they staggered slowly away, in the opposite direction to the hidden Amazons. Despite that, they couldn’t afford to move until the soldiers were out of sight.
The soldiers stopped abruptly, their voices rising as they began to argue.
THEODYSIUS SEIZED HER hair roughly, close to the scalp so he had a firm grip. His other hand clutched at her breast, pinching and squeezing harshly.
The chains rattled as Shale pulled against them, straining to be free. They held her tightly. She wasn’t going anywhere.
Theodysius forced their bodies together, and Shale clamped her thighs shut when she felt him rise and press against her. He squirmed, and his hand lowered to his belt, trying to unbuckle it single-handedly. He soon grew impatient, and released his hold on her hair.
Shale slammed her forehead into his. It wasn’t as powerful as she would have liked, but it still had the desired effect, and he staggered back.
Theodysius glared at her. “You’ve just made it so much worse for yourself, bitch.” He raised a hand to strike her. Someone spoke up from behind him, and he whirled around, pulling out his dagger.
“That’s just what I was about to say.”
Shale’s eyes widened. She would recognise that voice anywhere—it was Blake’s.
Blake stabbed Theodysius through the chest, then pushed him off her sword with her boot. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Kale and Amber, who weren’t far behind her, shared an impressed and somewhat alarmed look. Blake, it seemed, had a fierce protective streak.
Shale was surprised that she hadn’t known Kale was approaching, but her body had been through a lot, and she was exhausted.
Shale locked onto worried green eyes. “Hi, sweetheart.”
BLAKE SHEATHED HER blade, unable to speak, her emotions overwhelming her. She wrapped her arms around Shale, careful to keep her touch light.
Shale let out a soft whimper.
Blake drew back immediately. “Did I hurt you?”
Shale shook her head slightly. “So glad...to see you.”
Kale cleared her throat teasingly.
A faint smile appeared. “All of...you,” Shale added.
Kale laid a hand on her shoulder. “That’s better.” She took hold of Shale securely as Amber raised her sword to strike the chain. Kale nodded, and Amber swung. The first slice took care of the restraints that held Shale’s feet, the next cut through the chain overhead, and into the wooden post it was attached to. Both strikes rang loudly within the cavern, but they’d had no choice, there was no other way to free Shale.
Shale buckled instantly, and Kale lowered her smoothly to the floor, placing her head in Blake’s awaiting lap.
Shale’s eyes squeezed shut at the movement, and her jaw clenched.
Blake watched in concern, studying Shale closely. Most of her skin was either cut, bloody, or bruised, and Blake didn’t know quite where to touch her. She noticed the numerous repetitive cuts in Shale’s skin, most of which were small, but deep. Some were longer, leaving jagged holes in their wake, as though something had torn out of Shale’s flesh.
Amber held up a whip, an appalled look on her face. “I think this is the cause, Blake.”
Blake blanched, aghast. “That’s barbaric!”
Kale looked furious, but remained silent. She pulled the blanket out from her pack and covered Shale with it.
“Need to go.” Shale tried to lift her head out of Blake’s lap, without much success.
“Easy, Shale,” Blake said, “You’re going to be all right, sweetheart.”
“No, Zale’s...here.” She grew agitated. “Must go. Now.”
“Zale’s here?” Kale asked, raising her eyebrows. “Did he do this to you? Where is he?”
“Yes.” Shale couldn’t manage any more. Her shaking grew worse, and her eyes closed.
“Stay with us, Shale,” Blake pleaded desperately, hot tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Shale!” Kale shook her a little. “Don’t you dare go anywhere.”
“Not going anywhere. Can’t. Walk.” Shale joked feebly.
Blake sobbed as she laughed, and was grateful when Kale squeezed her shoulder.
“She’ll be all right,” Kale said.
Blake hoped that was her twin’s intuition talking, and not just wishful thinking. Shale reached up and touched her cheek, and Blake was alarmed by her hand’s cold temperature.
“Don’t cry,” Shale whispered.
Blake managed a shaky smile, and she kissed Shale’s hand. “Please don’t leave me, Shale.”
“Never. I give you...my word.”
Blake nodded, kissed her hand again, and consciously pulled herself together.
“You two take Shale. I need to be able to fight,” Kale said, helping them to get Shale upright. Shale couldn’t stand at all, which concerned Blake. Kale draped the blanket over her, and Blake and Amber each took a corner, holding it in place over the shivering woman between them.
“I have a question,” Amber said, but kept her voice low. “Who is this Zale?”
A tall, broad-shouldered man, who was the spitting image of the twins, chose that exact moment to enter the cavern.
“Ah. Never mind.” Amber glanced across to Blake. “How many of them are there?”
“Just three,” Blake replied, her gaze never shifting from Zale.
He was certainly handsome, but there was a coldness about him that unsettled her.
“I thought I heard something,” he said casually, apparently not the least bit disturbed to find uninvited guests in his camp. “It seems I underestimated you.”
“Zale, how could you do this to your own blood?” Kale said angrily.
“My name is Theron. I know nothing of this Zale you speak of.” He appraised Kale keenly. “I revile the Amazons. I certainly don’t want to be related to one.” He sneered. “Or two in this case.”
“The Amazons haven’t done anything to you,” Blake said.
“What do you know of it?”
“I know that you were given to a farmer to be raised.”
“You’re correct. But my village was raided, my family murdered, and I was taken in by my new father, Xerton. He taught me how to fight, how to lead,” Theron smiled darkly, “how to kill. And who the real enemy was.” He pointed his sword at them. “The Amazons.”
“It was Xerton who destroyed your home, not us,” Kale said.
“I agree. That’s why I killed him and took his army. But Xerton was only there to get a treaty signed with the Amazons. On behalf of Kedross.”
Kale latched onto the name. “So you’re working with Kedross?”
“No. I outgrew him years ago.”
“You still use his land,” Kale muttered, clearly connecting the pieces together. Blake understood that she wanted to know exactly who was involved in wiping out her tribe, and how they had done it.
Theron’s eyes narrowed. “Now how do you know that?” He thought quickly. “You found the tribe south of yours.” He grinned. “That was a good day. An entire tribe of you bitches dead. A personal accomplishment of mine.”
“Not quite an entire tribe,” Kale said. “You missed two.”
His face lit up. “So it was your tribe. I wondered why you’d left the tribe you were born into.” Theron broke into laughter. “That is just perfect. You took my family, now I have taken yours.”
No one bothered to argue that they hadn’t taken his family, that the Amazons had nothing to do with it. Theron clearly believed it, and they would never convince him otherwise.
Theron looked to Shale. “You didn’t tell me that.” He shrugged. “Well I’d better finish the job. I don’t want people to think I’m a liar.” He raised his sword at Kale. “I’ve been looking forward to this. I hope you’re better than your twin.”
“I don’t know that you could handle any better,” Kale said.
“From the looks of you, Shale messed you up pretty bad.”
“I got her here, didn’t I?”
“My guess is you used that whip. You got lucky and wrapped it around her. She’d have had no choice but to submit.”
Theron nodded. “I’m impressed. I still won though.”
Kale didn’t hide her disgust. “If you call that winning.”
“Oh, I do.”
Kale drew her sword, but Blake grabbed her arm and lowered her voice. “Kale, you can’t kill him. If it’s true about your souls being linked, it could hurt you too, and in Shale’s condition she might not survive. You can’t risk that.”
“You don’t know we’re connected.”
“What about Shale’s dream?” Blake said. “That had to be him.”
“I don’t...want to be...linked...to him,” Shale struggled to say. “He’s...a monster.”
They both regarded Shale for a long moment, and then Kale nodded. “I’ll try to lead him away from the entrance. Get Shale out of here.”
“What about you?” Amber said.
“I’ll be right behind you.” Kale hesitated briefly before she closed the distance and kissed Amber deeply.
“How sweet,” Theron mocked. “I hate to interrupt...” He twirled his sword in a swift arc.
Kale stepped forward, then brother and sister began to fight.
“OH, IF MOTHER could see us now,” Theron taunted. “Did I kill her?” he asked hopefully.
“No,” Kale replied flatly. Her anger toward him built to a boiling point. She didn’t let it control her though, she channelled it. Her sword clashed against his, and she kicked him, causing him to stumble away from the entrance.
Blake and the others darted forward. Theron tried to intercept, but Kale blocked his path. He was determined though, and managed to push her back a few steps before Kale dug her heels in, refusing to budge any farther.
Kale shoved him away, quickly glancing behind to make sure they’d got Shale safely out.
“Looks like it’s just you and me.” Kale smirked at him.
Theron growled and launched his attack. He fought fiercely, and Kale matched it, knowing time was of the essence. Her sisters wouldn’t leave until she was clear.
Theron ducked under her swing, rolling and coming up behind her. He slashed the back of Kale’s calf.
She stumbled, but didn’t fall. Theron dropped his sword and threw himself at Kale, lifting her off the floor and slamming her into the rough wall. His strength was immense, and he gripped Kale’s wrist tightly, trying to make her release her weapon.
Kale wouldn’t comply, a decision she regretted an instant later when he coldly snapped her wrist. She grunted in pain, and the sword fell from her now useless hand.
Theron punched her twice, then rammed her head off the rock wall.
BLAKE WENT THROUGH the crevice first, since they had to turn sideways to fit through the narrow gap. The trio hurried down the tunnel, pleased that no skirmish was going on up ahead.
Blake knew they’d been lucky so far, they had yet to be noticed. Though she could clearly hear Kale and Theron fighting, and suspected it wouldn’t take long for the sound to reach Theron’s army.
Blake signalled to Aris as they passed the fork in the tunnel, letting her know that they were clear, but Kale was still in the cavern.
Soon shouts were heard, and the trio picked up their pace. They reached the cave that the horses were kept in just as the battle broke out, and they rushed inside.
“Good thing...gave you...riding lesson,” Shale murmured.
Blake laughed unexpectedly. Shale was still making jokes despite both the situation, and the obvious agony she was in. She loved this woman.
With difficulty, they managed to get Shale on a horse, and Blake clambered on behind, wrapping her arms around Shale to keep her steady. Blake secured the blanket snugly around Shale, trying to give her as much defence against the cold night air as she could.
Amber quickly fitted the horse’s bridle, and passed the reins to Blake. “I’m going back to help Kale. Keep riding, we’ll catch up.”
Blake didn’t try to stop her. “All right. Be careful.”
“Ready?” Amber asked. At Blake’s nod, she smacked the horse’s backside. “Yah!”
The horse took off, and they were soon outside. Blake kicked the animal on, her hair whipping back as its speed increased.
“You’re...doing great,” Shale said through clenched teeth.
Blake grimaced at the amount of raw pain in Shale
’s voice. This bouncing around had to be excruciating for her.
“Can you...hold me? Can’t. Stay awake. Hurts...too much.”
“I’ve got you,” Blake reassured, tightening her grip. She had barely finished speaking when Shale sagged against her, trusting Blake completely to keep her safe.
THERON GRINNED DOWN at her. He stood over Kale to haul her upright, and she lashed out with her leg, delivering a well-placed kick to his shin. It gave way, and Theron fell onto her—or he would have if Kale hadn’t moved.
She rolled quickly, reaching her sword and lifting it with her left hand as she stood.
Theron sneered. “Do you really think you can beat me one-handed?” His sword was out of reach, so he withdrew the dagger from his boot.
Kale’s head hurt from where it had struck the rock, and she felt warm blood trickling down her neck. “Do you really think you can beat me without your whip?”
Theron snarled, his features twisting in rage.
Kale had to jump backward to avoid being gutted by his dagger. His swipe went wide, and Kale got in a side kick to his head, causing Theron to collide with the wall.
He dodged and weaved, then went for an opening. Theron lunged, and stabbed his dagger deep into Kale’s side. “Got you,” he wheezed, seeming surprised when his mouth filled with blood. Theron looked down, finding Kale’s sword protruding from his chest. “But...I always win,” he said, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Not this time.” Kale ripped her sword out of him.
Theron sank to the floor, his eyes glazing over. One final shuddering breath emerged, and then he was dead.
Kale sheathed her sword and fell to her knees, slowly pulling the dagger out of her side. She heard hurried footsteps approaching, and glanced up as Amber ran in.
Kale beamed at her. “You came back.”
“Of course.” Amber squatted in front of her, taking the dagger from Kale’s crimson stained hand and throwing it away. She then pressed Kale’s unhurt hand against the stab wound. “It’s a good thing I did. Keep pressure on it.”