He was in deep. He could barely focus on the madhouse around him as he focused on her scent next to him, inhaling it deeply. She smelled of cool earth, like the damp, cold earth of Anden. The dark tunnels of the pits had made her smell like home. He hoped that never changed. It made his battle-hard cock, fueled by adrenaline, try to jump for attention. He hoped she didn’t mind feeling it at that moment, shoved into her side. There was really nothing he could do about it. Andinna males got hard during a good battle. It was on him that he wanted to use it right then, but she didn’t need to know that.
Something slapped his healthy wing and he growled at Bryn when he saw him.
“Do me a favor and cut this,” the rogue said nonchalantly. Mat narrowed his eyes on the arrow in his shoulder. “It’s fuckin’ barbed so it’ll require some care takin’ out. I’ll hold it and ya can cut the shaft down, though, so it’s not in my way.”
“Sure,” he muttered, grabbing one of the rogue’s daggers. He did it quickly, so it didn’t jostle the arrow around. He handed the dagger back as he looked over the location of the wound. “Think it hit anything vital? You can’t take any more injuries.”
“Nah. I can breathe just fine. I think it hit muscle and got stuck. Shit happens, right?” Bryn grinned and Mat couldn’t resist a chuckle.
“Get inside and let a sailor patch you up,” he ordered, moving slightly. Bryn nodded and ducked in, his face too pale. Blood loss. The guy was about to drop.
The boat rocked and he spun to see why. Mave even growled at his side. An Empire ship had bounced along their side and they watched the ramp get dropped. The ship rocked again and the same thing was happening on the other side.
“Time to fight again.” Nevyn laughed out, raising his sword. “Let’s kill some pointy-eared bastards!”
Matesh raised his own blade and roared in return, running for the ramp as the first guards came off. He ran for them and killed the first, while Mave jumped next to him and cut down the next. Rain came up on his other side and they blocked the guards trying to board from their port side.
“Rain, think you can shift and cause some mayhem?” he asked, kicking back another guard and sending the Elvasi male overboard.
“I think I can!” Rain laughed. “Have some clothes ready for me!”
“Wait! They will shoot him out of the sky!” Zayden roared, grabbing his son before he could move. “Are you both mad?”
“There’s not many options left!” Luykas called back to them. “Rain, stay close in case you go down. We need to be able to collect you, just in case!”
“Roger that!” Rain yelled to him. He pulled away from his father. Mat shoved his sword into a guard trying to get at the father and son glaring at each other. “I’m doing this. I’m the only one who can.”
“If you get killed-”
“What? You’re going to murder me?” Rain backed away then started running from the stern. Mat wanted to witness this. Rain didn’t shift often enough in his opinion. Mainly because people tended to run screaming from him.
“Mave, watch,” he snapped, taking a chance to finally kick the ramp off their boat. Three guards on it tumbled into the water below.
“Watch what- OH!” He watched her eyes go wide and grinned.
A roar deafened everything after that. Mat turned back to Rain and didn’t see the mutt Andinna with dark blue wings. He saw the wyvern, twice the size of a large warhorse, flying high, gaining altitude. When it dove back down, fire erupted from its mouth and roasted the boat next to them. It finished one pass, then moved to the other side. He was cheering with everyone else, pirates and Andinna, as Rain literally rained hell down on their enemies.
They broke away from the Empire’s ships and kept moving at top speed for the opening of the bay.
He was so preoccupied by the sight of Rain winning them their freedom that he didn’t notice when Mave stopped cheering as well.
30
Mave
Mave couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had known that Rainev could shift into a wyvern, being a mutt with a Clan mother. But the massive blue reptile with its enormous wingspan, bringing fire down, was a sight she’d never thought she’d see. She’d even seen a wyvern before, but it had been chained in the Colosseum, unable to fly, only killing whatever gladiators they threw at it. It had been starved and unhealthy in comparison to him.
Around her, the males and pirates were cheering. The run for the boat had been chaos. Now that they were moving and Rain was destroying their enemy’s ships, victory was in sight.
She couldn’t stop herself. She raised her right blade and roared in victory with him, her blood pumping with the excitement of the battle. Victory was theirs - she could feel it. As ships went up in flames, guards screaming as they tried to survive, she cheered for her little brother. He might have been the smallest of all of them, fast but lithe, but as a wyvern, he was a beast and she knew she’d chosen well too, trusting him and Matesh in the pits.
That is my brother. My family. He’s amazing.
As they cheered, her head began to ache. She didn’t question it until a sharp, stabbing pain began, causing her to gasp and drop her swords. She touched her head, leaning onto a rail, wondering why it hurt so badly.
“I never wanted to do this, but you should come back, Maevana. Your people will never love you. You will always be an outcast. You should know that. They are only using you to strike at me. They will reject you the moment you are out of the Empire and they don’t need you anymore.”
Mave felt pure terror at the voice in her head, as it felt like it was splitting open. She thought she was dying for a moment, but knew she had no injuries.
“I don’t particularly like using this magic, but you must know, I’ve only ever done what I thought would make you stronger. I’ll change. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just come back to me. I raised you, Maevana. I did that. I could have tossed you aside when the War ended, but I didn’t. I could have executed you for killing that guard, but instead I gave you a chance to survive in the Colosseum. I’ve given you more rights and privileges than any other slave. You’re like a child to me, even if I must be harsh on you. I just don’t want you to be a monster like them. Please.”
Mave gasped, tears falling from her eyes. Around her, people were still cheering their victory. They were going to make it out of the bay. They were going to leave the Empire.
She couldn’t even think about that, as it felt like Bryn’s daggers were cutting out her brain. Her hands shook. She felt blood begin to pour out of her nose.
“Maevana, you’ve always followed orders well. You might have been stubborn in your own beautifully unique way, but you were also obedient. I’ll give you rooms in the palace. I’ll let you have a say in things. Just come back.”
She knew the Empress was lying. She knew it.
“Maevana, all I ever wanted was for you to love me. The only reason I treated you poorly was so that you would learn, grow, become something more than a blood-drunk Andinna barbarian, and you were so close. So very close to letting go of the temper and gaining control over your urges. Please come back. I’ve been making you better than them. You belong here.”
“No,” she groaned. Lies. All lies. “No, no, no.”
“Fine. Then I’ll make you come back. You obviously don’t know what’s good for you.”
Mave couldn’t stop herself as her wings forced themselves open to try and fly. She wasn’t going back. She couldn’t. Her legs moved, but Mave had her own ideas. She threw herself off the ship, glad the hands of an unknown Andinna couldn’t grab her, and into the dark waters below, knowing her weak wings wouldn’t be able to stop the fall.
She was going to die before she let the Empress take her back with whatever sorcery she was using. She refused to go back to the Colosseum and the pits. Back to whoring and being beaten. Back to killing her own people. Back to being despised and hated for breathing.
She sank, knowing she was going to drown and die free.
31
Zayden
Zayden refused to cheer as his boy put himself in harm’s way to make their escape easier. Sure, he was doing great, his Rainev. Fantastically, of course. It was his son. He did nothing wrong. None of the ships had the large spear mounts necessary to take out a wyvern, and arrows were probably just tickling his boy, if they hit at all.
But he refused to cheer. He’d never wanted Rain to join the Company, and this was exactly why. He was in danger constantly. Hell, his son’s first mission, he’d been captured with Matesh and that led to this nightmare of a mission.
I’m not going to cheer for this, damn it. He kind of wanted to, but kept his mouth firmly shut.
He would quietly tell Rain he was proud of him later, but he wasn’t going to cheer with his friends while his son was in danger. He turned his back on the sight, deciding he could begin preparing everything inside, below deck, for them to be comfortable for the month they would be on the damn ship.
His eyes fell on Matesh and Mave. Those two. He wouldn’t be mad at Mave. She had nothing to do with this, but Mat…
Zayden knew he had a bone to pick with his old friend. It was all his fault. He’s the one who told Rainev that one day he’d be able to join the Company. He’s also the one who told Rain he should shift and finish this off, get them out of the bay the easy way. I’m going to kill him for this.
He frowned when he saw the female gasp and drop her swords. He watched her clutch her head in both hands. It looked like she was in terrible pain, and that concerned him. They had done so much to get her, his son, and fucking Mat out of the Empire. Had she been injured? She was covered in blood, but he had no idea if any of it was hers.
He walked quickly, speeding up as she hit the rail. She said something, but he missed it.
“Mat, grab her!” he roared. Mat stopped cheering and clapping for his reckless boy and turned, his face paling as Mave tossed herself over the railing. Zayden was there in an instant, but they both missed her, reaching down for her.
“She can’t swim!” Mat cried. “I can’t either right now.”
Well. Fuck.
Zayden jumped over the rail after her. He’d be damned if she died on them now.
He dove expertly into the water, his wings tucked against his body to streamline him. His tail helped him propel through the water when he splashed into the dark ocean. It was so fucking dark, he could barely see her. The bubbles coming from her mouth were the clearest sign.
He kicked deeper until he grabbed her wrist, listlessly floating in the water, and then he stretched out his wings. Using them, he flapped as if he was trying to take off, and it shot them both up towards the surface.
He took a deep breath of air when his head was above the water and he hoisted her head above as well. She wasn’t breathing. He figured she hadn’t even tried to hold her breath when she went under.
“I’m not letting you fucking die now, you Skies-damned female,” he snarled. Rainev loved her too much. After the boy lost his mother, Zayden wasn’t letting the only other female Rainev ever loved die on them so soon. His son wanted a big sister, and he was going to fucking have one until the day he died. Zayden wasn’t having any of this ‘drowning’ shit.
He looked for the ship, realizing there was already a lot of distance between them. The waves shoved him around and he kept fighting to hold onto her. All their armor was weighing them down. Add in that she was completely dead weight, and he was having a harder time than he’d figured.
“Damn it. Female, I don’t really like you right now,” he growled, struggling to keep them both above the waves. He couldn’t even see the ship anymore, and a wave crashed over them.
“Zayden!” Matesh roared. “We’re throwing down a ring!”
“Fucking hurry, you fucking pigeon!” Zayden roared back, trying to reposition her to keep her up and swallowing sea water in his attempt to yell at Mat. He glanced up to see one of them flying over him.
The ring hit the surface right next to him. He pushed Mave on it and grabbed the second rope they threw down, tying that on her waist then to the ring.
“Pull her up!” he screamed. “I can swim for a moment!”
He got no answer, only seeing that the female began to lift up. He struggled in the water and cursed as his own fucking son dove down and grabbed him like a toy in the bath. He cursed.
He saved his son’s new fucking big sister and his son saved him. He was never going to live this down.
He was dropped on the deck and Rain shifted back to his regular form right after, reaching for him. “Are you fucking mad?” his son asked.
“Apparently,” he grumbled. He let go, sooner than he wanted, but he also felt the need to check on her. He watched Nevyn put her on the deck, and they quickly untied the ropes from her, while others got to work removing her armor.
Be okay, damn it. Rain needs more family, and he wants you.
As he saw Leshaun pushing down on her chest, hoping to force the water out, Luykas stepped into his vision. “What happened?” their mutt leader demanded.
“She dropped her weapons and grabbed her head like it was in pain. She was mumbling to herself. She threw herself off the ship, Luykas!” Zayden pointed down at her. “She’s not bleeding. I don’t know what the fuck happened, but it wasn’t fucking natural.”
“Damn the Skies,” Luykas snapped, turning back to her. “Bryn, a dagger, now.”
The rogue gave it over without question. Rain pushed him aside as he ran to her and Zayden glared at his son. Some thanks for saving his new friend.
Zayden thought for a moment that maybe he was getting too cranky. He should be worrying about whether the female would survive. Females were rare enough, and the Empire hadn’t helped that situation. They were born in a one to four ratio compared to males and the Empire probably took that ratio to one to eight.
He felt a wave of guilt. He was worried about her. He was worried about his son, Matesh, and the Company. He just needed to know his boy was going to be okay, and now he was. He needed to get over himself.
“What are you doing?” Leshaun snarled. “That is-”
“Taboo.” Luykas finished, seeming unperturbed. Zayden looked around Nevyn and saw what Luykas had done. He’d cut his arm open from wrist to elbow, and hers. Then he grabbed her elbow and pressed the two wounds together.
His eyes went black, not a trace of gold left.
The veins on his arms went black, too, and hers as well. Those black veins were why Blackblood were called what they were. Zayden’s heart felt stilled by what he was watching. The black veins continued up their arms and shoulders, all the way to their hearts and heads.
“You’re going to kill her!” Leshaun roared, but Zayden knew nothing was stopping Luykas now.
“Leave him be,” Alchan snapped. “There’s magic at work.”
“Don’t I know it!” Leshaun was furious. They were going to be hearing about this for years. This was some dark magic, a use of blood magic that shouldn’t be done. “He’s tapping into her blood since they’re now mixed! They’ll be bound together, and she has no choice in the matter!”
“He would never do it without a reason,” Mat whispered. “Keep going on her chest or I will. The water needs to leave her lungs, uncle.”
Leshaun went back to his task. Zayden’s hands were shaking. He felt ill. A blood bond - an unaccepted one at that. It was considered a violation of their people, a violation of the blood magic.
Her eyes opened as she began to cough, but the silver-blues he’d grown to like just a little were gone. Her eyes were all black like their leader’s.
When Luykas released her, the wounds on their arms healed before Zayden’s eyes. Only thin white scars were left behind. Everyone was silent as her eyes returned to normal then closed, as she passed into a deep healing sleep.
“Mat, take her inside,” Luykas whispered hoarsely. “I’m sorry. It had to be done.”
“I’ll expect you to tell us why any m
inute now,” Leshaun growled out. “Why you would force a bond on a dying female is a question that demands an answer.”
“There was a sorceress in her head. She would have never been free if I didn’t use the blood bond to burn out the other presence.” Luykas stood up, staggering into his brother, who held onto him, keeping him on his feet. Zayden grabbed Rainev to stop him from following as Matesh carried her into the bowels of the ship. The pirates around them were silent, going about their business. They were all humans, dwarves, and mutts, but none of them were Andinna. They had no idea what just transpired. “She…I was there for a moment. She threw herself overboard because the sorceress was trying to force her to go back, since she wouldn’t do it willingly.”
“Why didn’t this happen earlier?” Alchan asked, holding his brother up.
“A last resort on the sorcerer’s part,” he answered. “A desperate last resort. Also, it requires so much power to do that the sorcerer might need weeks, if not months, to recover. It’s dark magic. Not something done lightly.”
“Do you know how to do it?” Leshaun asked, grabbing Luykas by the front of his shirt.
“No, of course not. I’ve never touched the darker arts. Everything I know is basics and what I can blend with blood magic.”
“Damn the Skies. Sometimes I wonder what General Lorren saw in you.”
“Considering I just saved his daughter’s life and free will, I don’t think he’d care about the method,” Luykas snapped back, finally getting angry. Zayden was glad. He had a point. If that was the only way to keep her out of the hands of a sorcerer, then it had to be done.
They dispersed after that, small conversations popping up. Rain grabbed his arm before he could get inside. “Baba, I’m sorry about all of this,” his son whispered. Fuck, his son was going to hit him where it hurt. Calling him baba and everything. Cruel boy.
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