"Save my—my husband?" Lyra whispered. Was Süren in danger? But this was his own home!
"Yes. We will explain everything once we get to the cheese cave."
Cheese cave?
The cheese cave was actually part of the cave system that they had just exited but had become incorporated into the underground belly of the palace.
It was cavernous, with rough stony walls and ceilings created aeons ago. The ground had been leveled and tiled with a blue-green slate floor upon which row after row of floor-to-ceiling wire shelves had been installed.
Each individual shelf held a large golden wheel of cheese that was still in the aging process. The rows and rows of cheese were endless and the smell was overpowering.
"Why are we even in here?" She grimaced, holding her nose.
"Because nobody goes in here unless they are tending to the cheese, and all the cheese tenders are part of our group."
They had a cheese group? This was interesting, in more ways than one.
"Where is the Cheese Group?"
She had barely gotten the question out of her mouth when a dozen men, dressed in white food prep outfits popped out from between all the rows and rows of cheese wheels.
"Your Grace." They clasped their hands in front of their faces and bowed.
Lyra was about to tell them to be at ease when Erden spoke up.
"At ease."
Lyra's eyes widened. Erden was royalty???
He turned back to face Lyra, his eyes intense with a deep dark blazing light.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the Grand Duke Erden of Mistvale."
"You…you are King Batsaikhan's brother?"
He shook his head. "I am his uncle."
Lyra's jaw dropped. That would make him Süren's great uncle!
"But—you look so much younger than him!" Lyra sputtered. "King Batsaikhan is…old looking."
"He's old looking because he's old. I'm younger looking because I was born after Batsaikhan."
"I see." She said although really, she didn't see. "So why would a Grand Duke be one of Süren's men?"
Erden shook his head. "I'm not. I was working alongside the Crown Prince on a major operation and I just happened to be with him when your palace was attacked."
"Oh." Lyra nodded. "I thought those men were Süren's guards."
"They are. His men were all around him. I just happened to be standing next to him when the palace was attacked."
"My apologies, Grand Duke. I didn't realize who you were." Lyra smiled.
He shook his head. "There was no time for introductions. We barely had enough time to flee from the chaos."
"Does my mother know you're the Grand Duke?"
He shook his head. "I would prefer that she not know. She treats me very well. I do not want her to treat me any differently just because of my title."
Lyra shrugged. Who was she to say what was best for people.
Erden turned back to the twelve men standing around him.
"What is the status on Süren?"
"Sir, he is still tied up in Lady Sharina's bed chambers."
Lyra gasped.
"I assume nothing untoward has yet occurred." Erden raised his eyebrows.
"No Your Grace. As soon as Prince Süren woke up, the King paid him a visit. He has just left Lady Sharina's bed chambers."
"And what of Lady Gwendolyn?"
"Sir, she was caught by the King's guards and has now been placed under arrest. She is not allowed to leave her bed chambers."
"Hmmmph!" Erden's face was twisted with anger. He turned to face Lyra.
"You need to go rescue your husband. I will go extract your mother."
"Number One, you come with me. Two and Three, go with Princess Lyra and make sure you help her get him out of there. The rest of you keep your eyes and ears tight to the ground and maintain vigilance."
"We will all meet onboard Draken Claw as soon as we have extracted our objectives."
"Yes sir!"
With a swift gesture, Erden dispersed the group.
The two men who were identified as only Number Two and Number Three gave her a quick perfunctory bow and signaled for her to follow them.
Lyra nodded and the two men took off at a swift pace without waiting on her. They were far taller than she was and it took all her energy just to keep up with them, but she could sense the urgency, so she sped up to maintain their grueling pace.
By the time they reached Sharina's bed chambers, there was no doubt that Süren was inside. They could hear him howling strings of curses at whoever was inside.
"Get away from me bitch or I swear I will kill you as soon as I am freed!" He roared.
Number Two and Number Three nodded at each other and, as one, kicked the door in.
BAAAM!!!
Lyra didn't wait for them to give her the go-ahead. She ran right in.
Süren was lying on the bed with his hands tied above his head and his legs spread wide open, each ankle tied to a bed post.
He had tried to morph into his dragon self to escape his bonds but the restrictive bindings had only allowed a partial change. His arms had been tied in a manner that obstructed his wings from emerging.
It was obvious that he was under duress and drugged with something that was causing him intense discomfort. His eyes were wild and barely sane as he was screaming and cursing bloody murder.
The brown hair girl was pulling off her clothes and getting ready to climb onto Süren's body. Her intent was clear. She was going to force him to have sex with her.
Lyra's blue eyes flared red. With a single pounce, she vaulted into the room, claws outstretched.
In a single heartbeat, she had closed the gap between her and the girl. Growling with blood thirst, Lyra whacked Sharina's head with her claw.
As the girl's body whipped around with the force of her attack, Lyra grabbed Sharina's long hair and yanked her backwards.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" Sharina screamed. The agony of being yanked around by her long locks caused her to shriek in distress.
"I told you to get off my man!!!" Lyra yelled as her strong right arm dragged the girl half-way across the floor by her long hair.
Unable to break free from the position that she was snagged, Sharina shrieked and reached out to grab desperately onto her hair with both hands.
"First offense, I kick your ass. Second offense, I kill you!" Lyra howled like the half wolf that she was and began beating Sharina's face with her fists.
All the training she'd received for ten years from Slate came out as she pummeled the girl with her fists and kicked with her feet.
"Princess. We need to leave. Now!" Number Three interrupted her punishing retribution.
"Aaaarghhh!!!" Lyra screamed with fury.
With a final kick to Sharina's head, she ran back to the two men who had Süren's arms wound over each of their shoulders.
Encumbered by Süren's weight, they could not go as fast as they did before, but they were still fairly quick.
Within minutes, they had reached the end of the corridor. One of the dragons delivered a strong kick to the large window and broke through.
The two men gave Lyra a quick nod and clambered onto the window sill. As they jumped out, their dragon wings unfurled and they disappeared into the dark grey skies.
Lyra ran after them, jumping out at the same speed they were moving. Her bat wings expanded rapidly, catching onto the frigid drafts of air that gusted upward.
Using a bit of levitation magic, she kept herself aloft long enough for her wings to take over until she caught up with them.
She knew they were taking Süren to their mother ship, and she did not want to be left behind.
She needed to be with Süren, no matter what.