The Yxals were coming closer, and their weapons were raised, ready to strike. It was only a matter of time before they reached Celeste. She didn't have much time to think about what to do. She had to act quickly. She untangled her legs and got on her knees, pulling the female with her. She crouched to the left, picking up her sword, which she had dropped earlier. She fully stood up and held the sword's tip against the female's throat, signalling the Yxals that she wouldn't hesitate to kill her when they would get any closer.
The Yxals didn't stop moving; Celeste's threat didn't seem to bother them. "Stop right now, or I will kill her!" Celeste shouted. She doubted they could understand her, but there was no way they could miss the sword she held against the female's throat. She expected they knew their comrade's life was at stake, but she got the impression they didn't care. They kept moving regardless; it seemed they didn't take her threat seriously.
"Last chance," Celeste shouted and pressed the tip against the female Yxal's right cheek, leaving a cut. Another warning.
Another warning that the other Yxals ignored. Either the Yxals didn't take Celeste seriously, or they didn't care about their comrade's life.
"Even if you kill me, you will not get away. You have two options: either you spare me and surrender, or you kill me, fight my people and die. Choose wisely," the female Yxal said. She had a strong accent.
"You speak my language?" Celeste asked in surprise.
"I do. Surrender, and we might spare you. Or fight and die trying to escape."
Numerous thoughts crossed Celeste's mind. She had no idea what was happening, where the others were, and why Parcu hadn't blown the horn yet. Did he forget? Didn't he get the artefact yet? Was he dead? What happened to him? Did someone betray them?
She had so many questions she had no answers for.
She was sure of only one thing. The plan didn't work out as they had wanted. Something went wrong, but she had no idea what. She had no idea what to do in her current situation. Should she get out and leave the others behind? She couldn't do that to Marjo. She had no idea where he and the others were. She must get an overview of the situation. And there was only one way to achieve that. She had to get into the air despite what Crownwell had told them. She knew her comrades would be hard to spot since it was pretty dark, and the settlement was not too small either.
It was risky to rise into the air and fly around, but she had the impression that she had no other option in her current situation. She could also kill the female and fight the other Yxals, but there were too many of them. There were over a dozen, and it was very likely that more would come.
She had to get into the air.
She pushed the other woman away from her, causing her to land on the ground, and let her wings appear. She spread them and rose in the air quickly. She was almost high enough to have a great view of the whole settlement as she noticed something flying towards her at a rapid speed. Before she could figure out what it was, she was hit.
A tremendous pain shook her, making her lose her balance. She had no idea what had hit her nor why her body refused to listen to her commands. There was nothing she could do to regain control over her body. She could not stop her fall or prevent the imminent impact on the ground. Everything around her went dark as she crashed down.
---
The first thing Celeste noticed was the pain she felt. Her head hurt as if it had been bashed against a wall. She was unable to recognise her surroundings because her vision was blurred. She heard noises, but she couldn't assign them. She had no idea what was going on or where she was. She couldn't feel her limbs or any other part of her body. She felt lost.
Her vision became more precise with time, and so did her hearing. She could recognise voices. People were talking in a language she didn't understand. The voices came from the left, but she couldn't see anyone. She saw bars and a corridor on the other side of the room.
She heard another voice. A familiar one that was calling her name. She turned her head and spotted Marjo sitting in a corner opposite her. He no longer wore silver armour but brown rags instead. Celeste looked down at herself, noticing that she wore similar clothing. There were chains around her neck, wrists and ankles. She could not move far from the corner where she was sitting. Neither could her best friend.
"Marjo..." Celeste stopped speaking as she realised that her voice sounded hoarse. She cleared her throat, but that didn't make it better. "Are you alright?"
"More or less. Are you?"
Celeste ran her fingers over the back of her hurting head, noticing that a little amount of dried blood stuck on them when she regarded them. It seemed she had hurt her head hard when she had crashed down. "I have a lacerated wound on the back of my head. But besides that, I feel fine, considering to the circumstances. Do you have any idea what happened?"
Marjo shook his head. "I don't know much. I took out the Yxal that was looking for me, then ran to the next building to set it on fire. I stumbled upon Parcu...I found him on the ground, a huge dagger stuck in his back... He's dead...Someone killed him..."
Celeste's eyes widened in shock. Her mouth was open, but no words escaped her lips. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Are you sure?"
Marjo nodded; sadness could be seen in his eyes. "Unfortunately, I am. There were several daggers in his back."
"I don't understand how he got caught... He didn't get caught the last time..."
Marjo sighed. "If only I would have the answer to that question. Something must have gone wrong...We did everything according to plan, so what went wrong?"
"Do you think someone betrayed us?"
Marjo raised a brow. "Do you have a suspicion?"
She shook her head. "No...I didn't know Parcu that well, but I know at least he is a great scout. His dagger turns him invisible, so it's hard for me to understand how they got him. He invaded the settlement once without being noticed; I can't believe he mucked up and got caught. But I can't believe either that one of us betrayed us..."
"Why should one member of our group betray us? For what reason?"
Celeste shrugged. "No idea. But I know better than to exclude anything, even if it's unlikely. Everything is possible in this world."
"Is there any chance we can get out here alive? I don't want to die, Celeste." She could identify fear in Marjo's eyes.
"I don't know, M. It's not looking good for us."
"What do you think will they do to us? Torture us? Kill us? Torture and kill us? Do you think they eat their prisoners once they are no longer useful to them? They are named the Gore-Eater Clan for a reason."
Celeste wished she could comfort her friend, but she had no idea how. She was afraid, so she had to reassure herself somehow before she could help him. She didn't know what to say to make Marjo feel better. "I have no idea. We can only pray to the Lord of Light for the best outcome."
"Praying won't help us," Marjo replied, sounding hysteric.
"There is nothing else we can do," Celeste replied with a sad look on her face.
"This is all your fault," Marjo whispered, his eyes resting no longer on her but on his feet.
Celeste tilted her head; a frown and a confused expression appeared on her face. She couldn't trust her ears. "Excuse me...What did you say?"
Marjo refused to look at her. "My parents were right...I should have never become an Anxoyal. If I had stayed a Keristian and never started training, I would have never been sent on a suicide mission with a bunch of morons who are too dumb to do what they are supposed to do." He looked up at Celeste, tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "This is all your fault, Celeste. I would have never trained to become an Anxoyal if it wasn't for you. It is your fault I'm in this cell and about to be killed by these pathetic creatures."
An upset look could be seen on Celeste's face. "You can't be serious... Why do you blame this on me?" she shouted back.
"My parents told me often enough that you have a bad influence on me...They were right...If only I had listened to them back then...I wouldn't be in this situation...How could I be so foolish and trust you..."
Celeste didn't show how much Marjo's words hurt her. She couldn't believe that the man she had considered her best friend would say such mean and misplaced things to her. Things that were not true. She understood that Marjo was panicking, but that didn't give him the right to say such things to her.
Celeste crouched closer to him, hoping she could reassure him somehow. But it only made things worse. Marjo stretched his arms out, signalising her to stay away. "Don't you dare come any closer, fiend! I'm sure you are the one who betrayed us," he screamed hysterically. It was obvious that he had lost control over himself.
She didn't get the chance to say anything in return and prove to Marjo that he was wrong. A loud, ear-splitting metallic cling echoed through the room. Someone had bashed a metallic object against the steel bars. Celeste turned her head; her eyes widened as she saw the beautiful female Yxal she had fought against. She stood outside the cell; her arms were crossed before her chest, and her face showed a strict look. "Shut your mouths, or I will stuff them," the Yxal spat.
"You cannot do this to us," Marjo cried from his corner. The Yxal raised an eyebrow as her gaze fell on him. She was about to say something in return as another Yxal approached her. It was a male with short dark hair. He was a little smaller and slimmer than the female. He said something to her in their native language. The female didn't react to him at first, but then she turned around and faced him, saying something in return. They exchanged a few sentences, and then the male walked away.
The Yxal unlocked the door and went inside the cell, walking over to Marjo, who regarded her with pure fear in his eyes. She undid his chains and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him to the cell door. "Where is he taking him?" Celeste asked demandingly.
The woman paused in her motion, slowly turning her head to Celeste. "One more word, and I cut your tongue out. Do you understand?"
Celeste gulped. She did not doubt that the woman was serious about her threat. The look in her eyes was proof enough. Celeste lowered her head and looked at her dirty fingernails. There was nothing she could do to prevent her friend from being taken. She could do nothing for him except pray for his sake. She could only hope that they would not kill him.
---
Celeste lifted her head as she heard footsteps. Her gaze was drawn to the cell door; the female Yxal came into her sight moments later. Her face was neutral as she dragged Marjo to the cell. Celeste's eyes widened as she recognised the condition Marjo was in. His shirt was missing; thick red welts covered his back; his left eye was swollen, and cuts covered his face. But that was not everything.
When the Yxal opened the cell door and threw him in, Celeste could recognise his swollen, purple fingers. She could only assume they were broken. It was obvious that he had been tortured. The question was: Did he give them any information or not?
Celeste wanted to ask him if he had told them anything, but she was unsure if he would answer. The female Yxal hasn't walked away yet. Celeste looked at her, and the Yxal returned her stare. The Yxal's irises were yellow, and the sclerae were black.
"Do you have anything to say, poultry?
Celeste wondered if she should make a sarcastic comment in return but held back in the end, knowing that saying anything to her captor would lead her nowhere. It would only make things worse.
The Yxal turned her head and raised a brow. "Nothing? What a shame. You are coming with me regardless."
Celeste said nothing in return, nor did she resist when the other woman undid her chains and pulled her up, pushing her forward. Celeste stumbled over the foot of the threshold, fell and landed on the hard floor, hitting her head and left knee in the process. Her facial features were distorted, and a painful groan escaped her lips as she pulled herself up and got back on her knees. Her left knee was bloody; blood was flowing out of the lacerated wound on her forehead.
The Yxal pulled her back up, not caring that she was in pain. "Move, bitch. Or I will make you."
Celeste remained silent as she followed the Yxal through the thin corridor. She had no idea where she would bring her, and she didn't want to know. She had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. She had a bad premonition that they would torture her, just like they did with Marjo.
They reached the end of the corridor and climbed the staircase to the next floor. They passed several guards on their way out of the building. All of them had despising looks on their faces, just like the Yxals that were outside the building. Celeste let her gaze wander as soon as they were outside. She spotted partially destroyed buildings and the remains of several buildings that had been burned to the ground.
Before she could recognise more of her surroundings, the female Yxal put a hand on her shoulder and dragged her to the side, forcing her to go with her. She was brought to a much larger building which was not made of wood, unlike the other buildings in the settlement. It was made of stone. Celeste did not doubt that the clan leader ruled from this place.
She didn't get to analyse the building because her minder pushed her through the entrance, not caring that she stumbled and almost fell to the ground. "What are your people going to do to me?" Celeste asked in the middle of the corridor when no one else was around them.
The Yxal looked at her but then averted her gaze and looked straight forward again. "If you are lucky, they give you a quick, painless death."
"And what if I'm not lucky?"
The Yxal didn't answer as she shoved her through the door on the left side. They came into a large room that was intensely decorated. Skulls of slain creatures hung on the walls. Reptiles, mammals and many others. Celeste could recognise lizards, wyrms, and flying beasts, but also the skulls of Tenarian citizens. But not only skulls hung there. There were also the skeletal structures of wings. She had never studied the bone structure of Anxoyal wings, but one of these wings might have belonged to a deceased Anxoyal. She couldn't tell to which creature these wings belonged.
Nevertheless, the thought of the warlord keeping skulls and bones as trophies sickened her. Mainly because they didn't keep them in a separate room but hung them on the walls for everyone to see. They served as trophies. She hadn't met the warlord yet, but she was sure she wouldn't like them.
Celeste spotted dozens of guards in front of the walls; lots of them were not far away from the entrance and the throne, made of skulls and bones, on which the warlord of the Gore-Eater Clan sat. He looked so much different from the members of his clan.
He was much taller than them and thicker, not muscular but fat instead. His face had nothing in common with the faces of the other Yxals. His facial features looked monstrous; spikes came from the sides of his head, and he didn't seem to have a neck. At least Celeste couldn't recognise one.
Celeste's gaze immediately fell on his belt. Parcu had said that the warlord wore the artefact on his belt, which he did not at the moment. Either he had stored the artefact somewhere, or it had been stolen.
A question came to her mind: If Parcu had managed to steal the object, why didn't he blow the horn as planned?
She wanted to know whether her comrades had succeeded in stealing the artefact or whether they had failed to get it and the warlord had merely hidden it as a precaution. She wished for more information to determine if they had been betrayed or if the mission had just gone wrong because of their own mistakes.
She wondered if she would ever find out what went wrong on their mission. It was not unlikely that they would kill her. Things didn't look good for her, but she could do nothing to change her current situation. She was at the mercy of the warlord of the Gore-Eater Clan, and she had a bad feeling that he would not allow her to get out alive.
"Who did you bring me this time, Cruxia?" the warlord asked; his eyes fell on the Yxal who brought Celeste to him.
"According to one of her companions, her name is Celeste Featherwind," the light-purple-haired woman replied.
Celeste was wondering if Marjo had been the one who spilt the beans or if it had been someone else. Judging by the way he had behaved before Cruxia had taken him, it was not unlikely that it had been him.
The warlord leaned forward and took a closer look at her. She didn't like the smile on his ugly lips. "Celeste Featherwind. What a silly name." His voice was high, like the voice of a child. It was the entire opposite of what Celeste had expected. The sound of his voice didn't match his appearance. She had expected him to have a deep, rough voice, not a shrill one.
If Celeste wasn't going to survive this, she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing she was afraid. Nevertheless, she will not give in, no matter what they will do to her. She will not tell them anything, no matter how much they will hurt her.
"And who are you?" she finally asked, acting as brave as possible.
"I haven't introduced myself yet, did I? Where are my manners? Your people call me Broxa the Cruel. But my full name is Broxacius Demonius Galadius Carnagevez. I'm the warlord of the Gore-Eater Clan, as you might have suggested."
"Normally, I would say I'm pleased to meet you, but we both know that's not true. I would lie if I would say that," Celeste responded.
"You have more courage than your friend brought to me before you. His knees were already shaking the moment he saw me, and he was pissing his pants when we interrogated him. I hope you show more resistance; it would be more fun that way. More fun for me, at least," Broxa replied with a mischievous grin on his lips.
"I will tell you nothing."
"They always say that, but in the end, they do talk. It's just a matter of time until pain will make you speak. If you tell me voluntarily what I want to know, I will reward you."
"Nothing you could offer me has any worth to me."
"I can offer you a quick and painless death; that's more than you arrogant creatures deserve." A thoughtful look appeared on his face as he paused. "Maybe... If you beg for mercy, I might consider sparing and keeping you as my pet. I'm sure I'll find a use for someone with a body like yours." Evil laughter escaped his lips the moment he was done talking.
Despite the disgust and anger Celeste felt, she kept a cool head. "I refuse your offer."
Broxa tilted his head a little. "What a shame. I'm sure we would have gotten along if you would have agreed. But you chose death instead. Don't worry; the time of your death has not yet come. Some things need to be done first."
"What kind of things?"
Broxa's grin became even dirtier. "You will see."
Celeste neither made a face, looked away, or said anything.
"Bring her away, Cruxia. Make her speak."
"As you wish."
Cruxia put her hand on Celeste's right shoulder and dragged her to the exit. She guided her back to the building where she had been before, bringing her into one of the many rooms. Celeste didn't need long to figure out that this room was a torture chamber. The gadgets and the apparatuses in the room spoke for themselves.
Cruxia guided her to the wooden chair in the middle of the room and forced her to sit down, fixating her with leather straps. Another creature entered the room a few moments later. It was a woman who bore certain similarities to Cruxia. It was not unlikely that they were related. She had long turquoise hair that reached to her rear. Her face was as beautiful as Cruxia's, but unlike Cruxia, she was as slender as the other Yxals Celeste had seen so far.
Cruxia turned her head and gave the other woman a wicked look. "What do you want, Karilla?" she barked at her in her mother tongue.
"It's nice to see you too, sister," Karilla replied in the same language, her lips formed a mischievous grin.
"I'm not your sister."
"Since we have the same father, I am, my dear."
"Piss off and leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to talk to you."
Karilla closed the door and then approached Cruxia, her eyes darkened. "You only have a big mouth when our father is around. But he is not now, so..."
Cruxia tilted her head. "Are you threatening me?"
Karilla raised an eyebrow. "What if I am? Are you going to daddy and cry about how I treat you? Do you think he will ever take you seriously again if you do that? You are a pussy, a weakling who is nothing without Daddy's protection."
"Say that again," Cruxia hissed, approaching her sister.
"Or what?" Karilla challenged.
"Or I will give you a facial makeover with my bare hands."
Karilla reared up in front of Cruxia. She was half a head taller than her, but Cruxia didn't seem impressed by her size. "Try it, bitch," Karilla hissed.
Cruxia's eyes narrowed, her fists were clenched, and her muscles were tense. She was ready to make her threat come true, but she didn't get the chance because someone came into the room and caught their attention. It was a male Yxal who wore crimson clothes. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.
Karilla didn't stop staring into her sister's eyes as she answered the man. "No, you are not. Cruxia was about to leave."
"I'm not leaving. Father ordered me to extract the information he requires."
"I'm the best choice for extracting information. You don't have the guts to torture someone, sister. You have always been soft-hearted. Weak. You only hurt others if you have no other choice. You do not find joy in hurting others as we do. You have always been different from us. You will never change; you will never be like us."
"I have changed," Cruxia spat back.
"Prove it," Karilla challenged. "Make that winged whore speak, and I believe you."
Cruxia picked up one of the instruments of torture from the table next to her and turned to Celeste, whose facial expression hadn't changed since they had left the stone building. "I won't tell you anything," Celeste spat.
"We'll see about that," Karilla replied with a malicious grin.