Her quiet sniffles seemed loud in the cold dark cell as she curled herself into a ball in the corner. The jacket that the man, Zacariah had given her was still wrapped around her, giving her a little more warmth than before. The news of her husband still weighed heavily on her mind and heart to the point where she had completely forgotten about the new tenants that now occupied her cell.
Azariah moved from where she'd been sitting in quiet contemplation with her brother to slide next to the pregnant woman; strong arms wrapping around her shoulders without invitation. "It will be warmer if we stay close together. It's dangerous in your condition. The king wants you to be despaired that way he can get what he wants." It pained her to see a woman with her child torn from their home. Ragnar's cruelty knew no bounds.
Layla stiffened slightly as the woman placed her arms around her, letting out a startled squeak in surprise. Large blue eyes peered up at her in confusion and caution, but she subconsciously found herself cuddling closer to the warmth that the woman seemed to radiate. "T-Thank you." Her voice was quiet and she looked, hesitantly placing her head on the woman's shoulder.
"Don worry about it. Do you know how long you've been here?" Azariah asked hoping idle conversation might take the woman's mind off of her suffering.
Layla rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears that stained them. She was quiet a moment before speaking. "Two weeks, soon to be three." She answered. Saying it out loud only made the reality of it more grim.
Azariah gave the woman a gentle pat, smiling sympathetically. "You're strong. Your husband should be proud. Look at how much you've endured while keeping your faith in him. I am sure you will see one another again."
Layla closed her eyes. It was nice to hear it from someone other than herself. It was hard to stay hopefully at times when she had been alone, doubt weighing her heart. Ragnar's words had only strengthened them, but she could not give up so easily. For her babies sake. "My Baeron is strong. It is because of him that I find strength. Him and our baby."
The Kovyan woman hummed in agreement, resting her head against the wall behind them. Every inch of her body protested in pain though pain was not foreign to her. Ragnar's men had beaten her to a pulp while she was bound and near helpless–for the defiance he saw in her eyes. She laughed quietly to herself. "My mother and brother are my hope. Our people, the islands. We have to survive until we can see them again."
Layla could feel the arm she was leaning against tense. It was too dark to see what damage Ragnar had done to her, but she was sure that it was bad. She didn't understand how anyone could be so cruel and then demand respect and loyalty.
Biting her lip, she pressed closer to the woman, closing her eyes in concentration, tugging at the magick hidden inside her. Even though she had run from the Monistary, basic healing had been something she managed to learn. Her hands warmed slightly and she sent a small amount of healing magick, just enough to ease the woman's pain. "I hope this helps." She whispered softly. She couldn't do much in her poor state, most of her magick was going to the baby to ensure they survived.
"Ah.," The familiar feeling of magick sinking beneath her skin and easing the smaller aches and pains brought a quiet sigh from her lips. Azariah nodded in appreciation. "Thank you. That's much better."
***
Ray'ven stared down at the litter of bodies that was what was left of Ragnar's men. Their blood soaked the ground, surrounding her in a small lake of crimson as she stepped over them. The last of Razmyr's men had been rounded up and teleported away, leaving only her on the lower part of the battlefield. That had been fine with her, it made it easy if she didn't have to hold back.
The blood groove on her sword glowed brightly and the blade hummed with power. A flick of her wrist sent it away and Ray'ven sighed, rubbing her arm. One of the bastards had managed to stab her through it with a dagger and now it bleed sluggishly, dripping down her arm. She had used a lot of magick and couldn't spare any to heal herself just yet. She would have to bandage it the old fashion way.
Stepping forwards, her body dropped into the small portal she'd made, locking onto the faint trace of her magick that she had placed on Razmyr earlier. It spat her out right behind him and she winced when she staggered slightly, feeling her energy drop even more before she straightened. There was a large group of men already there, both of those she had saved and the ones that had escaped themselves.
"The rest of Ragnar's men are dead. If you are satisfied now, I will return to my master, by your leave." She said to Razmyr respectfully.
Razmyr turned around, only seeing Ray'ven and a late entering Pudge. "You look like if I give you one good shove you'd fall over easily. I have another hideout nearby, and there was at least my main ship that didn't get set ablaze thanks to you. Where's James?" He asked, cerulean gaze surveying the wounded men staggering around. Smoke still rose in the air and curled off the ocean's surface in the cold night air.
Ray'ven frowned, straightening. "I was unaware that he had not arrived. Was he not with his brother?" She questioned with furrowed brows, looking over to the squat of a man. "He is too skilled to have been killed off."
Pudge scratched his cock and shrugged. "She's lyin, Ray'ven pushed him over the edge. My brother, he's dead because you trusted Ja'ule." His yellow teeth were bared.
Razmyr's gaze snapped over to Ray'ven and before anyone could even blink he had Rage in his hand, the keen tip pointed at her throat. "You killed James? Despite the fact he was so excited to see you. I've heard about you," He stepped forward applying the right amount of pressure. "You don't protect anyone unless it's your faux king. Who gave you the order? Was it him or for your own selfish reasons!"
His men, wounded and unscathed gathered around, circling them until only the three of them were trapped in the middle.
Ray'ven started at the accusation, taking a step back only for her back to hit the wall. 'Lies. What point would I have to aid you only to betray you in such a manner. I was nowhere near James during the fighting." She argued She didn't have the energy to fight off all of them. "Despite what you may think, James means a lot to me, I have no reason to cause him harm." Her normally stoic expression was gone, her eyes begging Razmyr to believe her.
"Pudge, if you're lying to me," Razmyr warned but another man interrupted.
"I saw her push him too. I was coming back because I felt bad for leaving. She pushed him straight off the edge." The man choked on his words with a fury in his molten eyes.
Razmyr gestured for them to back up and leave, and when they all had left the both of them alone, he gripped Ray'ven by the shoulders and threw her across the table. Plates, maps, and books went scattering as he leaped after her, landing on top of her with her back to the floor.
Rage, the once silver blade, gleamed crimson against her throat in the moonlight. "Your titles suit you hm? Where does it stop? I would slit your gullet wide open, but James—bless his pure heart—would've spared you despite the fact you deserve the maggots tearing away at your flesh."
His hand trembled with the desire to finish the deed. Because after all he struggled with those demons of revenge that only grew stronger by the day. "If you knew the long life he lived, you would've allowed him a more peaceful death." He hissed.
Ray'ven sucked in a sharp breath as another man spoke up, her eyes turning to him. What were they playing at here? She had never come in any sort of physical contact with James so how could he have seen her push him? She opened her mouth to speak just as the last man left the room only for Razmyr to toss her over the table before launching himself after her. She landed with a grunt of pain on her wounded arm, the air knocked from her lungs as the pirate pressed the blade of his sword to her throat.
She flinched at the harsh words, swallowing thickly. "I am telling you, your men lie. I did not kill James, wouldn't have even if my master ordered me to do so." She said shakily. "What reason would I even have for committing such an act? Why would I go through all the trouble of taxing my magick to save your men only to betray you in such a way when I have no way of escaping or defending myself?"
"Because that's what he does," Razmyr said lowly. "That's exactly what he does. Take what you value most. I care about my men, all of them. But James is worth more than a million souls to me. Go ahead and ask the man I heard you call father, it isn't the first time he's taken from me. But today will be the last." One swift movement and he drove his sword through the fleshy space between her shoulder and collarbone. "If I see you again, I'll be fucking you with my blade next time. Leave."
He removed Rage and climbed off the top of her. To think he'd offer her refuge. Let her get caught in the storm. "Search the mountains until you find his body!"
The feel of his blade stabbing through her wrenched a choked gasp from Ray'ven's lips, the pain much greater than the one she'd received from earlier. She greeted her teeth, tasting blood on her tongue from where she bit to keep any other sounds of pain from leaving her as he tore blade free. She could already feel the blood beginning to pool underneath her from where she lay before she forced herself up with her good arm.
She gave Razmyr a glare, pressing her hand to the wound a biting remark on her tongue that she swallowed. She was in no shape to fight now. Not with her magick depleted. She didn't even have enough of it to slow the bleeding. Straightening her spine, she clenched her teeth as she walked past him leaving a trail of blood behind as she made way to the exit of the cave-like structure.
Rain poured, the wind blowing harshly, tossing her hair about. The sea was restless, waves crashing harshly against the rocks. Even if she could use her magick, there was no way her Raven form would have made it, not with this weather or her injuries.
Taking a deep breath through her nose, she stepped out into the storm, stumbling slightly as a wave of dizziness hit her. She had over done herself and now she was losing too much blood. She would need to find shelter soon, preferably away from the Pirates hideout lest he change his mind and come slit her throat in her weakened state.
It would be no less what you deserve, A tiny voice whispered and Ray'ven shoved it away in favor of not falling to her death as she deceneded the slippery, jagged path that led lower off the mountain.
The longer she walked, the more her head spun and the burning in her shoulder intensified. She had to stop often to regain her bearings. She knew not how long she stumbled along before she found a small opening in the mountain side. She was by then soaked to the bone and a cold had set into her bones that had nothing to do with the rain outside.
Slipping inside the entrance, she discovered the space within to be much larger than expected, and a lot warmer. There was a small brook in the center surrounded by plants she had never seen. Making her way forwards, her legs gave beneath her and she collapsed harshly onto the hard stone ground. Her vision doubled, fading in and out as she drew in a shaky breath through trembling lips.
Come Ray'ven, we have survived too much to die in a cave.' She hissed to herself. With what little strength she had, she drug herself over to the water, slowly and painfully before forcing herself up to lean against the boulder there. Her breath came in pants as she leaned heavily against it.
'Don't pass out. Don't pass…out. Don...' The black dots in her vision grew and she passed out.