It happened so sudden. So, suddenly, for once, I had no clue of what to do. Every part of my mind and soul was consumed in an instant. It started with fear, an overwhelming fear that made me stumble back into the marble wall. That one only lasted a few seconds before I regained myself. Just when I shook off that feeling, the anger hit. It was harder and stronger than the fear that hit moments before. Every thought was consumed by one phrase. How dare he... How dare he... How dare he. Over and over again, that phrase was my only thought.
I don't know how long I was in that state. It took me a while to regain myself. I recalled Jasper's voice yelling out to me, but I couldn't hear him. He eventually clubbed me on the back of the head a couple of times before I was able to stop myself. When I looked around, the room was almost destroyed. The table and chairs were smashed to splitters, and the books from my shelves were scattered across the room. I gave him one order before the pain hit. "Get the troops ready... We leave now."
I had stood and was walking beside Jasper down the hall to the weapon storage when the pain hit. First on the left side of my head, like I was struck suddenly by a heavy object. I swayed for a moment before turning around, holding my head. There was no one in sight. Pulling my hand away, I examined my palm. No blood, not even a drop, so I wasn't hit. Then, the pain spread to the rest of my body. I had doubled over onto my knees right there in the hallway. Jasper had lost his mind when I hit the ground. Every nerve on my body felt like lava as sharp pains radiated throughout my knees and wrists. My head and stomach felt like I was getting my ass kicked by a guy three times my size.
The images flooded my brain as I braced myself up with one hand on the floor and the other holding my stomach. As if it could stop what was happening. A woman was assaulted and tied up with a thick rope. A fully grown man flew through the air and two other men rushed toward me. No... not me, her. They are attacking her. One man crashed into another. Then, the image changed. Two callused hands gripped tight around a third man's throat. He was dressed like a priest. Then... nothing, everything had gone black. A slight clanking of chains sounded from far away, and I knew. She is or was calling for help... calling me.
Jasper was yelling something again, but I refused to hear the words. I forced myself to my feet and peered up at Jasper with my back still hunched slightly. He had moved to be in front of me at some point, worry tinting his usually dark eyes. Breathing heavily, I allowed the pain to deplete as I braced myself against his shoulder. Lifting my gaze, I found the eyes of not my best friend but the commander of my army.
"We leave now," I said again, more forcefully this time while marching toward the weapons storage.
I busted through the heavy oak doors to my private armoury. It is the only place in my kingdom where magic-infused weapons are kept. My uncle banned their use after the last war with the humans, but he is not here anymore, and she needs me. Jasper grabbed my arm and gently pulled me back before I could grab a sword from the wall... Not just any sword, my sword. A blade of a shiny orange colour with pure chaotic power. A power only I have ever been able to control. I stopped, my anger showing in every part of my face and body. He motioned his other hand in a movement to say relax a moment.
"Zane? What is going on?" He asked, lowering his voice to an almost calming volume.
"They hurt her." Those were the only words I could get out before ripping my arm away.
I spun around and gripped the handle of my sword before pulling it off the wall. Bright orange magic pierced my palm, travelling up my arm and lighting up my veins before stopping just short of my neck. I felt it pulse through my skin, and I welcomed it. I strapped the thick leather sheath to my back. The magic pulsed brighter as I tested the weight of the blade in my hand. Its weight, its power... The blade, in a whole, was familiar, like I had never put it down after the war three hundred years ago. Sliding the sword into its sheath, I turned to the door. Jasper had already left.
I was marching through the courtyard to the stables when I spotted Jasper leaning against the stable doors. He didn't even blink as I approached the old barn-styled building. No words were spoken between us as we stood there. He gave me a look of understanding before gesturing behind me. Shifting my weight, I peered in the direction he gestured to, and my eyes nearly went wide. Waiting by the tree line were over twenty soldiers, all armed and on horseback. I turned back to Jasper just as the stable doors opened and a worker walked out with two horses. One black as night the other a black and white painted. He handed the reins to us before waving us off.
"We need a strategy," Jasper said while mounting the painted horse.
"We will split up half will come with me down the river, the other half will go with you, go around the other side of the village. We will sandwich them before they can figure us out. We ride until we reach the border edge. After that, we will have to go on foot, for they won't hear us coming." I said in my best commanding tone.
"Right... You heard your king! Half with me, half with your king! Let's move!" Jasper didn't yell but spoke loud enough for the order to reach the soldiers.
......
We had reached the border in record time. I had only wished the journey on foot was quicker. We trenched non-stop through the long green grass. Over fallen trees, and through a very deceitful meadow that was actually a pond of sorts. Sweat dripped down my back as I watched the village. I, along with the ten soldiers who came with me, were able to get right up to the edge of the village. I crouched on a branch just above the village while the others hid in the grass below. My eyes jerked from male to female, from paths to buildings. Where the hell is Jasper?
The warriors of the village were roaming around a single area of the village. I noted the steps and the paths they took. They were on patrol, but why would they patrol the village? I narrowed my gaze, focusing my sight on the center of the village. Where four armed men were guarding a cellar door. There were no houses anywhere near the doors.
"Sir?" One of my female soldiers said after perching on a branch behind me.
"What is it?" I said, not taking my eyes away from the cellar.
"The commander is in position." She said.
I nodded my head and pinned the cellar as our target in my mind. Climbing down from the tree, I crouched in the grass by my troops. Pulling my sword from my back, I pointed to the guards by the cellar door.
"Take out the guards by that door, take out anyone that interferes, I don't care if you kill them," I said.
Standing from the grass, I stepped to the edge of the village. Every male and female stopped in their tracks and stared at me before their eyes dropped to my sword. I held my hand behind my back, giving my troops a silent order. Wait until you are needed. Not even the breeze could have made the grass rustle at this moment. I wondered for a second if my troops were still behind me until I spotted Jasper. Across the village, he emerged from the tree line with his weapon drawn. A magic in-fused spear.
I lifted my hand and pointed the tip of the glowing orange blade at the guards. I let an evil grin form on my face as the guards panicked, pulling their weapons. They stumbled as they fumbled for their blades. I laughed like I was watching the most hilarious joke play out before my eyes.
One of the females on the street dropped her basket of vegetables, screaming a high-pitched squeal before running away. The other females in the area followed her lead as I lunged toward the closest guard. He stumbled back in an attempt to dodge my blade, but he was too slow. My blade sliced clean through his neck, the magic leaving a satisfying sizzle as his skin melted away. Shifting on my heel, I pivoted toward another guard and thrust my blade upward. The magic within the blade shot out on command, cutting through the air and slicing him across the chest. His scream was music to my ears as his armour melted away, and one of my troops stabbed him clean through the heart.
A bigger male lunged toward me, a large iron club raised above his head. In a single breath, I spun around him and swung my blade at his neck. His head rolled along the ground, but I didn't stop to admire the beautiful red sheen. As a younger male tried to sneak up behind me with a pour excuse of a dagger. He came at me, both hands wrapped around his little blade. I jumped to the side and with a flick of my wrist, I swung my blade, cutting both the male's hands clean off. He screamed in pain as the magic burned orange across his newly appointed stubs. The bleeding stopped shortly after, but the male had passed out, face first in the bloody dirt. The smell of iron and burning flesh filled the air around us.
A high-pitched scream travelled throughout the battlefield, and I spun to face the cellar doors. I had never heard the voice the scream belonged to, but I knew it was her. I could feel it in my bones. It was her. I stocked toward the doors, letting the troops finish off anyone still willing to fight. Another scream trailed out, followed closely by a sob. Fear and pain. So much pain. I moved faster, throwing the doors open, practically running down the stone steps.
"Get off of her!" A male voice yelled from within the darkness.
The light of the sun lit up the room as I reached the bottom. Quickly scanning the room, I spotted him. A male dressed like a priest, a little stone knife in his hand as he kneeled over her. Another male chained to the wall beside them thrashed against his chains as he tried to get to her. The priest had her body pinned to the stone, his hand covering her mouth and the knife pressed against her forehead. He covered her with his body, but I could see the blood trailing down her forehead and dripping to the ground. I threw myself at him, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him off her. He hit the ground with a thud before looking up at me. Horror filled his eyes in seconds before he turned toward the door, trying to get to his feet. I thrusted my blade down, stabbing through his upper thigh and embedding the tip in the stone. His scream wasn't enough to quench the rage bubbling within me.
Turning from him, my muscles tense. I looked over at the female. Her body was limp and her head was bowed to her lap. My rage grew stronger as I carefully approached her. Carefully I lifted her head to see the word demon carved into her forehead. Her eyes met mine for a moment before rolling back into her head and her body going completely limp in my hands. A growl escaped my throat as I grabbed to chains around her wrists, yanking them straight from the wall. The force threw her body foreword into my chest, and I lowered her to the ground, careful enough so no part of her body hit the ground too hard. Grabbing the cuffs on her wrists and ankles, I snapped them in half until there were no chains left attached to her. One more good yank and the chain was completely free from the wall. My gaze left her soft skin and high cheekbones to meet the priest, crying as he held his torso off the ground with his hands.
"Please... Please, I'm sorry." Those were the only words he could get out before my power slammed his mouth shut.
His teeth crushed together as a muffled yelp left him. Stocking toward him, my grip tightened around the chains. Blood spilled from his mouth as I stepped over him, wrapping the chain around his throat. His back arched as I pulled his head back with the force of the chain against his neck. His face was wet with tears as he desperately grabbed at the chain. A pointless effort since it only took me a few seconds to tear his head from his shoulders. Blood poured out of his headless body, dousing my hands, legs and shoes. I licked the metallic crimson from my fingers before pulling free my sword and sliding it into its sheath. Jasper came done the steps as I reached the young woman again. He wiped the blood from around his mouth and called for a few others.
One by one, they tore the chains from the walls, freeing every prisoner in this god-awful cellar. Jasper freed the male chained beside the woman and me. My gaze shot in warning to him as he crawled over to her, but he didn't stop.
"Is she alive?" He asked, timidly.
I glared at him for a moment before placing a gentle hand on her chest. I felt her chest rise and fall with every breath she took. Relief filled me, and I quickly swooped her into my arms.
"Time to leave," I said to the unknown male.