Byron allowed the General this breather, taking the chance to talk to the Captain. He walked over to the crew who all patted his arms and back and head, anywhere they could reach to show their admiration. When they were done congratulating him Kestyn used the corner of her shirt to wipe blood from a nick on his cheek. Byron smiled at her softly, and his eyes twinkled in the lamplight.
“Enough boy,” the General called, “stop fawning over that whore and come and face me.”
Byron turned slowly, unsure if he could control his rage, he knew blind fury was useless in a fight such as this. Striking the air blindly did no one any good, but to insult Kestyn so... he arranged his face and forced himself to grin at his father, enjoying as the General’s face turned red with anger. The General rushed at Byron then, his technique quicker and more subtle. Byron suddenly realised that the General had not been trying before, he had thought to beat Byron instantly and now he was beginning to realise he had more of a challenge before him that he had initially thought. Byron met the attack with a parry, sidestep and thrust of his own sword. It caught the General in the thigh, the wound several inches deep and long. The General cried out at the wound and again as Byron extracted his weapon. A cry from the crew rang out, and a gasp from the soldiers, but Byron ignored this, viewing the situation tactically. The General could not put his full weight on his leg now, and so his speed would be impaired.
Byron took advantage, he rushed forward, darting from side to side to provide a harder target and caught the General’s other thigh and his arm. The General dropped his sword in surprise and cried out in pain, clutching his wounds. Byron stepped back and went to stand before the crew, the General’s sword in his other hand.
“You have lost, now leave before I kill you,” Byron commanded.
The General looked up scathingly and raised his finger to the air, a clear signal. Byron spun to look at the crew but they were ready, their heads cleared by watching Byron’s fight. The soldiers and crew met in a clash of weapons and shouts. The army was muscled and strong, but slow and dim-witted and so were easily overrun. The crew did not kill their opponents but gave them painful wounds that slowed them down and eventually stopped them. Byron looked wildly around and saw Kestyn battling a man twice her size and winning spectacularly. He smiled despite himself and made his way to the General, who had crawled to the rails of the ship. He grabbed him by the throat, as the General had done to him once before and gripped it tightly.
“You have lost,” he repeated, “now leave before I kill you, I have no qualms with such an action and it would please me greatly.”
The General scowled, “This is not over stable boy, this thing is higher than me and the army, you have a hefty price upon your head.”
Byron sighed and lifted the General off the deck and with a swift motion threw him overboard. The sight of their General falling into the sea froze the remaining soldiers and they were easily overpowered. The Captain cried in victory and jabbed his sword into the air. Together him and his crew prodded the men on the floor with the tips of their blade and forced them towards the plank that separated the two ships. Cautiously they were made to cross, or plunge into the unforgiving sea. When every last one was back aboard the Captain ran to the helm, the crew ran to unfurl the sails and they set off as fast as they could into the night away from the soldiers.
***
Braelyn sat on the cold, damp floor of the cellar, chewing her nails in agitation. Laken sat next to her, staring at the door as though it might suddenly explode. They had not been taken to the dungeons, as was normal for prisoners such as they, but dumped and forgotten about in the cellar. Aerona was keeping her intentions for them strictly a secret it seemed. The cellar was full of kegs of heavily spiced wine, gathering dust in the corner, it seemed they had not been touched for years, as anything used for pleasure in this palace. The room in fact was so full of untouched kegs that Braelyn and Laken had only a small space to sit and lie by the door. Not that they could lie down and rest, fearing any moment Aerona would be back.
“So you are a Princess?” Laken asked, in a way that was more a statement than a question. Braelyn turned her head quickly to see his expression, to see if he was mocking her but his face was blank. He may not believe her but he was not going to ridicule her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I did not know myself until a few months ago,” Braelyn answered, “I did not know my parents, I spent my life as a maid in Inlo, but I met a – a woman who explained it all very clearly and convincingly.”
Laken looked at her then, thoughtfully, as though measuring her up, taking her in for the first time; she wondered what he was thinking, his face was impassive but she knew many things swirled in his thoughts. So she sat still and allowed him to look, taking the opportunity to view him too. She thought back to her previous judgement, prying suspicious eyes, long hair tied tightly to the nape of his neck and his tanned skin from hours of working in the sun. She saw now a different side of him; his eyes were not suspicious but watchful, and his skin was a beautiful chestnut brown.
Eventually he tore his eyes away from her face, “I have been thinking many things since you arrived, but there is one thing I cannot understand and it has plagued my belief in how the world works. How did you cross The Wall of Inlo?”
Braelyn gulped sorely, for she had had nothing to drink for a long time, and considered how to respond, the truth may frighten him, she thought, and she needed him as her ally, “We did not cross The Wall...” she finally replied.
“Do not patronise me,” Laken interrupted, his eyes flashing, not dangerously, Braelyn thought, but with a fierce intelligence, one that people mistook for violence. Braelyn nodded wearily and sighed as though to tell a long story. Laken noted this and crossed his legs in anticipation. How to begin? She wondered. She cast a quick look around the cellar, though if any were listening they had only to stand on the other side of the door, and begun her tale.
She told him of Wynn, how they had met in the most horrific of circumstances, how she had killed their Master and fled through Woodstone to be found by a group of travellers. They were betrayed and then kidnapped by Woodstone’s army but Wynn had used her magic – Laken’s eyes had widened considerably at the mention of magic but he said nothing and allowed Braelyn to continue – and sent them to the plains. There they walked to Kingly and regrouped. Wynn began to learn how to control her magic with Arabella. They were attacked by the Fallen, an army of the dead created by Aerona. Laken had interrupted then.
“You mean, the woman, the cousin of the King?”
“Yes, she is not really his cousin,” Braelyn hissed in anger, not at Byron but at the mention of Aerona, “she is a Sorceress and she is evil, did you not see the King’s vacant eyes? He is not himself because of her. She is murdering him slowly because she wants the crown.” The words fell from her mouth like snowflakes; due to the anger was stirring in her belly at the injustice of it all. Laken reached out and grabbed her hand to comfort her gently, she smiled at the unexpected touch and the fact he was not mocking her but listening avidly and respectfully.
“After the Fallen attacked us we ran... ran for our lives through Kingly and over jagged rocks, we fell into a tunnel and it saved us. We were kidnapped and two of our own sacrificed.” Tears fell freely down her face at the memory of Theodore’s young, innocent face and Rueben’s horrific murder. Laken moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders; she leant on his shoulder as she wept. She told how Wynn was forced to sacrifice one of them. She chose Rueben who had betrayed them and he was sacrificed in front of their eyes. Wynn had tried to bring him back but it was impossible.
Braelyn took a breath to continue the story but the sound of a bolt being opened echoed around the cellar and the door swung stiffly open. Braelyn jumped back until she hit the wall and hurriedly wiped her face. A guard walked in and motioned for them to stand. Braelyn and Laken stood stiffly and waited while the guard spoke to someone behind them. Footsteps told them the person was entering the cellar.
Aerona stepped into dim light of the cellar and waved the guard away, she turned to Braelyn, her hair losing its golden blonde hue and regaining its blood red colour, as though her head was bleeding. “You are the missing daughter,” she stated and laughed as Braelyn clenched her fists in anger, “of course I know who you are,” Aerona continued, “but I want that throne and your father is close to the end.”
“You will pay for this,” Braelyn hissed, standing before her, unyielding.
Aerona scowled, “Where is Wynn?”
Braelyn was happy for the first time in hours; she could not answer this no matter what Aerona did to her, no amount of pain could make information she did not know spew from her mouth, “Even if I knew I would never tell you.”
Laken glanced at Braelyn in shock. When he had met her she was shy, quiet, and afraid. Now she stood before a Sorceress refusing to meet her demands, he witnessed the change in her instantly and knew beyond doubt that this woman must have done such evil things to provoke such a reaction in Braelyn.
“You will tell me,” Aerona screeched, and grabbed Braelyn’s golden hair in her fist and yanked her head down, it was a surprising and childish thing to do, if Aerona had wanted information Braelyn was sure she could have tortured her magically to get it, but it seemed Aerona was intent on humiliating Braelyn as much as possible. Braelyn cried out in pain but refused to speak. Laken walked forward as though to help but Aerona scowled at him and he stood still unsure what to do, would helping Braelyn make Aerona more enraged? Aerona shook Braelyn’s hair once more then let it go.
“Fine,” she smirked. She opened the door, her hair once again regaining its golden colour, called out to guard then turned on her heel and left the cellar, locking the door behind her.
Braelyn crumpled to the floor, all will and energy leaving her. Laken grabbed her towards him and held her small body as she wept for her life, her father and her friends. He felt his eyes prickle with tears, for he had never heard sadness as complete as Braelyn’s.
Laken woke up slowly, his body aching from the cold, damp stone. He glanced down and saw Braelyn in the crook of his arm sleeping soundly and peacefully. He smiled to himself and brushed a strand of hair from her face and closed his eyes. He would ask for nothing more than this moment, his back and thighs were damp, his neck hurt from the unyielding wall behind him but he had Braelyn in his arms, and for some reason that made everything perfect. He studied her, closer than he had ever before. Her skin was milky white and soft like silk, her lips were arrow shaped and parted slightly in her sleep. Her nose was straight and there was a crinkle in it across the bridge as she frowned at something in her dream. Her eyelashes brushed against her cheek and he had the sudden urge to kiss her eyes.
She began to murmur then; slowly opening her eyes and looking around the cellar. Her face looked crestfallen for a second as she had forgotten where she was, the sight of the dusty kegs and the locked door reminded her of the night before and what they had gotten themselves into. Sighing she looked up at Laken and rubbed her face wearily. He caught a glimpse of her eyes, as beautiful and clear as the sea.
“I am sorry you are involved in this,” she whispered suddenly to Laken. Laken laughed and hugged her tightly in response. Braelyn looked at him quizzically and felt her anger and fear melt away in Laken’s arms. Laken sensed her change in mood and brushed another strand of hair from her face. The simple, tender act warmed Braelyn’s soul and she kissed him impulsively, his lips warm and melding around hers perfectly. Laken’s eyes widened in shock but kissed back for this is what his heart had been crying out for, for so long. Someone to love him, flaws and all. Their lips moved in unison and their hands wandered, he held her tightly to him and pressed their bodies close. Eventually Braelyn pulled away.
“If I could do everything over I would let you involve me in this again and again,” Laken said softly. Braelyn laughed, her spirit lifted, it felt so right to be here with him, she had never wondered about a lover, not from fear of men the way she knew Wynn was, but because she had never found someone to love. It was sad that she had found Laken in such frightening and uncertain circumstances.
The door opened sometime after midday and two guards entered; their faces expressionless. Braelyn appealed to them, crying and screaming and Laken took hold of their arms and tried to speak to them rationally. They pointedly ignored their pleas and grabbed Laken and Braelyn and dragged them into the hallway. Aerona stood waiting, her face angry. She grabbed Laken and Braelyn, one arm each and stood still for a moment. Her eyes closed as though concentrating and with a slight pop she disappeared with Laken and Braelyn into thin air.