The Anari

by Adrianna J Tetnowski

  A priestess! She was dressed in the same robes Preeya had worn before she had met Ariadna. Only the girl’s clothes were now ripped from where she must have put up a fight earlier on. Her lip was bleeding but, other than that she remained unblemished.

  Otherwise Distretia would not accept her life as an offering, Ariadna thought bitterly. That’s right, Bitch. I hope you can hear me, she added in.

  Kanra waited with impressive patience as the priestess, still struggling and now screaming, was fastened securely not to a worktable but to two chains hanging from the ceiling. Kanra let the girl hang for a moment, the tips of her toes just brushing the ground beneath her.

  “It’s not your life my goddess demands, Assassin.” Kanra told Ariadna and then advanced on the priestess, with a flint dagger in hand.

  It was at that moment both Ariadna and the Priestess locked gazes; only because Ari had dared to lift her head high enough to see what was happening amidst the sudden silence. She had seen no one accept death as quickly as that young girl had, it was horrifying. On any other occasion, Ariadna would not have batted an eye at the sight of someone being murdered – most of the murders she witnessed were committed by her own hand. But watching a young girl who reminded her so much of Preeya, the young priestess she had grown to love like a sister.

  The girl screamed as Kanra pierced her belly with the dagger and sliced her open from abdomen to throat. He ignored the organs slipping out of the opening in her flesh, focusing on cutting out her heart instead. He pushed his entire hand into the wound, grabbed hold of the heart; tugged, then pulled it out enough to give him space for a clean cut.

  Ariadna felt the unwanted sting of tears burn her eyes again and this time she had to fight hard to bite back a sob.

  Barbarian! She wanted to scream at him. Sick bastard!

  The priestess’ body twitched a little and then grew still. Blood dripped from the opening in stomach, pooling just beneath her dainty feet.

  Kanra tossed her heart onto another worktable nearby, as though it was nothing, and it landed nicely in a bowl made of bone. He traded in his knife for a simple silver chalice and as he crouched down to collect the blood still dripping from the body, he began to mutter words in a language Ariadna could not decipher. Save the name Distretia appearing here and there. Kanra rose to his full height. When he turned to look at his prisoner-guest, the front of his black tunic stained with a few splatters of blood, he held the cup up for Ariadna to see – just for a moment – and drank.

  Ariadna felt something crawl up her throat but whether it was vomit or just bile, she was not sure. She writhed in her binds and when Kanra approached her with the chalice, she turned her face away from him.

  The demon dictator took hold of Ariadna by the chin and forced her to face him. "I can’t leave you to starve. That would make me a bad host now, wouldn’t it?” it was not entirely a question. He forced Ariadna’s mouth open and poured the remaining blood down her throat, too fast for the assassin to react to and spit out. Kanra gagged her again before she could spit the blood out and when he was certain and satisfied that she had swallowed every last drop of the priestess’ blood, he removed the gag from her mouth again. The chalice clattered against the floor as it slipped from Kanra’s fingers. “You must be wondering why? Why does my goddess of death demand virgin Priestesses?” Kanra began, only when he was satisfied with how much Ariadna had squirmed at the taste of blood down her throat. “Long ago, when my gods could take human form, Distretia was brutally raped by a group of men; such animals! But it was she who had been blamed, labelled a whore after the men had spread lies about her promiscuity. Only the fools had not known exactly whom they had raped and in her fury, Distretia demanded the lives of the purest of women; women who were honoured and worshipped for their celibacy. If she was to be shamed by an entire race, then she would punish her people by feasting on the heart and blood of the priestesses who were supposed to worship her but, did not. Damn pacifists!”

  The assassin had gone still during his small history lesson, her breathing ragged as the taste of blood still lingered in her mouth; coating her teeth. Already her stomach was beginning to turn.

  “I will propose a trade, Ariadna Vikander.” Kanra began again.

  Ariadna did not like her name on his lips.

  “With the Anari – you, for the priestess. I know institutes like these do not take well to one of their own being held prisoner. They’ll leap at the opportunity to get you back. And I will get my final priestess.”

  As Kanra left his prisoner to suffer with the taste of blood in her mouth, he wiped the sweat from his brows and roared at prisoners as he passed; just because he could and he wanted to make them more terrified than they already were.

  Ariadna did not follow him with her gaze. She was seething. She was disgusted. She was already plotting a grand scheme on how to kill the bastard and save Preeya after the exchange would no doubt be carried out, and Preeya would once again be under the threat of being sacrificed.

  48 –

  Ariadna

  Darkness clouded Ariadna’s mind, and she danced in and out of consciousness. How long had she been here? A day, maybe even two? She dreaded having to believe it might have been longer. Food had been forced down her throat; nothing more than bland bone broth and, on occasions, more blood.

  It was Kanra’s way of easing into the torture session his ‘guest’ was no doubt expecting. As the Demon Dictator returned what felt like hours, maybe even days, later he was quieter than usual. It was as though something was bothering him a great deal and he was fighting hard to not let it show, only to fall short in his attempt. With him, Kanra carried a selection of tools tucked away within a leather case, his favourite toys to use on whoever had been unlucky enough to be chosen as his next victim.

  “Are you hoping I’ll go easy on you, Ariadna?” he asked her. As he spoke, Kanra laid the tools out onto an empty part of the slab which his prisoner had now been stretched across.

  Ariadna growled at him past her gag. She hated how he spoke her name, used it like a weapon against her. She knew that Kanra knew it bothered her and it was the only reason he called her by her name. Ariadna watched from her peripheral view how the Dictator took out one tool at a time, observed it with care, and then returned it to the case; feeling rather unsatisfied each time.

  “I would love to use something on you which would really make you squeal – steeled assassin or not.” Kanra felt the need to explain. What he did next took Ariadna by surprise. He dropped the tool he held, a thin silver scalpel with jagged sides, and swiped the entire case off the slab. Kanra slammed his palms down onto the stone, leaning close enough to Ariadna for his breath to touch her cheek. “But I can’t!” he yelled. Kanra grabbed hold of Ariadna by the face and forced her to look at him. “If I leave any marks on you, this entire trade will be forfeit. The Anari will get you back but, I will not get my priestess. Do you have any idea how much I would just like to peel that pale skin of yours off your flesh, so slowly that every cell in your body will feel the pain of it? You’d make a fine addition to my collection of prisoners already strung up on my wall, disgraced priestess.” Kanra released Ariadna, and he took a step back, drawing in a much-needed breath. “Or perhaps I should let Kadira rape you first, since you are no longer pure? Ah but, wait – you’ve killed him.” he snapped.

  Ariadna smiled against the gag and Kanra’s hand coming down against her face was sign enough that he had seen the small change in her expression. She bit down on the gag to help ease the sting in her cheek. She attempted to say something from behind the leather in her mouth and it prompted Kanra to ungag her. Despite her unexpected status as a hostage, to the man she was trying to protect Preeya from of all people, Ariadna was growing annoyed now.

  “I’d already told you, the priestess is not a virgin anymore. You’ll be wasting your time; although, mind you if you tried to kill me too, you won’t ever hear the end of it. You may know of The Anari but, you don’t know shit
about what they’re capable of. In fact, you should be soiling yourself as I speak, because your damned gods and your whore of a goddess in particular won’t be able to save you from a well-deserved fate.” she said. It was her turn to mock Kanra even if it meant earning the iron rod again. It would be worth it all, to see that smug face of his go slack at the sound of his gods being mocked. Damn them all; their followers too.

  Kanra had had quite enough of her games; or so he believed them to be. “And why should I trust you to be telling the truth? I will trade you in for the priestess and my goddess will get her sacrifice.”

  The day of Distretia was too close upon them to waste any time in doubt about the priestess’ virginity. It must have just been a trick the assassin was playing on her captor, to get her own back on all the fun he had had with her. It only made Kanra want to skin her alive even more.

  The Demon Dictator was without his right-hand man, for good this time. With no one else he trusted enough to go and gather the priestesses he needed for future sacrifices, Kanra did not want anything to go wrong on this occasion. He thought it unfair for Kadira to waste his life like that, by not completing the sacrifice he and his pet had been working so hard towards.

  “Why the need for twelve priestesses, anyway?” Ariadna asked. She bit back a growl of pain as the new marking, still raw on her wrist, rubbed against the edge of her leather cuff keeping her prisoner. “I think Distretia is being rather greedy.”

  Kanra sent a slap across both cheeks this time. “Do not offend my gods!” he hissed. “You, of all people, should understand what it is like to serve the gods and just how important it is to honour them. I assume you had little to no love for your gods, however. Why else would you have dishonoured them like that, and to flee your convent? Disgraced sister.”

  “I need no gods to hide behind.” she replied coolly. Ariadna gathered the blood now leaking from the corner of her mouth with her tongue and tilted her head to the side, so she could spit it out. She had had enough of the taste of blood; even if it was hers this time. “Do you not want to know exactly how she lost her status as a virgin priestess?” Ariadna was just teasing him now. Knowing he could not kill her was making her bold and she could handle a bit of torture here and there. “I encouraged her to just go for it, to make her final step out of that damned realm of priesthood and just have sex. I’m sure you’re clever enough to guess what she did afterwards,” she gloated at the sight of Kanra’s face going taut. “She did it with one of our companions, several times from what I heard, to her hearts content. And I must say, she was positively glowing the next morning.”

  Kanra forced the gag back into Ariadna’s mouth, silencing her before anymore filth could pass her lips. He could not believe it. He would not believe it. Turning away from her, Kanra left the tools scattered on the floor of the torture room and left the young woman in a storm. Before he ended up just killing her then and there and losing out on the opportunity for a trade with The Anari.

  49 –

  Vinn

  It was a huge risk Vinn was taking but, if facing off with Kanra Mortier and his army meant getting Ariadna back, he was going to drag Preeya out by the back of his horse to meet him. If that was what it really took to get her to their meeting point.

  Preeya felt the rope around her wrists bite into her skin as Vinn tightened it for perhaps the tenth time, having arrived at the location decided upon by the Dictator himself. How many days it had been since his precious assassin had been taken, he could not recall exactly. But it had been too many that was certain.

  “Vinn, I’m asking you again to rethink what you’re doing.” Troian said to him, on a horse of his own. His hands were also tied behind his back, the same went with Artus.

  The leader of the Anari ignored his plea.

  From across the vast opening in which the Anari stood, waiting with tested patience, a cloud of smoke from the hooves of five dozen horses; if not more; caught everyone’s attention.

  Preeya heard Vinn swallow hard as he sat on his horse behind her, waiting still. She heard his whispers, as he repeated the same thing over and over again – come on, come on. Her cheeks were wet from the tears pouring from her eyes.

  “You’ve been more trouble than you’re worth.” Vinn said to her in a whisper, only making her feel worse as Kanra and his men got closer. “I’ll be glad to be rid of you. Whatever this dictator chooses to do with you is none of my business and once Ariadna is back in my care, it won’t be her business either.”

  Preeya licked her lips in an attempt to apply moisture back into them. “I pity Ari.” she finally managed to say. “Being chained to a man like you. I’d rather die as Kanra’s prisoner over being hostage to a man like you; you shame her.”

  “No more than she has shamed me, I assure you.” Vinn replied behind clenched teeth. He swung off his horse once having caught sight of Kanra stopping his men at some distance and getting off his own beast. Vinn was not gentle with Preeya as he hauled her off the saddle and he did not wait for her to regain herself either before dragging her out for the dictator to see.

  Already, Ariadna was screaming at Vinn. Even as Kanra dragged her off his horse and unsheathed a dagger, putting it to her throat. “Vinn, do nothing!” Ari managed to yell out, despite the cold press of a blade against her skin. She was silenced not by her superior but, by her captor as he tightened his grip on her arm until it stung.

  Preeya looked desperately to Artus, tears still soaking her skin, and she could not contain a frightened sob as both she and Ari were forced to their knees in the current face off.

  “Move your blade from the priestess’ throat and I shall do the same.” Kanra instructed. The distance between both men was still great enough for him to have to shout. Before him, Ariadna drew short and shallow breaths from where she was kneeling.

  Vinn gave him a half-smile, despite knowing Kanra would not have seen such a gesture. “How will I know you won’t cut Ariadna’s throat as soon as I move my blade away from Preeya’s? I’m no fool.” he called back. “This girl means nothing to me.”

  Kanra pinned Vinn down with a piercing stare, a challenge for him to try to do something to Preeya that would forfeit the exchange and, thus, Ariadna’s life along with it.

  “Vinn, I’m begging you!” Ariadna tried again.

  “Be quiet, Ari.” the assassin snapped back. He was growing impatient with her attempts to crush this exchange before he could make it (and what Ariadna believed to be a grave mistake). Still, he flared his nostrils at her constant screaming at him to think this entire exchange through. It amazed him how even now, Ariadna could disobey him to a point where he felt like beating her for her disobedience; here and now.

  “Hand Ariadna over first and I will give you Preeya. I swear it.” Vinn felt like he was just repeating himself now. If it were not for the fact that Ariadna’s life was tied to Preeya’s survival, he would have slit the priestess’ throat from his impatience and then killed the bastard who dared to hold his assassin at knife point as well.

  The group of men on both sides were growing restless too. Whilst Kanra’s soldiers sat on their horses, either rolling their eyes or whispering amongst each other about how they wished the exchange could just get a move on; the men of the Anari were fiddling around with their weapons hanging at their sides. Oh, how they were desperate to just spill the blood of those creatures before them and have this all done with. They were growing bored and just wanted Ariadna back, safe and sound. It was true that most of the men in the institute either did not agree with Ariadna’s being there, because of her gender but, they respected the codes of their brotherhood and were willing to spill blood if any harm came to one of their own.

  “Very well.” Kanra called out. He too had grown bored with just waiting and staring. Grabbing hold of Ariadna by her hair, he pulled her to her feet in one rough motion and began dragging her along with him as he approached the opposing side. He did not take his sword out; the tugging of bowstrings from behind h
im was enough for him to know his men were protecting him well.

  Ariadna stumbled. Her hands were tied behind her back and she found her balance messy as she tried but, failed, to keep herself upright. She complied with Kanra’s movements and walked hunched over, as the Dictator kept her from straightening herself out and not straining her back.

  “Here’s your whore.” Kanra said and gave Ariadna a harsh shove, retreating a step just in time to watch as she lost her footing again. She would have hit the ground hard; had both Vinn and Oberon not gone lunging forward to save her from a vicious fall.

  Vinn caught the young woman in his arms and pulled her behind him as though trying to protect her from any nasty tricks Kanra might have had planned for her. He did not hesitate to haul Preeya to her feet by her tunic and he too shoved her towards the dictator.

  “Don’t!” Ariadna screamed again, now fighting against Vinn’s hold on her.

  Preeya let out a short squeal as she fell into Kanra’s arms. She hated being close enough to him to feel his warm breath on her neck; the smell, it was putrid. Preeya leaned back to create as much distance between herself and Kanra. To no avail.

  “Let her go!” Ariadna roared at the Dictator. Still struggling in Vinn’s arms, she kicked her legs around in a temper filled tantrum. “Fuck off, Vinn. Let her go! I’ll kill you for this.” she was spewing anything that came to mind. Even then, she knew Kanra was not paying any attention to her threats.

  Kanra was far too occupied with lifting the trembling priestess up onto his horse before mounting the beast himself. He looked over his shoulder once, for the briefest of moments, and then spurred his horse and army on with rough words.

  That was when Ariadna felt Vinn’s hands loosen around her and she pulled free, wrists still bound. As she ran, she felt her eyes line with tears and she screamed out after Preeya. But she made no promises to find her. Even if Kanra already knew what the assassin was plotting, Ariadna was not so foolish as to confirm it.