The Anari

by Adrianna J Tetnowski

  Preeya did not dare to peer past Kanra as his horse carried them both away, with a cloud of dust trailing after them as they disappeared.

  “Hey,” Vinn began to Ariadna. He cut her bounds with a quick flick of his knife. “Ari, look at me.” he instructed and hid his blade away in time for Ariadna to turn on him; she sent a clenched fist against his cheek, taking everyone by surprise.

  “I told you not to,” before Ariadna could rebuke him anymore, she too felt the familiar sting of being struck across the face. She took the slap willingly, supposing she deserved something like it for having run away in the first place.

  But Vinn did not stop there. He waited until Ari had regained herself enough and then sent a blow to her stomach; knocking her off her feet. Despite the pain he was inflicting on his beloved assassin, Vinn was too consumed with rage over the betrayal he and the Anari had faced from Ariadna. It was times like this when he had to don his title as the leader of the Anari and forsake his feelings for her to teach Ariadna a well-deserved lesson. Even his love for her could not save her from his wrath.

  “Vinn, that’s enough. Please.” Oberon begged him from behind. He wanted nothing more than to pull him away from Ariadna but, he knew that laying a hand on his superior like that whilst he was rightfully carrying out his duty would only result in him suffering the same fate as Ariadna.

  Vinn had enough morality in him to allow Ariadna to find her feet. Yet the sight of her opening her mouth to address him again – how dare she? Vinn was not having any of it and he watched as she dropped to her knees again.

  Ariadna caught sight of the sole of Vinn’s boot coming down on her. Then darkness.

  50 –

  Kanra

  Within that cave of Kanra’s, Preeya had been locked up in a cage of her own amongst a chorus of prisoners moaning. She had caught the metallic scent of blood upon her arrival and Kanra had not done so much as allowed her a chance to take in her surroundings properly, not until she was locked away. Like an animal? It did not seem quite like it. A prize? Yes, a gift for Kanra’s demented goddess which was not to be tainted in any way.

  Preeya was safe for now. Behind those cold iron bars of hers; within that tiny cage which felt as though it was closing in on her, Preeya was free to count down the days, maybe even hours, she had left before she was sacrificed. She had tried so hard not to cry but, all her courage had fled her earlier and she now clutched the bars of her cage with trembling hands. Tears soaked her sweet face, and she dragged her gaze around the cave, taking in the sight of the bodies strung up on the walls whether she really wanted to or not.

  “It cannot be done today, we’ve already missed the Day of Distretia by too long.” Kanra spoke to his priests as he made his way down the steps leading to the cave. He had not gone with Preeya as she was taken down, nor had he had done the honours himself of locking her up in her cage. He had met with his priests without a moment’s delay and with good reason. Kanra was worried. “Today is not the day of Distretia but, of Rhesus. To sacrifice the girl today in honour of Distretia would offend the other gods greatly, we shall have to wait.”

  One priest looked to Kanra as he and two others followed him still, down to the cave and to where the young priestess was being kept.

  “And what of that silver-haired assassin you had traded in for the girl? Is she not a threat, do you not worry she will try to rescue the priestess?”

  Kanra remained patient with the priests. The last thing he needed was to cause further tension within his palace even if the answer to that question was obvious. His steps thundered down the corridor leading to his torture cave and he did not falter.

  “Of course I am. But I will be discussing nothing regarding Ariadna Vikander with you; that conversation is for my guards and me alone. I do not expect you priests to pick up a sword any time soon and help better defend this castle, should she be foolish enough to come for her precious priestess.”

  The day of Distretia was not until four days’ time, meaning it left Ariadna enough time to venture to Vhorgo and make a bold attempt to rescue the priestess. As though Kanra would allow that to happen?

  “She is only one woman, the silver haired assassin, and her comrades did not look ready to take her fight to Vhorgo with her. She will be alone on such a mission and when she arrives here – as I expect her to – there will be nothing stopping me from killing her and stringing her up with the other bodies on my walls.” Kanra said.

  Beneath their feet, bones and rocks alike crunched against the priests’ boots but, they either did not seem to notice or did not care. They kept their hands clasped tightly together as they walked. It came to them as a surprise when Kanra finally stopped before Preeya’s cage and dismissed the men.

  “But, my Lord,” one priest began.

  Kanra placed a hand onto the man’s shoulder and shook him gently. Of all the people within the castle, the priests did not suffer the wrath of Kanra. Only because he both feared and worshipped the priests as he believed he should; or else he would offend his gods if their servants were treated harshly.

  “I beg you, let me attend to this matter alone. All I need of you is to remain alive and well until the day of Distretia, I cannot prepare the sacrifice alone.” he said.

  The three priests took a turn each to clasp Kanra’s hand and kiss his knuckles. They all left blood prints against his skin as they did and then the priests were gone, obeying their master like the loyal beasts they were.

  Preeya watched them go with tear-filled eyes. When the demon dictator finally turned to her again, she let go of the bars of her cell and crawled away into the corner; not that it made much of a difference in creating any distance between them both. Her body was covered in dirt, her hair greasy from having travelled for so long. Preeya brought her knees up to her chest and held herself like that.

  All whilst Kanra watched her. He even had the audacity to smile at her but, it was not a kind gesture. “It brings me great pleasure to see you weep, Priestess. But know that your tears will do nothing for you, save for making you feel worse about your fate.”

  Preeya wiped her tears away with the back of her sleeve, drying her cheeks for the next wave to soak her skin. She would not weep any louder in front of her captor as she knew that would only delight him more.

  “I’ll have you know, your sisters squealed as my blade tore through them, from their belly up to their throats. Distretia was satisfied, just as I was satisfied when they were strung up on my walls afterwards – they make fine decorations.” he slammed his hands against the bars of Preeya’s cell, making her jump. “I hope your assassin comes to save you. When she does, I’ll mutilate her body beyond recognition, before I spill your blood for my goddess. I would have killed Ariadna sooner, had your life not been tied to hers. Now that you are both free of each other, I will make you watch as I skin the bitch alive and feed her to my prisoners.”

  Preeya only buried her face against her legs and held herself, weeping. A part of her was not too sure whom she was shedding more tears for; herself, or the brave but foolish assassin who she knew would come to rescue her no doubt. But this was not just any man who had kidnapped her. He did not appear to be a man at all but, a monster, and he was desperate to spill some blood.

  51 –

  Ariadna

  The Anari had remained in Forta for another day after the exchange. It was necessary they rested after the attack and did not rush Ariadna into travelling again whilst she took the time to recover after her imprisonment within Kanra’s fortress in Vhorgo.

  Ariadna had not had much of a decision in whether she rested, not after Vinn had knocked her unconscious and then injected her with a heavy dose of nightshade, to both make her groggy and temporarily paralyse her.

  There came the sound of men talking amongst each other, down in the heart of the inn. Vinn and his assassins must have been there for a while, they all sounded tired and annoyed about something.

  Ariadna cracked one eye open and found herself
in a different room to the one she and Troian had shared. She could not believe it. Even now, Vinn did not appreciate her staying in any other room but his. The smell of him still lingered on the pillow next to her and it only enraged her more; he had slept beside her unconscious body.

  That must mean, she began to think. Ariadna was sitting upright and throwing her cover back without even finishing her trail of thought. Her leather fighting gear had been removed, her body washed too. At least her wounds had been taken care of and her wrist was now wrapped up in a bandage; it was unmistakably Oberon’s work. Ariadna knew she would have to thank him once her temper had cooled. “That bastard. I’m going to gut him if I get the chance.” Ariadna ranted to herself, whilst she slipped her leather fighting gear on again. That too had been cleaned, it seemed. Another thing Ari would have to thank Oberon for later on. She had not failed to notice the small basket on her bedside table, a loaf of bread peeking through the cloth covering it. Someone must have guessed she would wake up earlier and be hungry. Ariadna stuffed some bread into her mouth, gripping it with her teeth as she laced up her boots.

  “Ah,” Ariadna hissed. She pinched her bandaged wrist. It still hurt every once in a while. Swallowing the last piece of her bread, Ariadna washed it down with some rum straight from the bottle left out on the same table. The doors were not going to creak as she opened them, Ariadna knew that, this inn was far too expensive and luxurious to not have their hinges oiled regularly. A foolish decision really, considering how many important figures stayed in this very inn. Screeching hinges alerted even the drunkest guests to night prowlers.

  Vinn and his men were still downstairs. Their conversation had slowly turned into an argument and that only meant one thing, no one was going to back down from it until someone won the blasted argument.

  Ariadna checked for her weapons one last time and then ran towards the window at the far end of the corridor. She kept on her toes, not wanting to apply too much pressure onto the floorboards and sending them creaking. She forced the window open, looking over her shoulder every other second to check for any assassins who might have been sent to check on her via shifts. Ariadna climbed out the window when the coast was clear and she slid down the side of the building using a sturdy pipe lining the building.

  There came voices. But they did not belong to anyone from the Anari.

  “Pub’s closed.” Ariadna managed to catch a snippet of a conversation.

  “Tomorrow, likely. Those men are still in there.”

  Ariadna did not stay to hear the rest of the useless conversation. Keeping to the shadows, she began peering through the windows lining the ground floor of the inn. The stairs had not been an option, they led straight into the heart of the inn and into the clutches of Vinn himself. Ariadna intended to avoid the main lobby of the inn entirely, she knew Troian and Artus would not be there. They were being kept in the storage room of the inn.

  “For fuck’s sake.” Ariadna growled as she stood peering through a window looking into the storage room where she had spied both men on her trip around the inn. Retrieving a dagger from her boot, she wedged it in between the window and the pane, forcing the window open enough for her to slip her hand under and push it open. Breaking the window would have been too noisy.

  “Ari?” Troian called out softly in the dark.

  Ariadna shushed him, not meanly though, as she slipped through the window and eased it shut the slightest. With her dagger still in hand, Ariadna managed to make out the shape of both men sitting back to back in the corner of the storage room. It was not too dark but, the large shelves containing food did little to allow any light into the room. Ariadna knelt beside the men and cut through the rope keeping them bound together.

  “We need to get out of here, get our horses and ride for Vhorgo. You both need to lead the way.” Ariadna gave them little to no time to regain themselves. The most she could afford to do was help them both find their feet.

  Troian and Artus gathered their weapons which had been placed in the corner of the room.

  “It isn’t like Vinn to just leave your weapons there.” Ariadna mused.

  Artus shook his head as he did the belt of his sword up as best as he could in the semi-darkness. “It wasn’t Vinn who had put them there. It was that blonde man with the moustache.”

  The young assassin decided she could kiss Oberon if it did not mean having to go out and face the others. She had a lot to thank him for. Ariadna turned for the window again instead and said, “Come on. We haven’t got the time to waste.” she eased herself out of the window, waited a moment and then beckoned for the men to follow her once she figured no one was waiting for them in any lonely shadows.

  Troian and Artus rushed after the assassin, to the stables, and together the three of them mounted their horses and sped out of the stables before anyone could notice they were gone.

  It was cool outside. Morning had only just started creeping up on them but, the three weary travellers judged it to be another three hours or so until sunrise. As they created a good distance between themselves and the inn, the three of them did not utter a word about their chances of getting to Vhorgo in time to interrupt Preeya’s sacrifice. The last thing they needed was to have made this grand escape from the Anari themselves, only to make it to Vhorgo in time to clean up Preeya’s corpse.

  Artus in particular was glad that no one offered any suggestions as to what they might find once in Vhorgo.

  After an hour of riding, Ariadna finally tugged at Atha’s reigns and the horse stopped with a couple of trots. She looked to both men. “Tell me about the layout of the castle. Main gate? Side gates? How many guards manning the walls?” she asked.

  Both mercenaries unwillingly forced their minds to wander back to the memories of the castle; it’s dark and unwelcoming structure, at least a dozen men standing above the gates alone.

  “Kanra’s not an idiot, he’s likely put at least thirty men above the castle gates this time. As for the rest of his walls, a man per crenel. That must make at least another forty guards on either side of the gate.” Troian replied.

  Ariadna sucked at her teeth and a short grunt of disbelief followed. She steadied herself as Atha began to stomp her feet, feeling rather eager to just head off already. “What about side gates? Or is Kanra just too damn smart to have built any?” she asked.

  Artus shook his head. “None that we’re aware of. But there are guards down every corridor in that castle, I’d guess around a dozen, if not more, down each one. We’ll be riding to our deaths and leaving Preeya to suffer a fate no better.”

  Ariadna laughed at that, before replying, “If I die, then that demented creature is dying with me. Now, onto other matters; are the both of you any good at climbing?”

  Troian and Artus shook their heads.

  “You don’t really expect us to climb the walls to get inside the castle do you?” Artus was gaping.

  The assassin smiled at that bad but, rather expected news. She clicked her tongue and Atha began to trot away again, prompting the others to follow. "Just don’t look down and you’ll be fine.” was all Ariadna said in response.

  That hardly put the men at ease but, they supposed it was better than venturing through something like a sewer. Either way, climbing sky high walls and wading through waste seemed like equally shit ideas. Yet, Kanra was not going to wait for them to waltz in and if they did not hurry, there was a chance the three of them would not make it in time at all.

  Ariadna whispered words of encouragement to Atha, patting the beast on her neck with every chance she got. She had already suffered at the hands of Kanra herself, now she was not going to let Preeya die by his blade next.

  52 –

  Preeya

  Preeya could hear the drums from where she had been tied to a slab within the torture cave, atop an island for all the other prisoners to see.

  As Kanra Mortier stood over her body, he noted how her breathing had grown fast and it escaped her in sharp pants. He silently cong
ratulated her for how well she seemed to be holding herself together. For now. He removed the leather jacket he wore and handed it to one of the priest Preeya had seen a couple days earlier.

  Four days in that tiny prison cell had left Preeya too agitated to even think of believing the others would come for her. She had already suffered, having to see her poor sisters strung up on the walls in a neat line; their stomachs hanging open from when they been sacrificed earlier. Preeya considered herself lucky she had not been there to witness them being murdered; at least that was one blessing.

  “You’re not like the other priestesses.” Kanra began, having washed his hands in a small bowl made of bone. He signalled the priest holding it to discard of the water and he then turned towards a series of tools he had spread out on a small table nearby. He worked which such calmness; it somehow only made the whole ordeal more frightening.

  Still, Preeya tried to keep her gaze fixed on the ceiling and she prayed she did not meet Kanra’s gaze. She heard metal scraping against stone but, refused to watch as the Dictator retrieved a pair of silver scissors.

  Kanra’s hand was cold against Preeya’s skin as he brushed some of her hair away from her neck. He smiled when he felt her shudder. Taking hold of her waistcoat, Kanra cut at it, so he could take it off without having to undo the straps which held Preeya down to the slab. He was not that foolish. He knew the priestess had been spending quite some time with Ariadna Vikander and she had likely learned a few tricks from the assassin.

  Preeya drew a silent breath as she felt her waistcoat being tugged off and out from underneath her. Already, she was feeling herself tremble as Kanra cut away at her tunic next.