by Ivy Clyde
He chuckled softly. “Only if you come with me.”
I looked around at the soldiers. “These men frighten me,” I said in a small voice, feigning weakness.
“Move away from her,” he commanded.
The men obeyed at once, fanning out behind me but opening the way towards the prince.
“Come, my darling Darla,” he said, extending his hand towards me.
It was a struggle not to cringe. He was practically my cousin.
However, I kept my face smooth and hid all my discomfort and rage. I let him take my hand and crush it in his grasp as he dragged me out of Jifa’s quarters.
25
I followed Zane through the corridor and down a staircase until we reached a courtyard. It was quiet and empty. Turning around to face the soldiers behind us, he said, “Stay here.” Glancing at me, he motioned for me to continue following him.
Taking a deep breath, I obeyed, wondering what fresh scheme he’d hatched. At least, my princes are away from the palace, I thought with a sliver of relief. I just need to get out of his clutches and meet up with them.
Zane walked into a tower room on the other side of the courtyard. Only a few of the torches mounted on the wall were burning, keeping most of the place hidden in shadows. A single winding staircase led the way up to the top of the tall tower. Unease flooded me instantly. As far as I knew, his quarters were spread across the whole third-floor landing of the palace. If he was bringing me here, I could only guess the deviousness of his intentions.
He glanced back at me, grinning maliciously, making his intent clear as day.
My hands swiped across the bodice of my dress and came back empty. Fuck! My mind screamed at me. I realized too late I wasn’t armed with a single dart or needle. I’d removed them all from my clothes when I went to the temple with Norvin. In my haste to see Jifa and Kora, I hadn’t even thought of arming myself the moment I got into the palace.
“You should never allow your emotions to rule your actions.” Elga’s cold voice floated into my head.
What did she know? The old tyrant wasn’t the one to find out her parents were murdered by the very man she was set up to assassinate. Ivan was my uncle by blood. And the man I was following right now was my cousin.
Zane stopped at the top of the stairs beyond which lay an open doorway, leading into a room I could partially see. He gestured for me go in.
Keeping my expression neutral, I stepped forward.
The room was minimally furnished. A single bed stood in one corner. Few porcelain vases decorated the empty space. Tall windows, large enough for a man to get through, were cut on all sides of the circular room. Several candles burnt in the tiers of tall candelabra, bathing the place in warm light.
“What are we doing here, Your Highness?” I asked, looking all around the room. There was nothing sharp or heavy I could use against him. Maybe I could use the vases but they were tall, almost as high as my shoulder. They would be heavy and slow me down if I were to attack him using one of them. If he were a normal man, my air and fire magic would have been enough to subdue him but Zane was a dragonborn. Fire wouldn’t affect him at all.
“Let’s have a drink first,” he said, moving forward to pour some wine from a fine metallic flask. Another object I could use to hit him in the head. But was it heavy enough to inflict serious injury? I took the goblet he offered.
“Drink,” he said, keeping his dark gaze on me. He watched me as I took a few sips. A slow smile spread across his lips. “You’re so good, Darla. So obedient and yielding. I would have loved to keep you by my side. It pains me to think you won’t live too long.”
“Exc…” I couldn’t even utter the whole word as my heart came to a skidding stop. The goblet slipped out of my fingers and fell to the ground. I clutched at my chest and froze. “What did you give me?” I asked in a pained voice. My air pipe was constricting dangerously, leaving me to gasp and pant.
“Just a little something to keep you submissive, my sweet,” he said in a deep, husky voice that seemed to skim all over my skin like a flurry of moths. I shuddered. Black spots began appearing in my vision.
I can’t die yet, I screamed in my mind. Not like this.
Even as my body succumbed to the lack of air, my consciousness retreated into a more aware corner of my mind. Zane may have weakened me temporarily but I wouldn’t give up that easily.
As time passed, I realized the poison wasn’t meant to kill me. It was used to stun and keep me unconscious. Reaching into the deepest reservoirs of my inner energy, I forced my heartbeat to slow down, in turn slowing down the poison from passing through my system and blacking me out completely. It wouldn’t protect me for long but would give me time to figure out an escape from Zane’s trap.
My eyes fluttered open. Everything was hazy. My body lay on something soft, not the rough, hard ground I’d anticipated. A dark shape loomed over me, blocking away most of my sight. The sound of clothes being forcefully ripped came to my ears next.
“Such delicate skin,” Zane’s voice whispered against my ears as his fingers skimmed over the expanse of my bare stomach. I struggled to move but felt his weight pressing down on me. “That good-for-nothing prince must have enjoyed tasting it every night.”
“Get away from me,” I grit out, but my voice sounded frail to my own ears.
“You’re a resilient one,” said Zane, ripping more of my clothes. “I am going to take my time breaking you in. Mekhi wanted to kill you right away but I wanted my share of fun before that. I’d wanted to fuck you the moment I saw you.” His fingers gripped me by the chin and forced me to look up at him. His face was still hazy as he breathed down on me. “You’re out of your mind but still so pretty.” Leaning down, he crashed his mouth against mine, shoving his tongue forcibly through my lips.
I struggled against him but my weak flailing was pathetic against his brute strength.
“You taste so sweet,” he whispered, his hand coming to squeeze a breast.
I am being molested by my own cousin, I thought as his hands groped all over my body. Would he do this if he knew the truth of who I was? A part of me already knew the answer. He would do it anyway and then proceed to kill me.
Zane’s body sunk further between my thighs as his mouth began kissing and sucking at the side of my neck. None of it did anything for me. I imagined a dog lapping at my neck while letting my mind come up with a solution. At least, in this position, I was able to turn my head and look around the room.
Managing to pull out my left arm from underneath him, I focused my remaining energy at the vases in the corner. A blast of air left my palm, knocking them on the floor.
The resounding crash got him off me.
“What was that?” He moved off me for a moment, giving me space to slide off the bed. My legs were still limp, refusing to support my weight. “Bloody open windows,” I heard him curse, kicking at the pieces of broken porcelain.
I dragged my body away from the bed and towards one of those open windows Zane was cursing.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he shouted, gripping my shoulders. “Get back!”
He flipped me around, letting my back graze against the cold stone floor. Pulling me close to him, he stared right into my face.
“I know who you are, Darla,” he seethed. “You’re the maid spotted with Prince Cain in Carran. A week ago you escaped from Partaig, leaving my brother injured and hallucinating. Now that I know you are in the service of Prince Adal, how long do you think he has to live?”
I froze.
“What have you done with Adal?” I asked.
“Mekhi and Helena have arrived this evening. They will deal with him while I get to take care of you.” His fingers slipped around my neck, holding me in a choking hold. “You thought you’d be able to escape the wrath of Drakhaven?”
A rough chuckle escaped me. Zane tightened his grip, sneering at me.
“Drakhaven doesn’t belong to you,” I whispered through the choking
hold. “It’s mine. I will make sure to cleanse away the filth that’s you and your father.”
Zane’s boot collided with my stomach as he kicked me hard. The blow was hard enough to knock me backward and fall several feet away. I gasped hard, tasting blood in my mouth.
“A puny maid like you has a very daring mouth,” Zane spat out. He was no longer smiling. His dark eyes burned with rage as he stepped towards me with a raised sword.
I braced myself, knowing I was completely defenseless against him for the moment. He swiped at me, cutting into my torso and chest. The blow wasn’t too hard or I’d be halved in two. The strike was just enough to give me pain and bleed out.
I writhed on my back, feeling the poison work its way into my blood faster. It won’t be long before I blacked out completely, from both the toxin’s effect and blood loss.
“You’re finally down on your back.” He swiped a lock of hair from his face and dropped the sword. It clattered on the floor but it was too far away for me to reach.
Sweat beaded my forehead. I was getting weaker, close to succumbing to my body’s plea for escaping the pain throbbing all over me. Still, I dragged my body towards the only weapon in the room. It was my only salvation at the moment.
Zane began loosening his breeches. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you,” he promised. Zane revealed his thick, hardened erection. It was disgusting to think the sight of me lying in tattered clothes with blood pouring out was somehow turning him on.
What kind of monsters did Ivan spawn?
It was hard to accept I was related to them by blood.
Zane moved forward, his erection pointing at me.
My hand reached forward towards the sword but it was still a feet away. The sound of rushing blood filled my ears as I struggled to reach for the weapon. I could never stand for him to get inside me. In my desperation, I lighted the bed on fire. As the flames rose high, lighting up the tower room, I heard only laughter.
“Helena told me about your special abilities with fire. It’s quite interesting,” said Zane, stroking his shaft, lengthening it. “But you’ve forgotten one important thing. It has no effect on me. I’m a dragonborn.”
“I still want you to burn, asshole,” I hissed.
Leaning down, he gripped my chin and slapped me. It was hard enough to black me out and cut my inner cheek. Blood dribbled down my chin as he lowered himself further.
He was upon me now, the mass of his body covering me. He forced my thighs apart, positioning himself between them. My fingers grazed the hilt of the sword.
And just as his cock started prodding at my dry folds, my hand closed upon the hilt.
“You whore!” Zane roared as I weakly held the sword. He easily pulled it out of my reach but my hands came up to grasp the blade, holding it with the last of my strength even though it was cutting through my palms.
Thick streams of blood ran down my arms but I kept my hold over it. My hands glowed red hot as I focused my magic onto it.
“What the hell are you doing?” Zane shouted as the part of the blade I held began glowing. “Breaking my sword won’t save you from the fate awaiting you.”
Part of the blade melted enough to droop. I snatched at it, breaking it off. A piece of the blade clattered to the floor.
“Enough of this nonsense,” he barked, throwing away the broken sword. My bleeding fingers curled around the smaller piece of the sword’s broken blade.
Zane forced me on my back, his pale eyes glowing with malice and lust. I thought I’d seen the worst of men, men who kidnapped children and sold them to slavery, men who sold their daughters for a bag of grain, men who bled young girls to sell their blood…But Zane was a special monster. His drug and pleasure came from the pain and blood of his victim.
This would have to do, I decided as he positioned himself over my body, his hands clutching onto my bare breasts. His hardened cock prodded my thighs as his mouth latched onto the side of neck, biting hard enough to draw blood.
I ground my teeth against the pain. Thanks to my master, I’d endured worse in my life.
Mustering all my strength into one strike, I shifted under Zane and caught hold of his erection. It pulsed in my hand, and for a moment he arched his back and closed his eyes with an appreciative groan.
Did he actually think I was going to make this easier for him?
Grasping his cock in one hand and the piece of blade in the other, I struck him hard and fast. The blade flashed like a streak of lightning before cutting his dick at the hilt.
Zane howled as the length of his cock detached at the root.
He screamed in pain and shock, staring down at me with wide eyes. His gaze slowly traveled down to look at the length of limp dick clutched in my fingers. Fresh howls filled the air once more as I kicked him away and dragged my body towards one of the windows.
Zane didn’t come after me. He writhed on the floor, screaming like a rabid animal as blood gushed out of his severed cock.
Flames rose all around us. Black smoke billowed out of the open windows of the tower room. It was surely enough to alert the soldiers and guards of the palace. I brought myself to stand on unsteady feet under one of the casements looking down at several hundred feet between me and the ground.
“Help me,” I whispered as smoke and ash billowed all around me, threatening to choke the life out of my lungs.
“I am coming, Daria,” a familiar voice spoke in my mind. “I am coming.” The relief at hearing Adal’s voice was so great that I let go of all inhibitions, welcoming the black veil that fell on me like a gentle blanket.
26
I shouldered the bundle of clothes on my back. Only a few hours remained until midnight, late enough for both Norvin and Daria to have joined Cain by now in the shack outside of Huadu. Once I reached them, we could make our way to Drakhaven.
I was about to move towards the doorway when it was suddenly thrown open. Halting, I stared at the wild-eyed woman before me. It was Kora, my mother’s trusted handmaiden. Acting with such defiance was severely punished in the palace. While I would never harm the lady who’d accompanied my mother for years, there was something about her haggard appearance that gave me pause.
Kora was a very reserved lady, sometimes hanging in the background like she was a part of it. She never spoke unless she was asked a question. To see her in such a disheveled mess, alarmed me like nothing else.
“What is going on, Kora?” I asked, dropping the bundle at my feet. “Is my mother all right?”
“It’s not Lady Jifa,” she said, falling helplessly in my arms. “It’s the princess.”
That was odd. Why was she seeking me out for one of my nieces? “You should go find my brothers,” I said. “They will call for the royal physician.”
She shook her head. “They won’t do a thing for her. You’re the only one who can protect Princess Daria now.”
That name had me clutching onto her small trembling shoulders. “What happened to Daria?” I asked, ignoring the old woman’s misuse of the title.
“She was with Lady Jifa and me. Prince Zane came unannounced and took her away. She didn’t put up a fight at all and went with him meekly.”
“She was trying to protect you and Mother,” I said, guessing why Daria didn’t resist being captured. Turning my attention back on her, I tightened my grip on her shoulders. “Look at me, Kora.” She hesitated but stared up at me with wide, frightened eyes. The old, wrinkling woman looked like a child at the moment. “Stay with my mother. You both have to be calm no matter what happens. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“It’s not the time to lose your heads, Kora. I will get Daria. I’ll tear this palace down if I have to. Just make sure you and Mother stay safe. It’s the only way I can do what needs to be done.”
Kora took a deep breath and visibly looked calmer. “Make sure you protect the princess, Prince Adal. Lady Jifa and I can look after ourselves.”
I had no
idea why she was calling Daria a princess. Shock, perhaps? Still, there was no time to lose. Leaving Kora behind, I hurried down the corridor to reach the staircase. Zane’s quarters were located on the opposite side of the palace from mine.
I was about to cross a courtyard when a group of several people marched towards me. My eldest brother, Prince Kurozeru, was in the front. Beside him, stood Prince Sarigey and Prince Kusana. All three of my half-brothers stared at me coldly as royal guards and soldiers fanned out behind them.
The flames of their torches lit up the two figures standing behind the group.
I froze at the sight. It was Mekhi and Helena.
“Is that him?” asked Mekhi, his gray eyes focused on me.
“That’s him,” said Helena. “Prince Cain’s third companion.”
My fists balled together. “Where is Daria?”
“Adal!” snapped Kurozeru. “How can you still think of that woman when your own life is in jeopardy?”
“What have you done with her?” I shouted, my gaze not leaving Helena’s.
A soft laugh escaped her. “See? I knew she was fucking all three princes,” she said, turning to Mekhi. “Why else would he be so worried about her?”
“Don’t talk about her with your filthy mouth, Helena,” I yelled, balling my fists tightly in an attempt not to attack her.
Rage flashed in her black eyes. For a second, her gaze flickered to the tall tower on the far side of the courtyard.
“Shouldn’t you be arresting him?” said Mekhi, jerking my eldest brother out of his thoughts.
“Of course, Your Highness,” said Prince Kurozeru, bowing his head.
“What’s my crime, brother?” I asked Kurozeru directly. “They have no proof I was ever with Prince Cain. You will just take her word for it?”
“My word is Drakhaven’s word,” said Helena.
Prince Kurozeru gestured for the soldiers to march forward.
“Please, Brother,” I said, almost pleading. “Tell me where they’ve taken Daria. I’ll not harm any of our people in the palace if you just let us go.”
