Piper and Fennan pressed their backs against a thick trunk, waving Layala over to them. Music drifted in the air from somewhere nearby. Laughter and chatter too. Tif leaned onto Layala’s shoulder. “This is Newarden, the capital city of Calladira.”
Sliding beside Fennan, Layala peeked around the tree trunk. In the near distance a pair of elves walking together leading sheep, headed their way. “How do you know that, Tif?”
“Because no other city in Calladira has the Lord’s Manor.” She pointed to where deep among the trees was the back of a large manor.
“What would Thane be doing here?” Layala pulled the dagger from her belt. If she had to take out the two elves headed their way she would. Flashes of the cage and his fiery anger stirred in her memory. Was he being held captive?
“I have no idea, but it can’t be good,” Fennan said. He slipped off his coat and tossed it on the ground along with his gloves. It was a pleasantly warm day and heavy clothes already had sweat building under them.
“We’ll need to sneak around and find him,” Piper said. “They’ll recognize us as outsiders right away with our Palenor attire.”
Layala gasped, remembering what she’d been given at the Summer Solstice. “I brought some leaves from the invisibility plant. How long will they last?” Layala rifled through her bag, pulled out a small leather pouch and found the white leaves now dried and crumbling at the edges.
“Fresh, maybe an hour. Dried, a few minutes,” Piper said inspecting them. Layala peeked around the tree trunk again to the two elves. “Maybe we can get new clothes in case it fades too quickly.” She hooked a thumb toward the two farmers.
Fennan smirked. “What a splendid idea.” He pulled his bow off his back and quickly knocked an arrow. “But there are only two.”
“We’ll draw sticks,” Piper added, taking her sword from its holster.
Layala dropped into a crouch beside Tif. “Stay here. Stay hidden.”
The trio swept around behind the two unknowing sheep farmers and with weapons ready Fennan let out a whistle. The two stopped chatting and turned.
“Don’t make a sound or this arrow will go through your head,” Fennan said.
Piper sneered. “And this sword will cut it off.”
The two male elves silently put their hands up. “Now strip,” Layala ordered. Using the farmer’s own lead ropes to tie them up, they left the two elves bound at the base of a tree.
“Where is the High King of Palenor?” Fennan asked, holding a knife to the throat of the older one.
“We’ll never talk, scum.”
“Would you rather die?” Fennan pressed the blade harder against the elf’s throat.
The elf who couldn’t have been more than fourteen years old answered, “He’s getting everything he deserves.” Then the teen spit and the glob of saliva landed on Fennan’s shirt. The older male beside him glared at his partner. A father-son duo if Layala had to guess.
“You’re lucky you’re still a child,” Fennan said, rising up and wiping the spit off with a leaf.
Piper kicked the young male in the side of the head and sent him face-first in the grass. “He is a child in need of a lesson.”
“Don’t hurt my son!” the other called.
“Keep your mouth shut,” Piper snarled and then kicked him too. “They won’t talk. It doesn’t matter. We’ll find him.” Then she held up two sticks. One was short. “Short stick stays behind and guards these two to make sure they don’t get loose and warn anyone. The other goes with Layala.” After closing her hand around the sticks, she held them out to Fennan. “You go.”
He tugged one loose. It was certainly the short stick. Throwing it down, he cursed under his breath. “You yell as loud as you can for me if something goes wrong.”
“We will,” Piper said, gathering the green and brown garb of the two elves into her arms. Layala and Piper quickly changed. The older male’s clothes were baggy on Piper, but she belted the waist tight to keep them from falling. “We can’t openly wear our weapons. The people here don’t unless they are soldiers and given that this isn’t a soldier’s uniform…”
“So, all we can take is a dagger and a knife then,” Layala prayed that they wouldn’t have to fight anyone and somehow they could sneak Thane away.
Gripping a leaf in hand, and heart thundering Layala and Piper walked around the backside of the Manor. It was covered in moss and foliage. She ran her hand across the plants feeling for any magical properties, but nothing shifted in her. “Should we save the leaves for escape?” Layala asked.
“They’re supposed to be steeped in tea, I honestly don’t know if it will even work, but we should save them for when we see Thane.”
A trio of chatting soldiers headed their way. “Don’t speak unless they ask a direct question,” Piper murmured.
The soldiers slowed as they neared. “Good afternoon, ladies,” one said with a big smile.
Layala dipped her head and quickened her pace. Thankfully the soldiers kept walking. It wasn’t long before they came into the bustling center of the city where small crowds gathered. Her eyes swept over the area looking for any sign of Thane… of a cage. She had a terrible feeling that’s where they’d find him. A glimmer of light caught her eye, and the top of a gold cage hung from a tree mostly hidden by the crowd around it. “I think he’s over there.”
Throat constricting the closer she drew, Layala slid around elves, and gently nudged them aside, making her way to the front of the crowd. When she saw all the blood, both dried and fresh, covering Thane’s half-naked body she froze. The invisibility leaf dropped from her fingers. Hundreds of small cuts, some oozing, some partially closed and scabbed over. His head was slumped forward, his sticky, bloody hair hanging over his face. His arms held up by chains cutting into his wrists taut above him. She couldn’t stop herself. She ran to the bars, wrapping her hands around them. They’d tortured and humiliated him. “Thane! Thane, it’s me. It’s Layala. I’m going to get you out.”
“Layala,” Piper snapped. “Think about this for a moment. We’re vastly outnumbered. You’re going to get us killed.”
Thane’s head slowly rose. They’d even cut into his beautiful face. Small scabs marred his cheek and forehead and chin. His eyes flashed wide. “What are you doing?” he groaned. “Get out of here.”
“I’m going to free you.” Tears burned Layala’s eyes, momentarily blurring her vision.
“Get away from the cage.” One of the guards gripped her wrist tightly and tugged her hand free of the bar.
Layala tore out of his grasp and shoved him. “Don’t touch me! How could you do this to him?” She lost all sight of reason, of worry, of fear, and only saw red.
He came at her again and she leveled him with a punch to the jaw. The crowd began to question. “She’s a sympathizer!” someone shouted.
“Damn it, Layala,” Piper said at her side, pulling her dagger. “There are thousands of people here. We must go and come back with the cover of night.”
“We will do no such thing,” she snapped. She’d be damned and dead before she left him again.
“Shit,” Piper cursed, readying herself.
A set of guards came at them with cuffs in their hands. Her chest heaved up and down; her fists clenched at her sides. The guard looked confused at first. “Settle down, maiden. We don’t wish to hurt you. Come explain your behavior to Lord Brunard and I’m sure he’ll be lenient.” The guard narrowed his eyes and reached for her.
Drawing her blade Layala plunged it into his gut, shoving through the metal platemail. She felt his breath whoosh out before she wrenched it from his body. “Here’s my explanation.” Another guard rushed her; she whirled and slashed his throat. Blood sprayed as he went down. “You will all pay for what you have done to my mate!” Another side of Layala she’d never known let loose a murderous rampage. She slashed and hacked at guards coming at her, dropping them like insects. Her blade plunged into the soft flesh of necks, sliced across chests. She moved faster than she ever had. Saw only weak points in her opponents. She was a goddess of death, lethal incarnate.
More guards rushed. Piper was taken down. The soldiers swarmed her in great numbers until a wrathful scream that scorched Layala’s throat let loose magic that roared like a beast. Vines tore through the ground, louder than a crack of thunder, wrapping and tangling around elves as they screamed and attempted to flee. The vines punched through the guts of the soldiers, killed and maimed with fatal precision.
Elves ran in every direction, trampling over the fallen, screeching and wailing in a panic to get away. Poison leaked from the lilies, dropping many who hadn’t been caught in the vines’ destructive path. More guards came running. Arrows flew at Layala but her magic stalks sprouting up like a wall, defended and stopped any and all attacks.
She’d never felt more rage than seeing what they’d done to him. She moved and waved her hands killing those who sought to attack. Blood pooled at her feet from the fallen around her. As far as she was concerned, they were all guilty of torturing Thane. They all stood by and watched, and cut him. The only elves she consciously spared were children or mothers who held their children.
A howl that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but a pale one soared over the sounds of chaos. Then another and soon, a horde of pale ones invaded.
“Kill the pale ones!” a voice rose above the chaos. “Forget the mage! Kill them or we will all die!” An auburn-haired male stood on the edge of the raised fountain. As much as she despised the pale ones, this bought her time to free Thane.
Fennan dashed in from the scattering crowd, shooting arrows at pale ones. Piper was at the cage door attempting to get it open. Layala turned and ran, skidding to a halt once she reached him. The door needed a key… She laid her hand flat against the lock; vines pushed in and tore it apart allowing her to swing the door open. She climbed inside, and grabbed his bloody face in between her palms. “I’m here. They can’t hurt you anymore.” He met her stare as the corner of his mouth crooked upward. Then she quickly broke the chains with her power.
Piper caught Thane’s upper body before he fell. “Fennan!” she shouted. “Some help!”
When a pale one slammed into the side of the cage, he stuck his head through the bars and screeched. The sound hurt her ears, ringing after he shut his mouth. Layala shoved her dagger under his chin, sinking it to the hilt. Black blood gurgled out of his mouth and down her hand until she jerked her dagger back.
She whirled around to Fennan sliding his arm under Thane. “Come on, let’s get you out of this cage,” he said in a tender voice one might use speaking to a sibling in danger.
When they jumped to the ground, Thane groaned, clutching his side where blood still oozed. The deep red covering most of his body made Layala sick. She looked for a way through the mobs of pale ones and woodland elf soldiers when Phantom came from out of nowhere, rearing and neighing loudly. “Just in time, boy.” Layala wanted to cheer at the steed’s arrival.
Fennan struggled to push Thane onto his back until Layala and Piper helped. It was much harder to lift someone who couldn’t help much themselves.
When he was finally on Phantom’s back, Thane slumped heavily forward, and to one side as if he might slip off at any moment. He wouldn’t be able to hold on for long once Phantom started moving, especially bareback. Using her magic as a step, she leapt up behind Thane, and wrapped her arms around him hoping she could hold him upright. His pain radiated into her stronger than before. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“Go, Go!” Fennan shouted. “We’re right behind you!”
Layala reached around Thane, grabbing Phantom’s mane and kicked him into a run.
“Get the mage! Get the female!” one of the pale creatures bellowed.
Phantom slowed for not a soul, running pale ones down and darting around elves. Layala kept glancing back to make sure that Fennan and Piper were still close behind and they were. When they made it out of the city and deep enough into the woods where no one followed, Layala pulled Phantom to stop.
With a groan, Thane started slipping to the side, “Thane,” she cried, trying to keep him upright but he was too heavy. They slid off and hit the ground hard. Layala scrambled to her knees, and leaned over him, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, “I’m sorry I left you. I shouldn’t have. I lied. I do love you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, Thane Athayel.”
