Disclaimer&A/N: Well, I'm back and I liked the way this chapter turned out. Maybe it's just because I like writing the rather bipolar relationship that is Martin and Katryn. Anyway, I hope you like it and I'll try to update soon.
He stepped forward and swung without warning and Katryn didn't even stop to think as she threw her shield charm up in front of all of them. She held it steady as the Dremora smashed against it furiously and Eldamil, true to his word, threw Martin's sword to him. The priest nodded to Katryn and she released the charm as they both advanced on Vexra. Like she had thought, he was not going to go down easily and she kept a distance, wishing fervently that they had had to go through at least one door. The fight seemed so loud and there was no way to cast a silencing spell over open air.
Vexra spun away from them both and the Dark Elf and Martin almost collided. The priest whirled immediately and raised his sword, ready to cut down the Dremora when he came at him again and then froze, cold fear gripping his heart. Vexra had moved quickly and gone right for what he knew would bring a very quick end to the fight. He had grabbed Katryn and was now holding her against his body, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other pressing the longblade to her slender neck. Her face was pale with fear and pain and she was not struggling. Her hands gripped the arm holding the blade to her throat but her eyes were steady on Martin.
"Let her go!" The priest demanded harshly, his voice gaining in pitch as the fear swarmed through him and took over all rational thought.
Vexra merely tightened his hold and Katryn winced as the ebony bit into her flesh. Eldamil immediately lowered the long knife he was grasping and glanced rapidly between Martin and Katryn and her captor.
"Certainly," Vexra's voice was clipped, short and it seemed that he was doing nothing more important than discussing the weather, "Drop your weapons: all of them."
Without another glance at Martin, Eldamil tossed the knife towards Vexra's feet and felt eternally grateful that he had thought to hide its twin in his pocket. Martin's reaction was much slower. His face flamed angrily in the Dark Elf's direction at how quickly he gave in and when his eyes fell on Katryn again he realized what a mistake it was to do so. Her fiery gaze had never left him and he felt his stomach lurch while his heart took up residence in his throat at the tender expression in her face. She shut her eyes very briefly when Vexra pressed the ebony even closer, not registering her tug at his arm. Orange eyes meeting blue once more, she gave the smallest shake of her head, hoping that the Dremora wouldn't realize the tremendous hold she had over the priest.
Martin waffled for a moment and then slowly, his eyes never leaving Katryn, he lowered his sword to the floor. As soon as he straightened, his expectations were for his Elf to be free to return to his side so that they could face everything together. And this time, he would keep a very tight hold on her.
"Shove it here," Vexra ordered, making it clear that any wrong move on their part would cost Katryn her life. Martin did so with a hard, impatient flick of his foot, "Very good. Now move around in front of me and if you so much as think about taking one of them, your friend's blood will be on your head."
"You said you would release her," Martin argued in a fierce voice, not budging.
"And I will but not until I am sure you are within my power completely," The guard drew Katryn even closer and tightened his hold simultaneously, seeming to know exactly where she was hurt and exactly what to do to aggravate it.
The Elf's face became such a pale blue that it was close to turning white and Martin felt fury flood through him. If not for Eldamil's quick, quiet, and rough shove to get moving, the priest would have flung himself at Vexra and probably killed Katryn in the process of trying to save her. The Dark Elf managed to get Martin around in front of the Dremora without any life-threatening acts of heroism and they retraced their steps towards the cavern.
Eldamil's thoughts were racing furiously. Unlike himself and the rest of the stock here in Camoran's paradise, the Dremora were not immortal; they were just damned hard to kill. Camoran had planned well when constructing his waiting place and giving the Dremora free reign over the punishments of everyone else was a very smart move. No one wanted to openly oppose them while the lava cages and other, even more deprived dangers were hanging above them. But he had to do something. The weight of the knife in his pocket was luring him into thoughts of doing incredibly stupid things and he was surprised to find that he didn't care. Martin and his Elf held that alluring promise of rest and freedom that his kind desired more than anything and he was ready to do whatever he must to ensure their success in this task. First things first: he had to get Katryn away from Vexra before Martin finally lost it or the guard dropped his uncharacteristically amiable nature. He knew that it was wildly grasping at straws to think that Vexra would not take them back to the fissure and cages but his composure still took a sharp downward spiral as they went right back.
Vexra herded them to the opposite end of where the first prisoner was suspended. He was still holding Katryn too firmly, too harshly and with a half glance at Eldamil, he then fixed his eyes on Martin. Watching the priest avidly and pulling the sword from Katryn just long enough to motion with the tip of it, he commanded the Dark Elf,
"Pull that cage over. And watch what you do with that hook."
Eldamil didn't even need the warning as he took up the long hook that was used to pull the cages over when they were out of reach. If he was the end of Katryn, Martin would probably throw him into the lava pit, immortal or not. The cage was eerie even with the absence of the red hot metal and it thudded down rather wickedly as Eldamil released it.
"Get out of the way," Vexra said harshly and moved forward, shunting Katryn ahead of him, "I will deal with you in a moment."
Martin realized what was happening instantly. He shut out Eldamil as the Dark Elf moved out of his peripheral vision and fastened his apprehensive and furious gaze on Vexra.
"What's going on? You said-"
"I know what I said, Imperial," Vexra snarled and shoved Katryn so that she stumbled and pitched forward against the bars of the cage. The full weight of her slight body made the cage rock wildly back and forth and her cry of pain was intermingled with the clunks of the iron as it smacked off the floor. He slammed the door shut as Katryn pulled herself together and sprang at him, "And now I've released her. This is just to give you an incentive to loosen your tongue even more."
Without an effort, he pushed the cage off the edge and Katryn was suddenly suspended in midair from the long chain, completely helpless within the iron cage. She didn't think that she could even concentrate enough to cast any spells at the Dremora and instead she found herself seeking out Martin's gaze.
"Martin, don't give in to him," She warned and wondered if it was really her voice; she barely recognized the high pitch of fear present in it, "I am not worth it and you cannot fail."
Vexra stopped with his hand on the crank and his eyes were also on the priest. The surprise in his face was hard to miss and, like Martin before him, he seemed to forget that Eldamil even existed. His sword was still held at the ready though he was not as tense as he had been.
"Well, I had not expected this. She was merely supposed to make you talk. What does she mean? What has been planned that would make her say that?"
Martin couldn't look away from the Elf and his blue eyes were tortured. He refused to believe that she knew what she was saying; what her death would do to him. His mind rebelled and he was ready to spill everything to Vexra. But Katryn's sure face, the calm that she was visibly striving for, settled him. At least it did until Vexra spun the crank suddenly and the cage began crashing downwards. Martin's yell mingled with Katryn's as he teetered on the edge of the chasm, thinking that he could reach out and stop the descent with his bare hands.
"Stop!" He shouted and felt his knees get weak with relief as his gaze met Katryn's once more, now several feet beneath him.
"That was what I had thought would happen," Vexra was smug and uncaring, "What are you doing here?"
Katryn shook her head infinitesimally. The heat was almost unbearable but she couldn't let Martin give everything away. Not now when they were so close to accomplishing their goal; when he was just a few precious steps from gaining his father's throne and fulfilling both Uriel Septim and Jauffre's dying wishes. She was not going to stand by and let their sacrifices be for nothing. It wasn't fair if Uriel, Jauffre, Matius' and Levin's men, those Blades following their commander's orders, Lee's father, to have died in vain because their future leader wasn't willing to let her go and die a hero's death like they themselves had.
"If I have to ask again, Imperial, I won't stop her plunge."
Martin didn't turn, couldn't turn, away. Katryn's lips parted to scold him again or maybe to answer Vexra's question and the priest had to act quickly.
"We wanted an audience with Camoran," Martin ignored the way his Elf closed her eyes and, in spite of their situation, look incredibly annoyed with him. For some strange reason this quieted and strengthened him.
"That wasn't so hard," Vexra's voice was furiously condescending, "What could possibly be so important that you would dare to interrupt the master?"
"Martin, don't," Katryn did not raise her voice, making it clear that the words were meant solely for him.
The words and then the expression as well. Her eyes became tender again as she saw the internal struggle and she wanted to say more to comfort him and never got the chance. Without warning, Vexra's hand hit the crank a second time and whatever the Elf had been about to say was lost in her terrified scream.
Martin was on the verge of diving after her and it took a huge effort to rip himself away and hurl himself at the Dremora instead. He wondered why he wasn't more surprised to see that Eldamil had acted. He was fighting with Vexra fiercely and with nothing more than an almost blinding speed and one of Martin's knives. They performed their dangerous dance closer and closer to the edge, away from the crank and the priest reacted instantly. He caught the handle, smashing it the other way so that it creaked unpleasantly. His fingers smarted and he was sure they were bruised by the force with which it had slammed into his hand. Eldamil's cry of pain didn't register with him as he tried frantically to bring Katryn's iron prison back into view. A moment later there was a soft grunt and then another hoarse cry. Vexra had disappeared and Eldamil was suddenly at his side, moving Martin away with an effort and then taking over the crank himself. The priest hovered nervously, practically pulling his hair out with how slowly Eldamil seemed to be working. Finally, with an agonizing sluggishness, the top of the cage came into view. The Dark Elf secured the chain and crank and moved forward with Martin right behind him.
"Katryn!" The priest moaned her name hoarsely.
The Elf was curled at the bottom of the cage, absolutely motionless. She didn't so much as stir at the sound of her name, nor did she move when Eldamil secured the cage gently on the firm ground again. Although others were definitely in the cavern with them, they very wisely avoided getting involved in Eldamil's dispute with Vexra. And besides Katryn's fate was foremost in their minds; if anyone had approached them, they would have been completely ignored.
Without a thought of the hot metal, Martin reached up and flung the door open. The absence of a lock and key didn't deter him. What was the use? Anyone within the iron cage would have to be incredibly desperate to open the door and try to escape. He didn't react to his burning fingers as he moved forward to scoop Katryn up in his arms and get her out of the cage. Eldamil was hurrying along the row of cranks and pulling each one up, hooking and securing them at the edge of the chasm before protecting his hand in his robes and flinging open the doors. The priest sank to the floor and cradled Katryn to his chest. Her body was very hot and her dark brown hair was singed and curled with the heat. Eyes closed and head rolling listlessly from side to side as he jostled her, Martin thought for one heart-stopping moment that he had been too late. But no, her breath was coming in shallow, uneven gasps, making the priest feel as though his greatest dream had just come true.
"Kat, please, you can't leave me, too," He whispered as he lowered his mouth to her pointed ear. Her hair smelled smoky and burnt but he was too thrilled that she was still alive to worry about that now, "Not you, too, please."
Eldamil was suddenly there, falling to a crouch beside him. The knife was still grasped in one of his hands and in the other was a jug of what looked like water. His red eyes flickered briefly to Martin's face and then away again just as quickly, feeling as though he was intruding on something very private. The pain on the priest's face was not a thing that was to be shared and Eldamil didn't want him thinking that he was trying to impose in anyway.
"Hold her steady," He murmured softly, "This mixture stings even our wounds. The master does not like seeing us marred by the guards' work and this will prevent that."
Martin, willing to do anything the Dark Elf asked so long as it brought Katryn back to him, tightened his hold firmly and gently. The Elf's body was cradled with utmost gentleness to his chest and it didn't seem that he was ready to release her anytime soon. He watched as Eldamil placed the jug beside them and dipped his free hand in, wringing out a cloth. With one quick, wary glance around him, he dropped the knife close to his knee and leaned forward, pressing the cloth to Katryn's forehead. She moaned in pain and squirmed in Martin's arms. Eldamil set his face and dipped the cloth a second time. As he worked down to her chin and neck, Katryn's pain seemed to increase rather than ease. Her face was twisted in agony and her body was entirely stiff.
Martin finally had enough. He pulled the Elf even closer to him and leaned away from Eldamil when he moved forward for the sixth time.
"No," He said hoarsely and his face was just as pained as Katryn's, "No more. She's in pain."
"She will be in even more pain if I cannot finish this process," Eldamil answered grimly, "The master does not allow this to be done on the few mortals that have come here and this is her only chance for survival. I just hope we have been quick enough."
The last statement was spoken with a new bleakness and the stab of intense fear made Martin lean in again. His blue eyes were fevered with anguish and it looked like he had been in Katryn's place. The expression on his face turned beseeching as he held the Elf out a little, giving Eldamil better access to her. The Dark Elf didn't wait for him to change his mind again. He worked quickly, drenching Katryn's arms and legs by wringing out the rag over her body. Martin's face became steadily whiter and whiter as Katryn's moans of pain increased in volume. Finally he had to close his eyes entirely, trying to cut out the sound.
"Martin," She suddenly gasped, "Please!"
The priest's eyes flashed open again and instinctively he pulled her against him. Eldamil was sitting back on his heels, the rag dangling from his fingers with the air that he was finished. Martin ignored him as he fixed his attention on Katryn.
"I'm here, Katryn," He whispered tenderly, "I'm here."
"Do not leave," Her reply was barely a breath and her fire colored eyes were wild with a fear he never wanted to see there again.
"Never," Whispering fiercely to her, he dropped his lips to her ear again, kissing her singed hair and drawing her closer, "I won't leave you. You're safe now."