Prince Jaymeson Syarus stood outside the dark, mouldy door. Inside, lay a young queen, formerly at the rank of the Red. Now, she couldn't even wear the White. The war between Hayll and the rest of the world had begun, started once again, this time a new taint lay in wait. The taint of power. It was often said that power corrupts, and the witch that ruled this disgusting place knew only too well what power could do. Most of her First Circle were forced to submit to the Ring of Obedience, himself included. That little ring of gold could cause an extraordinary amount of pain, and with that pain came the surrender of all control. As a foolish young boy, he allowed himself to become trapped in that web of corruption and power-hungry witches. As an older, more dangerous man, he was beginning to snap the chains of control they had on him. The only way to get home, was to defy his Queen and free the prisoner, despite the pain he would suffer.
Ravene stared fearfully at the door, as a fierce banging made it dance on it's hinges. Gathering her courage, she tried to rise from the bed, only to find that the physical pain was to great. Breath coming in short gasps, she used Craft to open the door. Even that much Craft was too much.
The door swung slowly open. Ravene lay gasping as she struggled to breathe. A tall Warlord Prince stood in the doorway. He was of the Hayllian race, which meant he was one of the bastards who broke her.
"Get away from me," she hissed as he approached her. Hell's fire, it hurt to talk.
The stranger raised a perfectly formed eyebrow. "Or what? You'll use your limited amount of basic Craft to seriously damage me? Even kill me? I think not, little witch." He leaned over the bed. Ravene spat in his face.
Staggering backwards, he wiped his face. Ravene tasted the air; and paled. He was angry. And she couldn't sense his Jewel of rank. Mother Night, Mother Night, Mother Night. One surge of his Jewels, and she would be a blank, soulless husk, not even having her Red Jewel to protect her. She raised her arms over her face in a futile gesture to shield herself.
Jayme stared at the young woman laying on the blood-soaked bed sheets. Hell's fire, he didn't mean to scare her that badly. But she had no right to spit on him like that! He reluctantly admitted to himself that the admiration he felt for her wasn't pity.
Curious, he looked her over and took in her slender, sinewy build, her delicately pointed ears, forest-blue eyes and long, silvery-blond hair. Something about her sparked something inside of him. A need to protect, a need to serve. How could this happen? She was broken. Not even able to wear a Jewel, let alone protect herself, or members of her court.
Besides, he added to himself, you just need her to get home. To see your family. After that it doesn't matter what happens to her.
"Please do not spit on me in the future," Jayme didn't know how he managed to hold in the snarl that was building in his throat. Not to mention the laugh.
Ravene looked up at him, in a combination of both shock and wary acceptation. "Then please do not give me a reason to spit on you, Prince." she sneered the word, trying to seem as arrogant as possible, knowing full well what may happen if he decided that she wasn't worth living.
"I guess I shall heed your warning, little witch," Jayme said, the sarcasm heavy in his voice. He hadn't accounted for what change that one little statement could bring in Ravene.
"Little witch?! How dare you! Who do you think you are? Answer me!" Ravene snarled, pain forgotten. He had hit a nerve, and she wasn't going to back off until she got an answer. The Darkness help him if the answer he gave wasn't the one she wanted.
"Who I am is none of your concern, at least not for the moment. The less you know, the better." He turned and locked the door. "At least this way, if you get caught, I'll be halfway to Draega."
Ravene eyed him suspiciously. What did he mean? "Look, I don't know what you want, but I want you to leave now. Let me have my privacy."
"I want to be free. I don't know if you can handle it right now, but I need to be free of this cesspool. The Queen who rules here is a Sapphire Jewelled bitch named Kaelynn Kareilee. She's had me under her control for 27 years. Before, I always thought that I could break out. Then, I began to give up. There was no way I'm getting out of here. That there was no reason to live. Now, since your arrival"- here, Ravene snorted- "I know how we can get out of here. Please help me. We could both be free. Someday, I'll be back to rid the land of the taint, but I need your help."
"So if I help you, we can both be free? Hell's fire, Mother Night and may the Darkness be merciful." Ravene swayed slightly as this information was absorbed into her already aching head.
Suddenly filled with concern, Jayme gently held Ravene upright. "I think I should come back tomorrow. We shall meet again." He laid her down, thought about it, then hauled her back upright. Using Craft, he vanished the blood-soaked sheets, then replaced them with a soft, white linen sheet that came straight from Kaelynn's bedroom. The bitch-queen would never look in a broken witches room. He carefully lowered Ravene from her position of floating in the air onto the bed, then turned to leave. At the door, he turned to give her a warning.
"Remember, tangled webs can be used in a manner of different ways. Do not touch anything in here, or if you still have the Craft, probe any item. Your mind could be completely ensnared, and a drooling husk is all you'll be." He slammed the door shut.
Jayme stalked through the elaborate gardens. No doubt Kaelynn had spent many pieces of gold on the marble statues. Resentment filled him. Resentment for the concern and curiosity he felt for the prisoner. The broken witch. Ever since that bitch Kaelynn got her foul hands on him, he had hated the sight, touch and smell of women. But this one..... Something attracted her to him, something he wasn't sure he liked. He paused in front of a statue that has always managed to snare his attention. The beast.
A crouched, male body that was a blend of human and animal. Massive shoulders supported a feline head, teeth permanently bared in a snarl of rage. One paw/hand was braced on the ground near the head of a small sleeping woman. The other was raised, claws unsheathed. Glittering, green stone eyes glared at all that passed by. Something about this statue intrigued him. Maybe the fact that no one knew where it had come from. There were rumours that said Kaelynn had stolen it from the Black Mountain, Ebon Askavi. But how could she? Only a Black Jewelled Queen could enter the Keep. A Sapphire Jewel wouldn't get her past the front door.
There were other rumours that the statue was made representing the Consort of the greatest Queen in the history of the Blood. The Consort who was once the most dangerous man in the Realms. Daemon Sadi. The one man who could help liberate them from Kaelynn, as he and Jaenelle Angelline had from Dorothea SaDiablo.
That was the other name that he remembered clearly. Jaenelle Angelline. It was said she was the living myth. Dreams made flesh. Witch. He wasn't sure if she were real, or merely a legend the Terreillian Blood used to explain the destruction of Dorothea and Hekatah. But Mother Night. What he would give to serve a strong Queen like that. One who could safely ground him. One he would be proud to serve. The thought of serving a Queen kept bringing an image of the girl that lay broken in the prison hut. He didn't even know her name, but he would have been proud to serve her. That thought revolted and scared him.
He sat on the bench near the statue in silence, planning his future. If the broken Queen could be convinced to co-operate, would he be able to get home? Or would Kaelynn butcher her, like all the other potential rivals? The thought of what some of the other witches that came out of that room looked like made bile rise in his throat. How did they keep their stomachs down? Mother Night!
A sudden bolt of pain through the Ring of Obedience doubled him over, knocking the breath in a forceful gust from his body. Clenching his teeth to keep from screaming, he waited for the pain to subside. It seemed that the Lady wanted his attention. Oh, she would get it all right. Snarling, he limped over to the palace that stood on the hill overlooking the garden.