Again Kate said nothing, on the brink of tears due to the sharp, jabbing
pain in her jaw.
Pyrte lifted his hand and made a motion towards someone Kate could not see. Heavy boots clomped nearer, and a man in a black mask stood before her, a smile glinting at her from the slitted air holes.
He lifted an axe to her eye level, licked his thumb, and traced it over the blade. It didn't even mar his skin . If Kate had been able to, she would have trembled. 'A dull blade. They're using a dull blade,' she closed her eyes, 'Please - no more than two swings . . . no more than two . . .'
"Have you any last words, Kate?" Pyrte asked in an all too pleasant voice, and waited with an evil smirk on his face. "No," Kate snapped, or at least tried to, but failed miserably. She was in too much pain to breathe, much less speak. "So be it," he said, and gave the silent signal again. " Kayatice Fitral, for treason to the Crown and attempted murder, your sentence is immediate *death.* Executioner - proceed." The hooded man nodded, hoisting the axe high above his head in order to gain momentum and-
**CRASH**
"Seize him!" shouted Pyrte, and leapt from his seat, "I want him in custody - dead or alive!"
Kate found herself under the weight of a muscular man. He breathed something incomprehensible into her ear before he stood up, leaving her unprotected once again. There was another shout and suddenly Kate found herself able to move freely . . . Her paralysis had been removed!
She swiveled around just in time to watch a tall man - dressed in white - run a guard through with his long sword. Kate caught her breath . . . Black hair framed his face, which was flawless, a pair of intense blue eyes glared angrily, and muscles rippled beneath his clothing with every swing of his sword. This was not a man to fool around with.
Kate liked him instantly.
He grabbed Kate's arm and tugged her along behind him, hacking a path through the masses of guards as though they were simply plants that'd grown too tall. Again he yelled something Kate could not understand, and her fuzzed mind belatedly realized that he was speaking in another language. She wrenched her arm from his grasp and followed behind him of her own free will, running as fast as her battered body would allow.
The white-dressed man dodged down an alleyway, and Kate found herself screaming at him. "Wrong way! Dead-end! Don't go down here!" But alas, he couldn't understand a word Kate was saying, and found out the hard way. They were cornered.
Four guards, all of them heavily armed, crammed their way into the alley, taking one step at a time, bizarre grins on their filthy faces. Kate, like a caged animal, turned to fight, her eyes loosing any hint of sanity. "You'll never take me alive," she hissed at them.
Then the ground seemed to fall from beneath her, icy cold winds whipped around her body, and Kate couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Her stomach flipped and the breath was snatched from Kate's lungs.. 'What the hell?'
As quickly as it had all begun, it stopped. Kate found herself standing in a wide, grassy meadow, the bright yellow glare of the sun making her eyes water profusely.
Her eyes glanced around herself, instantly on the defensive, and rested upon the familiar face of the white-dressed man. He smiled weakly at her and stood, having been kneeling upon the ground so as to clean his blade on a handful of grass. Again he spoke, and reached out a friendly hand, but Kate snatched her hand out of his reach. A look of confusion painted the man's features, but cleared quickly.
::I'm sorry,: said a voice from somewhere, : I'd forgotten you don't speak my tongue.::
Kate blinked, unsure that she'd heard the voice. The white-dressed man's lips hadn't moved . . .
::My name is Dante . . .: said the voice again, and Kate watched the man closely this time. He smiled and nodded. ::So you heard me, then? I had hoped this would work . . . You're Princess Kayatice, I assume?:: Dante bowed and rose again. ::Forgive me for not following protocol, Princess, but we've got to get you to an infirmary before your injuries get any worse.::
The voice was kind and pleasant - and inside her head!
::Come with me,: Dante continued, and walked north without looking to see if she'd follow.
Pyrte lifted his hand and made a motion towards someone Kate could not see. Heavy boots clomped nearer, and a man in a black mask stood before her, a smile glinting at her from the slitted air holes.
He lifted an axe to her eye level, licked his thumb, and traced it over the blade. It didn't even mar his skin . If Kate had been able to, she would have trembled. 'A dull blade. They're using a dull blade,' she closed her eyes, 'Please - no more than two swings . . . no more than two . . .'
"Have you any last words, Kate?" Pyrte asked in an all too pleasant voice, and waited with an evil smirk on his face. "No," Kate snapped, or at least tried to, but failed miserably. She was in too much pain to breathe, much less speak. "So be it," he said, and gave the silent signal again. " Kayatice Fitral, for treason to the Crown and attempted murder, your sentence is immediate *death.* Executioner - proceed." The hooded man nodded, hoisting the axe high above his head in order to gain momentum and-
**CRASH**
"Seize him!" shouted Pyrte, and leapt from his seat, "I want him in custody - dead or alive!"
Kate found herself under the weight of a muscular man. He breathed something incomprehensible into her ear before he stood up, leaving her unprotected once again. There was another shout and suddenly Kate found herself able to move freely . . . Her paralysis had been removed!
She swiveled around just in time to watch a tall man - dressed in white - run a guard through with his long sword. Kate caught her breath . . . Black hair framed his face, which was flawless, a pair of intense blue eyes glared angrily, and muscles rippled beneath his clothing with every swing of his sword. This was not a man to fool around with.
Kate liked him instantly.
He grabbed Kate's arm and tugged her along behind him, hacking a path through the masses of guards as though they were simply plants that'd grown too tall. Again he yelled something Kate could not understand, and her fuzzed mind belatedly realized that he was speaking in another language. She wrenched her arm from his grasp and followed behind him of her own free will, running as fast as her battered body would allow.
The white-dressed man dodged down an alleyway, and Kate found herself screaming at him. "Wrong way! Dead-end! Don't go down here!" But alas, he couldn't understand a word Kate was saying, and found out the hard way. They were cornered.
Four guards, all of them heavily armed, crammed their way into the alley, taking one step at a time, bizarre grins on their filthy faces. Kate, like a caged animal, turned to fight, her eyes loosing any hint of sanity. "You'll never take me alive," she hissed at them.
Then the ground seemed to fall from beneath her, icy cold winds whipped around her body, and Kate couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Her stomach flipped and the breath was snatched from Kate's lungs.. 'What the hell?'
As quickly as it had all begun, it stopped. Kate found herself standing in a wide, grassy meadow, the bright yellow glare of the sun making her eyes water profusely.
Her eyes glanced around herself, instantly on the defensive, and rested upon the familiar face of the white-dressed man. He smiled weakly at her and stood, having been kneeling upon the ground so as to clean his blade on a handful of grass. Again he spoke, and reached out a friendly hand, but Kate snatched her hand out of his reach. A look of confusion painted the man's features, but cleared quickly.
::I'm sorry,: said a voice from somewhere, : I'd forgotten you don't speak my tongue.::
Kate blinked, unsure that she'd heard the voice. The white-dressed man's lips hadn't moved . . .
::My name is Dante . . .: said the voice again, and Kate watched the man closely this time. He smiled and nodded. ::So you heard me, then? I had hoped this would work . . . You're Princess Kayatice, I assume?:: Dante bowed and rose again. ::Forgive me for not following protocol, Princess, but we've got to get you to an infirmary before your injuries get any worse.::
The voice was kind and pleasant - and inside her head!
::Come with me,: Dante continued, and walked north without looking to see if she'd follow.