Slaede drummed his fingers on his throne, seething with quiet rage as he listened to the guard's report.
"It seems that they are no longer in the city," the guard finished. "Your Highness?" the guard's voice shook. Slaede nodded for him to continue. "Do you…do you think she went willingly?"
Slaede's body stilled, his fingers froze in mid-air as his mind rushed back to that night in the tent - the night an attempt had been made on his life, a year ago. Had Raven seen this coming? Is that why she was so adamant about keeping her would-be-assassin alive?
Slaede's jaw tightened. "I should have killed him that night," Slaede muttered, referring to that night from last year. But no, he just had to get sentimental and show Raven favor. After all, Raven was his favorite and most competent sorceress. Slaede had only lost one battle because of her foolishness. A lesson from his son after that single failure had been enough to ensure she had never made such a mistake again.
But what if she had gone willingly?
Slaede frowned. Maybe he should have rewarded her more. In truth, allowing Raven to live in luxury while her people suffered in the dungeons below may not have been prudent. Still…just in case.
Slaede rose from his throne. "Bring Captain Rickus to me," Slaede ordered.
The guard bowed low before scurrying away.
Slaede walked to the nearest window and looked out at his empire. All who served him lived in luxury. They didn't starve; he never left them wanting; his people were lucky. Maybe it was time he reminded Raven of that fact. "Bring her sister, Maya, to me," he commanded a nearby guard. Raven's family still had their uses.
"We'll rest here for the night," Damyan announced. Aelfred lowered herself to the ground, allowing Damyan to dismount. Raven began to follow suit but froze when she saw that Damyan's arms were stretched up towards her. She glared at him. She would rather fall on her face than accept help from him! Damyan must have read her attitude from her expression. "Fine," Damyan huffed before marching away.
Raven rolled her eyes. He's such a child, she thought. Preparing to jump from the camel, Raven started when a different pair of arms appeared. Jhon was smiling brightly at her. "I'll help you, Your Highness," he declared.
"Thank you," Raven smiled down at him before accepting his help, "and you can call me Raven."
"She isn't royalty," Damyan sighed loudly as he began to build a fire. "Do you know how many people have died because of her?"
"Last I checked," Jhon said, "Raven wasn't the one swinging the swords and firing the bows."
"She's our hostage," Damyan glared at Jhon.
"He's right, Jhon," Raven spoke kindly, "I am a hostage. You don't need to treat me nicely."
"I'm a good judge of character," Jhon shrugged. "I get the sense there's more to you than the evil sorceress."
"There isn't," Raven replied quickly and sharply.
"We'll see," Jhon said before walking away, taking Damyan's place by the fire. Raven smiled after the friendly young man. He reminded her of Victor. Raven frowned. She really hoped Damyan hadn't killed Victor. He was her only true friend.
Raven looked up to see Damyan glaring at her. "What?" she demanded, crossing her arms, giving him her best glare.
Damyan only looked back at his fire. "Nothing," he said, "I'll get you a roll. Wouldn't want the sand scraping your soft, delicate skin," he spoke sarcastically.
"Didn't know you cared," Raven replied.
"I don't," Damyan shrugged as he walked over to Raven, only stopping when there was an inch of space between them. He stared at her with such intensestiy that Raven felt her legs become unsteady. He leaned towards her slowly.
Is he about to kiss me? Raven opened her mouth to say something, but then Damyan reached his arms abover her head. Her body stiffened for a split second before relaxing when she realized he was only untying something from Aelfred's saddle.
"Here," he shoved a bedroll into her chest roughly, causing Raven to stumble slightly.
"Thanks," Raven muttered. Damyan grunted in reply, stalking away from her.
Raven hugged the bedroll to her chest and joined Damyan and Jhon by the fire. Jhon gave her a friendly smile while Damyan ignored her existence. Raven rolled onto her back and gazed at the stars. The next few days would be most unpleasant.
She was choking. People were screaming. Fire burned as arrow-ridden bodies littered the streets. Raven began to run as tears streamed down her face. She sprinted past the children screaming for their parents, the sound slicing through her subconsious. Then, in a deeper part of her mind, she heard the voice of Slaede. Raven paused. "Bring her back to me," Slaed was saying.
Raven latched onto his voice and followed as the setting around her changed. No longer in a demolished city, Raven now found herself in one of the palace's many private rooms. Slaede and his son, Graent, dined at a table while Rickus stood at attention.
"There are rumors spreading throughout the armies that she's gone," Graent was speaking while feasting on a giant turkey leg.
"Is this true?" SLaede asked Rickus.
"It's true, My King," Captain Rickus answered honestly.
"Then silence them!" Slaede slammed his fist on the table.
The world around Raven shifted. Her head became foggy, and her ears began to ache. The previous scene had already happened. Her spirit was now stepping into the present.
"…come back willingly?" Raven appeared in Slaede's antechamber to hear the end of Graent's question. The room was still coming into focus, so Raven barely heard Slaede's response. "…right incentive." Raven then watched as he placed his hand on the head of a dark-skinned girl, not yet 12, dressed as opulently as Raven but more covered up. Dread filled Raven's stomach. "No," she gasped as the scene became clearer. "Maya," Raven answered.
Maya's unnaturally colored eyes widened, and her mouth opened with a gasp. "Raven," she muttered.
"Maya, I'm coming back!" Raven screamed. "I'm coming back!" she said once more before she was violently ripped away from the vision.
Raven shot up with a gasp. Her hand immediately went to her chest to calm her racing heart. Her entire body was soaked in sweat. "I need to go," she stuttered. "I need to go."
Raven looked over at Damyan's sleeping face, studying him. He was handsome. Too handsome. His skin appeared bronzed in the firelight; the muscles in his arms, legs, and chest were so well-defined. And let's not forget his stunning eyes, her subconscious whispered.
Raven tore her gaze away from him, getting her emotions and thoughts in order. She needed to flee. Maya had been in her vision, and Raven didn't want Maya anywhere near Slaede or his perverted son. Or Mara for that matter. Raven could handle Graent's lechery along with Mara's disturbed mind and psychological games. Maya, a girl who was almost 11 and hadn't even had her first bleed, could not. Raven desperately needed to get back to the palace.
Looking over at Damyan then Jhon's sleeping face, Raven realized now was her chance. Rising slowly to her feet, Raven was careful not to make a sound. She crept past the two sleeping bodies with surprising ease before breaking into a run.
She had barely made it 20 steps when she yelped and fell flat on her face. A wave of nausea swam through her as an excruciating pain shot up her leg. Raven gasped in pain. It felt like nails were being hammered into her foot! "Ow," she cried as she sat up. A bright, red, painful ring encircled her ankle. Frowning, a chain surrounded her ankle…an iolite-laced chain. Stupid iolite, Raven though bitterly. Slaede said he had destroyed all the iolite mines, save the ones guarded by his personal guards. Clearly, he'd missed a few since Damyan seemed to be in possession of several iolite gems.
Following the chain with her eyes, Raven was filled with annoyance when she saw Damyan's beautiful, turquoise eyes staring down at her.
"Where do you think you're going, sorceress?" Damyan asked with a scornful smirk.
Raven jumped to her feet and charged him, swinging her fists with all of her might. Of course, Damyan blocked her every attack, chuckling as he did. In an act of desperation, Raven placed both hands on his muscular chest and pushed with everything she had in her. Damyan grabbed her tiny wrists, spun her around, flipped her, and slammed her to the ground with ease. "Uh!" Raven gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. She lcosed her eyes, refusing to cry. She would not show weakness in the presence of…this man who she had saved a year ago. Instead, Raven continued clindly swinging at him.
Damyan finally trapped her arms above her head and set his muscular body on top of hers, effectively stopping her movements. "What's the matter?" he sneered. "Eager to get back to Slaede?"
"No," Raven wiggled as much as she could, ignoring the feel of Damyan's chest pressed against hers. "I'm trying to get away from you!"
"Right," Damyan adjusted himself to stop her squirming. "Admit it, you crave the safety of Slaede's arms," he mocked.
"You know nothing about me!"
"I know you sit comfortably in your luxurious tent while men, women, and children are slaughtered in front of you," Damyan replied.
Raven growled. How dare he! Remembering something Jhon said earlier, Raven replied, "I didn't realize your hands were so clean!"
"Oh, I've killed," Damyan admitted, "but I never once allowed the men in my company to violate a man, woman, or child. Can you say the same?"
Raven struggled to move her arms.
"What did he offer you?" Damyan continued to mock, his hold tightenting. "Gold? Rubies? The chance to become his queen?"
Raven's eyes flew open. Now, she was incensed. "Go to hell!" Raven exclaimed, allowing the tears to flow. "My service to Slaede is the only thing keeping my family alive! I'm sorry I don't give a damn about the rest of the world!" Raven watched through teary eyes as the scorn on Damyan's face slowly faded away. She kept going. "It's not like any of you heroes came to rescue me when I was taken! Where were you and your allies when Azarath was being decimated? When women and children were being dragged away – where were you and your self-righteous – " her voice broke as she burst into heart wrenching sobs. She covered her face with her now free hands.
"Your family…is still alive?" Damyan swallowed thickly. "I thought…"
"What?" Raven cried. "That I had nothing to live for so I might as well watch the world burn?"
Damyan didn't answer her. Instead, he rolled off of her and helped her sit up, surprising her. He studied her quietly before asking, "Why did you help me that night in the tent?"
"I felt your disgust and hate for me. I figured whether you killed me, kidnapped me, or both – you'd be saving me."
"You were relying on my hatred for you…to save you?" Damyan repeated.
Raven nodded. "And when Slaede dragged your mother in, she asked me to save you."
"What?"
Raven nodded forlornly. "I don't know how to explain it," she sniffed, "but she said if I saved you, then one day, you'd save me."
"Couldn't you have used your powers to escape?"
"It's hard to access my powers when I'm breathing in iolite all day," Raven answered in a shaky voice.
Damyan's mind went back to that night in the tent. He remembered smelling something weird. He'd just assumed it was incense that had gone bad. "That wasn't incense burning," Damyan breathed in realization.
"No," Raven answered. "It was powdered iolite. Slaede has mages that can weave it into his clothes…m-m-my clothes. Iolite stones are engraved into his jewelry. The only time I'm not surrounded by it is…is when I bathe," Raven finished with a blush.
"It's woven into your clothes," Damyan repeated.
Raven nodded. "This is the first time in years that my skin isn't burning," her voice choked. Damyan didn't say a word. Instead, he gave her a look that did weird things to her stomach. "What?" Raven asked.
Damyan didn't answer. Instead, he gently removed the burning chain from around Raven's ankle. "You can go if you like," he said as he stood to his feet. "But there are worse dangers out there than me."
Raven looked out into the dark desert. She needed to get back to her family, but there was no way she'd survive the desert during the day, let alone at night. She was still too weak. Raven looked up at Damyan, who was gazing at her. Feeling her cheeks heat, she looked back out at the desert and sighed in resignation. Damyan was her best option. Looking back at him, Raven gave him a slight nod. Damyan nodded in ssepsone and returned to his place by the fire.
Raven didn't move from her spot. Instead, she brought her knees to her chest and wept. She was so tired.