Chapter 9 - Kiss Me…

Maple had caned her so hard that her skin was peeled off. The pain was excruciating. She hadn't screamed that day but she wanted to scream now and she did. With every strike of the cane, she shrieked. She wanted to kill every one of them. So much pain… "Noooo!" she screamed and was covered with sweat despite the coldness of the room she was shackled in. She couldn't take it anymore and started kicking against the chains. "Release me!"

She felt choked as Aed Ruad held her head inside a barrel of water. She was being drowned. Aed Ruad was holding her head inside a barrel of water. She gasped for breath, she wanted to come out, she wanted to shout but her voice didn't come out. She was not able to move . A tremor passed through her body and with all the force she could muster she got out, gasping for air, screaming. She opened her eyes, feeling nauseated. Her arms were pinned to the sides as strong, muscular arms and legs surrounded her. She was pressed firmly against a hard torso. "Shh…" he said in his deep, lilting voice. Who was he? But Anastasia found herself clinging to the chest as a hand stroked her hair and assurances rolled out of his mouth again and again. "You are fine Anastasia…" It was soothing… Her head was tucked beneath his. It was so… safe. Tears rolled out of her eyes, and she let them roll out. "Kiss me…" she found herself saying it to him. She didn't know why she said, but she just felt the urge, the need, the reassurance…

Ileus pressed a kiss on the crown of her head.

Anastasia opened her eyes. It had become too dark and yet the carriage was moving. She turned her head up to see him. Her eyes met the golden ones. He was staring right back at her. She curled her hands around his corded neck and pulled his face closer as if driven by primal instinct. She wanted to press her lips on his, but suddenly her face was forced to turn on the side and he pressed it against his neck. Her kiss fell on his neck and he shuddered, his body tensing strongly.

"You can't do this," he murmured in her ears.

Anastasia broke into tears. Her body raked with an overflow of emotions as waves of gloom and rejection passed through her. She had been so brave for all her life but why did she melt in his arms? For what seemed like an eternity, the world blacked out and she slept, still clinging needily to his chest—his heartbeats lulling her, soothing her…

She didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly she found herself being thrown to the side of the carriage. It screeched to a stop and the horses neighed in fear. Her head thumped on his shoulder and she was jerked awake.

"We are under attack!" Darla's voice forced her to open her eyes wide.

Ileus pulled her out of the carriage and said, "Stay under the carriage until this is over."

"Wh— who has attacked us?" she asked. "Is it Aed Ruad's men or the Dark Prince's men?" A shiver ran down her spine.

He didn't say a word as the other soldier's gathered around him and he went to free the horses from the carriage. The coachman helped him release the horses which were extremely tired and needed rest. "This is going to get bloody!" said Guarhal as he plucked an arrow out of his upper arm.

"Keep steady Guarhal," said Ileus as he plucked out another arrow. Guarhal grunted. The man had such an athletic and warrior-like built that for a moment Anastasia thought that taking out the arrow was nothing until it started to bleed badly. Ileus grabbed ice from the road and rubbed it on him.

Nyles was already yelling at Darla. "For God's sake, put me down, woman. I need to go to m'lady!"

"Shut up or I won't think twice before pushing this sword into you first!" Darla snarled, quieting Nyles .

Anastasia looked around but all she could see was the mist. She heard a rustle nearby. Twigs snapped as someone ran over them. Everyone in the group fell silent. The hazy moonlight and the mist made it difficult to see. Suddenly the flap of wings was heard and everyone drew their swords from their sheaths, except for Ileus who drew a dagger out from his belt. The hilt was studded with red, blue, green and yellow gemstones that glowed dully in the blackness.

A great turbulence disturbed the fog around them and a beast with enormous, battered, grey wings that flapped like that of a bat emerged. The tall, grey-skinned being, who looked even blacker against the night with dull yellow irises and pointed horns came to stand in front of them. It snarled. A quiver full of arrows hung on his left shoulder.

"Go away!" Ileus said in a threatening tone.

Anastasia was aghast. Her skin pebbled with goose bumps and her mind refused to believe that such creatures existed.

As if provoked, the creature took a step closer on his scaly legs towards Ileus and without him without warning.

Ileus leapt out of the mist and the creature lunged after him. Ileus had jumped almost ten feet in the air, swirled and turned back to attack the beast. He plunged his dagger into the winged demon and drew it through it's heart as he came down upon it. The demon screeched in a shrill voice but the next moment it was lying dead on the forest floor. Black blood flowed from it's wound. Ileus came back to his people avoiding the blood. He circled around the area but there were no more creatures in sight.

When he came back, he said, "Abandon the carriage. We must move from here. There are no more nearby, Perhaps this one was alone." He extended his hand to Anastasia who was hiding beneath the broken carriage and pulled her to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded with wide eyes. "Who was that?"

"A rogue Zor'ganian," he said in a clipped voice not wanting to explain further.