Chapter 2 - Five
1022 Words
Tora sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, concentrating. She wanted to see the Fayb alone, but she had no idea where they had put him.
She shared a link with Sylvain, some strange, unwanted connection, but searching his mind for answers had proved useless. His thoughts were a mess, tangled and unreadable, his emotions bleeding through in chaotic waves.
Anger. Always anger.
Every time she felt him through the bond, If that’s what this was, there was nothing but seething frustration.
Tora grit her teeth, irritated, then let out a sharp yell.
The door burst open.
"Are you okay?"
A guard stood at the entrance, staring at her back.
She turned to face him. He was attractive, like Sylvain and Solis, though softer, less domineering. Maybe even kinder.
"I’m fine," she admitted, though as she watched him, an idea sparked.
He bowed his head, already turning to leave.
He doesn’t know who I am.
"Wait!"
He paused, turning back. "Yes?"
Tora bit her bottom lip. "I’m lonely. Can you stay?"
The poor guard shifted uncomfortably. "I can guard from the door," he offered, hesitant.
Tora tilted her head, considering. "No one is here. Solis said so. Please, just sit." She stood, moving toward the bed.
"I’d offer you a chair, but apparently Solis doesn’t use one." A small smirk. "Come." She patted the bed beside her.
The guard’s cheeks tinged pink.
She had no idea how to flirt, but apparently, it was working.
Maybe flirting would get her the information she needed.
He hesitated.
She batted her lashes, flicked her hair just so. "Come on. I just want to talk." Her voice dipped into something softer, coaxing.
The guard faltered. Then, just like that, she had him.
He stepped toward her.
Tora remained still, looking up at his tall frame. What do I do next? She panicked internally.
He was so close now; her intentions were clear.
Shit, s**t, s**t.
She hadn’t been this close to intimacy in two years. She didn’t know what to do.
The guard pulled her in. Then kissed her.
Well, that saved her from thinking.
She kissed him back. Surprisingly, he took control.
She moved with him, letting go of hesitation, letting instinct take over. She hadn’t planned on things escalating this quickly, but she wasn’t complaining.
Questions could wait.
Later, tangled in sheets, the guard asked, "So, what are you doing in the Commander’s estate?"
Tora lay there, her breath steady, her thoughts anything but.
She had seen it.
During their heated exchange, when her hands slid over his head, something had unlocked. She hadn’t expected it, hadn’t even tried, but in that fleeting moment, she had gained what she needed.
The location of the Fayb.
It had come to her in flashes, in glimpses of shadowed halls, chains, a locked chamber hidden beyond the reach of common knowledge.
By sheer luck, the knowledge had fallen into her lap.
But now, she had to leave without notice.
Tora lazily turned her head, masking her intent with practiced ease. "What do you know?" she asked, voice smooth, unreadable.
"Not much. Just that you’re staying here, and I’m supposed to watch over you." He paused, eyes lingering on hers. "Are you… some secret sister or something? You have the same eye colour."
Tora scoffed. "No. More like a friend." She rolled her eyes internally.
She shifted, dragging out her words. "So... what do you do besides stalk me?"
He chuckled. "I’m part of the elite."
Her brow lifted. "The elite?" Second time she’d heard that name.
"A small group, selected from the Sylvarune army. We carry out tasks that most militaries need hundreds for." He sat up, reaching for his tunic.
"So, you’re the only one here? Guarding the estate?"
"Yep."
Tora stretched, feigning nonchalance. "So, you know how lonely it can be?" She smiled, voice light, almost teasing.
He chuckled. "I don’t mind being alone," he admitted.
"Well, in that case, do you mind giving me some privacy? I have some girly things to tidy up." She tilted her head just slightly sweet, harmless.
He smiled politely, reaching for his tunic. "I’ll grab something to eat. Let me know if you want anything."
With that, he was gone.
Tora had no time to waste. She steadied her thoughts, forcing the rattling in her mind into silence.
The room was dark, suffocating. The eerie vision of the Fayb, its sharp claws scraping at the ground, its frame hunched, weakened.
She closed her eyes.
Then, she appeared just a small distance away from him. Black smoke alerted the Fayb, it was one of them.
The Fayb let out a faint, bitter laugh, too weak to move. "Come to drain me too? You wicked bunch."
Tora hesitated. Just for a second.
"No. I’ve come to break a deal with you."
The Fayb mustered the strength to look at her, hollow eyes glinting with scepticism. "Yeah? At what price?"
Tora scanned the room, shadows stretching across stone.
"How about your freedom?"
She didn’t know what freeing him truly meant.
She didn’t care.
"My parents, the Thoradian High King and Queen, made a deal with you centuries ago," Tora said, her voice steady, controlled.
The Fayb exhaled a ragged breath, its weakened form barely lifting from the shadows. "Ah. The same deal the Sylvarune brothers want broken."
"Yes. Break it. And if you can, break my bond to Sylvain and bring my sister back."
A flicker of something unreadable crossed the Fayb’s dull eyes. "I can break the deal your parents made. But the bond… If I sever that, he will end me. I have no interest in suffering his wrath again. I can’t bring her back, she is human, you will need a portal to fetch her yourself."
Its head lowered, too drained to hold her gaze.
Tora’s jaw tightened. If she couldn’t break the bond, she needed another way forward.
"Then break the deal and give me a portal. Do it now, and I’ll get you out of here.”
The Fayb looked up, “I can suggest something, if you want your bond broken, then marry another.”
- Writer
