The King's Abducted Queen

Chapter 4

To her astonishment, Lord knelt beside her and replied, "It's a gods damned ghoul. They thrive on corpses. This one must have been nearby, drawn in by the scent of blood." He cursed again, but her attention was immediately caught by the thin lengths of rope in his hands as he began to bind her wrists.

"No, no, no!" Alira whimpered. "You can't do this to me. Please, let me go!" Her gaze darted between the ghoul feasting on a corpse's intestines and the fierce amber eyes glaring down at her from behind the dark helmet.

Lord tilted his head slightly, his piercing gaze lingering on her for a moment before he exhaled softly. "Stay here," he warned, rising to face the beast while drawing his sword.

At first, the ghoul remained oblivious to Lord's approach as it gorged itself. But as he came within mere feet, the creature turned its head with an unsettling speed, and tears streamed down Alira's cheeks at the sight of such a monster.

Its face was feline, yet its eyes resembled those of a spider—scattered and unsettling. The nose was a gaping void, revealing a terrifying array of razor-sharp fangs that dripped with blood. The short ears flattened against its skull as it noticed Lord advancing.

The ghoul crouched low, and Alira's breath caught in her throat as a gleam of silver sliced through the air toward it. A sharp hiss of pain emerged from the creature as it recoiled from the strike.

Under the flickering light of the carriage, Alira watched in horror as the ghoul's claws lunged toward the shadowy figure of Lord. He ducked, spinning away, then lunged forward with his sword once more.

Before her eyes unfolded a deadly dance, both he and the beast moving with a bizarre, yet captivating grace as they clashed.

The ghoul lunged once more, this time managing to swipe at the Lord's side, causing his sword to clatter away. A gasp escaped Alira's lips as the creature turned its fierce gaze upon her, and she felt her color drain.

The amber eyes bore into her with an intensity that made it seem as if it were preparing to feast on her next. Would he permit the beast to take her life?

It launched towards her, and in the brief moments before impact, she tried to scramble backward, but her hands were bound, and the ghoul was swifter even without her restraints. Glistening fangs approached, and her blood turned to ice. Just as she grasped the gravity of the situation, a dark blur collided with the ghoul's side, interrupting its advance.

Writhing coils of darkness enveloped the shadow Lord and the creature as they struggled amid the blood and muck. The ghoul, now slick with crimson, slipped from the Lord's grasp and leaped toward her once more.

Alira was certain her screams echoed through the air. Yet, just before the ghoul could land upon her with its stained claws, heavy black armor crashed onto its back, causing both the beast and its new assailant to hit the ground with a thud.

A tearing sound was followed by the creature's wailing hiss.

At her feet lay the lifeless body of the beast, its claws mere inches from her foot. She could hear the heavy breaths of the Lord of Thunder as he slowly rose from the carcass of the ghoul. His furrowed amber gaze fixed on her, and she trembled at the sight.

With her soldier dead and the beast vanquished, they were now the sole survivors on this chaotic battlefield. Fresh blood gleamed on his onyx armor, and his steps were heavy as he approached her.

A gloved hand reached out, and without a moment's hesitation, she grasped it, seeking to escape the overwhelming sight of death and blood that suffocated her.

The stench was unbearable, and the chill of the night air washed over her, setting her stomach churning.

When he lifted her to her feet, she swayed unsteadily. As she began to teeter, solid arms encased in metal caught her. "We don't— we don't have those back home," she stammered, her eyes lingering on the deceased beast.

"Oh, you don't have ghouls in your thriving kingdom of light and blooms? Imagine that," he barked, abruptly shoving her away. She stumbled momentarily before regaining her balance.

"It's not my fault you exist in darkness with monsters like you and the rest of your kind!" she retaliated, wishing fervently that her hands were free.

Instead of responding, he glared at her from the slits of his helmet, repeatedly clenching his fists at his sides. "We're leaving, and you're coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Yes, you are, little sunflower. You're my captive now." His tone sent shivers across her skin as she recalled the creature he had just slain with nothing but his hands and shadows.

Alira subconsciously stepped back from him, and she noted his head turning slightly as he registered her movement. Her heart raced, pounding loudly in her ears, but he turned away from her.

He whistled into the distance, and after a brief silence, the sound of galloping hooves approached from the opposite side of the carriage. A colossal black stallion trotted around the gilded coach, causing Alira to inhale sharply at the sight.

This was no ordinary horse. It was immense, as dark as the depths of night, with living darkness swirling around its powerful frame. It was both terrifying and hauntingly beautiful.

"Artemis, come," the lord clicked his tongue twice, and the magnificent beast cantered forward. Alira held her breath as the glorious creature halted behind the lord of the gnomes. He turned and lightly stroked the horse's flank before retrieving more rope from a saddlebag.

The sight of the rope around her wrists sent a shiver down her spine. In utter silence, he grasped her hands, pulling her closer and tethering the horse's rope to her bindings. "What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice tinged with a tremor.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he taunted as he mounted the beast. Alira stared up at him, astonished, while he turned his gaze away and urged his magnificent horse into a trot.

As she was led away like a pet on a leash, all she could do was glance back at the dimming lamp lights surrounding the golden carriage, casting shadows that seemed to twitch with a life of their own over the bodies strewn across the dirt road through the forest. Fresh tears streamed down her face as the weight of what had happened—and what was currently unfolding—began to sink in.