Episode5
1412 Words
Ravena
“Why would he leave you down here?” Xena kept panting as she dragged me out of the cave. The air outside was different. More refreshing and less toxic. But my mind was jabbed with the fear of bleeding out.
My Blood left a trail as she pulled me across the yard.
“Where are you taking me to?” I pushed her off and fell on the sand.
“You’ll bleed out. That needs to be treated," Xena said and reached to grab me from the floor again. I beat her hand off, struggling to regain my feet with my hand covering the cut on my side.
“I’ll be fine. I’m not weak!”
“It’s not about being weak,” she cut in sharply.
Then what?
I was left questioning what she meant while she unsheathed the sword.
“It’s called the pythons fangs for a reason” she raised it to my eye level. I studied the steel, the way it shimmered under the moonlight and its unique two-edged head.
A perfect name for a blade of its kind…I thought.
“And what is it supposed to do to me? I’ve faced worse,” I turned to walk away.
“This blade wasn’t carved for werewolves or creatures of this world,” her words made me halt, sending my heart racing.
I looked around, taking in the sight of people hurrying towards a hall. Some of them appeared blurry, and their voices began to fade in the background.
“What was…” I tried to speak when I felt my mouth get wet. I wiped it off with the back of my hand only to see blood.
More of it trickled down my nose, onto my mouth, until I was unable to stop the bleeding.
“It’s already begun!” Xena exclaimed.
She lifted me off the ground with a clean sweep and started hurrying down the yard.
My eyes were fixed on the sky, counting the stars which faded into the darkness hovering above me.
I wasn’t going to let myself get consumed by the darkness, so I fought. I fought desperately to keep my eyes open.
Evan when Xena dropped me on a cold surface and I felt them taking off my clothes, I kept fighting until the darkness above me washed away. It was a second of relief, followed by a sharp, stinging pain below my ribs.
“She was awake all through. She’s strong,” a voice said. It was faint, sounded distant as well but I was able to identify it as a lady’s voice.
“Thank you,”
That was Xena’s voice. Unmistakable.
My heart rate dropped, and I was finally able to breathe properly. Slowly, my vision became clear, my hearing too. I don’t know how long that took, but when I sat up, the first thing I saw was his black dreadlocks.
“I was right,” Aldric said. I thought he was speaking to me until Xena pulled up to his side. “She’s…something else,”
“Special, is the word,” Xena assisted.
They were staring at me like they’d just witnessed the fall of an angel. Aldric’s amber eyes bulged like they were relaying a message of peace to me. Telling me how safe I am and how he was going to protect me.
But how would I trust the eyes and words of a notorious warlord? An exiled heir? A fallen prince?
As of now, my escape still remains paramount…
“If you’re planning a second escape, then I think I should let you know…” Aldric cut my chain of thought as he stepped out of his line with Xena.
I swallowed the fear that creeped into my mouth.
Can he read minds?
“What escape?”
“The moment you cross our borders, you will be taken by wolves who just want you for what you can give…”
“What do you want from me then?”
“Nothing,” he answered immediately. But his eyes betrayed him, and I saw it. That streak of doubt that flashed across them. “For now,” he added.
“I thought as much.” I breathed, leaning back into the bed.
“With time you’ll get to understand what’s going on. And like I said, I’m here to help you. Warden, Coldrey, Ethan…” he paused and moved closer. “They are men with vicious plans,”
“And you are?”
“A man too, but with the intention to help you. If you allow me.”
We spent the next thirty seconds staring at each other before Xena made a sound with her throat.
“I’ll take her to her room,” she said.
Aldric seemed reluctant at first, but then he nodded, stepped aside and let Xena help me up.
“Thank you,” I thanked Xena as she threw my hand over her shoulder.
“Don’t thank me yet,” she whispered.
I was taken to a room in the old castle and assigned a bed. There were two there. The second looked old and abandoned. Likewise some parts of the room. Only the corner I was assigned seemed alive.
“If you need anything, there’s a bell beside your bed,”
“What be…” she didn’t wait to hear my question before storming out.
I exhaled, studying the room.
Another creepy space.
The bed frame creaked as I sank into the bed.
The warmth of the sheets did little to calm my nerves. Though my body was tucked safely beneath layers of cloth, my mind drifted elsewhere—dragged against its will to a place far darker, far colder.
The battlefield.
Blood coated the soil like a crimson veil. Screams echoed in the distance, blades clashing, bones crunching, the scent of death thick in the air. I stood amidst it all, panting, sweat dripping into my eyes, blurring the chaos before me.
But I wasn’t just a warrior this time.
My hand instinctively cradled my swollen stomach, heavy with life, with hope.
I turned—and that’s when I saw him.
Coldrey.
Smiling.
Not the kind of smile that warms you. No. This one chilled me to my bones. He stood just a few feet away, sword in hand, eyes gleaming with wicked delight. And behind him, like shadows of doom, stood Warden and Ethan. Their presence was silent, but their expressions… unmoved. Expectant.
“No,” I breathed, stepping back, shielding my stomach. “Please—”
Coldrey lunged. The blade didn’t hesitate.
It sank through my belly.
A flash of unbearable pain coursed through me as I dropped to my knees. My scream tore through the sky, louder than the clashing swords and dying groans around me. Blood pooled beneath me, and I looked up—tears in my eyes, pain in my soul.
But then—
Aldric.
He came like lightning—striking Coldrey down with a roar, his blade clashing violently against Coldrey’s in a blinding fury. The battlefield stilled around us, as if time itself bent for his arrival.
He dropped to his knees beside me, his dreadlocks soaked in blood, his amber eyes full of anguish. “I’ve got you,” he whispered.
I believed him.
Until—
A dagger.
Slick and cruel.
Driven through his back by none other than Ethan.
Aldric’s eyes widened in shock, a gasp escaping his lips as the blade pierced through his chest.
“No!” I screamed, grabbing him, shaking him as blood spilled from his mouth. My hands trembled as I cradled his face. “Stay with me! Please!”
His gaze locked with mine one last time—soft, full of something that looked like regret… or maybe peace. Then his body went limp.
My scream shattered the dream.
I shot upright in bed, drenched in sweat, hands trembling, chest heaving. The room was different…brighter, warmer.
“They say dreams are born from truth,” a voice startled me, making my heart jump.
“Xena? How long have you been…”
“What did you see?” She interrupted me.
Her eyes were a different shade of hazel, glowing like she was covered in light.
“Xena what’s…what’s going on?”
I reached for the blade which Aldric gave me earlier that I tucked under my pillow.
The door burst open, and Aldric stormed in.
“She led them here!”
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- Writer
