Chapter Sixteen
That night, I slept in the King's arms again.
We didn't do more than sleep. His vow to make our first time special hung between us.
We both knew that if we went any further than we had the other night, that vow would be broken.
So oral sex was out. I agreed with him now that I could think clearly.
As much as I wanted him, I wanted our first time to be something more than a tumble in a tent.
The next morning, we woke tangled together, my left wing over us like a blanket. As I watched Raven wake and then smile softly at me, I was relieved he had stopped us in the carriage. But also eager.
The Dragon King's grin turned wicked, and I knew he sensed the direction of my thoughts. “Soon, my foundling. I promise.”
After a quick breakfast of bread, dried meat, and hot tea, we packed up camp and left. The day before, we'd been trying to put distance between Nahel and our group. That was just so we could come back around to him with the advantage. With the King fully recovered, we were on the hunt again.
Around midday, we found something, but it wasn't Nahel.
“Stop them!” the Dragon King called out of his window.
Shouts followed, and our caravan came to a halt.
So did the one passing us in the opposite direction.
I peered over the King's shoulder at a covered wagon.
It did look suspicious, the canvas stretched over a tall frame.
With solid walls, the wagon's bed remained unseen.
Anything could be within. Oh, and there was the fact that an Okon was driving it.
He didn't have gray skin or glowing veins, but he did have a single flight feather painted red.
King Raventar opened the carriage door, stepped out, and then helped me out. “Stay near me.”
I nodded, my stare focused on that red feather.
“Why have you stopped us?” an Okon demanded from the front of the caravan.
The King ignored him, focusing on the cringing driver of the wagon before us. He motioned for the man to come down. This guy was smart enough not to bluster at a Dragon.
He jumped down immediately and bowed to the King. “Your Majesty.”
Meanwhile, Sir Foxren pulled the shouting man up front off his wagon and shoved him aside. “Get this canvas off!”
The Dragon King didn't have to shout. He just motioned at the wagon.
The driver swallowed, his throat bobbing, and hurried to undo the ties holding the canvas in place. In a few moments, he had the canvas pulled back, hanging off the opposite side of the wagon.
The King and I were left to gape at the contents.
A whimper came. The people inside the wagon—humans, Ricarri, Okon, Deldin, and Hulfrin—cringed and blinked in the sudden light. They were chained, several of them beaten. The Deldin and humans hunched when they saw us, but the Ricarri, Okon, and Hulfrin called out to us.
“These men are slavers! Please help us!”
“I am your king,” Raventar announced. “You are safe now.” He extended his hand but then paused, realizing that the Okon carriage driver was gone. “Where is that bastard?” He turned and spotted the man launching into the air. “Stop him!”
Sir Vanoak pulled a crossbow from his carriage, strode past the caravan, aimed, and fired—all with calm nonchalance. The Okon fell to the ground, an arrow in his shoulder. As Vanoak went to collect his prey, the King looked up and down the caravan at the other drivers.
“The next man to take flight will not fare so well!” the Dragon King shouted.
Vanoak tossed the wounded Okon at the King's feet. “Your Majesty.”
The Dragon King nodded at his knight and then held his hand out to the whimpering Okon. “Keys.”
“I need aid!” The Okon's wings curled around him. “He shot my shoulder!”
“We will remove the arrow,” King Raventar said. “After you help me free the people you abducted.”
“I didn't abduct them! I was just ordered to transport them.”
“By whom?”
The man's eyes went wide.
“Chief Nahel? I know your tribe.” The King motioned at the man's red feather.
“Oh, fuck,” the Okon whispered.
“Yes, you're definitely fucked. Now give me the keys, or I will pull your wings off, tear out your throat, and take the keys off your dead body!”
The Okon's hand shot into his jacket and pulled forth a ring of keys.
The Dragon King took them and handed them to me. “Eliel, will you please help these people?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” I hurried over to the wagon.
Down the line, other wagon beds were revealed, and not all of them carried people. The knights didn't bother with the cargo. They secured the drivers and freed the captives first. As I would.
Purpose gave me courage, and I went to the back of the wagon. “You're all safe now. Come forth, and I will release you.”
The captives surged to their feet.
“Easy now!” I held up my hands. “One at a time. You will all be freed. You're safe. I promise.” I motioned to the Deldin man on the left. “You first.”
The Deldin crouched and held out his manacled hands.
I opened the manacles, tossed them aside, and helped him out of the wagon.
With that first release, the other captives relaxed, waiting patiently for their turn.
As I released the captives, I overheard the King talking to his knights about the Okon drivers.
Glancing over, I saw them in manacles. Grinning, I felt a warmth fill my heart.
Justice. This is what it felt like to give someone justice.
This was why Katai was so invested in his work.
It felt amazing, especially after someone had given you justice first. It was the completion of a circle.
With every tossed set of manacles, I felt stronger.
I met the captives' wary stares with compassion and assured every person that they were safe.
Their relieved tears were my reward. Memorizing their faces, I knew they'd be a comfort to me whenever I felt weak.
In them, I saw myself and also their potential to recover and become someone stronger than they were.
All it took was one traumatic event to change the course of a life.
My life had certainly changed. I had gone from prisoner to a companion of the Dragon King, assisting him in rescuing people like me.
Raven was walking the line, overseeing everyone except me.
His faith in me boosted my confidence. He'd seen me with other captives that we'd freed in the city and knew I could help these people without his instruction.
“Just wait over there with the others,” I said to the last captive.
Then I heard a soft sound. Just a shift of cloth. I leaned in so I could see the entire wagon bed. At the front of the wagon, wedged into a corner, someone huddled, thin arms over their head.
“Hello?” I called out.
The person flinched.
“You're safe now. You've been rescued. Come forth, and I will remove your chains.”
Only a whimper answered me.
The Deldin man I had first freed came up to me and whispered, “She was used by those animals. I think they broke her mind.”
My chest clenched, and my breath caught in my throat. Closing my eyes briefly, I reminded myself that I was the best man to help her. I had been her. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. “Thank you for telling me. I'll help her.”
Folding my wings back, I climbed onto the wagon bed. The woman whimpered again. I went slowly but made sure to make enough noise for her to hear my approach. The closer I got, the more damage I could see. It was subtle, but if you knew what to look for, it was glaringly obvious.
Bruises on her arms and calves. Blood beneath her nails. She had fought. Good for her. Blonde hair hung wild around her, pulled free from her braid. Her clothing was stained with dirt, blood, and other things.
I crouched before her. “I was a captive until very recently.”
Her trembling lessened.
I sat down, crossing my wings behind me on the rough wood. “He tried to lure me from my home in the Hanhepi Forest, and when I rejected him, he bound me with magic.”
Slowly, she peered over her forearm at me. Her eyes were blue, but not like the King's. This woman's eyes were the color of a summer sky. Great Gods, she was human. That meant the physical damage would take longer to heal. “Magic?” she whispered.
I nodded. “Enchanted silk. It enslaved me more thoroughly than any chain.” I motioned at her wrists. “May I remove those?”
She lifted her head and looked down at the manacles. “You can remove them? Yes, please.” She held out her wrists, just a few inches.
I held up the key for her to see first. Then I set it carefully in the lock of a manacle and turned it, all without touching her. She gasped when it slid free.
“One more?” I asked.
She nodded and held out her other hand.
I released the second manacle and took the set by the chain that bound them together. Casting it over the wagon wall, I settled back and folded my hands in my lap, hiding the keys.
“I wanted to fight him, but I couldn't,” I whispered.
“The man who took you?” She pressed back into the corner.
“Yes. He was a Hulfrin lord. A man of science and wealth.” I grimaced. “He hid his cruelty behind innovation and affection. Every day, he told me how beautiful I was, how intoxicating. It was my fault, you see? My appearance enthralled him, so he was forced to enslave me.”
“That's utter shit!” she hissed.
I smiled. “Yes, I know that now, but it twisted me for a while. He hurt my mind as well as my body. He raped me every day, numerous times a day, all while telling me how much he loved me. He would bite me during sex. Strain my wings.” I glanced back at my broken wing.
“Crush my spirit. He tried to take everything I was so he could mold me into his obedient consort. Then, when I was utterly broken, he invited friends over to show off his creation. I had to obey him, even with my voice. Sweet words would come from my lips without my bidding. I became his puppet.”
“How did you get free?”
“A brave man and his friends saved me. Me and many others. They set us free. But I couldn't leave.”