Chapter 34 Audryn
AUDRYN
Ryder twisted me around to him, the pain from his grip on my wrist duller than it should’ve been. Tears flowed from my eyes, happiness leaking out of me. Col had come for me. My father would be safe.
My breath stuttered seeing Ryder’s distorted face come into view through my watery vision. Rage seeped out of him. With a snarl on his mouth and his nostrils flaring, his breath was heaving.
“You’ll accept the bond or I’ll kill your father!” Ryder shouted for all to hear. “Accept it!”
The audience gasped, and a shout rang out from the crowd. But everything was muffled. Like I was seeing and hearing everything while being held under a lake. With my vision tunneling on Ryder, I couldn’t speak. My mouth was a desert without a drop of water in sight.
It felt like a lifetime had passed as my mind tried to make sense of what was happening, but everything came rushing back a moment later.
Another scream erupted, drawing my attention to the right.
I turned to see a guard on each side of my father, dragging him away.
They’d pulled his hands behind his back, causing him to hunch forward on trembling legs.
I moved, but Ryder’s grip held me in place. “Get off him!” I screamed at the guards. “Get off him!” He wrapped his thick arms around me and pulled me into a bear hug as I struggled to get away.
“Accept the bond or he’s dead!” Ryder squeezed against my fighting body. “Accept the fucking bond, Audryn!”
My eyes darted to Amalee and then to my father. A moment later, she was on the move, making her way up the long aisle without hesitation. Grinning, her black teeth sparkled. Several guests ran screaming the moment they realized who she was, including the royals.
A guard rushed in, delaying her progress. Her sword met his a moment later, and the fight was on. But instead of swords clashing, the guard stopped and grasped at his chest before dropping to the ground. He’d died not by metal, but by rot.
All at once, Col and the other riders landed, forming a circle around the entire event. The kitchen staff and attendants rushed away from the rear walls and moved toward the crowd, swords in hand.
“You will accept it!” Ryder clutched a hand at the top of my throat. “Or I’ll kill you too!”
“My father! Get to him!” The words were strained as I shouted toward Col, who’d nearly made it to me. I almost doubted he’d heard them, but when his eyes shifted away, I knew he had.
Whatever happened next wouldn’t matter. Col and Amalee would get my father to safety and make sure he lived a long, wonderful life in Kuroden.
A steady stream of books would be at his fingertips, and maybe he’d even enjoy reading world-walking books.
My father and Col could discuss them for hours after dinner while Sky and Amalee lounged on the sofa nearby.
“You’re going to accept it! I’m your fucking king!” Ryder roared. Droplets of spit splattered across my face. “You’re as good as dead!”
The officiant backed away, hands up and his tiny religious pendant dangling from a chain in his fingers. His tan skin was ashen as his eyes darted about for the nearest exit.
“No,” I breathed, “I do not accept the mating bond.” Sparks pricked the corners of my eyes as tears streamed out.
Ryder lifted me off the ground, then slammed me into the hard earth, knocking what little breath I had left from me.
I had only a moment to gasp before he straddled me and settled his weight on my chest. With both hands around my neck, he applied pressure, squeezing more intently.
My hands grasped at him, fingernails clawing down his cheeks, but he didn’t let up.
I tried pushing him away, but with the large gown and his size outweighing me, I was no match.
“No!” my father’s voice erupted, and the ground began to tremble. The low groaning under my back vibrated through my body—through my soul.
It wasn’t my magic that vibrated through the land.
His was the familiar hum I found in the air, easily distinguished among the hundreds of fae using their abilities.
It was the comforting buzz I’d always felt wrapped around me.
I welcomed it. It was home, warmth, and love.
And as the ground continued to quake, I thoughtfully considered the land might actually open up and swallow Maris and me whole like we’d hoped.
“Kill him!” Ryder shouted toward my father. “Do it now!”
Col hadn’t quite reached him, but was making his way there, fighting guard after guard.
People scattered and screamed, while others were stuck in the chaos.
Guards were fighting among themselves, and kitchen staff were in the melee too.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fisher fighting his way to me.
Just as he arrived, Ryder threw up a hand, forming an invisible barrier around us.
“Get close, Maris.” Ryder looked up to the woman standing over me, while Fisher beat on the invisible shield, dumping streams of water against it. “Stay close to me, I’ll keep you both safe.”
His comment was hilarious, even in my haze, or maybe I was delirious. Somehow he’d grouped me into the pool of people he’d protect, though he was the reason my lungs were on fire. I let a smile roll over my lips, which only enraged him and made him squeeze harder.
My body convulsed and I was quickly losing vision; my rasps were no longer bringing in any air. I dropped my clawing hands, and let my weight fall into the freshly plowed land. If my death meant my father’s love surrounded me while I found my end, I’d be grateful for the consolation.
“Oh yes, please do keep me safe.” Maris swooned and bent down. In one smooth motion, she grabbed two handfuls of his hair and threw a knee into the front of his face.
Blood erupted from Ryder’s nose, drenching me under him.
He let go, shock washing over him as he grabbed at his injury.
The shield fell, and Fisher’s water dumped over us, clearing Ryder’s blood from my vision.
The collar on Fisher’s shirt shimmered with a single red ruby as he pushed the prince away.
“Kill the prisoners!” Ryder shouted, voice nasally as he pinched his nose. Guards clamored in, edging the three of us out.
Maris smiled at me. “You’re welcome.”
My throat stung as I remained gasping, drawing big gulps into my body. I stayed hunched on all fours while I tried to recover. Death might have felt better than the shambles I was in.
“We need to get to the prison,” I muttered, watching several guards flee. “There are members of the resistance there—friends of mine. And they’re going to be killed.”
Maris reached down and sliced the lower half of my dress. She pulled the remaining material off before doing the same to her own, revealing a thigh holster with an embedded ruby shining brightly. “Let’s go.” She looked around.
“It’s that way.” Fisher gestured with one hand and offered the other to me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“About your brother, I—”
I shook my head. “Later. We’ll talk about everything later, let’s make it out of this first.”
We weaved in and out of the crowd, dodging blows while people fought all around us. Wyverns tore at guards, though several beasts sustained injuries from blades.
Maris and I stole swords from fallen guards as we made our way through the thick of it. Fisher picked up his pace to a run as we reached the perimeter. My magic hummed, coming back into me with a vengeance. The vibration was a furor I’d never quite felt before, but I welcomed the power.
“Could they have put it a little closer?” Maris huffed as we ran toward the massive gray building in the distance. Unpainted bitumen filled the cracks on the face of the stone, and small windows adorned the sides. A large door stood at the entrance with several guards running inside.
The shouts from the fights behind us faded as we moved closer to our next battle. My legs were tired, and the ground shook beneath each of my steps. But with screams erupting in the prison, it only pushed me to move faster.
“Keep your eyes up and your heads moving.” Fisher blew out a slow, steady breath as if he were merely taking a walk in the gardens. “This won’t be easy, we’re going to need to work together.”