Chapter 19 #2
Her ears rang and stars flashed in her vision. Orelia was vaguely aware her legs were being spread by multiple hands as the trees around her spun and Balor settled in between her thighs.
“I’ll teach ya not to do that again, you bitch!” He untied his pants and slid them past his hips, cock springing free. “Cut her breastband. I want to look at those big tits as I fuck her bloody.”
A flash of a knife hovering over her pulled Orelia back to reality. Balor grabbed her underwear and yanked them to the side.
“Stop it!” she cried out, moving as much as she could manage but the strength in her muscles was dying.
“Vade!” Her eyes flew to the fae whose face was contorted into pure rage, his body straining against bindings made of his own power. “Vade! Help me!”
The rest of the fae gathered around Vade, weapons surrounding his neck to force him to stop moving. His face bunched and his eyes watered, reflecting anguish in the moonlight.
“Shut her up,” Balor said as he lined his cock up at her entrance.
Orelia screamed again, but no words came out. Her mouth opened and closed in silent movements. Her voice had been taken from her.
The man behind her grabbed a shoulder strap of her breastband and brought his knife to the fabric.
She broke out into a full-body, mute sob.
Orelia cried up at sky, waiting, hoping it wouldn’t be as painful as she knew it would be.
She focused on a cluster of stars and tried to force her mind to go somewhere peaceful.
Somewhere pleasant that smelled of plumroses and sunshine where something like this didn’t happen.
Something whizzed over her head.
There was a loud crunch to her left, and she looked to see an axe stuck out of the other Myrker’s skull. Blood dripped into the eyes that had rolled back in his head, and when he fell face first, his shadows released.
Vade launched himself at Balor.
He tackled him off her, and the two rolled across the ground as the night erupted into chaos.
Elshar yelled like a wild man as he rushed out from the trees. The beams of light coming from his hands swallowed two of the fae instantly as Elshar ran straight for them.
They dropped to the ground, screaming in agony.
Elshar yanked his axe out of the Myrker’s skull, then sliced it across one of the men’s stomachs in one powerful swoop.
Intestines and organs fell from the man’s abdomen with a wet slop as he dropped to the ground.
Orelia scrambled away as the forest became a clash of fae using their powers against one another. She hid behind a tree and yanked up her pants, searching for Vade as beams of light lit up the forest.
Her eyes darted around until she found Vade and Balor battling, Lysa versus Myrker. Their powers ricocheted, inky darkness and bright lightning raging against one another. Vade ducked, then struck Balor with shadows wrapping around his neck.
A massive ball of bright yellow light shot into the sky, and the yelling grew louder.
Orelia caught a glimmer of a sword lying next to one of the dead fae whose face had been melted off by Elshar’s light. She ran, calling on the sword in the process. It flew into her hands, and she crouched behind a tree, waiting for the right moment.
Balor blinded Vade and shoved him into a tree.
A cloud of darkness engulfed the two of them, and a guttural scream pierced her ears. Balor fell out of the cloud on his back, his right arm twisted at the wrong angle.
He scrambled to find his footing as Vade emerged from the swirling mass of his power, clutching his ribs.
Balor stumbled, freeing his longsword. “Let’s finish this like men,” he said, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Vade’s shadows receded from around his arms as he freed his battle axe.
When it elongated and glowed white, Balor’s eyes narrowed. “Shoulda known you’d resort to sorcery. Too much of a pussy to survive without it.”
Vade snarled, wiping blood from his nose. “A traitor does what he needs in order to survive.”
Balor raised his sword and dropped into a fighting stance. “Time for me to finish what your Pa started.”
Vade roared as he threw himself at Balor. The two clashed and clanged, their weapons ringing out in the night. Vade’s glowing axe blurred as he moved so fast she almost couldn’t see what he was doing. But Balor was just as quick, meeting each thrust and slash.
Orelia crept closer, sticking to the darkest of the shadows, as Vade had taught her in day’s prior. Though he had practiced with her after Ricaboro, a sword still felt foreign in her hands.
Vade narrowly avoided his legs being cut in half, but he fell back against a tree, and Balor tackled him. They slid to the ground, Vade palming Balor’s face, yelling, “Fuck you!”
Orelia snuck closer, raising the sword above her head, clutching it tight. She’d only have one shot at this.
Balor’s face turned bright red. “I’ll kill you once and for all, you fuckin’ traitorous bastard!” When he went for the seax in his belt, Orelia rushed in and brought the sword down on his head.
The fae instantly went limp and slumped on top of Vade.
Orelia looked at the cleaved skull of the man she’d just killed. She tried to focus on her breathing like Vade had helped her with after the Freebeasts incident, but panic was rising.
She’d killed someone.
Vade rolled Balor off him and jumped to his feet. He cradled her face in his hands. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, thankful tears falling free. “You are though,” she said, eyeing his beaten and bloody face.
“I’m okay. Here, take this.” He shrugged out of his leather top and helped her put it on. It swallowed her, but she was thankful for the cover.
“Fuck all you bastards!”
They both spun to see Elshar sauntering forward wearing a proud, crimson grin. His furs were drenched in blood, face looking the same, axe dripping.
Orelia jumped into his arms.
He caught her, laughing and patting her on the back. “That happy to see me, aye?”
He set her down, and she stared up at the beast of a man. “You saved me. I owe you my life. What can I ever do to repay you?”
Vade came to stand at her shoulder. “What in the hells are you doing back here?”
Elshar took a swig of water from his waterskin, swished it around his mouth, and spit it out.
“Left Heart Carver at the damn outhouse when I was takin’ a shit.
Had to come back for her.” He patted the hunting knife on his hip.
“Caught Balor talkin’ ‘bout wantin’ to find the green-eyed beauty and slittin’ your bastard throat while I’s there, so I tracked ‘em here.” Elshar’s icy eyes met hers and softened.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, lass. ”
She wiped away a grateful tear. “You got here just in time. If not for you, I . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Aye, don’t worry ‘bout it.”
Orelia wrapped her arms around him again, not caring about getting blood on her clothes. “Thank you so much, Elshar.”
He patted her back. “Anytime, lass.”
“Can I heal you? Are you hurt anywhere?” she asked.
“Happy to say most of this blood is theirs. I’m all right.”
She stepped back and looked at Vade, taking in his face and remembering his ribs that must have been killing him. Orelia reached for his side. “Let me hel—”
Vade stopped her and thanked Elshar for showing up.
The fae smacked him on the shoulder. “No problem. Now, if you two don’t mind, I’ve actually gotta be on my way, so don’t go gettin’ into no more trouble, ya hear?”
Orelia smiled as she pulled Vade’s leathers tighter around her body. “Safe travels, Elshar.”
He nodded at them both, Vade returning the gesture. Then he was gone as quickly as he had arrived.
When Orelia looked at the bodies lying around them, she didn’t feel the shock of seeing their innards lying on the ground, or the panic of knowing what she had done. All she cared about was helping Vade, who grimaced as he adjusted his belt.
“Let me heal you,” she said, stepping closer.
He threw out a hand. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, Vade.”
He stormed off. “Let’s go. I want to get back to the inn and out of this fucking swamp.”