Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
They fell.
Through the night, through the bitter cold, plummeting like a stone toward the courtyard below. Wind whipped past her ears, tearing at her hair, and her bound body jolted hard against his iron shoulder. Eliza’s eyes flew wide as the ground rushed up to meet them.
She saw the guards below—torches glowing, armor gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Her throat seized with panic, and she tried to scream, a desperate, muffled mmmph bursting against the gag.
But even that sound was stolen.
The shadows writhed around them, suffocating, smothering her attempt. And then he landed—sure-footed, solid as stone. The resounding thud of his weight striking the earth never came. It was swallowed whole, devoured by the shadows.
Before she could catch her breath, he was moving.
He ran through the night with impossible strength, each stride long, tireless, swift as the wind. A phantom bearing her away, silent, relentless. Her castle blurred past—the towers, the walls, the courtyards she had known since childhood flashing like fading memories.
Everything familiar turned distant in an instant.
And her guards—her own men—remained oblivious. Not a single head turned as she was carried past, her muffled cries devoured, her presence erased.
It was terrifying.
Also infuriating.
She was helpless in his grasp, bound, gagged, powerless. Her pulse roared in her ears, her body tense with useless rage. And yet—despite the fear, despite the fury—she forced herself to cling to one fragile ember.
Hope.
He hadn’t killed her. She didn’t understand why. Perhaps the threat of the vengeful Ketheri had been enough. Or maybe… it was something else. Something in him she couldn’t yet name.
Whatever the reason, this orc wasn’t just a mindless killer. He was ruthless, yes—but also calculating.
And that thought, against all reason, gave her hope.