He wore a heavier version of the men’s rakis I had seen through camp, only his were made of a dense fabric that did not mould onto his skin, but rather, remained tense when he walked.
Instead of the small shoes everyone in the camp wore, this man stepped in with muddied boots that cracked against the fur-lined carpets. His entire torso was clad in some sort of armour, something that reminded me of mediaeval times, only shinier and designed to provide more comfort and ease of movement. Though, I assumed, just as effective. Just like Dahr, he wore a large belt sheathed with various knives and daggers, placed easily within reach.
The final thing I noticed were dark eyes under bushy furrowed brows and a long scar across his lip that became more prominent when he sneered at me.
“Who are you?” My feet took me back and away from this man without me having to send them a command. Instinct told me that something was amiss, and that I was about to face whatever this situation was.
In a dress that barely let me breathe.
With no one around to calm the rage of this man.
His brow arched deeper as he continued sneering, showing me yellowed teeth and a crooked grin.
“You should know who I am, you filthy whore. You’re the one who forced me to come here,” he growled as he continued to step in my direction.
Again, I moved back a step or two. I did not want to seem like I was running from him, but I also did not feel safe in his presence. My best bet was to reach the dining table and try to grab a weapon, though I didn’t think a steak knife would help much against full armour and a trained captain.
The disgust on his face was reverberating through his features. This man was looking at me like I was an insect. Onethat had just landed in his food and ruined his day. One that needed to be exterminated.
“How did you manage to do it, huh?” he spoke as he continued approaching, his steps heavier and moving quicker, like he’d already caught a whiff of my intention. “How did you scramble Grannicus’ brains to make him want to stop?”
I shook my head and stepped further back, my hands fumbling behind my back, desperately trying to reach the dinner table. Whatever this man was referring to, he had already pinned me as the root of all evil and by the burning hatred in his eyes, he didn’t plan to let me off with a simple conversation. I didn’t hide my intention when I took the final steps towards the dining table and moved to reach for a knife. While making the mistake to turn my back to him.
Before I had a chance to reach the table, my hair was yanked back as rough fingers twisted on the braids Mira and Karisha had wasted hours twisting into my hair. My entire head burnt from the searing pain that tight grip created around my scalp and tears shoved their way out, blurring my vision. I reached my fingers and tried my best to find… something, anything that I could use to defend myself with.
My hope for freedom was quickly extinguished however, when the captain’s hand wrapped around my throat and squeezed so tight that a small line of air remained trapped in my trachea. I tried to move to get myself free, but every motion only managed to twist the knot he created around my neck even harder.
“How easy would it be to make your neck snap right now, you disgusting cunt? How easy would it be to make you fucking go away forever?” he spat into my ear, his hatred and the grip on my neck growing by the moment.
“Let me go…” I barely had enough air to demand. To plead. The edges of my vision started to turn blurry, a rope of black catching my eyesight and pulling it away.
I was fading away.
This was it.
My heart thudded inside my chest with desperation, barely able to throw a pulsation or two that twisted all over my body. I felt the strain of the blood washing away from my veins, simply giving up. Just like I was. I hadn’t even had a chance to see Dahr today. To look at him one last time.
“Say goodbye, little bitch!” the captain grunted into my ear.
“Get your fucking hands off my mate!”
That voice! I could recognise it anywhere, even in the world of dreams I was stepping into. Dahr was here. Maybe I had enough air left to see him one more time. One blink of goodbye. It was all I could hope for.
“Or what?”
The word twisted and my body spun around. Into the sunlight and the wide shadow that moved towards me. Not a shadow, I realised. Dahr.
Xadom’s hand around my neck did not loosen, and no matter how much I tried to struggle against him, I remained defenceless. My muscles were already shaking from the lack of oxygen, my eyes barely blinking Dahr into focus. At least I got my wish, I smiled to myself. I saw him one last time.
“I think you know what,” Dahr howled as he started running towards me. Towards Xadom. My neck twisted to the side in the captain’s hand, and I felt unbearable pain.
Pain that vanished as soon as it came.
I was falling.
Falling with new air in my lungs. Air that burnt my throat coming in. Air that I inhaled with desperation.
It took me a few full breaths to recover my senses, for the dizziness and sharp pain to pass, for my body to gain enough strength to keep me upright again.
