Chapter 4 You're my captive

At first the ghoulcat didn't notice his approach as it gorged itself. When they were a mere few feet apart the creature whipped its head around and the sight had a new wave of tears streaming down my cheeks. I had never seen a monster so hideous in my life.

The head was feline shaped in nature, but the eyes were similar to that of a spider yet a bit too scattered along the top of the head. Its nose was an empty hole in the front of its face and there was nothing to hide the dozens of thin razor-sharp fangs jutting from its top and bottom jaw where blood and viscera dripped.

Its short ears flattened along the top of its head as it watched the king approach. The ghoulcat crouched to the ground and my breath caught in my throat as a slash of silver arched through the air in its direction. A sharp shriek hissed from the monster as it lurched back from the attack.

Under the flickering lamp light of the carriage I watched as the beast's hideous claws lashed out to strike at the shadow king. He stepped back and turned to the side and lunged forward with his sword again. And before my eyes the two began a dance of death. Both slashing and lunging in a way that I found was strangely graceful.

The ghoulcat sprung again and this time it managed to swipe at the king's side and in doing so knocked the sword away. A gasp escaped my lips and when the ghoulcat whipped its head to look at me I paled. Amber eyes turned to follow the beasts gaze that was penetrating through me like it was getting ready to eat me next. Would he let the creature kill me?

It sprang at me and in the few seconds it would take to get to me I attempted to scramble backwards but my hands were bound and the ghoulcat was faster even if I wasn't tied up. Glistening fangs were coming right for me and my blood ran cold.

Before I could fathom what was happening the beats lap was interrupted by a black blur slamming into its side. Coils of darkness were writhing around the shadow king and the ghoulcat as they wrestled in the blood and mud. The creature, now slick with blood, slipped out of the king's grasp and leapt in my direction once more.

I heard screaming and I was sure it was me. However, right before the ghoulcat could land on me with its stained claws heavy black armor landed on its back and both bodies thudded to the ground. A tearing sound followed by the creatures wailing hiss sounded.

Right at my feet the beast was dead, its claws inches from my foot. I heard his heavy breathing and the king of the Thanatens wearily rose up from the dead ghoulcat. His furrowed amber eyes were on me and I trembled at the sight.

With my soldier's dead and his taken down by the beast we were now the only two souls left alive in this battle ground. Wet blood glistened on his onyx armor and his steps were heavy as he walked in my direction.

A gloved hand reached out for me and without hesitation I took it if only to get me away from all this blood. All this death that was beginning to overwhelm me. It smelled terrible and the cold of the night air was sweeping over me which caused my stomach to churn.

When I was lifted to my feet I swayed uneasily and as I began to fall, I was caught by hard arms covered in metal. "We don't - we don't have those back home." I stuttered as my eyes trailed to the dead beast.

"Oh, you don't have ghoulcats in your fucking kingdom of sunshine and flowers? Imagine that," he barked and suddenly shoved me away from him which caused me to stumble for a second before I got my bearing.

"It's not my fault you live in the darkness with monsters just like you and the rest of your kind!" I lashed out wishing desperately that my hands weren't tied together.

Instead of saying anything he just glared at me through those slits in his helmet and clenched his fists repeatedly at his sides. "We're leaving and you're coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Yes, you are, little flower, you're my captive now." His tone sent shivers all over my skin and I remembered the beast he just killed with nothing more than his hands and shadows.

Unconsciously I took a step away from him and his head turned a fraction as he registered that movement. My heart rate was spiking again, and I heard my blood pounding in my ears.

But he turned away from me.

He whistled into the distance and after a brief silence I heard the sound of galloping hooves come from the opposite side of the carriage. A massive black stallion came trotting around the gilded coach and I inhaled a sharp breath at the sight of it.

This was no mere horse. It was massive and as dark as pure night with living shadow writhing around its sizable frame. It was terrifying but there was a sort of terrible beauty to it all at the same time.

"Abaddon, come," the king clicked his tongue twice and the stead cantered forwards. I watched with bated breath as the glorious beast came to a halt behind the king of shadow elves. He turned and briefly stroked the horse's flank before pulling more ropes out of a saddle bag.

Remembering the rope around my wrists I shivered at the sight. In complete silence he turned and grabbed my hands, pulling me closer and tying the horse's rope to what was around my wrists. "What are you doing?" I tried to demand with a tremor in my voice.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he ridiculed while throwing himself up onto the stead. I gaped up at him in the saddle meanwhile he turned his head away from me and kicked his beast of a horse into a trot.

All that was left as I began to lead the way like a pet on a leash as l looked back at the dying lamp lights around the golden carriage, casting shadows that seemed to have a life of their own on all of the bodies littering the dirt road in the middle of the forest. Fresh tears streamed from my eyes as everything that happened and what was currently happening began to really set in.

This journey had started with me on my way to get married to an influential Mithran duke. My carriage had been stopped and attacked. My soldiers and handmaidens had been killed. And now I was the captive of the king of my enemy. My people's enemy.

For generations the Thanatens and Mithrans have fought against one another. After the Great Rift split the elves into two separate races of Sun and Shadow elves we've battled as if it was our main reason for leaving. As far as I knew a Mithran princess had never fallen into the hands of the Thanaten rulers.

This could be the worst thing to happen in our history. What would the Thanaten king do with someone from the Solen bloodline in his clutches?

My feet stumbled along behind the shadow horse and after a while of being trapped in my thoughts with tears running down my cheeks, I started to realize how exhausted I was. It had already been well into the night when the carriage was attacked, and I didn't know how much time had passed when I had run for my life with Nadene or watched the king fight the ghoulcat.

But I knew I was tired and being led behind a horse going much too fast was sapping the last bit of energy I had. The adrenaline was leaving me, and I wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the ground.