Clash of Captains

Chapter 17

Aneira let out a low grunt as one of the guards holding her arms stepped on her foot. She tried to sidle away from the man, but the guard on her other side gave her a shove of his shoulder to keep her in check. She settled for walking with her eyes on the floor, so as to avoid another boot-to-toe encounter. She only looked up when she felt the guards pause. One of the guards who had been walking in the rear of their group walked to the head to open a set of grand dark wood doors. Judging solely based on the detailed illustrations carved into the wood, Aneira guessed that whatever lay beyond the doors was important.

She was correct, she discovered a moment later, as the doors sank inwards to reveal a spacious room with a tall ceiling. Only a few lanterns lit up the space, leaving a large portion of the room in thick shadow. Aneira felt her arms prickle with goosebumps as a chill spread across her skin.

"Hello, captain," a deep and oily voice called from across the room. The blonde raised her head, her eyes barely adjusting to the low light, in an attempt to see whoever had spoken. She let out a soft huff of breath, annoyed; all she could make out was the vague silhouette of a chair. Doesn't this room have a window or something?

"Oh, forgive me. It is rare that I have guests here." The snap of fingers echoed through the room, and four more lanterns flicked on as if by magic. With the new flames burning brightly, dim light profused throughout the room, and Aneira could finally study it fully. Red rugs with golden lining, candelabras collecting dust from disuse... Her focus moved to the chair she had seen, and Aneira no longer felt the need to observe the room further. It wasn't a chair after all, but a large wooden throne. And on that throne, a slender man with greased black hair and a hint of stubble. A raven or crow of some type sat upon his shoulder, watching Aneira with milky white eyes. It must be blind, she thought to herself absentmindedly.

Something tapped the stone floor and she jumped to attention again. It was the man's staff, which he held casually in one narrow-fingered hand. He seemed pleased to have successfully captured the girl's attention, because he settled back into his throne slightly, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"I am Dreg's great chancellor. But, of course, I'm sure you recognize me already."

The chancellor. Of course. Aneira had at first been confused to find herself being towed from her cell and tugged around the stronghold, but it made sense to her now. She forced herself to remember the man's name. Kemble. This must be Chancellor Kemble. She wasn't sure whether she was relieved or even more unsettled now that she knew who the man was that she was facing.

"Of course," she replied in as sweet of a voice as she could manage. "It's a pleasure to meet you, commander."

The man quirked an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by her politeness, before nodding as if he should have expected this. "Indeed. Now, I have had you brought here because I have something to offer you. Something you may find... difficult to turn down. If you accept, no one has to get hurt."

Aneira narrowed her eyes. "Oh? And what would that be?" Despite her best efforts to remain nonchalant, she felt her hands trembling when standing before the man.

She watched as Kemble's mouth opened partway, felt the tension in the room grow as she wondered whatever it could be that would force Aneira to give in to this dark man and his dark ideas. But before the man could utter a single word, the doors to the throne room crashed open. Aneira found herself turning to glance in the direction of the entrance. Whatever she had been expecting to see wasn't there; instead, Devyn stood in the doorway, her expression hard as stone.

Aneira watched as the captain stepped further into the room and, walking straight past the blonde, strolled up to the chancellor's throne. She sank into a half bow that seemed almost sarcastic to Aneira, before she straightened and fixed her cold stare upon him. The man shifted slightly to glance at her with disinterest, stroking his raven's feathers as if to calm the bird. His eyebrows lifted slightly, a challenge.

"What do you think you're doing?" Devyn hissed. Aneira saw her hands open and close, flexing in and out of a fist. "Do you really think you have any right to do this to her, especially without warning me beforehand?" She waved a hand in Aneira's direction.

Kemble tilted his head slightly, studying the young woman for a long moment. Finally, he leaned back into his throne and flicked a hand dismissively. "Fine. We'll continue this later."

"No— You can't just—"

The man offered her a sideways glance. He appeared almost entertained by the argument. His next words were meant to only be loud enough for Devyn to hear, she was sure, but in the empty spaciousness of the room, they still carried through the air to where Aneira stood. "I advise you to stick to your place, captain."

Devyn visibly stiffened. For a moment, her expression displayed only blatant horror at the words. Then her features shuttered as Aneira had seen them do before, and she turned on her heel and strutted back off in the way she had come. Aneira hesitated for a moment, before bringing out an arm to intercept the young woman. Devyn paused just before she reached the blonde, eyeing her warily.

"Thank you," Aneira mumbled softly, feeling the hint of a blush heating her cheeks. "I, um, I don't know what Kemble would have done to me if you hadn't stepped in to help."

The dark-haired young woman twitched, her gaze betraying her surprise. Then she shook her head and brought her focus elsewhere. "This isn't about you. I only did what I had to do to remind the chancellor of my trust." Her shoulders lifted and dipped down again as she took a deep breath. She seemed as if she had prepared something else to say, but she walked briskly out of the room, leaving Aneira to be escorted back to her cell by the same guards who had brought her in.

The same guard stepped on her toes again on the way back.