A/N -- Brilliant song, yo. Want the FULL EFFECT of the chapter? Give it a listen either before or as you read it. Wrote the chapter to it.
Dane's world was red, and he was working as fast as he could. Getting through the estate wasn't easy. Unfortunately, the prisons hadn't been completely empty. There had been two more guards assigned... one of which who had busted Dane's bottom lip with a sword pommel. It bled in a line down his face, and throbbed like mad. Dane was only grateful that he still had all of his teeth... and his life, for that matter.
He didn't look like a hero. He wasn't wearing shining armor and riding through the estate on a white horse. No. His hair was matted with liquid red, and his whole body was painted in the same. His clothes were torn, and he sported superficial cuts in various locations. Elliot clung to Dane's large shoulders, going about as fast as he could. Even the old man was tainted by blood from holding onto his grandson. Irila was better than the both of them, though her hair was falling free of its twisted plaits by now.
They moved through the halls, trying like hell to find an exit. The place was so large. Dane hardly dared open any doors he wasn't sure of. Every so often, he'd listen in to see if he heard noise. They were going along as well as they could when they found a series of three doors on the left side of the hall. Dane heard sound in one of them. He came to a sudden stop, and he threw up a hand to stop Irila from running.
Thankfully, all the doors were shut. Whoever was inside seemed to be unaware of the three escapees.
Dane was about to take a stealth approach, sneak past the doors, and carry on. And then, he heard the commotion more clearly within.
"There's the little bitch," came a gruff voice from the other side. "You thought you was sneakin' out 'cause everyone's busy." Shuffling. "No one likes a runaway." Thwap! And impact could be heard. Glass fell. A tiny scream sounded within the room. And then, there was crying.
Dane had no idea who was in that room -didn't even know how many men were in that room. It truly didn't matter. Dane gripped his sword tighter, turning his knuckles white under the blood. With haste, he settled Elliot into a standing position. "I have to go in," he told them. Irila looked afraid.
"But... the guards."
"I..." he couldn't think of a quick explanation. All he could think about was he had to get in there... now. "I have to do this. Call if you see anyone."
Dane busted in the door with a swift kick. In the room, there was thankfully only one guard. One guard that towered over two little girls. The first he saw couldn't have been older than four or five, whimpering in the corner. The second looked to be thirteen -give or take. She was only slightly younger than him. Like his, her lip was busted and there was a large, inflamed handprint on her cheek. Her eyes were cold as steel, and she was quiet. She stood between the large man and the child. All in the room turned to him at once. Dane's fury was blazing, and he went in full strength.
Their fight was a short one... and it was a mess. Dane took advantage of the surprise. He slammed into the abuser, knocking him away from the girls up into the wall. What sick bastard would hit a child? Dane pummeled him about six times in the nose with his fist before he even remembered he had a sword.
The first stab went none-too-gracefully into the man's nether regions. That was for my mother. The second right into his throat to keep his screaming brief. Dane wasn't too honorable to wish the death had been slower.
The little girls both stared. The tiny one just ran up and clung to the older one's leg. Dane tried a step in their direction. The older one spoke, with fire in her eyes and purpose in her voice, "Don't."
Dane stopped. "Are you okay?" he asked her.
Her lips were a hard line. "Why do you care?" Dane saw it in the look on her face. She was rigid, but beneath the surface, she was afraid at the same time. Like his mother... he knew she'd been a victim to trafficking. Her mistrust in him was well-placed, he guessed. Even to a normal person, he was soaked in gore.
"Because I care," Dane said in a soft voice. "Are you hurt?"
"It doesn't matter." She was still on the defensive.
"It does," Dane stood still, even if he was in a gigantic hurry. "You're in this room. I don't see any others."
"I'm not saying anything," she said. "Your eyes are black. They look like Captain Anderfail's." Dane couldn't pretend those words -that comparison- didn't hurt.
Dane took a breath. "I'm his son." It wasn't true in regards to spirit, but he hardly had time to clarify.
The little girl hissed. "Why would I ever say anything to you? People like you..." she snarled. "...you are evil."
"I'm not," Dane took a knee, meeting her at eye level. "I know how I must look. but I'm not him." He tried to reach out to her. "My mother was like you once. They hurt her. They raped her. That's why I'm alive." When she said nothing, he went on. "You're here. You were trying to sneak away. I know it. Do you know a way out of here?"
She pursed her lips.
He took her silence as a yes. "You have to help me. Please. I need to get outside. I'll take you with me."
More silence.
"Do you know why the estate is empty?" he pressed, desperately. "Because all the men are out front facing an army. An army led by my mother -one that can and will destroy every last awful man in this place if they charge. But they won't." He shook his head. "Because they have me in here. They've threatened to gut me in front of my mom if she signals that army to move." He stood and begged. "But... if you help me... she will come. She and her men will kill everyone who ever hurt you. She will come and save you all. I promise. If I can get outside and across to my mother, everyone will be free."
"Tell him, sisser," came the sweet, smaller girl's voice. She pulled at the older one's skirt. "Tell him how to get out."
That seemed to sway her a little bit. Dane pushed more. "That's your little sister, then?" he asked. "You're trying to save your little sister. Let me help you."
She looked wary, but receptive.
"You can't get out this way. Not without incredible luck. If you run into another guard, he could hurt you and your sister. But if you come with me, I will protect you with everything that I can. Bring your little sister. We'll all get out together. I won't let anyone else hurt you." He reached out a hand. "But you gotta show me which way leads out. And not the front entrance, either. That's death."
She dared a step. "Swear it on your life. That you won't hurt us."
"I swear."
She grabbed her sister's hand. "I'll help you." Now, she turned to the child. Her voice went sweeter. "Get ready to run as fast as you can, Lissa."
"Yes, sisser."
----
Night-fall was fast approaching. Hench and Azabela were more apprehensive than they'd ever been in their entire lives. Iris and Master Dyran prepared themselves to go in. They were all together, joined by a terrified Kayde, who wasn't ready to watch his father and the love of his life walk into that fortress without any other back-up.
None of them spoke. Iris did her best to comfort her sister... not that it did any good. The only comfort there'd be was when they all got back alive. Iris had done this before. She reminded herself of that. Maybe not on these exact terms, but she had faith that she could get Dane out. As Hench, she suspected heavily that they had her Aunt Renna too.
Surely the gods weren't so cruel to take away so many loved ones. The five of them hiked the outer border around to the back of the estate. The guardians and soldiers drew the gaze away from them. Meanwhile, the five of them would go far enough around until they had a good rendezvous point, and once that happened, Iris and Dyran would then both split off and head inside.
That was the master plan. Hench might not have been able to go inside herself... but she'd wait at the closest point she could for her son's return. If all went wrong, she'd rejoin the soldiers just before dawn to further command them. Azabela and Kayde were there, as well.
Maybe they'd get back safely. And soon.
There was one thing for sure... it was going to be a long night. They made it to an acceptable location quickly, with how fast they were all moving. It was still light out, so they took care to keep within the forest for cover against any watchmen. Azabela kept a wary eye and ear out for any activity. Nightingale swept back and forth. When they faced the back of the estate from the wood's edge, they stopped.
"It's about sunset. Night is fast approaching," Iris was the first to speak. "Master, are you ready?"
He nodded. "We'll leave in half an hour. From that point, we have eight hours to get Dane and the others to safety."
"Be careful," Hench said quickly. "Please." She thought for a minute. "...and please don't let him die."
Iris grabbed her sister's hand. "We'll be careful. We'll get him back."
"Thank you for this," Rhalla went on, her voice barely above a whisper.
Iris forced a smile. "You're welcome. You can count on me."
Kayde came next. He whirled her to face him. With a deft hand, he swiftly unclasped the cowl over her mouth and kissed her. It wasn't a long one, for sake of their company, but it got his message across just the same. When it was over, he said, "You come out alive, dear girl. Promise me you will."
She nodded. "I promise."
He turned to his father and quickly gave him a hug. "You too."
The moment between father and son didn't last long. Suddenly, twigs and branches could be heard snapping a short distance away from where they stood. Azabela was the first to react, whipping to the source of the noise. "Something's coming." She pulled out her bow.
Everyone's hands found their weapons, on high alert. Whatever it was, it was moving quickly.
Closer. Closer. Really close.
Something burst through the trees. No... someone. It was someone no one expected... a little girl. A very little girl. Her hair was wild and unruly, and she was breathing heavily. Her pink dress was soiled at the bottom and she was missing a shoe. She skidded to a halt at the sight of them, and it sent her falling back on her ass.
More steps could be heard from right behind her. The little girl stared up at the very surprised group in wonder.
Another figure burst through the tree. "Lissa!" came a soft call. This other girl was older. She made it to the tiny one. "You weren't supposed to leave the cave!"
Lissa pointed at the group. "There three girls there!" She squinted her eyes at Hench. "Or two. I don't know if that one a girl."
The older one looked suspicious of them, backing away slowly. "Come on, Lissa. We need to get out of here."
"But, no, sisser!" Lissa stood. "The big man needs help!" She stomped.
"What man?" Iris interjected.
Lissa ignored her sister's pull on her hand and kept her gaze on Iris. "Big man!" She stretched up. "Big man save us all from the castle! Big man fighting all the bad guys now. Big man needs help!" Lissa pointed at Hench. "Nearly as big as that one. They is trying to kill him. You gotta help the big man."
A collective thought passed through all their minds. Dane. Maybe. It was too big of a lead not to follow.
Hench was the first to speak. "Where's the big man? Can you bring us to him?"
"I can," the bigger one said, more trusting of their group due to the women. "Can you help?"
"I can," Hench said.
"Follow me," the girl said. Kayde scooped up the little one in his arms. The older girl ran as fast as she could, which wasn't as fast as Hench would have liked. They kept at the girl's pace until there were apparent sounds of combat. Hench and Azabela burst out into a full run then. Hench's strides were large and bounding, leaving the rest of them in the figurative dust.
As expected, Rhalla was the first to see them. Five men stood around the area, swords drawn and fighting. There were several dead on the ground around the battle. Four against one. And that one... was Dane. Hench's heart threatened to rip itself out. She couldn't tell if, or how badly, her son was hurt. Every inch of him was absolutely blood-soaked.
Dane was fighting like hell. They'd caught some bad luck getting out. For the past however long, they were being tracked. He'd let the girls and his grandparents hunker down in a nearby cave while he fended them off. There had only been two at first. But it seemed like the more he killed... the more showed up. It had ended with this group of four.
He was exhausted. He'd been fighting... running...for hours. A double-handed sword swing of his landed across a chest, cleaving it nearly in two and turning the four into three. He was about to give out. No. He couldn't... he had to... fight. Then, he didn't have to.
A large figure whipped up and bull-rushed all of them off their feet. The large two-handed hammer came down three times before Dane's mind even registered who it was. Oh thank gods. He didn't know how, but he hardly cared. He let himself fall back as his mother crushed the last one's skull.
When it was over, she whirled to him.
"Oh, mom," he stumbled. The sight of her face nearly brought him to tears. "Oh, thank the gods, mom."
"I'm here. I'm here." Rhalla quickly grabbed his shoulders to brace him. Her eyes scoured him, worried and eased at the same time. "Son... son, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt too bad," he said. "But I'm so tired."
Rhalla stared into her proud son's eyes and nearly sobbed in relief. She ran her hands down his arms and then grasped him in a hug. That was about when the rest of the entourage showed up. To hell with all the blood, she kissed both of Dane's cheeks. Azabela ran up and did the same, running her hands through his tainted hair.
For a long moment, both mothers tightly held onto Dane, as if he would break. He held on back. There were so many I love you's interchanged from all three of them. When it all settled, they broke apart... Hench and Azabela still surveying him for wear.
Surprisingly, the tiny child ran up to him too after Kayde set her down. Lissa grabbed onto Dane's arm. She gleefully looked to Hench. "You saved the big man! Big man is my new hero. Are you okay, big man?" For effect, the girl yanked his arm down.
Dane chuckled. "I'm fine."
Dyran was the next to speak. "What happened here?"
"I... had to kill them," Dane looked to the men he had slain. "I've been fighting all day, in the estate and out. Oletta there," he said and pointed to the older child, "knew the way out. I just busted out of the prison and fought anyone I had to so we could all get here. " Finally, his face crumpled into a weak smile. "I had to save them."
"Then our little one here is right," Dyran answered. "You are a hero."
Large blooms of pride swelled in Rhalla's chest. Now that the initial shock of everything had settled... Dane had been able to fight. A wake of dead lay around them -the baron's men that her very own son had fended away. Dane had brought these little girls from the estate. He had defended them with his life. He saved girls like me, Rhalla thought. She could hardly hold back her grin.
"I... thank you," Dane said humbly. He whirled to face west. "But... there's more. We have to go." He started to walk off -hobbling a little, but Hench held him back.
"Whoa, son. Take it easy. Slow down," she soothed.
"No, we have to go to the cave," Dane said. "The little girls weren't the only ones I... saved. There's two others."
"What do you mean?" Rhalla asked.
He looked from Hench to Iris and just smiled. "I... it would be best if you saw for yourself."