Page 62 of Tales of Fire and Embers

“I wasn’t expecting a Hilton, so it will do,” I kept myself snarky, even though at this point I wanted to jump up and hug Rhylan and the mention of a bed and water.

Without a word, he shifted to me and grabbed my wrist in a movement so fluid, that I did not have time to react until something sharp scratched along my wrist. I looked down to see a ring that Rhylan wore on his pointer finger which looked more like a claw, and it proved to be as sharp since it immediately drew blood.

I swore but as soon as a full drop filled the inside of the ring, he released me and turned to the door, speaking some ancient language and, I guessed, using my blood to spell it against me opening it.

The entire process took less than a minute and as soon as he finished uttering the words, the fire fae turned to us yet again and adopted a welcoming look and a theatrical smile, opening the door to invite us both inside.

Ansgar was the first to step into the dark room, too used to danger and the unknown by this point and I had no choice but to follow through, stepping slowly and wearily behind him.

“Tell the king it is done,” Rhylan ordered, dismissing the soldiers who disappeared within an instant, relieved to have avoided conflict and get out of this mission unscathed. Rhylan passed me the torch he had been carrying, then shoved me with such a strength that I flew in and bumped into Ansgar, who had already managed to take a few steps inside.

“You have two days, then we’ll talk.” With this, he made a gesture to shut the door and lock us inside.

“Rhylan, wait!” My mouth started before I even had a chance to think, before I even considered what I was about to say. He looked as surprised as I was, his eyes widening and a slight crease of his eyebrows revealed his reaction to my unexpected calling. But I knew what needed to be done, I read about it and investigated it over and over, hating myself for the impulsive decision that had bound our fates. One that I was on the verge of repeating, only this time, aware of the stakes. And the repayment.

“I need Cloutie root.” I expelled the words quickly, without giving my brain a chance to reconsider, to think through whatever consequences this act might trigger. But one thing was certain, Ansgar needed to heal, and the process had to be quick. Rhylan gave us two days and then only the gods knew what they had in store for us. I had to get my mate in better shape and to do it quickly.

“Now, now princess, there is no need for that, I only made a small cut, it will heal by tomorrow,” Rhylan grinned at me, that mask of coldness perfectly moulded to his features.

“I don’t think I need to explain that it’s not for me,” I grunted. My gaze involuntarily shifted towards Ansgar, who took advantage of my stopping in the doorframe, which allowed light in, to scan the room and decide to take a seat on the bed. He must have been exhausted.

“That is a mighty tall order, princess. Even for me.” He showed no sign of compassion, only that marble portrayal which made me understand that the man I thought I knew hadn’t existed. Rhylan represented everything that was bad with the world, everything I struggled not to feel right now. For Ansgar’s sake. One thing was certain, though. I would hate this man till the day I died. The one that pretended to be my friend, the one who cheated me not once, but twice, the one who broke my sister’s heart just for fun. The one who had my mate tortured for over a year.

“Considering that I will probably die in here sooner rather than later, I think the payment has already been made.” As soon as I said the words, tears flooded my eyes but I struggled to keep them in check. I was scared out of my mind, but if I only had a few days, I had to make them count and not sit in a corner regretting my life choices. Regretting not hugging my parents harder when I last saw them. Not realising it would be the last time.

Rhylan shook at my words, his eyes glinting in a way that I hadn't seen them do before as his body shifted only slightly, like an impulse had overpowered him but he immediately realised it and kept it in check. Then he nodded, low and slowly, as if he wanted me to follow the gesture fully and give my mind time to understand that my request had been accepted without protest.

“Give me a few hours and I’ll have someone bring it to you.” Before I had a chance to reply, he added, “It works best in a tea, especially in his condition. I’ll send enough to last the two days.”

“Thank you,” I barely worded, then grabbed a better hold of the torch and turned towards the room, towards Ansgar who watched us talk from the bed. Still in chains.

“Anwen,” Rhylan grabbed my arm abruptly from the doorframe. “You will not die here. I swear.” His adamant eyes locked with mine in a reassuring contact, but at this point, I knew better than to trust anything coming out of his mouth.

“If you say so,” I replied and stepped inside. Two seconds later, I heard the thump of a door shut abruptly and I knew we were locked in.

First things first, I used the torch to light up the room, since I assumed both of us were sick of the cold and damp darkness. There were a few candles on a nightstand by the bed, so I picked them up and lit them one by one, then headed to the hole in the wall which turned out to be some sort of a fireplace, and I made sure to light a few wooden blocks before I threw the torch inside.

The light immediately warmed up the room, which was small but a lot better equipped compared to the cell of rotten bodies both of us had spent the night in. We had a bed, a nightstand, a small table with two chairs, and another door, which I assumed led to the bathing chamber, as they called it.

“Are you alright?” I approached the bed and scanned Ansgar, trying to decide the best way to remove those chains. Because I knew that as soon as I did, parts of skin would fall along with the iron.

“Managing,” he replied, but his voice announced the eagerness to be released. I did as directed and started to unwrap him, bit by bit until I reached the last layer of chains, the one I knew would be the most painful.

“Let me stand,” he asked in between heavy breaths, “I don't want to get too much blood on the bed.”

Like that mattered, I huffed internally. Like I cared the bedsheets were dirty right now, after both of us were covered in blood and remains from sitting on that disgusting floor. But I did as told and stepped aside, helping him rise from the bed. Ansgar did so with a grimace, probably the movement turned the chains tighter onto his skin, but he must have been so used to the pain that no sound escaped his throat.

“You can rip them off, it will hurt the same but at least it will be over quicker,” he suggested, stretching his back to give me a better view of the wrapping I had made and allowing me to form a plan as to how to proceed.

“Are you sure?” I asked with a shaky voice, not ready for what was to come, for what I had to do.

He nodded and curved his lower lip just slightly, encouragingly. My insides shook at the sight, at the ghost of the man I loved, now only reduced to a shell.

“Okay,” I said quickly, unable to look at him like that, defeated, unable and in pain, so I thought about what I was doing as a simple task, imagining I had to untangle some rope and looked anywhere else but the chains when I started jiggling them across his body. He huffed and grunted, pained sounds escaping his mouth and I knew he was grinding his teeth, but I made quick work of it and within a minute, I found myself removing the last bit of chain, the one tying his wrists while in front of me remained a bloodied, shivering Ansgar.

He looked at me with relief, the weight of the iron releasing its hold on him and the freedom giving him a burst of energy that even I immediately felt. I could not help but smile a bit, even though both of us were surrounded by uncertainty and had no idea what our fates would be after the next forty-eight hours. If we even had that long.

“We’ll need to clean your wounds first, I’ll go draw a bath,” I said, not knowing what to do or how to react and allowing him the space to process the newly acquired freedom. If our situation could even be called as such. Still, I took it as an improvement over the gory cell. Without another word, I headed to the only other door in the room, which I hoped would be a bathroom, and thankfully, it turned out to be just that.

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