Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Snow winced as she tried to shift to a more comfortable position. The damnable Haeddan elf threw her into a dungeon without a care in the world. Not only that, to prevent her from being able to escape, he stomped on her leg, shattering her ankle.

Pain shot through her leg every time she moved, but there was little to nothing she could do. The ground was hard stone with a smattering of straw to try and absorb some of the dampness. Rot and mildew filled her nostrils. Several pieces of straw found their way to less than comfortable places…

"If it weren't for that stupid elf, I could have probably killed that fucking lord and been away with whatever stupid piece of jewelry Lord Kane wanted…"

Screams echoed from the floor above, followed by several bursts of mana. Snow grimaced once she realized Lucius was fighting the Master-Ranker. Several minutes ago, similar bursts of power spread through the manor's walls. They pulled the Haeddan elf's attention from her and he left the dungeon with such haste he seemed to blur out of existence. She knew that Lucius was strong, but harbored doubts about his ability to make it through this.

Something inside her demanded she stand. It demanded she go to his side. Give her life for his. Slay the enemy. Die for her lord. However, it was simply white noise. Useless to her given the circumstances. If the voice inside her wanted her to die for her lord, the only thing she could do to satisfy it at the moment was try and slit her own throat with a sharpened stone.

Hurried steps approached her cell. By the sounds of the armor, it was not one of the manor's guards. Whoever it was wore something heavier than them. She also did not hear the clattering of a sword in its sheath.

"There you are!"

Snow's heartbeat quickened as a familiar voice reached her. It was smooth and gentle, with a hint of relief. A man with striking blue eyes and light purple hair stood on the other side of the cell door. The relief in his eyes vanished quickly, replaced by worry and concern. Even from the other side of the cell, he could see the swollen and bruised ankle.

"What happened!" Desmond shouted! His drew his spear and with a single, clean swipe cut through the lock on the door. The metal squealed in protest from its neglected hinges being forced to move again.

The man rushed over, leaning his spear against the wall and examining Snow's ankle much more closely. He was careful to avoid touching it directly, but moved some of the clothing out of the way to get a better look at the damage. Snow couldn't help but gasp in pain, but remained as still as possible.

"Last time I checked, you couldn't use healing magic. Go. Lucius needs help, I will be fine." Snow urged.

"Not a chance. I already hate myself for delaying enough as it is. Besides Lucius can handle himself long enough. Right now, you need my help."

Desmond stood and grabbed his spear. The spearhead began to heat up from the enchantment. Once it reached a certain temperature, he swung it several times at the cell bars. Several pieces of metal clattered to the ground.

He removed his cloak and tore it into several strips. Using some of them, he wrapped the strips around a few pieces of the metal before framing her leg. Snow held her breath as he braced her ankle and foot, binding it tightly between a few pieces of the wrapped bar.

"That should keep it stable. Come on. I'll carry you, but if we need to fight, I'll need to drop you. This won't be pleasant, okay?"

She nodded in understanding. Desmond turned his back to her, kneeling down for her to climb up. Snow's cheeks warmed, but she fought through the strange embarrassment and wrapped her arms around his neck. She found herself suddenly realizing how large Desmond's back was. How toned his large muscles…

"Hey, you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, y-yeah. I'm fine. Let's go."

"Alright, this will be a rough ride, but we are going to Lucius. If I let anything happen to him, Kalliope will kill me and Jade will help."

Snow giggled at the idea of sweet, little Jade threatening Desmond. Then she remembered the stories of what happened during their operation at the river south of the capital. The humor of the situation vanished as quickly as it appeared. Perhaps Jade was scary after all…

***

Desmond did his best to ignore Snow's soft body pressed up against him. He also tried to make the trip as gentle as possible, doing everything in his power to avoid shifting her too much. Occasional gasps escaped her lips, which only made his thoughts race harder. It was difficult to truly ignore the situation.

She had rested her head on his shoulder, leaving her lips dangerously close to his neck. Each breath tickled the side of his neck and face, distracting him from his goals. He wanted to get to Lucius as quickly as possible so he could escape the situation, no doubt she did not enjoy being carried like a child…

The manor shook and the sound of an explosion echoed above their heads. It was roughly where the ballroom was, which was their destination. The sounds of fighting were strongest there even after there was a strange absence of mana. Desmond felt fear grip his heart for a moment when the mana vanished a moment ago, worried that it might have meant Lucius's death. However, the familiar pressure of his Mark replaced it, allaying those concerns.

A moment after the explosion, the sounds of struggle soon started coming from the back garden. Desmond changed his course to the rear exits as quickly as he could. The doors to the back patio were just down the hall. As he turned down that hallway, a bright blue light poured in through the windows.

Snow cried out in pain, her arms tightened around him and she buried her face deeply into his neck, shielding her eyes from the light. Lucius's scream rang out, a terrifying wail Desmond never thought he would hear.

"I have to go to the light. I'm sorry in advance Snow." She responded by loosening her grip, tensing for a moment in anticipation of the incoming pain. Desmond loosened his grip on her and let her drop to the ground with a thud.

Readying his spear, he rushed through the door, holding his arm in front of him to burst through the glass and wood. He was greeted by the sight of an elf holding Lucius in the air by the collar of his armor. Lucius screamed in pain, shadows formed and dissipated rapidly as if trying to fend off the light emanating from a gem burning its way through his armor.

Desmond quickly charged his spear, launching the spearhead at the elf. He spun the other end of the weapon around and launched it immediately after.

The elf quickly dodged the incoming spearhead, allowing it to fly uselessly past his head. He released his grip on Lucius, just in time for Desmond's spear to cut through his wrist. The elf warrior cried out in pain, his hand falling to the ground.

"You!" He roared. "Human!"@@novelbin@@

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Desmond prepared for the worst. Sure, he took the hand from a Master-Ranker, but the man could likely kill him with both hands missing, let alone one. Despite the urge to close his eyes to wait for the inevitable, Desmond willed himself to witness his own death.

Time slowed to a crawl as the elf's outstretched hand closed in on Desmond's face. A thunder rumbled in the skies above and a flash of lightning blinded him. Where the Master-Ranker used to be, stood a familiar woman wielding a spear with a sickly green spearhead.

"Lady Tenia…"

"I have seen enough." The woman proclaimed. Her voice was even and flat. Barely contained rage clearly being held at bay, though just barely.

"You! Why does an Empyrean meddle in the affairs of Aedrider you should stay atop your…"

"You used the power of your king, Haedda's Empyrean. Power which you used in my lands. This is a breach of the Contract. I am within my rights."

"Lies! You wish to protect your…"

"Vanish."

Lady Tenia waved her hand. A bolt of lightning dropped from the sky, enveloping the Haeddan Elf in blinding light. Desmond watched as the light faded, all signs of the elf's existence wiped from the world. Save the greed blade he had strapped to his side.