The Hostage

Entry Fourteen

MORGAN

The Hostage

I deserved it. In some dark corner in the back of my mind, I knew I deserved death. They should have done away with me as soon as they found us. They should have slit my throat, brought my head to my father, and collected the bounty. Maybe they would have survived. Maybe so many would still be alive if I had just died. Maybe I would not have to spend an eternity groveling to her and maybe I wouldn’t have changed her. I deserved it.

They were Kuolema. Maybe they lived forever or every Exile Leader was forced to dawn the same name. They all wore a mask. Their tail was always the only defining feature. Their voice caught my attention. It was so distinct when their armor was not. It was like a cold hand around your throat. It drew the breath from your throat without even trying. Every child in Midnight knew the Koulema. If you were deemed evil enough for Exilement, they would arrive on your doorstep. Their knife was as cold as Three Sons frozen hell. One slice of the blade and you would never ascend into the next plane. Not even a gem could save you. Under the assumption they are the same person, I heard they hailed from a western continent whose name I did not care to learn. Not even the Emperor, King of Kapina, or even Grand Ruler Nirvaan Ranger, whatever the fuck he decided to call himself, could save you. The council had to agree and even then the Kuolema only answered to their Gods. They prayed to them once every hour, damning your soul.

Who were their Gods? I do not know. I barely know the Sorrow Gods even though Despair and Lust followed me around. They sat on my shoulders like two demons. Lust sent me into the arms of whatever brothel was near, whatever power I could grab onto. Despair told me about the dreams those students had. Despair reminded me that my time was limited and no matter how hard I fought someone would take justice into their own hands. There was a third God in the Sorrow. Responsibility, she was named. Many forsake her and others wore her with pride. My own path seemed to weave in and out of her grasp.

My hands remained tied behind my back even as they tossed me into the cage. I cracked my neck and rested my back against the wooden bars. They closed themselves in with me. Their boots crunched against the snow as they crouched. Two daggers twirled in their hands. I kept a strong face. Whatever death you give me, I will brave it. Wind ruffled the cloth across their face. The metal hood did not waver. Kuolema crawled forward. Their palms crossed the snow with ease and grace. The cloth approached as they took me in. I attempted to size them up. Their body was slim and sleek beneath the armor. Lengthy and tall like Carter, when they stood they dwarfed even the Prince.

“If you kill me, grace me with your face.”

“Death grants you no rewards… Yet.” They stood. Their shadow cast me into darkness. “I will bring you to the council. Exilement waits.”

“I could pay you.” I shifted in the rope. “I have money. I have lots of money. I am a royal and have many farms, stables, and wineries in my name. I even have a mine!” I shucked in a breath and bit my lower lip. “I could guarantee you will want for nothing.”

“Death will be your embrace.”

“What is an embrace without life?”

“What is life without consequences?”

“Will you hurt her?” I shifted forward. She is just a Shifter. He doesn’t want her… She’s nothing. Truly… They did not say a thing. “Exilement belongs to I and I alone. I swear! If you harm-”

“It does. Acceptance wains the pain… Slightly.” They turned toward the door and walked softly. Before they left, they cast another look down upon me. “A wanderer does not sit idle. A ruler does. When the stars come falling, you will see it all. Idle or not. An adventurer never truly hangs up their sword.”

“I do not care for riddles!”

“You care for peace but you will be its undoing. As long as you push and pull yourself, you will always struggle with the twins on your shoulders. Twins. Choose. Choose which one you love more.”

“What?”

They locked the door behind themselves. I shifted attempting to find comfort in my makeshift prison. The wooden bars were coated in something glossy, sparkles glistened across them. Where have I seen you- No. It was a copy of the Bloodstone cages. Coated with magic. It wasn’t meant to prevent spells but Shifters from transforming. I froze. I had to do it. I had to. I shook my head. A mistake. It’s a coincidence. They could have never known. Those cages were hidden deep within the mountain. Only students were allowed to enter and once you graduated, unless you committed to a blood oath of secrecy, they wiped your memories of them. The testing of Shifters was technically illegal but with the vote, the academy could have done whatever they wanted. You killed them all! All! And now, you’re fucking a Shifter! You are even worse than they are. I swallowed. I could still taste Carter’s minty mouth…

Kuolema did not travel alone. Among their company was a variety of begrudged individuals. Their armor was mismatched and weapons were rusted. Some wore patchy beards and others cleaned wounds with dirty cloth. More bandits? It seems Norkden is falling to pieces. I noticed their tents were more or less hole filled sheets with some sticks holding them up. Their leader sat down beside a rather large fire. Bedrolls surrounded it for those who could not find comfort indoors. They sharpened their twin daggers with a black set from inside a ragged roll. Gray clouds cast their color across the site.

I searched behind the few tents if you could call them that. Pine wrapped around half the site. The other half pressed itself up against a rushing river. A couple of bandits fisted from it expecting to catch something substantial from the freezing waters. On the other side of the river, the start of a cold, barren land began. I heard stories of ghosts that wandered the wastes calling people out into the ocean of snow. At the end of it, Blood Pool waged. The faintest hint of red floated above the horizon line. I returned back to the trees. I could not even see the area where we had entered. Each pine looked the exact same. An infinite wall of wood on one side and the waste on the other.

A bird, dark as Larken blood, landed on the barred ceiling of my cell. It cawed out and a shell fell to my side. It was about the size of my thumb. Whatever nut the bird tried to eat, appeared to be rather large. The shell was like a brain, wrinkled. The sharp edges pressed into the ground. The bird let out another noise before flying away. I turned. My hands grasped the piece. I ran the ragged edge against my rope over and over until the friction was enough to start a small fire. The first string broke and then the second and the third. The rope slipped from my fingers. I brought my hands forward. I rubbed the marks away and flexed. I cracked my neck to the left. Then the right. I stood. The bandits looked over. Kuolema matched my stance yet they made no move.

“I do not need your permission!” They should have attacked me. They should have jumped on top of me and tore my head off. “I can break out of here! I can kill all of you!” They sat back down.

My temples burned with frost. Pain heated my skin like ice. Bone pierced through flesh and blood stipped down my forehead, marking me as a monster. Horns erupted from my hair. Claws, black based with blue tips, grew from my nails. Darkness pumped into my veins, tinting my skin a grayish blue. A new pain in my lower back formed. Another tear of my flesh led to a dark blue scaled tail. I looked back. It flicked the air like a knife waiting to strike. The bandits rushed to their weapons, finally taking my threat seriously. I closed my fist. The door crushed itself into a fine dust.

“I am The Exiled!”

The group surrounded me. Kuolema stayed on their bedroll intent on watching me. It only served to light another fire from within. I cried out in rage. Like a dragon’s roar, black flames fell from my mouth. The first one dared to approach. My palm raised just inches to her face. A claw nearly caressed her cheek. I grinned a rather dark thing. A devilish look crossed me. I twisted my hand to my wrist and jutted it up into the air. Snap. Her neck cracked to the side. A perfect right angle. I was very proud of that. Instead of falling, she stood for a moment. Our eyes met. Her soul traveled to the next plane. I reached forward, closing them. My claws pierced her eyelids, popping the seal on the ball open. Blood and ooze dripped down onto the snow. She fell backward. With a snap of my fingers, a bandit stabbed himself in the stomach three times. Even as he lay bleeding out, he picked up his knife and continued the work.

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“Do you want to fight now?” I pushed between the bandits. I stared down their leader. Their pathetic leader who slept on snow.

“You do not.”

She fell before me. The flames wrapped around her. Her flesh dripped onto the ground like water. I stumbled back trying to grasp onto something. I grabbed it. The soft, sticky substance covered my hands. I turned around. The man cried out. My hand prints stuck out against his chest. Soft ribs fell onto the ground as he slumped forward. The human puddle moaned my name. The flames ate away his flesh until his soul could not handle any more pain.

I slipped back into the school. More screams followed. A pair of fur dipped hands gripped my ankle. I looked down and saw them. They were so small and young. A dark grimace. It was an accident. At least for those like you, it was. Those that were so young it was. The others deserved it.

I fell back into my cage. Hot tears burned down my face. I tried to wipe them away quickly enough but they all saw. All those stupid idiots witnessed me cry. Don’t let them see! Don’t let them fucking see! I sobbed into the ground. I killed them all. I killed every single one. Those stupid students should have left when I told them. They should have listened to me. I screamed into the Earth and punched the snow. I hit harder and harder. Mud and dirt flung into the air as I punched a hole into the ground.

I should not have done it. I should have stayed silent. I killed so many. For what? Just to gain the power of fucking one of them. I was sick. I deserved whatever would come next. I accepted it. Kuolema was going to drag me before the council, what was left of it. Exilement would be painful. It would set every cell I had on fire and then steal the air from within me. I would implode internally, or so it would feel like it. I could count the Exiles before me on one hand. I would make the fifth. The final formation of a fist. The souls before me disappeared into an eternal vault of pain and suffering. Nothingness. Their consciousness snuffed out. What is a worse thought? Knowing there is nothing on the other side for you. I should have killed myself- No, you deserve it. The nothingness will avenge those you killed.

The day passed slowly. I shouted for the leader to pack up. If I was going to die, I would rather be near warmth sooner than later. There was no point dragging it out. I was already condemned to an eternity of nothing. My shouts remained unanswered. So, the moon rose and everyone slept. Even the Kuolema closed their eyes. I remained away. I took in every detail and feeling, intent to cement the memory. The memory of everything. Newness would stop once the banishment occurred.

Catherine Elizabeth O’Connell saved me from those Norkden idiots, that bandit with a knife to my throat, and that Larken. What a strange Kalpea. What a kind Shifter. To me, of all people, a witch. Heat spread across my face and I felt my skin tint. Her smile formed delicately in my mind. I could feel her hot fingertips run along my skin. I remembered every word from her rambles. I should have paid more attention. What if I missed something? I thought about her stutter and how certain words or thoughts sent her on a loop. Occasionally, she would be at a loss for words when explaining something and resort to hand gestures. I smiled at the memory of our night in the inn. I wished it could have been more but I hoped she found her cure. Though she did not need it. As a wolf, she had gorgeous fur. As a bird, she was sleek and fast. It made her into a wild-willed, toned, rugged woman. She was a wonderful experience.

“Princess?” I stared up at the stars smiling. I could hear that stupidly wonderful nickname she gave me. “Princess?” I furrowed my brow. “Morgan, are you awake? I’m really trying not to shout.”

I sat up. The moonlight broke through the clouds and illuminated her face. Wild hair like a wolf’s mane glowed red under the light of Kuu. The stars sparkled around her silhouette. She let herself into the doorless cage and crouched beside me. A goofy grin turned her soft lips upward. She extended a hand and reintroduced herself in a rather dramatic fashion. I responded with silence. I pulled her up with me and grabbed her face. She stared at me for a moment, hesitating. Such a darling. Hard, I pressed my mouth against hers. The Kalpea melted against me. Her strong hands gripped my sides. Lust propped itself on my shoulder and told me to take her, hear her beg to please me, and feel my stomach tense as her eyes looked up from between my legs. Despair whispered that we would die before consummating everything. Responsibility appeared and told me to escape.

“When we get back, you deserve a reward.” I pulled her head away with a firm grip in her thick locks.

“Kinky…” Her eyes trailed to my lips. “I like teddy bears and puppies too. The occasionally, all the time cuddle.” She flashed another goofy look. “Now, let’s go. Strider’s getting impatient.” She stole a quick peck and practically leaped from the cage.

As heroic as my love can be (which is very), clumsy was also accurate… Carter, during her glorious leap, fell face first onto a bandit. I should not have laughed. It was only a small laugh. A slight giggle. Regardless, we were fucked. She mentioned something about rolling initiative but I chose to send a ball of flames at the woman’s head. Her screams satisfied that sick part inside of me. Carter grabbed my hand again and tried to drag us away from it all. One hand remained on her blade.

The bandits were not keen on the idea of us escaping. Carter, instead of pulling out her sword, elbowed one in the face. He tumbled to the ground. She proceeded to duck, dodge, and elbow her way through the camp. Strider’s massive figure appeared at the edge. He neighed out loudly for his owner. Maybe Carter’s morals aren’t a complete detriment to her safety. It was when a blade marked my arm did she pull her sword out. She cut him down without a second thought with her dark eyes never leaving me. Blood sprayed across her face. Something awoke in me. Another blade cut through the air. It met her neck.

“She is now involved. It is your fault. That is not a question.” Their gray gloves gripped her shoulder. The blade pressed against her pale skin. The mark from that morning still remained.

“If it is my fault, I must fix it.”

I attacked the false God. Whatever you wanted to call them. They were not going to go near her again. A single force of energy to the face sent them backward. I pulled Carter against me. The side of my cheek met her chest. I remained calm as I clenched my fists so tight. It tore the life from them. Or so I thought. Their bones cracked. The metal bent and sparked. Grunts and moans. Sharp noises from their throats. It all seeped into the air as their blood spilled into the snow. The little Kalpea looked at me with a pair of wide, innocent eyes. I dropped my palm with a furrowed look. I gripped her into a hug and apologized. She whispered something. I couldn’t hear. Carter picked me up with a single tug. I squealed as she carried me to Strider. It was strange being that tall.

My horns remained the entire journey. I kept my arms firmly around Carter’s waist as she held the reins. She made light conversation about a new nickname. I rolled my eyes at ‘Horny’. She laughed her happy ass off while I suggested just using my name.

“Why would I do that? As regal as Morgan is, it’s rather plain compared to Horny.” She snickered again.

“Is Princess not plain?”

“It’s representative… Princess.”

“Hmm…”

“What? Mine are more creative! Ears? Let me guess. It’s because I have a couple of pointing appendages!”

“I still think it’s better than Princess.”

“Well, I disrespectfully disagree.” She leaned back. I rest my head on top of her shoulder. “I could call you Posh, Privileged, or Rich?” I scratched my claws along her bare throat. She instantly swallowed hard. “Or Horny? That is really the top contender. I must admit, I rather enjoy it.”

“Dear Gods, if you call me that!”

“You’ll what? Kill me?” She chuckled. “Sorry to say it, Princess, but you’re stuck with me. Just like I am stuck with crippling anxiety and the fear of death as well as your snoring.”

“I will shut you up myself,” I whispered into her ear. Goosebumps traveled up her arms. I noticed her muscles tighten. “You would like that though, would you not?” My claws continued to dance along her throat. It was so sensitive and easy to mark. That alone drove me crazy. “The moment I laid eyes on you, all I have thought about were the different ways to fuck you.”

“Shit,” She breathed out. “I think- Well- I”

“Loss for words, baby?” I nipped at her point. She gasped out.

“I think- I think I would like to get to camp now.”

“Good girl.”

The camp came much too slowly. I wanted to bend the Shifter to my will in any way she would let me. She did not appear to have a limit either. The limit of our coupling was of course met when we witnessed our group of friends were still very much awake. I nearly waved a spell of slumber over them. Carter offered to knock them out. I could see her nervously laughing as she jumped from the horse. She helped me down and I continued to watch her fidget. She picked at her nails frivolously.

Ashlyn was the first to approach. I could already tell she was absolutely pissed. Her face contorted as she smacked the Shifter’s shoulder and started swearing at her left and right. Freddy stood beside her with his arms crossed. He nodded his floppy head to everything she said, even the particularly brutal words. I learned that my darling Kalpea snuck off without anyone knowing even though the others were planning on coming as a group. At least I know they care for me somewhat.

Vincent came next and wrapped me up in a hug. I returned the foreign gesture. He looked down at my marked wrists. I shrugged them off, earning a grunt. He questioned me about Kuolema and I told him exactly what happened. I killed them. Naturally, Vincent did not believe me but I assured him the killer would not ever step foot near me again. I turned towards Carter. He will not come near her again. I surveyed Carter. A wild look was still about her. Her stomach tensed with every ragged, raspy breath. Blood stained her skin. She will not let him come near me.

“Well, now that we’re all a big happy family again I would like to go to bed!” Zahyn shouted.

“You were just going on about how excited you were to sing!” Ashlyn shouted.

“Of course, I am going to serenade you!” He laughed and pulled out his guitar.

“No! No! No!” Ashlyn drove her fingers into her ears. “Morgan is back! We are going to bed! Carter, you’re grounded!”

“Can I still read?”

“Yes, what type of parent would I be if I kept my daughter from reading.”

“Thank you, daddy.”

“Fingers are certainly strange,” Vincent whispered to me in a low disapproving voice.

“I do not know. I rather like it.” I smiled softly at her. “They are sweet in ways I cannot comprehend.” I want her.