“Get away from her!” The King roared.
I shook my head and sighed. “I'd better go in before Raven kills another one.”
“Good luck.” Vanoak chuckled as I passed him and entered the bedroom.
The ribboned master was a Hulfrin, and the enslaved woman was Lelurra. Gods help me. I had come a long way in my recovery, but seeing a Hulfrin with a Lelurra was enough to make my stomach turn. But then Raven grabbed the naked Hulfrin by the throat and hauled him away from the cringing Lelurra.
“You fucking piece of shit!” Raven growled. “With all your money and privilege, you couldn't find a woman who was willing? Or is having a slave in your bed what gets you off? You like rape, do you? Well, I'm sure your fellow inmates will oblige.” He tossed the Hulfrin at his knights. “Chain this motherfucker before I kill him!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Sir Vanoak grabbed the Hulfrin by the scruff of his neck and pushed him toward the door.
“Can I at least get dressed?” the Hulfrin shouted, still not comprehending the depth of his doom.
Sir Neriver snorted, grabbed a robe, and shoved it at the man. “This is for our comfort, not yours.”
I glared at the Hulfrin, but he wasn't worth my focus. As soon as he was gone, I turned back to the Lelurra woman.
“You're safe now.” Raven held up his hands as he faced the woman.
The ribboned captives were always like this—cringing but unable to flee. Raven could have approached her, and she wouldn't have done much, but she would have been terrified. So, I took over while he stepped back.
“Hi, I'm—”
“Eliel?” the woman whispered.
I squinted into the shadows of the bed. The woman was sitting up against the headboard, a sheet pulled up to her chin, and her wings curled forward around herself. She opened her wings and shifted forward.
“Kisa?” I gasped and hurried to the bed. “Oh, dear Gods, Kisa!”
She shot forward into my arms, weeping. “Eliel!”
“It's over now,” I stroked her long blonde hair. “It's over. I'm here. You're safe. Give me your wrist.”
Kisa didn't ask what I meant, just leaned back and thrust out her wrist with the ribbon tied on it. I untied it and handed it to Raven. He hurried forward to take the ribbon and paused.
“You know her?” the King asked.
“We were childhood friends.” I rubbed Kisa's wrist where the ribbon had lain. “Can you give us a moment? She needs to get dressed.”
“Yes, of course.” Raven strode out of the room, waving the remaining knights away and closing the door behind them.
“What are you doing here?” Kisa whispered.
“I was like you. Bound. The man who enslaved me created those horrible ribbons. I killed him, and I've been helping the King find and free other captives. You're the last. Oh, Kisa, I'm so sorry. I know what you've endured.”
Kisa shuddered, her dappled brown wings shivering along with the rest of her. “I can hardly believe I'm free. Can I go home?”
I nodded. “Yes, of course, but I'd like you to stay a little while. The King has been awarding compensation to the captives by transferring the wealth of their captors to them.”
Her eyes went wide.
“I know that's not enough to make up for what you've been through, but at least you'll have something to make the rest of your life easier. You can even stay here a while if you're not ready to go home.”
“Why wouldn't I be ready?”
I shrugged.
“Oh, Eliel. You haven't gone home yet?”
