Page 87 of Her Ivory Flame

One man caught up to her, his hand grabbing at her arm but she swung and sliced it off with her sword. He screamed and she kept going, the ground starting to slope downward and it was harder to keep her steps steady.

A bola landed right next to her foot, making her lose her balance and start to tumble down the embankment.

She landed with a hard hit to her head, dizziness taking over and she saw a man step over her.

“Hello princess.”

The unknown man smirked, her vision hazy and suddenly everything went black.

Chapter 32

The familiar taste of blood filled her mouth, the ache in her head evidence that she had been knocked out. When she tried to move her head, pain shot through her and she gritted her teeth to keep from screaming.

Her back was against something scratchy, and when the fog in her mind dissipated, she realized she was against a tree. Her arms were behind her, and the familiar rattle of iron chains made her stomach drop.

She was cuffed behind her back with iron manacles and she could feel her body fighting with the lack of power she could hold. It was just like when she was on Mavros’s table, she could feel her power stirring but couldn’t use it due to the iron muting it.

Nausea took over and she had to take a few deep breaths to make sure to keep it down. Flashes of her abuse came through her vision and it took everything she had to push the images out.

‘1,2.3..’she counted in her head.

She glanced around, her vision finally clear and saw many tents and fires around her. They were still in the woods and it was dark, meaning she was out for quite a while.

“You’re awake.” The familiar voice before she blacked out made her jump.

He was an older fae, aging wrinkles covered his face but his body was still in good shape. Had muscles, nothing like Kaden’s, and a scar ran down one side of his face.

He must have been dozens of centuries old to look like that, or had an extremely hard life. He was just sitting on a log by the fire, sharpening a knife in his lap.

“Lucky for you.” She snapped.

“I heard you were feisty,” he said casually.

She looked around and could see more men staring at her, some with unsavory looks on their faces. They seemed to be a large group of mercenaries, not that it surprised her at all. She knew the risk of coming back from the dead.

“What do you want?” she hissed.

“I don’t want anything from you.” He looked at her, his scar even uglier face to face. “However, there is a gentleman that will pay a hefty price for you and hence why you are here.”

She glared at him, her head still throbbing from him knocking her out but she did her best to focus.

“Who is this gentleman you are working for?” she sneered.

“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “Always wears a mask. Came to us a few days ago with a proposal and the route you would be taking. Seems you got caught up in the storm but we waited.”

His smug look made her sick, and the thought of someone betraying them again made her want to puke. Only a few people knew where she was going but it was no secret she left Elnora.

“He will kill you.” she hissed, her head still pounding. “It’s only a matter of time before he finds me.”

The man chuckled, a rasp to his voice and then glanced at her direction.

“The man I shot the arrow into?”

“Yes,” she snapped.

“Well if he ain’t dead yet, he will be soon. I’m sure his friends are trying to cure him as we speak, little do they know there is no cure to the poison that coated the tip.” he shrugged.

She didn’t let her emotions show on her face, but her insides felt like she was being torn apart.Kaden was dying.