Demetri

"So what happens if we die here?" Gabriel asked me as we stared at the cave entrance. It was a tiny grove were two large boulders had collided and merged together. They called it the Gods hand because it looks like a clenched fist. Over time, dirt and grass that had grown over the top so that it looked like a small hill – easily over looked unless you knew where it was.

"We'll probably be eaten and our bones never found." I shrugged off the question and pulled out my long sword and checked my dagger count. One in a hidden pocket on my pants where my calf was. One under the shoulder blade, covering my left shoulder. Two hidden in the straps across my back and another two in my boots.

Gabriel shook his arms and legs out and bounced on the spot. He had two battle axes, heavy and slightly dual. "Stay close." I warned him.

Gabriel rose his eye brows. "How about you stay close to me." He demonstrated his skill cutting the air with a bowl of his axe. "I can take care of myself."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say."

We walked towards the small opening, hesitating a little before walking in. I ducked my head and turned on my side, doing a side shuffle through the gap until the cave opened up fully. It was dark here. Incredibly dark.

Gabriel shuffled in behind me and bumped into my back, unable to see what's in front of him. "Watch it." I whispered to him.

"Sorry." He kept his voice low and deep.

"Know how to fight in the dark?"

I heard a shaky, shallow breath behind me and I knew his answer was a no. We were both shaking, from cold or fear, I didn't know anymore.

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. "By the order of King Jonathan of house Hale, we have come to claim your prisoner."

There was a small echo. "What's the code?" A rough, wrangled voice echoed, bouncing off the walls making it difficult to tell where the sound was coming from. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Code?" Gabriel whispered behind me. "What code?"

I had no idea what code? I suppose it made sense. Jonathan gave him prisoners, but had a code in place in case he ever wanted to collect the poor mangled soul.

"Griffin?" I decided to say his house sigil hoping it would work.

There was a deep chuckle. "Wrong answer."

Shit.

Feeling for the wall, I shuffled along hoping Gabriel would follow my lead. We moved along slowly in what felt like a small corridor. A small soft glow of a torch appeared and the small corridor opened up into a small room. There was a table in the middle of the room, pieces of metal tools and objects littered the edges while a body laid on the table. The body was in the middle stages of decaying and the stench that filled the air made me want to gag. Its hands were clamped down to the table with metal cuffs spotted with rust while its chest cavity was being peered open and held there. At first glance I could already see its innards were missing. I looked around the room but found the torch didn't illuminate anything other than the table, not even the walls.

I pressed my lips together. I didn't like a fight that was not on my terms.

I closed my eyes trying to pin point where the criminal was. There was no sound coming from the cave. It was dead silent. I was convinced that the cave was bigger than it looked for the sounds not too echo off the walls, when I heard a little shuffle. It was only a little sound, but I heard it – coming from behind us.

"Duck!" I yelled hoping Gabriel would have the quick reflexes that ran in his bloodline. Swing my sword around, I felt the impact as sword brushed against flesh and the pull it made against my movement. But not enough. It was only a shallow cut, nowhere near enough to do any damage. As my attack finished, I didn't get time to even consider my next move when I was hit in the stomach and forced back onto the floor. Winded on my back, there was a moment of paused before a sharp metal point landed in my side. It burned far more than it should have.

I heard the sound of armour crashing and turned my head just in time to see the criminal land beside me. Gabriel's form quickly following behind him. I moved my hand towards the metal point in my side and felt for the head of the spear. It was wet, my shirt soaked with blood. Gripping the wood, I yanked it out of my side and rolled to my feet. Gabriel was struggling with the Criminal, trying to use his weight to hold him down while he reaches for his axe – laying across the floor. The criminal flipped him, shoving him into the base of the table where Gabriel's head bounced off the iron frame making him disorientated.

I moved quickly, pulling myself to my feet, I tried to keep myself quiet. Carefully placing my steps. I waited until the shadow of the man loomed over Gabriel, blocking my view.

Gabriel screamed out as the criminal raised the axe over his head.

I drove my dagger into his neck, turning the blade for good measure. I let the body drop as I fell to the floor, the pain of my own injury beginning to take its own affect.

The criminal landed with a thud on top of Gabriel while the axe, just missed his head. Gabriel groaned as he struggled under the weight of the now-dead man.

Taking a few deep breaths, I watched Gabriel move the still warm corpse off his own injured body. I pulled myself up onto my knees and starting reaching for the torch. I groaned and reached a hand out to help Gabriel up. "You okay?" I asked him.

"I feel blood, I just don't know what's mine."

I nodded understanding the feeling. I held my side as a sharp sting hit me and I felt a warm wetness seeping into my shirt but tried not to think about it too much. "Let's find this girl and get out of here."

We pulled our swore bodies up off the floor and used the torch to look around the cave. We found cages, some with rotting corpses and others with collections of bones. The smell of decaying bodies filled the air and I fought the urge to throw up. Gabriel was not so fortunate – throwing up behind me and gaging again and again. I couldn't stand it much longer myself.

Reaching the end of the cave I saw no one alive. "There's no one here." I called out to Gabriel – who was still gaging.

A small whimper caught my attention. I turned around in a flash and stepped closer to a cage second last from the edge of the cave. Curled up in the corner with a dead, off coloured corpse leaning close against her, was a girl. I raised my swords and cut into the lock, springing open the cage door. "Come here." I reached for the girl but she only recoiled from my touch. In truth I didn't blame her. But right now, I had no time to be gentle. I seethed my sword and forcefully grabbed the girl, throwing her over my shoulder before I turned around and grabbed Gabriel by the collar before making a mad dash for the exit.

Once out into the light, I dropped the girl on a patch of grass and took a few more steps before I emptied my stomach.

I leaned against a tree for a moment catching my breath and clearing my nose of the god-awful stench. I had smelled battle grounds, dungeons full of dead people, and dug graves for the dead, but nothing had ever smelled like that. It wasn't normal. A stench so thick it clogged your throat, slowly coking you until it took the breath from your lungs.

Glancing behind me, Gabriel had composed himself and gently approached the girl. "Jacqueline?" He outstretched an arm slowly. "It's me Gabriel."

She curled up into a ball and starting crying, her small frail body shaking. Whipping my mouth, I walked over towards them. She flinched at the sight of me and I quickly held up my hands in surrender. "I won't hurt you. I promise."

Tears streamed down her face but she nodded her understanding.

"Let us have a look at you. Are you hurt?"

Gabriel held her up as she was too weak to stand on her own. Her hair was covered in mud and dust, streaked with dried blood. Her skin was so white it reminded me of fresh fallen snow. Her cheeks held two long fresh cuts along her cheek bones. Her bones and eyes themselves, were sunken in so much that her bone structure was clearly defined, her arms so skinny I highly doubted she could even hold a spoon on her own. She was covered in dirt and looked like she may not even survive the night.

I gave Gabriel a look. She was in bad shape.

We decided to settle there for the night, walking a little further into the woods for cover, where our horses were tied. We settled Jacqueline down by a tree, putting a warm coat of furs around her shoulders and leaning her up against the trunk of a tree so that she didn't fall. Lighting a small fire, we tried to keep her warm but without touching her.

We sat on the other side of the fire, trying to give her space.

"This is where he sends them." I whispered, mainly to myself as I processed everything.

"What?" Gabriel kept his voice low, his concern was placed elsewhere.

"All the people who threatened him. The Bishop of the Valley of Eagles who protested he was too young to take his crown and suddenly just disappeared. The master of swords who refused to let the shadow knights enter the castle and take over as his personal guard." I shook my head trying to forget their faces.

"No one can ever know about this." Gabriel finally faced me. "No one."

I nodded in agreement, adding this secret to the long list that only seemed to be growing.

"Do you think your soul can survive when all of this is over?" He asked me, now poking the fire with a long stick he found on the ground.

"I'm already going to hell. Might as well make it worth it."

We remained silent a little while, giving Jacqueline a chance to dry her eyes.

"Do you remember anything?" Gabriel spoke a little louder now, trying to speak to her. "Are you hurt?" He asked the same question over and over again like clockwork.

Sometimes she would shake her head as an answer, and sometimes she would say nothing and just stare into the flames looking sickly and haunted by life.

I understood why Jonathan sent people here. And sometimes, I even encouraged. But to see this girl, finding her in the state she was in – cuddled up with a rooting corpse and so thin and pale – made him sick. Maybe he was just as bad as the criminal he had just killed. Maybe he was a monster. He often defended Jonathan when people called him a monster, he had his reasons and a kingdom to protect. But what was my excuse? I set innocent villages to the touch, letting the flames kill and destroy their lively hood. Their grains and food supplies lost just before the winter chills. Most of those people will die of starvation and for what? For a useless distraction. I dragged an innocent girl into a tent only a few months ago, condemning her to an unpleasant life where death would meet her at every turn. And now, I meet this girl who, like so many before her, I helped kill and punish.

"Please talk to me Jacqueline." Gabriel begged her.

"Give her a rest." I told him.

Jacqueline shook her head and leaned forward, into the light. Fresh tears began to swell in her eyes as she used her right hand to rub her throat. She point to it, signalling something.

I turned white and pale as a cold chill ran up my spine. I moved closer towards, holding my hands up as I approached her to tell her I meant no harm. "Can I see?" I asked her, hoping I was wrong.

Jacqueline's bottom lip dipped and wobbled as she tried to bite back her tears. She was strong, I could see that now. Even after everything, she was still trying not to cry. Taking one last shaky breath she opened her mouth.

I was right. He had ripped out tongue.

Closing her mouth she started to sob openly. I held her while she sobbed and gestured for Gabriel to take my place. He sat down by the tree and I let him pull her to his chest, cradling her and trying to sooth her sobs.

I got to my feet and took a few steps away, putting distance between them and me.

I was cold, my body numb as if I had spent three days in the snow with nothing but a thin shirt.

I turned away from them and walked through the woods hoping the distance would help.

But it didn't.

No matter how far I walked, I was still a monster.

-------------------------

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all have a great day tomorrow and santa is kind to you all ;) 🎄🎁

Please take care over the holidays. And for thoes in Australia, watch out for thoes freak asthma attacks xx.

Please vote and comment