Rise of Heroes

Chapter 38 - Safe Behind The Walls

The guards didn’t try to stop or follow Isabelle, so she let out a relieved sigh. She contemplated whether she should head straight to her room or find what Glendon was so eager to leave her for. Not that she minded that much, but she hated nothing more than being kept in the dark.

She took another turn in a fruitless search for any sign of Glendon or the others but soon realized that she had no idea where they might have gone. In fact, she was not sure where she was going and even in her mind, a lonely walk in the dark was not a particularly good idea.

“Isabelle?” She jumped, turning around. She sighed in relief as she didn’t see a demon preparing itself to jump and tear her apart. Instead, Prince Jaden was standing a few steps away, one hand loosely wrapped around the hilt of his sword. “Where are your guards?” He frowned as his eyes inspected the empty corridor.

“I do not need guards to get to my room,” she said stubbornly. She couldn’t just tell him that Tamara had dismissed them and she didn’t want to sound like a scared little girl asking a guard to accompany her on her way. “How did you even know I was here?”

He wasn’t happy with her answer, she could tell by the way his jaw tightened.

“I saw you as you left the hall and I followed,” he replied, taking a few steps closer. “I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to wander around unprotected. I will escort you to your room and make sure your guards stay this time.” She opened her mouth to tell him that was unnecessary, but his stern gaze stopped her. He waved his hand for her to take the lead and followed her as she did so. They walked in silence for a time and she could feel he was fighting the urge to speak.

“You don’t like me much, do you?” he suddenly asked, taking her out of her thoughts. He kept staring forward, and she was happy that she didn't need to meet his gaze.

“Why do you say that?” she asked quieter than she intended, a sudden feeling of danger creeping inside her mind. She couldn’t decide where it came from, but it scared her to the point where she tripped in her own skirts. Prince Jaden caught her arm swiftly, cutting in half the distance between them. Staring into his eyes from so close, Isabelle almost choked on the mixed emotions stirring in her chest.

Jaden didn’t look like himself either. His bright gray eyes were now focused, his stance tense as if he was readying himself for a fight. Then she realized it. He could feel it too — the danger creeping by. She didn’t know what it meant or how it was possible, but she had come to accept that there was nothing impossible in Roder.

“I can feel…” she started, but he quickly pressed his free hand over her mouth. He made no other movement, his eyes studying their surroundings. They had reached almost the last interception of corridors before her chambers when they had stopped, their path faintly illuminated by several torches. Isabelle’s heart was beating so loud that she couldn’t hear anything else but the pounding in her ears.

One moment they were standing perfectly still, and in the next instant, Jaden yanked her behind him. He drew his sword out of the scabbard with a high, distinctive ringing. A shadow crashed into him almost immediately after, pushing them both back toward the wall. The demon was bigger than a man, fur and muscles covering the whole body while four pairs of limbs stuck out of its trunk.

Isabelle didn’t even have the chance to blink before one of the hands ending in palm-long claws, thrust into the wall right next to their heads. A terrified scream escaped her lips when the creature pushed again, Jaden’s body remaining the only obstacle between her and the deadly monster.

“Hey! Over here, you ugly bastard!”

The voice came from the direction they were headed earlier and on instinct, Isabelle turned to look at the insane person who was trying to get the demon’s attention. The person that had shouted was standing in the middle of the corridor with a tray of food leftovers in her hands, and a pale face devoid of the pure fear that was painted on Isabelle’s. She threw one of the plates at the demon in an attempt to catch its attention.

As if losing interest in its initial prey, the creature rushed toward the girl who dropped the tray, her hand tightening around the hilt of a kitchen knife.

“Anitra, run!” Jaden shouted, turning toward Isabelle at the same time. “Run the other way! Get out of here!”

He pushed Isabelle, then dashed after the creature which had almost reached the servant girl. Isabelle stared as he jumped on the back of the demon like it was something he was used to doing, with not a trace of hesitation in his movements. The demon crashed on the ground under his weight, a few steps away from where Anitra still stood perfectly still and with the knife half raised in the air. She hadn’t moved to protect herself, Isabelle realized, almost as if waiting for the demon to kill her.

Isabelle pondered on the idea of running away and screaming for help, but the chances were that she'd probably get lost, or even worse — meet another of those creatures. Before she could make a decision, Jaden thrust his sword into the back of the creature, forcing out of it another, louder growl. At first, it seemed that it was ready to give up and die, but a moment later the man was thrown at the nearest wall, a blow so sudden and so swift that he stayed down and didn’t move. Isabelle sucked in a deep breath, willing him to move, to show her he was alive, when something else caught her attention. Anitra. She was still standing in the same spot, staring at the creature while her hands fell down her body.

Isabelle’s eyes widened when she realized what the woman was doing. Without thinking, Isabelle stumbled to the nearest torch and took it out of its clamp, taking a few steps forward and drawing a deep breath.

“Hey! Hey!” she screamed, trying to draw the attention back to her. Her mind was completely blank and even though some part of her brain was screaming that she would get herself killed, she couldn’t let the demon tear apart that girl or Jaden. Her mind was overcome with sudden calmness and she screamed one more time, finally making the creature turn. She threw the torch without thinking, hoping it would be enough if not to hurt it, then at least to buy them some time.

Her gaze found Jaden’s face while he was staggering to his feet, his eyes full of pure horror and hopelessness. He tried shouting something, but nothing came from his throat as the demon sped toward Isabelle.

Bracing herself for the end, she whispered a prayer to the gods. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn’t take them away from the creature. Just as the demon was a few steps away from her, it stopped. Looming over her in the narrow corridor, it stood perfectly still and watched her. She couldn't tell if it actually had eyes, but she felt it looking at her, measuring her from head to toe. And hesitating.

The demon took another small step toward her, leaning down as if to look at her closer, and Isabelle felt her knees starting to shake.

The demon flinched, letting out a painful shriek as a silver tip protruded from its chest, the moonlight from the nearest window reflecting on the smooth surface. The rest of the blade appeared soon after, dark blood sipping down its edge. And then Isabelle saw it, the eye of the demon, right above the metal – black with pain and suffering, staring at her.

Its body fell to the ground, limbs kicking a few more times before it grew still. Anitra’s panting figure towered over it, both hands wrapped around Jaden’s sword. Most of her blue dress was covered in dark blood stains and her eyes slowly moved from the dead monster to the princess. She said nothing, her fingers slowly releasing the blade to the ground with a loud clang. Jaden sprinted past her, grabbing Isabelle by the shoulders while his eyes examined her for any sign of injury. If she wasn’t so taken by what had just happened, she would have pulled back, but at the very moment, she was glad for his touch, his closeness. It felt like it was the only thing stopping her from falling apart.

“Are you hurt?” he asked breathlessly, but Isabelle wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were still locked on Anitra, who was staring blankly at the blood on her hands. They were trembling uncontrollably, her head shaking in denial, as if she had done something terrible. Jaden followed Isabelle’s gaze back to the other woman, his hands finally releasing the princess’ shoulders and dropping to his sides.

“Anitra…” he said, taking a step toward her. She flinched, raising her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes were full of tears that she was fighting to hold back, but not for long. “Thank you.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but she nodded sharply, glancing at Isabelle for a brief moment. “Are you hurt?” Jaden asked, taking another step toward her.

She did not reply, but the tears she was holding back suddenly poured out of her eyes. He took another step, but she retreated, turning and fleeing down the corridor before any of them could stop her. The two kept staring at the dark corridor, where she disappeared before Jaden got himself back together and turned toward Isabelle.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt? What were you thinking?” He said, returning to her side. She raised her head to meet his gaze. His harsh expression quickly softened when he saw her face, the tears in her eyes taking him in and out of blurriness.

This was never going to stop. Those demons weren’t just a current threat that could be overcome, outsmarted, destroyed. They were just going to get stronger, bolder, deadlier.

“I apologize,” he said, stepping even closer. His hand reached out to touch her shoulder and she simply stared at him, not sure if she could trust her voice. Not sure if she had anything to say. “Everything will be alright, I promise. You’re safe now.”

His words hit her like a blast of cold air, waking her up, putting down the fear, and the despair, and filling her with anger. Everything was definitely not alright, and she was definitely not safe. Elaine was not safe, he was not safe, and nobody was safe.

“Safe?” she spat, pulling away from him. “There is nothing safe here! Roder is anything, but safe!” He seemed taken aback by her tone and the sudden harshness, but he quickly straightened up, as if preparing to take a blow. “You’re seeking an alliance with us, but you failed to put in it the most important detail on which this alliance stands! Your kingdom is dying! Your people are dying! The evil in this place, it has taken roots so deep nobody can cut them! And you want my sister to stay here, with those creatures, wondering every single day if that day would be her last?”

“Do you think I have a choice? Do you think I enjoy watching my people die by the minute?” He snapped back, almost making her jump. “I didn’t want this marriage! I didn’t want your sister to come here because I knew all of you would be in constant danger! For spirit’s sake, you almost died in front of my eyes! Twice! But I don’t have a choice and you know that perfectly well! I need to save my people and I have to do it through your family! I need to marry so my people have a safe place to go when all of this becomes too much to bear! Do you think I like being dependent on something as fickle as marriage?”

“Why haven’t you left Roder already, then?” Isabelle asked, throwing her hands in the air. “It seems to me that things are already too much to bear! Entire villages being massacred, people disappearing even in the cities…” She glanced at the demon’s body in their feet, raising her eyes to meet his again. “Why don’t you just leave?”

He stared at her for a second before shaking his head in disbelief.

“And go where? Keldar? We’ll be treated like vermin or feared that we’re invading their precious lands. Or Anamir maybe? Can Anamir find space and rations for all my people? No, you can barely feed yourselves!” He stepped to his sword and lifted it, wiping the bloody blade in his cloak. “And when we’re gone, what do you think will happen to the demons? They will throw a party and go back to where they came from? When their food is all gone and there is nothing to hold them here, where do you think they’ll go?”

Isabelle swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to get back her confidence. The fact that his words made sense didn’t help much, but she was determined to say her peace.

“I can’t let my sister stay here,” she finally said, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The sound of voices, human voices, and rushed steps filled the corridor, but she kept looking at him. When he opened his eyes again, he looked tired, tired, and desperate.

“Look at the bigger picture! It’s not only your sister’s life at stake! If she doesn’t marry me and return to Anamir, then yes, she’ll be safe for a while. Maybe a few years even. But the demons will reach every place on this earth and there will be nowhere to hide. Unless we take action, unite, and stay together. Roder needs this alliance! Anamir and Keldar will need it too!”

“Isabelle!” Simon’s voice echoed in the corridor and she turned to her right to see him running in their direction, a few more guards quickly following right behind him. She turned back to Jaden, using all of her remaining restraint to say the following words without her voice faltering.

“Roder shall have their alliance. But my sister will play no part in it.”

He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Simon, who appeared next to them. The Roderians circled the demon, making sure that it was dead. When they did, all of them turned toward Jaden, awaiting further instructions.

He took a deep breath and let it out, turning and facing her once more.

“This conversation is not over.” His eyes turned to Simon. “Make sure she reaches her room safely. My men will accompany you and stay guard through the night.”

Simon’s lips pursed together, but he said nothing, just nodded, glancing at Isabelle. She continued staring at Jaden for a few more seconds before letting her Guardian lead her down the corridor they all came from. Nobody spoke through the short distance to her room, and as instructed, the guards stayed in front of the door, watchfully observing the two sides of the corridor for any signs of danger.

Simon followed her inside to make sure there was no threat hiding in the room, not a single word leaving his mouth, even though she found him throwing her worried looks as if expecting her to drop dead. When he was absolutely sure that there wasn’t even a mouse in her chambers, he prepared himself to leave, crossing her bedroom with long, heavy strides.

“Simon.” Her voice stopped him in his tracks, and he turned, raising an eyebrow. “Can you stay, please? I don’t want to be alone tonight.”