Bound in Spirals Ch. 05

Alyenda grunted as her shoulder popped back into place. She rolled her arm back and forth as she looked to Deanne who was now pulling a short sword from a scabbard strapped to her leg. Sam felt a little lightheaded and he tried to shake it off. Both of them jumped forward as he turned to run. He felt excruciating pain rip through both legs as two knives found their mark in the backs of his thighs.

He fell forward with a yelp and his own sword bit into his left wrist. It dangled limply for a moment, dripping blood, before his magic repaired it. The pain in his legs receded, and he stood up quickly as he heard the clatter of the knives on the ground. As soon as he began to run again he felt more pain as Deanne pierced his back with her sword, driving the tip all the way past his sternum.

Even through the clarity the that the magic afforded him, he felt panic. 'I really am going to die! But I can't. If I die Theodore won't reach the elves, and Letta will die too!' Sam forced his arms to move as he lost control of his lower body. He flailed wildly with his sword, hoping to score a lucky hit, but he felt nothing but air. He began to sob, wishing he could scream as the sword tore further into him.

'Theo! Letta! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to die...' He thought as delirium set in. His arms felt so heavy, he just wanted to fall asleep. The pain seemed to drift away, and he stopped trying to fight back. It was no use. 'I never do anything right... Everyone I love ends up dying, and I can't... I can't do anything... anything...'

His face smashed into the ground as the woman let go of the sword in his back. He barely even noticed as his nose was broken. The pain was minuscule by comparison. He just lay there, unmoving beyond the shaking as he cried in despair.

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Letta bolted up, ignoring the burning pain in her paws. 'He needs me.' She didn't know how she knew, she just did. She vaguely remembered that feeling. It had happened a few times when she was bonded to Everen. How... nostalgic that feeling was.

Letta leapt forward, splashing through the shallow waters of the lake. The bristled cattails and the massive, yellow wind lilies were crushed under her massive paws. Normally, Letta relished in the feeling of the wind through her thick fur, but right now it was the furthest thing from her mind. Her master needed her.

She knew which way to go, but just like she knew he needed her, she hadn't the slightest idea how. The town of Eltinn sprawled out over the land on the south side of the lake, the streets and buildings arrayed with no apparent structure. She was not fond of that design. Any proper city was planned and organized precisely... At least, that's how she thought it should be.

She crashed through the first of the houses as she reached the edge of town, not caring a whit. The fragile wood structures exploded into dust and debris as she sprinted as fast as she could. Her powerful stride was hardly impeded by the fiery pain spreading from her wounded paws. Pain did not matter when her Sam was in danger.

Screams of terror spread from everywhere around her, and people scrambled away from her. The smell of fear permeated the air. A fleeing woman was crushed underneath her step, but she did not notice. Ahead was a small circular clearing in the sea of dilapidated huts. He was there.

She jumped as hard as she could. 40 feet in the air, Letta saw the entire square. Three people. Sam was lying face down with a sword in his back, and two women stood over him. The darker haired one bent down and grabbed his shoulder, and turned him onto his back. They both held black knives, and held them like they knew how to use them. It would not matter.

Letta's forepaws crashed into the fountain at the center of the square, the dirty white stone flew in all directions as she skidded to a halt. Her ears pressed back and her tail bristled in anticipation. Teeth bared, she let out a rumbling snarl as the two women jumped back in astonishment.

She recognized the masks they wore. The caged masks of the Anged'der, the supposed "guardians of peace". They believed that men could not be trusted with magic, that they would abuse their power. Hypocrisy on a high level. Everen once had a friend among their rank, though Letta had never understood why she even tolerated her. But all that did not matter now, her Sam was close to death.

The lighter haired woman gave off the scent of fear, but it was quickly dampened by rage. The darker haired woman reeked of terror, and of urine. She had let go of her blade and was quivering where she stood, on the verge of passing out. Sam smelt of shame and sorrow, such deep, deep sorrow. Letta thought she would weep if she could have.

The darker haired woman turned and ran into the nearest alley, holding up her long robe with trembling fists. The other immediately bent down, and wheeled her arm back. The black blade glittered in the mid afternoon sun. Letta sprang forward. The woman flung a blade at her, and it hit her in the naked flesh of her left foreleg.

Her other hand drove downward, headed straight for Sam's heavy lidded eye. Time seemed to slow as Letta's jaw opened wide, baring her razor sharp white teeth. The pitch black knife was only one foot from Sam's head now. It inched closer and closer. As she watched, the blade touched his closing eyelid.

Letta's jaw snapped shut with a loud crack that everyone in the town must have heard. The sweet taste of blood oozed into her mouth as her momentum smashed her through the nearest house before she could stop herself. The woman's legs stuck out from her mouth, twitching for a moment before Letta swallowed her whole.

She was afraid of what she might see as she turned. Sam's eye was left unblemished, and she sagged with relief. Her pup was alive...

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Thus ends Chapter 5. I hope you've enjoyed reading it so far! Any constructive criticism is welcome. Compliments or suggestions are also greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, related to the story or not, I'm happy to answer. Also, I'd love to hear you guys' theories on where the story is going, it'd be interesting to see if people pick up on my foreshadowing, and it might give me ideas! P.S. I post progress updates in my bio incase anyone is curious about where I'm at.

~ DS