Bound in Spirals Ch. 14

"Ha! That's what you get for choosing a huge bug you fucking moron!" Sam taunted madly as he struck at the creature's forelegs.

He only managed to take it's right leg before it appeared to regain its sight. The spiny femur of its separated leg was now spasming wildly, as if trying to reconnect with the rest of itself. It shrieked again, spewing foamy saliva from it's clacking mouth. Sam nimbly avoided it's frantic counter, rolling left as it snapped at him with its mandibles. Rising from the roll, he jabbed upward with the short sword. The sharp tip scraped a groove as it glanced off its thick armor.

Despite having lost two legs the creature moved even faster than before. Spinning, it caught Sam in the side as he was recovering from the deflected strike. A burst of pain shocked through him as the mandibles slid between his ribs and bit down. Then it wrenched backward, taking a chunk of flesh with it. Sam could feel each fiber of muscle tearing away excruciatingly.

"Fuck fuck fuck FUCK FUCK FCKKHHGAHHHH!" Sam roared as he immediately flailed at the beast's head.

Yellow ichor spurted from the gash left the insect's eye as it reeled back. Sam hurriedly summoned as much magic as he could, hoping desperately that the imbalance in his right side would be filled. His hopes were proved empty.

"AHH... ARRGGHHH! Shit shit shit shit shit!" He looked down with horror filled eyes at the shredded flesh through the tear in his coat. Two of his ribs were visible in the grisly hole, white, stained pink from his blood. Streams of blood were pouring out and flowing back in; only to have more pour out moments later, just like his arm had done less than a minute ago. This time, however, his flesh would not return to him.

The mountain elf gave him no time to consider his painful problem, charging wildly at him and clicking its mandibles in rage. Sam grunted, peeling his eyes away from the wound and lifting the sword in his left hand with his right at the pommel. He smirked grimly, observing somewhat amusedly that the massive insect was veering to its right unconsciously. 'Looks like I'm not the only one off-kilter right now.' His smirk vanished as his attacker let out a final burst of speed and pounced.

Sam let out a controlled breath, his face set in a hard resolve. His movements were more graceful than any he'd managed up until then. He bound his feet to the floor and let himself fall backward. The airborne insect couldn't adjust its path. Sam's left hand shifted upwards, his legs straining to hold him up, and with his right hand he shoved with all the strength he could muster.

His strike landed home with a satisfying crunch and a squelch as the blade pierced first through the vulnerable area between it's head and thorax, then slid easily into the brain. Sam released his feet from their bind and his back slammed against the concrete. He had a moment to savor the satisfaction before the abdomen of the beast landed straight onto his chest, trapping him firmly beneath. Just before he lost consciousness, he heard a pair of voices in his mind, calling his name...

———

Hennel glanced over at Fiernil, wondering how his work was progressing, but the elf was no longer there. 'Huh? When did he leave?' Silver moonlight streamed in through the open window, revealing the empty room to the prince's eyes. 'He even took all of his equipment with him? When did it become night?' He set the long since empty pipe down on the nightstand, then slowly pushed himself up.

His arms trembled under the strain of lifting his own weight, disconcerting him even more than the lack of pain. Finally sitting up, he looked down at his bare arms in horror. Beads of sweat caught the moonlight on his emaciated arms. His skin sagged slightly due to the extreme loss of muscle and fat. 'Why? How long have I been here? Was this due to Fiernil's attempt at healing me? The poison?' Tears trickled from his eyes and fell into his open palms.

"I'm such a miserable wretch. Look at me, crying over something so pathetic..." He muttered as he held his head in his hands.

He glanced up, seeing a group of hands crawling through his window. A cold chill ran through him as he looked to the door, seeing it slowly opening for more hands to pour in. Children's hands; small, mutilated, clawed over each other in their hurry to reach him. Hennel blinked, and they were gone.

"What's wrong...? Why are you looking at me like that?" Deredd asked, standing in the doorway with a worried frown.

Hennel shook his head quickly. "H-Huh? Oh... I, er, the pain got worse for a second there." It wasn't a lie, but of course it wasn't the whole truth either. "What... Why are you here?"

"I came to check on you again. You seem to be feeling a bit better. Fiernil gave you wellid?" Deredd asked, glancing first at the pipe then to the small vial of crystals and the lighter. "He's leaning over the line of legality doing that, you know."

Hennel winced as he sat up straighter, every muscle in his back struggling to keep him upright. "If it continues to help me as much as it has, I won't give a damn about breaking the law. I feel almost normal right now by comparison."

Deredd just nodded. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"That... That would be nice. I might need some help dressing, though." Hennel replied.

"I imagine I'll be doing most of the walking for the both of us too." Deredd said as he helped the prince out of his gown, some of his usual mocking tone returning. "Have you seen yourself recently? You look like shite."

"Well, I heard somewhere that poison is good for your skin. You know how I am about my skin, I just couldn't help myself. Turns out I'd misheard." The tattered prince replied, surprised he could still jest so easily. "While you're at it, could you wash me down? I have more than one similarity to shite right now."

"Blight! Don't you have servants for this sort of thing? Why the hell am I stuck doing it." His friend complained, dampening a pair of washcloths in the basin of water left at the foot of the bed. Deredd began gently scrubbing the prince's back as he gingerly washed his chest, giving his stomach a wide berth.

"You know damn well that princes don't have personal servants. That's why I was careful to look for a friend who would do whatever I asked without complaint." Hennel sighed. "Unfortunately, I had to settle for you."

"Behind that pretty face of yours, you're a blighted ugly menace. A danger upon all who dare befriend him! Gods forbid I dare to raise complaint!" Deredd cried in mock indignation, lifting up Hennel's arm to wash his armpit. "Jokes aside, I figure we'll go get you a cane and perhaps a new badass pipe. You should consider yourself lucky, I've always wanted an excuse to use a pipe."

"I'll take time later to consider considering myself lucky." He replied, handing his washcloth over to Deredd who put both back into the porcelain basin.

Deredd quickly helped Hennel into his violet off-duty uniform with minimal pain, buttoning the previously snug fitting coat up to the top of his sternum. "Alright, up you go!" He said, putting Hennel's left arm around his neck and carefully helping him to his feet.

"It's a good thing you're so much shorter than I am. Or this would be much more difficult for the both of us." Hennel said, then grunted as he took his first step. "Grab the wellid. I imagine I'll need it again soon."

The man grumbled as he snatched the vial off the table. "I'm not even that short, I'm average!"

"Which average are you using? Crestell's or Geylin's?"

"Fuck you, five eight is average. Look at you! You look like a damn fenttowood tree in winter. Tall as a grynfol and skinnier than a blade of grass." They laughed for a moment, savoring the brief relief from grimmer moods.

"Alright, no more jokes. It's making my gut hurt, and not in the good way." Hennel said with another pained grunt. To the side of the door, he saw his felnn blade resting sheathed on the ground. "I need my sword, let me grab it."

"Just leave it, you're too weak right now." Deredd replied, trying to lead him through the door.

"I... I would feel better having it with me." He looked at his friend, not realizing how much of his worry was writ plainly in his expression. "I can wear it fine. It won't be to heavy."

"Very well... be careful when you crouch, I can't imagine falling over would be pleasant." Slowly bending his knees, Hennel managed to reach his sword with Deredd's help. They stood back up and he buckled his belt on. "Hahh... There we go, got it."

"Ah! Prince Hennel, it is encouraging to see you up and about! The fallen sword captains have been sorely missed on the battlefield." Muritienn, Darrel's former squire, ran past, saluting quickly. The young sword captain's expression looked exhausted, yet he moved with an alacrity of one new to his position.

Hennel nodded and returned the salute. When the man was out of earshot he asked, "He's among the new generation?"

"Mhm, another non-mage has now reached rank sword captain under Darrel's tutelage. I still wonder how he manages to have such a high success rate." Deredd replied, shaking his head slowly in bewilderment.

"With you, how many does that make? Four non-mages?"

"Yes, and we have a total of 42 captains now with the five new ones. Another generation was promoted to high guard as well, bringing us to 415 members. Your younger brother was supposed to be among the new generation, but he disappeared on the day of the promotion."

"Vennal? What do you mean he 'disappeared'? A prince can't just disappear like that." Hennel said, frowning at his friend.

"By 'disappeared', I mean that he disappeared. We have found no trace of him. His rooms were pristine and he didn't seem to have taken anything with him. Galonn said that he believed Vennal was kidnapped by the enemy. Some of the younger captains seemed to agree with his ideas, but with Galonn... well, you know what I mean." Deredd explained.

"Deredd, you can feel free to say what you will about my sister, Tenall, around me. I have lost most, if not all, of the pity I previously held for her." Hennel said with a flat voice.

"Well, we are still in a place where people can overhear, so I will keep my complaints vague." He replied.

"Alright, I understand what you mean about Galonn. He had an unwavering, irrational loyalty to my mother. The sword captains are not meant to take every order the queen makes unquestioningly." He paused as they slowly rounded the corner, following the carpet toward the stairs. "If the sudden 'revelation' came from him, I would suspect that Tenall told him to say it. She wouldn't hesitate to exploit his behavior."

"I forgot to mention... Vennal is not the only one who has gone missing, only the most recent. Many of your other younger siblings have gone missing as well, along with a few of the older ones."

The prince ceased walking and turned his head to meet his friend's eyes. "You must have 'forgotten' to mention it the other day as well, eh?" He said, feeling anger welling up in his chest.

"I thought you had enough to worry about on your own. I tell you now because you seem to be in a more clear minded state than before." Deredd replied, holding his fierce gaze.

"I understand that you care for me Deredd, but don't presume to treat me as fragile. Is there anything else you forgot to mention?"

The smaller man sighed in grudging acceptance as Hennel began to slowly walk forward again. "There was... Evidence was found of an attack on a royal carriage. To the north."

The prince froze. "What?"

"We believe the princess managed to escape, but we have yet to confirm sightings of her." Deredd paused, looking even more hesitant to continue. "Gurilthenn... That's what attacked them."

"Gurilthenn? What do you mean? Why would gurilthenn attack people?" Hennel began walking once again, trying to comprehend the meaning of that. "Has there been many reports of attacks? Has this happened in the past?"

"There have been several reports of farms destroyed and merchants missing, but very few personal accounts. They haven't been attacking near settlements. As for the past... Well, the historians have no records of it occurring."

"That's... troubling..." Hennel said, and didn't talk again for a long time. They walked and walked, Hennel's wound counting his steps while he brooded deeply about the information he'd been given. The moon lit their backs silver as they stepped into one of the halls with a glass ceiling. Hennel's ragged breathing echoed in the empty palace over the sound of their rubber soled boots squeaking softly on the polished stone.

"We'll take a less traveled path out." Deredd said, finally breaking the silence.

Hennel's greasy blonde hair fell over his forehead as he nodded absently. Before he knew it, they were stepping into one of the open courtyards to the east side of the palace. Well tended flowers of deep purple glowed faintly in the darkness, illuminating the edges of the path. The prince looked at them with subtle interest.

"I've always been fascinated by lunflann violets, despite their carnivorous appetite..." He whispered, watching as, even now, a moth was wrapped inside the flower's thick petals. The dark colored moth struggled frantically, and with a combination of it's weight and strength, it managed to knock the flower free from its high perch atop the stem. "They are so delicate. It's a wonder how they manage to survive outside a controlled environment."

"I, er... I asked a botanist I know about them, and she told me that if patrapelst is mixed into their water the fluid coating their petals smells sweeter and kills quicker." Deredd said, following Hennel's gaze. "Its supposed to help them catch insects, I guess."

"Patrapelst? How can the plant survive a poison like that?"

"Apparently lunflann originally grew in the wasteland far northwest, so they're more acclimated to foul water, especially patrapelst which is derived from the patrapellan moss. The ones here are really well tended, but they're still comparably brittle to those that grow wild with the moss surrounding them... I mean, that's what the botanist told me." Deredd looked away from the plants hurriedly.

Hennel frowned at his friend. 'Does he believe that I think it odd of him to like plants? Well, I'll not pester him about it if he doesn't wish to admit it.' He thought, looking up at the waning silver moon.

He took a shuddering breath as they stepped up to the small wooden door. The young guard stationed there saluted them and held open the door as they passed. It closed with a soft thud and a click. A straight path led down toward the inner city where enormous manors glowed with light of countless lanterns and, in some cases, an infused chunk of quartz was embedded above doorways, glowing with a variety of bright colors.

The streets still bustled with activity as the pair slowly made their way closer to the business districts. Beautiful young noble women and their handsome counterparts spoke softly together, smiling and nuzzling each other with sickly sweetness. Deredd glared at some of them with open disdain, particularly those who groped each other in clear view of others.

"Damned nobles. No one wants to see you flapping your blighted tits around in public. Contrary to your beliefs, nobody finds it charming in the slightest..." He muttered in a low growl, still shooting daggers at anyone who dared come within 10 feet of them.

Hennel sighed, then grinned in grim amusement. "Deredd, I explained it to you already, didn't I? It's not about trying to charm anyone, it's a competition. They want to make the other ladies envious, either of their body or their man's body. That's why they're all so near each other."

"Yes, you explained it. Doesn't make it any less fuckin' stupid."

Another couple passed by, and that was where Deredd lost it. The man was clad in the vibrant purple of the high guard. His disheveled coat had been crumpled down, hanging from the crooks of his elbows, and the matching shirt beneath was torn down the center exposing his chiseled chest to the open air. 'Oh blight.'

"Deredd, wait!" Hennel said urgently.

"You can stand still here for a second, right? I'll make it quick." He said as he released his hold around the prince.

Hennel's knees wobbled beneath him, but didn't buckle. He tried to grab his friend before he could get out of reach, but Deredd moved quickly. The high guardsman was unknown to the prince, but he was easily 50 pounds larger than his friend. In a normal fight, perhaps it might have been a closer match, though knowing Deredd it wouldn't have really mattered.

The noble lady squealed in surprise and indignation as Deredd shoved her aside, just gentle enough not to leave evidence of his roughness. "How dare—?!" She cut off as the purple of his coat fluttered into her vision.

His fist slammed immediately into the man's solar plexus, and he doubled over with a yelp. Deredd knelt lower so that his eyes met the man's and spoke in a soft, menacing voice. "The fuck do you think you're doing?" The man couldn't reply, only gasped for breath. Deredd shook the man by his torn shirt. "What the fuck is this?"

The man, slowly recovering, spat straight in Deredd's face. He remained perfectly still for a brief moment, then he moved with the agility of a ferret. Hennel could barely track the movements as Deredd struck the man in the ribs with an audible crack then quickly gripped the man's left wrist. The sharp bending and twisting jerks he made next were so fast that the cracking of bones sounded like the popping of a small firecracker.

Deredd stepped back, leaving the man with a crumpled hand of broken bones and a shattered wrist. The prince felt himself tremble looking at the mutilated hand. The fact that no skin had been broken was a testament to Deredd's skillful precision. The prince forced himself to look away from the hand, turning his gaze toward the noblewoman who, wide-eyed, stared with a nauseated expression at the mangled hand of her lover.

The injured man opened his mouth to scream as the pain started to register, but Deredd quickly knocked the air from his lungs again. "Don't scream. Take your pathetic ass to a medic and have them mend that hand. On your gentle jaunt over, consider how much of an idiot you are. Remember this the next time you think to cock about in your uniform." He turned to the woman. "May I borrow your handkerchief? I seem to have left mine in my rooms by mistake."

Not bothering to wait for an answer, Deredd flicked his hand out and pulled the cloth out from her dress. He wiped his face with the lacy blue kerchief and before she could even react he'd shoved the cloth back into her dress. Deredd gave an exaggerated bow to the lady and quickly returned to Hennel's side. He got his arm around him and the two began to walk at a slightly faster pace than earlier.

"Damn it, Deredd! There were better ways to handle that!" Hennel said in a sharp whisper. "You let your rage get out of control."

"No, if it were out of control I would have left him without a hand." He replied as they hurried toward the business district. "The high guard are supposed to be above all that foolishness."

"Fuck. Slow down, I can't keep this up." Hennel said with a pained gasp, and they slowed to a ginger walk. "You... You should have made sure there were less witnesses, those nobles will make trouble about this."

"That... was my mistake." The man replied, glancing about the plaza they'd just entered.

"Well at least you realize that much... Do you know which shop we're looking for?"

"Yes, Aivvena's." Deredd frowned. "It's not here?"

Hennel sighed. "Aivvena's place is two streets over." He paused for a second, thinking. "Why are we going to Aivvena's? Doesn't she still hate you? Besides, I don't have enough for her exorbitant prices."