Chapter 19 | Prisoner 

Aire's blood went cold.

Sweet one.

The arm banded around her waist was warm and unwavering, but she was not struggling. Memories, of what seemed like an age ago washed over her. The smell of burning fire in the camp. 'Sweet one' he had called her.

Before, in the markets of Irial. The wind, the noise of the city – he had called her something else. Strange girl. A Bloodbound with a penchance for nicknames. It had been easy to forget him in the days of travel. She had been silly, letting herself feel some kind of freedom now that the shackles were left in the dirt.

She had forgotten the way he had stared at her as he beheld what grew at her feet.

She should have known.

Her lips parted and her breath rough against his palm. His breath tickled her ear as he spoke again. "The creature who hunts you has wandered far. He will not bother you now."

Which should have been a relief, but that meant there was nothing here in this forest only him. The Bloodbound who had fought his own kind to let her escape. The magic-hunter who parted fire.

He smelled of the forest – of rich, rain-soaked earth. Under that, something cleaner. Something distantly familiar.

"How did you find me?" She could barely force the question out, her voice muffled by his palm.

He was blisteringly warm behind her. Darkness was falling around them, casting deep and dark shadows in between the trees.

"A Wielder who grows life in a land that is dying is easy to find if you know what you're looking for."

He straightened, making her feel boxed in. Surrounded. Not trapped like before, but she didn't like it. His movement jolted her and it felt as if she was breaking out of a casing of stone. 'Move Aire, you foolish thing!'

She shifted, driving her elbow into his hard stomach, her other hand resting atop her fist to drive the blow in further.

His breath stuttered, his grip loosening just a smidge. She broke out, surging forward to gain distance. She spun away from him, raising her blade to level it at him.

The Bloodbound pressed a hand against his stomach, but he had gathered himself. Lips pursed, he perused the distance that she had created. The distance wasn't far enough for her. She could still feel the feel of his palm against her mouth, the weight of his arm around her torso. The warmth of his back.

Her blade did not waver. Her eyes narrowed to slits. "You should not have followed me."

"Why ever not?"

She hated the amusement in his voice. "You and I have no business with each other. You gave me a mercy and you should have left it at that."

The Bloodbound regarded her. He looked different amongst the dark forest. His dark hair had begun to grow out and a dark shadow lined that regal jaw. The glimmer of his silver tattoos was darkened by dirt, but Aire knew that was on purpose. It was too methodical – too perfect. He was a dark shroud, a rotted tree amongst the oaks that had refused to fall. Strangely beautiful in it's wrongness.

Aire gritted her teeth.

"I did not spare you for mercy, sweet one."

"Do not call me that. You know my name. Use it."

For a second, a wry smile curled at his cruel mouth. The slight, quick shift of mood un-nerved Aire. Bloodbounds were supposed to feel nothing but cruel enjoyment at the suffering of their captees. At least, that is what was whispered in dark corners.

"Yes. I know your name though I truly doubt that you would like for me to use it."

"Do not presume to know what I would like."

He simply hummed under his breath, a light and detached sound. Wind, trailing through the low leaves, caught at the light curls of his dark hair. Aire's gaze flickered over him, hoping to catch a glimpse of an injury. She could see none.

Think Aire.

Perhaps the rot would return to her. It's wrongness terrified her, but this Bloodbound was worse. A blood-thirsty beast was one thing, but this creature seemed too un-nervingly intuitive. Too perceptive for a woman hiding as many secrets as she was.

Perhaps... she just needed a moment to strike. She doubted he was unprepared, even as he stood there with nary a weapon in his hand.

"You spared my life." Aire pointed out. "You gave me a way to escape through the flames."

"I did." As the wind touched his face, he tipped his face slightly up to the sky. His lids lowered, but his eyes gleamed as he gazed up to the sky. Even as he looked distracted, Aire had a sinking feeling that he was keenly aware of where she stood, of every minuet shift she made.

"Why?"

"Because I did not want you to die."

A breath hissed through her clenched teeth. Her blade was lowering, but she was ready. She would be ready. "I could deduce that, hound."

"I am injured most severely from that insult." He looked back down at her. "In my years of being moulded into this role, no one has ever struck me with such a barb."

"You jest now, but I am serious. What exact reason do you have for saving my life?"

"Because I wanted to."

"You are being infuriating on purpose. I deserve answers."

"Kaelara is cruel. There are many people who deserve much, but will never get it." A smile curled at his mouth, mocking and sharp. "Did you like the gift I left by your bed-roll?"

It wasn't possible for her dread to grow, but it did. It took her only a second to recall it, though at the time she hadn't known what it was. The blackthorn twisted... somehow, he had crept into the camp and left it there without alerting the others. How long had he been following, watching them with his moon-silver eyes.

Aire struck without a second thought.

The Bloodbound moved in a flash, unsheathing a sword from his hip. The leather guard had melded into his dark clothes. He blocked her first blow, eyes flashing. Her bared his teeth. "Strong – for a simple Wielder."

He struck again and Aire blocked, circling back. The Bloodbound tracked her, each step smooth and seamless. She knew he was far more skilled than her, and not weaker like a mere mortal man. His attention flickered to her face for just a moment. "But we both know that you are not a simple Wielder."

Surprise pinched her throat, but she didn't dare voice it. She struck again and the clang of metal, the shock of the blow down her arms shuddered through her. Swords arched, battling to slide from the hold first. He drew back, striking again. Aire stepped back, twisting to block a blow that would have sliced straight into her kidneys.

"You know nothing about me."

As they moved, his face blurred in the heat of movement, in the heat of survival, she only caught the barest flash of a bared smile. Back and forth they danced, his brows pinching as she refused to back down. The fighting flushed her system, breaking through drudgery, through panic.

The sound of their fighting ricocheted through the towering trees. In the back of her mind, Aire worried that the Cú Sidhe would hear the noise or another murderous beast would wander close but what was worse than a Bloodbound?

Aire struck again, but her timing was off. Her blade slid to the side and she hurtled back, heart racing at the brief moment of exposure. Her breathing was pinched. Even mere minutes of fighting was exhausting, especially when she was out of practice. Fighting in Irial never lasted very long.

Aire knew that she would tire before the Bloodbound.

He did not chase her retreat. He just kept his weapon at his side. "You remember some of your training."

"A few weeks is not enough to forget."

"I imagine that rat in the catacombs taught you useful fighting skills, but that it not what I am talking about."

"Then what are you talking about?" She felt as if she knew. He spoke with too much familiarity, or perhaps he was mistaken. But the panic was rising all the same and she held onto it this time, feeling how it twisted her insides. 'I need your help,' she asked even though she knew it should have responded to her mere thought. Or at least, that is what she remembered.

For once, it responded.

Energy pulsed under the earth and then, like a withering mass of boneless arms, twining lengths of briar broke through the ground. They lashed around his wrists and his eyes widened as he was yanked down onto his knees. One twined around his neck, lashing just below the protruding apple of his throat.

He swallowed.

Those thorns pricked his skin.

The briar sunk into the earth dragging his arms down and keeping them straight. He was bowed in front of her, throat exposed. Thin lines of blood leaked down his throat. Aire flicked the blade up, resting it on the hollow between his collarbones.

"It feels good to see you kneel before me, hound."

He hummed, appearing unbothered by the blade against his throat. "I imagine."

The forest whispered around her, disgruntled by the wind rustling leaves and the noise that had broken it's peace.

"You should not have followed me. Or spared my life." She pressed the blunt tip of the sword against his skin. "Your lack of fear is insulting. I have given you enough of mine and you could return the favour."

The thorns were cutting into his wrist. He did not fight against it and kept an unwavering stare on her as she stared down at him. "You will not kill me, sweet one. At least not now."

Her breath whispered out in a hiss. "You sound sure, hound."

"Your honour demands that you do not. You could have slid a blade in my back when the camp burned and I turned away from you."

"Then, I would have been left with the other Bloodbound."

"I wondered why you risked your life to save Wielders locked away in Irial." He shifted slightly but continued gazing up at her. "You did not seem the type stupid enough to be a vigilante, nor cruel enough to try and sell them on again. Even if you were a Wielder, that was not a reason to save them. Then, I clocked your accent. Cearnain."

"Which means that I must save Wielders?"

"If you were raised to be an Aether soldier. Or amongst them. Their code demands that they protect those who Wield."

"And why would it bother you if I was? Wielders amongst the Aether soldiers was common." Her blood was roaring in her ears. "And you have not explained why I haven't killed you. I have killed before."

"I know that sweet one."

"Do not call..." She broke off. "Tell me why."

"A command?" He loosed a breath.

"Yes, a command."

A wry smile twisted the Bloodbound's mouth. She didn't like the look in his eye, the way he looked at her. He was not afraid, but something else entirely. His lips were parted just a fraction and Aire felt a flush darken her cheeks.

Fucking Bloodbound.

She should kill him. She should cleave his head from his body and hold his head high as a trophy. But, he had spared her. Stupid girl. Life would be easier.

He had spared her. He had fought another Bloodbound.

The last thing that stilled her hand was the memory of the parting fire. The fire skittering away from him. The curiosity inside of her burned dangerously hot. How had he done that?

He swallowed, his throat pressing against the collar of briar. Against the tip of her sword. "You won't kill me because your honour won't allow you to. Those raised by the code of Aether are raised with a strict sense of morality."

"The Aether are no more." She thought of Laochra. "The order is gone, no matter what stragglers remain."

"The Aether remain when there are those still living who know their ways. The Aether remain when there are those who believe that Cearna can earn back her freedom." The Bloodbound tested the restraints on his wrist. Tiny little rivers of blood leaked down onto the dark forest ground.

"Cearna has fallen. Even in Irial we hear of the failed rebellions every few years. The Empire crushes them as easily as you would step on a flower and grind it beneath your boot." This was dangerous territory. Very dangerous. She changed track. "What happened to that other Bloodbound?"

"Hopefully dead."

His flippant attitude was grinding on her nerves. She had rarely encountered someone so infuriating and she had dealt with Mick Levingston for many years. She had killed him, but that had been a necessity.

"You walked through that fire unharmed."

"Why do you think that is?"

Aire opened her mouth to reply, but a deep shudder racked down her spine. Awareness needled at her fingers, and she jolted, looking to the forest. The Cú Sidhe? The Bloodbound's humour melted away and he looked to the trees, darkness shadowing his strong face.

"We must find somewhere to hide." He looked up at her. In the growing dark, his eyes gleamed.

"We are doing nothing together."

His lips twisted into a snarl. Heat flushed in Aire's stomach. Aevran would have scolded her for her irrational wants, for her bad choices. and she cursed herself.

"Calm yourself, hound. You are at my mercy now. You are kneeling at my feet."

"Perhaps I would have been kneeling without these briars holding me down."

She scoffed. "I doubt that."

He arched a dark brow. "You doubt too easily, sweet one."

She managed a thin laugh. "Did that smoke from the camp addle your mind? Is that why you left a crown of blackthorn at my bedroll?"

The Bloodbound just smiled at her, a cruel slash of white teeth. "You are not as stupid as you like to present, Aire Thielan. A common name, diluted through the Kingdoms. Hiding in Irial, a cesspit of crime and orphans. Eoban to mute your Wield. You have been playing a long game."

"I was unaware that I was presenting myself as stupid." Miffed, Aire took a step back. The forest was quiet as night drew close. "I am going now and because you spared me, I will not strike you down where you kneel. Escape the bonds that weaken as I walk further from you and hope that you are not torn apart by what stalks in the night."

"Ah, honour. A life spared, is a life owed."

She gritted her teeth. "Even though you told me to run, I would never owe my life to you."

She cast the Bloodbound one last look. The briars would come off when she was safe and far. She knew he would track her if he wanted to, but she hoped he heeded her warning. Common sense screamed at her, shredding her mind – Kill him, kill him. Kill him!

But her father's distant voice stayed her hand. Her mother had been spared one by an enemy once as a young woman and in turn, had spared the child of that enemy years later. It had fostered a tentative relationship that had kept both homesteads protected for many years to follow.

"Do not follow me." She called over her shoulder as she strode away.

"You should kill me." The Bloodbound called after her. "I suspect that I am the only one who knows your secret."

"More than a handful know that I am a Wielder, thanks to Junhyn's treachery." She responded over her shoulder, but she was slowing. There was a strange sort of dread milling in the pit of her stomach.

"You and I both know that is not what I am talking about," He said to her. Her back remained to him, but she could not force herself to take a step further."

"Tell me, sweet one," His voice was mocking. "Do you plan on hiding forever?"

"My people have been reduced to ash, reduced to a thimble." She regarded him over her shoulder. "Do not try and shame me for hiding. I will not be shamed for surviving."

"You should not feel ashamed for surviving."

Voices babbled in the dark.

Aire jolted, her eyesight too weak to catch the movement but she felt what the forest floor felt. The fall of feet. Hushed voices below the rustling leaves.

Figures plunged into the clearing, haggard and bloody.

First, Laochra. Dried blood caked his forehead, but he moved as if completely unharmed. Beside him, Sloane and then...

"Siseal!" Aire gaped at the young lad. He just looked at her, relief spilling into his smile. He stumbled to her, reaching to squeeze her wrist and gaze up at her with large eyes.

The other two's attention was quickly eclipsed by the Bloodbound. By the captured Bloodbound.

"By the moon," Sloane breathed. "A Bloodbound."

The Bloodbound's mood had shifted, his eyes narrowing to lethal slits. His lips parted in a snarl, his arms straining against the briars that held him. Aire felt the resistance in her gut and she stood firm.

"You have not killed it." Laochra risked a step further, examining the blood collecting along the Bloodbound's collar.

"He spared my life." Aire told him. She knew Laochra would understand.

He did. Eyes widening, he looked down at Bloodbound Roark. "Why would a Bloodbound spare a Wielder?"

"I will not answer your questions."

Sloane unsheathed her blade, tipping it against his throat. "You will if you do not want your throat slit."

"Aire Thielan tried that already, though this is far less exciting for me."

"Filthy creature." Sloane snarled at him. "You spared her life, staying her hand but you did no such thing for me. No honour halts me."

"You made a mistake following the Wielders so far into Aether territory." Laochra told him.

"I follow Aire Thielan."

"Why?" Curiosity coloured Laochra's voice.

Bloodbound Roark levelled him with a vicious look. Laochra was unbothered as he stared down at him, but Aire spotted his pinched lips. Her admiration for the old warrior began to warm at the sight of his restraint, though she didn't wish for it. The Aether were traitors, but Laochra had shown her and her companions nothing but kindness and protection.

"My reasons are my own."

Laochra approached the Bloodbound, examining the bonds that held him fast to the earth. "I have never encountered a leashed Bloodbound."

"Like a dog," Sloane's lip curled. Her fingers flexed on the hilt of her blade, such savage rage flashing across her face as she beheld him. Aire wondered in a brief, cold moment, if Sloane, a Cearnain girl had known many Wielders in her youth. Maybe, she didn't know the touch of magic, but had seen loved ones with it.

"Halt, Sloane." Laochra ordered. "A captured Bloodbound is far more useful than a dead one."

Bloodbound Roark did not react. He just stared up at them, expression unchanging.

"Our leader would like the chance to pick your mind, Bloodbound."

"Surely, she would..." Sloane's eyes widened, lips parting in shock. "Laochra, a Bloodbound in the heart?"

"We have been trying to capture one of these infernal creatures for years. Why deny an opportunity presented so beautifully?" Laochra pressed the tip of his blade against the tattoos on his cheek.

The Bloodbound did not respond. Blood continued to eek down from his thorn bound arms. Aire just looked at him, but she could read nothing on his face. The fates had turned it seemed. This Bloodbound had leashed her and taken her from the home she had made for herself. Now, he was shackled by her.

Her fingers curled and the binding around his throat tightened just a fraction.

The Bloodbound's eyes flashed to her.

She wanted nothing to do with him. She should have killed him.

As if he could read her mind, his mouth twitched. As the Bloodbound was hauled to his feet, hands bound, ankles tied so he could do little more than shuffle forward, Aire could not shake the feeling that they were still all dancing to the Bloodbound's tune.

| Welcome back to Aire's world! 

Tell me your thoughts, theories and conspiracies!  

1. What do you think of their reunion? 

2. Why do you think the Bloodbound has followed her? To recapture her? To kill her? 

3. Do you think Laochra should have killed  him there and then? 

Also, I have gotten a new cover for Wicked is the Curse (W.I.T.C.)  Tell me what you think? 

Until next time - Saoimarie |