They dragged her bound and gagged up a rocky slope. She couldn't see anything, but the stones scratched her skin. She fought twisting and kicking the entire way, but her captures were stronger. It was the damned cuffs, the iron burned with every movement and the silver drained her abilities. She'd have been out long ago without them. She couldn't stay, there was no telling what her poppy would do with her too now missing.
The sack was removed, but did nothing to help. She was practically blind. Only one thing permeated the inky abyss: red. Those scarlet eyes seared themselves into her memory a touch of insanity lingered in both pairs. That mattered not in the moment, her gaze fell on the bloodied auras the sheer intensity of the aggression froze her veins. A hand removed her gag and she bit, hard. The resulting chuckle identified the suspect as male, but otherwise left her wary. He seemed almost...giddy.
"I like the fighters...that other fairy wasn't any fun."
She pounced teethed bared, but with no certain direction to aim her attack, she was easily held back by another set of hands. They were unnaturally cool and she tensed, vampire.
"What'd you do to him!"
"Tsk, tsk princess, you'll see."
She was pulled into an even colder room. She gasped painfully as her wings were braided together and tied. She was strung up by her wrists, feet an unknown height above the earth and shoulders digging into her head. Her back hit a wall: hard, frozen and wet. They left her there for a time, she didn't know how long without light she had no perception of time. She truly thought she was going to die like that, victim to the elements, her stomach clenched with hunger and her mouth felt like sandpaper, but then they returned.
Their eyes were smiling. The release of pressure on her arms was a relief however brief until she was slammed into the ground. Her head cracked against the stone. A pair of hands held down her arms and legs trapped her own. she couldn't move no matter how she turned.
white flooded her vision as dagger cut into her stomach. She wanted to scream, gods did she want to scream, but the silver leeched her energy, an unforgiving spirit of death. So, only soft whimpers could pass her strained vocalist cords even as it felt as though her very soul were melting. There was a sadistic joy when they looked at her, but the red auras never faded if anything they grew stronger truly blinding her. Eventually, the carving ended and yet she couldn't breathe, a tongue licked at the blood, drawing a shudder from her prone form. They poured something into the wounds: salt, gravel she couldn't be sure, but it was agonizing. Her back arched as thousands of needles dug into her organs.
They hung her back up and as quickly as they came, they left. She was forced to listen as her blood splattered against the stone. She was dying, she could tell. With every breath she grew weaker and each movement worsened the burns around her wrists. It was all a haze of pain and oblivion seemed a welcome friend, but she couldn't give in. If she died here they would all die. there was no escape, they wanted her dead, but they also wanted it to be a slow, excruciating death. That was their mistake, they should have slit her throat when they had the chance.
Her back was against the wall, it felt like stone. Her hands were millimeters away from it. gods, this was going to hurt. She slammed her hands into it. Once, they bruised. Twice, they bled. Thrice, SNAP!
She realized she was crying in a detached sort of a way, could feel the liquid dripping down her cheeks and yet felt nothing. Her bones were shattering one by one. She kept going even as the pain began to register and choked sobs fell from her lips. bones poked through her skin and soon, unable to hold their shape, her hands fell from their restraints.
She walked unsteadily forward and thanked the gods she didn't run into anything. The vampires were gone, their auras long faded, most likely they had expected her to succumb to her injuries and had run to their master.
Progress was slow, unable to use her hands she depended on her remaining senses to guide her. Fresh air was flowing into the cave and she followed the scent. The faint glow of moonlight illuminated a forest. She walked for hours, each step growing more labored as her wounds continued to sluggishly bleed.
Just as the faintest sounds of battle could be heard over the cliffs, she tripped.
She crashed to the ground with a scream, her stomach and hands unfortunately taking the brunt of the impact. Tears poured from her eyes as she took in gasping, pain-filled breaths. When she regained some sense of clarity, she dared to look back.
A severed arm laid in her path. she quite nearly fainted and hurriedly backed away as a nearby leaf pile twitched. a knee popped up. No other movement was made. She cautiously headed toward it, gently she shifted the leaves. When she saw the body she stumbled back with a choked cry.
"Eason!" He was shivering badly. His normally dark skin was deathly pale, sweat beaded on his forehead and his good arm held his shirt to the stump weakly. His eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Arti?..." He had dark bags under his eyes and was clearly struggling to keep them open.
She rushed over on her knees, "Yeah, Eason, it's me, I'm right here. I got you." She winced as she jerked forward as though to help him only for her hands to lay uselessly at her sides. His aura warred between black and blue as he looked at her.
"Wha.." He coughed and blood slid down his chin, "happened?"
She looked away, "It was bad."
"Glad...here. Di'n wa t die alon." He had stopped shaking and her own had doubled in response.
"Come on, big brother, you're going to be fine." for a second his aura flashed yellow.
"If- you be-eve ha, we would'n be ere." Her tears flowed endlessly and she watched as his own began to fall. "Com- ere." She carefully arranged herself, groaning as her hand made contact with his chest, but needing to feel his heartbeat one last time. his arm curled around her waist and her head rested in the nook between his head and shoulder.
"Ove- you" It was a mere breath now.
"I love you too Eason." She met his eyes and he smiled, she did the same, however painful.
His eyes closed.
His breathing stopped.
His heartbeat ended.
He was gone.
Before her sobs could happen in earnest the sounds of battle grew louder. She stood, placing a kiss to his forehead. "I'll come back for you."
Her heart was racing and adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She looked out over the cliffside. The fight was just below her. It spanned for miles. Even from there, she could see her father's golden crown as he lead the army in her stead. They were decimating each other. Werewolves clawing elves, witches spelling fairies, Nymphs attacking vampires. She cut the ropes on her wings with her back to a low-laying branch.
They were sore and severely scratched, but they would do. She swooped down into the middle of the battle field. A bloodcurdling scream echoed over the hills as both her hands collided with the ground. Roots burst from the earth racing through the ranks and trapping every solider regardless of species.
"ENOUGH!"
