Cold Flames

Chapter 18 : Deliverance

I came to with cold hands rubbing my hair. The scent reeked of a familiar person. I opened my eyes to see Fray above me. Oh God. I was lying in her fucking lap! I furrowed my eyebrows, and smacked her hand away. I sat up quickly, and a great pain came over my head. I winced slightly at the pain. "I didn't expect for you to interfere. They promised me they wouldn't hurt you...." She said sadly. I twisted in her direction, and punched her face with great force. She fell to the ground with a thud. Fray brought herself up, looking up at me confused. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! THEY TOOK HER AND... And... and it's YOUR entire fault!" I screamed outraged. I raised my fist to strike her again, and swung. She hit the floor harder. Then everything came back. Firen's sacrifice, the battle, her injuries. Oh God her injuries! They might kill her! I looked around desperately to find any clue on where I was at, so I could pinpoint my search for her. I saw that I was in some kind of hotel. I looked back down at Fray who was gathering herself together. I pulled her up by the hair. "Where. Is. She?!" I yelled in staccato. She winced slightly. "Tell me!" I screamed. "The S.V.O has her! They'll probably keep her alive to torture her!" she screamed scared shitless of my frenzied state. Fray shivered as she stared at me. "W-Why are you doing so much for that woman?" She stammered. I dropped my hand to her throat, and squeezed.

"I swear on everything. If Firen is dead...." I spat with outrage. I felt my hair stand on end. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened. She mouthed something, but no sound came out as I continuously squeezed her throat tighter and tighter. I gained control and released her. I figured she would be my only way in finding Firen, so she'd have to stay alive. She coughed hazardously, and gasped for air. "What did you say...?" I asked quietly, containing my anger the best I could. "I-I... have an idea... *cough cough*... where she is...*gasp*" Fray said between coughs and gasps. I snatched her back up by her hair again, helping her up. She yelped, and then I dragged her ass out this fucking hotel, her legs poorly keeping up with my urgency. "Where are you going?" she asked timidly. "I'M not going anywhere. You are leading me to where Firen is. Then WE are going to get her ass out of there." I said with the barest hint of anger in my tone. She nodded quietly at my statement.

Just wait, Firen. I'm coming to find you... I'm going to make this right.

***

After what seemed like years, Fray and I found an isolated mansion up north three weeks later. If it was one thing Fray did right, it was keeping the right connections. Maybe that's another reason I let her stick around as long as she did. But I know after this whole thing is over, I never want to be affiliated with her again. There was snow everywhere. I was so close to Firen, yet so far. All I had to do was go in and get her. I proceeded in my plan to ambush them. But Fray caught me by the shoulder. "What are you doing?! There's possibly a whole army waiting for people like you to attack!" she shouted. I considered her opinion and contemplated on how I should save my beloved Firen. I then smiled. "They don't have to know we are here to attack." I said with hilarity. I shrugged her hand off me, not wanting any contact between us. She slowly nodded at my implied plan, and then we continued to move forward. I swiftly snuck up behind a guard, and twisted his head to where I broke his neck. I didn't want to waste time with talking just to get inside. I laid him on the ground quietly, and continued to move forward. We entered the large mansion, and saw nothing but ice people. We casually walked among them, and I noticed girls staring at me with that all familiar stare of passion in their eyes. Some even dared to make passes at me. I kept a grim expression.

The mere thought of this place disgusts me. I could never be just around my own kind forever. But it seemed as though these people wanted just that. I heard blood curdling screams and stopped in my tracks. There were so many... but I picked up on one very familiar one. That was Firen screaming in pain, as well as many others. She was alive! And they were torturing her. Torturing plenty from the sounds of it. My dormant anger began to boil in an increasingly fast rate. I began to lose control as I saw people smile and go their merry way as if they didn't just hear these people scream in agony. My hands balled up into tight fists, and I bared my teeth, resisting a growl of rage. I knew stuff like this once happened back in my fathers empire... experimenting, torture, trafficking, hell you name it. It was a booming business to find our natural opposite in their most vulnerable. I just knew my teeth would be eroded just by the amount of grinding I was doing. Fray nudged my arm. "Keep it together! We are almost there!" She whispered next to me. I don't know why I was losing my shit. I knew shit
Iike this happened. Hell I once was around it... but Firen was now succumbing to those very practices. Fuck... I'm such shit on a stick I thought as realization set in. We stopped by a long corridor to see the door to the room that had the source of the agonizing screams. The door was large and over-brooding.