Iron butterfly

chapter 3

As they drew closer to my cell, I started to feel an intense pressure in my mind; a headache that pulsed at my temples. I closed my eyes to stop the pressure, and I almost missed Kael spring to life.

Kael, who I thought was unconscious, moved in a flash and grabbed the knife from the guard’s belt. He thrust the blade upward into the guard’s throat, sinking the blade in to the hilt. As Kael pulled it out, the guard released him arm and fell to the ground choking, his life ebbing away.

Before the guard even hit the ground, Kael had gained his footing and slashed at the man holding his other arm. The downward arc forced the other guard to release him.

The rear guard rushed him, swinging his short sword. Kael’s smaller blade made it look like he was playing with a toy.

Kael jumped back, missing the blow of the short sword, as he adjusted the weight of the confiscated knife in his When the sword swung at him again, Kael ducked and rushed forward to take the brunt force of the sword handle on his shoulder. Wrapping his hand around the rear guard’s arm, he rammed the handle of the knife into the man’s temple, knocking him unconscious.

Scar Lip screamed obscenities at the last guard, “Grab him, you fool! What are you doing? Hit him! Don’t let him up!” all the while keeping a safe distance.

But Kael was bleeding from his shoulder wound, and he was still outnumbered two to one and tiring quickly. The second guard, also bleeding from a slash on his arm, carefully stalked Kael, trying to push him back toward his opened cell. He pulled out a dagger from his boot and picked up the dead guard’s knife. There was no way Kael could take out the guard with a knife and short sword unless he threw his dagger, giving up his only weapon.

The pain in my head became unbearable. “Do something!” I yelled at Tym.

“I’ll try,” Tym answered.
Tym reached his hand under the grate and grabbed at the uniform of the guard. A flash of light appeared, and the guard’s clothes caught on fire. He screamed in panic and dropped both weapons to bat at his burning uniform.

Kael rushed the burning guard and elbowed him in the throat. The guard sputtered and dropped to his knees. Kael punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. As soon as the guard lost consciousness, the flames about him disappeared.

A small squeal escaped Scar Lip’s mouth and he turned white with fright, as he realized he was the only one left to face the deadly Kael. Scar Lip turned to run up the stairs as Kael threw the dagger. The silver blade sunk into Scar Lip’s back, and he fell over with a grunt, sliding down the stairs and coming to a halt on the bottom step.

Kael ran over and retrieved the keys from Scar Lip’s still body and ran to Tym’s cell. He quickly unlocked the door ,and a wide-eyed Tym emerged, shaking. “Did you see that? I did it. I helped,” he sputtered.

“Thanks!” Kael quickly shouted. “But you have to get out of here and quick.”

Tym wasted no time and shot up the stairs and down the corridor toward freedom.

Kael unlocked my cell. As the door swung open I could see his face close up for the first time, and my heart fluttered with apprehension. Here was someone who wasn’t afraid to die. A fierce look came from stormy blue eyes that were partially obscured by long dark hair. Kael’s hard mouth was set in a firm line as he studied me. He looked beyond me into the darkness of my cell searching for an ambush or possibly another prisoner. Kael appeared older than me by a few years but was striking and fierce at the same time. Here was a man bred to be a warrior.

I knew what he would find in me, a short little thing, more like a child than an adult. My height stopped a few inches over five feet, and I was small compared to his towering frame. My hair hung dark and limp down my back, and my blues eyes must look sickly surrounded by my swollen face and bruises.