148: Whose Palace?

Whose Palace?

Together it took them an hour to clear the majority of the winged demons.  1

"Where is the girl?" asked Daryn as he stood there panting, inspecting the bodies. 

Ileus could now feel her presence. "She is on the inside." He heard the rustle of wings. "You guys can leave. I will take over here," he said. "I think she is too scared." 

Daryn tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, "You sure, boy?" 

Ileus nodded. 

As soon as the brothers left, Ileus dashed inside the cave. The narrow path that he covered was littered with so many limbs and heads and torsos that he was aghast for a moment. But when he realized that Anastasia must have done all this—his chest swelled with pride. How did she manage to kill so many? She must have definitely used her magic and that meant that she was extremely weak now. Restless, he whispered, "Fi Alhawa." His feet lifted up and shadows erupted. He traveled like wind through the path and reached the end of the cave. 

Soft light was emanating from the far end and it filtered through the four demons who were walking towards it with their claws protruded to the fullest. A whimper came and he gasped, "Anastasia." Thank god, she was alive. Relief flooded his chest. 

The demons turned back. Their eyes widened with surprise but before they could react, he had thrown slices of shadows at them. They were chopped to pieces and were lying on the ground not understanding what really struck them. 

And there she was—his mate, his wife. He became corporeal and rushed to her. "Anastasia!" he called her. She was dazed, her skin was blue at places and dark blue where they had clawed her. His stomach churned and felt his insides quivering. This couldn't be. Rage and disbelief warred inside him as he tried to focus on steadying his anxiety. He would find Aed Ruad and Maple and then kill them. Slowly and painfully. All of them. Holding that promise close to his heart, he bent. 

She had sagged down on the floor, her body marred from exhaustion. Soft white and yellow orbs floated around her. She looked so weak and his lips quivered and tears stung his eye. He would never leave her alone. 

All blue and black and crimson where blood had caked, she looked up at him and smiled faintly. "Am I dreaming?" 

If he didn't steady his breath, he knew would cave in the panic. He had to get her out of here but first— He took the medicine out of his pocket. "Have this," he said. He wanted to hold her, caress her, but she didn't have the kind. He was on the edge seeing her so blue. He thought his heart would stop. 

Distress was not an option. He gulped. 

Anastasia was so weak and dazed after spending four days in the cave fighting with the demons that she couldn't dissociate reality from dream. She continued to stare at him. Her breath was slow. 

Seeing her in this state, he forced open her jaws and poured the potion inside. Her hands crawled to his chest and then to his medallion. She caught it and mumbled, "Where were you?" 

He wanted to claw his heart out. Misery and desperation burned him. "Gulp your medicine, Ana," he ordered. There was hope. 

She tried gulping it down, but it came out from the side of her mouth. "Ileus, where were you?" She clutched his medallion and pulled it down as if holding on to the thread of life. The back of his neck burned with pain as the chain scraped along the skin. He leaned down to pick her up, but suddenly the leather strap snapped and broke. 

"No!" he rasped. "Give me the medallion!" 

Anastasia sagged down with his medallion in her hand. 

Bright light exploded around them. She looked up at him. "Ileus, wh—" His warm amber eyes flashed with helplessness and misery. 

"Anaaaa—" his voice echoed from very far. He tried to grab her hand, but she found herself whirling down in an abyss. A white abyss. It was so deep that she didn't know where it was going to end. This is how you died? A scream sounded, which belonged to her. She spiraled in the white light as if she had stepped into a typhoon. She didn't know for how long, but then everything blacked out. She thought she hit soft mud, she thought hot gusts of wind blew over her… children tittering… and then… nothingness. 

Nightmares or hell? She wasn't able to decide. Demons crowded upon her. Ileus was there. He killed them with his blades. She was covered with sweat and they kept coming upon her. "We will take you to Aed Ruad. Maple is going to get even with you!" One of them hissed. "You dared to burn her wings?" He had spat on her, and she had plunged her dagger on him. More came. Two of them caught her hands, but she kicked the third one who tried to gag her. 

"Don't take me," she shook her head. Her body shivered. It was as if she was on fire. The pain cruised through her body, so intense that it consumed her wholly. "Leave me!" she cried.  She thrashed her head around until a hand caught her shoulders. 

"It's okay… you are safe," a soft voice came. "Shh, you are fine. Open your eyes," the soft voice requested. 

Anastasia fluttered open her eyes and stared into yellow slits. She flinched. "Wh— who are you?" She asked in a low, strained hoarse voice as she tried to move away from the winged demon—a woman, but Anastasia was too weak to even move a finger. Her body felt as if she was on flames. Her throat became dry. Had they captured her? She moved her head around to see the room. It was small with just one window. 

The woman stared at her for a long while and then touched her forehead. "You are still having a fever," she said. She took a soaked cloth from the side and placed it on her forehead. She said, "My son found you half buried inside the dune just outside the palace."

"Whose palace?" Anastasia asked with trepidation, cringing more because of her rotten smell. 

"King Kar'den of Zor'gan," she replied with amusement in her eyes. 

A shaky breath left her as a shudder passed through her body. They had captured her. She had fought with all of them. So she was dreaming when she saw Ileus in front of her? Her stomach roiled. 

"And I am Jor'gas, the handmaiden of Prince Seraph's wife," she introduced herself and picked up the cloth to soak it again in water. After putting it back on her forehead she said, "Oh don't look so worried. No one will eat you up!" she chuckled. Then she got up saying, "When we found you, you had this thing clutched in your hand." She walked to the ledge of the window and picked up a box. The wooden box looked old. She opened it to retrieve it and took out the medallion. With a smile that bared her yellow teeth and fangs, she tied it around Anastasia's neck. "I think this is very precious to you." 

It didn't look like she was captured...

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