Dragon Rising

Chapter 6: Sweat and Blood

The stifling smell of sweat and blood wrapped tendrils around Ryadni's throat. All that filled her ears were rapid, shallow breathing and the drip-drip-drip of blood hitting the growing puddle on the ground. A limp form hung by its wrists in the dead centre.

Ryadni's eyesight blurred as her knees threatened to buckle. Casten's body swam in and out of her focus and her stomach churned again. Her limbs moved of their own accord. Swaying, she reached a shaking hand up to his face.

"Casten?" she croaked. The figure remained motionless. There was a dull pat as her foot stepped onto his puddle of blood.

The weak candlelight made the blood congealed in his hair appear almost black. Bits of his fringe covered his eyes and blood crusted on his cheeks and at the corners of his mouth. She touched his cheek gently and he stirred at the contact. His skin was icy cold.

"Casten?"

He shuddered as though even sounds hurt him.

"Hang in there. I'll get you out."

She slipped her hand into her back pouch and pulled out two pins. With shaking hands, she stuck the ends into the keyhole. She was trembling so much she almost snapped the pins. One of the Raiders took over, throwing a glance at her over his shoulder as she ducked out and wrapped her arms around herself.

Casten's raiding clothes barely clung to his body and were in strips. His entire body was either beaten blue-black or streaked with blood and bearing open cuts. His legs collapsed beneath him. Ryadni gagged as the Raider unlocked one of the handcuffs: four of Casten's fingers bent at painful angles. It was just as well that he was unconscious again.

With another click, his other handcuff released. No longer suspended, he fell and the big Raider caught him. The other Raider took the keys from Ryadni's hands and disappeared further ahead.

Casten's head lolled and his skin was deathly pale. Ryadni's hands curled into fists and blood pounded in her ears. If she couldn't hear his raspy breathing, she would be convinced he was dead.

Monsters. She was tingling all over. Blood continued to run in trickles from his cuts. His left eye was swollen and forced shut by a shiny purple bruise. His lips were cut so badly she could see more crusted blood than mouth. Who could so casually beat someone else to a pulp like that? And not only that but to hang him up and torture him... all this because he was caught stealing?

God knows what punishment would await if they were caught at that point.

"...Ryadni."

She looked up and realised the big Raider had been talking to her all that time. He shifted Casten so that he was bearing the weight of the unconscious boy and repeated, "I got this. You go get Urseus."

It struck Ryadni at that point that there was another Raider with Casten. The extra baggage so-called Raider.

She nodded mutely and walked on legs that didn't feel like her own. The ruckus outside increased as the flame continued its ravenous journey through stacks of old paintings and tapestries. The thick smoke appeared to have kept the guards at bay upstairs. It was a shame they had no water to douse the flames.

Ryadni continued along the empty dungeon corridor. All the guards had left their posts to fight the raging fire. There was time, but she couldn't concentrate. The image of Casten's battle-worn body occupied her mind. Moving ahead to catch up with the other Raider, Ryadni barely registered the other forlorn, weary faces staring out at her. All she could see were his broken fingers, the violent bruises, the deep cuts, the guttural noises...

She shivered and hated herself for her cowardice.

The other Raider appeared silently from the shadows, a frown on her face.