By the time that Carysse had successfully broken the rope tying her hands, it was already dark.
Good thing that she always kept her weapon ready at the secret pocket of her sleeves.
The invaders had locked them all up in one of the upper rooms where it had a wide window. They said the room would perfectly serve as a display room, open for the people gathered outside to see what was happening. Some guards could be seen from a distance and the people had their torchlights, guarding them to make sure that the invaders won’t touch the hostages until the gold comes but no one was brave enough to come to their rescue at that moment.
Although of course, that would be wise thinking. Why would they charge straightly into the hands of magic users? The enemy had declared their demands and Carysse wasn’t already surprised when they introduced themselves as the Mahan people that were going around.
In her fear by just hearing of the name Mahan, one lady peed her dress, but no one among them was in the mood to laugh.
“All right, ladies. I know you haven’t had any dinner yet, though I doubt any of you has the appetite,” one big Mahan said. He was the only one with a visible huge sword strapped to his back. They were wearing the same wooden demonic mask that seemed to alter their voices, just like the ones that chased them. Carysse hoped that they wouldn’t recognize her but it seems that this was another batch of Mahan people. That would make sense because no one that went after them in the boundary should be alive by now.
“So sit and relax. That’s what you all have to do until morning. But if one of you attempts to run away, remember that there are more than thirty men here who have a different type of hunger.” His eyes roamed around them. Even in the dim-lighted room, the lust of his eyes was obvious peeping through his mask. The other Mahan around them chuckled, making the women cower in fear.
Still, it was careless for the big man to say their number. He was that confident that no one among the women knew a single thing about warfare.
Certainly, Carysse couldn’t take all of thirty plus but she was confident that she could bring down half of them. Only the big man had a sword. The rest of them were empty-handed. They might have secret weapons but as long as she doesn’t see any bow or arrow, she will be able to pull things through.
One Mahan entered the room and whispered something to the big man whom she assumed was their leader.
“Oh, you’re in for a treat, lovely women! The king’s gold is already on their way here. With luck, they might be here in three hours, way ahead than the given time. Bravo to your king!”
The Mahan cheered like children while Carysse could feel the women sigh in relief. They were able to relax. Help was coming their way.
Yet the warrior inside Carysse was stirred and awake. She was not a fool to not know that no enemy keeps their promises. Once they laid their hands on the gold, they were going to be killed no matter what. She had to find a way for them to get out of the room.
“Will you really let us go?” one crying maid asked. She must be the youngest around twelve or thirteen. Poor girl. Looking at her puffy eyes made Carysse despise the Mahan further. She was only a teenager maybe working for her lady or herself or her family yet she gets caught up in the middle of a terrorist attack just for gold.
“Oh, yes dear, we will, don’t you worry,” the big man kneeled and touched the chin of the young girl. At that, Carysse could no longer stand it.
“Hey!”
Carysse was surprised. She had not yet spoken. A few steps in front of her, Liblei was standing, her eyes flaming with the reflection of the torches.
“What do you think you’re doing touching the kid as you please? You promised not to touch a single strand of our hair!”
Carysse wanted to pull Liblei down and tell her to shut up or else she would be the one in trouble. And just as Carysse expected, two Mahan people suddenly grabbed Liblei’s shoulders and pushed her to kneel on the hard floor.
“Woman, no one dares to question a Mahan warrior,” he said and pulled the sword slowly out of its scabbard, deliberately making it screech and swiftly laid the blade in her neck. His sudden swing made the other women scream and look away but Carysse intensely watched and observed, ready to pounce on the Mahan’s back in a jiffy.
Liblei opened her eyes as if to check whether she still had her head and she breathed heavily upon realizing that the sword was still there pressed upon her skin.
“Hm? You are quite a hag. You seem to be the oldest among here.” He then laughed. “You must be just a lady. Don’t tell me that you are here to compete with these beautiful young women for the Zeikontour?”
His insult was an exaggeration. Truth be told, Libeli Okkoa didn’t look that old. She was young-looking for a thirty year old, save for the few grey streaks on her hair that didn’t really matter. It was just because she had no paint in her face to make her stand out, unlike the other women whose color faces were already messed up because of sweat and tears.
Libeli still didn’t utter anything unwise. That was a good thing. If she wanted to stay alive until the gold came, she had to be intelligent enough to not let her emotions get ahead of her. She just sat there, breathing in and out while the Mahan wandered his eyes along her face and body.
“On second thoughts, you have a good body.” Suddenly, he sliced the fabric on her shoulder and pulled it down. The fabric seemed to be sturdy and he was only able to tear the part that exposed her muscles. Liblei screamed and thrashed but she was held by the two that were at her back. They were assholes. Every single one of them.
“Hey, pervert.” Carysse’s body automatically moved. All eyes were upon her as she was standing at the back of the big Mahan leader, her dagger made of Thalisse steel ready and raised.
When the big man turned to look at her, she brought it down without hesitation, blood sprinkling all over her, Liblei, and even on the masks of the two Mahan. The women screamed.
“What the-”
She didn’t give the two a chance to stand. She cut their masks in two and swung her blade again, slashing their eyes. This time, it was their turn to shout and thrash around, while holding the sockets of their eyes as if trying to stop the blood.
The other men were able to react quickly. Unlike the ones that fought them in the forest, these ones were a lot bigger and stronger. One caged her in his big meaty hands from behind and ought to pin her to the floor but Carysse elbowed his neck where the mask didn’t cover it and he was unbalanced for a second. It gave Carysse the opportunity to disrupt his balance and she was able to get off of him.
A surge of Mahan people swarmed around her but because of her small stature and experience, she was quick to slip off their hands. With a lot of slashing, the room was overflowing with bodies and blood, the flames of the torch shining upon it. She didn’t even try to catch her breath. She proceeded to cut the ropes of the women. She didn’t care if they flinched. All she cared about was that Libeli was unharmed and safe.
“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered to Liblei who was stunned as well.
“Are you crazy?” One lady grabbed her clothes but then let go when Carysse faced her. “Do you think we have anywhere else to go? We were just supposed to keep quiet before the reinforcements came! What now? We are surrounded by the Mahan. In time, they will notice something wrong and they will come here!”
The lady’s high-pitched tone annoyed her. Carysse was already feeling the fatigue of fighting five grown up men. She had no strength left to argue with senseless people.
“Then be my guest and stay here. Liblei and I, and the others who would like to stay safe under the protection of my dagger, will go somewhere safe,” she said and pulled Liblei to her feet. Interestingly, she heard the shuffling of the feet of the twenty women and servants following her.
“Wait.” Everyone stopped at that familiar powerful voice. Carysse turned and saw that it was the daughter of Lord Adreic, the one that gave her speech earlier.”
“Yes? We really don’t have any time for complaints,” Carysse said.
“I have no complaints, miss. I was just about to suggest something. Let me take the lead, at least in the directions only. Only I know the passages around here. We can meet with my father.”
Carysse nodded at her wisdom. Finally, someone with brains.
“All right, then. Lead us, lady…?”
“Qlisaira,” the lady finished. She could tell that Qlisaira wasn’t too ahead in years after Carysse. If situations were different, Carysse would like to know more about her.
“Let’s go, then,” Carysse said and let Qlisaira ahead of her as they trudged the dark hallway, with Carysse exercising her senses, wary of the people of the shadows.