Fan Fiction ❯ Sun Fyre ❯ In which we learn of Ivory ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5- In which we learn of Ivory

They had traveled a few days north of Oakshire using extra clothes from Aidan's pack. They soon came upon a cave that was drilled out of a huge hill, it seemed as though no one had been there in years.

Aidan led the way up through the deer trail that led to the cave, "I hid all of our belongings here right after you died and Coy ordered me to remain hidden."

Ivory looked around, her stomach queasy with uncertainty, "Something's not right here."

Onyx simply glared her to silence and turned to Aidan, "Are you going to keep that silly human name or pick one that fits your heritage a bit more?"

He looked over his shoulder for a moment his mouth opening to give an answer when a giant net fell from the sky and landed on all three of them, three trip ropes were pulled tight simultaneously and all the companions were wrapped in this giant net and slung high off the ground.

Onyx lashed out, her fingers elongating into sharp, serrated claws, her fangs protruding. The skin on her forearms became scaled and so did the skin on her calves, Aidan's old clothes covered the rest of her body, but it didn't hid the face she had sprouted a tail, a long whip like one with a flattened arrow shaped end of scale. She let out an animalistic roar and slashed at the net surrounding her, but it was pewter wire wrapped in cotton, which didn't cut well.

Ivory faired far worse, the pewter burned her sensitive skin and made her whimper quietly, she tried to shy away from the exposed pewter but could only crawl so far before running into the berserk Onyx. She looked to Aidan, her eyes pleading he find a way out.

Aidan looked at Onyx first, knowing that she was lost for the moment, and then to Ivory. He sidled up to her, pulling her up on to his lap and away from the pewter, she clung to him whimpering like a small child. "Aidan, it burns," she cried into his chest.

Finally, Onyx calmed down to growls and decided to search for the ones who had captured them, she didn't have to wait too long for them to show their faces.

"Hey, Roscoe!" yelled one from the darkness, "We got something!"

They appeared from the darkness, four unkempt, dirty, large, ruthless looking men.

"Take a lookie at that one, Jim Bob!" he whistled at Onyx's impressive sight, "We got ourselves a Dragon Fey!"

Laughing one patted the other on the back, "How much you think she's worth?"

The other scoffed, "Nah, I hear they're ferocious, they are. Heard that you don't get much profit cuz it costs so much to kill `em."

The last member of the party, which made their number now five brandished a pair of swords, one with a silver and onyx hilt, the other had a bronze and onyx hilt; on the hilt of each sword was the emblem of the Dragon Fey Court.

Recognition shocked Onyx to stop her infernal growling, the fangs that had so quickly protruded into deadly length disappeared until they were the same size they always were, and she hissed at the men. "I demand that you return my weapons," she whispered quietly, her voice dripped with maliciousness.

One of the brutes, a big man with dark, matted, and dirty hair laughed, "You're in no position to make demands, missy."

She screamed with rage extending her claws out of the net, trying with no luck to get at one of her captors.

While all this was occurring, one of the men had circled the net and found a treasure much more to his liking than a stubborn, vicious Dragon Fey.

He whistled his obvious awe and the men stopped their taunting of Onyx to go see what he was so impressed with.

"Take a look at her," he laughed, the desire in his voice apparent and it made Aidan's blood boil with hatred.

They all stared at the shocked and frightened Ivory; she sat huddled on Aidan's lap as he tried to protect her from the pewter wire. He stroked a hand through her white blonde hair in an effort to calm her.

"Now there's something to have a little fun with," one commented.

"Oh, yeah! I haven't had me a woman in months!" exclaimed another.

"How do we get her out boss?" one asked, turning to look pointedly at the man with the swords.

"Just like this," he laughed. He lifted his hand, which was gloved; he removed the glove after a moment, his entire hand covered in a red pulsing type of energy.

Onyx's eyes nearly popped out of her head, when she realized why she couldn't get out of the net. This man had fortified it with magic, and he was going to do something to manipulate it now to get at Ivory. She watched in horror as thin web like strands of pewter began to work their way between Ivory and Aidan. Ivory jumped as if burned away from Aidan, she found a semi cotton covered piece of the net and huddled, hiding her face, whimpering. Soon, the man had the entire section that Ivory was in sectioned off from Onyx and Aidan. In vain, Onyx tried to cut through it, her claws ineffective against the pewter wire.

The leader of their group reached up and cleanly sliced the bottom away from the net, spilling Ivory down onto the ground. She landed with a thump, but quickly collected herself, pushing up onto her elbows and trying to back away hastily. They only succeeded in grabbing her long hair and yanking her back, and then pinning her arms and legs to the ground with some ropes.

Savagely they began to touch and poke at her, ripping her borrowed clothes in their haste to break her. She sobbed and pleaded against their gropes. Crying as the last bit of borrowed clothing was ripped away and tossed into the darkness.

Onyx growled and roared her anger and sorrow at what was about to happen creating a horrible feeling of helplessness in her. While Aidan fared worse screaming at them to stop, to reconsider they had things to give them in exchange for Ivory, but the men only laughed and ignored them.

Soon they grew tired of Ivory's sobs and hit her in the mouth effectively quieting her for the moment, she turned her face her tears dripping into the dark earth. One gripped her breasts with savage strength and twisted, she cried out only to be hit again. She closed her eyes and bit back her sobs until she felt one kneel between her pinned legs, readying himself for the final assault against her and then she screamed.

But, it wasn't a scream, it was a crystal clear note of anguished that caused them all to stop, she continued sobbingly each note following drawing them more and more under her spell. Her song filtered through the darkness, a web entangling them all into numbed submission; soon, though it was unbelievable, another voice began to echo her sad, sad notes. It all came from her though, every bittersweet note, until a three-part harmony rang in the trees, the dumbfounded men just stared at her, drool sliding down their chins.

Onyx, who didn't fall as easily under a siren's spell now that she'd lived with one for over a decade, took the opportunity to slash through the pewter wires now that they weren't bewitched under that man's spell. They wires sliced cleanly under her claws and she dropped from the net onto all for feet, her body having changed fully into a Dragon Fey form, her feet where like a large upright lizard, the bones morphed and melted into the hind legs of a creature that was like a small dragon. Black scales riddled her legs, her hands balancing her as she prepared to pounce on the nearest man to her, with no wings she had to judge the distance for a muscled jump. Her fangs extended as she ripped the throat from her prey and moved on to the next, her claws disemboweling others while she relished in the freedom of her Dragon Fey form. She roared her triumph, which broke the siren's spell Ivory had placed over them. When they looked and saw three of their companions dead to the ministrations of the one angry Dragon Fey they all scattered into the shadows.

"Not ssso fassst," hissed Onyx past a reptilian tongue that flicked out to taste the night as she bounded off after her prey.

With Onyx and the others gone, Aidan shook himself awake and slipped out of the hole that Onyx had made with her claws, and hurried to Ivory who had fallen under shock and laid there tearfully.

"Ivory? Ivory speak to me," he stopped as he heard a mans' dying screams, but he didn't feel sorrow at his death instead he felt fulfilled and justified; glad Onyx was what she was.

"Aidan?" mumbled Ivory, waking from her horror filled shock, "Oh, Aidan!" She cried, moving weakly against her bonds. He sliced them easily with the fallen sword beside him and picked her up hugging her to him.

"What did you do here Ivory?" he asked quietly, "What are you?"

She mumbled quietly into his chest, "Aidan, I'm a siren-succubae, didn't you know?"

He shook his head in wonder, "Why hadn't you told me? Why didn't I realize after all these years?"

Ivory turned her face, "I didn't want you to know, so I made sure every time I sang to enslave others, you were also entangled."

"Why?" he asked hurt laced his voice as he looked at her broken and beaten.

"Because I love you, Damien," she whispered into the night.