spear.
Purity struggled to break free, but his grip was too strong.
“A quick, deep jab to your side will hold you still for a while, then you can watch as your beloved pets and friend die,” Freen said.
Purity saw it coming, but Freen didn’t, and she ducked her head down as King came flying through the air, his claws spread. The cat let out a screech as he swiped at Freen’s face, his claws tearing at his eye, cheek, and lip. Freen screamed and his hand lost its grip on her.
She yanked her arm free and ran, King on her heels.
“I’m going to make you and that damn cat suffer until you beg me to end his and your life,” Freen screamed.
She thought to run to the solar. Her father kept weapons there. At least with a weapon she had a chance of defending herself. But he would expect her to go there, it being the closest choice. She had to get a weapon and return to the Great Hall and protect Quiver and Princess before he could use them to threaten her to surrender. She looked to King before turning down the passageway to the kitchen. “Go keep Princess and Quiver safe until I return.” He took off without hesitation and so did she. She found a knife and she quickly examined the bowl of spices until she found the spicy one she had tasted and grabbed a handful.
Cautiously, she made her way along the passageway to return to the Great Hall. By now he would have discovered she didn’t go to the solar and probably would have guessed she went to the kitchen. There was no point of her going upstairs. There were no weapons there that she knew of and she would have been trapped with only the stairs as an exit.
She inched her way along the stone wall as quietly as possible, the darkness providing cover for her, but it also provided cover for him. She forced herself to concentrate and listen for the slightest sound and hearing nothing, she continued with a slow, cautious gait. When she got near the end of the passageway and saw the looming darkness waiting, she took a moment to stop. Her heart continued to beat madly and her stomach had twisted into knots and fear prickled her skin cold.
You can do this, she silently told herself.
She had to do this. She had no choice. She had to stay alive. She had to help Princess and Quiver. She couldn’t let Arran return home to find her dead. No matter what the darkness held, she had to step into it. She swallowed her fear and continued her cautious gait.
“Got you!” he cried out, grabbing her as soon as she stepped out of the passageway.
She threw the spices in his face and he screamed, the granules settling into his wounds and eyes, and once again she ran. She hurried into the Great Hall and found a hiding spot in the darkest shadow and allowed it to swallow her whole.
She heard him stumble into the Great Hall.
“I am so going to make you suffer,” he said, gasping in pain as his fingers tried to brush the spices from his face and only making it worse. “And I’m going to make sure you die slow and painfully.”
He stepped into a spot where there was just enough light to see that his face beamed a molten red. It actually looked as if it were on fire and she imagined it was, the spices burning his wounds.
Freen reached down and pulled a knife from his boot. “First you can watch me, kill that dog of yours.”
Purity had no choice. Her fear of seeing Princess suffer and die was far greater than fear of her own suffering. She didn’t hesitate. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and, grasping the knife firmly, her hand shot up in the air as she came charging out of the darkness toward Freen.
His eyes glowed with pleasure, seeing victory so close, and he ran toward her.
They both were brought to a sudden halt by the tremendous sound of a crack of thunder that felt as if it shook the room. One look and they both saw that it hadn’t been thunder. It was the door. It had burst open with such force that it was torn off its hinges and crashed to the floor, splintering in two.
And there, standing on the fallen door stood her husband, sword in hand, and a rage on