The Arctic Ch. 06

This story is a bit lighter than some of my other stories in content, but as with all of them, a complete work of fiction.

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"Give me one good reason why I should," Kael, Alpha of the Grayshifter clan demanded.

"I give my assurances you will be compensated generously." Eira replied, her back stiff as she watched him pace beside the table. They had been negotiating for quite some time and she was starting to feel worn down.

"But you cannot give me the payment until after you have received our services. You expect me to trust the word of an elf!?" he spat. A growl rumbled from Nicholas' chest but Eira held him back, forcing herself to take deep even breaths.

"Are you not the leader of the the greatest league of assassins?" He scoffed as he approached her, forcing Nicholas to push against Eira's hand. But she pushed him back once more and stared up at the tall young wolf.

"Puff out your chest all you like, I am the only chance you have at fixing that barrier and you know it.But I cannot do that if I cannot figure out how. Now, Kael, will you please accept?" Tyrst had paid a hefty amount of gold just to arrange the meeting with Kael. It was not easy to get time with the Alpha of one of the most powerful clans. The one thing that kept him from taking over kingship was the fact he cared nothing for it. He prided himself of being part of a clan of the most lethal assassins. The young wolf's jaw clenched and he looked away as he reeled in his anger at being spoken to so abruptly, but he had seen the barrier, he saw the damage done by the jotunn that had attacked the village, the rotting corpse before they covered it in dirt.

"Alright, I will agree to your proposal if you agree to a blood oath."

"Over my dead body."

"Deal." They spoke simultaneously but Eira glared at Kael as she turned to Nicholas,giving him a look that told him now was not the time to start picking fights.

Kael closed the distance between them until he was standing so close she dug her nails into her palm to stop herself from taking a step back. He whipped a small knife from his pocket and sliced it across is left forefinger, Eira offered her left forefinger as well and winced as she watched him slowly drag the tip of the blade across the pad of her finger. He pressed his finger against hers and nodded.

"I give my word that I will graciously compensate upon the previously agreed amount to Kael upon completion of taking back the Kingdom of Thirann." He seem satisfied because he released her hand and took a step back, wiping his finger clean on his jacket.

"Alright, I will return in several days with a group of men and we can discuss strategies." Without another word he turned abruptly and left. It was a while later before anyone broke the silence.

"I do not like the way he tried to intimidate you." But Eira shrugged in response, at this point she was used to it. From the moment he had taken her Kingdom over she had felt bullied by nearly every wolf she had met, including Nicholas himself.

"It is over with, let us return and rest so that we can try and come up with a plan to break into my kingdom." They returned just in time for their evening meal, and for the first time a while Eira felt a little more optimistic about the situation. She just hoped the young Alpha lived up to his side of the bargain..

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Eira grit her teeth as she allowed Kael to lead her up the path that led to her Kingdom. While it had been part of her plan, it didn't mean she hated it any less. She was going to be the distraction. Word had traveled far of the Queen who turned the White Skulls to ash, and yet here she was, her hair had been cut short and slathered in some sort of lye, he roughed her up a bit but when he suggested maybe adding darker bruises Nicholas nearly ripped out his throat., Then she allowed another collar around her neck.She was to be the bounty, and while Kael collected his reward, Nicholas, Tyrst and the rest of the wolves would be currently breaking in through. That was if they managed to give the signal and not die before their help arrived. They were taking the chance that Jerrik didn't kill her in the meantime, without her powers, she had managed little training since Nicholas had vowed to teach her but had paid attention to it since.

She wore a long brown tunic made of wool that caused her to itch all over. She was naked underneath and the evening air made her shiver as she padded her bare feet across the cold ground. There was a chain that connected to the enchanted collar and Kael held the other end of it. It was amazing the things she found she was willing to do when faced with the possibility of Ragnarok, the end of all. She had to keep herself focused on her reasons for doing this. Nicholas had promised that should Kael refuse to remove the collar, he would hunt him down until they made him. She found herself almost flattered by the thought then felt guilty for wishing the death of someone who was willing to go out his way to help her and her kingdom.

"Name yourself!" A voice shouted from the guard tower and Eira looked up to see nearly a dozen arrows pointing down at the two of them. She bit the inside of her cheek, reminding herself that clenched fists was a sign of aggression and that would be met with hostility. She was prepared to possibly be hurt, before the night was over, but they were going to avoid it as much as they were able to.

"I am Kael, son of Arvid, Alpha of the Grayshifter Clan. I have come to claim the bounty for the Queen of Thirann." And with those words he yanked her forward forcefully, nearly causing her to trip and then pulled her head back with a handful of hair, showing them her face and ears.

"Surrender your weapons, and you will be escorted into Lord Jerrik's castle." Eira felt the blood in her veins boil at the audacity he had to make such a bold claim to her land.

"You will tell your Lord who is here and why, and you will see that I am the exception to that rule." It comforted her to know that he was refusing to surrender his weapons, it gave her hope that just maybe they would make it out of this alive.

It was several minutes of waiting, Kael had finally released her hair and she hugged herself tightly, shivering as a slight chilly breeze blew through her tunic.

"You sound so sure he will let you keep them." Eira whispered from the corner of her mouth. He smirked, but like her, kept his eyes forward at the gate, one hand resting lightly on his sword, the other holding the chain.

"My clan is a neutral clan. We accept whoever pays the highest. Besides he knows that if I wanted to, I could have my entire clan turn this castle to rubble before the sun comes up...if I really wanted to." He glanced at her long enough to wink then turned his head back to the gate. When a man finally hobbled his way to the gate Eira was sure the tips of her ears were going to fall off. If she had access to her magic she would simply call up on the energy to warm her body. She hated the empty feeling it left behind when she couldn't access her gifts.

The man hollered at his men and soon the gate was lowered. Kael led her forward into the entryway and toward the bailey. She could feel the vibrations in the ground as the gate began close behind them. She focused her gaze on the back of Kael's boots, making sure to avoid eye contact with any of the wolves; she had to appear submissive, almost broken. Growing up as royalty, she was accustomed to putting on a show. Whether it was smiling when inside she was falling apart, or crying dramatically to get her father to give her something she wanted.

Her shoulders hunched forward, as if she was cowering. She missed her long hair, it would have been useful to hide her gaze and allow her to get a better look around, but Kael insisted that if he didn't degrade her, there was no way he could sell that he captured her. He didn't exactly have the most stand up reputation among assassins, but he was good, and people were willing to overlook his vices because he got the job done. She had expected to be led to the dining hall but instead they lead her to her father's study. It was where he looked over bills, he held meetings with the Elders, and sometimes as a little girl he had let her fall asleep on the couch by the roaring fire while he wrote letters and sent orders and all the other paperwork that came with running a Kingdom.

Eira shook her head real quick, causing the chain to rattle but it was ignored and they entered the study, the large short man walked over to the nearest wall and pulled on one of the gargoyle statues that hung by the fireplace and the shelves that held many of her ancestors histories swung open, revealing a hidden staircase. Her stomach dropped and she felt her heart skip a few beats as she struggle to keep her breath. She had a feeling where they were headed but she prayed to the Gods she was wrong. She cringed as they traveled further down the spiral staircase. Once they reached the bottom it revealed a giant underground room. The walls were built with large stones but it was what decorated the room in nearly every corner she could see that made her violently ill. Heads of some of her people decorated pikes, some of which she recognized. Their heads seemed to be almost preserved, whomever had done it wanted it to last. Wanted to make sure she would be brought here to see this. Tears filled her eyes and she collapsed to her knees and she screamed, the sound itself nearly ripping itself from her very throat. Kael turned around and slapped her, using the chain to pull her off the ground and close enough that his lips brushed against her ear.

"Remember why we came here Queen, save it," he whispered, and she knew he meant the pain she was feeling. He wanted her to use it, Nicholas had been explaining it to her as he tried to teach her some basic self defense techniques and practicing with a dagger. It was small, light and Kael kept it on his person for when the time came she would need it. It was better than nothing at all. She would need to take her pain and turn it into strength, use it to make this work. Her lip quivered and she breathed in and out deeply, the sting of of his knuckles having brought her some clarity.

"Everything handled over there, pup?" Kael snarled as he turned to face Jerrik who suddenly turned around the corner.

"You will treat me with respect or you will be swallowing the end of my blade," Kael warned.

"Apologies, he is new to his title," pleaded another man, he was short, thin, he didn't look like he really belonged among a pack of giant barbaric looking men.

"This is Sigmund, he is my beta." Whatever had possessed him to name him beta was clearly not from his physical prowess.

"You are a sick fuck." Kael spat and Eira kept her eyes on the ground; her tears being the one and only thing she couldn't seem to stop from falling.

This was all her fault, she had left them in the care of this monster, it made her angry that she hadn't protested more, fought back harder, maybe she could have convinced Nicholas to stay at home, and none of this would have happened and these people would still be alive. Jerrik gave the fellow Alpha a sickening grin as he shrugged with indifference.

"I know," he replied then motioned for them to follow. Kael didn't let it show if he was uneasy but the further they were from being able to contact the others, the more nervous she felt herself getting. They would wait, however long it took. They were certain that Jerrik would want to play some sick sadistic game. Nicholas had argued, even gave his friend a black eye when they all voted against him to follow her plan. Time wasn't exactly something they had an abundance of.

They stopped when they reached the podium, walking up the small flight of stairs to reach the chairs at the top. There were rows of benches that lined the room. That's when it hit Eira, this was The Pit. The awful place Nicholas had described to her, Jerrik offered Kael a seat but Eira was forced to kneel on the floor between them.

"Before we commence, I insist you stay for a show and perhaps some supper, it is the least I can do for all the trouble you have gone through to catch this slippery princess." His ran his long fingers through her hair and bile rose in her throat.

Kael pulled out his dagger and pointed it in Jerrick's direction.

"Hands off; she's mine until I get my payment!" Jerrik lifted his hands in mock surrender but he managed to keep his hands to himself as he nodded to his man and a wooden door off to the side opened and two elves scuffled through, both were in worse condition than some of the heads around the room. She focused her attention on the site before her and leaned her hands on her thighs so that she wouldn't pass over from feeling so light headed. This was like something out of a nightmare, they had discussed multiple worst case scenarios, but never could she have dreamed up this.

The warrior that forced them out by spear point unlocked their shackles and tossed two medium sized swords at their feet. They were the kind the guards often used to spar with and Eira felt the blood drain from her face.

"What are you doing?" Kael grabbed her hair and gave her a firm shake.

"Slaves are to be seen not heard." She clenched her jaw but nodded, she was going to blow everything. But how could he honestly expect her to just sit here and watch her people be forced to kill one another?.

"However, now that she has asked, I am curious as well."

"A fight to the death. Of course neither of them realize that it doesn't matter who wins because neither of them will leave that pit.." She had known there were some bad men in the world but never had she been prepared for someone so sick and twisted. The two elves tentatively picked up the swords at the warriors insistence

"Before we begin, I have another treat for the Princess' return. Sigmund, please bring out her present." Eira turned her head but wished she hadn't. It resembled Ingrid, although this woman had more grey hairs than she remembered Ingrid ever having. And while her face looked the same there an empty dead look in her eyes that told Eira something was broken. She moved to stand, intending to rush to her Elder's side but Kael pulled her back down to her knees and he did the strangest thing, he grabbed her hand. It was an oddly intimate act for a complete stranger; especially one playing her captor, but the action gave her a boost of strength and she took a few calming breaths as she studied the older woman further.

A large thick scar peeked up from the back of her neck, her hair had been dyed and cut in a similar fashion. Eira couldn't fathom what she must have suffered at the hands of Jerrik. He snapped his fingers and pointed to his feet and Ingrid fell to her knees instantly, her head bowed, eyes closed. The move was fluid and automatic as if she were nothing more than a trained animal, and perhaps that was the point he was trying to make. Nicholas had mentioned that The Pit is where he had met Jerrik, it was clear the man had not forgotten, nor had he forgiven her people for the pain and suffering he had gone through.

"What the hell happened to you to make you this sick and twisted!?" she demanded, no longer caring if it earned her another slap to the face. Jerrik didn't seem to mind the question.

"Lets watch the show, then perhaps I will tell you," he mused. He nodded at the warrior who shouted at the two elves to begin. At first they both just stood there,frozen, staring at one another and then they looked up at the podium, the look of despair clearly evident. She felt the anger fester, what was the point of trying to fix the barrier if she had no more people to save? She was failing them, she turned to Jerrik and she clasped her hands together.

"Please, stop this. You don't have to do this, you can be better than the ones who hurt you," she pleaded. Perhaps he hadn't always been so cruel, had it been her people who turned him this way?

"I am aware of that, but you see, princess, I want to. This is the most fun I have had since we broke out of this hellhole. And now that all of this belongs to me, I felt it was time to redecorate." The sound of clashing metal made her turn in time to see the second swing as the young girl attempted to slice the other. They both more than half her age but they quickly realized that if they didn't obey the rules of the game, they would end up just another decoration for his graveyard.

Whatever he had used to preserve the heads had managed to keep them from smelling.

"There has to be something you want in exchange to end this. I know where my father has hidden vaults, I can show you them." Jerrik cupped her face and chuckled.

"We are going to tear this castle down, stone by stone, we will find them all eventually on our own. There is nothing you can give that I cannot simply take." he rumbled, squeezing her chin before giving her head a playful shake. She pulled away violently and it was Kael's grip on the collar that kept her from leaping up and attempting to simply kill Jerrik that very moment. His eyes were filled with a savage hunger that made her realize the very exact thing he wanted from her.

Her stomach filled with dread and Jerrik saw the flash of fear in her eyes, smelled it permeating the air. He whistled at the warrior below and drew his hand across this throat.. Eiras eyes went wide as she realized what the signal meant. She grabbed her end of the chain and gave it a quick pull, but Kael having anticipated it, wound the chain around his hand.

"I will burn you ALL if you kill anymore of my people," she threatened. Jerrik laughed as he pulled at her collar.

"Not while you're wearing this you're not."

"I did it once before," she replied with a moment of temporary insanity. She had turned the bounty hunter wolves to ash through her first collar; she was willing to try it again. It would be worth the pain.

"So the stories say, but I am willing to risk it. Let's play." He reached out for her bicep and she slapped his hand away, leaping to her feet and throwing a couple punches to his rips, aiming low like Nicholas had taught her. Jerrik turned around with a playful smile on his face.

"Somebody has been training," he cooed mockingly.

"Do not touch me," she spat, holding her arms up as a block while trying to stay conscious of the edge of the platform. He began to circle her.

"You don't make the rules anymore princess," He moved so fast that if she had blinked she would have missed it and he knocked her flat on her back within seconds, the wind squeezed straight from her lungs. She attempted to roll away but his giant boot pinned her to the floor by her throat, pressing the cold metal into her neck.

"Doesn't matter how hard you train troll, you will never beat an Alpha." And that's when she felt a wave of power wash over her but instead of cool it was like a hot summer breeze, nearly scorching her. There it was again, that awful slur; she could deal with being called princess, but she was not going to allow him to call her one of those awful creatures.

Her anger roared to life until she saw red; screams rang out as ring of scorched earth appeared on the floor beneath her, a small trickle of blood ran down her upper lip as she focused on trying to keep his giant foot from crushing her throat.

"You should not be able to do that," he announced. The leather of his boots began to smoke as she turned up the heat, causing a secondary trail of blood to run from her nose. She was simply going to kill them all now; the thought itself seemed perfectly rational to her. He removed his foot but quickly swung the other up, knocking her unconscious.

When Eira awoke she realized immediately she was completely naked, her butt on the edge of the table, with rope wound intricately around her, securing her; it was tight enough that she could feel a slight crushing against her chest forcing her to take slow, shallow breaths, leaving her on the edge of feeling faint and lethargic.