Bound in Spirals Ch. 10

His sight returned, his breath came in ragged gasps. Above him stood his youngest sister, Janine, holding a pan with tears in her eyes. Unconscious, Madeline lay over his body. No, it wasn't his half sister, it was the governor. And standing above him wasn't Janine, it was the violet haired elf. Her face was blank, and in her hands was not a pan, but her huge broadsword.

Sam's body trembled and his eyes were blurring with tears. A wet warmth spread over his chest. It was blood. The governor's blood. Her head rolled off his chest as he tried to push himself up. Dettella rushed over to him and seemed to be talking to him, but he couldn't hear anything. He slid out from underneath the governor, and curled up, holding his knees to his chest. His entire body shook violently.

Dettella grasped the sides of his face and forced him to look up. Her lips were moving in a frenzy. Tears dripped down her cheeks, and distantly Sam felt that he wanted to ease her worries, to wipe away her tears. He hyperventilated, each intake sending spikes of pain into his throat. His vision was shaky and unfocused as his eyes quivered in their sockets.

A couple minutes later, he felt his breathing relax and his mind clear slightly. 'I-I'm fine. It wasn't her, I'm fine.' He breathed slowly, deeply. 'I need to be strong. I-I can do it. I will get better. That's how it works, right? I'll get better over time. No need to worry, just think about what needs to be done. Ah! Theodore! While I'm here freaking out, I'm making him wait! He needs to get help already! I need to get up. Get up, Sam. Move! Damn you, move!'

His hands gradually unclasped themselves from around his knees. He could hear what Dettella was saying now, too. "...amson, please be alright! She's dead, it's fine now! Just, just please be okay!" Her silk gloves caressed his face and his eyes finally focused.

Her lower lip quivered as he finally blinked and looked into her eyes. "I... am... al...right..." Sam managed to force out of his bruised throat.

Dettella began to weep. She pressed herself to his chest and cried into his bloody shirt, he almost fell backward from the impact. "I-I'm so sorry, S-Samson. I-I should have, I should have done the confronting. I just, I-I don't know. You looked so confident, and I didn't want to ruin that. And I t-told, I told you I'd help you and then I do this..."

Sam cut her off, "It's... fine," he croaked, "...not...your...fault."

Dettella gulped and forced back a sob. "I-I'm so inconsiderate. Let me heal you." She said in a tight voice as she wiped away her tears, smearing blood across her cheeks in the process.

Silver spirals surfaced on her skin, swirling gracefully over it. 'Even her magic is graceful...' Sam thought as she put her hands to his neck. A few seconds later the pain disappeared, leaving only a faint memory of it behind.

"We'll need to have your clothes cleaned quickly so the blood does not stain." She said, regaining her composure.

"Well, maybe." Sam said, as he slowly pushed himself up. His body still felt weak, but at least he could move. He stepped hesitantly to the corpse of the governor and pressed his hand to her thick wrist. He summoned his magic and the shimmering forms bloomed across his bare skin, reflecting off the pool of blood at his feet.

The governor's blood instantly began flying in streams back into her body, followed closely by her head as it snapped back into position as if pulled by a strong magnet. When the neck sealed completely, Sam released his power and stood. His shirt was dry, and even the parts that had begun to coagulate were gone. He noticed there were several parts of his shirt that had been sliced off, though.

"Damn, that'll take too long to fix right now..." He muttered.

"Well, I could repair it fairly quickly." Dettella said. Sam turned to her, and saw that she was blushing faintly. "You would have to, um, take it off. I mean, that would make the process easier."

"Ah, uh sure." Sam said, her embarrassment rubbing off on him. He removed his jacket and pulled off his shirt and handed it to Dettella.

He tried to ignore the quick glances Dettella was giving him and looked around the room again. Sam frowned, the man who was chained to the chair still had yet to move. He strode over to the man, feeling a hint of worry for him. Finding that the collar required a key, he decided to leave that for later. He shook the elven man's shoulders. Getting no response, Sam pushed his hair away and looked at his face.

He felt a gag rise in his throat at the sight. The man would have been considered a 'pretty boy', like one of those boy band members girls in his world seemed to clamor for, if he'd been healthy. The man's face was nearly gray. His lips were thin, and pulled back from lack of moisture. His teeth were yellowing and cavity ridden, and his eyes were missing altogether. Sam checked for a pulse. There was none...

'I'm sorry.' Sam thought with a sad frown, and stepped away. He turned to see the knight standing right behind him. He jumped slightly, but realized she meant him no harm. Her near nudity made him blush.

"I, er, I'm sorry about earlier. My magic... I-I guess it was controlling me. I'm not trying to excuse my actions or anything! It was wrong, it's my fault that I lost control..." He trailed off, seeing her hollow eyes. Her head tilted to the left, as if in confusion, but she did not reply.

He finally spoke, feeling awkward in the silence. "Er... you should probably put your armor back on." She wordlessly walked over to her armor and began putting it on. 'Wha...?'

"Here you are, Samson. I repaired your shirt." Dettella said, pulling his attention away from the odd behavior of the elf.

"Ah! Thanks. That was nice of you." He took the shirt that looked as if it'd never been damaged from her hands. He hesitated. "...I, um, I wanted to apologize for... for kissing you so suddenly earlier. I realize now that it was a little presumptuous of..."

She cut him off, "Don't apologize for that. I quite enjoyed it, so do not feel that way. After all, I did the same earlier, so I have no right to rebuke you for that even if I hadn't liked it." She said, giving him another of her smiles that seemed to warm his insides. "I do hope you will do it again, though perhaps right now isn't the best time."

Sam felt his own blush creep up, and saw that the princess's cheeks were a little pink too. He rubbed the back of his head unconsciously. "Well, I mean you're a princess and all, and wouldn't it, I don't know... wouldn't people think it inappropriate or something like that?"

"Nonsense. I've never been one to care what others think of me anyway." She replied, her usual poise returning. "It's not as if it's anyone else's business anyhow. Who I court is up to me, so don't feel like you are creating some sort of trouble for me."

"A-Alright." Sam said, afraid to say more for fear of saying something stupid. Though, he did have a sort of goofy grin on his face.

"Good." Dettella said, smiling back at him again. "Now, we must figure out how we're going to get out of here without causing a scene."

She strode toward the deceased governor, rubbing her chin. Sam followed her, putting his clothing back on. He heard clinking, and realized that the knight was following him. He turned, and she stopped.

"Um... Did you want something from me?" Sam asked, feeling a little nervous. The knight shook her helmeted head. "Then, er, why are you following me?" She tilted her head, but said nothing. "Well then... What's your name?"

Finally she spoke, "Vielchena."

"Veelkena?" Sam replied. "Did I say that right?"

"Vielchena." She repeated, and said no more.

He was starting to feel a little unnerved by her attitude. Her voice was so monotone, completely emotionless. Even more so than Darrel, which seemed almost impossible. He got the feeling that hers was genuine. "Um, very well, nice to meet you then, Vielchena."

He turned back toward Dettella, having no idea what else to say to the elf. "Er, I think we should prioritize finding proof of her payment, a letter or something, if we can. We'll need someway to explain this when we get to the capital."

"Mm. Yes, you're right. First, let us put the governor back in her chair, at least make it look like she's sleeping." Dettella replied, still rubbing her smooth chin thoughtfully. She knelt down over the governor's corpse and tried shifting it. It barely budged. "Blight! How did she even manage to stand, let alone lunge at you."

Sam knelt down across from her and tested it himself. "Fuck. I don't know if we can move her back."

"Blight, blight, blight! Blighted blight!" The princess stood and began pacing, rubbing at her chin furiously.

Sam scratched his head. "Why do you keep saying blight like that?" Internally, he cursed at himself. 'Why the hell am I asking that at a time like this? Idiot, idiot, idiot!'

However, the question seemed to relieve the pressure building on Dettella's shoulders. "How curious." She looked at Sam with such smoldering curiosity. The glint in her eyes reminded him of earlier when he'd started talking about cinnamon. "Odd that a commoner wouldn't know such a common curse."

"A-Ah, I see." Sam replied, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. "I've never heard that used as a curse before."

Her eyes shone. "Oh? What are the common curses where you're from."

"Er..." He shuffled his feet. 'Should I be saying this stuff to a princess?' "Well, I mean... There's fuck...,"

Dettella cut him off, "What does it mean?"

He stiffened visibly. 'Damn it Sam, you moron! We're supposed to be in a dire situation here and here I am distracting us from what's important.' His cheeks burned. "Well... Maybe we should discuss this at a better time."

She looked disappointed for a split second, then her face became serious once again. 'Man, she can really change the atmosphere quickly...'

"Yes, you are right. Try to help me drag her back up the dais at least." She said looking down at the corpse. He nodded and grabbed under the governor's armpit. The silky cloth of her dress was damp with sweat. "Alright, on a count of three. 1-2-3!"

They both heaved. Sam found he was forced to do most of the lifting. Finally, they managed to get the woman's upper body onto the dais. The princess was breathing heavily, and he was only marginally better off. Dettella sat on the ledge of the dais, shaking her sweat dampened right hand vigorously. "This woman was quite foul."

Sam agreed, but didn't voice it as he was distracted by Vielchena. She walked stiffly around the corpse and grabbed under the armpit opposite him. Her blank eyes looked not at him, but more past him through the slats of her helmet.

He hesitated for a moment, "...1-2-3!" They pulled, and Sam was surprised to find that she was doing most of the work as the corpse slid easily up the dais to the foot of the chair. 'I'm not sure why I'm so surprised... She can swing around that ridiculous sword, so I guess she'd have to be fairly strong. It's odd to see so much strength in someone barely five feet tall though...' He thought as they stopped for a moment.

"Okay, again!" They strained, and for a moment Sam thought they wouldn't actually be able to get her into the chair, but then he let out a final heave. The corpse flopped into the oversized chair as they let go. Her flabby arms hung limply over the armrests, jiggling slightly. "Phew..."

'Man, I need to start doing more muscle training or something. Well, I guess I can't really expect to be all that strong yet, especially when I was just a librarian's assistant little over a week ago.' He thought as he gasped for breath.

Sam looked behind the massive throne, seeing the corner of a small box peeking around it. 'Hey... What's that?' There were actually two boxes there. One was slightly larger than the other, but both seemed to be made of the same dark wood. Opening both clasps at once, he looked inside. Stack upon stack of square chips of silver glinted out at him from the large chest. The smaller one was filled with gold. Each one carried a scroll inside, the wax seals broken.

"What is it?" Dettella asked, coming around beside him. "Ooh! These must be the bribes she received. They must have come in just before we arrived. Ah, this one must be from Tenall." She picked up the small parchment atop the gold and looked over it. "Mhm. As expected of my dear sister."

Sam picked up the scroll atop the silver chips and unrolled it. 'Anged'der... I think Letta mentioned them before. I think that's who tried to kill me in Eltinn. If I remember correctly, they were spewing something about me being male that was too powerful or something along those lines. "You'll break the balance!" or some shit.' He smiled grimly. 'I won't die so easily. Not when I have things to live for now.'

He began to read the note, barely noticing that it was in elvish.

'Governess Rien, we send our regards. In this chest is 1000 silver pieces. We would like you to take care of a man, an 'other', we believe to be heading through your area of influence. If he does not, please keep the payment as a reward for your continued support. If he does, we will send a package containing tenfold the amount included here for your efforts.'

It went on to describe his appearance in striking detail. From body type, eye and hair color, down to the most minute details, such as the small scar on his collar bone which was barely visible above his shirt. It included a list of scars on his torso as well, which he found odd considering the assassins last time hadn't seen him shirtless. His eyes widened even further when it described his manner of speech and 'accent', and his habit of rubbing the back of his head when flustered.

'Do I rub the back of my head that much?' He wondered, then realized he was doing it at that very moment. 'I suppose I do, huh.' Sam looked up from the letter, noticing Dettella trying to peek at it with a curious glint in her eye. "Ah, um, I guess this group or something called Anged'der are after me. They attacked me back in Eltinn too. Something about me being too powerful to be allowed to live or some such." He explained. "The amount of detail they gave in their profile of me is frightening to say the least. Down to every scar I have, though I have no idea how they managed that."

Dettella's eyebrows rose. "That is a dangerous group to have after you. They are ingrained deep in almost every country of the realm. I know for a fact that one of my teachers was an agent of theirs. She was quite... zealous." She said, getting a faraway look on her face. "Fortunately I had another teacher who was able to pull me away from the path she was trying to put me on. My good teacher ended up disappearing mysteriously a few years after."

She shook her head and the look of nostalgia slipped away. "You were in Eltinn? The last I heard, my country's forces had broken through somewhere around there. Did you face difficulty there?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to say. Samson had warned him that he shouldn't give too much away, but Dettella was an honest person and quite kind from what he'd seen. A bit unworldly as well, though he hadn't been much better a week ago. He felt he could trust her not to do anything to harm him, especially after she'd said she fancied him. "No, we were gone before anything happened. I can tell you more later if you wish, but I think we should get out of here now."

He grabbed the chest of silver and lifted it up. Dettella gave him an odd look. "What are you doing with that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm taking it, that's what I'm doing with it. I figure it's only natural I take the money used to have me killed. Besides, I don't have any money, and I bet I'll need some sooner or later."

"Ah, well I suppose that makes sense. It just seemed a little odd to take such a small amount, seems like it'll just be a burden."

"Small amount...?" He looked down at the chest filled with silver. "I don't know how you could call this a small amount."

She tilted her head. "Well it's just silver."

"...I see. This must be because you're a princess." Sam nodded to himself. "I think this would be considered quite a fortune by the average person in this world. Or any world for that matter... This may seem a small amount to you, who are used to never wanting for anything, but I bet I could live comfortably off this for a long time if I was careful."

She frowned. "...It seems I am more ignorant of the lives of common folk than I thought." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I will have to remedy that. Ah! I keep wasting time with questions, we need to go. Er... I suppose I will bring this gold."

Dettella grabbed the small box and stood, placing the letter back inside with the gold. They headed for the door, and a question came to Sam. "Why did no one come? We must have made a lot of noise, someone must have heard it..."

The princess shook her head. "Soundproofing. With this governor's apparent, um... disposition, she would have wanted to keep sound from getting out." She said with a glance back at the sitting corpse of the elven man. "My mother had a similar room, as does my sister, who has recently ascended to the queen's high seat. Though, I believe my mother was not the same as this woman. My sister on the other hand... she might be worse."

Sam paused in front of the large double doors. "...I don't think I'd like to meet your sister anytime soon." He said, glancing at the chest of gold in her hands. He shuddered.

"...Neither would I." She replied quietly as he pushed open the doors.

The guards just outside helped open them when they saw him struggling to push them with the chest in his arms. They glanced inside, seeing the governor sat on her throne. What happened next surprised Sam.

"The lady would like to be left alone with her toy for a time. She has requested I escort the esteemed guests to the north gate personally." Vielchena said, her voice as emotionless as a rock. A very bland rock. "Make certain none disturb the lady until she has finished."

The guards nodded in respect to her as they walked down the hall. When out of earshot, Sam turned to her. "Thank you, that was very nice of you to do that for us."

She looked at him blankly through her helmet for a moment. "Yes... Master..."

Sam's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks. "Eh...? What? Did you just call me master?" She did not reply, just continued staring blankly.

"Let's go, Samson. Darrel must be waiting by now. Your friend as well, he needs treatment quickly, right?" Dettella said, breaking him from his shocked reverie.

"Y-Yes..." He said, blinking as he turned forward again.

They found Darrel heading toward them in one of the branching hallways, following the elven handmaiden, Giela. When she saw Dettella she stiffened and bowed formally. Darrel looked them over.

"There was trouble." He said, not a question. "We must leave quickly."

"As observant as ever." Dettella replied. "We must make haste, before they realize the governor is dead. Giela please carry this for me."

The former butler stiffened again at the mention of the governor's death. "Of course, milady. I will guide you out of the manor if you please." Giela said, taking the box from the princess. "I-Is the lady Vielchena accompanying you?"

"Yes, it seems she is." Dettella said, glancing at Sam for a moment. He shrugged sheepishly. "And you can drop the formalities for now, Giela. Earlier I was only testing if you could be disciplined when necessary. Right now, speed is of the utmost importance."