Iron Chains Pt. 01

Hi all! I'm enjoying writing this new five part series. I have a good outline written for each part, but I would love for you to comment what you would like to see! All feedback is welcome!

~Bri~

I once again found myself confined in this tiny carriage being hauled away to the Lord's estate, only this time chains rattled from the iron cuffs and collar that kept me in check. The escape had been ill fated from the start. The only thing working in my favor had been his surprise that I would try to leave in the first place.

To be fair, the offer had been tempting. A life of luxury, food at my fingertips, access to all sorts of magics. But a prison made out of gold is still a prison, and Lord Grenar's aura revealed the hidden darkness within.

The Lord was a bad man, and I had no illusions to his true intentions for taking me in. The iron chains that now bound me were proof enough of that. He would try to keep me, willing or not, and use my magic toward his own advantage.

The carriage came to an abrupt halt, and I struggled to keep from falling from my seat. It was too soon to be back at the manor already but the only window has been sealed. I couldn't see what was happening.

Horses neighed and hooves stomped. I heard my guard and driver shouting angrily. My back straightened instantly at the sound of clanging metal. Swords. They were under attack! Shit.

~Chiron~

They were trying to move discreetly with only one guard and a driver. To my trained eye this was even more suspicious. The tip must have been correct. Valuable cargo was being transported in this carriage, and soon that treasure would be ours.

I signaled to Milo from the bushes. An answering chirp from across the road sprang me into action. We were on them before they saw us approach. The guard managed to pull his sword, but I disarmed him quickly, running my own blade cleanly through his neck.

Milo dispatched the driver and was calming the horses as I cleaned my sword. A quick search of the dying guard revealed the keys I was looking for.

"Milo," I called, tossing the keys in his direction. He caught them and made his way to the back to reveal our spoils.

There were many things I had grown to distaste about being part of The Brotherhood, but this one perk was still always exciting. Our orders had been clear, disrupt the trade route and the first pick of the spoils were ours.

"Um, Chiron? I think you need to see this."

"What is it?" I asked as I made my way around the carriage to where Milo stood. His shocked expression amused me until I rounded the corner and saw what he had found. "Well, shit."

~Bri~

Without the aid of my magic I had no way of determining these men's true intentions, but I decided to try and use their looks of surprise to my advantage.

"Help! Please, help me! The keys," I spotted them in the smaller one's hand. I tried to look as scared and innocent as possible. Keep them on their toes, appeal to their sense of chivalry. Men like to be the hero, usually.

The smaller one held up his hands and stepped into the carriage. I held out my wrists so he could access the iron cuffs. "Thank you! Thank you!"

The first cuff unlocked, then the second, and the chains connecting them to my collar fell loose, rattling as they swung into my chest. He leaned forward to unlock the collar when the large one with a full dark beard grabbed his arm. "Wait."

He pushed the other man to the side and leaned into the carriage, grabbing the collar of my shirt. Yanking it down, his eyes widened when he saw the runes etched into my skin, standing out in black ink against my pale skin.

Fuck.

I moved fast. With hands free, I shoved past the smaller man and threw myself out the door, straight into the larger one. I swung my head, feeling my forehead come in contact with his nose with a sickening crunch. He moaned and staggered back, leaving just enough of a distraction for me to slide past and make for the woods.

At best these men were thieves thinking they caught a lucky break intercepting the Lord's delivery route. I wasn't going to risk getting caught, and I didn't feel bad for a second for tricking them.

"Stop!" one of them yelled. I chuckled to myself, 'like hell.'

My bare feet touched grass at the same time I felt the chain on my collar tighten. I had no way to brace myself as I was yanked back by the neck. My back hit the rocky dirt hard. Breath left my lungs and I gasped.

The larger man stood over me, nose dripping blood into my hair. The other caught up, standing to my side as I tried to catch my breath.

"What was that?! Oh shit, Chiron, are you ok?"

"She broke my fucking nose." He gave the chain a sharp tug when he said it. "She's a witch."

"Ha! Just because she got the better of you doesn't mean you need to call her names."

"No, Milo, she's an actual witch. Look, on her chest."

The small one knelt down and pulled open my shirt, ignoring my sneer and the hand I put on his wrist, pushing him away. I tried to get back up, but the large one, Chiron, yanked the chain again and my head hit the hard packed dirt.

"Geez, Chiron, you don't need to be so rough with her."

Chiron just grunted, pressing a boot on the chain near my neck, keeping me down.

Even though I knew it was useless, I tried to summon my magic. The iron around my neck suppressed it.

"Let. Me. Go." I growled through gritted teeth. I should have cried, groveled, made them pity me, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Not until we know why Grenar wants you. Why was he transporting you like cargo?"

With no other choice, I responded. "Because I'm a witch, like you said."

Chiron chuckled. "No offense, but being a witch isn't all that special. He could have summoned all manner of mage who would come to him willingly and happily. Why did he want you badly enough to chain you up?"

I shrugged and then winced when his boot pressed down harder on the chain, digging the back of my head into rocks.

"Fine! Fine! He wants my talent! He wants to bind me to him and I said no! He doesn't like being told no."

The pressure lessened and I moved a hand from the collar to rub the back of my head.

The smaller man, still crouched beside me, looked at me with curiosity. "And what's your talent?"

I quickly considered what I should share before landing on, "Auras. I can see auras. I can know a person's intentions just by looking at them."

"That's it?"

"Yes- oh!"

"What else?" Chiron asked calmly as he applied pressure again. My head felt like it might explode, my neck like it might break with even a little more pressure.

"And I can find people! And things, if they have a magical aura! It's Divination! Please-"

He finally let up, moving his foot off the chain, and I sprang up. Too fast, my head spun. I almost fell again when arms caught me. I stiffened when they wrapped around me, but the smaller one just held me up.

"Do you think-"

Chiron cut him off with a hand, before stepping up to make sure I saw him.

"I'll make you a deal, witch. You help us find someone, and we will let you go on your merry way. We won't drop you off on your lord's door in chains. We'll even give you some coin for your trouble. What do you say?"

I thought about it. I didn't have many options, and even fewer that seemed like they might end well for me. But still, I needed to be sure.

"Ok, but I can't do it with these on and... and I want to read you first."

Chiron thought about it, then nodded to Milo who gently let me go, making sure I could stand on my own first. He then held the key back up and worked it into the lock around my neck. I felt his breath on my cheek as he worked.

With a click, the iron hit the ground. My magic simultaneously expanded and snapped back to me, like a bucket of water filling a bowl. I breathed deep, finally freed from the stifling metal.

Opening my eyes, I looked at Milo, his energy bouncing around him like an excited puppy. His expression was nervous, but his aura was of a kind person with scars from deep pains. Every person had their past hurts and traumas, but his were of a tragic, lasting kind and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. An earnest innocence was at the forefront of his aura now, and I knew I could trust him.

I turned my attention to Chiron, the leader of the two. His face was filled with caution and suspicion and his aura reflected that. Similar to Milo, he had many deep hurts, traumas that had been built upon over time. He was angry and volatile, but also cautious and calculating. I was less trusting of this man, but at the moment he seemed earnest. And they hadn't made a move to hurt me yet. I made my decision.

"Ok, I'll help you. And then you'll let me go and forget you ever found me."

Chiron nodded and held out a hand. I took it, deal sealed.

~Milo~

She was beautiful, more beautiful than any witch I had ever seen. Her hair was like a wavy mane, shining red in the sun. Her skin was so white and covered in flecks of gold, like the sands of my home, reflecting the sun as if she were shining herself.

Rin had once told me that most witches hide their natural appearance with illusions of the mundane and ugly so that no one would bother them. I knew the opposite could be done as well, but this woman hadn't been using magic when we first found her. No, this was not an illusion. She was just beautiful.

I watched her settle by the fire, brushing her hair over her shoulder and getting comfortable on the moss. I had wanted to find reasons to touch her again the entire way back to camp, to help her over a log, or to move past a branch. Chiron shot me warning glances throughout the walk but I knew she wouldn't hurt us again if she didn't have to. I just knew it.

~Bri~

I wanted to punch the kid in the face by the time we made it back to their camp. He was probably only a couple years younger than me, but he was acting like a love struck teenager.

'Play nice,' I kept telling myself. When he helped me over the third log, I nearly lost it, but I breathed through it. 'Let them think I'm weak. I'm just a useless woman who can't hope to survive all alone. Let them lower their guard.'

When we arrived at their camp, I busied myself collecting dry wood, then sat as far from Milo as I could get while still near the warmth of the fire. At this point I was starting to prefer Chiron's more sordid personality.

"Ok," I said, breaking the silence, wanting to get things started. "Who are you trying to find?"

Milo looked to Chiron who took a moment to answer. "...our brother."

I looked at the two men in surprise. Never would I have though they were related, one blond and agile, the other a dark giant. "But not... a blood brother?" Their auras were too different. Definitely not related.

"No," answered Chiron. "A brother in arms. But more than that..."

My eyes widened when I noticed it. A thin tie linked the men's auras. It wasn't something I saw often and those kinds of bonds required magic. A magic that was well known to be used by, "The Brotherhood. You're a part of The Brotherhood."

Chiron nodded. I took a moment to take that in. As I looked closer, I saw their tanned skin and hardened bodies. These men were much more dangerous than I had initially thought and that meant that this had been no regular highway robbery. They may not mean any harm to me now, but that didn't mean they couldn't turn on me once they got what they wanted. I had heard rumors of men like these and what they were capable of. But, this still seemed my best option at the moment.

"I need a name and something he cared for. An object of sentimental value."

Chiron's brow knit as he tried to think of what might work. Milo stood and pulled something from his bags. Bringing it over, the small object was placed in my hand.

"His name is Rin, and this was his wife's. I was keeping it safe for him while he was on reconnaissance. When he didn't make it back to camp, I made sure it came with us."

The hair pin was simple silver, with a small bird engraved on one end. It would work perfectly.

Closing my eyes, I balanced the hain pin in the center of my palms, letting the energies pull me in. My mind opened, searching to connect the item with its owner, allowing the pin to guide me. After a minute, I felt a tug in a specific direction and I leaned into it. My mind touched his and when I opened my eyes I was no longer in the woods by a campfire.

I now stood in a damp stone cell, a dungeon, and in front of me, sitting on the ground was a man beaten bloody. He felt my presence and opened one good eye, the one not swollen shut.

"Elie?" He whispered the name.

"Rin?" I asked, "Is that you?"

"Elie! How- how are you here? I missed you so much!" He pulled himself to his feet, closing the distance between us and wrapping his arms around me. I pushed him back, taking his face in my hands.

"Rin, listen, this is very important. I need you to tell me where you are."

He wasn't listening, instead, burying his face in my hair and breathing it in. I knew I appeared as the previous owner of the pin, his wife. I had done this only a few times before, and each time I appeared to the other as someone other than myself. At this point, I was just along for the ride. I could enter another's dream or subconscious, but once there, my control was limited. My control seemed to depend on the other's strength of mind, and this man had a very strong mind.

"Elie, you have no idea how much I've missed you, how much I've yearned for you. To touch your hair, your skin, your lips."

He held me against him as I tried to fight his influence, but my body acted to his desires. His lips brushed my cheek, warm breath sending tingles down my spine. It had been so long since I had allowed a man to touch me this way.

"Rin, I'm not what you think, please, focus-"

His lips covered mine, cutting off my attempts to communicate. No, Rin was focused on one thing at the moment, and the hardening bulge that was pressed against my stomach pretty clearly communicated that.

My back was pressed against cold stone and his hands moved down my body, gathering my skirt at my hips before running cool fingers down my bared thighs. They moved around to cup my ass, lifting me up so that my legs instinctively wrapped around his waist for balance. One hand kneaded my ass and held me up, while the other snaked around my front, grazing across my exposed sex.

"I've missed hearing you cry out my name," he whispered against my lips. "The way you moan so beautifully when I fill you. The taste of you when you need me."

"Rin, wait-"

I sucked in a sharp breath when a finger delicately pressed against my clit, moving in small circles over the hood. My hips twitched in his direction and he dipped a finger lower, pressing between my lips where I felt moisture gathering.

He pressed a finger into me, coating it in my essence and brought it up to his own mouth to taste me. His eyes were hooded as he savored the flavor.

His fingers returned, working my clit more intentionally now, pushing me toward my own end. I fell into the feeling, unable to fight the pleasure he was giving. Soon, I was dipping, grinding into his hand. I cried out when they left me, and moaned when I felt the tip of his cock press into my readied tightness.

He stretched me around his length, pressing slowly but firmly into me. By the time he was buried deep I was breathing hard, wishing he would just move already. The sex clouded my mind, his intention to please his wife overpowering my rational thoughts.

When he moved I cried out, the friction scratching a long ignored itch. Oh how I had missed this feeling. He picked up pace, meeting my thrusts. Together our breaths picked up. His hand returned to my clit, using my own moisture to glide over the little bundle of nerves.

"I want to feel you," he whispered in my ear, "Let me feel you this one last time. Come for me, my love."

I couldn't have stopped the wave of pleasure if I wanted to. Crying out, my walls pulsed around him, warmth spreading through my limbs, sparks flying though my mind. My legs forced him deeper, pulling him close as I came.

He came with his own moan, pressing deep and spilling inside of me. I could feel his cock expand and pulse. As he came down he finally looked at me, really seeing me, but remaining in our embrace. His eyes focused on my face and he looked at me in confusion.

"Who are you?" He asked more curious than anything, not pulling away.

Just then, a crash sounded from outside his cell and a guard rapped a baton against the metal bars of the cell.

I was snapped back into my own body when Rin was woken. When my eyes opened again I was staring into flames and the sounds of crickets filled my ears.

Breathing hard, I whipped sweat from my brow, remembering my audience. My composure was fried.

~Chiron~

"I know where he is," the woman said when she finally found her voice.

I was smirking and Milo was looking at her wide eyed. I had not been expecting a performance, and her red face confirmed my own suspicion. This witch had just cum, right in front of us. Rin, the bastard. What did he do to her?

My own cock was throbbing and I did my best to hide it in the loose fabric of my pants. Milo couldn't take his eyes off her, and I saw that his reaction to the display was similar to my own. I chuckled to myself. Too bad we had agreed to let the witch go. I would have enjoyed the continued entertainment.

"Where," I asked, remembering our purpose here.

"He's in the dungeon under Lord Grenar's manor. He's being held prisoner there. I think they're torturing him."

"What makes you think that?" worried Milo. He wasn't a weak man. I had seen him train and fight and he could be down right deadly, but I always thought he revealed his emotions too clearly. It made him appear vulnerable. I did wonder the same thing though.

"He has wounds. Nothing serious I don't think, but he isn't in the best way."

"Did you see anything else? Do you know how we can get in," I asked.

She hesitated, clearly holding back information. My fist tightened on my knee.

"I know how to get in," she said after a moment. "I've been there before. I can talk you through it."

I gave her a nod, not trusting my own anger when I sensed half truths. She explained the layout, the doors that led where we needed to go. She even knew the location of guard towers and some of their movements. The information about the actual dungeon was lacking though.

"So you don't know exactly where he is then. Are you able to find a more precise location?"

"Only if I was there to track him down myself," she muttered, clearly not meaning to offer it up as a serious option. Unfortunately for her, I took it as one.

"Sounds like you're coming with us then."

"What?! No. I'm not going back there. I told you where he was, that was the deal-"

"The deal," I interrupted, "was that you would help us find our brother. How do we know that you are telling the truth? Until I see him in front of me I would argue that he has not yet been found."

She looked at me with a fire in her eyes. She then shifted her gaze to Milo with a pleading, innocent look.

I snorted. "He won't help you. He's the reason we're still in this part of the country. I told him that Rin would find us at our safehouse, but he insisted we needed to search the area. Our loyalties to our unit run deep."

The witch looked annoyed and afraid. I felt magic build in the air, but I was prepared for retaliation and I threw out a cloud of iron powder right into her face. She choked and I moved fast while she was distracted, pushing her back into the moss, straddling her waist. I wrapped the iron collar back around her neck and secured the lock.

I saw the look of panic when she realized what I had done and her hands flew to her neck, prying at the unyielding metal. The feel of her squirm under me sent blood into my already hard cock. As both a warning and for my own satisfaction, I ground my cock into her hips as I pinned her under me.