Iron Chains Pt. 03

Luckily, an opportunity had presented itself to turn the situation in our favor. She wanted to stick around? Fine. Then she could stick around, under the command of the Brotherhood.

The camp was large, at least twice as large as it had been the last time we had been here, over a month ago. Rin dropped the witch off in our tent, telling her not to wander, stay inside and out of sight. I snorted from atop my horse, wondering if he really thought the witch would follow orders. I didn't care if she disobeyed. She wouldn't make it ten paced before the men were on her. Unmarked and unclaimed, she would be at the mercy of any brother who caught her.

We arrived at the commander's tent at the center of the camp, letting our horses be led to food and water. Rin took the lead, Milo and I flanking, and we entered the tent.

Commander Orion sat at a large desk with three other men, looking over the map and communications spread out there. He was a short man compared to the giants who usually survived initiation into the Brotherhood, but what he lacked in height he made up for in bulk. Grey streaked his beard and a sharp crease split his forehead into an expression of constant concentration. He was a war hardened man and a genius strategist. I had admired him since I had joined the Brotherhood as a boy and was thrilled when I was assigned under his command.

Two of the other men in the room were similar in age, standing a head taller than Orion, and armed to the teeth. Vale and Rone made up the remaining members of the commander's unit. Like all brothers, the unit had been together since they were initiated. A unit of three bound together for life. Everyone in the Brotherhood had heard the tales of this legendary unit.

The fourth man in the room was tall and willowy. I didn't recognize him, but he wore the seal of the Stag Lord, a present ally of the Brotherhood.

"Rin! Welcome back!" Orion smiled, standing to greet our unit. "I'm glad you aren't dead!"

"As am I. Grenar was taking his time getting around to it."

"It isn't like you to be taken alive."

"An accidental moment of distraction that won't happen again."

Vale, the largest man in the room, looked him over coldly. "You were interrogated?"

"Yes," Rin stated dryly.

When he didn't offer anything else, Vale didn't hide his annoyance. "And did they obtain any information?"

"No."

"You're sure about that?" Vale's hand rested on the hit of the sword at his side.

"Yes."

When Vale went to ask another question, Orion interrupted. "He says no information was leaked, no information was leaked. We are glad to have you back Rin. You and your unit. Chiron. Milo."

Orion looked at each of us fondly, then searched the empty space behind us like he was expecting another. "Did you have another companion with you?"

I saw Milo's shoulders tense as Rin and I remained unmoving. But I knew Rin was having the same thought as Milo. How did he know?

"We don't-" Rin said, at the same time I spoke up.

"The witch is in our tent, sir." Milo glanced over at me and I could feel the rage in him. Rin would let me know of his disapproval later, but by then we would be free of the woman.

Orion motioned to Rone, the third member of his unit, who left without a word.

"Chiron mentioned that your unit had stolen the witch from Lord Grenar while she was in transit to his little fortress. That she's quite powerful?"

I felt Rin's small hesitation, but he was trapped. I wasn't looking forward to the beating I was sure to receive later.

"Chiron and Milo found her, sir. She helped them locate me in his fortress and break me out. I do believe, with the right training, she could be a valuable asset."

"What kind of asset?" Orion asked, intrigued and suspicious. Nothing went past his notice. Orion knew I had gone over Rin's head to bring him this information.

"She is a mindwalker, and she has a talent for divination though I'm not yet sure of the extent of her ability. Like I said, she needs training."

"Can she be trusted? How do you know she's not a spy?"

"I've been in her mind. She isn't working for anyone."

Orion's eyebrows raised. "You can do that?"

I couldn't see Rin's face, but I knew he was discomforted at the information being forced out of him. "To those who are open to it, yes."

Rone returned, dragging with him the very frightened looking witch. Seeing us, her look went from desperate to worried. She was dropped beside Rin who she stepped half behind to be sandwiched between Rin and Milo. The two she had under her thumb.

"Hello, witch," said Orion, not exactly unintimidating. The only thing that stopped her from hiding completely behind Rin was Milo, pushing her forward.

"Bri," Rin said gently, but not so gently that the other men in the room would see it as anything more than placating. "This is Commander Orion, his brothers, Rone who you met, and Vale. And... I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name."

The tall, thin man stepped forward. "I am Adrianus, emissary of the Stag Lord."

"You have no other title, Adrianus?" Rin asked, probably overstepping but not caring. His respect only carried as far as his direct superiors.

Orion stepped in, cutting the tension. "Adrianus is our ally's second son, sent to learn the ways of war and strengthen our alliance. But, let's get back to your little witch. I think we have a use for her and her gifts."

"Use for me?" The witch may be scared, but she still had fire.

"Well," smirked Orion, "a use outside of the whore tent anyway. Though I think I would like to see how that hair looks flowing over my thighs."

Her eyes went wide and I couldn't help but chuckle. She acts the whore for my brothers only to balk at it now? Milo shot me a look that promised violence.

"What use?" Rin asked, attempting to draw our commander's eyes away from his prize.

"Adrianus has heard rumor of a weapon that would help us greatly in our mission. We were just about to send a search party out to retrieve it, but if we could get a more reliable lead it would narrow our range and shorten the search. I've heard of magic born with gifts such as yours, Bri. Are you able to locate items with magical properties?"

He already knew the answer. Orion was testing the witch, giving her a chance to tell the truth. I had already informed him on her abilities.

She looked to Rin who gave her a nod. The witch took a breath, gathering the courage to speak. "Yes... I think so. Do you have someone, or something that has a connection to it? Something I can use as a starting point?"

Orion smiled, nodding in approval when he was told what he already knew. He took a curved dagger from his hip, placing it on the table and sliding it toward us. "That," he said, pointing to what looked like a smooth black stone embedded in the hilt, "is the scale of a dragon. We are fairly certain that the weapon we are looking for is in its hoard."

"I need to know more about the weapon. What am I looking for?"

Adrianus spoke up. "It is a bow that channels godfire."

The witch nodded with raised eyebrows, sharing another glance with Rin, before stepping forward to touch the knife.

When she touched the dragon scale, she went still, eyes closed. After a moment, I saw her back straighten and her mouth opened in a gasp.

A full minute later, the others were getting antsy, a group of warriors being made to stand still and wait. The only ones who looked unbothered were Rin and the son of the Stag Lord, Adrianus.

"How long does this take," asked the Commander, watching the witch warrily.

Rin shrugged. "Depends, could be a moment, could be a few minutes. If the weapon isn't with the dragon, she would have trouble trying to find it."

Another minute later, she startled all of us by dropping the knife to the table and stumbling back. Rin caught her and she blinked blindly for a moment. The whole room watched her, waiting for the report.

"It's there. In a hoard in the mountains just west of here." She stepped back up to the table and pointed to a spot on the map. She gave directions on how to find the hoard and we were dismissed.

~Bri~

No one said anything until we got back to the tent they had left me in. I walked in, finding a chair to sit in at a small table. When Chiron walked in last, Rin moved fast, punching him so hard in the jaw that he hit the ground. I jumped up, surprised by the violence.

Rin kicked him in the stomach so that he curled in on himself. He then pulled him over, pinning him to the ground and punching him in the face over and over. Chiron didn't fight it.

"Stop!" I finally shouted. "What are you doing?!"

Milo put a hand on my shoulder, keeping me from interfering. By the time he stopped, Chiron's face was covered in blood, his nose was freshly broken and cuts oozed blood on his cheek and over his eyebrow. When Rin stood, Chiron stayed down coughing and spitting blood onto the ground.

"Why did you do that?" I demanded, watching Rin wash his bloodied fists in a wash basin by the table. Even knowing Rin was part of the Brotherhood, I hadn't witnessed any violence from him yet. This change of pace left me reeling.

"He went over my head and told our Commander about you. He endangered your life and he betrayed the trust of his brothers."

"I did what needed to be done," Chiron strained, now sitting up, grimacing. "The witch is manipulating you, brother. Both of you. Keeping her a secret would have gotten us in more trouble than she's worth."

I cringed. I knew Chiron was mad at me, but I didn't know he felt like that.

"She could have ended up in the whore tent, or been claimed by Orion, or been killed on suspicion of being a spy."

He just shrugged. Milo growled angrily, darting forward to punch Chiron in his broken face. He just sat and took it, righting himself again when Milo was done.

After the beating, Chiron cleaned off his face and joined us at the table for a small dinner. No one spoke of it and the tension in the tent was thick. Milo, still angry, left the tent abruptly after he finished eating. When the other two finally decided to sleep, I was relieved, escaping to one of three cots.

The night was long. It took some time before I fell asleep even though my mind and body were exhausted from the travel and the ordeal of the day. I laid on the stiff cot, eyes closed, listening to the chirp of insects and the wind blowing over the fabric wall beside my ear.

I felt my mind being pulled away from me and I drifted away from the tent, taking to the wind and gliding toward the mountains in the west. Trees and hills sped past far below me. The wind caressed my cheeks and I knew the cold of the night should have me shivering, but I was pleasantly warm.

A moment later, I wasn't alone. Beside me, a dragon four times my size flew over the mountains. Warmth radiated from the dragon's center and a massive wing spread out above me, blocking out the stars.

"I felt you calling to me, little one." The dragon's voice resonated in my mind, communicating in thoughts instead of words.

"I... I didn't mean to disturb you..." I said, not sure how to respond to this. I had hoped the dragon wouldn't notice when I made the connection at the command of Orion. Not only had the dragon noticed, but she had called me back to her.

"No? Then why did you seek me out?"

I couldn't think of a good reason outside of the truth, and at the moment I wasn't sure I wanted to lie. The dragon deserved to know the truth, if only to be gone when the warriors arrived. She didn't need to be in danger.

"There are men who are looking for something you have in your hoard. I was looking to see if it was there."

"And was it?"

"Yes, it was."

"So men come to steal from me?"

I didn't know what to say. I was saved from answering when we entered a mountain through a narrow crevasse. She landed in the center of the large cave I had explored a few hours earlier. My eyes found the bow that the men were looking for on the far side of the cavern.

My attention was diverted when I heard small squeaks and the clatter of claws on the stone floor. Two small dragons the size of large dogs, came running at us, rolling over each other and crashing into piles of treasure. When they showed no signs of slowing down, I moved quickly to avoid being trampled by the overly energetic creatures.

They impacted their mother with a loud thud before climbing through her legs and over her back. One attempted to scale her long neck, but lost balance and slid to the floor. I couldn't help but smile at the baby dragons' reunion with their mother.

She laid down to allow her babies easier access to her back and wings. They eagerly climbed up, wrestling and pushing each other back to the ground. I laughed when one took a moment to work up a sneeze that burst into a plume of smoke.

"You understand?" The dragon asked.

I nodded. I did understand. The dragon wouldn't leave her babies unguarded. The thieves would be walking to their deaths and I was sure to be blamed.

A long week passed and tensions between the brothers remained high. Rin and Milo insisted I stay in the tent unless escorted by them both. Chiron hung around, but was mostly quiet and shot annoyed looks my way when I made my presence in any way known. Rin continued to train me and I got better at control. I felt confident I wouldn't get stuck in most minds again. I was also confident that I could guard my own thoughts from intrusion.

This was tested on the fifth night, when I was pulled into Chiron's nightmare once again. As soon as I saw the room I knew where I was and I was able to pull out as soon as the door burst open. Even though I got out, the emotions of the dream still lingered. Terror, despair. I laid awake the rest of the night.

The only times I was allowed to leave the tent was for the two hours the brothers trained each day. Rin and Milo took turns standing guard over me as the others sparred. It was fascinating to watch. They were terrifying and beautiful in their strength and deadly speed. Milo was the quickest, not letting the stronger men get a good hold and using pressure points to debilitate without spilling a drop of blood. Chiron was all brute strength, but he was intelligent and seemed to predict his opponents' moves before they happened.

Rin was the most interesting to watch. He never used magic outright to win a fight while training. He wasn't as strong as Chiron or as fast as Milo, yet he always seemed to come out on top. Even when he was winning it seemed like he was holding back, his aura rippling with unreleased energy. I knew, if he had a mind to, he could demolish the entire camp without breaking a sweat. I also knew that if the commander had any idea how powerful a mage Rin actually was he would be terrified of him and would probably kill him.

One morning, while watching Milo train with two other brothers, a horse came rushing into the camp. On its back was a rider covered in blood and barely holding onto the saddle he was slouched in. My eyes went wide when I recognized the aura of the man.

"Adrianus," I whispered to Rin who nodded, recognising the half destroyed seal of the Stag Lord on the man's battered armor. This wasn't good.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that Rin's unit was summoned to the Commander's tent. I was summoned as well.

When we entered, Orion looked angry and suspicious. He watched me closely and Milo put a hand on my back, feeling my unease. Vale and Rone were also in the room, flanking their unit leader. Adrianus sat in a chair to the left of the large table that dominated the tent. Half his head was bandaged and his right eye was covered in cloth. Cuts and bruises covered his body and one arm hung limply in a sling. He also watched me with a look of suspicion.

We stood, waiting to be addressed. Adrianus was the one who finally broke the silence.

"The dragon was expecting us. It knew we were coming."

Shit.

Rin spoke for his unit. "How do you know?"

"It herded us into a trap before we even made it into the mountains. Killed six of your brothers and thought I was dead as well. I only survived because a farmer found me a day later, stuck under a horse. Your witch must have warned the beast."

"She didn't," Rin said confidently. "There are all sorts of ways it could have known."

Orion sat unmoved. "And how are you so confident?"

"Like I said, I've been in her mind. I would know if she betrayed us."

"We should interrogate her," Orion's brother, Vale, advised. His eyes gleamed wickedly at the thought and I took a step back, feeling Milo's hand more firmly on my back.

"What would she gain from a move like that?" Rin asked, trying to apply reason. "We are the only ones keeping her out of Grenar's hands. She needs us. It wouldn't make sense for her to do anything but prove herself valuable to us."

Orion's eyes narrowed as he thought about it. "Keep an eye on her," he said to Rin. "Any sign of deception and I expect you are wise enough to bring me her heart of a pike. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Wait!" Adrianus struggled to stand. "You aren't seriously just letting her go, are you? Just taking her at their word?"

"Sit, Adrianus. You'll open your wounds. I trust my men to remain loyal, as they are bound to be."

"But she isn't one of you! She could have easily-"

"Enough!" Orion held up a hand, cutting off the injured man. "There's no way to know for sure how the dragon knew to attack. It may have just thought you looked like a tasty snack. I've heard enough."

The Brotherhood had a reputation for many things. Among them was a skill at torture and their intolerance for traitors. When we left the tent, I shook, astonished that I was still alive and not being tortured for information.

~Rin~

She was lying. I knew it as soon as I saw her recognize Adrianus riding into camp. She was surprised to see him. Not just surprised that he came back alone and injured, but that he came back at all. She was nervous at his return and her anxiety grew as the day went by. I knew she was holding something back, but I would address her in the privacy of our own tent.

If given over to Orion and his unit, it was unlikely she would survive the night. Whatever this was, she didn't deserve to die for it. At least, I didn't think so.

"Tell me." I said, watching her closely. Milo and Chiron also watched, giving our witch the unit's full attention. We had returned to our tent for the night and sat at our small table.

"I- I don't know what you mean?"

"I know you're hiding something, Bri. You need to tell us what happened or we won't be able to protect you."

She pursed her lips and my thoughts strayed momentarily. We hadn't touched the woman since we had arrived in camp, but that hadn't stopped my every spare thought from wandering. My body wanted this woman in a visceral way and I knew my brothers felt the same. It was dangerous and stupid to keep her around. I had no plans to send her away.

We silently watched her squirm under the attention. Finally, she put her thoughts into words.

"I... didn't mean to tell her anything. She knew I had entered her mind the first time, with your commander, and she called to me again in my sleep. I didn't tell her anything she hadn't already figured out herself, but... but I knew she wouldn't let them live if they came for her. She had babies who she needed to protect-"

Chiron stood and pulled Bri from her chair. I didn't stop him when he bent her over the table and pulled up her skirts. She cried out, her face inches from my chest, pleading with me to stop him.

"Please, Rin, I didn't mean to! Chiron, stop!"

I put a hand on her cheek, calming her struggles and whipping away a tear.

"You might not have meant to inform the dragon," I explained calmly, "but you didn't warn us either. You got six men killed, Bri. Six of our brothers. You withheld information that would have informed their strategy and could have kept them alive. You understand that we have to do this, don't you?"