Iron Chains Pt. 05

Lord Alfred, already so close to orgasm, couldn't stop himself. He backed away in confusion as his cock gave a pitiful display of ruined orgasm and dribbled onto the ground.

When he realized what I had done, the lord bulled up in the way only an entitled man can and opened his mouth, as if to scold me. My magic, finally unbound, flowed out and collided with the lord, bouncing him off the wall and knocking him unconscious.

Aaron laid curled on the ground, groaning and I took the opportunity to stand straight. The adjusted height of the phallus prison allowed me to just barely slide free when I stood on my toes.

My knees tried to give out but I managed to stand, yanking off the now unlocked collar. Aaron didn't look up until I was standing over him and whatever he saw in my face terrified him. I kicked him hard in his bleeding dick and spit out the blood that was still in my mouth. I then kicked him in the head for good measure, using a blast of force to knock him out as well.

The brothers must have done something, I thought as I ran toward the only entrance to the building that I knew of. Grenar wouldn't have released me on purpose. Not while he wasn't there and not outside of a warded dungeon.

No one stopped me as I stepped outside. I walked with confidence, not desperation, knowing the brothers were helping me and knowing that running in desperation would look more suspicious.

Collar gripped in one hand, I made it out the gate and into the woods. I could sense their location. Rin's aura was so familiar to me now that it was like a homing beacon. I saw four auras in the grove and I knew one was not long for this world.

~Rin~

"She's coming." I felt her touch in my mind and I sent reassurance.

"Does she need help?" Milo asked with three bloody hands.

"No, none will stop her." I closed my eyes to follow her movement, shielding her from anyone's notice. The pain I felt in her made me wince and my hands itched to strangle the man responsible.

She entered the grove and was truly a sight to behold. Her dress was wrinkled and torn, the grounding runes inked on her chest half revealed. Her hair was a wild crown of auburn curls. Her face was full of fury and magic flowed through her in waves, flashing across her eyes, making them a piercing contrast of color. Most terrifying of all was the blood that coated her chin. When she spotted Grenar she smiled and her teeth shone red.

I don't think I had ever known love until that moment.

Before I could say anything, Grenar screamed. I turned to find him on his knees, gripping his head with one good hand and one bloodied stump.

"Bri!" Milo ran up to intercept her.

"Milo, don't!" I shouted, but it was too late. He placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her approach and was thrown back. I heard the thud when he hit the tree ten yards away but he seemed mostly uninjured.

Chiron snarled and drew his sword.

"Chiron! Stand down."

Surprisingly, Chiron didn't advance, though he kept his sword in hand.

I could feel the rage and pain rippling off Bri but I knew the feeling and I knew how adding magic to the mix could easily cloud the mind.

I reached out to her with my mind, knowing she wouldn't hear my spoken words.

'We are here to help. We aren't your enemy.'

She felt my mind and tried to shut me out, but I pushed harder. She may be strong, but I was too. I pressed into her, forcing her to acknowledge me. She shook her head and finally looked at me. Unfortunately, she was just redirecting her rage to the man standing in her way.

She stopped in front of me, Grenar still screaming behind me. "Get out of my way, Rin. Thank you for helping me, but this revenge is mine."

"Listen to me. This isn't what you want. He is a bad man who has done horrible things and we will make sure he gets what's coming to him but, Bri, trust me when I tell you you don't want this on your soul."

"And you do?" She growled at me. She flashed her bloodied teeth and fresh tears cut though the drying blood splatter on her cheeks. I felt her internal conflict, the anger, pain, and fear.

"It won't make you feel any better, not when you feel like this. You've never taken a life before and I know what that does to a soul. I won't stop you if you really want this, but I'm offering myself. Let me take care of this for you, let me take on this burden."

Bri shook, waring with her emotions. Then her shoulders drooped and Grenar stopped screaming. Her rage and hurt were still present, but relief was already helping to soothe the war in her mind. She gave me a nod.

Milo stepped back up, placing an arm around hers and she leaned into him.

I started to turn to our captive when I saw Bri hold up something that shimmered in the light. The golden collar that had been on her neck. Milo saw the collar as well and leaned down to pick up the severed hand he had dropped and tossed it to me. I removed the bracelet and put it on my own wrist then took the collar from Bri.

When my hand met hers, she lifted her free hand to my cheek and caressed my jaw.

"Thank you," she whispered, then pressed the collar into my hand.

I couldn't help myself and leaned in to kiss her forehead. She sighed in a way that warmed my heart.

Chiron yanked Grenar to his knees, having to hold him up by the collar as the man swayed, barely conscious. He gripped his bloodied stub to his chest. A makeshift tourniquet had been tied around his forearm to keep him from bleeding out long enough for Bri to escape.

I steeled myself the same way I did before any fight, allowing my darker impulses to bubble to the surface. Today, an emotion I hadn't felt in a very long time joined the others. Righteous indignation.

Grenar watched as I approached, whimpering in fear when he saw the collar. I fastened it around his neck and he didn't fight it, resigned to his fate.

"Stand up," I commanded.

Grenar stood, unsteady and swaying.

"Speak the truth. Do you regret anything you have done these past months?"

Grenar tried to press his lips together but failed, and answered in a long, monotone breath. "I regret not taking her to my bed as soon as I found her. I regret trusting the Brotherhood to keep their alliance. I regret not killing you in my dungeon."

"You are a small man, Grenar. A small man who tried to make himself big with money and magic. But look at where that got you. This is what your life has earned you. Are you proud of what you've accomplished?"

"Yes!" He shouted, offended.

"And are you happy with how your accomplishments led you here today?"

He ground his teeth, refusing to answer, using the last of his energy to fight the compulsion. I let it go, satisfied with his answers.

I held a hand out to Chiron who drew his dagger and passed it over. Taking it by the blade I offered the weapon to Grenar. He looked at it warrily, not moving.

"Take it," I commanded.

He took it with his remaining hand.

I watched the fallen lord darkly then looked back at Bri who was still leaning on Milo. Her eyes never left Grenar when her mind touched mine and she showed me exactly what she wanted. Her brutality made me want to weep for the hurt in her soul. It made me want to tear the lord apart myself, but I respected her wishes and gave Grenar his final command.

"Use it on yourself until you're dead."

It lasted longer than I would have expected, the collar compelling the lord to obey beyond his normal resolve. In the end, he drove the knife into his skull, finally ending his own torment with a fatal blow.

Bri watched the entire thing. Even when Milo tried to shield her from it, she pushed him away, standing witness to Lord Grenar's final agonizing breath.

~Bri~

He was dead and I was free. I felt numb.

The brothers must have known that no words would reach me so we rode in silence. I didn't know where the horses came from but the brothers helped me onto one of four horses not far from the grove. We left his body to be found by his men or the wolves. Rin had taken the collar and bracelet, telling me he would need to find a way to destroy them.

The four of us rode together, Chiron leading and Milo and Rin taking turns flanking me. We rode hard for nearly a day, quiet except for the pounding of hooves and heavy breathing. Though we passed a couple towns, we finally stopped a ways off the road. Choosing caution, we camped out in the woods, away from any guard or anyone looking to earn a bounty.

By the time a fire was built and pallets were laid out, we were all too tired to hunt so we sat around the fire and ate a small dinner of jerky and stale bread. The warmth of the fire started to thaw me from my introspection and I looked over the men who sat with me.

Milo sat directly beside me. I could tell he wanted to comfort me and was only just barely holding himself back. Rin was keeping an eye on me, occasionally sending projections of comfort without intruding on my thoughts.

Chiron was the enigma. He sat furthest from the fire and hadn't acknowledged me since the grove. His aura told me he was in turmoil, angry, but not at me. At least, not entirely at me. He wasn't cold toward me really. It was more like he was avoiding me out of guilt.

Guilt. That's what I felt consuming him, I realized. Chiron blamed himself for what had happened and was allowing self loathing to alienate himself from his brothers. My mind started to reach out to his but I quickly reeled it back in. I knew how he felt about me getting inside his head and I didn't want to create more animosity between us. Instead, I decided to talk.

"It wasn't your fault." My voice was horse and barely above a whisper, but he heard me. They all three did.

Chiron didn't look up from the flames. "It was."

"You didn't know-"

"It doesn't matter. I knew something would happen and I did it anyway. You didn't deserve that."

"I don't blame you, Chiron. He would have found me eventually. I know you were afraid of me, after I ended up in your head. I wasn't trying to manipulate you but I know it would have felt that way. I don't blame you for protecting your brothers."

We were all quiet then for a long while, trying to sleep. After a while, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, even as exhausted as I was. The rest of them were still awake with me when the sun started to rise and we watched our fire burn down to nothing.

It was time to move again, but we were all putting it off, not wanting to break the silence.

"You can leave me now," I finally said, setting the brothers free from whatever obligations they may be feeling. I had caused them enough trouble and it was time to go our separate ways.

"I'm not leaving you," Milo said at the same time Rin said, "We aren't going to do that."

"I've gotten you into enough trouble, you really don't need to keep protecting me. You've done enough. You need to go back-"

Rin leaned forward onto his elbows, looking me directly in the eyes. "You're ours now, Bri."

"I'm yours?" I asked, bristling at the insinuation that I was anyone's property.

"You're part of our unit. We won't be leaving you anytime soon."

"And what if I want to leave?"

Milo started to say something but Rin interrupted him. "We won't stop you. You are free to do as you wish and if you want to leave you can, but we won't."

"And you?" I asked Chiron. "What are you going to do?"

Chiron grimaced at being put on the spot but he sounded resolved when he said, "I stay with my brothers, even if they are making stupid decisions."

"And if I decide to stay?"

He sighed, looking at me over the smoldering remains of our campfire. "If you belong to my brothers, you belong to me too."

I thought for a moment, feeling how tense all three of the men were as they waited for my decision. There was no way the brothers would be able to stay united if Chiron didn't trust me. I needed to convince him to trust me, to forgive me for seeing what he had hidden away from everyone. I knew too much and it made him feel vulnerable. I knew what I needed to do.

I stood and walked over to Chiron who was watching me warily. When I placed my hands on his head he jerked away.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm giving you a reason to trust me Chiron, please..."

He remained skeptical but he didn't stop me when I placed my hands on either side of his head. I closed my eyes and entered his mind, finding that memory that haunted him. He fought me for a moment but I didn't linger there.

Instead, I used his memory to identify the soldiers who had murdered his family. His mind followed mine as I searched for their auras. It took a moment to narrow in on them, only having the memory to go off of, but eventually I did find them. Chiron confirmed their identities.

We returned to our camp and I came back to my own body. Chiron was panting and staring into the embers wide eyed.

"Woh," he breathed, "that was... something..."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at his amazement. "You're telling me."

"Is it always like that?! You can just... go anywhere? See anyone?!"

"When I'm in control, yes." I sighed, "And when I'm not, others can pull me in. The stronger the emotion, the harder it is to stay tethered to my own mind."

"Ah, well that's terrifying."

"Yes. It is."

Chiron looked at me then like he was seeing me for the first time. There wasn't fear or resentment like I was expecting. He looked at me in awe.

"I'm sorry," he said and this time I took his hand in mine.

I brought his knuckles to my lips and kissed the scarred and calloused skin. "It's ok."

Milo cleared his throat, interrupting the moment that had stretched on longer than we had realized.

"So," Milo said louder than necessary. "Where are we heading? We have too many people who want our heads to be sitting still this long."

Rin, who had been following what was going on, lifted his chin to Chiron. "I guess it's up to you, brother."

I squeezed his hand gently. "You helped me get my own justice, it's only fair I help you get yours. But only if you want it."

Chiron stood, pulling me to stand with him, not letting go of my hand.

"We ride for Inness."

~Two weeks later~

~Bri~

Inness was a midsized township in the North, under the rule of some king many miles in a different direction. It was the largest settlement I had ever been to, stretching more than a mile in either direction, but the brothers had assured me that it was small, mid-sized at best, compared to the more central settlements.

The men we were looking for had joined the ranks of this king's guard when their lord died in a land dispute. The trip had taken over a week as we avoided main roads and towns, and by the time we made it to Inness, it appeared that the Brotherhood wasn't willing to waste the resources to pursue us as determinedly. This gave us the confidence to rent a room at a local inn, though the brothers remained vigilant.

As we traveled, Chiron reluctantly shared more of his past. When he was young, just barely a man, Chiron and his family were starving as a famine wiped out their crop and taxes came due that they couldn't afford. Against his father's wishes, Chiron went to the tax collector who was taking advantage of the hard times and offering loans to many of the families who were facing starvation and homelessness.

Chiron took out a loan, under the condition that he pay back the money plus 50% the following year. Unfortunately, the crops did not recover that summer and no payments were made by any of the families who had borrowed. The tax collector decided Chiron and his family would be used to set an example and sent the hired guard to burn down their house. The men then took advantage of the situation and before they were done, Chiron's family had been abused and killed, their bodies piled into the small cottage that was burned to the ground as Chiron was forced to watch.

They tried to pull him into a type of indentured service afterwards, but he ran and found the Brotherhood. Their mission became his own and he did his best to forget the little town and the wrongs done there. His dreams haunted him and eventually he did return, years later, only to find that the tax collector was dead and the guards were gone. He didn't know who they were or how to find them, so he tried to bury it further, hardening his heart, focusing instead on his rise within the Brotherhood.

Now, the men were close and Chiron was ready to put the matter to rest. I gave them their location, a brothel at the edge of town, and the three brothers went out, leaving me at the inn to pace and worry.

I had tried to go with them but it was hard to argue the fact that I had almost no combat training. I watched from afar, hitching a ride in Rin's subconscious, trying not to distract from their mission.

~Chiron~

I didn't deserve her. She forgave me when I was the reason she ended back up with that monster. She gave me an opportunity for justice that I had long given up on. She comforted me and healed me and I didn't deserve any of it.

Already I was indebted to her, and after tonight, if we were successful, I would do everything in my power to make up for what I had done. I would never be able to live up to the man she gave me hope that I could be. But I would live life trying.

They were where she said they would be. The Rosey Jenny was like most brothels in towns like these, unassuming and not as clean as you hoped it would be.

We arrived in full Brotherhood regalia and were welcomed in by a small, nervous looking man with more pockscars than skin.

Rin allowed me to take the lead, he and Milo flanking me. The reputation of the Brotherhood allowed us to move freely. Conversations came to an abrupt end when we entered the receiving room and all eyes landed on us. We ignored them, flanking out and searching the building room by room.

"Here!" Rin shouted from down the hall.

I joined Rin at a room where a man was hastily pulling on trousers. The woman with him was standing awkwardly in the corner, covering herself and watching warily. Our focus narrowed in on the man.

"Where is your partner?" I demanded. The half naked man was still struggling with the clasp of his pants as he sized us up.

"The hell you want with 'im?" His words were slurred.

"Got him!" Milo called from the front room. I grabbed the guard by the arm and dragged him out as he weakly fought both me and his pants.

By the time we made it to the front room, half the room had cleared and the guard in my hand had half his ass exposed to our remaining audience. I tossed him to the floor beside the man kneeling in front of Milo.

"Borus Miller and Alfred Rogan." I said their names loudly, making sure anyone listening could hear. I wanted these men to know that there was no mistake. Bri had given me their names and their pasts. I would use that information to make sure they know exactly why they were meeting this fate.

They both looked up, confused. Borus, finally having fixed his pants, drunkenly struggled to make some sense of all this. "We know you?"

Alfred elbowed his friend in the side and tried to placate us. "Listen, I don't know what the Brotherhood thinks we've done, but we have money, connections. I'm sure we can clear this all up."

I looked at Alfred, making sure the middle aged, pox ridden man saw exactly how I felt about him. "How many children have been abused by your hand? How many lives ruined by your selfish and horrific appetites? How many died when you were done with them?"

"Who do you think- How could you possibly know-"

"You're an infection, Alfred. A festering wound that has been left untreated for many years too long. And you..." I turned to Borus, "Delighting in the pain you inflict, getting hard off screams. You watched everything he did, even helped find the people to abuse. You killed just to feel powerful. You're nothing, Borus, and it's time you faced justice."