MAGE CHRONICLES: The Beginning.

Gawking at the scene in front of us, I don’t register anyone close to me until they grab my arms and I’m thrown onto a shoulder.

“Hey! What the…” I glance around.

“Killian?”

“Wait the sword… where did it go?”

“Stop fidgeting. We need to leave, that distraction will not last long.” Killian barks tightening his hold.

I turn or try to turn towards the fireball that was putting the Bright Knights on their asses; the princes included.

“What or who exactly is that distraction?”

“Keon, now shut up, I need to… shit!”

“What… what is it?” I ask when Killian cuts off with a curse.

“Going somewhere pretty boy?”

That voice has me turning so fast I almost fall off Killian’s shoulder. How the hell did he get in front of us? I just saw him engulfed in fire a moment ago.

“Cain,” Killian drawls nonchalant as ever, “What can I say? Places to be people to kill, now if you’ll excuse us…”

“Not so fast,” Cain counters, “Leave her here and you can be on your way.”

“Now that’s a little difficult, see; she’s the reason I’m here, leaving her sort of defeats the purpose of coming all the way here.”

“She’s a fugitive of the law, that means she’s mine.”

At that I scoff, “In your dreams asshole,” Cain visibly bristles and a smack lands firmly on my ass, “Be nice pipsqueak.”

This man just spanked me, holding my tongue I wriggle till he sets me down my back to his front. His hands remain around me pulling me closer.

What is happening right now?

Even Cain appears baffled by the turn of events.

“Uhm, Killian?”

“Hmmmh,” he answers nuzzling my neck

Holy shivers, what was this man doing?

“Whatever you’re doing, now is so not the time.” I say out loud trying to mask how flustered I was getting.

“No, it’s perfect,” he answers head still buried in my neck.

“Now this is entertaining.”

“Shut up!” I growl at the annoying ghost.

Cain’s face scrunches further.

Killian mutters something under his breath and yanks me even closer, grinding into me.

I swallow a gasp as heat unfurls in my lower half, and my legs crumple, but the tight grip he has on me doesn’t let me get to the ground.

Head back in my neck, he nips at my pulse still grinding into me and I almost explode… almost.

Fuck!

Now I’m soaked.

I glance up at Cain who was watching unabashedly, and I see his nose twitch before he takes a deep breath and his eyes turn heated.

Did he just sniff… me?

Mortified, I renew my efforts to break away from Killian when I kid you not, a growl comes from behind us.

“Finally!” Killian exclaims jumping away from me, “I thought I’d have to make her scream to get your psycho ass to focus.”

What? That was all just for show?

I won’t get hurt, I won’t get hurt. Damn it Mahina!

The growl comes again jolting me from my mantra, “Did he just…?”

“Yep,” Killian says moving further away from me hands raised in surrender.

I turn to the growl and I see a humanoid figure still engulfed in flames. I let out a screech jumping away forgetting Cain was still there, but before I got close to him Killian yanks me back.

“Get your hands off me!” I scream at him. I wasn’t going to let him turn me into a spectacle again.

He immediately lets go and looks like he’s going to say something but thinks better of it, turning his head away jaw clenched.

Fucking prick!

“Is this a good time to remind everyone we are supposed to be escaping?”

“Let’s go,” the now very normal man says, I stare at him transfixed because the guy was still smoking, even his clothes looked scorched.

“About that, we seem to have a minor problem.” Killian states.

That statement seems to shake Cain out of his trance and whatever heat I had glimpsed in his eyes was now rage.

Yanking a sword from the sheath around his waist, he advances menacingly, “I told you she’s not going anywhere, alive that is, you are free to carry her remains out of here, we shall not taint our land with them.”

“Ouch.” I mutter.

“She can leave,” the king says appearing from thin air.

“What?” Splutters Cain, even his brothers who had joined us having clearly survived Shoto over there going berserk earlier turn to their father questioningly.

“She killed Alain! She massacred our people, laughing the whole time!”

“No, she didn’t, and if you stop letting your anger lead you by the balls you’d realise it too,” answers King Darian.

Well, at least someone didn’t think I was capable of murder.

“As I was saying, she can leave if she promises to be back once the investigation concludes to…”

“Fuck no!” Keon interrupts.

“Keon, Darian starts sounding like it was the last thing he wanted to do, “I was hoping ignoring you would make you a figment of my imagination.”

“No chance of that traitor,” Keon shoots back the vehemence in his tone barely concealed. “We are taking her home and we would know better than to make any promises with your ilk.”

Ooh, drama.

“Did you sniff bane?”

As if Darian heard him, his head snaps to me as if yanked by a leash. He scans me from head to toe as he moves closer.

Against my better judgement, I scoot closer to Keon but as soon as I register the movement and the answering glint in the king’s eyes, I try to move back but hands wrap around my waist holding me in place.

“Where is it?” Darian asks, “Where is he?”

“Where’s what?” asks Jain moving closer closely followed by his brothers.

“The artefact, where did you put it?” Darian asks again his voice betraying his emotion. Why was he so panicked?

Oh damn! He means the sword. Fat chance of getting it from me…when I didn’t even know where it went.

“I…” I start a little nervous only to be cut off.

“Don’t tell him, they don’t think you have it.

“I…I couldn’t take it, I left it there.” I finish in a rush.

“If you are lying to me little girl,” Darian says his tone menacing for the first time when addressing me.

“what will you do?” Keon challenges dragging me to his back.

Any other time I would have protested the action but now I keep up with the weak act, “I… swear I couldn’t take it, he was so mad, I…” que a shudder to sell my point further.

“He was in there with you?” bursts Cain.

Shit!

“You idiot.”

At the same time, his brothers lift off their faces frantic, as they head back into the library.

“Bleedin’ hell!” the king mutters, taking off after them.

“I don’t know what just happened, but let’s go before they come back,” Killian says.

We hustle towards the glimmering shield at one end of the library courtyard.

Killian must have jinxed it because the Brights come hurtling back outside rage on all their faces.

I take a step towards the shield, hoping to escape before they got to us again when electricity pulses through me eliciting a scream from me, then low and behold, the stupid sword makes an appearance, hovering before my face.

I turn slowly to find the entire living Bright royal family gaping at me.

“Oops.”