Snippet #2166003

Raiyn Illander

The Shade walked up to him and picked up his sword, examining it carefully. Raiyn's breath was short as the vines were tight across his chest and neck. He coughed lightly, sputtering to get air passed the strong hold. Then the man began talking, his words cutting through the air like knives and hitting Raiyn dead center. His heart raced as he listened, taking it all in and inadvertently letting memories flood forward. The first woman he'd ever loved, her beautiful face came to mind, her blue eyes and blonde hair. Her smile was tantalizing. Then the image faded and what hit him next was the terrible memory of how she'd been killed. Himself being beaten and unable to move to protect her.

Another image of the second woman he'd fell in love with some years after. She too was beautiful, her name was Lily and her life had been taken by the elven Shade Nira. Raiyn had fought then, killing several Shades in the process, but to no avail. Nira had immobilized him, causing him to be unable to help Lily. Those memories flooded forward as his name was screamed over and over again in his mind. Then the sound of steel tearing through flesh followed after and the dying cries of both women mixed with his own screams of anguish pulsed through is body.

"Tell me, do you care for her? Or are you simply going to use her like every other person in this world? A man like yourself has to have some sort of reason for joining up with her completely out of the blue... But oh, the way she looked at you then," Talazar continued, his lips pulling into a smile at Raiyn's distress.

Yes, he cared for her. It hadn't hit him till then that she'd gotten under his skin just like the other two women had. It was inevitable he guessed, but he'd tried to keep his cold exterior as a way of shutting her out. However, the way Talazar spoke about his using her like every other man on the earth tore him apart. He knew she'd been used before and it wasn't something he cared to think about. Then the memory of how the Princess had come back to save him from Nira's attack. He'd passed it off as it merely being the Jewel Princess that was in control because of the Demon Jewels. The more the Shade spoke, the more apparent it became. The woman, both her and the Princess inside her had a deeper attachment to him.

Raiyn coughed in the hold of the vines, struggling to get himself back in control of his emotions. Somehow the Shade had broken through his carefully created exterior. Something glinted in the moonlight and Raiyn's eyes widened slightly as he saw his own blade come hurtling down towards him. At the last moment, his eyes squeezed shut and he felt the vines loosen from his body, his blade just barely scratching him. He hit the ground coughing as air pulled into his constricted lungs.

"Now then, lover boy... Could you possibly muster enough courage and strength to overcome the inevitable? To be able to pass me and return to the Princess in a vain and frankly hopeless attempt to save her? Once Nira has finished with her, she'll be nothing. A broken piece of meat left for the birds, and where was her knight? Cowering, fallen and destroyed. A failure, a man who it seems is no stranger to letting down those close to him. This is your chance, your one and only chance... Run."

Raiyn struggled to roll onto his side and get up. His muscles were burning from his vain attempts to free himself earlier, and his wrist was indeed broken. Breath wheezed in and out of his lungs as he got up to his knees and sent a cold glare back at the Shade who taunted him. He thought quickly. Nira was most likely engaging in a fight with the others right then. The longer he stayed there the more likely it was that the Princess would... he shook his head to clear the unwelcome thoughts. However, if he ran, it was sure to provide the Shade before him the pleasure he was seeking.

The sword master knew he couldn't outrun the Shade, not in the condition he was in. The other fact was the man held his sword, the only weapon he had besides his dagger. Slowly, Raiyn stood up and made his decision. Drawing the small dagger, he held the weapon in his good hand and turned slightly to prepare himself for the oncoming fight.

"I won't give you the pleasure of my running, Shade. I'll be taking my weapon back and I'll kill you with it," he spat at the Shade.