The Phoenix Key 2 "Deliver Me"
folder
Erotica › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
8
Views:
2,647
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Erotica › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
8
Views:
2,647
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter 5
\"The Phoenix Key\"
Deliver Me
By: Delilah deSora
Pagan_nyght@yahoo.com
Chapter 5
**
Deliver me loving and caring
Deliver me giving and sharing
**
Trey’s breath rattled in his chest and he winced at the pressure it brought with it. Shivering he opened his eyes, peering about. With a start he realized he had no idea where he was. Scrambling to his knees he stared around the dark room. It appeared to be some sort of small chambers that hadn’t been used in years. Furniture was covered in layers of dust and cobwebs and he could clearly see his own footprints leading in from the door.
Another shiver ran through him and he folded his arms around himself, trying to mbermber what had happened. Chewing at his lower lip brought a foreign taste to his mouth and he was assaulted with images of a woman and unwanted advances. Gasping in disgust he rubbed the taste off of him, desperate to escape the ghosts of her touch.
His stomach growled and he forced himself to his feet, swaying slightly when weakness threatened to over take him. Catching himself on a well-worn chair he paused a moment before retracing his steps to the door. There he found one of a hundred identical hallways facing him. Sighing under his breath he chose a direction and followed it.
As he walked he tried to reorganize his thoughts and memories, trying to find some memory of his surroundings. He remembered the woman and the panic her touch had flooded through him. He also remembered the fear that he’d be in trouble for something that hadn’t even been his fault.
Silently he cursed himself for his foolishness. The illness or the medicine he’d been given had muddled his thoughts and he’d made the situation worse by fleeing. Ivan would have forgiven him for what had happened but he’d incriminated himself by escaping like a fugitive. He’d made it appear as though he was the guilty party.
At the end of the hallway he came across a window and he sighed in relief. Hurrying towards it he peered through, trying to orient himself by the view. In the moonlight he could see woods stretched out before him, telling him that he was at the back of the palace. Pulling the heavy glass out of the way to open the window he leaned out to get a better view. The drop proved to be four stories down and he could clearly see the boundary between the oldest part of the palace and the newer stone of its extension. Nodding to himself he pulled back and began to rework the latch.
A sudden gust of wind drove him back and he winced in pain as he fell back against the floor. Gingerly touching the back of his head he looked up in time to see a figure lunge for him. Crying out in surprise he tried to escape but an iron grip caught his wrist and jerked him back. A hand pressed against his chest and he felt something burrow its way into his very being. He tried to fight against it but it was intangible and slipped past his attempts to be free of it.
Cold breath brushed his ear and he whimpered when something cut the flesh above his heart. Blood was smeared across his skin and he arched in pain as the bindings around him tightened. Words he didn’t understand where whispered and bright hot pain lanced through him, driving all thought from his mind.
Gratefully he fell beyond the merciless fire and crashed into forgiving darkness
**
Ivan was nearly frantic with worry as he searched through the last of the rooms. None of the lower floors had shown any sign of the missing man and he was rapidly running out of places to search. Trey was too weak to go far but Ivan feared that there were plenty of places for a frightened slave to hide.
With a growl of annoyance he slammed the door to the room he’d just searched and moved on to the next one. Behind him Byely held the lantern, wisely staying silent as he moved to the next door. Strangely it was open and Ivan frowned as he stepped inside. As Byely came around Ivan froze.
“Stop!” He ordered.
Byely halted and Ivan knelt, touching the floor. “Someone’s been in here recently.” He said, looking about.
His guardian held the lantern higher, illuminating the entire room. “They’re gone now.”
A cry rang out and Ivan stood, rushing past Byely who cursed and tried to keep up without upsetting the lantern. There was a second cry, this one more pain filled than the last and Ivan tripped over the worn floor, nearly falling in his haste. Byely caught him and he shoved away, hurrying around the sharp corner of the hall. At the end he saw a huddled form being harassed underneath the window and he lunged forward towards it.
“Trey!”
A large winged creature shrieked at him and he stumbled back as its sharp beak snapped inches from his fingers. For a moment he thought he saw something move just beyond it but black feathers blocked his view. Byely pushed past him, swinging the lantern at the creature. In the erratic light Ivan could see that is was a large hawk. The hawk scream and fled out the open window. For a moment both men stared in silence before Ivan shook his head sharply and focused on the floor before him.
Only two articles of clothing lay where once huddled his firebird. Growling in sudden anger he snatched the shirt and flung it to the side. Surging up he leaned out the window, staring in the darkness for a sign of the missing bird or slave. He saw neither.
“My lord.”
He turned and stared at the tunic his guardian held out. The firelight caught a dark patch on the cloth and he frowned. Reaching out he took the tunic and held it close. The serrated edges of a tear were covered in blood. Closing his eyes he crumbled the cloth in his hand, feeling the residue of magic creep up his hand and dance across his skin.
“Bring her to me.” He growled, turning once more to stare out at the dark night.
He was only marginally aware of his guardian’s words and fading footsteps.
**
For the second time in as many tries Trey awoke to confusion. This time the world was painted in the greys and blacks of darkness. When he pushed himself up onto his knees he gasped as pain flooded through his chest and weariness made his limbs shake uncontrollably. With a wince he sank back against cold metal. Weakly he reached out and allowed his hand to close about a thick bar. Sliding his hand down he encountered the metal floor and a few inches away his fingers teased about the beginning of the next metal bar.
Closing his eyes against the pain and fear he forced himself back to his knees where he counted the familiar number of feet between the four enclosed walls. When his hands found the square latch and the recognizable curves of the keyhole he sank back downdespdespair, never opening his eyes. He didn’t need to. He knew the cage better than he knew his own features, just as he knew the familiar heat that blossomed in his chest and flared with every breath he took.
Gingerly he drew his knees to his chin, ignoring the almost painful coldness of the metal bars that pressed against his back. He rubbed his cheek against his knees, resisting the urge to rock himself. He should have known. If he’d allowed himself to be totally honest he could have forestalled this.
He sighed, leaning his head back. No, he couldn’t have told him. He couldn’t tell anyone. As much as he hated being someone’s puppet he hated being left alone more. If he’d told Ivan he would hbeenbeen locked up in his old room and left to rot. He couldn’t have risked it. Not after what he’d been given. Not after what he’d found.
It had been a gamble not to tell Ivan. It had been a gamble he’d lost.
With a sigh of disgust he opened his eyes and waited.
**
Ivan stared at the fire, ignoring the woman wringing her hands before him, the servant trying to offer him a glass, and the guardian standing silently by the door. “You do not know where she has gone?” He asked.
Byely shook his head. “She’s completely disappeared. We’ve searched the town and surrounding woods. No one’s seen her.”
“A woman sneaks into my home posing as a servant, harasses my slave, and then disappears into thin air. That does not make me confident of my guard, Byely.”
“We will keep searching, my lord, but we won’t find her.”
Ivan closed his eyes, rubbing his temple. “I know.”
“I am very sorry. It was never my intention to bring him into this.”
Ivan glared at the woman from under his hand. “I do not care. We are in it now and I will not sacrifice him for you. When the Kotschey offers a trade, which for your sake you had best hope he does, we shall rectify this situation and send you on your way.”
Maryushka fell silent, sinking back in her chair.
**
Trey jerked awake at the sound of a door opening. Scrambling to his feet he fed aed as light flooded the room, momentarily blinding him. He heard the man moving towards him rather than saw it and he pulled away accordingly. Blinking furiously against the light he shook his head, trying to clear it of the sudden heavy weight that seemed to sink into him, leaving him weak and shaking.
A hand touched his back and he jerked away with a hiss, glaring up at his captor. Brown eyes studied him lazily as the man pulled his hand back to stroke the short graying hair of his goatee.
“Stay away from me.” Trey growled, drawing his legs up underneath him.
Dedumil laughed. “Really now, is that anyway for a slave to speak to his master? What has that child been teaching you?”
“You are not my master,” He whispered, “I do not answer to you any longer.”
The hand stilled on his face as brown eyes darkened in anger. “You will always answer to me, boy. Ivan may own your title but I’ll always have the strongest hold on you. Or have you forgotten?”
Trey shuddered, turning his face away from the tsar. He heard the man snort and move around behind him. When he tried to move away a strong hand caught the mass of curls at the base of his neck and pulled him back painfully against the bars of the cage. He whimpered in pain and struggled to pull away but he couldn’t dislodge the sorcerer’s hand.
“Shall I remind you?” Dedumil hissed into his ear.
The tsar’s other hand snaked about his waist and pressed against the skin over his heart. A ragged cry was torn from him as the magic inside of him exploded, beating against his skin like a thousand wings. He was vaguely aware of the man’s quiet laughter. When the hands pulled away from him Trey collapsed forward, pressing his head to the cold metal of the cage floor as he tried to still his rapidly beating heart.
“Will he come to me, do you think?\" Dedumil mused, \"You see my flighty Maryushka managed to slip away from me and I was beginning to fear I had lost her for good but then I got that rather surprising message from my former apprentice asking if I knew anything about transfiguring. I wondered if perhaps you had told him our little secret but then I realized that that was rather unlikely. I remembered how much you hated it, how humiliated you were afterwards and I figured you wouldn’t dare tell him. After all, what was to keep him from doing the same thing to you once he knew it was possible?
“So I wondered if perhaps there was a second reason he would be asking and it was then I remembered that orchard you told me about. An orchard of magical fruit to tempt my missing firebird.”
Trey closed his eyes, the pain giving way to a bone aching weariness. “Leave her alone.” He whispered.
He heard Dedumil turn beside him. “I think not. You should know how much I have invested in her. It’s not every day someone can create a firebird. Actually I had only planned on going to retrieve her but when I saw you it made me think. Ivan isn’t one to give up something for free and I have no time to bargain with him. Once Maryushka knows I have found her she’ll flee again. No, I need to make sure he keeps her right where she is and what better way to do thhen hen to give him a personal stake in it?”
“He won’t let you slight him like this.”
The tsar grunted and Trey ed hed his eyes to see him wave the thought off. “There is nothing he can do about it. His magic is no match for mine and I will slaughter any army he dare sends against me. None of his allies will send help just to free a slave. Do not over-estimate yourself boy.”
“He won’t exchange her for me,” Trey growled, “He won’t let you win over him.”
“Whoever said I was going to give you back to him?” Dedumil smiled darkly at his confused look. “My dear apprentice is up against the Koshchey. He doesn’t have the power to defeat him but it will cross his mind that I might. Poor Ivan, you never told him about me, about what I was capable of, so he’ll never suspect me. Instead he’ll come running to me for help and, being as charitable as I am, I will offer to keep the poor dear woman safe.”
“You will not return me?” He asked incredulously.
Dedumil grinned, pulling a small key out of his pocket and fitting it to the lock on the cage. Trey gasped and pressed his back against the bars as the tsar pulled the cage open and stepped inside, closing it firmly behind him. Faster than he could retreat Trey found his chin caught in a tight grip and yanked forward onto his knees against the other man’s body.
“Why do you care, boy? Your duties will not change. Why do you care who it is you service? Surely you don’t think you’re better off with one of us and not the other. Or perhaps you do?” A bark like laugh escaped the man, “Does he tell you things to turn your head? Things to make you more obedient? I wouldn’t blame him if he must, after all, he doesn’t have quite as tight a hold on you as I do, does he? I can see how you’d like that. It makes it easier to pretend that what you’re doing means something to him doesn\'t it? Ah, but it must hurt more when you have to face the truth. At least I won’t give you any false illusions. You’ll always know where you stand with me, boy.”
A harsh kiss was pressed to his lips and Trey choked as he was crushed against the bars. He raised his hands and shoved the man from him, coughing as the tsar stumbled backwards with a surprised cry.
“How dare you!” Dedumil snarled, lunging forward to grasp ndfundful of hair.
Trey pulled away from him, wincing as the man was left with a few strands of red hair. The tsar’s face contorted in rage and Trey cried out as sharp nails dragged across his arm, drawing blood. Raising his hand the Koshchey hissed out a few words. Trey collapsed as the words called to the magic within him, causing it to flare to life. With each word the foreign magic surged, reaching out towards the sorcerer that had woven it into him. His vision swam as he felt the magic seep through his skin, twisting muscles and bone painfully.
When he found his voice again his cry of pain came out as a shriek. Blinking away tears he turned to stare at the man above him. The Koshchey sneered at him and stormed from the cage, slamming it shut and locking it behind him. Trey struggled to stand but he fell as he misjudged the new balance of his body. A cruel laugh came from the doorway and he lifted his head to glare at his captor.
“No, my boy, I don’t think I’ll give you back to him,” Dedumil said, “After all, I rather fancy having a matching set of firebirds at my disposal. Besides, I think Maryushka would benefit from having my original firebird teach her a few things, don’t you? ”
Trey shrieked in rage and Dedumil left, leaving him alone in the dark except for the faint glow coming off of his feathers.
Deliver Me
By: Delilah deSora
Pagan_nyght@yahoo.com
Chapter 5
**
Deliver me loving and caring
Deliver me giving and sharing
**
Trey’s breath rattled in his chest and he winced at the pressure it brought with it. Shivering he opened his eyes, peering about. With a start he realized he had no idea where he was. Scrambling to his knees he stared around the dark room. It appeared to be some sort of small chambers that hadn’t been used in years. Furniture was covered in layers of dust and cobwebs and he could clearly see his own footprints leading in from the door.
Another shiver ran through him and he folded his arms around himself, trying to mbermber what had happened. Chewing at his lower lip brought a foreign taste to his mouth and he was assaulted with images of a woman and unwanted advances. Gasping in disgust he rubbed the taste off of him, desperate to escape the ghosts of her touch.
His stomach growled and he forced himself to his feet, swaying slightly when weakness threatened to over take him. Catching himself on a well-worn chair he paused a moment before retracing his steps to the door. There he found one of a hundred identical hallways facing him. Sighing under his breath he chose a direction and followed it.
As he walked he tried to reorganize his thoughts and memories, trying to find some memory of his surroundings. He remembered the woman and the panic her touch had flooded through him. He also remembered the fear that he’d be in trouble for something that hadn’t even been his fault.
Silently he cursed himself for his foolishness. The illness or the medicine he’d been given had muddled his thoughts and he’d made the situation worse by fleeing. Ivan would have forgiven him for what had happened but he’d incriminated himself by escaping like a fugitive. He’d made it appear as though he was the guilty party.
At the end of the hallway he came across a window and he sighed in relief. Hurrying towards it he peered through, trying to orient himself by the view. In the moonlight he could see woods stretched out before him, telling him that he was at the back of the palace. Pulling the heavy glass out of the way to open the window he leaned out to get a better view. The drop proved to be four stories down and he could clearly see the boundary between the oldest part of the palace and the newer stone of its extension. Nodding to himself he pulled back and began to rework the latch.
A sudden gust of wind drove him back and he winced in pain as he fell back against the floor. Gingerly touching the back of his head he looked up in time to see a figure lunge for him. Crying out in surprise he tried to escape but an iron grip caught his wrist and jerked him back. A hand pressed against his chest and he felt something burrow its way into his very being. He tried to fight against it but it was intangible and slipped past his attempts to be free of it.
Cold breath brushed his ear and he whimpered when something cut the flesh above his heart. Blood was smeared across his skin and he arched in pain as the bindings around him tightened. Words he didn’t understand where whispered and bright hot pain lanced through him, driving all thought from his mind.
Gratefully he fell beyond the merciless fire and crashed into forgiving darkness
**
Ivan was nearly frantic with worry as he searched through the last of the rooms. None of the lower floors had shown any sign of the missing man and he was rapidly running out of places to search. Trey was too weak to go far but Ivan feared that there were plenty of places for a frightened slave to hide.
With a growl of annoyance he slammed the door to the room he’d just searched and moved on to the next one. Behind him Byely held the lantern, wisely staying silent as he moved to the next door. Strangely it was open and Ivan frowned as he stepped inside. As Byely came around Ivan froze.
“Stop!” He ordered.
Byely halted and Ivan knelt, touching the floor. “Someone’s been in here recently.” He said, looking about.
His guardian held the lantern higher, illuminating the entire room. “They’re gone now.”
A cry rang out and Ivan stood, rushing past Byely who cursed and tried to keep up without upsetting the lantern. There was a second cry, this one more pain filled than the last and Ivan tripped over the worn floor, nearly falling in his haste. Byely caught him and he shoved away, hurrying around the sharp corner of the hall. At the end he saw a huddled form being harassed underneath the window and he lunged forward towards it.
“Trey!”
A large winged creature shrieked at him and he stumbled back as its sharp beak snapped inches from his fingers. For a moment he thought he saw something move just beyond it but black feathers blocked his view. Byely pushed past him, swinging the lantern at the creature. In the erratic light Ivan could see that is was a large hawk. The hawk scream and fled out the open window. For a moment both men stared in silence before Ivan shook his head sharply and focused on the floor before him.
Only two articles of clothing lay where once huddled his firebird. Growling in sudden anger he snatched the shirt and flung it to the side. Surging up he leaned out the window, staring in the darkness for a sign of the missing bird or slave. He saw neither.
“My lord.”
He turned and stared at the tunic his guardian held out. The firelight caught a dark patch on the cloth and he frowned. Reaching out he took the tunic and held it close. The serrated edges of a tear were covered in blood. Closing his eyes he crumbled the cloth in his hand, feeling the residue of magic creep up his hand and dance across his skin.
“Bring her to me.” He growled, turning once more to stare out at the dark night.
He was only marginally aware of his guardian’s words and fading footsteps.
**
For the second time in as many tries Trey awoke to confusion. This time the world was painted in the greys and blacks of darkness. When he pushed himself up onto his knees he gasped as pain flooded through his chest and weariness made his limbs shake uncontrollably. With a wince he sank back against cold metal. Weakly he reached out and allowed his hand to close about a thick bar. Sliding his hand down he encountered the metal floor and a few inches away his fingers teased about the beginning of the next metal bar.
Closing his eyes against the pain and fear he forced himself back to his knees where he counted the familiar number of feet between the four enclosed walls. When his hands found the square latch and the recognizable curves of the keyhole he sank back downdespdespair, never opening his eyes. He didn’t need to. He knew the cage better than he knew his own features, just as he knew the familiar heat that blossomed in his chest and flared with every breath he took.
Gingerly he drew his knees to his chin, ignoring the almost painful coldness of the metal bars that pressed against his back. He rubbed his cheek against his knees, resisting the urge to rock himself. He should have known. If he’d allowed himself to be totally honest he could have forestalled this.
He sighed, leaning his head back. No, he couldn’t have told him. He couldn’t tell anyone. As much as he hated being someone’s puppet he hated being left alone more. If he’d told Ivan he would hbeenbeen locked up in his old room and left to rot. He couldn’t have risked it. Not after what he’d been given. Not after what he’d found.
It had been a gamble not to tell Ivan. It had been a gamble he’d lost.
With a sigh of disgust he opened his eyes and waited.
**
Ivan stared at the fire, ignoring the woman wringing her hands before him, the servant trying to offer him a glass, and the guardian standing silently by the door. “You do not know where she has gone?” He asked.
Byely shook his head. “She’s completely disappeared. We’ve searched the town and surrounding woods. No one’s seen her.”
“A woman sneaks into my home posing as a servant, harasses my slave, and then disappears into thin air. That does not make me confident of my guard, Byely.”
“We will keep searching, my lord, but we won’t find her.”
Ivan closed his eyes, rubbing his temple. “I know.”
“I am very sorry. It was never my intention to bring him into this.”
Ivan glared at the woman from under his hand. “I do not care. We are in it now and I will not sacrifice him for you. When the Kotschey offers a trade, which for your sake you had best hope he does, we shall rectify this situation and send you on your way.”
Maryushka fell silent, sinking back in her chair.
**
Trey jerked awake at the sound of a door opening. Scrambling to his feet he fed aed as light flooded the room, momentarily blinding him. He heard the man moving towards him rather than saw it and he pulled away accordingly. Blinking furiously against the light he shook his head, trying to clear it of the sudden heavy weight that seemed to sink into him, leaving him weak and shaking.
A hand touched his back and he jerked away with a hiss, glaring up at his captor. Brown eyes studied him lazily as the man pulled his hand back to stroke the short graying hair of his goatee.
“Stay away from me.” Trey growled, drawing his legs up underneath him.
Dedumil laughed. “Really now, is that anyway for a slave to speak to his master? What has that child been teaching you?”
“You are not my master,” He whispered, “I do not answer to you any longer.”
The hand stilled on his face as brown eyes darkened in anger. “You will always answer to me, boy. Ivan may own your title but I’ll always have the strongest hold on you. Or have you forgotten?”
Trey shuddered, turning his face away from the tsar. He heard the man snort and move around behind him. When he tried to move away a strong hand caught the mass of curls at the base of his neck and pulled him back painfully against the bars of the cage. He whimpered in pain and struggled to pull away but he couldn’t dislodge the sorcerer’s hand.
“Shall I remind you?” Dedumil hissed into his ear.
The tsar’s other hand snaked about his waist and pressed against the skin over his heart. A ragged cry was torn from him as the magic inside of him exploded, beating against his skin like a thousand wings. He was vaguely aware of the man’s quiet laughter. When the hands pulled away from him Trey collapsed forward, pressing his head to the cold metal of the cage floor as he tried to still his rapidly beating heart.
“Will he come to me, do you think?\" Dedumil mused, \"You see my flighty Maryushka managed to slip away from me and I was beginning to fear I had lost her for good but then I got that rather surprising message from my former apprentice asking if I knew anything about transfiguring. I wondered if perhaps you had told him our little secret but then I realized that that was rather unlikely. I remembered how much you hated it, how humiliated you were afterwards and I figured you wouldn’t dare tell him. After all, what was to keep him from doing the same thing to you once he knew it was possible?
“So I wondered if perhaps there was a second reason he would be asking and it was then I remembered that orchard you told me about. An orchard of magical fruit to tempt my missing firebird.”
Trey closed his eyes, the pain giving way to a bone aching weariness. “Leave her alone.” He whispered.
He heard Dedumil turn beside him. “I think not. You should know how much I have invested in her. It’s not every day someone can create a firebird. Actually I had only planned on going to retrieve her but when I saw you it made me think. Ivan isn’t one to give up something for free and I have no time to bargain with him. Once Maryushka knows I have found her she’ll flee again. No, I need to make sure he keeps her right where she is and what better way to do thhen hen to give him a personal stake in it?”
“He won’t let you slight him like this.”
The tsar grunted and Trey ed hed his eyes to see him wave the thought off. “There is nothing he can do about it. His magic is no match for mine and I will slaughter any army he dare sends against me. None of his allies will send help just to free a slave. Do not over-estimate yourself boy.”
“He won’t exchange her for me,” Trey growled, “He won’t let you win over him.”
“Whoever said I was going to give you back to him?” Dedumil smiled darkly at his confused look. “My dear apprentice is up against the Koshchey. He doesn’t have the power to defeat him but it will cross his mind that I might. Poor Ivan, you never told him about me, about what I was capable of, so he’ll never suspect me. Instead he’ll come running to me for help and, being as charitable as I am, I will offer to keep the poor dear woman safe.”
“You will not return me?” He asked incredulously.
Dedumil grinned, pulling a small key out of his pocket and fitting it to the lock on the cage. Trey gasped and pressed his back against the bars as the tsar pulled the cage open and stepped inside, closing it firmly behind him. Faster than he could retreat Trey found his chin caught in a tight grip and yanked forward onto his knees against the other man’s body.
“Why do you care, boy? Your duties will not change. Why do you care who it is you service? Surely you don’t think you’re better off with one of us and not the other. Or perhaps you do?” A bark like laugh escaped the man, “Does he tell you things to turn your head? Things to make you more obedient? I wouldn’t blame him if he must, after all, he doesn’t have quite as tight a hold on you as I do, does he? I can see how you’d like that. It makes it easier to pretend that what you’re doing means something to him doesn\'t it? Ah, but it must hurt more when you have to face the truth. At least I won’t give you any false illusions. You’ll always know where you stand with me, boy.”
A harsh kiss was pressed to his lips and Trey choked as he was crushed against the bars. He raised his hands and shoved the man from him, coughing as the tsar stumbled backwards with a surprised cry.
“How dare you!” Dedumil snarled, lunging forward to grasp ndfundful of hair.
Trey pulled away from him, wincing as the man was left with a few strands of red hair. The tsar’s face contorted in rage and Trey cried out as sharp nails dragged across his arm, drawing blood. Raising his hand the Koshchey hissed out a few words. Trey collapsed as the words called to the magic within him, causing it to flare to life. With each word the foreign magic surged, reaching out towards the sorcerer that had woven it into him. His vision swam as he felt the magic seep through his skin, twisting muscles and bone painfully.
When he found his voice again his cry of pain came out as a shriek. Blinking away tears he turned to stare at the man above him. The Koshchey sneered at him and stormed from the cage, slamming it shut and locking it behind him. Trey struggled to stand but he fell as he misjudged the new balance of his body. A cruel laugh came from the doorway and he lifted his head to glare at his captor.
“No, my boy, I don’t think I’ll give you back to him,” Dedumil said, “After all, I rather fancy having a matching set of firebirds at my disposal. Besides, I think Maryushka would benefit from having my original firebird teach her a few things, don’t you? ”
Trey shrieked in rage and Dedumil left, leaving him alone in the dark except for the faint glow coming off of his feathers.