Fuse by E.L. Todd

Twenty

The door flew open,and Rune walked inside with two guards. Vengeance was as clear in his eyes as the sun on a cloudless day. His neck appeared to be restored to its previous capacity, but Rune hadn’t forgotten the pain it caused him. This time, he might kill her.

“So glad you could join me.” Bored by him as she always was, her voice came out hollow.

“Grab her.” Rune unbuttoned his jacket then threw it on the floor.

Cora panicked. “I don’t think so.” She kicked one guy in the ankle and made him buckle to his knee. When the adrenaline kicked in, she had bursts of newfound energy. She jumped to her feet and kneed the other guard right in the groin. “I hope you’ve already had your children.” She kneed him again for good measure.

Rune gritted his teeth and spoke under his breath. “Absolutely ridiculous. She’s a goddamn woman.”

“Just a woman?” Cora grabbed the guard cupping his balls and shoved him into Rune. They both fell to the floor in an ungraceful pile.

That was when she noticed the door.

It was open.

She could escape.

This was her chance.

She punched the guard next to her before she jumped over the tangled mass of Rune and the other guard.

“No!” Rune shoved his comrade off. “Don’t let her get away!”

She sprinted as hard as she could, ignoring the blinding pain in her legs and everywhere else. Her lungs burned because they couldn’t hold the same amount of oxygen as they used to. Nothing worked the way it once did.

But that didn’t matter.

She had to get out of there. Failure wasn’t an option. It was either succeed or die.

“Get her!” Rune’s voice echoed down the hallway. Torches lit the walkway, and the blue stone stretched deep into the castle. When a guard approached at the very end of the hall, she darted to the left.

“Run.” She coached herself to keep going, to resist the fatigue and pain. “Come on.”

She grabbed a torch off the wall with her bound hands and kept running. She had no idea where she was going, whether she was up high near the top or in a dungeon near the bottom. She found a window and peered into the night.

She was at the top.

She kept going and tried to find stairs. She was even willing to jump out of a window. Her feet thudded against the stone floor, and her breathing echoed in the small enclosure.

“Let her escape, and I’ll kill all of your children.” Rune’s voice erupted from behind her. “I’m not kidding.”

She pushed herself harder and kept going.

The tower bells started to ring, piercing her ears. She was directly beneath one at the top of the castle. When she finally found a circular stairway, she took the steps two at a time.

Guards emerged from the bottom of the stairwell, torches and swords in hand. When they spotted her at the top, they stopped, momentarily appearing to be just as frightened as she was.

“Damn.” She turned around and retreated.

“There!” Rune and his guards were closing in on her from the way she’d come. “I’m going to gut you like a fish.”

Panic rose in her throat, and so did the tears. She didn’t fear the oncoming punishment but rather the confinement she would be returned to. She could taste the freedom on her tongue.

Now it was about to be taken away again.

She was grabbed by the neck from behind, and her airway was immediately restricted. Instinctively, she shoved the torch behind her and pressed the flames into the guard’s face.

“Agh!” He fell back, gripping his skull as his face was charred. He toppled down the stairs, taking a few guards with him.

Her hope resurged.

She headed back down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she jumped over the guards and sprinted once more. She was one level down and only had a few more to go. Before she turned the corner, an external force pressed against her skull. A wall of solid marble slammed against her, forcing her to stay in place, no matter how hard she tried to move. Her skull began to feel hot, burning to ash.

She clenched her jaw and tried not to scream. The pain was excruciating, just as it had been the last time. Unable to move or even think, she was forced to remain still. Slowly, Shadow appeared out of the darkness, his palm raised directly at her.

The Shaman.

Cora had never felt so much hatred in her entire life. This foul creature had put her in this dungeon. He was a coward, hiding behind magic to do what he wanted. If only she’d had a second poisoned arrow, she could have taken him down as well.

His magical strength kept her in place, but somehow, she found the ability to move her lips. “I’m glad I killed your brother. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

His hand shook before he made a fist.

She fell to the floor as her body gave out. Her skull was being pressed in on all sides. At any moment, it would be crushed, and her brain would boil out of her ears.

“Enough.” Rune gripped her by the arms and yanked her to her feet. “I’ve got it from here.”

Shadow kept his hand raised, exerting his full force to snap the life right out of her.

Cora screamed so loud she couldn’t hear anything else.

“Stop.” Rune’s voice carried all of his authority. “I need her alive.”

Hesitantly, Shadow dropped his hand. His hood faced her for a few more seconds before he abruptly turned on his heel and left. Just as his name suggested, he disappeared into the darkness.

Cora’s head dropped forward when the torture stopped.

“You’re going to get the beating of a lifetime.” He gripped her by the hair and dragged her up the stairs. When she didn’t move fast enough, he shoved her. “You really thought you’d get out of here? Stupid girl.”

She threw her foot back and kicked him.

Rune caught her leg then shoved her hard against the floor. “When will you ever learn?” He grabbed her by the back of the neck and dragged her to her feet once more.

The last thing Cora wanted was to return to that cell. She had no idea how much time had passed or how long she would be confined to the prison. If they refused to kill her until she talked, then she would be there for a very long time.

The thought made her want to collapse.

Windows were etched into the stone wall, bigger than the one she had in her solitary cell. It was at least twenty feet down to the bottom, and the fall would surely kill her. The second her body hit the pavement, that would be the end.

She went for it.

Elbowing Rune in the nose, she dashed to the window.

“No, you don’t.” He wiped the blood from his nose then snatched her just as she crawled onto the windowsill. “You don’t get that luxury.” He wrapped his arm around her throat and constricted her air as he dragged her back to her cell. Without enough oxygen, she constantly gasped for breath.

Rune returned her to the cell and dropped her. “Let’s not repeat that. Maybe it was fun for you, but it gave us a headache.” He rolled up his sleeves then cracked his knuckles. “Hold her.”

Cora didn’t care about anything anymore. The fight inside her had vanished like a blown-out candle. Nothing mattered at that point. She was an empty vessel, devoid of anything—even a soul.

The guards held her upright and forced her face upward, making it visible to Rune.

He massaged his knuckles with an eager look on his face, the blood lust heavy in his eyes. Then he prepared his right hook and slammed his fist into her face, making blood fly from her mouth.

She felt the pain but didn’t concentrate on it.

Rune hit her again, punching her right in the ribs. A distinct crack sounded in the cell. “Looks like I broke a few.”

Cora didn’t make a sound. She refused to give him any kind of satisfaction.

Rune beat her like a punching bag, laying blows across her face and body. Blood oozed from every opening and dripped down her skin. Bones were cracked and muscle was torn. Her heartbeat grew fainter with every second.

Death, come for me.