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To Court the Fèidh

Chapter Eleven

© Cederwyn Whitefurr

8th October, 2021

All Rights Reserved.

Alexander become the thing he dreaded and hated – a vengeful, rage filled creature of limited thought – only a sickening red haze that swept him up like a tidal wave he could not escape.

It mattered not, if they fought, they surrendered, or even if they ran – he slaughtered them like cattle, no, they were not even that – they were...nothing...

He moved through the keep with one thought overruling all – to find and rescue his beloved, irregardless of the consequences that his actions might bring down.

*

At last, he stood at the top of the stairway, glaring down into the barely flickering torches. His ears pinning back, his muzzle dripping blood, Alexander snarled like a predatory beast and thrust his bloodied paws out – a sickening miasma of black magicks swirling forth and snuffing out the torches one after another.

“What was that..." Come a frightened human voice. “I can't see...whose..."

Their death shall be quick...

It was...

*

Standing before the iron bound door, Alexander glared at it, his nostrils flaring as he heard the voices behind it. Scents come to him, blood, pain, terrible terrible pain, the stink of unwashed humans and... that scent – that acrid, salty scent of...

No, they... they couldn't, they wouldn't... She's a...

Fianna's scent filled his nostrils, wiping away the rage, the blood lust and the other scents as he grasped it with his mind and held tight to it.

“Fianna - “ Alexander wept.

“Al..." Come a choking sob, then a loud Cervid shriek of agony as something struck her.

They hurt my beloved...

Incensed, the stag gripped the bars then he screamed as he felt the silver searing his fingers and palms. Pain built on pain, turned into a white hot fire of torture as he grunted and strained, placing one cloven hoof against the wall as he continued to pull with all his strength.

Reinforced, the cell door creaked and groaned, rivets three inches thick popped and ricocheted off the wall as the stag snarled and bore down with his rage fuelling him and granting him strength.

With a terrible crunch, the door was torn from its mountings and Alexander threw it to the side before he burst through the cell doorway like a spirit of vengeance....then promptly screamed as he felt the silver sword slice across the back of his heels.

At the touch, he instinctively kicked out, but being so close he could only wind the human who had just crippled him. With a shriek, the stag stumbled and fell, within and sobbing in agony. As he clenched his paws and pressed them to the mouldy straw, trying to force himself up, he felt the tip of another sword pressed against the back of his head and he immediately dropped back to the floor.

“Fianna...my love... I have failed you..."

“Holy fuck..." Muttered the one who held the sword. “We got the beast...we got him... He fell for it, the Magi were right, that bitch of a Therian's blood of some of these rags, it lead him straight to us!"

Choking and wheezing, the one that'd been kicked gestured weakly as he lay crumpled.

“Where is...Fianna..." Come the wheeze from the stag, as he blinked and shuddered.

“That slut of a Therian?" Snickered the man who held him with the sword to the neck. “She was very... unwilling... we had to take our time with that one, break a few bones, start peeling her skin off her...she submit soon enough, then I think half the keep had her, she was quite a slut and..."

Alexander's teeth grated as he slowly clenched his paws in rage and hatred.

“Uh uh, no you don't..."

Again, that sword poked the back of Alexander's neck, forcing him into immobility again.

“When we were done with her...well, guess we might have been a bit too rough... she died like the beast she was...now, good night beast...its bedtime!"

With a sickening downwards motion, the human brought a heavy weight crashing down on the back of the stag's head, driving him deep into darkness...

*

“Therian?" Came a voice.

“Seems to have an unnatural resistance to silver..."

Searing agony snapped the Stag awake and he shrieked as he felt the blade slice across his forearm – a forearm that was bound by silver infused shackles.

“Awake are you beast? Good..." Someone else cackled. “We wouldn't want you to miss out on any of this..."

Alexander snarled and struggled, but the bindings around neck, chest, belly, arms and legs held him tightly bound to the examination table that lay at a 45 degree angle. As he blinked away the salty tears from his eyes, he seen members of the Order – mostly the black robed Magi, who muttered and consulted books and scrolls, four guardsmen standing nearby with their hands on the hilts of their silver swords.

“Fascinating... “Said a Magi, as he again sliced across the Stag's forearm, watching the silver blade slice through fur and flesh. “It reacts like a Therian – watch..."

Helplessly, Alexander struggled then shrieked as the blade was pushed into his wrist. Blood welled and dribbled down the channel as he struggled wildly.

“A high tolerance, is this some kind of new mutation in their genetics?"

“Let me...go..." Gasped the stag.

“Go? A Therian? You'd tear us limb from limb, eat our hearts and...no beast, we will not release you, you are of intense interest to us and..."

Raising his eyebrows, the one who experimented looked at the Stag's right pectoral muscle. Taking a thin, yet razor sharp blade, he sliced at the fur until the bare skin was revealed, before he staggered back and his eyes went wide as he stared at the brand that'd been seared into the flesh.

It was the mark all initiates received... the brand of the Order...

“This...no, it can't be! He can't be one of us..."

Other's came and stared, then Alexander shuddered, sickened by the pain he endured, before he managed a weak choking voice.

“I was one of you... Brother Alexander – I..."

Suddenly, sickening magicks seized him and wrapped their inky tendrils around him, crushing the air from his lungs as he writhed helplessly and tried to scream.

“Beast, murderer, vile abomination of the unholiest of unions... how come you of this mark!"

Breathless, all he could do was writhe and scream until he air was crushed from his lungs as the entropic magicks began to feast upon his very life force.

“ENOUGH!" Snarled the Arch-Magi, as he stormed into the chamber and with a wave of his hand, banished the magicks that tortured Alexander worse than any silver could. “I will interrogate this beast myself, for you do not know that which you have captured! Long have I wished to have another one of these creatures in my grasp..."

“No..." Choked the stag. “You will not...break me... I will die, before I tell you anything!"

With a callous grin, the Arch-Magi took a silver dagger from one of his apprentices, then drove it straight through the stag's left paw and almost to the hilt, hearing the cervine scream in unimagined agony.

“You will break beast.. greater than you have tried to resist... their skulls now adorn my study walls and bookcases! Now, speak truth creature, for the sooner you tell me that which I suspect to be true – the sooner you will die..."

“Torture me all..." Came the choking sob. “You've already... taken everything from me..."

With a smirk the Arch-Magi raised his fingers, then eldritch bolts of ebony lightning wreathed his wrists before shooting into the buck who bucked and writhed as if he was being electrocuted.

Others gleefully watched on, savouring the screams and the torture, their own hatred and disgust filling them as they derived a sick, perverted pleasure from the torture.

Alexander tried everything he could, but the pain of the silver dagger in his paw and the Arch-Magi's magicks that lanced through him tore apart his defences faster than he could erect them...

Ten minutes – an eternity to Alexander – past before the Arch-Magi ceased his cruel and sadistic torture, then grinned malevolently at the hysterically crying stag before him.

“I know of only one way, a beast can bear that mark. Tell me, brother, who turned you?"

“Never..."

“You think I've hurt you? Oh, foolish beast, you've only felt a tickle – compared to that which I shall bring unto you... now... speak!"

Again that lightning crackled and flashed, turning Alexander's muscles into rock hard convulsions, bones began to quiver and fracture from the strain and his heart almost seized – so great was the pain.

“My name...is... Alexander – I am...I was – an initiate, then become a sworn Brother..."

Ceasing the torture, the Arch-Magi glared at him.

“This we know – now – speak quickly beast, my patience is thin. Who turned you? How could you permit yourself to...become...that!"

With a shudder, Alexander gritted his teeth and refused to speak of that which had happened.

“You think your silence will save the one you love?"

With a startled snort, the stag's eyes widened.

“You...you killed her...tortured her, had her... your men... they passed her around after she'd been... broken and they..."

“She was useless to us, you on the other hand... You are most interesting to me – I think we might try a little experiment we've been working on for a few years now. Whilst hunting and executing you beasts keeps us sharp, we may have finally unlocked the secret of your kinds ability to turn humans..."

“A bite...blood..." Wheezed the stag. “You know...this."

“Indeed – however – what if we unlocked the ability to turn those humans your pathetic, insolent and violent creatures turned into more of you? I believe, now we have you... you will be the missing component, or some part of you, that will allow us to turn innocent humans back from the cruelty and depravity your kind forced them into..."

“I'll never...submit..."

“Yes...you said that, and I do believe you will indeed keep that oath. Now, brother, shall I show you how mistaken you truly are? You think yourself strong, and you are strong – but what you do not know... can not know... as it is not spoken of outside the Elder Council... is the deepest of compulsions that are imprinted on young acolytes minds when we first take them..."

“You think..."

Smiling, the Arch-Mage leaned forwards, then twisted the silver dagger, making the stag scream again and trash helplessly.

“I don't _think..._beast...I know... now, shall we begin? I'll leave you in the tender, merciful hands of the Elder Council Magi... They will find you a most... unwilling subject. Please do me the honour and suffer and scream? I do so enjoy it when your kind resist..."

With a snort, he turned and left the chamber, then Alexander shuddered and squeezed his eyes tightly closed, dreading and fearing what unholy rituals they had planned for him...

To Be Continued...