Chapter 33: The Sweet Taste of Vengeance

Saffron’s nail broke as she dug it into the seam of the barn door, trying to pry it open. She cursed and stuck the injured finger into her mouth. Abbington had left over an hour ago, leaving her bloody and beaten on the floor. Her back ached with every movement.
She could feel the dried blood tug against her skin as she tried the door again, but it was to no avail. She was locked in. With an anguished groan, she slid to the floor, her muscles quivering with fatigue and pain. The Baron had made sure to not hurt her face too badly, but her back was raw. He had lashed her until she fainted. The floor was sticky with her blood. Tears ran down her swollen face and dripped onto the ruined dress below.
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The main house was dark as Elric stalked around it. He assumed that they were keeping her in the barn where they had held her before, and he had noticed two guards earlier. He did not think that they would respect his title while he was alone. That was just as well, he thought as his green eyes flashed in the dark and scales shifted beneath his skin. Their blood would run tonight.
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Abbington methodically washed Saffron’s blood from his hands, the water turning a vivid pink as the gore swirled in the basin. He took the towel that William offered him. “Perhaps I was a bit harsh, no?” He said and pressed the damp towel back.
“I believe she deserved every lash, sir,” William replied, his face carefully blank. He hadn’t the stomach to watch what the Baron had done to the girl. He was worried she would not survive the night, but he would deal with that when the time came, as he always did.
“Hmm,” the Baron replied, wiping away a few flecks of blood that dotted his face. “I suppose I should send some water for her to wash up. I cannot have her looking like…that for the wedding in the morning.”
“I’ll send some,” William said and began to leave the room.
“No, I’ll do it. I want to see if I’ve tamed the wild girl,” he replied with a smug smile and left the room. William nodded and blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness, before he followed him from the room.
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Saffron had slipped into an uneasy sleep. Her dreams were blurred, pictures swirling through her mind. Her body still ached but she felt as if she were far away from it. She thought she heard Elric calling her name. She wondered if she was dying. If she were, hearing his voice as she passed wouldn’t be so bad.
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Elric didn’t hear anything from inside. He had sneaked from the house back to the barn. The two guards stood on either side of the front door but Elric had decided to check for any loose boards in the back. The building was sealed shut. There was not even a loose nail to be found. The Baron had ensured that whatever went inside of the barn, stayed in.
He heard the faint murmuring of the guards around the front. If he were careful, he would be able to kill them quickly and quietly. He crept on silent feet around the edge of the wooden building, straining to hear. Nothing but the voices of the men. He hoped that Saffron was okay. He would never forgive himself if something had happened to her before he could save her.
Elric peered around the corner. He was only a few strides from the first guard. As he took his first step, lantern light caught his attention. It appeared that someone was coming down from the house. He slunk back into the shadows and watched two figures appear.
It was the Baron and one of the men that Elric remembered from the first time he saved Saffron, that strode down the path. An unintentional growl slipped from Elric’s lips as he watched the light flicker across the Baron’s pallid face.
“Is she still alive?” he called cheerily to the guards as he approached. One nodded.
“We believe so,” he said grimly and stepped aside so the Baron could unlock the door.
“Well, she better be or else it’s your head. I am to be married tomorrow after all,” the Baron spat back and pulled an iron-wrought key from his pocket. As soon as the key slid into the lock, Elric charged.
He swept the crutch low, knocking a guard from his feet. With a swift downward stroke, he crushed his throat. The other men had no time to react. They were shocked by his appearance. A few swings of his crutch and the other guard was down.
Elric stood glowering at the Baron, his eyes glowing in the lantern light. A slow smile slid across the Baron’s face. “Well, look who has come to the rescue again. Sadly, this time, you do not seem to have your soldiers to uphold your family name,” he said quietly, menace dripping from every word as he unfurled the whip he kept at his waist.
William stepped forward but Abbington stopped him with a raised hand. “No, this is between the little prince and me,” he said and snapped his whip, the sound cracking through the air. “I’m going to use this on you like I did that whore!” he yelled and cracked it again towards Elric. Elric dodged the leather strap, knocking it aside with his crutch.
Abbington growled his frustration and jerked the whip back, his hair falling over one eye. With a yell, he lashed out again. This time the whip burned across Elric’s forearm, ripping away the skin. Elric roared and reared back, clutching the streaming wound. The Baron smiled again.
“That was just a taste of what I did to her,” he taunted. Elric saw red. Scales rippled down his arms and great wings burst from his back. His roar shook the ground, knocking Abbington back. Elric, now a large, gilded dragon, stood above him. “Wha-what?” he stammered, scrambling backward through the snow.
The dragon advanced, smoke furling from its nostrils. William turned and ran. He would not die for the evil Baron. Elric watched him go before turning his glittering eyes to Abbington. While he had been watching William, Abbington had grabbed his whip. He thrashed Elric’s foreleg with the weapon, but it glanced off the hardened scales. Elric ripped the whip from Abbington’s hand with one jerk, sending the man flying.
“No, no. Please!” Abbington begged as Elric’s teeth sank into his soft middle.