Kirin did not even notice the blade against his throat at first. His arm was numb with pain, his head spinning from the unexpected attack and the smell of burning skin that dragged up memories he had tried so hard to bury.
A drop of blood trickled down his collarbone and brought him back to the present.
Valerien's arm gripped his waist tightly and pulled him closer.
"Trust me," the demon whispered in his ear.
That was a bit too much to ask, Kirin thought, but he did not dare say anything with the sharp point so close to his jugular.
The High Warlock stepped out of the shadows.
"If you kill him, you will never leave here, Fae. I will make sure you and your woman there suffer for an eternity," he growled.
"You can try. But it will not bring your golden boy back," Valerien replied coldly.
Kirin wondered if he could at least get one good kick in before he died. What a fool he had been to protect this monster. Demon. Fae. Whatever he was.
"Enough, Father!" Owain gasped.
He spat out some more water, then stumbled to his feet, trying to get the chain off Elinor. It only tightened.
"I will not be blackmailed by such treacherous creatures," the High Warlock said with narrowed eyes. "If I see one more drop of Kirin's blood, I will move the iron up to her face."
One end of the chain coiled up like a snake, almost touching Elinor's right eye.
Kirin knew she had to be in considerable pain, yet she refused to make a sound. He was almost relieved when her eyes closed and her body went slack in Owain's arms.
Valerien's body stiffened behind Kirin, but his voice remained calm.
"Let her live, and you can chain me instead."
The old man cocked his head like a curious bird and glanced at Elinor first.
"Is she still conscious?" he asked his son.
Owain shook his head. He looked quite furious, but Kirin could not quite tell at whom.
The chain around Elinor's neck loosened and fell to her shoulders. Even from a distance, Kirin could see the raw wounds it had left on her skin and gagged.
He could feel every muscle in Valerien's chest and arms tense even further.
"I do not break my word, Fae. I will do exactly as I said," the High Warlock said calmly.
Valerien slowly lowered the dagger and put it back into the sheath on Kirin's belt before letting him go.
The bard turned around, ready to punch him in the nose, but the demon simply ignored him, his eyes fixed calmly on the High Warlock.
Despite his humiliation, it did not feel right to attack a man who had just been defeated.
"Now do what you so gallantly prevented me from doing," the High Warlock told Kirin sternly.
"Do it yourself. His arm is injured from holding the shield," Valerien said coldly.
The old man scoffed. "That should teach him to defend a creature like you. You can stop pretending you care about him."
Kirin felt his ears burning with shame and retrieved the chain. It was heavy, and his arms were shaking as he tightened it around Valerien's chest and arms. Angry as he was, he was still careful not to touch any naked skin, because the smell of burning flesh would make him nauseous again.
The demon just stood still, looking past him at Owain, who was taking the chain off Elinor. His face was eerily expressionless as his eyes turned to the High Warlock.
"You gave me your word you would let her live."
Kirin could see his composure cracking.
"That does not mean I have to go out of my way to make her survive," the High Warlock replied.
Still, he went over to the woman his son was holding and looked at the wounds.
"I am not sure I can heal a creature created by magic. But I will try," he finally said.
"What do you need?" Owain asked, gently putting Elinor down onto a bench.
"Plants or trees will not do here. Bring me a horse. Kirin, you come here too."
Kirin swallowed nervously, but Owain exploded.
"Have you gone completely insane, Father? You cannot punish him like that!"
"Watch your tongue, son. I do not mean to use him as a source. The boy is in bad shape. He needs healing too. I hate to waste life, but if I must do it, let us at least get the most out of it."
With a sinking heart, Kirin unsaddled his new mare and led it to the old man. Valerien followed him.
"What does he want with the horse?" he asked.
Kirin ignored him. The man had just held a blade to his throat and now had the nerve to ask him questions as if none of that had ever happened. He did not even want to look at him.
The High Warlock patted the horse's head somewhat ruefully, then summoned his Healer powers. Green energies extended from his hands, withdrawing the life force from the animal and letting it flow into Kirin.
The scratch on his throat itched as it closed, but the skin on his burned hand grew painfully taut for a moment as it healed. The smaller burns and bruises he had got in the mine throbbed as they healed. It was as unnerving as ever, but at least it was over quickly.
"Now, let us see about this one," the High Warlock said.
He knelt next to Elinor and concentrated.
"Wait. That will not work," Valerien said.
The High Warlock looked up at him with interest. "Are you volunteering? I could try to give her some of your life energy, but that will be very dangerous for you."
"That will not work either. What do you know about us, witch?"
"I know your bodies are created by magic out of the elements. Earth, wind, fire, and water."
"She and I are made of opposing elements."
"But life energy is life energy."
"Only to someone who was born naturally. Can you channel the energies of the breeze or the sea?" Valerien asked.
Everyone looked down at the waves hitting the cliffs below the fortress.
"But the sea is not… alive," the High Warlock said.
"If it were not, she would not exist. I can give you a longer explanation later, but she is running out of time," Valerien said through gritted teeth.
"What a fascinating thought," the old man muttered and peered down.
Kirin knew that look and took a step back. It was best not to be anywhere close when his mentor was in experimenting mode.
"Owain, get your men to a safe distance. I need to focus," the High Warlock said, throwing back the wide sleeves of his tunic.
The soldiers did not even wait for an order before they hurried away, followed reluctantly by their commander.
A myriad of colours rose into the air and down the cliff towards the sea. It was a sight to behold, but Kirin had seen it so often that it felt natural to him.
Instead, he glanced at Valerien. It just was not fair. By rights, he should have looked like a bound ham with all that iron around him, yet he still managed to stand upright and proud, like a captive king observing the spectacle before him.
A wave of blue-green energy swept up from the sea below, followed by a spray of water drops. It seemed the High Warlock had found what he needed. The magic concentrated around Elinor's throat.
Kirin could see Valerien's tense shoulders slump in relief as the wounds slowly began to close.
The old man smiled triumphantly. "Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I wonder…"
He stopped himself with one glance at Valerien and cleared his throat.
"You will answer my questions when I am done here."
"I could have done so without this ambush," the Fae replied coldly.
"Your kind is usually not that cooperative with those they consider below them. Give me your word that you will answer my questions."
"I give you my word that I will answer your questions."
"Don't try to trick me, Fae. I know you are bound by your exact words. Say you will answer fully and honestly," the old man added with narrowed eyes.
"I will answer your questions fully and honestly," Valerien repeated.
Elinor's wounds closed, leaving behind white, fading scars. Kirin could see her chest rise and fall more normally as she breathed, yet her eyes remained closed.
The High Warlock retrieved his energies and sat down on the opposite bench. Kirin had never before seen him so exhausted. It gave him a pang of heartache. This man had always been larger than life, but despite his powers, age was catching up with him.
"There is nothing I can do about the scars, but she is not dying anymore," the old man said.
"Can your healers do something about the scars?" Kirin asked Valerien.
The Fae did not answer.
"You are bound by your word," the High Warlock reminded him sternly.
"No. An iron burn cannot be undone," Valerien said. His whole body radiated suppressed rage.
"But… why did it burn her?" Kirin asked.
The High Warlock replied, "The Fae are nature awakened. It makes them notoriously hard to kill. But the world beyond the Fae Veil lacks even a trace of iron. That is why their bodies cannot stand it, and the ore and metal are immune to their magic."
Kirin frowned. That did not seem right. Valerien had uprooted a whole mining site to bury the dead. The iron contained in the soil there had not stopped him at all.
He was about to say that when he saw the familiar feral smile on the Fae's face and golden energies burst from the iron-bound hands. The chain links heated up and broke, as a ring of fire surrounded the courtyard.
"Not all Fae are created beyond the Veil."