Runaway with Faye

Chapter 30

It wasn't long before the sun set. The group stopped, and settled in for the night. Supervised by Lyon, all the guards set up camp around a fire. They had tied Jyri and Faye to a nearby tree, and Nephele to a chair next to Lyon's carriage. Kern and Roark kept a watchful eye on her. The smell of roasted meat filled the air, causing Faye's mouth to water. But of course, they weren't offered any.

"We got it!" a voice called. Everyone turned to the source. Two guards marched in, each holding an arm of a man wearing anti-magic cuffs pressed in between them. Ran. Jyri gasped.

Lyon stood up from in front of the fire, and met the guards halfway. One of the guards shoved Ran to the ground. Lyon gave the guard a smile of approval, then sneered down at Ran. "Thought you could get away from us, did you?"

"I- I'm sorry, I..."

Lyon bent down, and grabbed a fistful of Ran's hair, yanking him upright. "Despicable creature. You'll come to regret that."

Next to Faye, Jyri's body tensed.

"As much as I appreciate the effort, which you will surely be rewarded for, why do you have this animal walking on its hind legs?" Lyon asked the guards.

"That's, how it was walking," one of the guards said.

Lyon kicked Ran in the shin. "We've already been over this. You're an animal, so you walk on four legs. Understand?"

Ran mumbled something. Lyon kicked him again. "I said, do you understand me?"

"Your majesty, how can it understand you?" the other guard asked. "It's an animal."

"Oh, right." Lyon eyed Ran for a moment, then yanked him by the shirt collar, and half-dragged him past Jyri and Faye, towards the campfire. Ran locked fearful eyes with Jyri as he struggled to remain upright.

"Stop!" Jyri shouted.

Lyon turned to scowl at him. "Did you just try to tell me what to do?"

"Your majesty-"

Lyon stepped up towards Jyri and Faye, Ran's collar still in fist. "You are not in any position to shout commands at me."

"Apologies, your majesty. Please. Just... could you leave him here with us?" Jyri asked politely.

Lyon raised an eyebrow at him. "No, that would be giving you what you want."

"But-"

"No. I have special plans for this one."

"Your majesty," a guard cried from the campfire. "The nymph escaped!"

"WHAT!" Lyon almost released his hold on Ran. Then, shoved Ran into the guards who brought him in, and rushed over to the guard. "What do you mean, she escaped?"

"She's not tied to the chair anymore."

"How? WHO LET THIS HAPPEN!"

The guards looked among each other, and shrugged.

"It was Kern's turn to watch her."

"Kern? Where is that imbecile?"

A guard shrugged.

"And where's Roark?"

The guard shrugged again. Lyon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Those two... When I see those two..." He pointed at two guards. "Find them, and if that nymph has gotten away, I swear to Odis..."

"Your majesty," one of the two guards with Ran called out. "What do we do with the shapeshifter?"

"Does it look like I care?" Lyon shouted. "We have bigger concerns right now. Tie it up somewhere!"