The Healer Pt 11

Every time he had to watch Callen have his way with Coral, a part of his heart withered. Seeing her suffer, seeing her subjected to so much pain was more almost than he could bare—he would have died of agony if it weren't for the small moments of reprieve they were fortunate enough to have, those precious times he could hold her close and try to ease her suffering. Knowing that she was carrying a foal made the entire thing worse—if his brother had treated her as she deserved to be treated, if he had taken into consideration her feelings instead of enforcing his own, none of this would be happening. Quell's desperate, selfish attempt to spare himself the fate of losing a mate just might result in him losing her regardless.

Vadim feels her dingy, unwashed hair under his fingers as he strokes it. He yearns to clean her up, to wash away the past nine days, to take her to a quiet cottage in the woods and never leave her side again. He closes his eyes briefly and feels the warmth of her body against his; if it hadn't been for the stone cold floor beneath him or the constant ache of his broken arm or the stench of Callen's seed all over her, he might have been able to imagine they were anywhere else.

He has thought hard on the matter, having plenty of time at his disposal, on how to get out of the predicament that they are stuck in. He tried pulling the chain out of the wall, he tried to get close enough to the guard to get the keys, or Callen to kill him but each failed attempt only earned him more pain at their captors' hands or hooves. At one point he even considered figuring out how to cut his feet off but he dismissed that idea because the only thing worse than a centaur born with only two legs was one who didn't have any at all. Vadim has suffered greatly but he never complained because he would have gladly forfeit his life if it would have saved Coral the agony of being raped over and over.

He tenses when he hears the sound of their hooves on the stone; his hand squeezes Coral's shoulder. He does not want to wake her, he doesn't want her to face what she must but he knows that being caught by surprise makes it even worse. She sits up and stuffs a mushroom into her mouth—he wonders how bad they are for the foal but he never says a word as it is all she can do to hold herself together.

The guard opens the door and Callen enters. His sneer, his smug affect makes Vadim's see red.

"Come here Coral," his haughty voice demands.

Before Vadim can tell him to go to hell, Coral rises. With her head down, she walks to him; Vadim's blood runs cold. Her demeanor, her meek affect is something so unlike her that he knows the centaur has finally succeeded; he broke Coral and in doing so he has crippled Vadim worse than any beating could. If Vadim had had the recipe for the elixir, he'd have given it up nine days ago. Part of him realizes that Coral is correct; if Callen knew how to make it he would no doubt slay his father and take over rule of Centurion, leaving no one to stop him from raping his way across the countryside, leaving a wake of battered women and bastard foals.

"Are you going to fight me today?" Callen's deep voice queries, intrigued at Coral's sudden lack of feist.

"No," her voice is so timid it brings tears to Vadim's eyes.

Callen tips her chin up, forcing her to look at him, "Prove it to me."

Coral sheds her rags, exposing herself to all. Her once smooth white skin is marred in dark bruises, red welts, bite marks and the grime of dirt. Seeing the impressions Callen's hands left on her skin, the tears fall freely from Vadim's eyes, just as they had every other time he was forced to look upon his sister, his love and see the damaged canvas that her previous attempts at fighting caused her. He watches in horror as she reaches out and takes the centaur's hand, kissing the back of it.

"Good girl," Callen purrs to her, leading her out of the cell before sending his man off, "Leave us."

Vadim manages to catch her eyes for a brief moment—they look vacant, dull. His body slumps against the wall; he forces himself to look away when she presses her body up against the centaur. He blocks out the coos of praise, the sickly wet sounds of their captor having his way with Coral. Vadim's eyes burn with tears when he hears her in the throes of her orgasm—after their trip to Severton, it was a sound that used to echo in his dreams but now it is something that will haunt his nightmares.

He can hear Callen grunting, groaning as the centaur reaches his. Then, his moan changes pitch in such an odd, almost pained way that it snaps Vadim out of his own self condolence. He glances over in time to watch Coral slide out from under the centaur, her body scrambling across the stone floor while Callen stumbles after her, a knife sticking out of the side of his chest, blood oozing into his shirt.

It takes a moment for the sight to register in Vadim's mind—then his eyes grow wide and he jumps up. He takes several steps forward until his feet are hobbled together; he stares down at the body of Callen, confirming that he is dead. He has no sorrow for his wretched cousin, but his heart aches when he realizes that he believed Coral to be weaker than she is because she was pretending. He shifts his feet together to draw himself one step closer to the bars and tries to reach for her but he cannot.

She desperately clutches at the gate and pulls it; Vadim yearns for her so badly, his body throbs. He admires her resilience, her perseverance, her steadfastness—she is the most remarkable creature he has ever known and she is the only one who could have survived this. He must force her to leave, to get to safety, "Coral, it is no use, the guard has the keys. Please—leave—now! Before he gets back!" He begs, tossing her the remains of her dress.

Hastily she pulls it on; she closes her eyes and leans her head against the bars. She breathes deeply; Vadim knows that she is starting to lose her control.

"No. I will not leave you. We are in this together. Either we both get out, or I stay."

"Coral," he snaps at her, knowing that she won't have much longer before she is consumed by her fear, by her anxiety just as she has been many times in the past several days, "Go!"

Despite his begging, she does not go; instead, she runs about the cavern, searching, looking at all that is around her. His heart pounds and he tries to think of what to say to convince her to just leave—maybe if she believed she could go get help for him, she would go; but before he can speak, he hears the guard's approaching hoof clops. His breath catches in his throat—he cannot bear what the other centaur will do to her; in fact, the only reason why the guard didn't rape her too was because Callen didn't want to share Coral with him, like he did all of the other women.

Before Vadim can even react, he watches her raise a cross bow and let loose an arrow, hitting the guard in the chest with a swift thunk. The guard draws his knife and tries to take one last lunge at Coral but it is no use; he falls dead, to the floor.

Coral stumbles towards him, her face looking pale, her features twisted in fear. She finds the keys but her hands are shaking so badly that she drops them several times before she manages to open the gate, crashing to her knees. She crawls forward and he hears her start to panic when she stuffs the keys into his hands. Vadim hastily unlocks his binds, rushing to her and cradling her in his arms but she quickly looses consciousness.

He pulls her close to his chest and rocks her limp body back and forth, tears springing from his eyes. She did what he could not—he is both proud of her and ashamed of himself. He presses soft kisses to her forehead, gently stroking back her hair. He is unsure where they are, though he speculates they are close to the castle as the food what was given to them was always good and still hot. He knows he should go get help but he will not leave her. Despite his aching arm he lifts her up and cradles her close, ignoring the shooting pain and his weak trembling limbs. As quickly as he can, he leaves the cell, breathing a sigh of relief while he picks his way around the dead guard and to the arch leading out. He is surprised to find himself in a large stone hallway which leads in both directions. He pauses for a moment, listening and looking but he can discern nothing. When his eyes fall to the ground and he sees the now brown streak of blood from the first centaur guard leading down to the left, he decides to go to the right.

He weaves his way through the dank, dusty passages. When he notices the carefully laid stone blocks it is only moments before he realizes they are still in the castle, the torture chamber an old forgotten room of the dark Centurion past. He angrily wonders if Yulnar knew of the chamber and said nothing, or if the King's father didn't pass the knowledge along.

When his legs burn with exhaustion he realizes that the entire hallway weaves and folds back upon itself in an upward slope, leading towards the first floor of the castle. Vadim sees a door at the end of the hall and has to restrain the urge to run and burst through it; instead, he reaches for it, carefully balancing Coral in his arms. When he pushes against it and feels resistance, discovering that the opening is covered by a large tapestry; easing them out behind it, he looks out into a large hallway.

His legs tremble, his body weak from the lack of exercise and nutrition but Vadim pushes through it, taking quick strides to find some place safe—then he hears voices. He tenses, until he recognizes the one that belongs to his father.

Rainer rounds a corner with King Yulnar; the pair stops, shocked when they see Vadim in front of them. Rainer rushes forward, his face twisting in a violent frown when his gaze drops to Coral.

"What happened?" He practically snarls.

Vadim's vicious gaze turns on King Yulnar, "Callen and his henchmen are the ones responsible for stealing maidens, father. After Coral and I left dinner he had his two men kidnap us and take us to the torture chamber. He did all that he could in attempt to get the elixir recipe from us."

King Yulnar's eyes grow wide with disbelief. Rainer cuts him off before he can speak, "Where are they now?"

"Dead," Vadim feels no remorse for his fallen cousin when he looks into his uncle's eyes.

"How?" King Yulnar whispers.

"I killed them," he lies seamlessly, "Two of them at least. Callen killed the first centaur because he had been ordered to only kidnap me, but as I was never alone Coral was grabbed as well. I managed to steal the keys from the second guard before he left—then I stabbed Callen and killed the guard."

Yulnar's face twitches, his voice quiet, "The punishment for a human killing a centaur is death."

"That is not an issue—Vadim is a centaur!" Rainer roars at him. "After the atrocities your

son

committed," he growls, unable to even find words. Vadim has never seen his father this angry before; Rainer manages to spit out, "I should declare war on Centurion—peace treaty or not. My mate will have no qualms with my decision!" He turns to Yulnar, his towering imposing figure making the other King take a step back. Over his shoulder, Rainer directs Vadim, "Take her back to your quarters. Clean off the stench of Callen's inferior, unworthy seed off of her—when Quell gets back you and the healer will return home immediately."

Vadim swiftly walks away, Rainer's screams at Yulnar fading. He reaches the room they shared with his brother, thankful that Quell is not there—he cannot imagine what it would be like to discover his mate like this. Tenderly, he lies her down on a plush rug and strips her of her dress, tossing it into the fire. Hastily he drenches a towel and wipes her clean, starting with nether regions and the last remnants of Callen's fresh seed. His eyes burn when tears break free again, suffering his own personal torment at having to clean another creature's seed off of his sister.

He does the best he can without a proper bath, though it is not as well as he would have preferred; he can still smell centaur on her and he knows that Quell will be able to. None the less, he dresses her in a fresh shift and a soft robe before resting her body on the bed.

Vadim gives himself the same treatment, briskly wiping his body down before changing into fresh clothes, pulling on boots over his bruised ankles. Hastily, he packs everything that he can see, including Reid and Quell's things. By the time he has finished, his arm sears in pain. He drags a chair over to the bed, taking her hand into his and intertwining his fingers with hers, remaining near her in case she wakes.

The door bursts open, Quell's wide, feral eyes surprise his brother; Vadim carefully puts Coral's hand down by her side. Quell rushes over to the bed, dropping to his knees before his trembling hands reach out to Coral. His entire body shakes as he grasps her tight, pulling her close. Tears fall down his face while he strokes her hair; his gaze turns on Vadim.

Vadim knows what Quell wants, "Now is not the time, brother. Let us make haste home—it is the only way to make sure she is safe."

Without hesitation, Quell rises, protectively holding her close to his chest. Vadim throws a cloak on, glancing at Reid as he enters. The centaur's face twists in disapproving horror, his nose picking up the faded scent of forced mating.

None of them see anything or anyone while they make their way through the dark halls of the castle and towards the entrance—all of them just wish to get as far from Centurion as they can. Just outside, at the base of the ramp stands Rainer with the four other centaurs from their party, Junta, Tomir, Nevren and Letin; Marcus waits close by with the reins of a large horse in his hand.

Rainer's knuckles are white, his grip is on the sword at his waist, prepared and ready to strike. He has a dangerous look in his blank black face, his eyes narrowed and his full lips pulled into a disapproving frown. When his gaze falls on the unconscious Coral, his frown deepens, "Make haste home and have Pelium tend to her right away," he commands his son. "Tomir and Junta will ride with you. The rest will stay with me while I try to decide if Yulnar's head should remain on his shoulders."

If Vadim had any energy about him, he might have been shocked but he can barely force his body to continue moving. He struggles to pull himself up on the large horse; he wonders how Coral will make the ride home and he gets his answer when Quell doesn't wait for anyone, but starts galloping off down the road with his mate in his arms and Tomir at his side. Vadim glances briefly at his father and nods before turning and spurring his horse forward to follow his brother. Junta brings up the rear.

The ride to Centurion took half of the day at a leisurely pace, however the ride home to Centurna only takes a few hours as hooves beat the ground, the party moving as if wolves are upon them. None of them speak, only the labored panting of the centaurs coming from their mouths. Each jarring clop of hooves sends pain searing through Vadim's arm but it also reminds him of the dreadful echoing sound that preceded the arrival of Callen and his guard every time they came to torment them.

The agony of Vadim's broken appendage is merely a shadow when compared to the blackness that settles over his heart. He loves Coral, with all that is in him—it was hard enough knowing that she took his brother as a mate, but having to see Callen's hands on her flesh, watching him take pleasure in her body while simultaneously being able to do nothing to stop it and envying the fact that his cousin got to experience his sister in a way he never would put him in an awful place.

Vadim always felt like he had been cursed—he never understood why the Fates saw it fit to ruin his entire life. As soon as he was old enough to talk, he was old enough to understand that he was not like his parents or the other creatures in their world. He grew up hating what he was—half of a half breed. Not even being a Prince was any sort of comfort, in fact it only made things worse. He could see the looks on his parents' worried faces, wondering what would happen to Centuarna unless they could bear an actual foal and not a deformed, two legged centaur. They tried to treat him the same but their efforts only highlighted his ineptitude—he couldn't gallop for hours, he wasn't as strong and powerful, he would never lead their people or command soldiers in battle.

When his first younger brother was born, their father was relieved. The future of Centuarna was safe now that there was someone worthy of ruling it, a handsome, strong, four legged beast. Vadim hated Quell when he was a foal. Then, the Battle happened. The men to the west waged war on Centuarna. The humans hated the half breeds with a passion. Vadim knew why, too, though it was something his father and the elders made it a point to never talk about—it was because of Centurion.

Though Centuarna was a buffer between the humans and the barbaric centaurs, the Centurions' need for fertile women pushed them to skirt the northern mountains and attack the humans to the west. It was Vadim's grandfather—Keira and Yulnar's father—that led the charge. They killed all the human men they could, desperately raping women before whisking away to their lands. By the time Rainer caught word of it the war was well underway. He and every able bodied centaur descended upon them. Rainer killed the old Centurion King and any Centurion that refused to surrender but he did his best to spare all of the humans he could.

Of course, the men had no way of knowing that all centaurs weren't created equal—in their eyes every half breed was an abomination that needed to be wiped out. The men he had so graciously spared stormed through the mountain pass into Centuarna, out for blood for the lost women and their fallen brethren. The Battle took place in the forests just inside of the Centuarna valley, a stone's throw from the town, a place where Coral frequently visits to harvest plants.

Vadim can recall watching the horrors with his mother from one of the castle guard towers. It was a bloodbath—the human men, already weak and worn from the beginning of the war, lost quickly. Knowing that they teetered on the edge of extinction they surrendered in a desperate attempt to avoid death and were surprised when Rainer immediately called off his forces and accepted. The King had never wanted his war or the rift between their species; he knew that his choice to spare the human men before brought the destruction directly to his home, yet he couldn't bring himself to do what he should have and kill the hateful attackers. Instead, he inflicted the Atonement upon them, a way to constantly remind them of their poor choices, a deterrent from repeating the past.

It was after the Battle, that Vadim realized the greatness that he was born into. Despite not having four legs, he was a centaur. This was only reaffirmed by the fact that those in Centuarna continued to treat him as such, not like he was a human—they held no fear or hatred of him. He decided to be thankful for what he had, instead scornful of what he wasn't. He cherished his little brother and the one that followed, though he would never be such a magnificent beast as them he was pleased to be family.

As he grew older, Vadim knew that he was a curiosity to the female centaurs and even to the female humans. Not quite man, not quite centaur, but some odd amalgamation of both they were all curious about his body, about his mind. He enjoyed playing with them, but when Quell found a mate in Searra, Vadim realized how truly alone he was. None of the women had any lasting interest in him as they were all looking for something more normal. When his mother told him of Lynette, he never said a word in response but he was heartbroken, knowing he would never have what his brother had found.