Chapter 12 - Night and Rain [5/5]

Vex looked up at the sky, letting the raindrops fall in his face. It took a felt eternity for him to finally reach the end of the ridge. There was a lead there, but it was empty. He looked around with a beating heart, making sure that nothing and no one was there except him and a few dry grasses.

Except for the way he had come, there was only one other way from the ledge-that to the deep. Vex swallowed heavily. That couldn't be. That couldn't be! What's the point of dragging Leysha up here, only to throw herself down with her? Vex's feverishly wandering gaze fell on the dark swabs on the ground. They did not lead to the edge of the cliff, but…

He whirled around and stared at the bare rock in front of him. Climbing up there was impossible, even for one person alone. Vex let himself sink to his knees, ignoring the hard surface that pressed painfully against his skin. On all fours he followed the drops of blood, one by one, until something grazed his head. Surprised, he opened his eyes when he realized that he was right in front of a well-hidden cave entrance. He lay directly in the shadow of the rocks, barely recognizable if you didn't know he was there.

Vex hesitantly squeezed through the narrow entrance. He always held his sword firmly in his hand. His heart beat up to his neck. How he hated caves! He was almost as if he felt the icy breeze in his neck, just like in his dream. But it was just a dream. These monsters did not exist, not for a long time. Vex spotted a pale glow in the darkness of the cave. His breath accelerated, at the same time he tried to calm down.

He was on the right track. And above all, no all-consuming darkness awaited him, along with their bloodthirsty creatures. Maybe a gang of criminals had settled in here. No, he improved in his mind. Preferably a single criminal. The thought of what they could do with his beloved Leysha poured oil into the fire of his anger. Even if there were actually several bandits – to save his Leysha, he would take on them all without hesitation.

He pulled out of the passage and hid behind a small ledge. Vex took a deep breath three times, then he was ready. With a scream, he jumped up and rushed into the illuminated cave.

A man with night blue hair turned to him. He held Leysha's body lovelessly in his arms, as if she were a piece of cattle. He was dressed in a gorgeous black robe like a nobleman from a past century.

Vex paused, the sword raised to strike. He had expected much, but not this sight. What did a rich, apparently unarmed man up here, Leysha under his arm, and looked at him with mild surprise, coupled with annoyance?

"What are you looking for, man?" Out of his cold voice spoke an arrogance that Vex would have liked to beat out of him.

"Let her go or you'll regret it!" Threateningly, he raised his sword to emphasize his words. It cost him all the mastery he could muster not to rush toward the guy. As long as the kidnapper had Leysha on his arm, he had a hard time defending himself, but he could use her as a living shield to ward off Vex's attack.

The man's eyebrows wandered even further up. He looked from Vex to Leysha in his arms and back again. Then a broad grin crept on his trains. "Aaah, now I understand. You're the poor guy Oljana crawled under, aren't you?"

You're supposed to let her go, damn it," Vex growled again, slowly pushing himself closer. If only he could catch the madman… The danger of hurting Leysha even further in a direct attack was too great. Vex had to get closer to him so that he could strike quickly and purposefully.

The man looked at him calmly, but Vex did not miss that he kept a close eye on him. Even though he didn't seem to have a gun, he wasn't allowed to underestimate it.

"I would leave it in your place. You should thank me on your knees for freeing you from Oljana. After all, she abused you for years to regain her strength."

"What nonsense! Her name is Leysha, not Oljana!" said Vex.

"She's my wife, we love each other!" Either the guy was completely freaked out, or there was a cruel confusion here.

The man sighed. "People. Too stupid to see the obvious."

He took a step closer and looked at Vex coldly. Vex's heart struck a blow. Blood-red eyes. Since when did he have blood-red eyes? He would have noticed that right away! His skin was as pale as ivory.

"She didn't love you," said the man quietly. "She is a monster. She pulled you up like a fattening pig to make you..."

That was too much! Vex cried out. "Silence, goddamned offspring of the devil!" He wanted to jump on the crazy guy, but he was faster. With a movement that Vex's gaze could hardly follow, he slit Leysha's throat. Carelessly he hurled her body against the wall of the cave. Her blood splashed against the rock and over the ground, defiling everything and even moistening Vex's face.

Vex's eyes widened. "No! No! Leysha!" Boundless despair spilled over and took his breath away. With a roar, he threw himself at the murderer of his beloved wife, hacked him with the sword without sense or understanding. Tears shot into his eyes and obstructed his vision. No, no, no! That couldn't be true, never!

"Take it easy, my friend." The man avoided the attacks seemingly effortlessly. Finally, he disarmed Vex just as lightly with a blow to the wrist, knocking his sword arm aside and twisting it so that Vex could no longer move without bulging his arm.

Nevertheless, he wanted to tear himself away, beat the killer, kick him, bite him, but a punch hit him in the face. The force tore him from his legs. His head felt like it was going to explode. Warm blood shot from his nose. Vex hit hard on the rocky cave floor, the impact on the back of his head robbed him of sight for a moment. The air was forced out of his lungs and he remained jerking.

No, he couldn't just be killed. He had to fight, this pig had to die. After that, it didn't matter, then he could bleed to death. But not a moment earlier! Vex groaned across the floor. He had to find his sword.

An iron handle grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. The man bowed his head right in front of Vex's face. "Someday you will be grateful."

For a moment he looked at Vex, then he suddenly let go of him. Vex gasped as he hit the ground again.

Darkness fell upon him. He struggled desperately to fight down the impending impotence, but consciousness slipped from him.

"Someday you'll understand," was the last thing he heard before he finally lost consciousness.