Exploitable

"What are you doing!? Let go of me!!"

I struggled against Siridan as he wrapped his muscular arm around my waist, yanked, and tightened my body to his side like a rolled-up tent – arms and legs flailing uselessly, unable to escape the sudden and firm hold.

He ignored my protests and left me dangling at the side of his waist opposite his sword, and as I raised my voice, the sound of the commotion outside got louder as well. The voices and footsteps were faint, but I could vaguely make out one detail: Zakuli was out there, and he was upset.

I thumped my elbow against Siridan's stomach, but my attempts to hurt him and force him to release me met only with rigidness. "This isn't funny! I'm going to lose my job over thi—"

BOOM.

Siridan's speed wasn't something I had gotten used to keeping up with using my new eyes – I didn't blink, yet it felt like I had; one moment, we were still inside the room, and the next, he had already kicked the door down and was sprinting with me through a crowd of patrons.

We moved fast enough for my eyes to run dry from the wind's resistance. Finding myself outside the dimly lit room – in the bright and crowded inn – hit me like a whirlwind, disorienting and overwhelming my senses as I struggled to catch up with Siridan's lightning pace.

With a brief glance, I spotted the old innkeeper being barred from getting closer to the door by two individuals who were likely Sects, though I failed to make out any further details in the chaos.

The wood splintered and flew in all directions as Siridan dashed through the wrecked door and the crowded corridor, knocking a few curious and clueless bystanders on their rears – some by surprise and some by shoving.

The Sects immediately turned and gave chase, leaving the dazed and furious innkeeper behind to engage in their pursuit. There were definitely more than six of them chasing us.

I batted at Siridan, slapping his arms whenever I could orient myself well enough to move, but to no avail. He carried me along as he sprinted through the inn and darted right out of the front door into the previously peaceful evening street.

"Probably should've thought it through sooner, huh?" He spoke loudly enough to overcome the wind shrieking past my ears in a tone that expressed not a hint of exertion despite his unbelievably rapid sprint. "You shouldn't be surprised that a criminal snatched you to save his own ass!"

His steps grew wider, gradually transforming from a run to a series of striding jumps; with each leap, I felt my heart sinking into my chest and then rising back up.

Though my eyes were horror-struck, the sight that welcomed me once I managed to tense up enough to cease dangling like a useless puppet and look back only made my panic rise.

All six Sects were following closely, and though they were lagging behind a bit, they hadn't lost Siridan at all. I couldn't tell if they were aiming to capture me as well or free me from my captor, but a gut feeling instructed me not to make this complicated for Siridan.

I loosened up ever so slightly again, hoping to ease the burden of carrying me, but he seemed unaffected either way. Instead of repositioning his arm, he kicked against the ground and launched himself into the air.

Grasping tightly at my dress, I flattened it and tamed the wind burst that tried to flow through it as we landed on the roof. The unsteady tiles collapsed and tumbled down, but Siridan continued, gracefully running and skipping from one rooftop to the next, almost like he and I were weightless.

Aside from a few scarce lights that I could spot from far away, it seemed as if we and the hunting Sects wouldn't be running into any people still roaming the street, and knowing no passerby would become a victim of this mess made for a small comfort.

Strangely, even though my aching back hadn't actually healed, and despite Siridan's seemingly rough manhandling of me, he was somehow also paradoxically refined and gentle enough to avoid causing the pain to resurface with his erratic movements.

Still, even though most couldn't hope to keep up with Siridan through a chase like that one, I could hear the clattering of footsteps on the tiles behind us. Siridan looped his free arm around a chimney and used it to vault onto a more distant rooftop, but it seemed clear that he was running without purpose.

"Hey!!" I shouted at him, and the cold wind swallowed the panic and distress in my voice. "Where the hell do you think you're taking me!? Do you even have a plan!?"

Before answering, Siridan tossed me into the air. He caught me in his other hand and hoisted me over his shoulder. "You're the plan, princess," he said belittlingly, "—And I suggest you sit tight and play your part if you want to make it out of here alive!"

—I recognized the sound of metal slashing through the air behind us, and he ducked backward to slide under it, one arm extended just far enough to keep me from getting cut. He quickly recovered and hopped back up, then slid and turned to face the Sects as he thrust me forward like a human shield.

All the constructs ceased to move as if by command, and their humming arcane strength, which filled the air so subtly and naturally just moments before, suddenly became much quieter.

I inhaled sharply and shakily. I knew the feeling of dashing through a battle like Siridan did from my previous life, though I was never quite as fast as him, and not being able to control my movements made it all the more difficult not to be frightened.

My heart kept thumping rapidly in my chest even after we halted, and through the hair that had gone mussed by the wind and a strand of it that stuck to my lip, I stared warily at the gathering of Sects in front of us – at the mercy of Siridan's hold on the back of my dress.

"Listen," Siridan inelegantly spat on the roof beneath his feet, "The game's been fun with just you toy soldiers, but let's be real –it got boring with just us. If you don't want this girl to die, you'll have to back the fuck off. Right now."

A few moments passed in tense silence as the Sects processed the situation, and as the humiliation of being dangled and used as a shield simmered through me, my hands balled up into fists. I felt like a tool employed at someone else's convenience.

"…Our sincere apologies, Ms. Rookthin," one of them finally said monotonously, its tone lacking discernible humanity – deep yet hollow. "Our assessment deems your rescue impossible at this current time. You are on your own. We wish you the best."

Somehow, they seemed to have noticed the bruise on my back and the hastened drumming of my heart. I looked back at them without saying a word, dumbfounded.

Though Siridan had rested, I knew he was not back at full strength. If he were, these negotiations would never have happened – yet there they all stood, confident in his ability to eliminate all of them while holding onto me as his hostage.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure she's touched. –I'm out of here. If any of you follow, I'll crush her head." He began inching backward, his eyes fixed on the Sects' fists and blades, which lowered slightly but remained ready. "I wouldn't mind breaking you all now, though, so you might as well make my day."

He tossed me over his solid shoulder again and confidently turned his back towards them. "Send my regards to whichever asshole decided it'd be a good idea for a bunch of wax figures to keep tabs on me – because they made an enemy."

He began striding away from the scene casually, but once it seemed plain that they would not follow, he ran for the village gate, jumped right over it, and started heading north into the vast Eldershade Forest.

I wanted to spend the rest of my new life in the safety of Woodknock Village. I desperately needed to hide in it. In the village, I had others to watch out for me. I could delude myself into believing that no genuine harm would come to me if only I stayed surrounded by people.

I never thought I'd watch it disappear into the distance, but the idea of facing my killer again alone, surrounded by naught but the hostile wilderness, shook me to my core and left me unable to speak.

As Siridan carried me into the looming darkness, I clung to his shoulder in disbelief, my gaze lingering on the dwindling lights of Woodknock. The echo of the Sects' emotionless declaration resonated in my mind.

'You are on your own. We wish you the best.'