Exton

Tannr watches in disbelief as they bring Tori out. Her clothes are rags, what little he can see of them under the chains. Enough chains to bring a grown man to their knees but Tori keeps trying to walk on her own. The bruises on her throat and face show plainly on her pale skin and the rage building in Tannr threatens to boil over. He feels Stoney, trying to calm him.

She is a strong woman Tannr... wait until everyone is in place... it wont be long now...

Tannr nods and tries to force back the rage. His hands grip one of his axes, wanting to move now.

They drag Tori to the long stone altar and force her down on it, fastening the chains to her ankles and hands to rings embedded in the corners of the altar. He sees Tori look at the knives laid out and she closes her eyes.

Tannr? Tannr, I love you...

I'm here... close enough to see... I love you... be ready....

Tannr knew they were waiting until the ceremony officially started. Hoping that they could take everyone present by surprise and no one would have time to sound an alarm or call more guards. He watches as Ardara steps out. Dressed in purple and red, jeweled spiders hanging from her ears and neck. She begins to speak but Tannr has no idea what she says. The only word he caught was Lolth which Ghaunt had explained earlier.

Ardara pauses and goes to the altar, smiling evilly. She picks up a large glass vase of some sort and the Priest standing next to her looks to be blessing it. Tannr can feel Toris thoughts and her fear and rage at this priest. Then he senses from her that he was the one who wanted to violate her in the cell.

Tannrs eyes narrow.. He is dead Tori... I will kill him for you....

The Priest turned from the altar to where the knives were laid out. Ghaunt had explained to Tannr that they usually did some form of blood letting before the actual sacrifice and that the blood would be used later in the ceremony to call forth Lolth from her lair.

Tannr starts to wonder, if its just a blood letting why that big glass?

Suddenly the Priest turns and has the largest of the knives in his hand.

“What the hell?” Tannr looks to Ghaunt who looks puzzled at the Priests choice.

The Priest raises the wicked looking blade over his head, intending to stab Tori in the stomach. But as fast as the blade comes down Tori moves to one side and the blade misses her abdomen but is buried in her hip.

When Tannr hears the scream of pain and sees the blood well up as the knife is pulled out his rage boils over. He could no more sit patiently after that than fly to the moon. With a howl of rage that had sparked terror in many an enemy he launches himself from his hiding place to the altar. In one swift move his axe separates the priest from his head. The body falls back and the head rolls away, still displaying a surprised expression and splaying blood across the altar.

Ardara screams her rage. “How dare you defile my sacrifice? You will pay dearly for this insult..”

Ignoring the Priestess, Tannrs attention totally on Tori and her injury. He pulls his shirt off and folds it over the wound. “Hang on Red, hang on. I'm gonna get you out of here...”

Tannrs axe makes short work of the chains and Tori is freed from them. The manacles would have to wait until they were safer. Tannr gently lifts Tori, apologizing for the pain he knows he causing her.

Tori wraps her arms around Tannrs neck as tight as she is able and whispers, “Fuck that. Just get me outta here Coppertop...” Her voice fades off, and just as he thinks she has passed out, her mind touches his... and when I am better, we are coming back and gutting the lot of them and their bitch of a Priestess...