Her heartrate skyrocketed, and she forced herself to glance over her shoulder, though she was sure she didn’t want to see whatever had made the noise. To her horror, she saw long cracks on the ground with cylinders of dirt deposits left behind.
Those worm-like creatures were here.
Dela sprinted.
Her blue light shimmered, fading momentarily before brightening again. The magic was running out. Something cracked again, and she snatched a glance over her shoulder long enough to see the creature’s body rise in a loop as it dived back into the underground tunnel it was creating, coming after her.
Vehel’s magic fading must have made her noticeable to the creature. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up as worm food.
Her feet pounded the floor, her breath wheezing in and out of her lungs in harsh gasps. She was going as fast as she could, but the things were chasing her now, vanishing beneath the ground, only to reappear closer to her. How much farther did she have to go before she reached the exit? She didn’t think she was going to make it.
She risked a glance at the inside of her wrist. The cylinder was only an outline now, and she realized the tunnel had also grown darker, the light she’d been giving off from the magic fading to almost nothing. Within minutes, she was going to be trapped down here in the dark.
She dug deep, pushing herself that little bit faster, even as she heard the crunch and slither of the giant worms tunneling behind her.
Then she saw it, a circle of light beaming down from the tunnel roof.
“Dela!” Vehel’s voice cried.
She almost sobbed in relief, but she couldn’t waste the breath.
Dela reached the circle of light but didn’t have a second to pause. The worms were almost on her. She lifted her face to see Vehel half-hanging down the hole. Wasting no more time, she jumped, and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up just as the creature, with a cylindrical mouth full of needle teeth, lunged for her.
Vehel hauled her up, and she fell onto him, shaking and gasping for breath. He didn’t hold her, however, but instead moved her aside so he could reach the stone circle and push it back into place with a grating clunk.
“We don’t want to take the chance of anything escaping,” he said.
Dela nodded and put her face in her hands, trying to calm her racing heart. Something landed on her shoulder, and she stifled another scream before a circle of smoke surrounded her.
Iros.
She lifted her face from her hands and reached back to stroke the baby dragon. Iros butted her palm with her hand and made little chirruping noises. “I’m okay, girl,” she managed to say, though her voice was shaking. “I’m okay.”
“By the Gods, Dela,” Vehel said, standing over her. “You were supposed to come back before the magic wore out. You’re lucky you made it back here at all!”
“I know. I’m sorry. I misjudged how long it would take me to get back. Please don’t be angry with me. I can’t handle that right now.”
Vehel dropped to his knees beside her. “I assume you didn’t find him, then?”
Her voice choked, her throat closing over. Her eyes filled with tears. “I did find him. I did. Only it wasn’t him anymore. Ridley was something ... different. I’m not sure he even knew who I was, though there was one moment where I thought I might have seen something in his eyes.”
“I’m so sorry, Dela. Maybe it’s for the best that he didn’t recognize you. It would hurt less to not remember what he was missing out on.”
“He won’t remember anything now.” She reached to her throat to touch her brother’s ring, just as she’d done countless times, only to find it gone. Of course, that was what the tugging around her neck had been. Ridley had reclaimed his ring.
Dela lowered her hand again, choking back fresh tears. Dark streaks of blood coated her fingers.
“By the Gods, Dela,” Vehel took her hand, staring at the blood. “Are you hurt?”
“No, it’s not mine. It’s Ridley’s. I couldn’t leave him down there. Not like that.”
Understanding dawned in Vehel’s light blue eyes, and he pulled her against his chest as she gave in to her tears. “I’m so sorry, Dela. I’m so sorry.”
She pulled away from him as anger filled her. “Your brother did that to him, Vehel. How am I supposed to work with your family when I know what they’re capable of?”
“We’re all capable of terrible things, Dela. I’m sure the families of the men your dragon burned in the Southern Pass wouldn’t think of you being a good person if they were asked. It was the right thing in your mind, but everyone has a different perspective. Those men were simply defending their king.” He took a breath. “I’m not saying my brother is a good person, just that it’s easy to view things differently when you’re emotionally vested in things.”
She knew he was right, but that didn’t make the pain of what she’d done any less.
Chapter Twenty-one
Vehel
VEHEL PUSHED AWAY HIS anger toward Dela.
The emotion had stemmed from his fear of losing her, and though he still believed she’d been reckless and selfish by putting herself at risk like that, it was done now, and they needed to get on with things.
“There are still a few hours until morning,” he told her. “Do you think you can sleep?”
She nodded. “As long as you’re with me. I think I’m going to suffer from nightmares for a long time to come.”
“I won’t leave you alone,” he promised.
He helped her to her feet. Iros had wrapped herself around Dela’s neck and was rubbing her face against the side of Dela’s head as though the baby dragon knew she needed the comfort. Vehel slipped his arm around her waist, and together they made their way back through the corridors and up the stairs, back to the main part of the castle.
Using his magic for so long had left him drained, too. His limbs felt heavy and his eyelids kept threatening to shut, even as he walked. A week ago, he’d never have been able to use his magic as he had tonight—over such a sustained period. The Seer had taught him how to hold back enough that he didn’t drain himself completely, but what he’d done for Dela had been more than he’d ever attempted before. Now the hollow chasm had reappeared in his chest, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take to replenish again. He hoped nothing would happen where he would need to use his magic to protect them. He couldn’t pretend it didn’t worry him, considering how things had been going recently, especially if Dela refused to drop her feud with his brother. As much as she didn’t like it, she was in the Inverlands now, and this was Dawngleam territory.
They made their way back up to the bedroom. Dela was unusually quiet, which he put down to exhaustion and most likely shock as well. He couldn’t begin to imagine what sort of things she’d seen and experienced down there. They were the sorts of things no living man was supposed to experience—at least not if they wanted to keep either their sanity or their lives.
In the bedroom, Dela washed up and then crawled onto the bed and curled up on her side. Vehel climbed in beside her, and she reached back and caught hold of his arm, tugging it around her waist, pulling him up against her so he fitted the front of his body into her back.
Her breathing grew shallow, and for a moment he thought she was already asleep, but then she spoke.
“I’ll let things go with Vehten. I know, if I challenge him, I’ll never convince the Elvish to follow me. I’m not going to promise it will be forever, but for the moment, at least, I’ll hold my tongue.”
His heart swelled with love and pride for her. “You’re doing the right thing, Dela. I know how hard this is for you, but you have to think of what’s best for Xantearos.”
“I will. And thank you, Vehel. For everything.”
“You’re wel—” he started to say, but already her breathing had deepened, her body relaxing in his arms. She was asleep.
At first, Vehel thought there would be little chance of him sleeping, troubles whirling arou
nd his head, but the moment he closed his eyes, he was gone.
BANGING YANKED VEHEL from a deep slumber. He jerked awake, sitting up in bed. It seemed neither he nor Dela had moved an inch from the moment they’d closed their eyes.
Bright sunlight poured in through the window.
What time was it?
“Hey,” a male voice called from outside. “You’re going to miss breakfast.”
Vehel exhaled a sigh. It was Warsgra, and he was thinking about his stomach, as usual—or at least theirs.
Dela stirred and pushed her hand across her face. He couldn’t help but stare down at her. Even first thing in the morning, she was still beautiful.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Warsgra’s at the door. He’s worried about us missing a meal.”
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”
“Not sure, but it’s definitely morning.”
He climbed out of bed and went to the door. Swinging it open, he revealed a thunderous-looking Warsgra, with Orergon close behind him. Was the Norc angry because he and Dela had spent the night together?
“There you are! You need to get up or you’re both going to miss breakfast, and considering how sporadic our meals have been lately, I don’t think we should be taking them for granted.”
Ah, so he was just worried about the food.
“It’s okay. We’re up. You saw to that.”
Warsgra’s line of sight moved over Vehel’s shoulder, and Vehel looked to find Dela standing behind him, pushing her hair back with one hand and stifling a yawn with the other.
Warsgra cocked an eyebrow. “I guess I don’t need to ask what kept you two awake last night?”
Heat rose to Vehel’s cheeks. “It’s really not what you think.”
Warsgra winked at him. “Aye, ’course it isn’t. Now, are you coming down to eat?”
Vehel exchanged a glance with Dela. She pulled a face and shrugged. They’d have to explain how they’d actually spent the second half of the night at a later date, but he’d leave that up to Dela. She might not want to tell them, but he’d encourage her to. They didn’t know how what she’d been through down there would affect her mentally and emotionally, and both Warsgra and Orergon needed to be prepared to support her.
Dela called to Iros, who flapped her wings and landed on Dela’s shoulder, and then pushed past him. “Morning,” she said to Warsgra, going on her tiptoes to kiss his hairy cheek. Then she did the same to Orergon. “I’m starving. I could certainly eat.”
“Good.”
She left the three of them standing there as she pushed past them all to walk down the corridor, toward the stairs that led down to the Great Hall where the meals took place.
“Good night last night?” Warsgra asked Vehel, that eyebrow still cocked.
“A prince would never kiss and tell on a lady,” Vehel threw back before following after Dela. Some of Warsgra’s instincts might be correct, but he clearly had no idea what he and Dela had been doing for the rest of the night.
Warsgra and Orergon followed.
“Your father and the rest of your family are already in the Great Hall, Vehel,” Orergon said as he followed. “That’s why we came to get you. We thought you would want to be there.”
“Thank you.” It was good to know they had his back. He was sure there must be a little jealousy that he’d actually spent the night with Dela when she’d said she’d been spending the night alone, but it was no different to the jealousy he’d experienced when he’d realized she’d been with Warsgra down at the pool back in the Seer’s cave, and then again with Orergon in Warsgra’s hut. It was only to be expected. But it was also accepted that this was how it was for them. They all wanted her, but she needed all of them equally.
He heard the bustle of the Great Hall before he’d even reached it. He’d eaten in this place for years, yet now it had taken on a new dynamic. He’d never truly felt a part of it, always on the outskirts, and now he experienced that even more keenly. Though he was Elvish, and always would be, he wasn’t a part of this family any longer. Dela, and even Orergon and Warsgra had become his family now.
He followed Dela into the room. Platters of breads, pastries, and fruits had been laid out across the three long tables which ran around the outskirts of the room. The same spots they’d been seated at the previous evening had been left empty for them, and Dela slipped into the same chair she’d occupied. The men filled in around her.
Vehel’s father was already at his seat at the head of the table, Vehel’s mother and brothers seated either side of the king. Vehel caught his mother’s eye, and his heart lifted as she gave him the smallest hint of a smile. He wished he could go to her and put his arms around her, but his father would never allow it. As much as he loved his mother, she was under King Dawngleam’s rule, just as much as everyone else.
They broke the fast together, filling their plates with fruit and bread.
When most of the food was eaten, his father banged his empty plate on the table then rose to his feet.
Vehel’s stomach churned. He knew his father well enough to know his announcements tended to not be anything good.
“I’ve come to a decision,” said his father, holding himself tall and addressing Dela. “I’ll support your quest to take King Crowmere off the throne, and allow the races to live wherever they want, and I’ll even send my best men to join your army at the Southern Trough, on one agreement.”
Dela’s eyes narrowed. “And what is that?”
“That my oldest son, Vehten, is to take the place of the Elvish prince at your side.”
Every muscle in Vehel’s body went rigid, and he rose to his feet, both hands flat on the table. “You want to replace me?” he snapped at his father. He’d spoken out of turn, but for once he didn’t even care. “What have I ever done to make you hate me so much?”
His father sniffed and lifted his chin. Beside him, Vehel’s brothers sat with identical smug expressions. “You’re not suitable to be representing the whole of the Elvish kingdom. If each of the other races has one of their leaders at your side, Dela Stonebridge, then we should be able to choose which of our leaders sits at your side, too. It’s only right that my eldest son represents us.”
Dela got to her feet. “The other races did not choose. I was the one who did the choosing. I’ll not allow you to replace Vehel like that.”
The Elvish king shrugged. “Then you won’t have the support of the Elvish.”
“You can’t do this!” Vehel cried.
His father shot him a glare. “Of course I can. I’m the king of the Elvish. I can do whatever I choose when it comes to our people.”
Dela shook her head. “Not this.”
“I’ll give you some time to think about it, of course. I don’t expect you to come to a decision right away. I understand you may have grown ... fond ... of my youngest son.”
Dela straightened her shoulders. “I don’t need any time. My answer will always be no.”
Orergon rose to his feet, his expression like thunder. “This is an insult. An insult to Vehel, but to you, too, Dela, expecting you to simply swap a brother over like that.”
Warsgra stood as well and banged his massive fist on the table. “Aye, I agree. It’s an insult to us all.”
Dela lifted a hand to silence them both. “I won’t simply swap Vehel for Vehten. To ask me to do so is preposterous. I’ve come to trust Vehel over the time we’ve spent together, and I quite literally trust him with my life. I don’t know Vehten, and so far the only knowledge I have of him is that he captured my brother over some small argument and condemned him to the catacombs. There is no possibility I will allow the man who killed my brother to rule alongside me.”
“Then we do not have a deal, Dela Stonebridge,” King Dawngleam announced, settling back into his seat.
“I will, however,” she continued, ignoring his comment, “allow Vehten to lead the group of Elvish who will join the others at the South
ern Trough.”
Vehel didn’t even want Vehten to have that much power, but he knew better than to correct Dela now.
But his father shook his head. “That’s not enough.”
“Then I guess the Elvish will remain separate from the rest of Xantearos. This saddens me, especially as it is now clear that your people need a leader who will think of them, and not only of his own selfish wishes.” Dela looked around the room. There were numerous other Elvish present, and it was these people she addressed. “With the Treaty broken,” she called out to them, “there will be no more Passovers. How long will your families be able to eat without the grain the humans have been providing for the past one hundred and fifty years?” She gestured to the table. “All this bread we’ve been provided with this morning came from crops grown by humans. With no Passover, in a few months, this grain will soon run out, and the Inverlands doesn’t have the climate to be able to grow wheat. Under my rule, you’ll be able to send your families to live in different lands, and grow their own crops and send that grain back to the Inverlands, if they so wish. But if you choose not to follow me, you’ll stay here, and your supplies will slowly dwindle away to nothing, until all you’ll be surviving on is the fish you catch.”
The king’s eyes narrowed. “We will make do.”
“No, you won’t. Your women will go hungry, and your children will starve. Is that really what you want?”
People around the room were starting to look agitated, turning to each other, murmuring under their breath and shifting in their seats.
“I think you’re forgetting one thing,” the king announced.
She smiled sweetly. “And what is that?”
“You’re assuming you will defeat King Crowmere. If he wins, everything will go back to how it was.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “You think King Crowmere cares about the Elvish? He sent an army through the Southern Pass to destroy you. It’s only because of me and my dragon that they’re not here now. If you think he’ll help you now the Treaty has been broken, you’re greatly mistaken. Your only real choice is to support me.”
Chronicles of the Four: The Complete Series Page 61
