The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series

by Andrea Lamoureux

  “Dead. Two of them. They knew what I do, who I am. They disarmed me. One held me down while the other broke my arms. They would’ve eventually killed me if one of your comrades hadn’t come.”

  I silently wished they would’ve just killed him. “What now?” I asked.

  He shifted uncomfortably. “I know we haven’t been getting along, but there’s no one else who can do my job while I heal.”

  I couldn’t believe it. He wanted me to become Terra’s temporary torturer. I ground my teeth together. “You said I’m not fit to torture.”

  “You’re not.”

  I had to bite my tongue to keep from injuring him further. “I’m sure the king can find someone else—”

  “The king was the one who sent me here.” He winced as he tried to adjust his seat.

  “I suppose you’ll need me to care for you too?” My mouth tugged up a little. I knew he’d loath his helplessness.

  “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” He rose from the stool to leave.

  “And how are you going to feed yourself without the use of your arms?”

  “Shut your mouth!” he snarled. He stared at the iron handle on the door as if willing it to open with his mind. I didn’t know how he’d gotten in. He must have bullied someone into opening the door for him.

  “Fine, hire a servant to aid you while you heal.”

  He still faced the door as he said, “You know how I feel about servants and their prying ears.”

  I let him stare at the door handle a little longer, until he said, “Sepheus…”

  I opened the door and followed him outside.

  Once I got him to bed, I stared up at the ceiling in the room I’d grown up in. I’m a good soldier, I told myself. I’d made friends for the first time in my life. I didn’t want to give that up to do the one thing I’d always failed at. Maybe now that I’d killed a handful of men and women I’d be better. Taking life would be easier. I’d just have to hold back until I got the answers we needed. Restraint was tougher than killing. Perhaps this was my chance to prove to my father I had what it took. I wasn’t thrilled about having to take care of him as though he were my child instead of the other way around. A small part of me loved him enough not to let him starve to death. Even though I believed he deserved to suffer for tossing me out with nothing but the clothes on my back. Celestia had seen what he’d done and had judged him for it.

  The next few days were trying. I spent most of my time caring for the man I swore hated me. Not only did I have to cook for him and feed him, I had to cloth him, bathe him and assist him with any other menial task he couldn’t do himself. My life had never been worse. I wished he’d let me hire a servant. Stubborn ass. He probably enjoyed watching me suffer with him.

  “Eat your oats,” I ordered.

  He clamped his mouth shut like a child.

  “You need to keep up your strength so you can get better.” I had the urge to dump the bowl of cooling oats over his head. “So I can go back to soldiering,” I added.

  “You think you’re a good soldier?”

  I was able to get a spoonful in when he opened his mouth to speak. “I am a good soldier.”

  “King Corbin took pity on you when he gave you that position because you were a shitty torturer.” He chewed on the oats in his mouth and then continued. “You’re a decent soldier. Don’t fool yourself.”

  I set the spoon down. “Fine. I’ll go practice becoming a better soldier. You can take care of yourself for the rest of the day. It doesn’t matter what you think if you’re dead.”

  “Wait,” he began, but I was already out the door.

  Chapter 10

  I fumed at the fact that the traitors who’d broken my father’s arms were already dead. I wanted to be the one to make them pay for the position they’d put me in, for taking me away from The Guard.

  A captured traitor, a man with long, thin, greasy hair watched me from where he was restrained. His thin, dark lips reminded me of worms. He breathed heavily when I brought a tool used for breaking bones to his face. “If you don’t tell me who your leader is, I’m going to break you like your friends broke my father.”

  The man clucked his tongue. “Poor boy. Has no one to take care of him now?”

  “I don’t need anyone.” My voice shook with rage.

  His mad laugh echoed off the walls, taunting me.

  I swung the club against his arm, over and over, until I heard a crack!

  The man howled in pain.

  When he was able to speak again, he rasped, “I—I don’t know who our leader is.”

  I believed him. None of the lowlifes knew who they followed. “Useless.” I slammed the club into his face until it resembled a crushed tomato. I dropped the heavy, iron club on the floor and stalked out of the chamber.

  I didn’t care that I’d killed him. He was a waste of space. King Corbin wouldn’t even notice his absence in the dungeons. I’d discovered a number of traitors had been caught during the attack and disarmed before they could end their own lives. What was one against many?

  On my way to my old room in the palace to fetch some of my necessities, I ran into Blaise in the soldiers’ quarters. She squinted against the torchlight burning along the walls. “Seph? We’ve been worried—well, Ger has been worried. What happened to you? Constable Bouvant told us you’re no longer part of The Guard.”

  I paused and studied her face; her amber eyes shone bright, reflecting the flames. Her perfect peach lips parted. She had on a slightly wrinkled dark green tunic and tight black breeches with knee-high boots. Why did she care? I brushed her words off. “I’ve taken over my father’s position as Terra’s torturer.”

  Confusion crossed her face. “But you’re a good soldier.”

  “A decent one,” I echoed my father’s words.

  “We need you to help us eliminate The Redeemers.”

  “I am. I torture them.” It was my turn to be confused. “Why do you care?”

  “I—I don’t. I simply want justice for my parents’ lives. I saw you during the attack. We need your fighting skills if we’re to prevail.”

  Such kind words. I chuckled. “Did the constable put you up to this?”

  She tucked a short piece of golden-brown hair behind her ear. “No. You’re skilled at crushing traitors though. Anything to help us defeat them…”

  I leaned in closer to her and said lowly, “I’m still on your side, darling.”

  She crossed her arms and bristled. “There’s blood on your tunic.”

  I glanced down and she walked away. “Tell Ger I’m fine,” I called after her. She waved me off with a hand.

  Worried one moment, angry the next. Blaise was the most temperamental female I’d met. Perhaps I should’ve told Ger what had happened. The next time I saw him, I’d tell him. He’d only been kind to me, and he put up with my moodiness. He deserved to know the details.

  But I didn’t see my friend, or any of my other comrades, for a long time. When I wasn’t taking care of my miserable father, I locked myself in the torture chamber, seeking answers I never found.

  I tired of all the creative ways I could think of to use the tools to extract information from my suspects. I hadn’t used my power since I’d killed the lynx-woman. It was unpredictable, as my father had warned, but maybe if I practiced I could learn to control it better. It could become a weapon I could depend upon if I could hone it.

  A woman who’d posed as a maid to gain information for her leader stood shackled to a wall inside my chamber of horrors. Yes, I called it my chamber now.

  Spring had given away to the sweltering heat of summer, and then summer had transformed into autumn, turning the forest around the kingdom into a land of rubies and caramel. Dying blooms were evidence winter would soon grace us with her presence. I preferred the cooler days of winter in Terra. It was a relief from the unrelenting heat most of the other seasons brought. The most rain fell during winter and spring, bringing blankets of mist to the land each m
orning.

  My father healed well enough to take care of himself, but I still attempted to torture answers from his suspects.

  Dampness, thanks to the dewy weather, stuck to my skin as I ran a finger across an older woman’s plump, freckled cheek. Silver peppered her dull brown hair, which had come unbound.

  “Such a shame you were caught, Avingale,” I mused as the woman shuddered.

  She kept her mouth shut, but I saw tears shining in her brown eyes. Eyes so similar to the ones of my other victims, open wide and franticly darting from side to side.

  “I tire of my usual methods, Avingale,” I repeated her name, enjoying the personal touch. “Perhaps I’ll try something new today. What do you say?”

  She whimpered. She had no idea what I could do to her.

  I imagined a vine growing from the earth as I curled a finger.

  She kicked out a leg and tried to move to one side, the movement catching my attention.

  A thick vine rose up from the ground. It reached for her. Her chained wrists kept her from straying far. The vine found her thick ankle and twisted around it. Her whimpers turned to wails as it moved up her leg like a slithering snake. I realized she probably thought it was a snake. A laugh rose up from my chest. “I’m just getting started. Tell me who you report your information to.”

  “I don’t report to anyone!” she squealed.

  I made a fist and the vine tightened around her leg. My power was easier to control than I’d imagined. It felt natural, felt good.

  “You were caught sneaking around the queen’s chambers when she was with her ladies. I know you’re a Redeemer. Who are you helping?”

  “He doesn’t need my help!” She clamped her mouth shut, realizing her mistake.

  “So it’s a he, is it?”

  She bit her lip so hard blood smeared it like carmine. “I don’t know anything else. I never saw a face. Please!” she begged.

  The vine edged up higher, creeping over her torn skirts.

  “You will tell me everything you know. Or you will wish for death, but trust me, I won’t kill you. Not yet. You’re going to feel everything I do to you.”

  “He’s someone higher up than I! I don’t know his name or face. Please. I left my information in a letter inside an unused guest chamber’s wardrobe. That’s all I know.”

  Satisfied, though a little disappointed I didn’t get to keep playing with my power, I let my hold on my magic go and the vine disintegrated in a cloud of dust. “Your life is in the king’s hands now. You will be executed at his pleasure.” I spoke the words I’d so often heard my father use.

  The woman sagged against her chains, a blubbering mess of sweat and tears.

  I sought an audience with King Corbin and was escorted to the throne room where he sat beside his queen. A furry white cat slumbered in Queen Nicola’s lap as they listened to my new information.

  King Corbin sipped wine from his golden chalice. The emeralds on his jeweled fingers reflected the light from the windows like tiny green mirrors. “So you believe The Redeemers leader to be one of our own? Living here in the palace?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” I replied, meeting his eyes.

  He took a deep drink.

  Queen Nicola had stopped stroking her feline pet. She wore a rich umber, velvet cloak trimmed with gold thread. “That’s madness,” she commented.

  “How can this be? Are you implying I don’t know my own people?” the king accused, his usually soft voice rising a few notes.

  “I’m not suggesting Your Majesties don’t know your own people.” I dropped my gaze to the floor. Music drifted from somewhere beyond the closed door. “I’m only advising you be careful. Don’t trust anyone. The leader is a man. We know that. I will try to narrow down a list of suspects.”

  King Corbin sat deeper in his seat and breathed deeply. “You’re work is appreciated. You’ve gained us information which has brought us closer to finding the leader of our enemies. We thank you for your service to the crown. You are dismissed.”

  I bowed and turned to leave.

  “Wait.” Queen Nicola stopped me. The cat had jumped from her lap and now rubbed up against her legs. “How did you encourage the woman to speak? What did you do different this time?”

  I pondered my answer. I didn’t feel comfortable revealing my power to her and the king. So I said, “This woman cracked easier than the rest have, but I believe our new knowledge will help persuade others to follow her example.”

  The queen accepted my answer. “Good.”

  I used my power from then on with my suspects, knowing I could control it. I blindfolded each of them before I began with my magic. The tactic worked well as they believed the vines to be snakes slithering up their bodies instead of vines. This ensured no one would find out about my special skills.

  One time, the cloth I’d tied around a man’s eyes came lose and he witnessed my lie. I cut out his tongue to ensure he couldn’t tattle to his guards.

  A sense of pride filled me. I was getting the job done, and I was doing it my own way. I could never tell my father I’d been using magic to do his job. He’d never understand.

  Unfortunately, after the spy posing as a maid told me about her secret letters to an important man within the palace, no one else gave me any useful information. King Corbin let her live, confined to one of the towers, hoping others would see they’d be shown mercy if they only helped us. It didn’t work. And her letters had revealed nothing except that she’d told her leader she needed more time.

  Suspect after suspect I tried to scare and squeeze the truth from them. I lost count of how many I’d nearly strangled to death with vines. As much as I enjoyed strengthening my use of magic, I was running out of patience.

  No other groups of Redeemers attacked the kingdom, but I knew they still existed both outside and inside of the palace walls. Until we figured out who led them, there’d always be more. There would always be new traitors to recruit. It wasn’t hard to find people who believed they’d been wronged by the crown. Everyone who wasn’t royalty was jealous of the riches… the power that came with their blood. Everyone remembered the gracious King Lelund and his beautiful queen, Vivienne. It wasn’t King Corbin’s fault Queen Vivienne had lost her mind and killed her husband. No, he hadn’t trained to be a king his entire life like his brother had, but he still had a right to the throne.

  I stood back and watched as a young man struggled while my vines cut off his air. He was a cup-bearer. Surely he heard whispers echoing throughout the palace. I’d asked for anyone who’d come to the palace with nothing and looking to earn coin to be brought to me for questioning. If anyone were to be a traitor, it would most likely be people like him.

  When his face turned a deep plum colour and liquid ran down his leg, I released the vine and ripped the blindfold off his face. So close to the kiss of death he was. I had to be careful. I’d gotten away with that first kill. I didn’t know if I could do it again. Especially since this man wasn’t proven a traitor yet.

  “You will remain imprisoned in the dungeons until you’re found innocent,” I informed him.

  “But how can that happen?” he choked out, craning his neck to try to spot the ‘snake’ that had almost strangled him to death. The vines had temporarily ruined his pretty voice.

  “I don’t know. Not my problem.” I went to find a guard to take him back to the dungeons, where he’d probably live out the rest of his life.

  I spotted a small lad with shaggy brown hair and a feminine build on duty. He faced me upon hearing my footsteps. Not a lad, Blaise stared back at me. Her hair had begun to grow out, but wasn’t long enough to be tied back or braided yet. Ger was with her. I hadn’t spoken with him since I’d left The Guard. He laughed at something she’d said but stopped when he saw me.

  “The cup-bearer in the torture chamber needs to be taken back to the dungeons,” I informed both of them.

  Both watched me in silence until Ger finally said, “Good day to you too, Sepheu
s.”

  I drew closer to him. “You haven’t bothered to come speak to me since I left. What do you expect?”

  Ger inclined his head, clearly shocked by my statement. “You were the one who left. You didn’t even bother to tell me why. I had to hear it from Constable Bouvant. Some friend you are.”

  “Let’s not fight,” Blaise interjected. She wore Terra’s official uniform, her and Ger both did.

  “I had to take care of my father! I didn’t have time to worry about you,” I hissed at the man who’d been my one true friend, ignoring her.

  “Maybe if you didn’t have so much self-pity, you’d realize you’re not the only person in this realm.”

  “Stop it!” Blaise yelled, raising her arms. Twin daggers glinted off each arm, strapped down with leather straps. “You’re acting like girls.”

  I tore my gaze from Ger to look at her. Her eyes held accusation. She was siding with him. They’d probably grown close since my absence, became friends even.

  “Sorry for interrupting you while on duty. Take care of the cup-bearer.” I turned to leave them.

  “Seph, wait,” I heard Ger call, but I kept walking.

  I returned home to find my father awaiting me. He set down the goblet of wine he’d been drinking and beckoned me to sit across from him. He’d taken up drinking to help alleviate the pain in his arms. “Sit. We need to talk,” he rumbled.

  I hung up my dark grey cloak and took a seat, folding my arms on the table.

  “I want to let you know I appreciate the help you’ve given me these last few seasons since my injuries. I wouldn’t have survived without you.” He stared at his hands. This was difficult for him.

  I nodded slightly and shifted in my seat. “Thank you.” Silver light flashed through the window. Thunder shook the house shortly after.

  He stretched his back, finally meeting my eyes. “I grow wary of my uselessness. I’m taking my position back.”

  My jaw slackened. This couldn’t be. I still hadn’t found the leader of The Redeemers.