“But we’d lose the element of surprise,” he said, meeting her stare.
“We already have.” She released an exasperated breath. “They know we’re coming. The Dark Master probably already knows I killed all those soldiers. He’ll have twice the amount of men waiting now.”
Thorne nodded. “I know. But now we know what he has, too. We know where he’s been, and we know he wanted you. Alive.”
Something about those words unsettled her. Her mind went straight back to her nightmares, about her two consecutive deaths. She imagined the person who killed her; first the figure, cloaked and mysterious who fell from the swaying bodies, then the shadow creature controlled by a man within. Neither time did it seem like she was wanted alive… Did he want to kill her himself, or was there something else he wanted?
Swallowing, Eliza supressed a shudder and hugged herself tighter.
“I think he wants something from me. That’s why the soldiers were taking me alive.” Voicing her thoughts sent her heart into her stomach, but she felt the need to tell Thorne, to have him reassure her.
His stare lingered, where the scar of her wound could be seen over the top of her nightgown. It stuck out against her tanned skin; shiny and red. It had almost completely healed, but there would be a scar, no matter how hard she tried to heal it, no matter how many salves and tonics were handed to her. It would always be there, a reminder of what her dreams could do to her.
Finally, Thorne’s stare drifted up and he met her gaze. Emotions swirled in his stare, dark and anxious and passionate. “I will protect you with my life, Eliza,” he said, voice rough.
She shook her head, ready to interject, but he continued, “It would be my duty, and my honour.” Thorne leant over and kissed her forehead gingerly, lingering there for a heartbeat longer than necessary, before moving away.
Eliza felt a sudden coldness where his lips had been.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t have to end that way.” Dorin stood in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest. Hair still a tousled mess, it looked as if he had just rolled off the couch. He wore no shoes, and his tunic hung at an odd angle over his lithe frame. The hems of his pants were rolled up, clearly too big for him. “I don’t particularly want to see you die either.” He smiled tightly at the two of them, then entered the room, his stare lingering on Eliza.
“I don’t want to drag you into this,” Eliza said, shaking her head, thinking about their secret moments. She couldn’t let anything happen to him—he didn’t deserve it. “I don’t want to put you in any more danger then you’re already in.”
Dorin shrugged. “I like danger, actually. And last time I checked, you are not the boss of me. My mother is.”
“You are such a child,” Eliza replied, shaking her head. “Let me guess: she told you to get off your arse and come up here?”
He nodded proudly, a crooked smile on his face. “Of course.” The softness disappeared from his face, suddenly replaced with a seriousness that Eliza wasn’t accustomed to seeing in him. “I have magic. It isn’t as strong or as powerful as yours, but I have some. It might be useful in those tunnels.”
Her lips pursed as a memory buried deep in her mind came to the fore. A flash of light, but darkness quickly squashed it. She hadn’t even suspected Dorin having magic. Hadn’t sensed it.
Why?
Since the attack at the palace, and the deadly nightmare, she wasn’t sure how strong she was anymore.
Eliza looked towards Thorne, who mulled it over. “I do not like the idea of putting other lives at risk,” he said, meeting Eliza’s stare before turning to Dorin, “but if you have something useful to offer, then I think the extra protection would be helpful. Someone to protect our front, another to protect our backs. Three would be enough to get us in there.” He didn’t sound particularly overjoyed, but the logic was there.
“You’d prefer an entire army, though, wouldn’t you?” Eliza asked.
Thorne looked her square in the eye, unflinchingly. “Yes, I would. But I don’t believe we have any soldiers to spare, especially so quickly.”
“I should be there,” Celia said from the doorway, a shawl covering her shaking body. “This is my fight too.”
Both Thorne and Eliza shook their heads. “You aren’t well enough,” Thorne said, rising from the bed. “You can barely stand.”
Celia locked eyes with Eliza, pleading. The rings around her eyes had darkened, and her cheeks were hollow. More weight had dropped from her already thin frame, leaving her looking like a twig. Her black hair hung limp over her shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Celia.” Eliza started shaking her head. “But Thorne’s right, you can barely stand.” With her deteriorating health, she was a distraction. Although powerful, that power had disintegrated the moment she’d fallen ill, and if Eliza took the risk in taking her with them, then there was a chance she wouldn’t return. Eliza couldn’t let that happen, promise or not.
Celia looked down, shaking. “I can help.”
“Then stay here and wait for us. Send word to the closest post of soldiers. Tell them where we are,” Eliza reasoned.
As she went to walk away, Celia stumbled slightly and fell to the ground, body convulsing.
“Oh my Gods,” Eliza whispered. Thorne rushed to Celia’s side, pulling her body to his. “What’s happening?”
Thorne placed two fingers to the base of her neck, where her pulse was. He stayed there for a moment before picking her up and carrying her to the bed. Eliza jumped up, allowing him to place Celia in her bed.
“I have a feeling she’s only going to get worse. She’s been completely cut off from her magic.” Thorne crossed his arms, then uncrossed them, fidgeting profusely.
“Is there anything we can do?” Dorin asked from the other side of the room. He moved and stood beside Eliza. His hand brushed hers, and she took it, entwining their fingers. “I can go get a healer. There’s a good one in the village.”
Thorne shook his head. “No healer can help her now.” Jaw clenched, he stood in silence for several moments, looking down at Celia before sighing. “I’ll have to take her out of the city, travel south. It’s the only thing I can think of.”
“Will it help?” Eliza asked, voice shaking. She squeezed Dorin’s hand, frustrated with how she couldn’t do anything to help. Blood Magic and necromancy, with all their benefits, were useless now.
“I think it will. Her magic stems from her people,” he said hesitantly, eyeing Eliza, almost like he wasn’t sure if he could share that information. “She’s gone too far from them, but I don’t think that’s it. They want her home for something.”
Eliza furrowed her brows, something tugging at the corners of her mind. A memory. But was it her own? “That’s… odd.” She shook her head, but eyed Celia warily. “If you think it’ll help, then go.”
Thorne strode towards her. “That would mean holding off on going through the tunnels,” he said. “I won’t let you go down there. Not without me.”
Eliza swallowed thickly, eyes flickering to Dorin. “If you aren’t back by morning…” She looked back to the commander and noticed fear flicker in his eyes. “Then I think I’ll have to. We’ve already waited too long. I don’t think we can hold off.”
His jaw clenched, and he looked away. “I should be going with you,” he murmured.
Eliza shook her head. “You’re the only one who can get Celia to safety. I’m sorry, Thorne. But if you aren’t back by morning, Dorin and I will go down there alone.”
By that point, Eliza was sure she’d have enough magic to get her through the tunnels and to the Dark Master. But would she be strong enough to do it all without him?
~
It had taken Thorne all of thirty minutes to gather the supplies he’d need to get Celia to a town past the desert where he thought she’d be safe. It was a farming town, he’d said, that traded with the people who lived in the desert. He’d mapped the route out quickly and efficiently, sure that he’d be back by the time E
liza was planning to leave.
But it was nearing morning, and Eliza wasn’t sure if he would make it.
“He’s running out of time,” Dorin said, pouring Eliza a cup of tea. She took it without the intent of drinking it. “Will you really leave here without him?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She let her eyes flicker up to the man standing beside her, saw the utter faith glimmer in his eyes. Faith in her. She swallowed. “He could always come down after us if he gets here just after we leave. And he would, anyway. He wouldn’t let me go down there alone.” Eliza looked down at the green tea, the leaves swirling at the bottom of the white cup.
“He knows you can take care of yourself, right? Or is there something more between you?” Dorin asked cautiously.
Eliza looked up sharply, eyes narrowed. She hadn’t missed the hint of jealousy in his voice. “There isn’t,” she said, standing.
She touched his cheek cautiously before bringing her mouth to his. The kiss was soft. He tasted like spice and the desert. Before she knew it, Dorin was moulded against her until she wasn’t sure where she started, and he ended.
Before it could go any further—even though Eliza would have liked it to – all things considered, she pulled away. Her heart fluttered, and Dorin’s eyes glazed over.
“Alright, I was just asking,” he said, a goofy smile settling over his face.
She couldn’t keep the smile off her own as she sipped her tea.
Butterflies took to her stomach in swarms, and anxiety pulled at her thoughts. What if they went down there, and there was nothing? Or what if she got Dorin or Thorne killed? Maybe the prince wasn’t even down there; the guardian of the portal had told her that he came back and forth with his master.
The questions rushed through her, leaving her wanting certainty and answers. Half of her questioned how easy it was for them to get to this point. How had no one thought of the tunnels, or the desert? But she also wanted to cry at how long it had taken her to get to this point, and how it would forever change her life.
“Sun’s coming up,” Dorin said, audibly swallowing.
She knew she should stand, make to leave, but a tugging at her gut stopped her.
Dorin’s mother entered the kitchen, a dish towel in her hands. Her silver-streaked hair was pulled back into a low bun, several strands hanging loose. Her eyes went to the blossoming sky.
“I suppose you will be leaving soon, yes?” she asked. The woman looked expectantly at Eliza.
Eliza turned her gaze to Dorin. That nagging feeling in her gut wouldn’t subside.
Biting her lip, she took another sip of the tea, eyeing the brightening sky. “We should get going. Either he’ll be there, or he won’t. We can’t wait any longer.”
Dorin stood and offered his hand. The once goofy smile was now stiff on his lips. “Then lead the way.”
33
SECRETS & LIES
Eliza was forced to cast away her connection to the land. The moment they entered the tunnels, the natural magic of Cadira fell away, leaving her defenceless. Instead, she focused on the magic that thrummed in her veins. It heightened her senses; gave her a kind of strength she’d never felt in New Orleans or when she’d first entered Cadira. The power she controlled from her blood was raw and real. She only had to rely on herself when it came down to Blood Magic.
She needed the elements, and her blood granted her that ability. A prick of her finger and blood welled at the point. Eliza used the blood to draw the alchemical symbol for fire on her chest, over her heart.
Her thoughts flickered to Thorne and the promise she made him, but she shoved the guilt aside. No time for that. It was better to ask forgiveness anyway.
Heat rushed through her veins and leapt from her fingertips.
Fire lit up the cavern and cast shadows over the decaying structures, giving light over the debris and the demons that skittered from the light, searching for darkness.
With both hands raised, she threw a ball of fire into a swarm of demons to her right, forcing them back with a sweep of her arms. Her next attack went towards a throng of demons behind them.
They weren’t creatures she recognised; stumpy yet humanoid in figure, their long arms dragged across the floor while their unseeing eyes drilled into her. Their mouths opened to reveal fangs that dripped acidic saliva, while forked tongues slipped from open mouths to lick the air.
“We need to reposition ourselves,” Eliza said, sweeping her arms around her, moving in a way a dancer would across the stage. She imagined her fire to be like ropes and swept them through the hordes of demons that surrounded them.
Behind her, Dorin grunted, a sword in one hand, and a flaming torch in the other. “I agree. Let’s move.”
They guarded each other’s backs as they fought their way to higher ground—a mountain of rubble close to the centre of the abandoned city. It wasn’t the highest point, but Eliza couldn’t quite climb and fight at the same time, and she wasn’t prepared to do so and risk tripping. She needed to get high enough to send fire outwards to scatter and kill the demons that cornered them and blocked them from the tunnel’s entrance.
It’s a good plan in theory, she thought, grunting as more demons broke through their defences, attacking with savage strength and unhinged jaws. Now let’s hope I can follow through with it.
Without a word said between either of them, Dorin took Eliza’s arm, wrapped his hand around her wrist, and jumped onto the mountain of rubble, pulling her along with him.
The demons surrounded their podium, clambering to the top. Dorin swung his sword around the base, forcing the humanoid creatures away.
“Are you ready?” he asked, wide eyes meeting hers. There was no fear in them, though, as if he were sure she’d be able to force them back.
She nodded tersely. Sucking in a deep breath, Eliza focused her energy; she imagined a spark igniting in her hands, felt the heat of that flame burst across her fingers. It spread up her arms until all she could feel was power.
Eliza released that same breath at once, sending the flame outwards in a spiralling circle. It hit the mass of demons and spread along the base of their mound, until the pair was surrounded by fire, and the demons were fully consumed by the orange-blue blaze.
Behind her, Eliza heard Dorin breathe out a sigh; she felt the rigidness of his chest pressed to her back as he released that breath, how it seemed to shudder through him in a sense of relief.
They waited for several moments as the rest of the demons burned. Being nothing more than conjured creatures from the depths of Cadira’s hell, they returned to the earth as nothing more than ash.
Eliza shuddered. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”
“Me either.” Dorin shook his head and leapt to the ground, holding his hand out for Eliza to follow. With shaking knees, she took his hand, only a single thought rushing through her mind. Where’s Thorne?
Dorin pressed his lips to her temple before starting towards the tunnel.
They walked amongst the ash and the upturned sand in silence. They stopped at the mouth, and Eliza raised a hand, sending a ball of fire through. “If any went in, they’ll be scattered now.”
Dorin nodded and held out his extinguished torch. She lit it with a wave of her hand.
“Where’s Commander Thorne?”
Eliza spun, ready to attack. Her heart thundered in her chest, the sound filling her ears. She hadn’t even heard anyone else in the cavern, but Amitel stood there, under the portal, arms crossed. A look of irritation crossed his sharp features as he took in Eliza and Dorin.
How did he know we were here?
“Where is he?” he repeated. His gold eyes bore into hers with an intensity of fiery anger that didn’t quite suit his character.
Eliza swallowed thickly, extinguishing the flame that consumed her hand. “With Celia. She got sick.”
“Does not explain why you are down here without him.”
Beside her, Dorin snorted. “S
he doesn’t need him to protect her.” A sharpness had entered his voice, and Eliza wasn’t sure if it was for her benefit or for his.
Amitel shook his head. “But the commander should be here. He is an adept fighter, and two people cannot go up against what might lay ahead.”
“What else do you know?” Eliza asked, eyes narrowed.
“Not here. We should go back up and wait for the commander.”
Eliza shook her head and took a step towards the tunnel. “I’m tired of waiting, and I am tired of being one step behind. I’m going in, with or without Thorne, with or without Dorin, and especially, with or without you.” She released a heavy breath and shook out her hands. “So, if you want to help protect me, then by all means, come along for the ride. But if you want to wait around for Thorne and see if he shows up, give him my regards.”
A moment of tense silence passed between Eliza and Amitel as they watched each other with narrowed eyes. Dorin bristled beside her, his hands clenching and unclenching as they brushed hers. She itched to take his hand.
Finally, Amitel gave a shallow nod. “Alright,” he said, giving her a ferocious smile. “I will go with you for the added protection. But please do give me a moment to send through a message to the commander to let him know that we are all in one piece for now.” His eyes briefly flickered to Dorin before he pulled a piece of parchment from his coat. A quill appeared a second later, and with a flick of his hand, the quill and parchment floated in mid-air, with a message being scrawled across the page.
The message then erupted into flames, the ash falling to the ground.
“Done. We should be off then, I suppose.”
Eliza nodded, and she turned to the tunnel, Dorin to her right, and Amitel to her left. The former held out his torch for protection, while the latter claimed magic. Eliza wriggled her fingers in anticipation.
This is it. It’s finally happening, she thought, and a smile twisted its way onto her face.
The Lost Prince of Cadira (Shadowland Saga Book 1) Page 31
