In Ice We Burn (The Liftsal Guardians Book 1)

by Alexandra Moody

  The three men nodded, but concern touched their eyes. ‘What’s happened?’ one of them asked, his gaze flickering down to Sloane, who was covered in Braky blood.

  Rhyn glanced at the crowd of people who stood just meters from them and lowered his voice further. ‘There was a Braky in the castellum. No one leaves until we’ve done a full sweep and made sure it’s safe. Do you understand?’

  The men unconsciously reached for their swords at Rhyn’s words, but nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, Rhyn,’ they replied in unison.

  Rhyn began to walk through the crowd in search of his mother.

  ‘Is it over?’ The first woman who approached him asked. ‘I really would like to return to the....’ her voice trailed off as her eyes landed on Sloane.

  ‘I’m still waiting for confirmation it’s safe,’ he responded. ‘I will let everyone know as soon as they can return. Until then it’s best if everyone waits here.’

  She looked like she was about to ask another question, but Rhyn went on before she could get a chance. ‘Do you know where my mother is?’

  The woman nodded. ‘She’s in the chamber at the back of the hall.’

  ‘Thank you.’ He strode off, before the woman could get another word in.

  When Rhyn entered the chamber, he saw Orelle sat at a table, her head in her hands and her anxiety clearly evident on her face.

  ‘Mother?’ Rhyn asked.

  ‘Oh Rhyn. You’re safe,’ she said, standing up and coming over to him. ‘What’s happened to Sloane?’ she asked, as he eased her down onto the floor.

  ‘She was attacked by a Braky.’

  ‘Here in the castellum?’ she asked, keeping her voice hushed so that no one would hear.

  Rhyn nodded and his mother’s face paled. ‘Let me look at her,’ she said. Rhyn stood back and allowed his mother to check Sloane over.

  ‘Where in the castellum was this?’ Orelle asked, as she proceeded to check Sloane’s condition. There was unmistakable concern in her eyes, and Rhyn worried if it was just because of the Brakys, or if there was something seriously wrong with Sloane.

  ‘Near here,’ he replied. ‘I need to talk with Elyx. We need to make sure no others got in and figure out what happened.’

  ‘Emha!’ Rhyn turned as Emha’s mother ran into the room. She rushed to her daughter’s side, her hands all over the small girl as she checked she was okay. Seeing the blood caked in her hair, her gaze shot up to Rhyn.

  ‘What did she do to her?’ she yelled, pointing at Sloane’s still form.

  ‘She saved me,’ Emha said to her mother. ‘Brakys attacked us and she saved me from them.’

  Emha’s mother turned back to look at her daughter. She looked like she wanted to tell the child she was wrong or mistaken, but Emha’s calm composure was difficult to argue with.

  ‘I’m fine, Mother. Orelle is going to check on me in just a moment. You should go let father know,’ Emha said.

  She didn’t look like she wanted to leave her daughter’s side, but Emha’s words were difficult to argue with. ‘Yes, you’re right. I’ll go let your father know you’re okay, and I’ll be right back. You’ll take good care of her?’ she asked Orelle.

  ‘Of course.’

  Once her mother left, the tension eased from Emha’s shoulders and she allowed the concern she felt for Sloane to rise back to the surface. ‘Why do the Brakys want Sloane?’ she asked Rhyn.

  ‘What do you mean?’ His voice was low and steady, but there was a hint of wildness in his eyes as he looked at the girl intently.

  Emha suddenly appeared to be nervous. She looked down at her feet, and her words were soft when she responded. ‘There was another one in the castle and it asked her to go with it. Why would it do that?’

  Rhyn’s gaze darted to Orelle, who looked up in response. ‘Can you think of any reason?’ he asked her.

  Orelle’s face whitened as she looked into his eyes. ‘I’m not sure, but it’s strange that it did not simply try to change her then and there. Perhaps they have some other purpose for her,’ she responded, before retuning to examine Sloane. Her expression was troubled as she continued to check Sloane for wounds and Rhyn’s jaw locked with tension as he watched on.

  He wanted to ignore what his mother had said, but the thought of the Brakys wanting Sloane upset him more than he was willing to admit. The mention of it alone was enough to throw him into a rage. He clenched his fingers into a fist, the skin stretching tightly across his knuckles.

  ‘They can’t have her,’ he said, his voice deep and dark.

  Orelle nodded. ‘It seems as though she had a narrow escape tonight…’ She shook her head. ‘Keeping Sloane here is not worth the risk. She must be the reason they have attacked so frequently, and breached the walls. If they want her, I have no doubt they will come back for her.’

  Rhyn bristled; glaring at his mother with such anger that even one of his warriors would have cowered away. Orelle looked up and saw his expression, but she didn’t back down.

  ‘I’m not saying this to hurt you,’ she continued. ‘You know how I care about Sloane. But wouldn’t she be better living in another village away from here where she’s safe?’

  ‘No,’ Rhyn said, trying to make his voice sound convincing.

  ‘Do you really want to take the risk that they could take her or turn her into a Braky?’ she continued. ‘She puts us all in danger by being here.’

  ‘She’s not putting anyone in danger,’ Rhyn said, his frustration obvious. He had always felt so certain of the right course of action, but tonight he felt uncertainty humming just under his skin. It would be so easy if he didn’t care for her. The danger with the Brakys was too great and the right course of action would be to send her to another village further away from their threat. But when he tried to imagine his world without her in it, he couldn’t picture it.

  He looked down at Sloane, lying there so vulnerable on the table, and a little of his anger ebbed. He stared at her intently, willing her to wake up so he could see her beautiful green eyes.

  ‘How is she?’ he asked, his voice softening as he watched her.

  ‘She’s going to be fine.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘The Braky didn’t do any damage. She doesn’t appear to have any injuries, but I won’t know for sure until she wakes up.’

  ‘But, she is going to wake up?’

  Orelle looked away from Rhyn. ‘I’m sure she will.’

  Rhyn’s stomach dropped. His mother was using the tone of voice she used when telling people bad news. He couldn’t stand there and do nothing, watching and hoping for Sloane to wake up.

  He turned to leave the room.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Orelle called after him.

  ‘To kill some Brakys,’ he growled, pulling his sword from its sheath.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  When Sloane opened her eyes she felt completely disorientated. She had no idea where she was, and her mind struggled to recollect what had happened before she fell asleep. Staring up at the glowing ice ceiling, she knew she was still in the castellum. There was a soft bed beneath her though, and she closed her eyes again to try and remember how she’d gotten there.

  She tried to sit up, but felt a hand softly pushing her back down. ‘Take it easy. You’ve had a bad knock to your head, but you’re going to be okay,’ Orelle said.

  ‘Where am I?’

  ‘You’re in Rhyn’s room.’

  Sloane thought for a moment, but then everything that happened before she passed out came rushing back to her. ‘Emha!’ she said, trying to sit upright again. ‘Emha, is she okay?’

  Orelle helped Sloane to sit, positioning pillows behind her back to prop her up. ‘She’s fine. She also hit her head but is already feeling much better.’

  ‘The Brakys?’ Sloane asked, focusing back on Orelle.

  ‘They’re gone. You don’t need to worry about them.’

  ‘But how did they get in?’

  ‘We’re not sure, bu
t we’ll figure it out.’

  A masculine voice scoffed and Sloane looked over to find Rhyn pacing backwards and forwards on the far side of the room. There was a dark look in his eyes, and he was clearly furious about the Brakys entering the castle.

  ‘You’ll need to take it easy for a few days,’ Orelle continued. ‘But you should make a full recovery before you know it. I’ll be back to check on you in a little while.’ Orelle’s gaze moved uneasily towards her pacing son as she headed for the door. ‘Rhyn? Can I speak with you?’ she asked, reaching for the door handle.

  Rhyn quietly followed his mother from the room. Sloane could see the tension in his shoulders, and his eyes were bright with anger. Once the door was closed behind them, they moved further down the hallway and their silhouettes could be seen through the ice walls. They appeared to be arguing, though Sloane couldn’t hear a word they said.

  She focused back on her body, assessing it for damage. Her vision was a little blurry and her thoughts were slow. There was a throbbing bump on the back of her head, but she seemed to be okay. She was no longer in the dress she’d worn to the ceremony; instead she’d been changed into a nightshirt.

  Her eyes widened with panic as she realised the piece of Ash’s uniform was no longer in her hands. She looked around the room for her dress, but she couldn’t see it and there was hardly anywhere for it to hide. She began patting down the bed around her, searching it for the scrap of material. It didn’t take long for her to realise it wasn’t there either.

  She tried to take a calming breath. Her head was spinning and not just from the night’s confusion. She really had taken a hard knock to the head. She tried to figure out why the Braky wanted her to come with it. Why did it want her to see Ash again? Why hadn’t it tried to poison her while it had the chance?

  The door clicked open and her eyes darted to Rhyn. He seemed downcast and quieter than when he left, but she was too busy having her own mental meltdown over her missing brother to be too bothered by his behaviour.

  She struggled to ignore him though, as the silence stretched between them. Rhyn sat in the corner, quietly brooding, and acting even more distant than normal. His eyes were focused on the far wall, and his face was empty of emotion. He was normally buzzing after a fight, or at the very least angry. But tonight? It was like he’d lost something precious.

  ‘Rhyn, what’s wrong?’ Sloane asked.

  He cleared his throat, then stood and came to sit on the edge of the bed beside her. There was pain in his eyes like she’d never seen before, and she held her breath as she waited for whatever bad news was coming her way.

  ‘I’m sending you to another village,’ he said.

  Something inside her fractured. ‘What?’

  ‘You’re in danger here, and your presence is putting the rest of the village at risk. I need to send you somewhere safe…’

  ‘Yes, I heard you,’ she responded, almost coldly. She had wanted to get away from him ever since she arrived, but she didn’t want to be further from the rift home and a part of her felt oddly empty at the thought of leaving him. ‘Why now?’

  He hesitated.

  ‘Why, Rhyn?’ she repeated.

  ‘Because I can’t protect you from them,’ he said heatedly, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. ‘Tonight the Brakys breached the castellum walls, but they didn’t go after the Liftsal. Tonight, they went after you.’

  Her face dropped, becoming pale as she listened to his words. How did he know they wanted her? Did he also know they had her brother? What would he do if he found out?

  ‘What would they want with me?’ she asked.

  ‘They would see a strong human like you as a prize,’ he said, with barely a whisper. ‘You would make a powerful Braky.’

  Her frown deepened as she thought of her brother. Was he now one of those creatures? If they had captured him, surely he would have been changed by now.

  ‘Is there any hope for someone who has been poisoned?’ she asked, trying to quell the emotions she could hear stirring in her voice.

  ‘Not if the scratch or bite isn’t treated immediately,’ he replied, though there was an odd look in his eyes as he said it.

  Sloane fell silent as she considered his words, and her thoughts raced as she tried to piece together everything she knew. Her first instinct was to rush after the Brakys, to try and get to them so she could rescue Ash. The likelihood of finding him healthy, and still human, wasn’t high though. If that were the case, there was nothing she could do. She didn’t want to leave Ash to a fate like that. He would rather die a man, than live an eternity as a demon. But, there was a bigger problem.

  If the Brakys had captured Ash, that meant they must know where the rift is, or it wouldn’t be long before they did. Either way, her people back on Aeris were in danger.

  A flicker of terror shot through her, and a sense of urgency coiled in her gut. She had to get back to Aeris. Her people needed warning. They needed protecting from the Brakys. They weren’t equipped to fight them and, if the Brakys knew about the rift, her people were just sitting ducks waiting to be turned.

  ‘They can’t stay there,’ she whispered to herself, as the realisation hit. Her people couldn’t stay on Aeris and she needed to warn them and get them off the planet before it was too late.

  ‘Who can’t stay where?’ Rhyn asked.

  Sloane looked up at him and found him watching her strangely. His head was tilted to the side as though he were trying to figure her out.

  ‘No one,’ she replied quickly, shaking her head and chewing down on her lower lip. ‘Can I see Emha?’ she asked, before he could question her further.

  He looked like he was about to object, but then his shoulders slouched and he slowly nodded. ‘If you’re feeling up to walking, she’s in her father’s room a couple of doors down.’

  ‘Yeah, I feel great,’ she replied, pushing herself from the bed in one swift movement. Sloane felt a rush of blood to her head as she stood, but aside from that she felt fine. Rhyn held out a pair of pants to her, and she glanced down at her naked legs. The shirt she was wearing only just touched the tops of her thighs. She never would have minded wearing so little back on Earth, but being in front of Rhyn that way made her nervous.

  ‘Thanks,’ she mumbled, quickly snatching the pants.

  ‘Your shoes are by the door. I’ll meet you out in the corridor,’ Rhyn replied, looking everywhere in the room but directly at her.

  ‘Sure.’

  She swiftly put the pants on and didn’t waste a second sliding on her boots. She needed to come up with a plan to get out of there and get back to Aeris—and she needed to do it fast. Rhyn was preparing to send her to another village, and the Brakys could attack her people back in the World of the Woods at any time.

  She wished that she could talk to Rhyn, beg him to let her return to Aeris and warn the other humans of the Brakys. But she knew there was no persuading him, and she didn’t dare try in case it ruined her chances of escape. After telling her she would be sent away, he would only assume it was another ploy of hers, and without the piece of Ash’s uniform she had absolutely no proof.

  She darted to one of Rhyn’s drawers and swiped a dagger from it before she left. She didn’t dare walk the castellum corridors without one on her now.

  Rhyn was waiting patiently in the corridor, and he walked silently beside her as they headed for Emha’s room.

  ‘Do you think she’ll be sleeping?’ she asked Rhyn, suddenly worried.

  Rhyn shook his head. ‘It may be the middle of the night, but a lot has happened. I doubt any Unfaih will be able to sleep tonight. We can always come back in the morning if she is.’

  Sloane nodded, falling silent. She didn’t know if she could wait until morning. Now that she knew of the potential danger to her people, she couldn’t waste another minute. Especially when Rhyn could send her away at any time. She needed to get out of there fast.

  Rhyn knocked lightly on the door when they arrived and slowly op
ened it when he heard Emha call for them to enter. She was sitting up in bed reading a book, and her face lit up when she saw the two of them.

  Sloane quickly moved to her side. ‘I’m so sorry, Emha. You never should have been hurt tonight. I should have been able to protect you.’

  Emha shook her head. ‘You did protect me Sloane. If you hadn’t been there the Brakys would have killed me. We protected each other,’ she said, reaching out and placing her hand on Sloane’s.

  Sloane smiled warmly back at her. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Fine,’ Emha replied, with a small roll of her eyes. ‘A lot better than you, I’m sure.’

  ‘I’m not all that bad,’ Sloane replied with a wink. She glanced over her shoulder at Rhyn. ‘I’m going to stay here a while. You can go if you’ve got other things to do.’ He looked uncertain about leaving the two of them there together.

  ‘Yes. I can’t sleep and I’ve been so bored,’ Emha agreed. ‘Let her stay with me a while.’

  Sloane glanced at her, raising one eyebrow, before looking back to catch Rhyn’s response. Sloane knew her reasons for wanting to stay and talk to Emha alone, but Emha seemed to be up to something herself.

  ‘Fine,’ Rhyn said. ‘Sloane, you must go straight back to my room when you’re done. I’ll be back to check on you soon.’

  Sloane nodded and smiled at him, turning back to Emha the moment the door shut.

  ‘They’re going to send you away,’ Emha hissed, before Sloane could get a word out.

  ‘I know,’ she replied. ‘Rhyn wants to send me to another village.’

  ‘But we can’t let him do that,’ Emha said. ‘I like having you here.’

  Sloane smiled back at her. ‘I like being here with you too.’ She sighed, slowly letting a deep breath out before she continued. ‘But, I can’t stay.’

  Emha’s face dropped. ‘Why not? Do you want to go to another village?’

  ‘No, of course I don’t, but I have to get back to the World of the Woods. I think the Brakys know my people are there, and if I don’t warn them they will turn every single person into one of those creatures. I can’t let that happen.’