She inhaled deeply, fingers trembling to unsheathe the blade. This was it. The moment that would change everything. One wrong move and they would catch the attention of everyone within sight of the prison. Peering around the corner she caught Edric’s eye. They required no words to prepare. In an almost synchronized movement they leapt from hiding, their blades quickly finding their mark. Aiva stared into the wide-open eyes of her victim. Bile threatened in the back of her throat to think of the life she’d just taken. Now was not the time for an attack of conscience. These men were scoundrels. Criminals. Miscreants who stood between her and Shaelyn. For the sake of her own soul in the eyes of the gods, she whispered a quiet prayer of forgiveness while the man’s body slid out of her arms to the ground. Dead. His blood stained her hands. The sight of it sent chills down her spine until she couldn’t bear it any longer, shaking off the thick liquid from her dagger to replace it in the sheath, bending forward to wipe her palms in the dirt and remove the worst traces of her deed.
When she straightened, she was aware of Edric watching her, back pressed against the side of the building in wait for the other men to make their way out of the woods. He was concerned for her. Not that there was need to be. She would be fine. It was just a matter of getting away from the bodies so she would stop thinking about them.
Turning away, she listened for the sound of splintering wood from around the prison. Callum was inside. Not wanting to leave him and Gadiel alone, she pushed at the door which blocked the path between her and them. To her dismay she found it impossible to move. Locked. Behind her Edric began to search the fallen sentinels for the keys. Stealth mattered little now. The broken door and the two dead bodies at their feet belied any innocence they may try to feign. Mustering her strength she brought her foot up, the heel of her boot aimed toward the locking mechanism, a loud crack emitting from under the force. Hinges creaked as the door flew open, dangling haphazardly where the weathered wood was unable to withstand the pressure.
Edric was on his feet instantly, sword drawn, ready for battle. Aiva led the way inside, fearless. There was no time for doubt. Right now she needed to focus on finding Shaelyn.
The number of guards along the main hall was impressive. More than she expected. They were everywhere, far more plentiful than Gadiel’s report had indicated, a shred of uncertainty starting to nag at the back of her mind. Why would Osahar increase the number of men at the prison instead of his personal home? Did he anticipate an ambush? It seemed foolish not to have more protection around himself when meeting with a man of significant power whose daughter had been kidnapped. A direct attack on Osahar seemed more likely than an ambush on the prison.
She cut through the guards with ease, aware of Edric fighting by her side, unable to see his face. Prisoners were screaming at the intrusion, cowering in their cells. Aiva recognized most to be of human descent. The Siscalian victims. Or at least some of them. It was impossible to know how many of those poor people had already been sold into slavery before anyone had reached the shores of Luquarr.
A shrill scream brought Aiva’s sword to a halt. It rang through the prison, resounding off the walls in every direction, the sound all too familiar in Aiva’s mind. She’d heard it before. The night of her wedding, echoing through the yards of the palace in Escovul.
“Shaelyn!” she cried out, running forward in desperation to find the source of the scream. Her blood ran cold when she reached the center of the room, Shaelyn’s horror-stricken face staring back at her, a sharpened knife held tight against her throat. The slender fingers of her captor were feminine in form. Ireni…
“Men, hold your swords!” Callum shouted. All at once the clash of metal ceased, leaving the room in tensed silence, Aiva’s heart beating rapidly.
In Ireni’s arms Shaelyn stood, frozen, mouth agape in a soundless cry. Her soft blue eyes revealed her fear. Afraid to move. Ireni’s laughter replaced the lingering memory of Shaelyn’s screams in Aiva’s head, grating on her nerves. Oh, how she hated that woman! If she could get her hands on her, there would be no remorse for tearing her head from her shoulders. Tempted to go in for the kill Aiva took a step forward, stopped by the sight of Ireni pulling Shaelyn backward, increasing the pressure of the blade at her throat. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Princess,” Ireni drawled, emphasizing the title with mock respect. “This display of betrayal on the part of your people will not sit well with my boss. We’re well within our rights to kill the girl.”
A sudden commotion from behind Aiva drew her attention from her sister. She heard Edric start to speak, rushing toward her, his body knocked flat in a single punch from the man standing between him and Aiva. In recognition of the assailant Aiva gasped, hand on her sword in preparation to fight. Odell. “You bastard,” she hissed, raising her hand to lunge toward him angrily. Odell evaded the strike, stepping around to grab onto Aiva’s left arm, twisting it painfully behind her back to hold her firmly in place.
Gruffly he spun Aiva around to face Ireni again. She tried to break free, her right elbow lifting to deliver a blow to Odell’s face. The impact never came. Instead she found herself rocked by a solid clout to the back of the head. Disoriented, she felt him catch her right arm, her fingers pried from the handle of her sword, the metal clanging loudly along the stone floor where it landed, out of reach.
White light danced across her vision, increased by the twisting pressure of her arms held firmly under Odell’s grasp. Bringing one of his hands up, he weaved his fingers through her hair, clenching it tightly, her head jerked backward under his harsh motions. “We had some unfinished business, woman,” he growled.
Recovering from the blow Edric rose to his feet, glancing at Callum, unsure of what to do. Their plan was falling apart. Ireni had been waiting for them. She knew Callum well enough to know the way he handled himself in battle. In Siscal she’d been under his direction. Regardless of whether she had ever gotten her hands on his tactical plans, she’d helped to carry them out. It was enough for her to expect him to lead an attack on the prison while the others acted as a distraction.
“Let them go, Ireni,” Callum stated calmly, taking a step toward her. Ireni laughed at him, moving away to increase the distance between them.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, darlin’. You’ve left me in quite a predicament,” she said with false sadness. Her full lips pursed together in a playful pout, eyes batting demurely. “You see, we’ve tried this once before. While you may have gotten the upper hand in the desert, you’re in our territory now.”
“Would you risk killing both daughters of the Vor’shai King while his army is inside the confines of Osahar’s home?” Callum took another step toward Ireni, sword lowered.
Ireni laughed, shifting her path to move closer to Aiva and Odell, the blade still held tightly at Shaelyn’s neck. “It sounds the best move, really. If Osahar falls at the hands of your King, in the wake of his death, I would step into power. I fail to see where this is bad for me. You’re the only one who stands to lose anything.”
“You speak of mutiny?” Callum raised his brow quizzically. “Surely that goes against some kind of code.”
“Screw your codes. My people aren’t like yours. We do what serves us best, and right now it’s more suited to me if I slit both their throats. Let your King sort it out later.”
Sheathing his sword Callum retrieved his bow, loading a single arrow onto the string, unshaken by her threats. Pulling it taut he took aim at Ireni, eyes narrowed. “How much pleasure would you get out of it if you were dead?”
“As if you could kill me, Callum,” she sneered. “If you fire that arrow, you place your precious little Princess in danger. I could make her into a shield before it reached me.”
“You doubt my aim, Ireni?”
“I doubt your gumption. If you kill your King’s daughter, can you just imagine what he would do to you?”
Aiva struggled against Odell’s hold. Her anger increased with every word Ireni spoke. How could Callum
have ever enjoyed her company? She was rotten to the core. Selfish and uncaring. The most undeserving of his affections. Held firm, she watched Callum from Odell’s arms, searching his face for some sign of what he was thinking. He was too good at hiding his thoughts. There was nothing in his expression to console her that he had a plan.
The wood of his bow creaked under the pressure as he drew the string tighter. “Is this something you are willing to bet on?”
“You wouldn’t be so confident if it was your little woman in front of me,” Ireni smirked. In a sharp and abrupt motion she moved the knife away from Shaelyn, the tip positioned squarely against Aiva’s throat. “Maybe I should kill her first, just to make sure you get to watch her die.”
Aiva drew in a deep breath to feel the tip of the blade. It pricked the skin, like a tiny insect piercing through the surface. She wanted to grab onto it. To take control of the weapon. It was right there. If she could just get her hands free!
A sudden whistle cut through the air. Next to her ear she felt a soft breeze as an arrow bypassed her by mere inches, landing solidly into Odell’s head. There was no time to be repulsed by the sight. She could see Callum standing there, bow in hand, the arrow no longer loaded on the weapon. He’d fired the shot. It was up to her now.
Instinctively she brought her arms up as Odell’s grip gave way. With the element of surprise to her advantage she grabbed onto Ireni’s hand, twisting the wrist at a painful angle. It took little effort to pull Ireni off balance, the blade tumbling from her hand to the floor beside Aiva’s fallen sword. All at once the men were in motion again. Edric reached for Shaelyn, managing to get her free of Ireni’s distracted grasp. “Get her out of here!” Callum directed, slinging his bow over his shoulder to retrieve his sword. “Aiva and I will be right behind you. Go. Quickly!”
His words didn’t register in Aiva’s mind right away. They would be right behind him? Ireni was already beginning to regain composure. She would never let Aiva go without a fight. Edric moved toward the door, arms wrapped protectively around Shaelyn’s shoulders, several of the men surrounding them to act as a barrier between any enemies who took chase. The last of the soldiers went to work on the locks of the other cells, releasing the prisoners from within to guide them out of captivity.
A hard blow to the stomach knocked the wind from Aiva’s lungs, causing her to double forward in pain. It wasn’t the strike that hurt so much as it was the uncomfortable tug of the sutures there above her naval. At Aiva’s cry of surprise Ireni struck again, harder, sending Aiva to her knees. She couldn’t breathe. Another punch to the solar plexus sent her head reeling. Gasping for breath. It felt as if she was suffocating, unable to concentrate on what was happening around her. Through the haze of her thoughts she was aware of Ireni being pulled away, shouts echoing through the room. Callum. She needed to regain her senses and help him. Ireni was too strong for him to handle alone. He admitted that much to her long ago.
Slowly the room started to come into view. From where she knelt on the floor she fumbled for her sword. It was there somewhere. She had to find it. Her knee bumped against something, sending a loud scrape across the floor in front of her, pushing the sword further away. Damn. Why couldn’t she focus? Half-standing, she reached for the handle of her weapon, a grateful cry escaping her to feel the weight of it in her hand.
With speed and grace she spun to face Ireni again, finding her and Callum locked in a tight hold, neither one able to force the other back, teeth gritted from the effort it took to maintain their grasp. A firm toss from Ireni sent Callum tumbling to the ground, his hold shifting to her shirt to pull her down with him, foot positioned squarely in her chest to throw her over his shoulder. Aiva was to his side instantly, prepared to fight. To her surprise he took her hand, dragging her toward the door and away from Ireni where she was quickly working her way back to her feet.
“Callum, we have to kill her!” she gasped, hindering their progress forward. They couldn’t leave her alive. It would be only a matter of time before Ireni brought her men back to Tanispa. There was no telling what she would do then. Her jealous rage would be out of control… even more than it already was.
He didn’t waste time arguing. In a fluid motion Callum swept Aiva’s legs out from under her, taking her in his arms, feet pounding along the ground at full speed. Ireni was on their heels. At the front door Callum paused, turning to face the broken pieces of wood which continued to hang from the hinges. Callum’s foot lashed out to kick at them, sending the splinters backward into Ireni’s face. She cried out, hands lifted to defend against the debris. Callum took advantage of that brief distraction to increase the gap between them, racing along the road toward the docks.
Aiva didn’t understand. Why would he not stay and fight? Ireni needed to be taken down. If not killed, at least captured and brought in for trial to receive punishment for her crimes against their people. “If we don’t kill her, she will only come after us again. Let me fight!”
“No, Aiva!” Callum exhaled through broken breaths, the water of the port coming into view up ahead. “Every second we waste fighting her here is another second Osahar’s men have to take chase after Edric and Shaelyn onto our ship. Our duty is to get Shaelyn home safe. We can worry about revenge later.”
Mouth open to protest again Aiva found herself without argument. He was right. By now their attack had reached the ears of Osahar at the meeting. Every pirate under his command would be after them. They would have no choice but to reach the ship and get it away from the docks before anyone could get to them. She only hoped that Varik had the vessel already unmoored and prepared to sail immediately upon them boarding.
The docks weren’t far now. She recognized their ship, already pushed away from the pier, her father anxiously standing watch at the rail for her and Callum. At the sight of their approach he began to wave them onward, urging them to move faster. “We’re going to have to swim for it,” Callum stated matter-of-factly, lowering Aiva’s feet onto the ground without slowing his pace. She stumbled to try and keep up, nearly falling flat on her face, kept upright by a solid pull from Callum to steady her, their speed hindered only slightly by the misstep.
Under their boots the wood of the pier creaked and groaned. Aiva held tightly to Callum’s hand, afraid to let him go in fear of falling behind, aware of Ireni closing in on them from the street. They gave no pause at the end of the dock. With a loud splash they dove into the water, ignoring the cold in their haste to get to the ship. Aiva gasped at the frigid temperature, a mouthful of water invading her mouth, causing her to cough, choking on the salty liquid. Callum gave a persistent tug on their clasped hands to guide her onward. She floundered for a moment, spitting and gagging until finally she had enough breath to resume her fluid strokes, kicking in attempts to increase their speed.
Thade and Edric were at the rail, releasing a rope ladder over the edge, their voices calling for them to hurry. Barely to the base of the rope, Callum grabbed onto Aiva’s waist to lift her closer to it. Her hands waved wildly in fearful excitement, missing the rope at first, almost causing them to fall backward into the water. At the last moment she managed to wrap her fingers around the bottom rung to catch their balance. With another heave Callum helped her to gain footing on the step. She pulled herself up, weighted down by the water soaked into the doublet she wore. Her body trembled uncontrollably. They’d made it. Ireni’s angry shouts could be heard from the end of the pier. Her threats were unimportant. What mattered was that Shaelyn was on board and safe.
Halfway up the ladder Aiva felt it grow taut under Callum’s weight as he pushed out of the water. Fighting against her shaking limbs, she forced herself to keep a tight hold of the sides, grateful for the outstretched arms of her father and brother, easily supporting her drenched body to guide her over the rail and onto the deck. Seeing that she was safely in their father’s hands, Edric moved to help Callum up the final few steps, water splashing onto the floor where he landed.
“W
e did it,” Edric beamed, rushing over to wrap Aiva in a warm embrace. Water squeezed from her doublet into his, drenching them both. He laughed, making no move to pull away, instead hugging her tighter, droplets spraying around them as he spun her jubilantly. “You and Callum gave me quite a scare. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it in time.”
“I am a princess. It is usual for us to be fashionably late,” she chuckled.
Thade moved to her side, cutting between her and Edric to get an unobstructed look at her. “Were you injured? Are you alright?”
“Father, I am fine,” Aiva smiled. She let her gaze drift over his shoulder to where Callum remained standing by the rail, alone, soaked through from the sea. Once again she had him to thank for saving her life. It pained her to think of all the things he’d done for her that went unnoticed. Seemingly unappreciated. She refused to let that be the case this time. If not for him, Shaelyn would still be in the hands of those dreadful pirates – and there was no way of knowing what would have happened to the rest of them. “Why do you linger there by yourself, Callum?” she asked, her hand stretched out to him invitingly. “Do you not wish to celebrate this victory with your family?”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. At Aiva’s words Thade turned to face him, offering his own arms to Callum. “Ah, yes. My dear boy. It seems I have had two daughters and two sons returned safely to this ship. There is much to be thankful for.”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Two: Beyond the Veil Page 81
