I completely broke down.
There was a commotion at the top of the stairs and Brice tensed, but stayed where he was. The lock slid back and the door burst opened. Sonia stood in the doorway, her face flushed with anger. Behind her, William looked in. His eye was already starting to swell shut.
“I’m sorry, sir. She took me by surprise.”
Brice waved him away. “What do you want, Sonia.”
She glared at me. “What did you do to him?”
“She didn’t do anything to me.” Brice’s voice was soft. “Love, this is my decision. I promised to keep her safe. Whether she is out in Sageden or in a cell here, I will keep that promise.”
“She’s a sorceress! She put a spell on you!” She took a step toward us. “Get away from him you evil whore!”
Brice growled low in his throat. He set me gently on the ground and stood. He didn’t raise his voice, but the tone of it made both of our eyes widen. “That’s enough.”
Sonia seemed to shrink back into herself. “I told you this would happen.”
He nodded. “You did.”
“You can still change it. Come home. Forget about her.” A tear slid down her face.
He walked to her and pulled her to his chest. “I can’t. Sonia, look at me.” He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head up. “I can’t.”
“I can’t lose you, Brice.”
He tried to smile down at her. “Would it actually make a difference if I was around or not? I’m only home three or four times a year and it’s never for more than two weeks at a time.”
“But once this is done, you would get to stay home. You wouldn’t have to leave anymore.”
He swallowed hard. “I know.” He kissed her softly. “I love you.”
“Then come home.”
He kissed her harder this time. “I can’t.”
She leaned her head against his chest and started to cry. “You promised me you would love me forever.”
Brice cleared his throat. “And I will,” he whispered. He wiped the tears from her face and tucked long blond strands of hair behind her ears. “Go home, Sonia.”
She stood on her tip toes and kissed him softly. “I love you.” She glanced around him to me and I was shocked by the hate in her eyes. Without another word, she left.
I heard the lock slide back into place. Brice leaned against the door and took a deep breath.
“Don’t pick her over me, Brice.” Sonia sounded as if she had called it down from the top of the stairs.
A growl exploded out of his throat and he turned, punching the wall with all of his strength. I heard the bones in his hand break against the stone and I cringed. He stood with his head against the wall, his hand against his chest. I got to my feet and made my way over to him, leaning against the wall for support. When I reached him, I simply lay my head on his arm.
We stood like that for a moment, each of us lost in our thoughts.
“Let me fix your hand.” I looked up at him.
Without a word, he took his dagger and cut the ropes from my wrists. I rolled my shoulders and groaned then took his other hand and pulled him into a kneeling position. The greens moved in front of me. I wrapped his hand in a wave and held on to it. I expected him to gasp, even jerk, but all I heard was a sob. I looked up. His eyes were closed, the tears flowing freely from them, his shoulders shaking with his sobs.
I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into my lap then brushed his hair back out of his eyes. My lips found his forehead.
“Dying for you, that’s not what’s bothering me. It’s the fact that I’ll never be able to give her what she always wanted.” His voice was just a whisper.
“What are you talking about?”
“Sonia, she sees things like you do. She dreams about them. She saw me bringing you back here. That’s why Braw picked me.” He took a deep breath. “The next time Braw takes you out, I will interfere and I will be killed while trying to save you.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, you’re not allowed to interfere. Too many beings have died because of me. I won’t lose you too.”
“I promised to keep you safe and I will.”
Suddenly, I wanted Sonia to be back here. I wanted to hear her dream in detail. “Do you know what she saw?”
“She saw Braw taking you to the courtyard. When he touches you with the staff, I try to stop him. When he turns to fight me off, you get away.”
“Go back to Sonia, Brice.” I gently pushed him away so I could look at him. “Braw won’t use me to wipe out the shifters. I won’t let it happen.”
“If you don’t help him, he’ll make you and then he’ll kill you.”
I shivered at the memory I was having; the power that had been in my head, the feel of it flowing through me, out of me. I shook my head. “It’s not going to happen. I have to be alive for him to use me.”
His eyes widened.
I thought about my statement and rolled the idea through my head. It wasn’t that I wanted to die. But I was tired of the killing. So many beings had died because of me. “Maybe it’s time I die for me.”
“You sound serious.” He stood and pulled me up with him.
“I am. If anyone can end this nonsense, it’s me.” I looked into his eyes and smiled. “You can do me a favor, if you like.”
“What’s that?”
“When things blow over, could you find Jasper?” My voice caught in my throat. “Tell him I loved him. Tell Dodge he was the best friend a girl could have asked for. And tell the rest of them thank you.” I tried to blink back the tears. “Tell them I’m sorry.”
“No.”
“Please. Brice. I have to do this.”
“No.” He turned me toward the door. “William.”
Footsteps came down the stairs and stopped at the door. “Sir?”
“Unlock the door.”
The door opened and Brice guided me through.
“Hayden?” William looked worriedly at me.
“I’m alright.”
He glanced down at my unbound hands and back to Brice.
“You were pretty brave when it came to putting me in my place, William.”
“Sir?”
“I need to know if you can be that strong when Braw comes to question you.”
William looked down at me, back to Brice, and nodded.
“Tell them I took Hayden to my father’s old house to let her recover. When they ask why you let me take her, tell them I cut you.”
“Um, sir? You’d better do it if the story will work.” He held his arm out to Brice. The latter pulled his dagger and made a quick gash on the former’s bicep. William sucked in a breath and put pressure on the cut.
“Why can’t William come with us?”
William shook his head. “If there’s no one here to tell them where you went, they’ll automatically assume he took you out of the city and start the search. This will slow them down and give you a head start.”
I gave him a hug. “If I ever see you again, we’ll try to get you home.”
He hugged me back. “Take care, Hayden.”
I walked up the stairs and into the fresh air. We made our way through the dark city, crossed the courtyard, and came to stop at some bushes by the stone fence.
Brice glanced back and stiffened. A couple was walking hand in hand through the courtyard, both of them giggling. He pushed me up against the wall and bent so that his forehead was against mine.
“Come on, Chum! You can do better than that!” the man called to him. His partner laughed and told him to be quiet.
Brice waved backward to him, hesitated and placed his lips softly on mine. He had one hand up against the wall by my head and the other one moved to my shoulder. If ever there was a brotherly kiss, this was it. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Even after all of this, I still thought of him that way. My overprotective little brother.
I could still hear the other
couple sitting on a bench. My heart felt heavy in my chest. I didn’t care what Sonia saw. I wasn’t going to lose him anytime soon.
The couple on the bench stood and left.
Brice grabbed my hand, led me into the bushes and through a narrow opening in the wall. He paused before leaving the safety of the wall. He shifted and cocked his head in both directions.
He shifted back. “I can’t hear anything. Let’s go.”
I followed him out. We were in a dense forest. “Follow me. Step exactly where I step.”
I did as I was told.
We had been walking for about an hour when Brice picked up the pace. “There are no traps after this. It’s safe to speed up now.” I felt completely devoid of any energy. Brice carried me off and on to try and quicken the pace. We ran, then walked, then ran again. We finally stopped just as the sun was starting to come up.
“Come, we’ll have a rest in here.” We walked farther into the cave and Brice let go of my hand. “I’ll be right back.”
I watched him walk back toward the mouth of the cave.
“Brice!” I screamed and he fell to the ground as two arrows stuck into his side. I ran toward him and he started to scramble backwards into the cave.
“I’m fine! Get back in there!” He stopped, broke off the arrows and got to his feet. “This way.” I took his hand and he led the way deeper into the cave.
“I used to come here when I was small. There are about fifty different tunnels that lead out of these caves.”
The caves were damp but not dark. There were vines that grew up the walls that gave out a soft blue glow. Every once in a while something would scurry away before I could see it. I could hear the sound of running water ahead of us. It got louder the farther we went along.
Brice led me to the underground river. “I found this exit quite by accident,” he grinned at me. “There is one section where you have to hold your breath for about twenty seconds or so. Other than that, it’s a fun ride.”
He turned and the blood drained from his face.
“Let me fix you first,” I said.
He shook his head. “There’s no time.”
“But…”
“No. Now, don’t let go of my hand. There’s one place I need to stop to grab something.”
I frowned. The blood was soaking into his shirt and I knew he was acting stronger than he actually was.
Brice jumped into the water. I had no choice but to follow. The freezing water engulfed me and I gasped when my head broke the surface. The current took us along at a fast pace. Brice turned toward me. “Duck on three and hold your breath.” He looked ahead. “One… two… three!”
I ducked under and felt Brice tug me along under the water. I kicked to help move us along a little faster. My lungs were starting to scream for air and just when I thought I was going to have to take a breath or die, we came up in a large underground lake. We swam to the shore and I helped Brice get up on the bank.
He lay on his back, his eyes closed, his breathing fast. “Do you see that little ledge behind us?”
I looked up. “Yes.”
“Do you see the flat stone? It’s a dark green color.”
I walked to the ledge and looked. “Yeah.”
“Lift it and take the sac out of the hole.”
I did as I was told. The flat stone was heavier than it looked and I had to use two hands to move it. Under it was a small bag made of deer skin. I took it out and went to sit by Brice. I took his hand and put the sac in it.
He shook his head, his eyes still closed. “It’s for you.”
I opened the sac and looked in. “What is it?”
“It’s a displacement stone. I stole it when I was young. There was a sorceress that came to the city. She was selling all sorts of stones and potions. My friends dared me to steal one.” He chuckled. “I didn’t know what it did until a group of older boys were chasing me one day. I was holding the stone and all I could think about was how great it would be to be here instead of where I was at the time. The next thing I knew, here I was.”
“So why did you hide it here? I would think this would be a handy stone to keep around.”
“Oh, it was. I did keep it on me for a while. But when Braw gave me my shifting stone, I found that the two of them cancelled each other out. Since I had to shift to pretend I was on the queen’s guard, I hid the displacement stone here for safe keeping.” He took a deep breath. “I want you to use it.”
I shook my head. “I’m not just going to leave you here.”
“Hayden, you dying isn’t an option. Now, take the stone, think of your cabin, and get out of here.”
“No. I’m not leaving you. You dying isn’t an option either.”
“By the moons, Hayden, I just handed you over to a man who was going to use you to wipe out the shifters.”
“And you got me away just like you always do when I get in a mess. Do you think I should hate Luke for abducting me?”
He shook his head. “Luke was following orders. And he brought you back.”
“So how is that any different from what you just did?”
“I have been lying to you for a year; lying to Jasper for seven.”
I was quiet. He opened his eyes and looked at me. The fact that he had been lying to me all this time was what cut the deepest. But he was still Brice and I still loved him. I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
“I don’t care.”
I repositioned myself so I was kneeling. “You might want to bite on that bag. These are pretty deep.” I took a deep breath and worked the arrows out of his side.
Brice groaned and bit down on the bag. Tears ran down his face.
It took a while and by the time I was done both of us were sweating and shaking. “I’m sorry.”
He placed a hand on my arm and pulled me down so I was lying in the crook of his arm. “Give me a minute.” His voice was a hoarse whisper.
I put a hand on his chest and felt his breathing slowly get back to normal. “Are you ready?”
He shook his head. “No, but get on with it.”
I knelt by his side once more and pulled the green waves in front of me then picked the safe one and spread it over his side. I pushed the wave with my mind and concentrated his energy on where he needed to heal. I could see the tissues heal; the vessels reattach, and finally the skin close again.
Brice jerked under my hands. He took a few deep breaths then laid his arm out on the ground. I lay back against him and he pulled me close. “Get some sleep. I’ll try to figure out how I’m supposed to get you back to Jasper.”
I yawned. “You need some sleep, too. Will anyone think to look for us here?”
“I don’t think so. If anyone does come, you make sure to use that stone.” He looked down at me. “Promise me.”
“I promise.” I closed my eyes and let sleep take me away.
*****
When I awoke I was warm and dry. I was also naked. Soft lips kissed my neck. Fingers laced with mine and I heard a contented sigh. My eyes flew open and I found myself looking into the fireplace at our cabin. I slowly gazed back over my shoulder and got lost in the perfect blue eyes that were smiling at me.
“Good morning, Shlova.”
For an instant I didn’t care how I had gotten home. All that mattered was that I was there. I turned and crushed my lips to Jasper’s.
He groaned and pulled me against him. “I still can’t believe we’re home,” he whispered into my hair. He ran his tongue along my lower lip and I moaned. “Hayden.” His voice sounded funny. I looked up at him.
“Hayden, wake up.”
I blinked, and when I opened my eyes again I was staring into blue green ones. My heart sank.
Brice gave me a lopsided grin. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate being woken up like that, it’s just that I would rather both parties involved be awake.”
I blushed. “Sorry. I had a dream I was home.”
“That’s kind of what I t
hought.” He gave me a kiss on the forehead. “So, let’s get you there.” He stood and helped me up. “You know, I was thinking, you saved me from the archers. Do you think you’ll be able to save me from Jasper?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the last time Jasper saw me, I had a dagger to your throat. I saw the look on his face. The next time he sees me, I’m a dead man.”
I had seen the look he was talking about. “He’ll see you’re bringing me back. He’ll see that I’m not hurt.” I grinned up at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” I hoped.
Brice laughed. “I’ll hold you to that.” He took my hand and started to lead me toward the water.
“Hang on.” I pulled back on him so he would stop. “I want to try something.” I took the displacement stone out of my pocket. “I want to see if I can get it to carry both of us.”
“You can do that?”
“I’m not sure. But if I was able to project that thing to the shifters, I think I might be able to project this too.”
“What should we do?”
“I think if you hold me, it might be easier to transfer it if we’re touching. And we’ll have to think of the same thing.”
“Jasper?”
“Jasper.”
Brice wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug and leaned his chin on my head. I thought of Jasper and tightened my hold on the stone. It started to warm my hand. The warmth made its way up my arm, and slowly enveloped my whole body. I pushed the warm wave over Brice. It crossed over to him easily enough to start with but stopped short then began receding back toward me. I felt the power of the shifting stone trying to deflect it. I pushed it harder and was relieved when the warmth of the displacement stone covered the other’s energy and I had him completely engulfed. I concentrated on Jasper, of having his arms around me. The heat gradually warmed up until the sensation was almost unbearable.
I was suddenly free falling and I held on to Brice as hard as I could. As quickly as it began, the feeling was gone and there was ground under my feet again.
Journey 'The Chosen One Trilogy: Book Two' Page 6
