Briahnna looked at Desmond warily, perceiving the thoughts running through his head. Then she looked at Liam when he suddenly unsheathed his sword with the gust of wind that blew past them all. Briahnna sucked in a breath when she saw Desmond’s eyes narrow in hate. He had also just unsheathed his sword. Briahnna knew all too well why everyone had become tensely silent, and she turned around.
Jerrick stood beside her horse and bent down to pick up the crown that had fallen from her head.
Rinald groaned, everyone had been so shocked upon seeing Briahnna that no one had noticed Samson turn and run back to camp to inform Jerrick.
“Queen Briahnna of Fenhalden,” Jerrick said quietly. Then he looked up and his piercing blue eyes sliced through Briahnna. His eyes were bright with what she perceived as unshed tears but then he blinked, and they were gone. “Why should this surprise me?” Jerrick asked. “You were always finding reasons to hold off our marriage from the start.”
“Jerrick– ” Briahnna stepped forward.
“King Desmond!” Jerrick crooned looking away from her. “You look very good. I never thought one could heal so well from such a fall.” Jerrick’s mouth twitched up in a smirk. “What an alliance you’ve made, Your Majesty! A wife who can heal whatever may befall you! Indeed advantageous.” He shook his head looking again at Briahnna. “I would think that you of all people would know when she is being used.”
Desmond surged forward. “You little–” Jerrick’s hand shot up and Desmond was frozen midstride. Briahnna stepped in between them, and Desmond stumbled when Jerrick released him.
“And why should I, of all people, know, Jerrick?” Briahnna asked, eyes lit with fire, “because you were using me for more power?”
Jerrick’s nostrils flared angrily, and he took her upper arms and yanked her toward him. Desmond took his sword and strode to them but slammed into an invisible barrier. Briahnna looked around, everyone around them shimmered slightly. He had shielded them. Jerrick shook her. “What were you thinking?” he growled.
Briahnna looked at him and yanked her arms away. “What were you thinking?” she yelled. “You killed the king!”
“I stopped a war!”
“No! I did!” Briahnna growled. “Once again, I had to clean up your mess! You who crave nothing but power! If you want to blame someone then look in the mirror!”
“Everything I did was for you!” he shouted.
“Everything you do is for you! Why would any of that have to do with me? I was gone!” she said.
“Exactly!” Jerrick stepped forward, insistently. “You were gone. I couldn’t go out and find you until after the war was over. It needed to end so that I could search for you! You were gone for over six months, Briahnna! Six months!”
Briahnna shook her head and sighed. “It’s a good reason to convince my father to let you do what you had wanted to do from the beginning…take over.”
“Why would you think that?” Jerrick said taking, her face into his hands. “Jerrick!” Desmond yelled. “Let her go!”
“You don’t belong with him, Bri!” Jerrick pleaded. “You know you don’t! You can feel it.” He pushed his energy into her, and she cried out. She thought that they couldn’t feel each other’s feelings outside of the forest, but he had somehow pushed his into her. She could feel everything, and she was all that he had left.
“Please, Jerrick, stop!” she sobbed. “I can’t.”
He released her, and she fell to her knees. She stood as he paced in front of her. Then he stopped and as he stepped toward her, she stepped back. His arms dropped to his sides in defeat as he looked up. “Run away with me,” he whispered.
“What?” she asked, eyes wide.
“I don’t care,” he said. “I don’t care about any of it. I don’t care about the war. I don’t care about Thornhold. I don’t care about power.” He paused and looked vulnerably at her. “I don’t care that you’re married.”
“Jerrick…” Briahnna started.
“No!” He stepped closer. “Listen to me. We could leave it all. We could leave the four kingdoms. There’s a world out there that we don’t know about. You and I…we could explore it…together.”
Briahnna shook her head slowly.
“Briahnna think about it,” he insisted. “I could show you things about your magic that you never dreamed possible. I would give up everything, everything, Bri. Just come with me.”
Briahnna couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He wanted to run away. He would give it all up: the power, the titles, the life that he had so carefully crafted. Had he disappeared a long time ago, so many lives would have been spared. How many people would be saved if he were gone? She was actually tempted to do it, if only to save those who carelessly found themselves in his destructive path. Her heart sank at the thought of leaving her family completely and the one person, surprisingly, that kept invading her thoughts, Desmond. She would regret leaving him. She would regret not staying to see their relationship develop, if he wanted one at all. The main thing that kept her from running away, however, was that she didn’t believe Jerrick. She didn’t believe that he could stay away from the power. She didn’t believe that she was enough for him. Wherever they were, Jerrick would always seek more.
She shook her head again. “I can’t,” she said barely above a whisper. “I’ve already made my choice.”
He surged forward again and took her arms in his hands, and she whimpered as he squeezed. “Jerrick!” Desmond yelled, frustrated that he had no way of getting to them. “If you touch her again, I swear!”
“What?” Jerrick goaded. “What can you possibly do?”
“She does not belong to you,” Desmond growled.
Jerrick looked down at her sadly. “She never did.” He released her and stepped away. Briahnna could feel the power emanating from him as she stepped back, but she was still trapped in this shield. “She. Never. Did!” he yelled as he turned and gave Desmond a deadly look. “From here on out, Briahnna,” he said, turning back to her, “you and I are enemies.” He turned to King Rinald. “As are you and I, Your Majesty.” He turned back to Briahnna and she gasped. His countenance had changed drastically. She could feel his vengeance, his anger. She wasn’t even touching him; he wasn’t even forcing it on her. “You want to know where all of your precious magiks are? You want to know who truly had the power to take them?” He laughed. “Who do you think? That is what I kept from you, Briahnna. That is what I knew you wouldn’t want to hear! You! The perfect one! The one who can do no wrong. I knew you would never understand!”
Briahnna shook her head suddenly afraid of him. “I still don’t.”
“And you never will,” he said menacingly.
Lord Braxton stepped forward, eyes darting around in panic. “Guards!” he shouted. “What are you waiting for? Arrest him!”
Jerrick spun and pointed at Lord Braxton fiercely. “I have never been your puppet, Braxton!” he spat. “I have never needed you or you, Kirtzene.” Jerrick looked at Rinald. “If you are wondering about any accomplices I may have had, you are standing right beside them.” Reed spun and grabbed Lord Braxton’s arm and Lord Kirtzene took hold of his mount but was cornered by another guard. Jerrick laughed. “And yet they can’t get to me. He has always been an idiot,” he said to himself, shaking his head. He looked at Briahnna again, and his eyes saddened as he stared at her.
“Jerrick,” Briahnna choked out. “Why are you telling us this now?”
Jerrick stepped toward her and cupped her cheek in his hand. “Because it doesn’t matter anymore. I didn’t get what I had set out to get, and my time has run out… Come with me,” he pleaded again.
He had clearly lost it, and Briahnna shook her head. “Where are the magiks, Jerrick?”
“Where do you think?” Jerrick asked, rolling his eyes. “The only place no one can go accept you and me. Only you don’t know it.” Briahnna stepped back, and Jerrick’s eyes darkened. He looked at Sam and jerked his head. “Good luck trying,�
� Jerrick added and then Briahnna flew backward, thrown out of his shield.
He was running and using the wind to propel him and Sam forward. Desmond and Liam were in pursuit. Desmond was actually running on top of Jerrick’s shield, waiting for when he released it so Desmond could attack. Other guards followed after them; everything happening so fast.
Briahnna watched in horror as everyone pursued. Her father and brother were running to their horses to pursue as well. Then Briahnna heard a boy calling out to Jerrick, and she turned and saw Forster. “Forster!” she yelled. He looked at her once but kept moving. Forster, the boy she had taught at the school in Mageia. She harnessed the wind to run and catch up.
Right before the trees that lined the river, Desmond suddenly dropped to the ground and rolled to intercept Jerrick who had finally released his shield. Jerrick held his hand up to stop him, but Desmond flipped and dodged Jerrick’s magic. Jerrick instead tried to use the wind to push Desmond back but Desmond rolled with it. He was at the tree line and had grabbed onto a limb to spin him around to get away from the wind then ran straight back at Jerrick. As he did, Jerrick threw yellow pulses of energy at the guards who attacked. Each guard he hit with a pulse was on the ground, unmoving. Briahnna panicked and stopped to look around for Radal, but there he was, unfailingly at her side. She was so caught up in everything that she didn’t notice him. He had stopped beside her, forced to watch his friends fall. She could tell he felt a need to fight beside them so she ran. Jerrick had to stop pulsing in order to meet Desmond’s sword, but there were no more guards to contend with, since Liam was fighting Sam.
Liam had finally dodged the last orb of water that Sam tried to drown him with and tackled Sam. Sam slammed to the ground but used the momentum to summersault Liam over him. Liam took Sam with him, and from there they wrestled and fought hand to hand.
As they all fought, they kept moving farther away from Briahnna. They were all so fast. How did Jerrick fight and propel himself so well? He had more control than she thought possible. Suddenly he was on his back as Desmond tried to impale him. But, Jerrick’s arm shot out, and Desmond was thrown back, sommersaulting when he fell to the ground.
Briahnna heard a roar to her right and saw Abriel running at Jerrick with a ferocity she never knew he had. He was pushing a stream of fire at Jerrick as his sister Abigail propelled him with her wind. Jerrick had barely intercepted him with a shield but was being pushed back as Abriel pushed forward. Briahnna could tell that they had run a long distance because Abigail was falling farther and farther behind. But, Abriel had gotten close enough to make contact, and he wasn’t backing down. Finally, Jerrick released his shield and dodged Abriel’s fire by falling to the ground and pulsing quickly. Abriel fell immediately, and Briahnna heard Abigail scream his name. Jerrick looked at her, then stood and ran towards Sam who had Liam on top of him with his hands wrapped around Sam’s throat. Jerrick blasted Liam off of Sam, and Sam and Jerrick both ran to the trees just as Briahnna was reaching Desmond. Jerrick then turned and pulsed. Briahnna threw up a shield and jumped in front of Desmond. When the yellow pulse hit them, they both flew backwards and Briahnna’s head slammed into a rock.
Jerrick stopped suddenly, as did everyone else. All eyes were on Briahnna who lay unconscious on the rock. Desmond groaned as he rolled onto his hands and knees and crawled to Briahnna. He put his head on her chest to listen for a heartbeat, but it was only faint. Then he felt under her head and pulled his hand back to find a bloody mess. He looked up when he saw a hand touch her leg. Desmond leapt over Briahnna so fast that Jerrick barely noticed before a knife was at his throat. “Get your hands off her now!” Desmond growled.
“Do you want her to die?” Jerrick asked, unfazed by the knife.
“She’s as good as dead anyway, no thanks to you!” Desmond said. “I don’t have time to get her to a healer!”
“I can help her heal,” Jerrick said. “But you have to let us go. And I don’t just mean now. I mean after I heal her, you let Samson and me leave peacefully.”
“You call this peacefully?” Desmond said, releasing Jerrick and shoving him forward. “Help her!”
Jerrick looked back at him pointedly. “You have my word!” Desmond shouted. “Help her!”
Jerrick touched Briahnna’s face and inhaled deeply then exhaled and pushed energy into her. Briahnna’s eyes opened “Jerrick,” she croaked and started to sit up but Jerrick held her down. “Briahnna,” he said softly, “don’t panic, but I need you to feel the back of your head.”
Briahnna reached her hand back and groaned. “What happened?”
“You hit your head,” Jerrick said. “You need to concentrate all of your magic to that spot. You’re body automatically heals itself when you heal someone else, but now you need to make it heal your own wound. Do you understand?” he asked. “It’s just like the first time you healed me. You had to concentrate harder. I gave you enough energy to do it now.”
Briahnna’s eyes started closing, and Jerrick grabbed her. “Do it now, Bri! Before it’s too late!”
Desmond knelt beside her and put his hand under her head. Briahnna’s eyes roamed to him. “Come on, Ahnna. Stay awake.” She exhaled, and her eyes started closing again. Desmond looked at Jerrick. “Do something!” he growled.
“I keep feeding her energy, but her body is giving out!” Jerrick said, frustrated.
King Rinald had finally caught up and knelt beside them. Desmond grabbed Briahnna’s chin. “Ahnna! Do it! I need you to survive!” he said desperately. Briahnna opened her eyes and looked intently at him. Then she groaned in pain and Desmond could feel her skull knitting back together. He sighed with relief and placed his brow to hers as Jerrick stood and ran to the trees.
Chapter 38
Once again Briahnna tried to pry her eyes open. Her head raged at her to keep them shut. She had to stop the images though, the nightmares. She kept seeing Jerrick and the easy way he killed everyone. She kept seeing him dragging countless numbers of Mageians away; away from their families, their livelihoods; empty houses, and orphaned children. She kept seeing Abrial smiling sweetly at her then suddenly staring into his blank dead eyes.
Briahnna forced her eyes open and exhaled, squinting in her dim tent. She saw a cup of water on the makeshift table near her feet and slowly rose to a seated position. She looked down at the bloodied handprint on her blouse then reached a hand behind her head. Her hair was matted and sticky against her skull.
“I panicked.”
Briahnna jumped and groaned when her head protested at the sudden movement. She slowly turned and saw Desmond sitting beside her; his clothes rumpled and bloody as well.
“After you healed yourself, I didn’t trust anyone to take care of you. Gabriela insisted on washing your hair but I was afraid of opening the wound again. She wanted to change your clothes but I was afraid of anything rustling your head. Your father’s physician assured me that it had healed completely, and wholly but you kept moaning and crying out in your sleep. I didn’t want to risk…I don’t know. I just panicked,” Desmond said, rubbing his hands on his face.
Briahnna put her arms around her legs and settled her head onto her knees. “Will you please hand me that cup of water?” she asked quietly.
Desmond complied and crawled to the end of her bedroll. He took the cup and handed it to her then sat down directly in front of her. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Like I smashed my head into a rock,” Briahnna answered, looking intently down into her cup of water. She avoided his gaze as she sipped it slowly. She wasn’t sure how to deal with his sudden attentiveness, especially after how cold he had been to her since her confession. What she wouldn’t give to know what he was thinking as he watched her.
“What did you do with Jerrick?” she asked between sips.
“I let him go as per our deal,” Desmond answered simply.
Briahnna’s head shot up, and she groaned before asking. “You let him go?”
“Do you re
ally think I could have kept him captive if I hadn’t?” Desmond paused and looked at the handprint on her blouse. “The only way to really stop Jerrick is to kill him.”
Briahnna looked at him in confusion. “But…you just let him go.”
“He said I had to if I wanted him to help you.”
Briahnna exhaled. “Of course he did.” She looked back into her cup and thought about what she could remember. She looked at Desmond questioningly. “He didn’t heal me. He gave me energy to heal myself.” She shook her head. “That shouldn’t be possible. He fed me so much energy. He shouldn’t have even been able to stay awake, let alone walk away.”
Desmond nodded slowly. “I think he may have found a way to harness more energy. Your father was a little disturbed himself. But I think if you actually saw the area where you were hurt, you may understand.” Desmond held out his hand to her. “Would you like to see?” he asked, standing.
Briahnna took his proffered hand and stood, instantly swaying on her feet as she did so. What was she thinking? She couldn’t go anywhere feeling this way. She closed her eyes and let her head fall forward onto a chest, only then realizing that Desmond’s arms were around her holding her up. She slowly looked up at him. “I think you are in need of food,” he said. Her nod was barely perceptible as she watched his eyes roam to her lips. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until her knees buckled and her vision blurred. Her breath came out in a whoosh as he cradled her gently in his arms and laid her back down on her bedroll.
“I’ll go find you some food and fetch your lady’s maid,” Desmond said, standing up. Briahnna nodded, eyes still closed as she listened to him exit her tent. She covered her face with her hands and rubbed them up and through her hair. Except they didn’t go through her hair, they got stuck in the sticky matted tangles. Briahnna squeaked in protest at how she must look. She shook her head and thought back on everything that she remembered and gasped. Forster is here. At least he was here. She sat up again and wanted to scream from the pain. When she healed others they walked away feeling amazing. When she healed herself, she felt the aftermath of the wound. It really was unfair. She cradled her head in her hands and heard the tent flap open, not wanting to actually see who walked in.
Spirit (Legend of the Dragons Book 1) Page 26
