“Why? Why are you doing this?” There was no response to her question, “Kellen! Why?”
“You’ve done a magnificent job, Kellen.” The blood in Sterling’s veins went cold at the voice that complimented Kellen, “Perhaps we’ll do business again someday.” The sound of a pouch of coins being tossed and then caught rang through Sterling’s head.
As suddenly as the bag had been thrown over her head it was yanked off, the morning sun blinding her for a moment. She raised her bound hands to shield her eyes. Standing before her, with an evil grin spread across his face was Commander Engram. The man who had murdered everyone she had loved in this world, the man who had taken everything away from her. Without a thought Sterling lunged toward him, her bound hands beating his chest. He fended her off easily, knocking her to the ground.
“Take her to my horse.” Engram turned his back on her and said something to Kellen before he mounted his horse.
“Kellen!” Sterling yelled across the distance to Kellen’s retreating back, “Kellen!”
Two of the Commander’s men lifted Sterling to her feet and started carrying her off. Sterling struggled and pushed one away, looking back over her shoulder to find Kellen riding away, “I curse you Kellen! I curse the day you were born. I’ll find you and cut the heart out of your chest!” Anger like she had never felt before consumed her. Her vision blurred as it was filled with a hatred that she would never forget. “If I ever see you again I’m going to kill you!”
Engram stepped into her line of sight, blocking her view of the retreating Kellen. He was close, so close that she could smell honey on his breath. Realization struck home as Kellen’s betrayal became clear to her, the two had shared a drink.
“Would you please just shut up?” Engram barked at her. His hand connected with Sterling’s face, knocking her to the ground. Her head struck a rock and pain raced down to her toes. Her vision blurred as she watched Kellen fade into the darkness.
“Now that’s better.” Engram stepped over her and it was his face that filled her vision as it went completely black.
12
By Any Means Necessary
Nine Days Later
Dan’Yin, 7th Solum, 1021
Engram stood at attention within the interior chamber of the Orom’s personal quarters. His heart was beating so fast he found it difficult to breathe. The Orom was furious. The former king sat back in a fine leather chair, his fingers interlocked in a judgmental manner, “I send you on a simple errand. An errand that could bring me one step closer to the end of a lifetime of struggle. And you manage to completely miss the fact that the one item I expressly requested you bring back is missing.”
Engram swallowed hard, every muscle in his face suddenly was made of stone as he tried to speak. “Milord, the bounty hunter hired to track her must have taken the pendant without anyone knowing.”
The Orom scoffed. “Excuses. All I hear from you are pitiful little excuses. I grow tired of excuses. Especially from you, Commander.” The old king sat back in his chair, a heavy sigh escaping his grizzly looking frame. “Have your men found this Beracian yet?”
“I’ve sent my best tracker after him,” Engram nodded curtly. He prayed Phayo would find Kellen Leiten soon. His life, and Engram’s life for that matter, depended on it. Engram felt like a bug under a boot as the Orom stared at him. Vaan Tydar, the 35th Orom, was not a man given to patience. He was unforgiving when crossed and did not abide disobedience in his subordinates.
Younger than any previous man to hold the title, the Orom was a very strong man that stood head and shoulders above the army that served him. Many speculated he was in his late sixties, but no one in the Severon ranks was certain of the Orom’s true age. He had hazel eyes and pale skin all topped by a head full of shockingly white hair. His fingers were long and had a powerful grip, a strong grip Engram had seen used on servants that had not reacted quickly enough for the Orom’s taste. He expected his orders to be carried out without question and he demanded results. Engram had witnessed many of his fellow Severon fall to the Orom’s rage. Engram had risen through the ranks of the Severon army by following every order handed down without question and completing each task with perfection.
But this bounty hunter, Kellen Leiten, had ruined his perfect record. The Beracian had contracted with the Severon several times to hunt down Devians within the Duenin territory, and he had come through repeatedly. Until now.
Kellen had left a trail for Phayo while he had been with the Devian. Engram had simply been patient while the bounty hunter led the girl closer to Sionaad and his waiting arms. The man truly was worth the price he charged for his services. Sterling was completely caught off guard when Kellen handed her over.
“As you know, Commander, I will not tolerate failure in my ranks.” The Orom’s desk was placed just in front of a sweeping wall of windows. The bright light coming in from the windows concealed the Orom’s expression.
“Yes, my lord. I am aware,” Engram bowed at the waist.
The Orom pursed his lips and stood. He waved Engram over to follow as they made their way to the main audience chamber. “You have been a valuable asset these past fifteen years,” he said as he walked slowly beside Engram, who he himself made sure to stay but one step behind and to the right of his liege. The Orom’s long black and red robes trailed behind him, his deep-set eyes glittering in the dark spaces of the hallways as they walked. “It would be a shame for this one blemish on an otherwise perfect record be your downfall, and,” the Orom paused, turned to look at Engram while a snarl played upon his face, “more ambitious men than you have already felt my wrath. You would be no different.”
Orom Tydar’s hazel eyes pierced Engram to his core, with unabated menace behind them. Engram bowed his head submissively. Damn it Phayo, you better come through, he thought, adding, I would like to keep my head.
“Yes, my lord,” he answered respectfully, while his hand went instinctively to his own throat. The Orom stepped away to gaze out the wall of windows that overlooked the wide, sweeping entryway to Sionaad. The gleaming white towers of the Severon headquarters held reign over the surrounding countryside.
“Have you interrogated the girl yet?” the Orom asked as he continued to glance out across the kingdom he had forged, quite literally with fire and sword.
“For two weeks, my lord. She is,” Engram paused, “proving to be rather resilient. She has not revealed the location of the Shards.”
The Orom grimaced. “She is a Devian, is she not? They’re all the same. Stubborn until the end. You simply need to find the right method to… motivate her into talking. Then she’ll tell you anything you ask.
It was true the girl was a Devian, but from what Engram had gathered she had been raised in the orphanage near Shee. But he knew Devians and he knew their bloodlines. They instinctively understood where the Shards were located. “She will,” Engram agreed, “and we will utilize everything at our command to pull the information out of her.”
“Good, good,” Orom Tydar nodded, as he seemed to study every brick, every cobblestone in this kingdom. He turned his head toward Engram, “ The Devians are hard to come by, we must not squander this gift before us, by any means necessary accomplish the task.”
With that simple command said, he waved a hand in dismissal. Engram clicked his heels together, bowed, and let himself out of the Orom’s chambers. A sigh of relief rushed from his lungs as he rubbed his neck again. He was lucky his head was still attached. Death by beheading was not something that he was looking forward to as his… retirement.
Engram made his way down the long stairwell that led from the Orom’s chambers at the top of Sionaad to a nondescript door that stood in a dark hallway. Two guards stood at attention on either side of the door. The Orom’s final command tumbled around in Engram’s mind. By any means necessary... He stood there for what felt like an eternity as those words seemed to ring in his head. He shook himself out of his stupor, straightening himself gently and clearing h
is throat. “I’ve come for the prisoner.”
One of the guards pulled a set of keys from his belt and with a soft thud the lock was released. He opened the door and stepped aside to let Engram by. Engram stopped and looked to the guards, “Bring me a bucket of water.”
“Yes, Commander.” Engram followed the guard down the narrow stairway. The atmosphere changed the further he descended, going from the clean affluent air of the Orom’s chambers to a dank musty air that was filled with pain and regret.
The sounds the guard made as he pumped water into a bucket echoed up the stairs, becoming louder as Engram reached the bottom. A narrow hallway of cells lay at the foot of the long staircase. This prison was not part of the main dungeon at Sionaad where normal prisoners were held. This hidden prison was reserved for Devians. In each of the six cells were Devians waiting for his presence. They were a stubborn lot and did not give their secrets up easily. Many had gone to their grave with their secrets still held to their chest, but it was from these Devians they first learned of the Union Key and of a possible second location in Du’Gald.
He paused for a moment and examined the wall filled with the tools he needed for interrogation. Knives, whips, straps, razors, and various saws and hammers were hanging closest to where he stood. He smiled to himself and selected a riding crop with a metal tipped end. He continued to where the guard waited outside Sterling’s door, grabbing the bucket of water on his way.
Engram peered through the tiny window. Sterling lay huddled in the corner with her arms covering her head. How pathetic, he thought. She was stronger than any other Devian he’d met. She refused to speak and when he did enter her cell she glared at him with those damned silver eyes.
Engram turned the key in the lock and stepped inside, emptying the bucket of water on her head. She gasped and quickly sat up as she was doused in the icy liquid, her eyes widening in shock. Once she gained her senses and realized what had happened she backed herself even further into the corner of her cell. The cell was dark, save for the meager light from the torch that just barely lit the hallway. He could just see the tips of her toes and the silvery gleam of her eyes shining in the darkness like tiny moons against the night sky.
Chills inched down his spine as depravity slowly took hold. Never, never in his life had a Devian affected him like this. It made him angry that she had that much power over him. By any means necessary, repeated over and over in his mind. He heard, and he obeyed. “Get up,” he said, as he walked toward her in the tiny cell. His command was rejected with a growl.
“No!” She spat at him as Engram slammed the door behind him. “No!” she yelled again as Engram strode two more steps and hefted her up by her hair.
“I told you to get u-” Engram’s rage was blindsided by a sharp kick to the shin. Despite her small size, the girl nearly broke his leg with that kick. Engram was furious. “You little bitch!” he backhanded Sterling so hard she was forced back against the grey stone wall, her head bouncing off the rock with a loud wet thud.
She was dazed by the hit and no longer struggled as he tied her hands together. Engram forcibly lifted Sterling by her bound hands and looped the rope around a hook that hung from the center of the cell. She stood on the very tips of her toes, her arms extended above her head in an uncomfortable position.
Engram stepped back, his breathing heavy, every muscle tense. Every fiber of his being wanted to simply strangle this woman and be done with it. The sting in his shin had become a dull throbbing sensation compared to the fury that was fueling his hate.
By any means necessary to accomplish the task.
Coming to her senses she stared at him with those defiant silver eyes. Those eyes had invaded his dreams at night igniting a lust he dare not admit to. His desire was overwhelming and it disgusted Engram, it angered him that she had this much control over him. In a fit of rage Engram lunged at her, tearing away at her clothing revealing the soft tender skin beneath. The orange flame danced, highlighting her exotic olive skin.
Sterling screamed, or at least Engram thought she did, as he began to force his body closer to hers. She cursed at him, he knew that much. He didn’t care. He deserved every word that escaped her lips. But the dark lust that had plagued his dreams suddenly overtook him as he began to force himself on her. As he began to violate everything that was this woman, this Devian. Beyond this dark and violent wave, he knew nothing until the act was done.
By any means necessary.
13
Pain
Seventy-three Days Later
Dan’Vol, 12th Sator, 1021
How many days, how many weeks of pain had she endured? She had tried to keep count, but after so much pain and confusion she’d lost track. What she thought were days and nights bled into one another until the time seemed to drag on endlessly. The only real passage of time was the sound of the guards when it was time to change shifts. The ringing of their voices echoing off the stone walls sent Sterling’s body in to a panic. She knew she was not the only prisoner in this dark pit. She could hear, despite the stone walls, the screams and wails of other prisoners.
Engram had stripped her of her clothes leaving her naked with nothing to protect her from the cold air that seeped in to the cell. After these days and weeks, it seemed the cold had moved past her muscles to her bones. She was stiff and found it difficult to move. But the cold stone soothed the heat radiating from her battered and lashed back. Sterling huddled in the corner forcing her body as far away from the door as possible, but no matter how small she made herself the damp walls of the cell seemed to close in on her. She shut her eyes, praying when she opened them she would wake up from this nightmare. But she knew this was her reality because when she slept the true nightmares began.
Kellen’s betrayal had left a horrible and bitter taste in her mouth. She prayed daily to any god that would hear her for revenge upon his head. He had deceived her, making her think he cared for her when in the end, he had been leading her to the Severon all along. The kiss they had shared meant nothing to him. For her, it had been the beginning of love. She’d felt it whenever he happened to glance her way. The tightness in her chest had only grown the longer they spent together. She swore if she ever saw him again she would kill him, she would drive a knife through his heart. I wonder if he even has a heart? Sterling thought, as she pushed her back into the stone.
Her nightmares had continued to grow increasingly vivid, filled with images of Engram and Kellen. No matter where she turned in the unending dream valley, Engram and Kellen would be there mocking her, laughing at her attempts to escape the nightmarish landscape. She forced herself awake to get away from their demon eyes only to wake to the reality that was, itself, a nightmare.
She closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck. The tingling that had started the day of Kellen’s betrayal had continued to plague her. No matter what she tried, nothing would alleviate the coursing pain that radiated from the base of her skull. The throbbing radiated from her neck and down her back reaching as far as the soles of her feet. This constant ache fought for dominance over the other pain that now suffused her body. The agony had only worsened from Engram’s visits as he violated her repeatedly, tormenting her from head to toe, making her skin hypersensitive to the smallest of touches. Was there no relief from this misery?
The sound of the lock being turned jolted Sterling from her musings. As quick as she could she pushed herself from the cold floor to stand. If she wasn’t quick enough the consequence would be an icy cold bucket of water. The door swung open and Engram stood in the opening, a bucket at the ready in case she was still on the floor.
“I see you’ve finally learned,” he said, setting the bucket down. He stepped into the cell and closed the door behind him. Engram came to stand in front of Sterling, raising his hand to her cheek. He ran his fingers down her cheek to her shoulder, pushing the long hair out of the way. He lowered his hand to her breast, pausing as he cupped, then squeezed the tender flesh. Sterling flinched a
t his touch, which brought a smile to Engram’s face. He ignored her disgust and slid his hand down to the raw skin of her bottom that had received a lashing not two days ago.
“Beautiful,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth to her neck and placed a delicate kiss where her shoulder met her neck.
Sterling desperately swallowed the bile that suddenly rose.
“Have you decided to tell me what I want to know?” he whispered in her ear, his voice menacing.
If I tell him, would he leave me be? Sterling thought. She opened her mouth, but thought better of it, no, he would know I was lying. Instead she said the same words she repeated every time he asked the question, “I don’t know anything about your Shards.”
Engram stepped back, his brown eyes filled with anger, as he started to remove his jacket, “If you would only tell me the truth you would not have to endure the pain.”
“I don’t know anything,” Sterling shook her head, “I’ve told you already, it’s the truth.”
“You lie!” Engram raised the riding crop in the air and swung it down slashing Sterling in the face, slicing open her lip.
“No!” she yelled as she tried to protect herself, but he was too powerful, and the crop came down again and again. “I don’t know, I don’t know!” she repeated the words, but to no avail.
“Tell me the truth or I’ll leave you in this pit to die!” The beating continued until Engram was out of breath and Sterling barely conscious. The sting where the crop had lashed her skin fought for dominance over the needling pain that prickled its way down her spine.
The Elemental Union: Book One Devian Page 9
