He stood and sucked in a breath. It felt like someone had kicked in his ribs. A parting gift from Wolfgang, no doubt. Ignoring the pain the best he could, Finn looked out the door’s inspection port. He couldn’t see far, just a dark corridor lit by an oil lamp. In the wall opposite was a door similar to his cell’s. Craning his neck, he could just make out another door further down the corridor. It looked like he was in a cell block.
Hopefully, Karok is in one of these cells and not dead.
The dwarf impacted the stone wall with enough force to have killed most. Finn just hoped that the dwarf survived and was not turned into a zombie as he was sure that the dwarf would be just as unstoppable dead as he was alive. Stop thinking like that! he thought soberly. He’s still alive, I know it. Finn needed Karok. Without his father, he doubted that he could save Anna by himself.
There were no noises, the building seemed deserted. He waited for a long time, straining to hear the slightest sound, but he heard none.
“Anyone there?” he said softly through the door.
“Finn? Is that you?”
“I’m here.”
A black shape appeared at the inspection port in the door opposite. It was the dwarf, he was still alive!
“I’m happy to see you,” said Finn.
“I’ve taken a fair battering, but I’ll survive. What about you?”
“I’m all right,” replied Finn, holding his ribs and looking around his cell. “Have you got anything that will help us get out of here?”
“Orocdynga! No, they left nothing. They even took my belt!”
Finn slid down beside the cell door and thought about their predicament. No equipment and no one coming to rescue them. It didn’t look good. Finn remembered being in the same situation only a few short months ago. Mordan had helped Anna and him then...where was that blood sucker now? Finn hadn’t seen him since they bumped into each other almost a week ago. No doubt, Mordan was in the city waiting for his chance to get Anna back. Finn kept reminding himself that the alp needed Anna and the young eldon believed, or at least hoped, that would be enough for him to help them again.
Something moved outside his door. Mordan?
“You still alive, lover boy?”
Crap! It was Wolfgang. “What do you want?” Finn stood and looked out the inspection port. It was Wolfgang all right. The man stood in the corridor, looking pleased with himself.
“I'm just concerned for you and now I’ve seen that you’re alive...” He turned to go, but hesitated. “I’ll tell your Anna that I found you...and give her the bad news that I killed you. But what can I show her to prove that you are dead?” He drew Finn’s black sword and waved it about. “How about this? I’ve always want this sword, ever since I saw you kill Tharr on that mountain road. And now I have it. I’ll show it to Anna, I’m sure she’ll cry, but I will be there to comfort her.” He laughed cruelly as he walked away.
“Fight me, you coward!” Finn yelled. But Wolfgang was already gone. What would Anna think when she saw the sword? Would she believe Wolfgang that he was dead? “That bastard...”
He had to get out of here, and fast. They needed an escape plan.
Something ran over Anna’s hand, startling her into wakefulness. Her eyes opened and she groggily looked around. During the night the fire had died down, but small orange flames still flickered over a thick charred log, casting small dancing shadows around the room. The laboratory was empty and the door stood invitingly open. Her mind told her to run and she crawled toward it, only to be pulled up by the ankle chain. Arrrr!
She shivered, suddenly feeling nervous and backed up against the wall. She felt terribly run down and sickly tired. Glancing down at her arms revealed another fresh cut. Draining her blood was taking a heavy toll and she was unsure how much more she could endure. A swift death might be her only release from this hell she now lived.
Her eyes darted around the room, looking for anything that she could use. There was a silver-bladed knife on the closest table, it still had some red blood on it—her blood! If only she could reach it. She stretched out, but it was more than a yard beyond her reach. There was nothing else close by. Dejected, her head dropped into her hands and she closed her eyes.
“I told you to take the master’s offer and marry that stupid prince.”
Anna looked up. Wolfgang stood in the doorway, looking smug. He strolled into the room like he owned the place and sat on the edge of the table opposite her. She hated this man, he had been involved in all of the bad things that had happened in her life recently. She wished him dead and her expression must have shown it.
“Why the unhappy face? You do a noble thing,” said Wolfgang. “You’re helping overthrow a useless king and putting Lord Tollis on his rightful throne. You should be happy for the small part that you're playing. We’re making history.”
“I’ll only be happy when your head is removed from your body!” She made no attempt to hide the loathing in her voice.
“Now, now. Don’t be like that.” He walked to the fire and rubbed his hands over its warmth. “Are you hungry? Would you like some food?”
Her head was a little clearer and she started to think straighter. The poison is in the food. “I want nothing from you!”
“Suit yourself.” He moved to the bench and looked at the herbs and odd apparatuses the master used in creating his potions. He picked up the silver knife and inspected the blood closely. A smile formed on his scarred face—he was up to something. “I almost forgot to tell you, I killed your eldon today—”
“No!”
Wolfgang seemed delighted with her response. “He cried like a baby and begged for his miserable life.”
“I don’t believe you!”
“Look for yourself, girl.” He placed the knife back on the table and drew the black sword from its scabbarding, holding it up in front of his face.
Anna sucked in a breath and brought her hands to her face. It can’t be true! She wanted to cry, but wouldn’t give this man the satisfaction of witnessing her grief. Turning her head, she looked away from her friend’s murder. She closed her eyes and felt faint. Not Finn. Please, not Finn...
“I see that you are busy, so I’ll leave you with your thoughts.” He moved to the doorway, and turned back to her, grinning smugly at the grief he had inflicted.
Anna returned his stare defiantly, hatred clearly on her face. “Remember, I said I will kill you first,” she said with anger-filled words. “That day is coming soon.”
Wolfgang started to reply, but stopped. He had seen something in her eyes...did they darken slightly? No doubt, it was just a trick of the light. He left without a word.
Tollis and the mages had come and gone throughout the day. They added things to a large pot, ingredients for their potions. When satisfied, they ladled off some of the foul-smelling liquid into glass bottles and then disappeared out of the room, possibly to test their concoctions. Anna suspected there was a growing undead army somewhere nearby. The thought scared her.
With all the coming and goings, everyone paid her little or no attention chained to the wall. At midday, the old jailer entered the laboratory, placing a bowl of gruel and a mug of water within her reach. There was no one else in the room at the time, but she made no attempt to speak with him. It would be a waste of her time. The old man left without looking at her.
Anna picked up the wooden bowl, aimed and threw it into the fire. I’m not eating their poison again! Hesitantly, she sniffed the water, and deciding she had no choice, drank it in one gulp. It felt good going down her parched throat.
The day slowly dragged on and the air cooled. The fire had died down to little more than glowing coals, casting the room in darkness. It must have been getting late.
Anna raised her head from her knees. She had been crying and there were dried tear tracks down her dirty cheeks. Her thoughts went to Finn and she pictured his kind face. Her heart ached. Their time apart had shown her that she loved him. She always had, he was her firs
t love.
Finn was eldon and she a human. It was a union that would never be accepted, but she didn’t care. If only she had the time to tell him, the only person who was willing to sacrifice everything for her. She squeezed her eyes tight. “I will make them pay for keeping us apart...all of them.”
Anger built quickly in her body and she could feel it wanting to escape—it was like a living thing deep inside her. She held it in, enjoying its heat and its promise of revenge and destruction.
Anna opened her eyes. The fire had gone out and even the coal gave off no light, blanketing the room in thick darkness. Did I fall asleep? It took her a moment to realise that she could see, not clearly, but she could make out the tables, fireplace and other objects. She glanced down at her hands and then her body. She wore a beautiful evening dress of the finest golden silk and matching gold shoes that sparkled as she moved her feet.
This is not real. It’s a dream.
A noise drew her attention away from her clothes and back to the dark room. It was Flea, he cowered under the closest table, his large eyes darting everywhere as he desperately looked for danger. His eyes locked with hers and she could plainly see his fear as though he had spoken it aloud. He pointed his thin, clawed hand to the corner of the room. Her eyes followed, but her sight couldn’t penetrate the oily blackness there.
Before her eyes, the blackness expanded and grew vertically. Slowly, it began to take shape, forming the shape of a man...a very tall man as the shadow’s head almost touched the ceiling. Anna shuddered as a coldness descended over her. What manner of demon is this?
The shadow detached itself from the corner and stepped forward. Although nothing physically touched her, Anna was pushed up against the wall by an invisible force. She used all her will to turn and face this new threat. If this is my death, so be it!
“Good,” rumbled the shadow’s voice. It echoed around the room like rolling thunder. The walls shook and bottles clinked on the tables, several fell and smashed on the floor. “You are stronger than he hoped.”
Flea squawked in fright and shook uncontrollably. He was too scared to run and lay under the table curled in a ball with his eyes tightly closed, whimpering like a whipped dog.
The shadow creature stopped in front of Anna, towering over her. Its featureless shape seemed to study her for a moment. “Yes. You are strong.” The shadow reach down toward her prostrate form and she recoiled away from it. Black smoke-like fingers touched her chin and lightly rotated her to face it. It was cold but didn’t hurt. A small shadowy tentacle snaked its way across the air between them and entered her mouth. She tried but was powerless to stop it from invading her body. Deep within her something stirred, something that had always been there...
And then the feeling was gone.
The shadow creature drew back into the corner, and it started to diminish. "Your time...is soon...fear nothing...my queen.” And then it was gone.
Chapter 10
It was a restless night for Finn. The eldon paced back and forth trying to think of a way to escape the prison. He hadn’t foreseen their current situation, and had no plans. What would Severus do? Or Kalher? The old warden had been dead for some time now, but he was often in Finn’s thoughts. He was a lot like Severus, but...in a way, Kalher had been more of a father figure than his real father was. Both were great men in their own right. He just wished that he had one of them here now.
He peered out the door’s inspection port for the hundredth time. Nothing looked different from the ninety-nine times before. An empty corridor, cell doors and low light from the oil lamp. They needed to get the guards to come into either cell so they could jump them. He could think of no other way of getting out.
Distant thunder sounded dully above. It was not loud, indicating that it was either far away or they were deep underground. The lack of windows suggested they were underground.
Karok was quiet and had been for some time.
“You there?”
“I’m not going anywhere, lad,” replied the deep voice from across the corridor.
“Any ideas about escaping?”
“No. We need tools. And the only way that’ll happen is to overcome the guards,” said the sullen dwarf.
“This waiting is a killer...I hope Anna is safe.”
“She sounds tough, she’ll be fine. Let’s concentrate on getting out of here and we’ll see for ourselves.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“Trust me, concentrating on only what you can change will help you get through this.”
“I feel helpless.”
“Many years ago...I made a judgment error and it cost some of my people’s lives...and I was captured and imprisoned for weeks.”
“By who?”
“Orocs. The bloody orcs of the northern mountains.”
“What happened?”
“This is not the time...maybe another time.”
Finn had been so tied up in his own problems that he hadn’t asked Karok about his life. All he knew was what Kliem told him before the crazy gnome had tried to kill his father and disappeared into the night. Karok was from the Forge of Apgrim clan, a powerful dwarven clan priding themselves on their martial skills. They had failed in their duty guarding their king, and he and his son were killed by orcs. A heavy burden fell on the clan’s survivors and they were thrown out to wander the land as outcasts and mercenaries.
If we get out of this, I will ask him about his life. No doubt it is to be a bloody tale.
Finn sighed and slumped down against the wall. He wasn’t going to let Anna die, not if there was any life left in his body. Finally, he had a plan, it was their only chance. He would jump the next person that entered the cell and fight his way to Anna’s side.
Black sword or no black sword!
Anna woke bleary-eyed and looked around the laboratory. The first light peeked into the room and gave her pause to wonder if the shadow creature had been a dream. Did it really speak to her? Flea was gone. Was he a dream, too?
She looked down at her clothes, but they were the same dirty rags she had been wearing for heaven knows how long. The gown was gone. All part of my dream?
Standing, she stretched out the kinks in her back. She must have slept in an uncomfortable position. Apart from that she felt good, even though she hadn’t eaten for some time she wasn’t hungry and her mind wasn’t cloudy as it had been.
Almost back to my normal self. I’ll just keep that information to myself. I don’t want them increasing the drugs.
Voices alerted her of someone’s approach. Quickly, she sat against the wall with her knees up and rested her head on them. She hoped they would not pay her any attention today again.
The voices stopped outside the room and she clearly heard what was said. “I want all my things packed.” It was Tollis speaking. “And loaded by the end of the day. The merchant ship will here at first light and I want everything loaded quickly.”
“That little schooner?” asked Wolfgang.
“No, this is where it gets interesting. I have hired a Naromian merchant ship to transport us and the start of our army back to the mainland. You will stay aboard the ship, while I kill the king and take the throne. We will blame the Naromian ship for bringing the king’s murderers to our country. Meanwhile, you will burn the ship to the waterline and kill everyone aboard, before anyone asks too many questions.”
“Yes, master. Great plan.”
“Yes, it is.”
“What about the girl and the other two?” asked Wolfgang.
The other two? Is Finn alive?
“Let the two would-be heroes rot in their cells. The girl...she is the key to my power. We will bring her with us. Nothing must happen to her.” Tollis appeared at the lab’s doorway. “Now go and do my bidding.”
“Yes, master.”
The master’s footsteps echoed across the floor as he walked into the room. When the footsteps stopped, Anna held her breath, hoping that he would not notice her. No s
uch luck.
“I know you’re awake.” Tollis’s voice was cold. “Remember, I too have First Born blood, although not as pure as yours.”
Anna raised her head and returned Tollis’s stare defiantly. She was not as scared as she had been. She felt different—could it be that whatever entered her last night had bolstered her strength both in body and mind? Unlike the Wizards of Solaris, Lord Tollis’s First Blood heritage was weak and for a brief moment he saw something in her and was taken back.
Tollis moved to her and knelt down, grabbing her chin with a rough hand. He turned her head and studied her for a moment. “The drugs don’t affect you now...too bad...the silver chains will keep you weak and pliable.” He released her face and stood. For a moment he looked down at her. There was something in his look and Anna felt sure that he was going to strike her, but he didn’t. “I am taking my army to the capital. And you, of course, my dear. I will not leave you behind. It is time that I created more soldiers and this island’s cemetery is now exhausted. There will be plenty more volunteers in Rulle.” Tollis laughed. It was a cold and manic sound that seemed to echo around the large room. “Then, I will take the throne as is my birth right.”
“Master.”
Tollis turned to face the speaker. It was Wolfgang and two armed men. To call these men soldiers would have been an insult to the profession. Unshaven and equipped with worn leather armour and short swords, they looked like they were nothing more than hired thugs.
“Arr, Wolfgang. Please escort our honoured guest back to the tower.”
The two thugs moved toward Anna without being directly ordered. The first man started to unshackle her from the wall, but Tollis stopped him when he spoke. “Gentlemen, please be careful with my precious cargo. I don’t want her injured. And Wolfgang, remember our little talk. I think the magic may have awakened in her. I strongly suggest that you do not remove the silver chains for any reason...she may make you regret it.”
The Warden and the Shadow Queen: The Warden Saga Book 3 Page 5
