Ever.
24
Fall Asleep and Never Wake
“MY QUEEN, THIS IS no place for a lady,” the guard warned as he unlocked Finn’s cell. “This filthy animal is not to be trusted.”
“Open the door and leave me to speak to the prisoner alone,” a woman’s voice commanded.
Finn struggled to open his eyes, but his lids were heavy and continued to close. Hunger and thirst had made him weak and listless. After Tynan’s visit, he’d resigned himself to a swift execution, but the dreaded day had not yet come. He’d even expected to be tortured like the other prisoners he heard screaming throughout the dungeon. Instead, he’d been left alone to rot in his cell. No one came with even the most meager amount of food and water.
As the days blurred together, Finn’s strength waned, his mind grew muddled and he lost all track of time. Sleep took over. At first, sweet dreams of Fate rescued him from his hellish existence. His jaw ached from the wooden plug wedged in his mouth. But as he grew more and more parched, his dreams turned to dark roiling waves, forever thrashing him in a heaving ocean as he gulped thirstily, only to vomit buckets of brackish water afterwards.
Since then he’d been plagued with hallucinations of being carried to a public courtyard, where the executioner waited. He’d lay his head on the block and just as the axe came down, the waking nightmare ended and he’d find himself back in his cell. Now and then his delirious visions shifted to Fate appearing in his cell. They would hug and kiss and she would say she was there to use her Words of Making to take him away. She’d write down his escape in her little notebook, speak the words aloud and vanish without him.
Those were the worst dreams.
Finn buried his face against his arm. He’d rather die than be tortured by false hopes again and again. Yet his spirits had already lifted at the thought of someone wanting to speak to him. Or was this just another trick of his dehydrated brain? What woman would actually come into this cesspool to see him? Unless it was the Lhiannon Shee. Had she finally come to help him escape?
The swish of silk and the scent of flowers washed over him like a fresh breeze as the woman entered his cell. He heard the ruffle of her dress as she bent down and touched his forehead. Her hand was soft and cool. The kind touch, after so much isolation and hardship, brought tears to his eyes.
“You poor thing. Here take some water.” Lifting his head, she did her best to pour water past the plug but he only received a few precious drops. “You must understand, my husband is not a cruel man. He’s doing what he thinks is right and just.”
Taking a shred of strength from her gentle presence, Finn forced himself to a sitting position. His dulled brain swirled as he tried to focus on her, but his vision was bleary. Through the fog, she seemed to be an angel. Her long hair fell in golden cascades over a dress of silvery blue. She was a brilliant splash of color against the dark, grimy walls holding him prisoner. She was light where there had only been darkness.
Recognition slowly surfaced and he realized this must be Princess Kaura. Though she would be queen now. Was this another hallucination? What reason would she have for coming to this horrible place?
“You know my father, O’Deldar?” she asked.
Hope surged through Finn as he nodded vigorously.
“He explained everything to me before he left us. I know why you had to do what you did. You do not deserve this treatment.”
Finn frowned at her in confusion. If she knew the truth, why hadn’t she told Tynan? Or had she? Is that why there’s been no execution? Did he mean to let him slowly starve to death instead?
“I cannot tell my husband what I know,” she said as if in answer to his silent questions. “Even if he could make himself believe the destruction Moria brought down upon his beloved kingdom, he would still insist on having you punished. You killed his mother, and as a king, he cannot allow you to go free.”
Finn bit down on the wooden plug, his body shaking with disappointment.
“I dispatched a messenger hawk to my people in the Eldunough Islands as soon as I heard you’d been captured. They have soldiers skilled in ways to free you without my husband knowing who is behind your escape. They’re due to arrive in two days.”
Finn’s pulse raced with renewed hope.
Kaura’s gray eyes filled with sadness as she reached out to brush the hair off Finn’s brow. “Unfortunately, my husband chose to keep your imprisonment a secret from me until he publicly announced the date of your execution. I’m so sorry to tell you this, but your execution has been set for tomorrow.”
Finn stared at her in disbelief. Why dangle hope in his face, only to snatch it away? He closed his eyes, banging the back of his head against the stone wall over and over again.
Jarring pain rattled his skull.
Kaura grabbed his face. “Please stop,” she pleaded. “I asked my husband to extend the date, but he’s afraid you’re too close to death already and he will not risk denying the kingdom of your public execution.”
Finn collapsed against the wall, his body quaking with fury and grief. Why had she even bothered to come to him at all? This was by far the cruelest act he’d endured thus far.
“Now that I know you cannot be saved from the executioner’s blade, I will not stand by and watch you suffer a minute longer.” She pulled out a small vial of red liquid. “This will bring about your end peacefully. You will fall asleep and never wake.”
Finn stared at the vial in horror, yet part of him ached for the painless, easy death she offered.
“Do you want it now?”
“No,” a voice in his head said, firmly and with instant anger. It was Fate’s voice. Finn stared at the poison Kaura offered as shame overcame him. Fate would never allow him to give up this way. He’d almost allowed defeat and self-pity to get the best of him.
It didn’t matter that he was destined to die the next day. He would face what was to come head on. He cringed. In this case, head off.
He met Kaura’s gaze and gave her a stern shake of his head.
“Are you certain?”
For the first time in weeks, his mind was clear as he gave her a firm nod.
Kaura set the vial down next to him and rose to a standing position. “In case you change your mind. Crush the glass with your foot. The poison is absorbed through the skin.” She walked to the door and turned. “May you be blessed in the next life.”
Finn waited for the guard to lock the cell door behind her before kicking the vial out of reach. He couldn’t risk another moment of weakness.
Resting his head against the wall, he closed his eyes. Her visit had exhausted him, sapping what little energy he had left. As he drifted along the edge of sleep, he heard a scratching noise, followed by a quick little whistle of his flute.
Finn’s eyes popped open. An odd looking creature froze under his stare. It held the broken half of his flute in its pink hands, its mouth in the shape of an ‘O’ as it blinked at him. If it wasn’t the size of a cat, and with feathered wings no less, he would’ve thought it was a field mouse.
The creature’s whiskers twitched as it lifted the flute to Finn. “Is this lovely music maker yours?”
Certain the hallucinations were back, Finn blinked a few times, expecting the oversized mouse to disappear. When it didn’t, he decided to give into the delusion. It’s not like he had anything better to do. “Mmhmm,” he replied.
“Oh my.” The mouse ran its hand over the Druidic inscriptions. “You’re a lucky one, to have such a thing of beauty.”
Finn shrugged. “I don’t feel very lucky.” But with the plug in his mouth the words were unintelligible.
“What was that?” the mouse asked. “Would you mind if I removed the strap around your head so I might understand you better?”
Finn nodded, then quickly shook his head to let the mouse know he wouldn’t mind at all.
The mouse set the flute down carefully, flew to Finn’s shoulder and crawled around to the back of his head. Nim
ble fingers felt around for the buckle buried beneath the locks of his shoulder-length hair. After a bit of fumbling around, the leather strap fell free, the weight of it pulling at the wooden plug.
Finn pushed the rest of it out with his tongue, letting the torturous gag fall in his lap. Pain sliced through his stiff jaw as he closed his mouth for the first time since his capture. “Thank you,” he croaked.
The mouse flew back down to the floor and picked up the flute. “You’re welcome. Now what was it you were saying?”
“Uh…I can’t remember.”
“No matter.” The mouse paused a moment as it went back to admiring the flute before blowing another soft, quick note into the mouthpiece.
“Where did you come from?” Finn’s mouth was so dry he could barely speak.
“I live in the southern turret, but I make my rounds through the castle regularly. Today’s rounds include the horse stables and the dungeon.”
Finn studied the creature. “I thought maybe you were from Elsina’s island.”
The mouse tore its gaze from the flute and trembled. “Oh dear, is she here?”
“The sorceress? No.”
“Then why would you speak of her?”
“It’s not everyday I see an overgrown, talking mouse with wings. As far as I know, there’s only one person who created creatures like you and that’s Elsina.”
The mouse shot a worried glance over its shoulder. “Most of us fled when her lover flung himself off the cliffs. Elsina’s wail of grief sent quakes throughout the island and scared us away.”
Finn was quiet a moment, tracing back to when he and Fate had failed to bring about a happy ending for the fairy tale called The Lonely Sorceress in the Book of Fables. For a split second, he thought maybe Fate hadn’t given Elsina the happily-ever-after she needed to escape the big bad book. But Fate had to have escaped or she’d still be stuck in Oldwilde and he would’ve already found her.
“Do you remember a snake called Sithias?” Finn asked. Fate had given Sithias the ability to shapeshift. And just like the mouse, the snake had wings as well. If Sithias could get to Asgar in time, he could impersonate Tynan and grant a much needed last minute pardon.
“Elsina’s spy? Of course.”
“Is there any way you could find him and bring him here?”
The mouse scrunched its pink nose in fear. “I don’t dare go back there. I’d be punished for leaving.”
“I’ll let you have the flute if you bring Sithias back here. But it has to be before morning.”
The mouse looked at him then down at the flute. Worry played across its furry face as it weighed the risks. After several long minutes, the mouse set the flute down. “I truly love this music maker, but not enough to make me want to go back to Elsina’s island.”
Finn’s heart hammered with panic as the mouse skittered over to the door and squeezed through the bars. “Wait.” The dry rasp of his voice echoed inside the cell.
The mouse pulled its head from between the bars and turned to look at him.
“I have two flutes. Would twice the payment be enough?”
The mouse rose on its haunches and searched the cell. “Where is this other music maker?”
Finn peered into the dim corners, searching for the other broken half. At last he saw the tip sticking out of a deep crack it had rolled into. “There.” He nudged his chin toward the flute.
The mouse trundled back across the floor and retrieved the flute. It brushed the dirt off and studied the Elder race runes. “Aw, this one is even more magnificent.” It blew into what was the end of the flute but no sound came out. Disappointment overshadowed its smile. “It doesn’t work.”
“Hold it straight up and down just under your mouth and blow.”
The mouse did so and jumped when its efforts produced a flat hollow note. “Oh my! I do like the sound of that!”
“Enough to fly back to Elsina’s island?”
The mouse pursed its lips into a tight line and tilted its head. “You drive a hard bargain, but yes, I’ll do it.”
“Good. Please hurry,” Finn whispered hoarsly as the mouse left the two broken halves of the flute with him and wedged itself back through the bars.
Relief washed through Finn like a heavy tranquilizer. As the tension drained, his body went limp. Unable to hold himself upright any longer, he slipped sideways to the floor, fighting to stay awake. Now that he could speak, he was free to invoke the elements. He muttered the rune power for Earth, certain it would ignite at any moment. When the elemental power kicked in he would shake the walls of his prison, crumble the encasement around the locked door and bust it down.
He visualized himself doing just that. Cracking the dingy passageways, caving them in on the guards, pulling stones from the floor with the flick of his hand, building barricades behind him to keep his pursuers from giving chase. He smiled at the thought, sinking fully into the dream, convinced he had broken himself out of his prison.
“I’m free,” he murmured. But sleep had won the battle.
25
Distorted Reality and Fractured Dimensions
FATE LIMPED ALONG THE moving walkway as fast as she could, while keeping her gaze fixed on the twin obelisks towering above the vaults surrounding her. She’d torn her aeronaut pack apart, using the wires to tie one of the brass wings to her leg as a splint. The added support helped, but every step was excruciating and her makeshift tourniquet wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding. She needed stitches badly.
“Can anyone hear me?” she shouted into her mouthpiece.
Shortly after Jessie had lured the Chimera away, there’d been a flood of unintelligible shouts and screams from Brune and Lincoln. Then nothing. Complete radio silence had descended. Not knowing what had happened to Jessie and the others tortured Fate beyond all reckoning. She worried what she would find when she reached them. Would there be nothing but torn, bloodied bodies?
She gulped down the urge to scream. “Jessie’s fine. They’re all fine,” she told herself. “We’re having technical difficulties. That’s all.” Her hands curled into fists. “Ooh, I swear when I get back, I’m tearing a strip off Farouk for giving us such crappy equipment.”
The throbbing in Fate’s leg worsened, forcing her to stop and rest. Allowing the moving walkway to carry her forward, she glanced around. The scenery had changed since she’d moved beyond the confined space the Chimera had cornered her. The grouping of vaults surrounding her weren’t the massive structures she’d left behind. These were minimal enclosures filled with vegetation.
A garden encircled within elegant arches advanced to the forefront. At the heart of the garden grew a huge tree filled with blossoms surrounded by soft mounds of grass. She would’ve liked to enter the inviting scene and wondered what sort of magical object this particular vault housed. The answer slotted into her brain. The tree itself was the object of power. Picking a blossom for someone revealed true friendship if the petals turned into gold coins. Anything opposing friendship turned the petals into worms.
Fate shuddered. She hated worms with a passion. At least she didn’t feel the need to pick a blossom to test her friendship with Jessie. Her best friend had proven her feelings when she’d risked her life to save her from the Chimera.
Fate clutched her stomach as panic churned deep within. “Please be all right, Jess.”
Another vault rose into view. A ring of nine tall oaks surrounded a large standing stone with an image of a woman holding a disc carved on its surface. Water poured from some hidden source within the stone into a moss-covered well. Fate’s history with oaks had been unpleasant to say the least. She should’ve wanted to turn and run from the scene, yet her reaction was the opposite. She was irresistibly drawn to the grove. Before she could question what she was looking at, the intensity of her curiosity revealed the answer: This was the sacred well of Arnemetia, goddess of spring waters and healing.
Perfect, just what her leg needed.
Fate stepped off the walkway,
wincing as she stumbled from the unexpected drop. Favoring her injured leg, she moved gingerly between the oaks, while also checking the sprawling canopy overhead to ensure the branches weren’t moving unnaturally. Most of the oaks she’d encountered inside the Book of Fables had a nasty habit of grabbing and skewering their victims alive.
Once inside the grove, the rest of the Keep fell away as she waded through thick beds of delicate white flowers. She was suddenly transported back to the island of Innith Tine, where Finn had been interred within the giant oak. She’d spent months sitting at the base of the massive tree, waiting for his release. During that time, she’d watched the barren island return to life at an incredible speed, until at last the forest had returned to its former glory. This grove was like a little slice of those woods.
When Fate reached the well, she sat down on a low ring of stones, the rough edges cushioned by soft moss. The water pouring from the stone was clear, yet the well was filled with a milky substance. Fate dipped her hand into the well and sipped a small amount. The liquid tasted of honeyed cream with a pinch of salt. A thirst like no other came over her and she gulped to her heart’s content.
She stopped drinking when a strange tingling overwhelmed her throat, buzzed down her torso and into her injured leg. A cooling sensation eased the hot sting in the wide gash, before sinking into the bone, lifting the sharp ache. Rising to a standing position, she tested her full weight on the leg and smiled when her muscles reacted without pain. She drew her dagger from the sheath and sliced through the wires binding her makeshift splint and let the pieces fall away.
Sheathing the dagger, Fate turned to leave, though with great reluctance. She didn’t know if the resistance came from feeling closer to Finn here in the oak grove or if there was some vital detail she was forgetting. Maybe it was a little bit of both, but she didn’t need to ponder why she wanted to stay for very long. The answer came unbidden.
Fate's Keep (Fate's Journey Book 2) Page 18
