The Keeper's Flame (A Pandoran Novel, #2)

by Barbara Kloss

  An arrow slipped through the air, a black streak against the grey clouds, but right before impact, it stopped as though it’d plunged into an invisible wall and fell to the ground, lost in the snow.

  Vera climbed onto the ledge, holding her blades with a violent smile spread across her face.

  She headed Kenley off, throwing him off balance. The two of them fought, neither of them gaining advantage. I ran as hard as I could, jumping over fallen stones, leaping across open spaces, and joined Vera on the ledge just in time to see a bolt of light hit the ground at her feet.

  She realized what had happened right as the ground fell beneath her feet.

  The wind blew around me as I lunged, throwing myself forward as far and as fast as I could, desperate to reach her. The wind seemed to carry me as I flew through the air, much slower than I had thought possible, and I landed hard on the ground, Vera’s hand in mine.

  My arm burned from her weight, her body dangling over a ledge that plunged into thick white clouds below. The wind blew around us and her palms sweated, making her fingers slip through my fist.

  “You’re slipping!” I screamed.

  She grunted, trying to get a better grip as a pinky slipped, her ring finger…

  Her other hand swung out and gripped my wrist, and I sighed.

  But then I started sliding after her, over the icy ledge. I gripped with my free hand, but I kept sliding and sliding, my neck, my shoulders…

  Someone grabbed my ankles: Ehren. He clenched his jaw as he pulled, tugging us back over the ledge to safety.

  Vera landed on the ledge and rolled on her back, grasping her stomach with her eyes shut, breathing hard. “Stop…saving me…” she whispered.

  “Stop trying to get yourself killed.” I heaved.

  A grin twitched at her lips.

  “Watch her,” I said to Ehren, and he nodded as I leapt to my feet, searching the mountainside.

  There, on a broken ledge, was a blur of power. The sound of their swords was lost in the wind, the shine dulled from the darkening sky.

  “Daria, get down!” Ehren shouted behind me.

  I dropped as a bolt of light whizzed past my head, landing on a stone above me. It exploded and I curled into a ball as pieces of rock fell all around me, and then I glanced up.

  The shadowguard.

  My chest felt heavy as I staggered to my feet.

  Ehren and Vera were already dodging light and fighting against three that had materialized out of thin air. Vera moved with lightning speed, and at the last moment she spun, bringing her swords together through one. It shattered into black glass right as another appeared behind her. He shot a stream of light toward her face, and she dodged; it crashed into the rock wall beside her, sending rock and debris everywhere.

  Ehren had strung his bow, his arrows wrapped in a net of what looked like threads of light. He shot one at the shadowguard right behind Vera; it landed in his chest and he exploded with an alien wail.

  I had started to run toward Alex when a shadowguard appeared before me.

  I brought my daggers around, jarring them into the shadowguard’s black sword. He moved, slipping from my reach, appearing on my other side and bringing his sword down. I rolled away, barely missing it.

  I tried and tried to get at him, but he was too fast.

  He extended his gloved hand and I dropped as light shot past me, hitting rocks and pillars, sending pieces of rock flying all around. I lured the shadowguard back, farther and farther, closer to the ledge, dodging more blasts and falling stone, trying to keep my steps steady.

  I reached the ledge. My heels crept over the edge as the wind blew hard at my back, holding me upright.

  The shadowguard paused before me, its eyes blacker than night. He extended his arms, and I felt the power inside of him building.

  The shadowguard leaned forward, the power within surging through his body, down his arms, through his fingertips as he leaned forward still, and I ducked, stabbing my dagger into his foot.

  He fell forward and plunged headfirst over the cliff.

  I was stepping forward when something caught my boot and jerked me over the ledge.

  Chapter 24

  Betrayal

  Like a stone, I dropped through the sky. Wind screamed past my ears as my insides lunged into my throat. In every direction, all I could see was white. I wouldn’t have known up from down if I hadn’t been falling.

  There was nothing to grab hold of, nothing within reach. All I could hope was that the impact would be quick, that I wouldn’t feel any pain.

  But the wind did something strange. It turned softer and softer, becoming thick like a blanket, wrapping itself around me. As each second passed, my fall became slower and slower.

  A shadow appeared in the distance, moving through the clouds toward me.

  A vox.

  Its wings flapped hard against the wind, carrying it forward, closer to me. It swooped down, and as easy as if I’d crawled on top of it, it pushed up at the last moment, securing me on its back.

  With a smooth turn, it soared upward while I held tight to its mane. It was snowing, now, and any moment the wind would bring its wrath. I trusted the vox knew where it was going, and sure enough, only a few minutes passed before the vox landed softly on the ledge, right beside Alex.

  Alex’s eyes were wild, the color gone from his strained face as he searched the clouds, and the moment he saw me he sprinted to my side. He reached his hands around my waist, pulled me down from the vox, and then held my face in his hands so tightly I thought he might crush my skull. He searched my eyes. “I thought I’d lost you.” His voice was tight. Before I had a chance to speak, he pulled me in his arms, holding me close. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” I said, “but the stone…it’s gone.”

  My legs trembled beneath me from the adrenaline from the fall.

  Alex pulled back, jaw clenched. Vera and Ehren appeared, both of them out of breath, their cheeks flushed pink as the wind blew their white hair everywhere.

  “Gone,” Ehren said.

  “Did you—” Alex started, but Vera cut him off.

  “Last one vanished after yours truly”—she nodded at me—“jumped off the cliff.”

  Alex looked back at me, his eyes hard. “You jumped?”

  “Not on purp—”

  The mountain trembled and with a terrible crack, snow and rock began falling all around like rain.

  “What’s happening?” I yelled over the noise.

  “The stone,” Ehren shouted. “You unleashed something when you touched it.”

  The mountain shook again and I fell down, propping myself up with a gargoyle. The entire world felt as though it were falling apart.

  “We have to get out of here!” shouted Vera.

  Alex walked over to the vox and stood before it for a long, silent moment.

  “Now’s not the time to be admiring, Alexander,” Vera yelled.

  The vox whinnied as the mountain trembled, and another dark shape rose behind it. Another vox.

  Alex nodded at the vox and placed a hand on its nose before glancing back at the others. “Get on!” He grabbed my hand, pulled me forward and helped me up, jumping on after me.

  Vera and Ehren leapt on the other, and Alex slipped his arms around my waist, holding me tight.

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight,” he said in my ear, and the vox started flapping their wings, rising in the air.

  With a terrible crash the mountain rumbled and the entire hillside—ruins and all—started sliding down the mountain. Down and down they went, tumbling into oblivion.

  The vox beat their wings against the wind and snow, each gust more powerful than the one before it. Vera and Ehren were nothing more than a dark splotch on our right. Even though I could see nothing, even though I had no sense of direction, the vox flew forward with purpose.

  Alex’s grip was firm as he focused ahead, and the snow and ice cleared until finally, we could see.

&n
bsp; Valdon.

  The sky overhead was dark, but it wasn’t snowing, here. Not yet. I glanced back. All I could see of the mountain was a wall of white, an endless veil of clouds where the sky had touched the snow-covered ground, and there was no telling where one ended and the other began.

  “What happened to Danton?” I asked over my shoulder.

  Alex’s fury burned hot. “I don’t know,” he said. “Right after Kenley left, Danton vanished.”

  “Danton said the shield was being stolen.”

  Vera and Ehren moved beside us. “To the wall?” Vera shouted.

  “Yes,” Alex replied. “Let the king know what happened, and tell Alaric that Daria and I are at the castle checking on the shield. I can’t return with the three of you, anyway.”

  I’d forgotten. Alex had never entered the games. He had merely shown up to protect me.

  Ehren nodded, understanding, and the two of them veered away back to the wall, while Alex and I stayed course for the castle.

  I could already see torchlight behind some of the windows. The vox circled before touching down in the courtyard with the grace of a swan.

  No one was there to greet us.

  Alex jumped from the vox; I jumped down after him. The vox whinnied and stomped its feet.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, running my palms along its nose. “You saved our lives. Again.”

  It whinnied and snorted and leapt into the air.

  “Daria, we need to hurry,” Alex said beside me.

  The castle was quiet—eerily quiet compared to how it’d been the past few weeks. Everyone was gathered just down the hill, waiting for someone to reappear with the stone.

  Perfect for anyone that wanted to steal the shield.

  Alex and I drew our weapons and started running. We pushed through doors and wound down halls while our boots scraped along the stone floor.

  “Where are all the guards?” I panted.

  “No idea,” Alex said. His anxiety was as strong as my own.

  We had rounded a corner and pressed through the doors to the assembly hall when shadows peeled from the wall.

  “Alex!” I yelled.

  “Stay at my back,” he replied, holding his sword ready.

  They materialized from the corners, the dark patches where the ceiling met the wall, black swords in hand. Alex and I waited, our backs to each other. The guards moved around us until we were surrounded by a black circle, and then they pressed in.

  I parried with one dagger while striking with my other. One ducked low and I kicked, sending him reeling back and knocking a few others off balance. A bolt of light shot from the hands of one, and I leaned back. The bolt slid past my face as though it were happening in slow motion.

  “Down!” Alex yelled, and I dropped.

  Light sparked from either direction, the bolts colliding into each other like electric currents, exploding in static and sparks right above us.

  I swung my leg, kicking the feet out from one and meeting his face with my elbow as he fell. Alex leapt to his feet, helping me to mine, and we went at it again.

  And the shadowguard suddenly disappeared.

  Alex and I were heaving.

  “Where did they go?” I gasped.

  Alex wiped the sweat from his brow. “The shield,” he said.

  We sprinted. The closer we got to the hall holding the shield, the more I felt this overwhelming sense of dread. I was so focused on the feeling, deep in my gut, that I didn’t notice the shadowguard ram into Alex—not until I’d already run through the doors.

  I skidded to a stop and spun around, and the doors slammed shut between us. I grabbed the handles and jerked and tugged, but the door wouldn’t budge.

  “Alex!” I screamed, pouring all my strength into pulling the door open, but still…nothing. I couldn’t hear anything on the other side, either. I focused, trying to reach into myself and draw magic, but once I got near, it felt like I was trying to rip apart my organs. With a cry, I sagged against the door.

  I felt a presence behind me and slowly turned around. The shield, the one that had been on display at the front of the room, was gone. The bowls before it were glowing with flames as before—Pendel’s burned the brightest—all except for Alioth’s. Steerforth’s name had dulled and the flame was gone.

  Just like he was gone.

  The presence in the room moved. It was hiding in here, somewhere in the shadows, and it was a presence that seemed familiar to me, somehow. Very familiar. But there was a force keeping me at bay, keeping me from getting too close.

  Where was it coming from?

  I noticed the tapestry, the one they’d been weaving for the festival. It hung from an iron rod, complete, and the picture that they’d woven made me pause. It was a single tower, like a rook, the piece Thad had given me that I’d given to Fleck.

  And then Fleck appeared from behind the tapestry.

  His eyes were wide with fear and his legs wobbled as he stood.

  “Fleck!” I screamed, and ran toward him.

  I realized that someone was holding on to his cloak, and that someone stepped from behind the tapestry.

  It was Thad.

  My heart dropped in my stomach. There was no life in his eyes—no amusement or humor. They were…cold. “Thad?” I gasped. “What’s wrong?”

  Fleck wriggled but Thad would not let go. Why wasn’t he letting go?

  “I need you to come with me.” Thad’s tone was flat.

  This had to be some kind of joke. “Now’s not the time, Thad,” I said, but my voice shook. “The shield is—”

  “This isn’t a joke, Daria.”

  He didn’t call me Rook.

  He didn’t smile or wink or chew on that blasted piece of grass.

  He stood there staring at me as though I were nothing more than an inconvenience.

  My lips parted. “What is wrong with you?”

  A tortured expression crossed his face, but it was gone as fast as it had come. He swallowed, clenched his jaw, and the seriousness returned. “I need you to come with me,” he repeated, lower this time.

  “What is wrong with you?” I screamed at him.

  “Lady!” Fleck cried. “Don’t go with him! He needs you to use—” His words were cut off as he let out a soft cry.

  Why was Fleck crying?

  “Let go of him!” I yelled at Thad.

  Thad pulled a knife from his cloak and pressed it against Fleck’s neck. Fleck winced and shut his eyes tight. Thad…my Thad.

  How could he do this? It felt like someone had stabbed a knife through my chest. “All this time,” my voice trembled, “you…you were…” My throat shut down and I couldn’t speak.

  Thad’s eyes narrowed. “Come with me now,” he said in a harsh whisper, “or he dies.”

  My world stopped, and everything in it suddenly felt cold and empty. “You wouldn’t.”

  He held Fleck tighter, pressing the dagger deeper against his neck. “You think I give a Nord’s hide about the little runt?” Thad’s lips twisted bitterly. “You think I cared about…you?”

  The knife in my chest twisted, and my entire body felt like it was bleeding. “You don’t mean that.” I could barely speak.

  His eyes flashed with something I could not read. “Honestly, what kind of a friend would tell you to enter the games?” His eyes narrowed. “The games would kill someone like you—someone without any magic or power. It’s a wonder you made it as far as you did, because you certainly weren’t supposed to.”

  Every word felt like a physical blow, hitting harder, landing deeper, bruising and breaking everything they touched.

  “But then again, I certainly hadn’t realized who the dark rider really was.” He smirked. “I won’t ask you again,” he said through his teeth, jerking Fleck’s head back by his hair as he held the dagger to his little neck.

  My entire body felt numb and my feet began to feel like they were sinking into the floor. In a daze, I walked forward, step by shaky step, while Thad
waited.

  I searched his hazel eyes, holding on to them with each step, trying to find a glimmer of hope. Trying to find a piece of him that hadn’t lied, a piece of him that had cared. A piece of him that had been my friend.

  But I found nothing.

  I stopped before him, clenching my teeth to keep my tumultuous emotions at bay. “Let him go.” My voice shook.

  “Your daggers,” he said.

  I loosened my grip; the daggers slipped from my fingers and fell to the ground, echoing in the room with an empty clatter.

  Thad shoved Fleck forward. Fleck scrambled on the ground, crying. “Lady, don’t! You can’t help him use the shield!”

  Fleck had started crawling back to me when Thad spat, “Get back, or I hurt the lady.”

  Fleck choked on his tears, but didn’t come forward another inch.

  Thad grabbed my arm tight and held his blade to my neck. I couldn’t feel it, though. I knew the metal was cold and I knew Thad was holding my arm tighter than necessary, but I was numb.

  He started pulling me to the far edge of the room, opposite the door.

  “Why?” I barely whispered.

  “Why?” Thad sounded annoyed. “You know as well as I do that Darius is nothing but a tyrant. He’s sat on his throne longer than he ever deserved.”

  “Who’s next?” My voice was weary. “You?”

  For a split second, something flashed across his face. Something tortured and horrified, but then he smirked and it was gone. “Not me.”

  “Commodus, then?”

  “Commodus is an excellent choice,” replied a deep, commanding voice that seemed to come from everywhere, “but, alas, the throne will fall to me, now.”

  A man stepped from the shadows, and my blood turned cold. It was the man from the fields—the man from the mirror and my dreams. Eris, my dad’s brother and my uncle. He stood like a wraith wrapped in black, and his skin was so white it looked blue. His long, bony hands clasped before him, and he regarded us for a long moment with his nightmarish face. “Thaddeus,” he said, “Well done.”

  Thad nodded beside me.

  Eris turned to Fleck, who was crying as he looked helplessly at me. “We could still use the boy,” Eris said.