by Tamie Dearen
“In my home, it’s illegal to execute someone without a fair trial and a jury of peers.” She fought to keep her voice from quavering at the thought of Kaevin’s execution.
“Your home? At Aranch? Yes, perhaps I should come to visit you at your home sometime. Would you care to advise me about the most direct route?”
She was quiet, attempting to decipher the meaning of his words. He must be fishing for information. Why was he asking about their ranch? Had Kaevin revealed where they lived? “I actually can’t invite you to my house without my uncle’s permission. But I’ll ask him, and let you know what he says.” She frowned. “But you’re trying to distract me. I was telling you I don’t think you should execute anyone without a fair trial. You once told me I’d been fed lies about you. This is your chance to prove you’re not a monster who murders young boys.”
His smile transformed into a sneer before her eyes. “I will not be lectured by my daughter of fifteen years. I am a judge and the king of this realm, and I have deemed him guilty and worthy of execution. You have the ability to prevent that from happening, simply by coming to me. If you feel so strongly he should not die, then come. If you choose not to come, his blood will be on your hands.”
Alora swallowed hard at a sudden urge to vomit, and her hands trembled in her lap. She blinked rapidly, fighting against the threatening tears. “I think I’ll come. But I need to ask my uncle first.” She closed the communication as Raelene had instructed, and was relieved to find it worked easily. Immediately, she fell sobbing into her grandmother’s arms. Raelene patted her back and spoke soothingly.
“You did well. It will be fine—everything will be fine. Catch your breath and tell us what he said to you.”
*****
Kaevin tried to stay focused, but he felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness. He knew Vindrake had been talking to Alora, but he couldn’t hear her voice. He tried to deduce her words from Vindrake’s responses. When Vindrake spoke about Kaevin’s execution, he found himself longing for it. Only the thought Alora would die with him made him want to fight for his life. He knew they must be planning a rescue attempt, but he also knew any attempt would be futile.
“What did she say?” Abaddon asked Vindrake. “Will she come to you willingly?”
“I believe she will come, but only to save the life of the boy.”
Kaevin prayed she wouldn’t be foolish enough to come. Does she still believe he’s not too evil to change?
“I have the binding ready, Sire. It’s imbibed in this stone.” He removed a palm-sized smooth white stone from his cape. “You need only touch the stone to her skin and speak her name, and her gift will be bound.”
“There is no danger to me in handling the stone?”
“As long as you touch the stone to her skin, and speak only her name, there is no risk. And your iron belt protects you from unwanted transport.”
“But the iron reduces the range of my gifts. I would much prefer to remove the belt.”
“You only need to wear the belt until you have used the stone on Lena, rendering her giftless. And I believe your own gifts are so strong that even circled in iron you have significant range.”
As Vindrake’s venomous gaze fixed on Kaevin, he felt his skin crawl.
“Hmmm, perhaps your theory is correct.” He stretched his arm toward Kaevin, scrunching his hand into a fist. Kaevin screamed as yet another finger snapped in his hand. And his world went black.
*****
“How’s your head?” Uncles Charles asked when Alora connected with him.
“It’s fine,” she answered wearily. “Did you reach the camp yet?”
“Not yet. We have two scouts riding a league ahead to locate it. Then Nordamen is going to place some kind of silence cloud around us, so we can approach without being heard.”
“Should we come now or wait?”
“Let me ask Nordamen.” Alora saw him turn his head and speak to the side. “Alora is asking whether they should come now. Yes. You want her to do what? No, stop. Don’t bother explaining it to me. I’ll just tell her what you said.” He turned back to Alora. “Nordamen says he wants you to come and use your dispersement—” He stopped abruptly, turning to the side, agitatedly. “What? Oh, whatever...” He spoke to Alora again. “Discernment—he wants you to use your discernment, whatever that is. So somehow you’re supposed to tell us how far away the camp is.”
“Okay. Can you give us some space?”
When Charles was ready, Alora transported to him with Morvaen and Raelene. He shook his head. “I’m sorry. But that still makes me feel creepy. It’s almost weirder to see you appear and disappear than it was to move from one place to another. I keep feeling like I’m in some sort of bad dream.”
“You’ll get used to it.” Raelene smiled and patted him on the arm.
“Can you sense them?” Nordamen asked Alora. “Are we close?”
“I feel them, but it’s not very strong yet.”
“We can go faster if we have you to guide us. The scouts won’t be able to find them unless they’re right by the road. I’ve called them back to join us. You and I will go ahead, and I can shroud us in silence. Did you convince him you would go to him?”
“I told him I had to ask my uncle, just like you suggested, and I think he believed I’d come. But he pretty much threatened to kill Kaevin if I didn’t come to him.” Alora swallowed, as a bad taste arose in her throat.
“I’m sorry to say he’ll most likely do that even if you do go to him.”
“Do we even have a chance of getting him out of there? It might be better if only Kaevin and I die, rather than getting all of us killed.”
“If we let him do this without repercussion, he’ll eventually kill everyone who protects the innocents. Stone Clan council and warriors are all that stands between Vindrake and total annihilation. No one else has the power to withstand him. The lesser clans would soon fall.”
“But does everybody know how dangerous this is? Are they all willing to risk their lives? Or are they just obeying orders?”
“Every warrior is proud to risk their lives to fight against Vindrake’s evil.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath. When she opened them, she was resolved. “I’ve just gotta believe it’s gonna work. After all, ‘It’s not over ’til the fat lady sings.’” She noticed Nordamen’s puzzled face. “Never mind. Let’s just go.”
*****
A splash of cold water on his face startled Kaevin awake.
“Sit up!” Abaddon demanded. “We have more questions.” Kaevin blinked to clear his eyes and obediently struggled to a sitting position, a difficult process without the use of his hands. His left hand was throbbing with every heartbeat, a sharp stabbing pain in every finger. Would Vindrake break his thumb next, or move to the other hand? Perhaps he would be in a better mood since he now believed Alora was coming to him.
“How many warriors were present during the assault? Or more importantly, how many are left alive now?”
“I know my father started with a group of twenty-one, and I don’t know how many were lost during your attack. I saw at least four go down.”
“Including your father, correct?” Vindrake seemed to derive pleasure from his reminder.
“I saw him wounded, but that doesn’t mean he’s dead.”
“By my view in the sightstone, Graely appeared to have been gutted. Such a shame. Very unlikely to survive such a wound for long.” He leaned in close to Kaevin with a mocking smile. “On the bright side, you won’t be alive for long to suffer with grief.”
“You’re too much of a coward to face him yourself!” Kaevin spat into his face.
Vindrake straightened and wiped his face on his sleeve. “I see I must teach you to control that nasty temper.” With a quick motion of Vindrake’s hand, Kaevin felt an agonizing crunch and he had his answer. His right hand suffered its first broken finger.
“Very nicely done,” said Morvaen, as he bound and
gagged the Water Clan warrior Alora transported into the circle Nordamen had shrouded in silence. “Wesley will simply walk back into the edge of the camp. Their numbers are down significantly. It will be worth the risk to replace a few more of their men before you confront Vindrake.”
Alora peered around the small clearing where Morvaen had tied the horses and gathered his warriors. With the full moon, she could see almost as clearly as if it were daylight. Nordamen came back to the circle. “I haven’t seen Abaddon, Vindrake, or Kaevin yet, so I assume they are beyond those trees near the other campfire.” He looked at Alora and Charles. “Ready to go take out another?”
Alora turned pleading eyes to her uncle. “Uncle Charles, I’m really afraid for you to do this. You could get hurt.”
“Alora, I’m a Marine. I’ve been in tougher spots than this, and I’m not afraid to kill a man to protect the ones I love.”
“Quickly,” urged Nordamen. “We don’t want them to have time to recognize our replacements before the chaos begins.”
Nordamen kept a protective silence on them as they crossed through the underbrush toward a man standing close to the outside of the camp, looking outward. His head cocked toward them, as if he had seen or heard something.
“Now!” said Nordamen. Alora transported to the man, touched his arm and moved him back to Morvaen. Nordamen and Charles waited to be sure no one had seen the disappearance, before Charles walked calmly back into the clearing, with his hood pulled low over his head.
They repeated the process one more time, but the remaining men were sitting together, near the campfire. It seemed no more enemy warriors could be replaced without arousing the entire camp.
“Nordamen, are you certain you’ll be able to maintain Arista’s illusion?” Morvaen shuffled from one foot to the other, rather than risk pacing outside Nordamen’s protective circle of silence.
“No, it’s too much. I’ll have to drop the silent shroud while protecting Arista. Get everyone in place and ready to begin. Alora, you know what to do. If Arista unlocks the belt, take him straight to Laegenshire. Don’t try to come back for the rest of us.”
Alora felt her insides quivering and her hand flew to her mouth as a surge of nausea hit. He touched her arm gently. “Can you do this?”
She gave him a stiff nod, swallowing repeatedly, as her salivary glands worked overtime.
“And remember what I said. If you get Kaevin to safety, don’t come back.”
“I’ll remember.”
Chapter Twelve
Kaevin’shands throbbed, and his head pounded as well. Was this simply because he’d been separated from Alora, or had she been doing something to drain energy from their bond? The pain created a fog in his mind, causing his thoughts to jumble. Evidently, Abaddon and Vindrake were out of questions. He couldn’t decide if this was good or bad. If they didn’t question him, he might not break any more fingers. But if they felt they’d learned everything they could learn from him, they might not consider him valuable enough to keep alive.
Kaevin blinked, trying to focus his bleary eyes. Was that Alora standing between him and Vindrake?
“Hello, Father.” Alora kept her back toward Kaevin.
“Lena... Daughter, I’m so glad you decided to come.”
“Stop!” she warned. “Don’t come any closer. Both of you, stay right there, or I’ll leave.”
“But Lena,” said Vindrake, edging closer.
She vanished.
“Fool!” said Abaddon. “You can’t frighten her. She’ll be able to escape until you gain her trust enough to touch her with the stone.”
Vindrake turned his furious glare on Abaddon. “What did you call me?” He stretched out his hand and began to squeeze. Abaddon clutched his neck, struggling against invisible hands, dropping to his knees. Alora reappeared and Vindrake pulled his arm back. Abaddon fell to the ground, thrashing and gasping for air.
“Father, I just want to talk to you. I’m not used to violence—it frightens me.” This time Alora was positioned where Kaevin could see her face. He tried to catch her eye, to warn her away from Vindrake, but she never looked in his direction.
“Yes, Daughter. I understand. I’ve had a propensity for violence in the past, but I’m trying to change. I’m just so alone.” His face drooped, and his eyes were downcast. “I have no family—no one at all. No one but you.”
Her chin quivered as a small smile appeared. “That’s what I thought, Father. I thought if I could help you, you could find a way to live in peace with others.”
“Yes. Yes, I think I could. I have enough wealth, enough power. But my entire kingdom is nothing to me without family. I love you, Lena.” He took a step toward her. “May I?” he asked softly, holding out his hand. “May I hold my daughter’s hand for a moment?”
“No!” Kaevin croaked, from his parched throat. He had to stop Vindrake from touching her with the stone. He thrashed about and felt the belt shift on his hips.
But Alora didn’t hear him, or she ignored him. How could she be so foolish? Hadn’t she learned anything about Vindrake? She took a step toward him and held out her own hand. He clasped her hand in both of his and spoke.
“Lena.”
He stepped back with a relaxed smile. “You will come with me to my kingdom, Lena. When you see all the glory awaiting you, you will learn the value of strength. You will soon progress to despise the weakness born out of sentiment and emotion.”
“I’ll come with you, if I know you’ll leave Kaevin unharmed.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Kaevin croaked. “He only wants to use you.”
“Shut up!” said Vindrake. “No spawn of Graely will speak against me to my own daughter.” His arm moved in a blur and another finger snapped.
Kaevin couldn’t help but scream in pain. But this time, Alora screamed with him.
“No! Don’t hurt him!” She stepped closer to Kaevin.
“Get away from him, Lena,” said Vindrake. “Tonight will be your first lesson. You will learn not to be soft.” He stretched out his hand toward her.
Even though Kaevin longed for her touch, he tried to send her to safety. “Go! Please! He’ll only hurt you!”
But she knelt down and placed her hands on his face, and they were gone.
Alora sobbed even as she kissed Kaevin’s blood-caked lips. “He hurt you. He hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
Someone cut the ties off Kaevin’s hands, and he screamed at their touch. “What’s wrong? Where are you hurt?” demanded Arista.
Laethan was examining his hands. “Glare it! How many fingers are broken, Kaevin?”
“Four on the left, and two on the right. But he didn’t hurt my thumbs.”
“I can brace them, but they’ll probably never heal correctly,” said Laethan.
“How did you transport me? I was chained in iron.”
“I opened your lock,” declared Arista. “Nordamen put some cloaking on me that made it really hard for anyone to focus on me. He said it was almost as good as being invisible.”
Alora felt her pain receding as her lips touched Kaevin’s again. The relief was so incredible, she managed to ignore Laethan’s condemning stare.
“I think I need to go back and help. Right, Kaevin? Nordamen told me not to come back. But I can’t leave them there when I could help.”
“You’re not going without me.” Kaevin struggled to his feet.
“Wait a minute. You’re injured, and I haven’t even treated you yet.” Laethan’s scowl deepened.
“Take me with you.” Arista grabbed Alora’s arm.
Alora heard Laethan’s words just before she transported. “Wait! You can’t go anywhere.”
She moved them to the small clearing near the camp. Beth exclaimed with joy when they appeared. “You’re safe! I’m so glad you’re here. They told me to wait here with the horses until the battle was over. Then I get to do first aid. Or, if we lose, I guess I’m supposed to just run for my life. Why are you here, though? I thought you
were supposed to be in Laegenshire.”
“I came back to help. Can you stay with Kaevin? He’s here so I can recharge if I need to.”
“Awesome,” said Beth. “Kaevin can defend me if someone comes. I got this sword from that unconscious guy over there—one of Vindrake’s men.”
“You keep the sword,” said Kaevin. “Vindrake broke most of my fingers.”
Loud shouts and clashing metal reverberated from nearby. “I’m going to see what’s happening,” declared Arista, disappearing toward the battle sounds.
“Alora, you should grab that guy’s bow and arrows. Someone could use them—someone like Wesley or Arista.” Beth was using her bossy voice, but Alora was glad of it. She was too tired to think creatively.
“Kaevin, will you be okay here?” asked Alora. “I can pop over if I need a kiss. Okay?” He nodded as she gave him one last fervent kiss, grabbed the bow and quiver, and hurried after Arista.
She stopped out of sight and took in the scene before her. Vindrake’s men had been outnumbered—Morvaen’s men should have been winning. But some of Stone Clan seemed to be missing. Where were they? She saw Morvaen in the middle of the fray, but she couldn’t find Wesley or her Uncle Charles. Fearing they were lying wounded and dying somewhere, she transported them both to her.
Immediately, they were standing in front of her looking quite dazed and confused. “Where were you? Are you okay? Were you injured?”
“I feel like I did after I got my wisdom teeth out—my head is all crazy.” Wesley shook his head vigorously.
“I think we were drugged or something,” said Charles. “There were others... and we were waiting... for something...”
“Yeah,” Wesley agreed. “We were supposed to wait for someone’s orders, I think.”
“Where were you? Where are the others?” asked Alora.
“I don’t know,” Charles said, scratching his head. “Raelene was there, I think.”
Alora pulled her lip into her mouth to chew on it. What should she do? “Wesley, can you take these arrows and use them? You both lost your other weapons when I transported you.”
