Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children

by Valerie Zambito

  Her blood ran cold. “What enemy?”

  “Dark Elves.”

  She quickly realized the woman must be referring to the Ellvinians. The same Ellvinians she sent Kirby and the children to Northfort to receive. “Are you sure, my lady? For what purpose would the Ellvinians attack Massa?”

  “They have come for the blood of shifters.”

  “So, it is battle they seek?”

  “Only as a means to an end. Pay attention. They have come for the blood of shifters. They wish to drink it.”

  Kenley stared at the old woman. “But, that doesn’t make—”

  “The Ellvinians are blood suckers. They crave the blood of magic users.”

  “They will kill Massans for their blood?” she asked incredulously.

  “Worse. They will keep them alive.”

  Kenley snorted. “Unless they possess great powers, they will have a very difficult time obtaining the blood of a shifter.”

  “They do have a power of sorts. It is called Ascendency and it allows them to convince people how they should think.”

  How does this woman know so much? For that matter, how did she open the grate? Something her father spoke about a few years ago suddenly leapt into her mind. “Are you the Oracle?”

  “I have been called by many names.”

  An enigma to solve another time Kenley decided as she thought about her brothers and the rest of the children in danger. “I must go.” She bowed deeply at the waist. “Thank you, Oracle. I am indebted to—” She looked up, but the woman was gone.

  With a shake of her head, Kenley swooped back down into the hole to gather her backpack. “Baya, I have to fly back to Iserlohn. It is the only way to get there in time.”

  Baya nodded. “I will follow from below.”

  “Baya, I must hurry. If we lose each other, I cannot wait for you.”

  “You will not lose me, Princess. I will keep up.”

  Kenley nodded, flexed muscles that had not been used in days and shot into the air.

  CHAPTER 19

  SHATTERED INNOCENCE

  “Take off your clothes, Izabel.”

  Izzy’s body trembled at Chandal’s words. She had known all along that this was what he wanted from her. His leering looks and furtive touches had finally built his confidence enough to act. Candlelight softened his angular features, but could do nothing for the iniquity that lurked behind his eyes.

  “Please, sir, I need a moment,” she told him softly. Crouched in the corner of the room, she needed time to build her own courage for what she was about to do. She needed to buy time so that he did not use his mind control on her.

  A fleeting image of her parents’ loving faces brushed her mind, but she shook it away. She had to or else the emotional tide that hovered at the edges of her reason would overwhelm her.

  She swallowed to regain some of her nerve. She was young, but she was also the daughter of Airron and Melania Falewir and a protector of her people. In the face of evil, it was her duty to destroy its existence utterly and without remorse.

  She was staring at that evil.

  Slowly, she stood.

  Would her parents still love her after this act? Would they realize that she had no other choice? Deep down in her heart, she knew that they would. She had been taught from a very early age how to survive, and she would do what was necessary to live through this ordeal.

  Chandal stared at her hungrily with eyes as black as night as her hands went to the front laces of her dress. Her hands were no longer shaking as she untied them and pulled her dress over her head.

  Chandal rose fluidly from the bed and approached without hurry, afraid she might dart away like a frightened animal if he moved too fast. “You are so beautiful, Izabel. I am utterly captivated by you.” He reached out and ran the back of his fingers along her cheek. “I know you are young, but I will be gentle. I promise.”

  Standing before him in nothing but her shift, her composure almost shattered when he bent down and picked her up to carry her to the bed.

  When he put her down, she scrambled as far away as she could and turned her head away when he began to remove his clothes. It did not take him long, and she felt the mattress sink under his weight when he laid down next to her. She squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Come here, Izabel,” he whispered and dragged her close to him. He rolled his body on top of hers and pinned her arms above her head. Oh, no. He must let go of my hand! I need my hand!

  She tried to wriggle away, but instead of angering him, it just seemed to excite him more. “That’s right, Izabel,” he said breathlessly. “Keep moving.”

  Finally, he let go of her one of her arms to trail his own hand down the length of her body.

  She did not hesitate. She reached for the sharpened stick under her pillow and with both hands, plunged the makeshift weapon into the side of his neck.

  He grunted, but did not scream out. Gulping back a sob, she pressed and pressed with all her might, not wanting to give the dark Elf an opportunity to sing his song.

  The tears came now, flooding down her cheeks as she withdrew the weapon and stabbed it over and over into his neck. When he fell back, she rolled on top of him and straddled his body, all the while continuing to push the weapon deep into his neck.

  She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out and tried to clear her mind of every thought except putting an end to the harm this Elf wanted to inflict on her and would inflict on others if given the chance.

  The crude knife in her hands made a sickening sucking noise as she pulled it out and thrust it into the other side of his neck. Her mind shut down as she repeatedly hacked at his throat.

  At some point, she realized he was no longer moving, but he continued to make a gurgling sound through lips coated in a red so deep it almost appeared black.

  She lifted an arm to wipe her hair away from her face and suddenly became aware of the amount of blood dripping from her trembling hands. With a tortured cry, she jerked the knife free of Chandal and fell away from him onto the floor.

  She scrambled back into the corner of the room and pulled her knees up close to her chest. Covered in the blood of the man she murdered, she glanced down at the weapon she fashioned from a stick and a piece of sandstone. Both pieces she pried from the toilet in the small privy off the bedroom, the only place she was allowed to go alone.

  Her father taught her to how to make this knife once, and she silently thanked him for saving her life this day. But, thoughts of him broke the dam on her tightly-held emotions, and she fell on her side and began to sob uncontrollably.

  * * * * *

  Kane stumbled along the empty servant’s quarter. He was not sure how much longer he could keep up the shifting needed to elude the Ellvinians. To make matters worse, more of them were coming in off the ships. All through the night, he suffered through their destructive ransacking of Northfort and the screams of the people still in the city. His only hope was that most of the inhabitants had followed his instructions and evacuated.

  What he really needed was to find Kellan and Kirby. Together, the three of them would be able to free Jala and the others from the cellar and possibly even locate a bodyshifter messenger to fly to Nysa and inform his grandfather, King Maximus, of their plight so he could send troops to the region.

  First, he had to find his brother, and that was proving to be an impossible task.

  Jain!

  All he received was a snarl in return.

  I know, my friend. I want you be my side as well.

  The pointy-eared cowards do not dare to show their faces outside. They know what awaits them.

  When Kane glanced out of a window earlier, he saw Jain prowling the courtyard outside. He could not imagine what the Ellvinians thought of him.

  Have you been able to reach Maks?

  Yes.

  What did he say? Where is Kellan?

  He said Prince Kellan will find you.

  At least that means he is safe. I will continue m
y search, Jain. As soon as I find him, we will overpower the guards and let you inside.

  Do not take long. My patience is wearing very thin.

  Seemingly, out of nowhere, a pair of hands reached out, grabbed Kane by the shoulders, and rammed him against the wall. The breath rushed from his lungs in a loud grunt. “Let me see you use your magic now, Massan, with my nails dug into your flesh. It will not be so easy to fool me again.”

  Kane did not bother with a reply. He just smashed his forehead into the Elf’s nose. The Ellvinian stumbled back and Kane pushed away from him. Managing to put a few paces between them, he reached behind his back and unsheathed the sword of Iserlohn strapped to his back. The quiet hall rang with a high-pitched whistle as the weapon emerged from the scabbard.

  Unarmed, the Ellvinian stepped back even further with a hand cupped to his nose to try and stem the blood that seeped from his fingers.

  Kane raised the sword out in front of him and stalked toward the Elf until the point was under his chin. “Where is Izzy Falewir?”

  The Ellvinian glared at him. “I don’t—”

  Kane pushed until a pinpoint of blood appeared at the Elf’s throat. “Last time. Where is Izzy Falewir?”

  “You will not kill me if I tell you?”

  “No.”

  “She…she is with Chandal. In his guest room.”

  Before he could question the Ellvinian further, the sound of running footsteps reached them. Kane spun, thinking to escape in the opposite direction, but Ellvinians appeared at both ends of the corridor.

  “Don’t move, Massan!”

  Kane was trying to think of how he could use his illusions to escape so many when the Ellvinian who shouted pushed two men forward and forced them to their knees.

  It was Kellan and Kirby.

  The tall Elf held a sword of his own. “Put your weapon away. If you do not do as I say, I will kill these men where they kneel.” From behind, he laid the tip of the sword on top of Kellan’s shoulder.

  Kellan stretched his neck back to look at the Elf behind him. “I am sorry, but it is very hard to hear you right now. Are you asking my brother to put down his sword? Do y0u know who he is? He is Kane Atlan, a Prince of Iserlohn, and he would never lay his sword at the feet of evil.” Kellan looked Kane directly in the eye. “Not even for me.”

  Kane blinked slowly, but did not answer.

  The Elf pulled Kellan’s head back by his hair. “He will give up his sword, Massan. Whether the two of you are still alive by the time the steel reaches my fist remains to be seen.”

  “Tenderhooks?” Kellan asked his twin with his neck stretched back painfully.

  Kirby snorted.

  “Absolutely,” Kane replied.

  That single word sent everything in motion. Kellan and Kirby both slammed their elbows back into the tender lower belly of the Elves behind them. Kellan flipped the Ellvinian with the sword over his shoulder and hammered him with a blow that knocked him out cold. He pried the sword from the Elf’s fingers and tossed it to Kirby, who caught it in midair.

  Kane turned to his own fight. Two Ellvinians rushed him together and he called forth his magic and split into three images. He learned at a young age that whenever he did that, people always believed he was the one in the middle. He never was. The two Elves paid for that mistake with their lives.

  Other Ellvinians came at him and he made little work of cutting them down. He derived no pleasure from killing. He simply did what had to be done to save his life and the lives of those he cared about. If an Ellvinian turned and ran, he lived. If he stayed to fight, he died.

  When Kane’s last opponent went down, he grimaced at the hall littered with dead Elves.

  Kirby leaned down to wipe his sword on the white dress of one of the Ellvinians while Kellan strode over and embraced him. “Thank you, brother.”

  Kane pulled back. “Why are you thanking me? You are the one who came to my rescue.” He grinned. “Tenderhooks? We have not used that childhood move in years.”

  Kellan shrugged. “Seemed appropriate. But, you are the one who saved us.”

  “How?”

  Kellan reached up and pulled wool out of his ears. “You told us not to listen to a word the Ellvinians said. It worked. Their song became muted with the wool and easier to cast aside.”

  Kane chuckled. “I did not mean it so literally, but if it worked, I am glad.”

  “It worked because at its core, the mind control they use is really just power of suggestion. Amazing what you can learn when people think you are not listening.”

  “Amazing what you can learn with a sword pointed to someone’s throat as well. I found out where they are holding Izzy.”

  Kellan let out a sigh of relief. “And, the others?”

  “Locked in a cellar below the first floor which you can get to off a short corridor behind the kitchens. Take Kirby and free them, and I will go after Izzy. The time has come to show our hand, Kellan. Use every resource you have and give no quarter. I’ll meet you at the outer gates.”

  Kellan nodded grimly and turned to go, but Kane grabbed his arm. “Wait! Have you seen Alia?”

  “Alia? She’s here?”

  “Yes. I don’t know how she got in, but she is here.” He thought of something. “Where is Maks?”

  “Hiding with Lars, so Kirby and I could go with the Ellvinians and have them lead us to you or the others.”

  I do not hide.

  Kane laughed at the rebuke from Maks in his mind.

  Kellan threw up his hands. “Pardon me. Maks is waiting of his own free will for the right time to pounce on the unsuspecting Ellvinians.”

  Better.

  “Come with us first, Kane,” Kellan implored. Lars might know of a way to get past the Ellvinians guarding the guest chambers.”

  “If it gets us Izzy back, I’ll try anything. Lead on, brother.”

  CHAPTER 20

  GIFTS

  Hendrix Bane stood on a raised platform before the people of Ellvin and basked in the enthusiasm of their vocal adoration. At long last, he was their beloved champion once again, and it was almost as intoxicating as the blood. The shouts and cries of praise and appreciation was deafening as the Ellvinians danced and cheered in complete abandon at the news he just delivered. Soon, word would spread to the outlaying areas of Ellvin and all would know that the rumors were indeed true. A life-saving supply of wormwood plants had arrived with the visitors and their ill loved ones would once again have access to the draught. All thanks to Hendrix Bane.

  “Premier Bane!”

  “Premier Bane!”

  Hendrix lifted both arms to accept their ardent shouts and his action caused them to scream even louder.

  For Hendrix, this momentous event in Ellvinian history was marred only by the fact that the Vypir was missing. Standing beside him with enough magic to render him unconscious were five Massan shifters. More were undoubtedly on their way here from Samara and Chandal, and he had no way to milk them.

  His body trembled with need. The sudden withdrawal was affecting him much more than he realized it would. The plant-extracted drink that kept him alive now tasted bland and putrid. A poor substitute indeed for the blood.

  He glanced at his Seconds. If their sickly faces were any indication, they were feeling the same as he.

  Hendrix was about to turn back to his loving subjects when he noticed that the large man on the platform beside him was looking directly at him with an unusually penetrating gaze. It was almost as though the man could read his thoughts and did not like what he found there. Hendrix turned away quickly and idly wondered what type of magic these newcomers possessed. Were they all watershifters like the Massans that were abducted previously? Out of the water, those shifters proved quite harmless and very easy to subdue. But, the six standing next to him did not have the same bodies as the watershifters, and they looked different. Bolder. Stronger.

  Eventually, he would uncover the answers to all his questions and more, but first he ne
eded that damn Vypir! If his Adjunct did not find it soon, the Massans would leave and Hendrix could very well be forced to go the rest of his life without the blood.

  It was an unthinkable prospect.

  A light hand on his arm startled him. He turned. It was Kiernan, the beautiful shifter with the light hair and green eyes.

  “Premier Bane, I was wondering if it would be possible to be shown to our rooms. After more than a week on a ship, we would like to freshen up.”

  “Of course! How inconsiderate of me not to suggest it before. It is just that the news you bring to our island is of such staggering importance to our people. To show our appreciation, we have arranged an elaborate feast in your honor this evening.”

  She gave him a charming smile. “I am just very pleased that we could aid you in this matter.”

  Hendrix clapped his hands sharply and an Ellvinian servant hurried forward up onto the platform. “Please show our guests to their rooms at the compound.” He turned back to Kiernan. “It is a full league walk from here so I will have horses readied for the short trip.”

  “Thank you, Premier, but that will not be necessary. After such a long journey on the ship, a walk would be a delightful change of pace. It will also give us the opportunity to explore your lovely island. The caves we saw from the sea are magnificent.”

  Hendrix hesitated as he thought of the Vypir on the loose. If the creature scented the magical blood of the shifters, there is no telling what it would do. But, there was no easy way to turn down Kiernan’s simple request without arousing suspicion. He decided to send two Battlearms with the shifters just in case the Vypir reappeared.

  “Very well. I will arrange an escort.”

  Kiernan smiled at the large shifter. “Do not bother yourself. My Mage husband is all the escort I will ever need.”

  Hendrix stumbled back and almost fell from the platform. Kiernan reached out to him with a steadying arm. “Are you all right?” she asked in a concerned voice.

  Hendrix quickly recovered and fanned his face. “Aye, I think all of the excitement of the day is catching up to me. Did you say Mage?”