Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children

by Valerie Zambito

  “Not yet. I want to have a word with the Premier first.”

  Hendrix Bane wore a confident smirk on his face. “Your theories are very entertaining, Beck.”

  “Now, that we are no longer friends, it is actually Mage Beck to you.”

  The Premier tapped a finger on his chin. “Ah, aye, and while you mention it, that is the very reason for this little surprise I arranged. So, tell me, Mage Beck, is this the extent of your powers? Mind over matter with a gooseberry?”

  The Seconds laughed uneasily.

  “The extent of my power? Good, Highworld, no. It was just the easiest solution to a problem. You do know what a Mage is, do you not?”

  “Only in the form of a Vypir,” the Premier commented snidely and the others laughed once again. Hendrix moved closer to taunt them. “What are you going to do? Flop around on the floor like a fish out of water like the kidnapped watershifters did before they died?”

  The humor in Beck’s face disappeared.

  “Bah!” Hendrix said, turning from them. “How powerful can you be trussed up like animals?”

  “We won’t be for long.”

  Hendrix stopped and turned back. “There is no help coming for you, Mage Beck! It will go easier for you if you accept that fact.”

  “I don’t remember asking for help.”

  Hendrix snorted, but Kiernan noticed that he did take a step back behind the line of armed Ellvinians. “You are mad. How do you think you can get yourself out of this? I know the watershifters can swim well but they could not break the bonds of a good, sturdy rope.”

  “We are not watershifters.”

  “Then, how are you going to do it?”

  “In order?”

  “What does that mean, in order?”

  “I was inquiring if you wished me to explain the order of events for freeing ourselves.”

  “Oh, aye, I am looking forward to this.” The Premier nudged Second Balder next to him, but Beck noticed the look he threw over his shoulder at the Ellvinian fighters that seemed to indicate they should be ready just in case the crazy Massans could actually break free.

  Beck looked up for a moment. “Let me see. It will probably take two, maybe three, seconds for all six of us to be free. We are getting a little up there in age.”

  The Ellvinians laughed until the Premier cut them off with an angry look.

  “Now, Airron, the Elf over at the end with the smirk, will shift into a small animal form that will seem to make him disappear into thin air. If I know his lovely wife, Melania, as well as I think I do, she has already summoned a squirrel or other rodent, and the creature is happily chewing through her ropes as we speak.”

  Melania nodded with a grin, and Kiernan noticed Hendrix Bane take another step further back.

  “My friend, Rogan, is just waiting for the signal to call forth fire and burn through his bonds, and then he will free his beautiful wife, Janin.” Beck paused to let his words sink in. “And, this magnificent woman to my left will enlist the help of your own fighters, Premier Bane, to free her. You see, her ability is similar to your Ascendency, but much, much more powerful. Anyone caught in her magical grasp will be powerless to do anything other than exactly as she commands, for as long as she commands it.”

  Hendrix wiped the sweat from his forehead. “And, you?”

  “Me? For someone who covets our magic so much, you really do not know much about it. In addition to being a Mage, I am also an earthshifter. With the flick of a wrist, I could sink you into the very dirt on which you now stand and bury you until you suffocate in an agonizingly slow and painful death. And, these little strings holding me to this stake,” he said, nodding behind him. “Almost too insignificant to mention.”

  “If that is true then what are you waiting for?” Hendrix shouted shrilly.

  Beck took a deep breath. “The fact that you have restrained us should be proof enough, but I wanted to confirm your intentions.”

  “My intentions?”

  “Yes. I do not make the decision to kill lightly. I wanted to make certain of your evil purpose before I committed myself.”

  The Premier’s eyes bulged from his head. “Kill them!” he screamed and ran toward the path through the mangroves, his Seconds close behind.

  The order of events happened almost as Beck predicted. He was the first one off the stakes with a quick snap of the ropes, and he knocked the nearest Ellvinians back with a sweep of his arm. But, he did not allow any Ellvinian near her to untie her ropes. He did that himself.

  By the time he was finished, the others were already free and engaged in holding the Ellvinians at bay.

  “Now, what?” Kiernan asked her husband.

  “We have to get back to the ship.”

  Kiernan grabbed Beck’s arm. “Do you think the Premier was telling the truth when he said he killed watershifters?”

  “Yes, I do. I think—”

  Beck lurched forward with a surprised grunt, an arrow protruding from his chest. “Beck! No!” He was too heavy to hold up, so she let him fall to the ground as gently as she could.

  Her eyes quickly scanned the woods and that was when she saw the archer. He now had his bow trained on Rogan.

  “Rogan, duck!”

  The Dwarf did as he was told and the arrow missed him by a hairsbreadth.

  She searched out to the nearest Ellvinian and slammed him with her magic. Pick him up and get us to safety, now!

  The Elf ran to Beck’s side and she mindshifted another of the fighters to help. The other Ellvinians looked on in shock as the two Elves picked up Beck and began running inland.

  “Follow me!” Kiernan screamed to her friends and choking back a sob, she followed behind the Elves. She ran for several paces before realizing her friends were not behind her.

  Wait here! she commanded.

  She ran back as close as she dared only to see that her friends were already under the Ellvinians’ control and being led back to the beach. Not through Ascendency this time, but by the swords held to the throats of Janin and Melania.

  Demon’s breath!

  Reluctantly, she went back to where her husband lay on the path. First, she had to get him to safety and back on his feet. Then, together they would save the others. Yes, she thought, scrubbing away the tears. Together. It was how they did everything and how it would always be. Even if she had to follow him into the Highworld to make it so.

  CHAPTER 24

  AN ARROW THROUGH THE HEART

  The Ellvinians carrying Beck kept up a steady pace, but Kiernan did not have any trouble keeping up with them. She ran behind torn between her desire to stop and assess Beck’s condition and her need to get him to safety.

  Go where none will follow, she commanded.

  The subjective mindshifted thought seemed to conflict in the minds of both Elves and they started to run in different directions before being yanked back together by their burden. Faces slack, the pair of fighters looked at each other in confusion.

  Since their minds were hers to manipulate, she turned to the first one. “Where?”

  “Rainforest.”

  She looked at the other. “Where?”

  “Caves.”

  Not knowing the topography of the island, she had to take a guess. She thought for a moment.

  Caves.

  Without another word, the Elves took off again through the dense groves. It was not long before the path they were on grew steeper and Kiernan quickly realized their destination was the volcanic sea caves she saw from the ship. Running in a panic, she did not recognize how high they climbed until she turned around and saw the tiny pinpoints of light from the port city spread out below her.

  In Kiernan’s unnerved mind, it was taking too long to arrive at their destination, and she was beginning to regret her decision when one of the caves opened up before them. The Elves ran right into the dark entrance and Kiernan followed.

  Lie him down gently.

  The fighters lowered Beck to the cave floor on hi
s side, the wicked arrow still protruding from his chest.

  Keep watch. Give warning if anyone approaches.

  Both Elves turned and walked out, and she dropped down to her knees next to her husband. “Beck, can you hear me?” She did not dare remove the arrow knowing that if she did, he would bleed to death. Her hands quickly roamed his body looking for any other injuries, but she did not find any. She leaned down and placed her cheek next to his mouth, but could not feel his breath. Alarmed, she looked at his face and noticed how deathly pale he was. Her shaking fingers searched out the artery on his neck, but could not find a pulse.

  “Oh, no you don’t, Beck Atlan!” she cried. “Don’t you dare leave me!” She pounded on his chest in an attempt to get his heart started. “You know I can’t do this without you, Beck!” Her fist struck down again. “Beck! Please! Please, don’t leave me.”

  Her frantic efforts were not working.

  “Beck!” She began to sob. Having no other option, she released the Elves from her magic. “Help me!”

  The Ellvinian fighters responded immediately to her desperate plea and soft hands gently pulled her away. “Let me tend to him, Lady.”

  Kiernan could barely see the fighter standing above her through her tears, but she moved back to see if he could do anything to save her husband. She had no choice but to trust the dark Elf.

  “Don’t kill him,” she begged. “Please, don’t kill him.”

  A rueful frown appeared on his face. “You have my word, Lady.”

  The Elf bent over Beck and Kiernan watched while he blew air into Beck’s lungs through his mouth. She had never seen such a thing, but she was willing to trying anything. Beck’s chest rose and fell with each breath and Kiernan felt hope creep into her body. But, after a few moments, the Elf stopped, sat back on his heels, and looked at her with a small shake of his head.

  “What are you doing? Don’t stop! It’s working!”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

  “No! Move!” She pushed him out of the way and began to blow air into Beck’s mouth the same way she saw him do it. Time lost all meaning as she did everything she could to save her husband. She only knew she had been at it a very long time when her body cramped up and pain shot through her lower back.

  Fingers grabbed her shoulders once again. “He is gone, Lady.”

  “No! I won’t give up! Don’t you see? I can’t…I can’t give up.” She leaned over Beck and rammed the heel of her palms into his chest. “Come on, Beck.” She lowered her cheek to his mouth once again. Nothing.

  “Beck!”

  “Lady, please. You did all you could.”

  She sat back and pulled at her hair. “Dear, Highworld, no.” Unbidden, the image that Avalon Ravener’s conjured Sea of Void showed her of her family gathered around as she sat on her throne sprang to mind. She remembered that the children were just a few years older in the illusion than they were now, and Beck was not there.

  The vision had come true after all.

  She grabbed the kneeling Ellvinian by the front of his shirt, tears pouring down her cheeks. “Kill me, too.”

  He scooted back in shock. “What? No!”

  “I am sorry, but you don’t have a choice. I am a mindshifter, and you will do exactly as I say.” She paused and shook her head regretfully. “I am sorry to have to put you through this, but you don’t understand. I cannot live without him!”

  “I cannot, Lady, please don’t make me do it.”

  She tugged him forward. “The Ellvinians want us dead, anyway, don’t they?” she chortled madly. “You were given the order to kill us by your Premier and have already accomplished that task with my husband! What is one more dead Massan to you?”

  The Elf’s face hardened. “I cannot pretend to understand all that is going on here, but it is not the Ellvinian way to kill innocent people.”

  After a long, hard stare, she let go of his shirt front and pushed him back. “I am sorry, but you will kill me.

  “I will never be able to live with myself if you make me do it,”

  Kiernan sniffed and ran a hand across her nose. “Please give me time alone with my husband, so I can say goodbye.”

  The Ellvinian rose to his feet. “Does this mean—”

  “Leave me!”

  Before he left, he removed his cloak and laid it gently across her shoulders. In return for his kindness, she mindshifted him and the other fighter. Stand watch outside and do not leave. It was the only way to ensure that the Ellvinians remained to do what must be done.

  Alone now with Beck in the dark cave, she scuttled close to him and brushed the hair away from his forehead. She placed her lips on his, surprised at how warm they still were. Pulling back, she smiled down at his handsome face. The face that captivated her for over twenty years.

  “We had a wonderful life together, didn’t we, my love?” The burning lump in her throat threatened to clog her airway, so she cleared it nosily. “I don’t think many people ever experience the kind of love we shared so I must be grateful for that much at least.” A lifetime of memories flashed through her mind. “Beck, do you remember the day Kenley was born? Dear Highworld, was it really twenty years ago? You ran through the palace in Nysa like a fool, shouting and crying over the fact that you had your little girl.” She paused wistfully. “I never loved you more than at that moment.” She reached out to trace the athame on his neck. “Remember when the twins played that joke on you in the stables? I know you knew what they planned, but you walked right through the doors anyway and a pail of water dumped right over your head. Oh, Beck, we laughed for hours that day! Do you remember?”

  Removing the Ellvinian cloak from her shoulders, she laid down next to Beck and covered them both with it.

  “Beck, remember when we were eighteen and I dressed up in a Northwatch Legion uniform to follow you to The Crown Bluffs?” She laughed. “I thought I was being so clever but, of course, I never fooled you. And remember that time you saved me from the Gems in their castle in Elloree? What were you thinking, my love? Really? Marching directly into the witches’ lair determined to sweep me away under your arm?” She reached for his lifeless hand and squeezed it tight. “You were my shining prince even back then. Just look at how you saved me from that horrendous snake in the Puu Rainforest. You know how much I hate snakes, Beck.” She shuddered. “My goodness, but you must have been bored from rescuing me all the time! But, it is the very reason that I cannot live without you, Beck Atlan.”

  A grey curtain of misery descended over her mind and heart. The silence of the cave clawed at her sanity. “It…it ended way too soon!” she wailed. “I hope you will forgive me in the end, but can’t you see? My life only makes sense with you in it, Beck. I would fall apart without you. To go on without ever seeing your dimpled smile, to never hold your hand or kiss your lips? It’s too much to ask! I would do anything for you, Beck, except live without you.”

  With that last avowal, she finally allowed the exhaustion and grief to pull her down, and she fell into a deep asleep curled up against the body of her dead husband.

  CHAPTER 25

  FIRST BLOOD

  “What are they doing?” Jala demanded.

  Kellan glared out of the broken window of the ballroom at the Ellvinians outside lining up into battle formation in the wide boulevard directly east of the estate. “Preparing to attack.”

  “Where are the boards I requested?” Kirby Nash shouted. “Find whatever you can. It won’t keep the Ellvinians out for long, but it will have to do for now.”

  I will keep them out, Maks growled in Kellan’s ear. I will take Jain and go to the courtyard. Any dark Elf that comes near this estate will die.

  Kellan nodded. Be careful. I will see what I can do from the second floor.

  Maks and Jain leapt through the window just as two of the mayor’s servants ran forward with loose wood and nails. Kellan looked around at the packed ballroom, but tried to avoid the spot where he last saw Alia. Lars Kingsley move
d around the room and tried to reassure the scared and exhausted guests that all would be well, and Cora the cook, still scowling from this interruption to her duties, passed around cups of water.

  Jala and Izzy stood by his side, but Kane had vanished. He was taking Alia’s death very hard and it was almost as though he felt personally responsible.

  “Jala! Izzy! Come with me!”

  Kellan took off at a sprint for the staircase. Kirby, Gregor, Dallin and Elon followed behind, naked swords at the ready. On the second floor, he crashed through the doors of the nearest guest chambers, strode through the sitting room to the balcony doors beyond, and flung them open.

  The humid night air clung to his skin as he looked out over the estate grounds and assessed the enemy in the streets. The formation was made up mostly of whom he now knew the Ellvinians called the Shiprunners—basically, simple sailors with little fighting experience. Kellan dismissed them and his gaze landed instead on the Elves with the gold trimmed garments. It was these warriors that Kellan had to worry about the most. The Battlearms they called themselves, and he would strike there first.

  Still, it was no secret that the Ellvinians had the strength of numbers. Eventually, the shifters would tire of using magic and the dark Elves would overwhelm their position. Any aid from the shifters in Bardot was close to a week away and military support from Nysa even longer.

  How long could they hold out? That was the burning question in Kellan’s mind. Certainly, not a week. Maybe not even the night.

  He glanced down at Jain and Maks prowling aggressively below him in the courtyard. Jain saved his brother’s life today and if Kellan had the opportunity after this night, he would let the Draca Cat know how grateful he was.

  Someone squeezed in next to him at the balcony rail, and he was surprised to see Kane. “Are you all right?” he asked his twin.

  Kane simply nodded.

  “Tell me more about this creature you saw.”

  Kane was silent for a moment. Kellan knew he did not wish to relieve the horror of Alia’s death, but Kellan had to know what they were dealing with.