"Ouch," the mage complained.
"Sorry," Macey muttered, making sure not to step on him. "What happened? Are you injured?"
"Just my pride. What happened? Is Amber alright?"
Macey nodded before she realised he couldn't see her.
"Yes, at least she was last time I saw her. They're attacking the castle as we speak. I was fighting the Mahoun but, well, he turned out to be not himself."
"That doesn't make any sense," Izban said with a sigh. "But I think I know what you mean. Hooded man, no face?"
"You've seen him?" Macey asked, surprised.
"He welcomed me in, let me tell him my story, then attacked without warning. I defeated him, saw his face, heard the Voice and ended up here."
Macey sat down by his side, noticing there was a wall just behind him that he was leaning against. "Pretty much the same thing happened to me," she said. "I wonder what Luc is doing now. He was suddenly there, in the castle, and helped me fight."
"The daimon? He's a strange one."
Macey was tempted to say that Izban was even stranger, but she swallowed that reply. The two of them were in this together now, and who knew when they'd see the others again.
"Talon came to the camp," she said instead. "He said you let him out of his cell."
"The old man?" Izban asked. "Was it just me or does he look like Malan."
Macey chuckled. "He said he's his brother. And yes, I find that just as weird as you do."
“Weird doesn’t even cover it,” Izban muttered, then fell quiet.
Chapter 15
Macey kicked at the wall, frustrated that they couldn't seem to get out.
"I tried that."
"Yes, I imagined you would have," she snapped.
"How did you escape last time?" he asked.
"Didn't Amber tell you?"
"No. She doesn't talk about her time here."
"Not surprising," Macey muttered under her breath. It wasn't like she'd been particularly forthcoming about her time in the Voice's Keep either. Far from it. "We won't be getting out the same way," she added.
"Why not?"
"Because the Mahoun doesn't make mistakes like that twice." Her patience with the man was already running thin. Though that was true of her patience with him all the time. She wasn't too sure what it was about him but Izban really rubbed her up the wrong way. She was just glad fate hadn't decided he was to be one of her men too. That would have been too much.
"So what do you suppose we do?"
"I don't know." She grunted in frustration. How had she managed to get herself here again? Once wasn't enough for her, she just came running back to the Mahoun's grasp. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
"Will the others help?"
"I don't know if they can." She bit her words out through gritted teeth as she tried to think. There must be some way of getting out of here. She couldn't let herself be beaten by the Voice. Not at this stage in the game. She had a godsforsaken army outside.
And where was Luc? He'd been with her fighting the Mahoun, he should be here too. Except his absence must have meant something else. She wasn't naive enough to think it meant he'd gotten away. That wasn't how the Voice worked.
Unless...
He'd managed to get into the castle undetected. Maybe the Mahoun wasn't actually able to sense the daimon. Not unless someone talked to him. The fight was different, he'd physically been attacking. Maybe the Mahoun had just thought she was using her magic to fight like that...
She shook her head. Idle thoughts like that weren't going to get her anywhere. Not when the whole reason she was having them was because she didn't want to accept the truth. The Mahoun had them. If she didn't do something about it soon, then they were all going to die. Not just her and Izban, but everyone in her army too.
Everyone she'd brought here to end up slaughtered.
Frustrated tears began to fall from her eyes. How could she have done this? Everyone she thought of as a friend and an ally would only suffer betrayal and death. She'd go down in history as the Warden who caused nothing but death and destruction.
If there was any history left at all. There was a good chance the Voice wouldn't stop at just the people outside the walls. He wanted everyone. The whole world under his control or burning.
Flames leaped up around them and Macey jumped back.
Not Izban though. He just stood there, the flames licking at his clothing and trying to burn him whole.
"Izban?" Her voice shook as she asked.
"Had an idea?" he asked snidely.
"How are you standing in the flames?" The pieces were already starting to slot together in Macey's mind but she wasn't entirely sure. A lot of it hinged on Izban's reply.
"Oh. I didn't realise I was." He stepped forward, leaving the fire behind him. His clothes were completely unsinged and there wasn’t even a soot mark on him.
"MAHOUN!" Macey shouted at the top of her lungs. "You can let me out now."
A loud chuckle filled her head.
VERY GOOD, LITTLE KELPIE. THAT DIDN'T TAKE YOU AS LONG AS I THOUGHT.
"I'm glad I can be of amusement," she muttered, not really talking to him.
SO FIRE WON'T PHASE YOU. WHAT WILL...
The flames disappeared in an instant, collapsing in on themselves and being replaced by a white tundra. Snow flicked against Macey's skin, the hard pellets hurting with the velocity at which the wind knocked them against her.
Something clicked in her head. She was being tested by the elements. All she needed to do was break through the illusion and the Mahoun would be hers to face.
In theory.
A huddled figure caught her eye and she stumbled towards it, knowing in her heart that it was Flint and he was in trouble. Ice and Wind couldn't be a good combination for the Fire Warden. She had to help relight his fire.
She stumbled and fell to her knees, the cold snow only increasing the sting. She needed to get to him though. Not even weather like this would stop her from helping her Warden.
Macey tried to stand but stumbled again.
No matter. She would crawl.
Forcing her hands into the cold snow, she dragged herself towards Flint, desperate to get to him and help him. If it was the last thing she did, she would manage. He was more important to her than life itself. They all were.
It took a painstakingly long time and her limbs tingled from the cold. It took everything she had to remember it was all in her head and she wasn't actually suffering from the damage she thought she was. She had to hand it to the Mahoun, this was devious. For anyone who hadn't already been victim to his mind games, it would drive them mad in a heartbeat.
"Flint?" she whispered as she reached him, her hands pressing against his rapidly cooling body. She reminded herself again that this wasn't real. That he wasn't real. But it was difficult to remember.
YOU REALLY ARE A FOOL.
She ignored the Voice, knowing what was coming next.
The snow vanished as quickly as it had arrived, taking Flint with it.
YOUR LOVE FOR THEM WILL BE YOUR UNDOING.
She didn't answer. She didn't need to. He was wrong on a lot of levels but she didn't want to tell him why. If he thought she was going to hand him the keys to destroying her, then he had another thing coming.
The space around Macey didn't change this time. It just stayed black, like she was standing in the middle of a void. With nothing around her, she didn't know which way to look.
The Voice's laugh changed, almost becoming a knowing chortle.
HAVE FUN.
She closed her eyes, but that didn't help. It was dark both inside and outside her mind.
Noises sounded around her. Noises that called long loving nights to her mind. Confused, Macey made the mistake of opening her eyes. The moment she did, she screwed them tightly shut once more, trying to block out what she'd seen.
It didn't work. Now she'd seen them, the images played behind her eyelids too. One of the disadvantages of all this happe
ning in her head.
"Maceyyyyyyy, come and play?" Amber begged, pouting as she did.
"No thanks," she muttered, not wanting to even entertain the ideas of what she was seeing.
"But Flint's cock is lonely. Take him while I ride Jared."
"No thank you." Macey began to shake as jealousy rose within her. This was just like the lampads’ test. She'd managed that, she could manage this.
She opened her eyes again, fully facing the images before her. Everyone was there. Everyone was naked and they all had eyes for Amber. Apart from Izban, who stood in the corner glaring at Macey. He would always be the one who hated her the most.
"Who should I try first, Macey? The incubus? I've heard they're better in bed when they're already sated, so maybe not."
Macey shook her head.
"No? Okay. What about the wraiths, I bet they could take me both at once. Though Camdan looks a little too sweet for that. I'm not sure he's up to the task."
She didn't reply to the apparition. This wasn't Amber, she knew that. This wasn't happening. She knew that too. It didn't stop the very real feelings inside her though.
"What about the daimon? It might be fun to have someone before you."
Macey's eyes snapped to where the apparition was circling a naked Luc. She tried not to let her gaze stray downwards but curiosity made that almost impossible. Her eyes widened. What was she even doing admiring him like that? How could she be so unfaithful to her men? The twisting in her gut wasn't easing at this suggestion from Amber though. She pushed the implications away. Now wasn't the time to deal with them and even if it was, she didn't want to. Ever.
"No? I guess that leaves the selkie first then. It's a good thing I like things wet."
Tears streaked their way down Macey's cheeks. The Voice was cruel if he wanted this to be her punishment. She knew what he wanted and it pained her to even entertain the notion.
Steeling herself, Macey met the seductive gaze of apparition Amber. It helped that she couldn't see any of her friend in that look.
She gulped loudly and begged for forgiveness for her real men.
"You can take them all, Amber. It means nothing to me."
Horror flitted across the apparition’s face as the words sunk in. The darkness shrivelled and died, collapsing in on itself.
Macey was thrown to the floor once more. Her knees really were taking a pounding, but the sting and the coolness were all she needed to know this wasn't another vision. She was back in the castle properly. As if the Mahoun's receding laugh wasn't enough.
"Macey?" Luc asked softly, his hands going around her shoulders and helping her back to her feet.
She tried not to look at him, embarrassed over what the Voice had shown her.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded, not able to find any of her words.
"You're scaring me. Why are you so pale?"
"Your knee?" she croaked.
"Daimon magic. If I'm not being attacked, I can heal myself pretty quickly. It's a useful trick. But what happened?" he repeated.
"Mind games. Nothing more than mind games."
"How long was I out?" Macey asked, brushing off her clothes.
"A few minutes, long enough for me to heal myself and for the body to disintegrate. I checked on you but you looked like you were simply sleeping. Did you have fun?"
He gave her a sympathetic wink, as if he knew that humour was a good way to deal with it all.
"Oh yes, it was hilarious," she said drily, "but I met Izban. He must be somewhere around here."
"We'll find him. Let's go."
She looked at the daimon in confusion. "Aren't we locked in here?"
"What would give you that idea?" he asked while opening the door at the other end of the chamber.
"I thought we were prisoners," she muttered. "It felt that way."
He was in front of her in a flash, lifting her head with a finger on her chin until she was forced to look into his dark eyes.
"We are not prisoners. We are invaders. We are the ones attacking and we are the ones who will succeed. We are the strong people here, not the victims, understood?"
She was both confused and amazed by the passion in his voice. It really mattered to him what she thought.
After a moment, he let her go, walking back to the door.
"Come on, let's find the real Mahoun."
She followed him, leaving the strange room and entering a corridor made from a strange, smooth stone that reminded her of dark glass. There were shouts in the distance, but she wasn't able to identify any of the voices.
"They're fighting, that's a good sign," Luc said and Macey tended to agree. Better fighting than lying dead somewhere.
They increased their pace until they were almost running through the tunnel. There were no doors that would have let them out, only an endless, straight corridor. After five minutes, Macey stopped, breathing hard.
"This tunnel can't be this long," she huffed. "The keep isn't big enough for that. We must either be underground, which also doesn't make sense because we never walked down any stairs, or this is yet another illusion."
YOU'RE TOO SLOW, the Mahoun's voice boomed in her head. YOU SHOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT AGES AGO. I'M GROWING TIRED OF PLAYING WITH YOU.
"I'm tired of you hiding from us!" Macey shouted back. "Come and show yourself! Let's fight this out face to face."
WOULDN'T YOU LIKE THAT, LITTLE KELPIE. NO, I THINK I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO. THERE'S AN INCUBUS TO TORTURE. HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK HE'S GOING TO MISS HIS COCK ONCE IT'S GONE? WILL HE BE ABLE TO SURVIVE?
Macey screamed in outrage and fear. This devil was not going to get his filthy fingers on her men. She was going to find him and rip out his heart.
First though, they had to get out of this tunnel. Luckily, the Voice mentioning Jared had given her an idea.
"Stand back," she warned Luc. "I've not tried this before."
She concentrated on the Earth mark on her back, hoping that would help her focus. She'd not tried to duplicate any of Jared's elemental powers before, but she didn't have time to practice. It had to work, there was no other option.
She focused on the smooth wall to her right, feeling into the stone, trying to figure out where they were and whether there was an exit somewhere. It took her a moment to make sense of the sensations her magic gave her. It all felt cold, unyielding, stoic. Like stone, basically.
Then, slowly, that feeling gave way to something else, something warmer. The Earth behind the stone. It told her stories of waiting and longing, but she didn't have time to listen. One day, she would, but not now.
Now knowing what to do, she tried what she usually did with the Staran: tell it what she needed. She focused on the image of her men, and of Amber and Izban, hoping the Earth would somehow understand. She almost chuckled at that thought. Her life really had become crazy.
To her surprise, the ground began to rumble and she was flung back, landing against something soft. Luc. As soon as the shaking stopped, she stepped away from him, a little embarrassed at the close touch. The daimon confused her immensely. She didn't know what to feel about him, around him, of him. He was a guide, she found him irritating, and yet he had a strange allure that made her want to find out more about him.
She shook her head, ridding her mind of those pesky thoughts, and turned back to the wall - which now had a giant hole in it. Finally. The magic seemed to have worked.
"Well done," Luc said, slapping her back in emphasis. "Now let's get out of here."
Without waiting, he stepped through the hole, bowing his head so he could fit through it. Macey followed, a little annoyed that he'd taken the lead even though it had been her who got them out of the never-ending corridor.
She stepped into a small cave, completely different from the clean, almost clinical tunnel they'd been in before. This looked more like a burrow, with roots clinging to the walls and an uneven ground full of what looked like mole hills.
"Who's there?" a deep voice ca
lled from the distance. She thought she recognised it, but only when the Kabouter stepped into the dim light, she realised it was one of her allies. Seppe, she thought his name was, but she wasn't quite sure.
"It's Macey!" she shouted even though he was now close enough to hear her. He was wearing leather armour like most of the Kabouters, but there was a deep gash on the front, almost ripping the leather apart. If he hadn't worn armour, his chest would have likely been cleaved in two by whatever had hit him.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Just some guards, nothing we couldn't handle," he said with pride. "But what on earth are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be up there with the others?"
"Where exactly are we?" Macey was a little embarrassed to admit that she had no idea, even though that was hardly her fault.
"About a hundred feet beneath the dungeons," Sepp explained. "I'm standing guard while the others are trying to get the prisoners out."
"Take us there," she commanded and he nodded.
"Your incubus is up there as well. He's almost as good with Earth as a Kabouter."
She grinned as she followed the gnome into yet another tunnel, this one narrow and a little smelly. It soon began to rise upwards and she had to concentrate on where she put her feet on the uneven ground. By the time they reached yet another hole that brought them out of the tunnel and into the lowest level of the castle, she was exhausted and covered in dirt.
Not ideal, should the Mahoun come to attack them again.
Sepp pointed towards the left. "Dungeons are that way. I'll go back and guard the exit."
Before she could say anything to him, he'd disappeared.
"What now?" Macey asked the daimon who'd been walking behind her. He didn't seem out of breath at all, something she was a little jealous of.
"Now we continue searching for our enemies," he said grimly. "This was a distraction aimed to buy him more time. But for what?"
It was a rhetorical question, that much was clear. Neither of them knew what the Mahoun was planning, except that it couldn't be good.
The walked silently along rows of empty cells. Either there had been no occupants, or they had been freed. There was a strange smell in the air, something sad, full of despair. Macey couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly, but she tried to breathe through her mouth to avoid it.
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