Feel the Burn

by MacDonald, Nicole

  ‘Has she seen Loushka yet?’ Nesha thought, his tone concerned.

  ‘Hasn’t Loushka said?’ Sian thought in surprise.

  ‘She’s not speaking to any of us.’

  Daron appeared to the side of the griffon, a hand on the huge beast’s neck beneath Nesha’s expansive dark mane. Though he stared her way Sian could see his eyes were distant, the lines of pain visible in the way he stood. She closed her eyes as frustration welled, her hands shaking. Still he refused to talk and while she understood it, it made for a lonely time. Rubbing both hands on her thighs to try and release the tension she looked at Chaieth and gave a short nod.

  ‘I’m ready, let’s get into it.’

  Training provided an outlet for the anxiety that resulted from the absolute frustration of being able to do nothing. Daron walked to the railing and she couldn’t help watching, her heart aching while she wished to somehow soothe his pain. The stunned look of disbelief and the sense of pain and despair he had been projecting since that awful morning ate at her. Until the moment that Cat’s link to Alek was severed, Sian and the other girls had been forced to witness as that witch tortured Alek. Sian’s skin crawled at the memory of those involuntary shrieks of pain from him. At first she hadn’t even recognized them as human, let along the screams of a man who was like a brother, both to her and Daron. Even now, the faint scent of singed skin seemed stuck in her nostrils and she rubbed her nose, shaking her head, stomach feeling like it shrank at the memory of the smell.

  God, I hope Cat’s okay, she thought. Or as okay as you can be at such a time.

  Without the link to her, Sian couldn’t even offer comfort. It made the distance between the four ships feel like miles. Pausing mid-stroke, she rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen the tense muscles, then shook her head at Chaieth.

  ‘I need to work on punching.’

  The centaur studied her and she averted her eyes, looking off to the horizon.

  ‘If you like,’ Chaieth consented gracefully and turned, calling for volunteers. Sian jogged across the wide expanse of deck and climbed the stairs to the second deck, a couple of General Guard soldiers and a Hotorethite joining her.

  * * *

  Greeting everyone—trying to force a smile or at least a pleasant expression while allies and soldiers expressed their sorrow and sympathy—proved to be a challenge. Ignatius’ iron like grip on my arm tightened when I wrinkled my nose and clenched my teeth while trying to resist crying. A swift jerk by the Lieutenant made me pivot abruptly toward him and he bent his head, mouth to my ear.

  ‘Catherine, everyone understands how you are feeling, but please! Act like Royalty. Be like stone if you have too; just stop acting like a child! Alek would not have approved.’

  The stern, annoyed tone made me want to twist away and flee even though that really would be poor behavior. I gulped, lips trembling, and shamefully met his eyes. The tight hold he had on me meant fleeing wasn’t an option and the flat, unimpressed expression in his eyes left me with two decisive thoughts of action.

  One; using the hold he had on my arm, pull him down, and knee him in the nuts. Wouldn’t solve anything but might make me feel better.

  Two; buck up, greet everyone appropriately then get to Loushka’s side. No blood shed required. Closing my eyes and breathing in slowly, a sudden image of Alek popped into my mind. He flashed that cheeky smile I loved and winked.

  ‘Just a little patience, kitten.’

  The dark quiet that settled over her unnerved him, the sense of unease almost making Ignatius back off. Then it passed and Catherine opened her eyes giving him a calm, flat look.

  ‘Please introduce me to the rest of them, Ignatius.’

  He ignored the lack of warmth in that sentence and gently squeezed her arm, relaxing his hold.

  ‘Good girl. You can do this.’

  I did get some comfort in the familiar faces of those joining us from the General Guard and the Centaur Cavalry and the allies provided a fantastic distraction. Not knowing what to expect, it fascinated me to be able to put names to faces. Ignatius introduced me to the Draoths, who were the sailors on this ship. I caught a fleeting expression of surprise from the Lieutenant when I greeted the men pleasantly, and wondered why, but let the thought go and greeted the next Draoth in line. Their skin was smooth and hairless, dark green on the backs of their arms, legs and head, while their underside and faces were a lighter tan. It looked similar to the skin a dolphin had—thick and hardy. Their dark, nearly black eyes were somewhat disconcerting and so too was the flash of pointy teeth when I greeted another. Then I realized what surprised Ignatius.

  Were we speaking another language?

  It only registered when I turned to speak to Kassie then back to the line, a subtle hum in my ears before I tuned into what the Draoth in front of me said. For a moment I gaped at him, my brain disbelieving at this fantastic ability. How the heck had that happened?

  ‘It’s the spell,’ Kassie murmured in my ear, evidently understanding my expression.

  Stumbling over my words while internally marveling at the ease of speaking another language I made a mental note to thank Sian. The only language I’d ever excelled at was English, and that too was debatable at times. This would make parts of life here so much easier! I glanced around, eyes wide and a half smile on my lips before it hit.

  I couldn’t tell him. He wasn’t here, and he never would be.

  I don’t know why, but in that moment it felt so raw I had to twist away. Kassie stepped forward and I hugged her tight, an awful sense of desperation clutching me. Rumal stood behind her and my eyes locked on his. He stepped close, a large hand on either side of my face and pressed his forehead to mine.

  ‘Breathe, Cat,’ he whispered gently. ‘Just breathe.’

  His strange energy swelled out, but it wasn’t the golden light I sought and I nodded, pulling back, the pounding of my heart slowing. Rumal’s gold eyes swirled while he watched me and the pain in them made me turn. I could barely deal with my own grief; I couldn’t handle seeing theirs too.

  Well, at least you’ll be able to understand all those aboard, my rational voice thought in a firm tone and I nodded, swallowing hard. I forced the closest thing to a smile I could and turned back to greet those remaining in the line. The introductions passed quickly enough and finally, Ignatius led me to Loushka.

  Rumal watched while Cat wept with Loushka, the girl looking small beside the griffon whose neck she hugged. The tension that rose from all those observing the princess made the air almost crackle and with terse words allies and soldiers set into weapons practice. Despair and anger ran through Rumal’s veins and he closed his eyes, unable to watch Loushka without expecting to see Alek near. For so many years now, they’d fought along side one another. It didn’t feel real yet. To protect the heir to the throne had sounded like a pain in the ass when Rumal had first been informed of his role by Elena. The five year difference between him and the scrawny, lanky kid with that mop of black hair had seemed like decades at first. But Alek had worked damn hard at holding up his position in the Griffon Guard.

  I can’t believe I won’t be seeing you again, friend, Rumal thought, sorrow making his body feel heavy and tired. But I swear that I’ll keep your girls safe. That witch won’t get them.

  A faint click of talons alerted Rumal to Kerak’s approach and the griffon sat on his haunches beside Rumal, tail swishing over the deck.

  ‘What happens now?’

  Rumal closed his eyes, fury welling within.

  ‘I don’t know, Kerak.’

  The tan griffon glanced his way, the orange gold undertones of his growing mane catching in the sunlight.

  ‘This isn’t good.’

  Anger simmered close to the surface and Rumal resisted replying, not trusting his temper. Instead he caught Rashid’s eye and jerked his head toward the stairs, walking that way with the Lieutenant following.

  Kassie watched when Rumal went below and glanced at Kerak who looked
forlornly after the man, wings drooping.

  ‘Did I say something wrong?’

  ‘No. We’re just hurting, Kerak. Everyone reacts differently.’

  ‘I wish we could visit the others.’

  With a sympathetic smile, Kassie reached to rub under the griffon’s chin and scratched around his neck, where the newly grown mane itched.

  ‘Me too. It’s not fun being stuck on the ship.’

  ‘I wonder what Sito’s doing?’

  ‘Probably sleeping.’

  Kerak huffed a sigh then rubbed his chin affectionately over Kassie’s head.

  ‘You should go see if Rumal’s okay. I’m going to see if Loushka’s talking to me yet.’

  She watched the griffon saunter to the front, climbing the stairs to the platform where Cat and Loushka were cuddled. She turned and headed downstairs.

  Rumal waited in the room set aside for the office on this vast ship. With all the soldiers and allies aboard it felt barely bigger than the royal yacht, not at all like a massive galley. The sound of steps made him turn, watching when Rashid ducked through the doorway, followed closely by Lieutenant Belsesus. The centaur, a full foot and a half taller than Rashid, grumbled at the low doorway he squeezed through.

  ‘I heard the architect worked with a centaur while designing these galleys, but I suspect it was a pontite.’

  Rumal gave a short humorless laugh.

  ‘I believe it’s to do with the size of the decks and the support required to hold griffons, dragons, and so many centaurs. There’s a fair bit of weight aboard.’

  They stood in silence until Rashid said, ‘Rumal, you wanted to talk?’

  Kassie stood to the side of the closed door and listened closely. The walls weren’t that thick and due to her link with Rumal and his syren energy she could hear him clearly; the others, not so much. Rumal’s despondent sigh made her draw a shield up, to prevent him sensing her sympathy in response to his pain.

  ‘I thought we had better discuss the change in situation,’ Rumal’s rich, rolling voice sounded darker than ever.

  Rashid spoke, ‘There’s no change. The operation stays the same.’

  A loud slam made Kassie jump, looking guiltily behind at the empty corridor. She placed a hand silently against the door and leaned in again. Anger reverberated from Rumal and he spoke, spitting the words out with a level of fury she hadn’t seen before now.

  ‘That was prior to that hellish creature murdering our Prince. She now has his gift and we are obviously walking into a trap!’

  An odd swell in the air confused Kassie for a moment, until she recognized Rumal’s syren energy.

  ‘Pull your fucking influence back, Rumal. You don’t need to use it on us.’

  Belsesus sounded unimpressed. Kassie’s heart pounded while she willed Rumal to comply. The swell in the air vanished and she slumped down beside the door, back against the wall, with a silent sigh of relief.

  ‘Apologies.’

  A loud slam, then another, made her jolt in shock. Someone is punching something, she realized, listening hard; the table? A screech of wood against wood made her wince and she heard Rumal let out an exhausted sigh and ask, ‘What are we going to do?’

  The floor vibrated and a clomping sound suggested that Belsesus paced the floor. The sound drew near the door and Kassie shrank back against the wall. She relaxed when he moved away.

  ‘We’ll have to give instructions to the Draoths to leave after a certain amount of time.’

  ‘Surely some will survive,’ Rashid said.

  Belsesus sounded grim. ‘Unless we instruct some to hold back, I don’t foresee good odds.’

  The voices fell silent and Kassie leaned against the wall, a growing sense of shock enveloping her mind. No survivors?

  ‘I still hope the girls will survive,’ Rumal said, his voice barely audible. ‘As long as we get them to the castle.’

  ‘Cat’s reached her full potential, hasn’t she?’ Belsesus asked.

  ‘Yes. I saw it with my own eyes,’ said Rashid.

  In a hopeful tone the Cavalry Lieutenant said, ‘Then perhaps the other girls will too?’

  ‘It was likely triggered by Alek’s death, but we don’t know for sure,’ Rumal replied.

  Rashid added sardonically, ‘And killing you three would probably do more harm than good.’

  ‘If we don’t get Cat back, then Elion will be thrown into civil war. The noble houses will move on the castle,’ Rumal stated it matter-of-factly, no emotion in his voice.

  ‘I think the most we can promise is to get Cat to the castle. I doubt any of us will be in a position to see her back,’ Rashid said.

  The awful truth only increased the feeling of numbness in Kassie’s mind and she stared blankly ahead, not noticing those who passed her by or their quizzical looks.

  Belsesus’ deep voice broke the silence.

  ‘The soldiers and allies expect this. We will be frank about it. We may not be able to prevent civil war in Elion, but if we can rid this world of that Southern witch then at least Gar’nyse will be safe.’

  ‘Safer,’ corrected Rashid.

  A random memory rose in Kassie’s mind while she sat there with her arms folded around her knees. The recollection of a beautiful summer evening at the Estate on Delanta. A warm breeze with the sweet scents of twilight flowers and a sense of absolute joy. Kassie’s chest felt tight when the realization hit that she might never see it again. She didn’t notice the men had finished talking until the door opened all of a sudden, making her scramble to her feet.

  Rumal caught sight of the movement and his head snapped around, gold eyes staring, tense and ready. He relaxed a fraction at seeing Kassie and then frowned. Unable to face speaking to him about it yet, Kassie put a hand up, shaking her head and fled down the corridor.

  * * *

  ‘Again.’

  The dark fury in Sabyn’s voice caused the goblin he’d snapped the command at, to frown. The air felt tense when Sabyn repeated the word with a snarl.

  ‘AGAIN.’

  ‘No.’

  The goblin stepped back and pointed his sword at Sabyn.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re playing at, friend, but this isn’t the solution. Training is one thing, this is another.’

  The stocky creature with dark gray skin and black tufted ears turned his back on Sabyn. All those standing in the semi circle tensed, watching Sabyn with edgy eyes. Loi’s mouth felt as dry as sawdust and she swallowed, trying to moisten it, her eyes locked on him. The tall man flexed his broad shoulders, glaring at something past their heads and she knew he relived that awful morning again, his hand flexing around the handle of his sword. The ship swayed when a sudden change in wind hit and those watching drifted off to help the Draoths. Loi ignored them, her eyes still on Sabyn who seemed locked in a living nightmare, muttering and shaking his head.

  ‘Go to him, Loi, he needs you.’

  She twisted to see Tomiar standing a few feet behind her. The griffon watched Sabyn intently, her tail swishing over the tan boards of the deck, the tufted end flashing glimpses of green in the sunlight against the griffon’s black fur.

  ‘I don’t know what to say to him?’

  The sense of uselessness at the awful situation left her scrambling; what did you say at such a time? It still didn’t seem real, but the complete absence of Cat’s energy made it horribly true.

  ‘Doesn’t matter what you say, he needs you.’

  Loi stayed still, watching while Sabyn shook himself again. He stalked to the rail, leaned both elbows on it and stared down at the water. The tense line of his shoulders sagged and he rubbed a hand over his face, the devastated expression making him look years older.

  Loi seized the hand rail and pulled herself up. Climbing down from her seat on the second level she crossed the main deck, stopping behind him. Again that useless feeling hit and she stared at the pattern on his shirt, fumbling for the right words. He turned and regarded her; the creased lines of pain across
his brow and around his eyes made her move forward in an instant, a hand extended to soothe.

  ‘Oh, Sab.’

  The rough stubble on his jaw rasped against her palm and he closed his eyes at her touch, the fleeting glimmer of moisture in them making her own eyes fill with tears. He cupped her hand with his and reached out with the other, drawing her close, wrapping both arms around her. Loi tucked her head in the crook of his neck, her arms tight around his back and felt him tremble. It scared the heck out of her.

  In a thick, throaty voice Sabyn muttered again and again while pressing kisses to her hair and forehead. ‘I love you, goddess. So much. Never forget that. I love you.’

  It’s not meant to be like this. Fear and despair made her shake and Loi reached to the others in her mind.

  Kass, Sian?

  Hey hun.

  The quiet sympathy in Sian’s thoughts made tears well up and Loi pressed her face to Sabyn’s shoulder.

  Siany, it’s awful. I don’t know what to do.

  Panic constricted her chest when she felt the tension, sorrow, and worst of all, fear, running through Sabyn’s arms while he held her.

  There’s nothing you can do.

  Kassie’s voice sounded soft, but firm.

  This is why we can’t let her win. Why we will kill her.

  Loi went quiet for a moment, then thought.

  How’s Cat?

  Kassie didn’t send any words, instead showing them. Loi watched, through Kassie’s eyes, as Cat wept, eyes closed and face distraught, hands clenching and unclenching while her lips mouthed Alek’s name over and over. The paralyzing fear Loi had felt at Sabyn’s pain hummed through her while she watched her friend suffer.

  It wasn’t meant to be like this.

  There’s nothing fair about war, Loi, Sian thought sorrowfully.