A Soul for Trouble

by Crista McHugh

  She managed to staunch the heaviest bleeding before someone grabbed her from behind. A cloth doused in something that stank like overly fermented fruit covered her mouth and nose.

  The interruption ripped her from the healing spell, draining her energy with it. She tried to struggle, but with each inhalation of the sickening smell, her eyes grew heavier.

  “Grab the chains before she casts another spell.”

  I can’t give up. Need to keep fighting. Won’t surrender. Her thoughts became slurred, and her muscles refused to obey her mind. Blackness closed in around her as the cold metal circled her wrists.

  Chapter 32

  Kell poured another glass of wine and stared at the dim light that filtered through the fog.

  He wanted to feel giddy drunk or at least numb, but the wine didn’t have its usual effect. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the betrayal on Arden’s face. It ate away at his gut like a gallon of vinegar.

  “Damn it!” he shouted and hurled the glass at the wall. The crash echoed in his mind, wine-coated shards tinkling across the floor. He’d been so close to having it all come together perfectly. So damn close…

  His head ached, and the pounding at the door only made it worse. “By the light of three moons, stop.”

  “Unlock the door then.” Bynn. Of all the times to have an overly concerned friend, this wasn’t one of them.

  “Leave me alone.”

  “Not likely.” A series of clicks came from the other side, and the door sprang open. “I knew learning how to pick a lock would come in handy one day.”

  “You’re in. I’m alive. Now piss off.”

  “You’re drunk, and you look like shit. I’d be a bad friend if I let you continue to drink alone.” He sat down at the table next to him and eyed the untouched food. “Let me guess: dinner?”

  “I lost my appetite.”

  “Listen, if this about Sulaino—”

  “Sulaino can go fuck Gandor for all I care.” The image of that flickered through his mind, and he snickered. His self-absorbed brother deserved it.

  “Ouch!” Bynn poured a glass of water and shoved it into his hand. “Drink this instead.

  You need to sober up if we’re going to form a plan to deal with that mess out there.”

  “I don’t wanna sober up. I wanna feel something other than what I’m feeling now.”

  “And what’s that?”

  He wasn’t drunk enough to admit it out loud, even to his best friend. Instead, he just pulled the gold and sapphire comb out of his pocket at tossed it onto the table.

  “Ah, the lady witch.”

  Calling her a witch rankled his insides as much as the smell of stale piss. “Stop calling her that.”

  “What happened between you and Arden?”

  “Why the fuck do you care?”

  His friend pouted. “That’s a bit uncalled for.”

  “Well, so is you picking a lock to get in here.” Every lash of his anger relieved some of the pain inside his chest. He wondered how much longer Bynn would sit there and take it.

  “I’m not leaving until you’re better.”

  He gulped the water in the glass, and his stomach lurched. “Why do you have to be such a pain in the ass sometimes?”

  He shrugged. “Because you’d do the same for me. Now, tell me what she did.”

  “She let me down.”

  “Because she didn’t want to risk her neck? Not too surprising.”

  “Then she accused me of playing games with her to recruit her to my cause.” While the rest of his mind felt as foggy as the weather outside, he remembered every word of their argument with crystal clarity. “She told me she didn’t want to look at me anymore.”

  “Can’t say I blame her. You were using her.”

  Kell rubbed the greasy stubble on his cheeks. “It started out that way, Bynn, but then, things changed.”

  “Who’d have thought she’d be the one to snare you?”

  “Yeah, who’d have thought it?” he muttered. He reached a shaky hand across the table and refilled the water glass while Bynn went to the door to speak to one of the servants. When his friend returned, he added, “I wonder what my father’s going to do with her now.”

  “Gandor’s campaigning pretty hard to turn her over to Sulaino. He’s got most of the lords on his side, too.”

  “Including your father?”

  Bynn snorted. “He remembers when your father burned Sulaino’s family. It happened in Nevarro, after all. The only thing I’ve heard him say about the matter is that we should’ve burned him with the rest of them.”

  “Too bad we can’t go back in time and fix our mistakes.” He knew the one thing he’d do—not let her get under his skin like she did. If he could manage that, then he wouldn’t be wallowing in wine-induced self-pity like he was now.

  “When pigs fly and Elslyn learns to smile.”

  A snicker worked its way past his lips.

  Another knock came from outside. “That’s awfully fast for breakfast,” Bynn said and opened the door.

  A pale-faced Ortono stood in the hallway, his shaking hand wrapped around a piece of paper. “May I have a word with you, Your Highness?”

  Kell rubbed his aching brow. “What is it?”

  He glanced at Bynn and gulped. The faint light of suspicion filled his eyes. “It’s a private matter concerning Lady Arden, Your Highness. If it pleases you, I’d prefer to speak to you alone.”

  “You don’t trust Lord Bynn?”

  He stared at the floor. “I know he’s not too fond of her, Your Highness, and I have reason to believe something bad has happened to her—”

  Kell bolted from his chair so quickly, it landed with a bang that reverberated through his head. He closed his eyes and clutched the table to steady himself. “What?” he asked through clenched teeth.

  “She’s disappeared, Your Highness.”

  Those four words stole his breath away. He leaned back to sit and would’ve fallen flat on his ass if Bynn hadn’t shoved a chair under him in time. He sobered up quicker than he ever had in his life. “Come in here and tell me what happened.” Bynn added another chair to the table. “Have a seat.”

  Ortono’s face went from pale to ashen, and the awkward way he shifted from foot to foot revealed his uncertainty at being treated this way by nobles. “I’m not sure if that’s proper.”

  “Just sit,” Kell ordered in a tone he used with his dogs. “This isn’t a time to be overly concerned with formality.”

  The young soldier’s eyes still flickered to Bynn. “I went to the east wing to check on her this morning and give her a small token of appreciation my wife made for saving my life, and I thought it odd there were no guards outside her room. I knocked, and the door swung open.

  Her bed looked like it’d been slept in, but she was gone.” Now it was Kell’s turn to glare at Bynn. “Do you know anything about this?” He raised his hands in the air, palms forward. “I swear to you on my life, Kell, I know nothing of this.”

  “Wait, Your Highness, there’s more.” Ortono’s hand trembled as he gave the piece of paper to him. “I saw this on her desk. It was addressed to you.” Kell yanked the note out of his hand and ripped open the wax seal. He perused the contents and frowned. It contained just a few simple lines about how Sulaino was his problem and how she and Dev were leaving for Gravaria while they could, but it felt wrong. The writing was too crisp and the letters too well-formed to be Arden’s. He’d seen her attempts at learning how to write yesterday.

  “What does it say?” Bynn took the note and read it.

  “It doesn’t matter what it said. Arden didn’t write it.”

  “Don’t delude yourself, Kell. She ran away while she could. I don’t blame her one bit.” He pounded his fist against the table so hard, both men jumped. “You’re not using your head. I’m drunk, but I still remember that she’s nothing more than a simple barmaid. Dev spent the last two days teaching her to read and write her own name. This do
esn’t look like the handwriting of someone who was just learning her letters.”

  “So Dev wrote it for her.”

  “Bynn, think. Take a good look at that note. Does the handwriting look the least bit familiar to you?”

  His brows knitted together as he studied it, and then rose in sync with his gasp. “Kell, you don’t think…”

  “I don’t think—I know. You said yourself he’s campaigning to get rid of her. What better way than to make it look like she’s escaped?”

  “But he’s your brother.”

  “He’s an ass, and we both know it.” He stood and, for the first time this morning, the room didn’t sway when he did. He grabbed his sword in one hand and the soldier’s tunic in the other.

  “Ortono, let’s go investigate her room. Something’s very wrong about this.”

  “I’m coming, too.” Bynn halted when they both turned to him. “What? So maybe I was a bit suspicious of her at first, but she’s shown that she’s not dangerous. Besides, what kind of nobleman would I be if I didn’t help find the damsel in distress?”

  “Just remember, she’s my damsel.” Kell gritted his teeth together and followed the young soldier.

  When they came to her room, it was just like Ortono had described. No guards stood in front of the doors. An unnatural silence filled the room. The sheets chilled his fingertips when he ran them over the unmade bed. Hours had passed since she’d slept there. He searched the room for more clues but found none. No signs of a struggle.

  Bynn shuffled through the papers on her desk. “I can see what you mean about her learning how to write,” he said, holding up a piece covered with her gawky letters.

  “There’s nothing here. Let’s go next door.”

  “Dev’s room?”

  “Yes. Remember, where she goes, he goes, too.”

  The hairs on the back of Kell’s neck stood on end when Ortono turned the unlocked handle. The mess inside made his already-sensitive stomach want to heave. Blood splattered the floor and the sheets. Furniture lay in splintered pieces around the room, and a wounded wolf raised his head to growl at them. He froze inside the doorway and cursed under his breath.

  “Sweet Lady Moon, what happened here?” Ortono’s wide eyes mirrored his own.

  “Well, you were right about one thing—something bad happened to them.” Bynn ventured into the room, carefully stepping over the remnants of a broken chair and keeping a safe distance from Cinder. “Or at least to Dev.”

  “You’d think if they killed him, they’d leave the body behind.” He followed his friend’s trail into the room.

  Ortono seemed to be the only one brave enough to come near Cinder. He extended a shaking hand and crouched low to the ground. The wolf regarded him with glittering golden eyes and finally leaned forward to lick his fingers. The soldier smiled, ran his hands through the matted fur. “They left us one clue.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Cinder. He never left her side, so if he’s in here, that means she was, too.” Of course. How could he have forgotten how the wolf wouldn’t let him kiss her last night?

  “Ortono, you’re well on your way to a promotion.”

  His grin widened. “My wife would like that.”

  “So, we think she was here with Dev. That doesn’t explain how she got out of her locked room, past two sets of guards, and into his locked room.” The smug expression on Bynn’s face quickly vanished as he went to lean against the wall and continued falling through it.

  “But that does.” Kell rushed over to the place where his friend’s legs emerged from the wall. “I was wondering how Dev managed to get into her room without being caught.” Bynn jumped to his feet, brushing off his clothing like hundreds of spider webs covered it.

  “Damn magic!”

  Kell reached forward. A cold tingle raced up his arm where it disappeared through the wall. He took two steps forward and found himself standing in Arden’s room. “Very clever.

  It’s like the wall doesn’t exist.”

  “Kell, get the hell back in here. I don’t like not being able to see you.” He walked back into Dev’s room with only a slight rush of air grazing his spine to let him know he’d passed through a wall. “I’m beginning to like this.”

  “Only because you’d have a way to sneak into ladies’ rooms undetected.” Bynn’s scowl almost soured the experience.

  “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t use it if given the chance.”

  “Your Highness, I don’t mean to interrupt, but shouldn’t we be looking for Lady Arden?” The worry in Ortono’s voice jerked him back to the problem at hand. “Good point. Any ideas, gentlemen?”

  “You’ve already pointed out our number-one suspect,” Bynn said. “This reeks of Gandor.” Kell nodded. “He’s the only one I can think of, too. I doubt Sulaino could have snuck his undead in here and left without turning the whole palace upside-down.”

  “I know Captain Larenis wasn’t too fond of her, either, Your Highness.” Ortono continued to stroke Cinder while he spoke.

  “And Larenis has his lips firmly glued to your brother’s ass in hopes he’ll get a title when Gandor takes the crown.”

  Kell closed his eyes to gain control of his swirling thoughts. The metallic scent of dried blood filled his nostrils when he inhaled, and his stomach lurched. “Let’s talk about this more in my chambers. The less ears that overhear, the better.”

  “What about Cinder?”

  “How bad are his wounds?”

  Ortono ran his hand across the wolf’s chest. “Not too bad, but when I touch them, my fingers sting like my arm did when Lady Arden healed it.”

  “Magic?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe, Your Highness.”

  Kell crossed the room and knelt beside them. Just as Ortono described, something felt different when his hand neared the wound, as if the air around was charged with energy. “Dev once said something about being able to heal himself. Maybe Cinder’s the same way.”

  “Yes, Your Highness, but I feel bad leaving him behind like this. Could we ask Cero to look at him?”

  He caught the wolf’s gaze and held it. Neither one of them blinked for almost a minute.

  “Fine, but if we take care of you, Cinder, you need to drop the guard-dog act around me.” He responded by giving him a wolfish grin, complete with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.

  “Come on, Bynn. Let’s carry him back to my chambers and put our heads together.

  Ortono, I want you to stick to Larenis’ side like glue. Tell him I sent you to work with him today. If he so much as sneezes a hint about Arden’s whereabouts, I want to know about it. Got it?”

  The soldier jumped his feet and nodded.

  He caught him just before he dashed out the door. “And another thing, Ortono, don’t let anyone know what we suspect. Play along with their story of her running away. You’ll find out more if their guard is down.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” He disappeared out of the room.

  Bynn knelt on the other end of Cinder and lifted him with a grunt as Kell slid a sheet under the body to use as a sling. “You owe me for this. I never thought I’d be playing nanny to a wolf.”

  “It’s no different than carrying one of our wounded men back from battle. Besides, if you play nice with him, he’ll play nice with you.”

  “Lovely.”

  They wrapped Cinder up in the sheet and carried him back to the west wing. Kell’s mind whirled the entire way, trying to figure out what his brother did with Arden. When he found out the truth, there’d be hell to pay.

  Chapter 33

  The steady drip of water echoed through the darkness. Arden opened her eyes, then immediately shut them. The lone beam of light that pierced the darkness shone right in her eyes. She smacked her fuzzy tongue against the roof of her mouth and wished for something to drink.

  “Would you like ale or a nice red wine?” a deep voice asked.

  “Loku! You’re back.”

  “
I never went away. I’ve been with you during this whole disaster. Serves you and Dev right for containing me.”

  “How can I hear you now when I couldn’t before?”

  “Check out your new jewelry. That’s magic-imbued mithral you’re wearing. Not only will it be all the rage next season, but it’s also great at blocking any magical powers, including any old spells you’ve cast.”

  Arden looked up at the manacles around her wrists. The chain that ran between them wrapped around a hook above her. No matter how she tugged, she couldn’t wrench it free. She tried to summon her fire, but nothing flared within her. Her heart pounded. “Loku, did they destroy my magic?”

  “No, just blocked it. Sort of how you and Dev blocked me from warning you about Larenis and his goons.” The bitter accusation in his voice made her cheeks burn.

  “Would it help if I apologized?”

  “I want more than an apology.”

  “I’m scared to ask what.” She tugged on the chains again.

  “Trouble?” a weak voice rasped a few feet away from the darkness.

  “Dev? You’re alive?” Tears sprung in her eyes. She searched the darkness while waiting for her vision to adjust to it.

  “You didn’t sound that happy when you found out I was back.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Depends—is this the void?” Dev asked with his usual cynicism.

  “Would we be chained in the void?”

  “Good point.” He groaned and rattled his own chains. A whispered curse followed a few seconds later. “I can’t summon my magic.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Loku interjected.

  “Can you channel your magic through me?”

  A snort shook her body. “As if I would want to help you after what you did to me.” She stiffened. If he wouldn’t help them, who would? The acidic tang of hopelessness closed her throat. She forced herself to breathe. When she exhaled, it came out as a shudder.