“I’m sorry,” she said to both Dev and Loku.
“Sorry for what?”
“For getting you into this mess.”
“Trouble, this isn’t your fault.”
“Yes, it is. If I had just thought before I acted, if I had listened to you and Loku, I wouldn’t have gotten all cocky and ran head-first into battle that night. Then, we wouldn’t have gotten captured, and we wouldn’t be rotting in this dungeon.” A memory from the previous night stabbed her chest like a knife. “And Cinder would still be alive.”
“Cinder? What happened to him?” His voice grew tense with worry.
“He ran in front of me and got stabbed. I tried to heal him, but there was so much blood.”
“Did he catch on fire?”
“What?” When he repeated the question, she wondered if the blow to his head addled his brain. “No.”
“Then he’s still alive. Or was, anyway, when you saw him last. Fire wolves burn themselves into ashes when they die. If you healed him enough to slow the bleeding, chances are, you bought him enough time to heal himself.”
Some of her despair retreated. Cinder could still be alive. Thank the Lady Moon for that small blessing.
“As for me, I’ve already told you before that I admired your bravery. You chose to face Sulaino when the odds were stacked against you. You came out on top then, and the same could happen now.”
“Are you talking about luck?”
“I think Lady Luck is smiling on you, or you wouldn’t have made it this far.” She stared out into the darkness, and the smell of death and mildew filled her nose. “But what if my luck has run out?”
“Do you really think that, my little Soulbearer?”
“Well, you’re still pissed off at me.”
“I can be very forgiving at times if someone shows me they’re truly sorry.”
“I’m sorry we contained you, but you were trying to take me over without my permission.
It scared me.”
“Apology accepted for now, but I’ll remember this incident. I may call on it in the future when I want you to do something for me.”
“Then it’s not really forgiveness. It’s blackmail.” Her shoulders ached from keeping her arms above her head for who knows how long. At least she was sitting. Across the room, Dev stood against the wall with his hands manacled like the top of a huge Y. She couldn’t see his feet. “How are you holding up?”
“I’ve been better.”
Guilt gnawed away at her gut. “I hate to see you suffer because of me,” she whispered.
“I’m your Protector. It’s my duty to do all in my power to keep you safe.”
“But you hardly know me. I’m just some girl who got too close to the previous Soulbearer when he died.”
His sigh echoed through the cell. She wished she could see the expression on his face.
Was he angry with her? Frustrated? Biting his tongue to keep from hurting her feelings? When he finally spoke, his voice turned husky with emotion. “With the previous Soulbearers, I felt that way. I protected them because I swore an oath to, not because I wanted to. It was my punishment to bear. But with you, Arden—” His voice broke. “With you, I’d protect you even if you weren’t the Soulbearer.”
Her heart raced, and warmth flooded her body. Could cold and callous Dev have feelings for her? “Why?”
“Not because you’re easy to live with.” He sounded like his old self again, and part of her grieved for the loss of the man who spoke to her just seconds before. “You’ve been a constant pain in my ass since I’ve met you. But you’re different from the others, too. Instead of using your power for yourself, you’ve chosen to use it to help others.”
“Except when I told Kell I wouldn’t help him fight Sulaino.”
“Forget about that. You’re only a human, and you have limitations. You weighed the risks of letting Loku gain control of you and made your decision. I can’t fault you for that. You’ve done more for these ungrateful Ranellians than most would expect of you.”
“But why do I feel like I let people down?”
“Piss on them.”
She laughed in spite of herself. Just having someone to talk to made this place more bearable. She stretched her leg out, brushed his foot with her toes. The brief contact sent another warm wave of hope through her. “If I have to have someone stuck down here with me, I wouldn’t pick anyone but you.”
“That’s not magic making you feel all warm and fuzzy.” Her cheeks burned despite the cold damp of the dungeon. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“You know as well as I do that you have feelings for Dev. Let’s not have this discussion again.”
“Of course I do. He’s the one friend I have. He’s the only person I trust.”
“I mean something deeper than that. I may have been contained, but I witnessed every little exchange between you two over the past few days.” Dev didn’t reply to her compliment. An uneasy silence settled over the room, making her doubt Loku’s observations about Dev even more. Her mind battled her emotions and quickly buried them. They were stuck here until their jailors decided what to do with them. She tried to think of an escape plan, but her eyelids grew heavy, and she dozed.
***
The clank of keys, mingled with men’s voices, woke her. The beam of sunlight that blinded her before had vanished, throwing the cell into complete darkness. A damp chill invaded the room and her aching muscles. She stretched, grazing her foot against Dev’s again.
“Shh,” he hissed.
“Move quickly,” a voice ordered on the other side of the door. “We don’t want to keep him waiting.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Arden lifted her head and peered into the abyss. Could someone have found them? Which of the princes stood outside? Were they taking her to the king? Her heart pounded. If they were still down in the dungeons, the news probably wasn’t good.
The door opened, and torchlight filled the cell. Faces came into view, none of them friendly. Captain Larenis wore his usual sneer. He crossed the room, dropped his torch into the holder near her, and began to unhook her chains.
“Are you sure the manacles are on properly?” the first voice asked. The firelight illuminated his gaunt features and cast sinister shadows over the recess of his face. Gandor.
“They’re on both of them, Your Highness. I have the only key.”
“Good. I don’t wish to have anything go wrong tonight.”
“And what are you planning, you sick son of a bitch?” Dev’s words echoed off the walls and startled the eldest prince.
“That’s no way to speak to royalty, elf.” He backhanded Dev, drawing a grunt. “Perhaps when I’m king, I’ll pay your empress a visit and teach you Gravarians proper manners.”
“Good luck.”
Dev’s defiance inspired her. As soon as she felt some laxity in the chains, she whipped them around, catching Larenis in the face. He stumbled back with a cry and covered his cheek with his hand. “You little bitch!”
She swung again, putting all her meager weight into it. Then struck him again.
Before she could get a fourth swing in, something caught her chain and jerked her backward. She tumbled to the ground. A wave of pain ran up her back after the impact, forcing the air from her lungs.
“That’s quite enough from you, witch.” Gandor pressed the tip of his sword against the center of her chest. “If Sulaino didn’t want you alive, I’d kill you myself.”
“That makes two of us,” the captain of the guard muttered as he rubbed his nose.
“Larenis, if you can’t handle a simple girl who’s chained and has her magic repressed, how can I expect you to lead my men?”
“Men are easier to control than this wench,” he said with a jerk of the chain. He tightened his hold on it, and the prince withdrew his blade.
“I see the key. It’s in the pocket just inside the Captain’s overtunic on the right side.”
“I’m
hardly thinking about picking his pocket when I have a sword above my heart, Loku.”
Dev laughed in the background. “And people wonder why I call her Trouble.” Even in the dim torch light, she could see his eyes narrow. “So, you’re planning on turning her over to Sulaino? And let me guess—Daddy doesn’t approve?”
That comment earned him another slap to the face. At least the prince shook his hand and winced after the blow. “Next time, I’m using my sword.” Dev’s tongue darted out, licking the blood that trickled from his busted lip. “What do you hope to gain by working with him?”
Gandor’s icy fingers outlined her jaw, sending a shiver down her spine. “What’s rightfully mine. I give over the girl. Sulaino helps me become king. Simple trade.”
“But you’re already heir to the throne,” she replied. “Why can’t you be patient and wait for you father to die naturally?”
He snorted. “We’ve all seen how he fawns over his bastard.” When she looked at him in confusion, he raised a brow. “Surely, you knew? If my father hadn’t disposed of his first wife—my mother—Kell would’ve been born a bastard. As it was, his mother’s belly was already swollen with him when my father married her.”
“He’s still the third son. He’d have to kill off you and your brother before he became the heir.”
“Wrong. All my father has to do is change his heir, and the throne is Kell’s. I’m going to make sure that never happens.”
“So this all comes down to jealousy.” She narrowed her eyes and regarded the eldest prince with disgust so intense, it made her happy to have an empty stomach. “Figures. You’re half the man Kell is.”
He yanked her to him. The smell of stale wine flowed from his mouth when he spoke. “Is that so? Perhaps I should have a little dalliance with you, too, just to prove you wrong. Sulaino only said I need to bring you to him alive.” His tongue flicked across her ear lobe, and her breath hitched. “He never said I couldn’t have a bit of fun with you first.” A stream of words in a language she didn’t understand spewed from Dev, followed by a kick to Gandor’s face that sent the prince sprawling. She would’ve fallen to the floor as well if Larenis hadn’t held on to her. “You keep your hands off of her.” Dev punctuated each word with another kick, bringing his knees up to his chest and catapulting them forward until his chains restrained him.
Gandor rolled away and drew his sword in one fluid movement. “You’ve outlived your purpose, elf.”
Everything around her moved in slow motion again. A scream sat poised on her lips as the tip of the sword punctured Dev’s gut. She didn’t remember if she released it or not. Her heart ached as though the blade had pierced it instead of Dev. Her pulse stopped for a few seconds.
An agonizing eternity passed while she watched the sword go deeper and deeper into his flesh.
The smell of blood stung her nose, and tears burned her eyes. The room began to swirl into blackness. No, please, not Dev.
Gandor withdrew his blade with a sickening wet slurping sound, and Dev slumped forward.
Chapter 34
Kell crouched in the darkness. Bynn’s heavy breaths throbbed in his ear. He jostled him.
“What?” Bynn whispered.
“I said I wanted silence, not the sound of an old man’s dying wheezes.”
“You know how much I hate the dark.”
“Hate” would be an understatement. Kell could almost smell the ripe stench of his fear.
“Pull yourself together.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through today? First, you force me to be nice to Gandor and follow him around. Then, how long were we hanging on to that narrow ledge outside his window when he almost caught us going through his things?” Kell rolled his eyes. “You whine more than a baby. Besides, we weren’t hanging on to a ledge. We crept along it until we came to my window. And it gave us the perfect opportunity to overhear his plans.”
A wave of nausea rolled through his stomach as he remembered the conversation between his brother and the captain of the guard. He wished he could blame it on his overconsumption of wine last night, but treason packed a stronger wallop than alcohol. At least they learned what they were planning on doing with Arden, even if they couldn’t discover her location.
“Do you really think this is going to work? What if they have more men with them than expected?”
Annoyance prickled his skin. “Do you want to lose the element of surprise?” Gandor had stressed the importance of secrecy. There would only be the two conspirators and their hostage in the tunnel tonight, and Kell had Ortono and Bynn with him.
He closed his eyes and mentally mapped out the cavernous room. Four tunnels all met here under the palace. One led to the dungeons and traditionally served as a way to dispose of the bodies of those who perished there. One led up to the west wing of the palace. The other two served as escape routes in a time of siege. He didn’t know which one Gandor would be coming from, but he knew which tunnel he’d take—the one leading to the outermost wall of the city. From there, he’d hand over Arden.
He tightened his jaw until his teeth ached. Part of him wished he’d told his father of Gandor’s plans, but the king would’ve sent a score of men down into the tunnels to intercept them. His brother would catch wind of the ambush and probably abort his plan. No, the smaller group that waited with him was much better. They all knew of Gandor’s plot and agreed recovering Arden was their first priority.
Voices echoed from the tunnel leading from the dungeon. Kell coiled his muscles, ready to spring as soon as they came into view. Torchlight flickered off the walls. He turned to his left. Bynn seemed to be holding his breath. To his right, Ortono slid his hand over the hilt of his sword. He braced his feet against the stone, feeling for a dry spot so he wouldn’t slip. They were more than ready.
As the other group neared them, sobs mingled with the angry male voices, and his heart wrenched.
“Larenis, shut her up. We’re coming to the main cavern, and I don’t want anyone to hear us.”
Something muffled Arden’s cries, and he moved forward to rescue her. A hand grabbed him, pulled his back. In the dim shadows, Bynn shook his head. Not yet. Damn it, his feelings for her almost made him run head first into battle without thinking. He turned to his friend and nodded in thanks.
Fire illuminated the group when they stopped at the entrance of the cavern. Gandor stood in front with a torch in his hand. Behind him, Larenis held Arden, his hand clamped tightly over her mouth. A set of dull grey manacles with a chain stretched between them bound her wrists. She writhed against her captor.
Kell sunk deeper in the shadows, waiting until they came closer.
Gandor studied the three remaining tunnels. “This is the one that leads to the outer wall,” he said as he pointed his torch toward them.
Now was as good a time as ever. Kell motioned for the other two to remain hidden and drew his sword. “Going somewhere, Gandor?”
Larenis howled in pain and shook the hand away from Arden’s mouth. Two lines of teeth marks dented the flesh of his fingers.
“Kell.” Fear twisted the way she said his name, but relief eased some of the tight lines of her face.
Gandor fumbled for his sword. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
As if on cue, Larenis drew a knife and pressed it against Arden’s throat.
“Step aside, or she dies.” Gandor’s eyes glittered in the firelight.
“If I remember correctly, she’s no use to Sulaino dead.”
“We have you outnumbered, little brother.”
“Oh, is that so?” Boots of his comrades thudded against the rock behind him, and he smiled when his brother’s jaw dropped and the captain’s knife wavered.
Arden took advantage of the distraction and jabbed her elbow into Larenis’s ribs. A whoosh of air escaped him. She lunged forward, only to cry out in pain. A line of red appeared on her upper arm, spreading along the fabric of her
tunic like spilled ink on paper.
Kell tightened his grip on his sword and hissed through his teeth. He’d have Larenis’ head after everything he’d done to hurt Arden. “Let her go, and I’ll plead your case to Father.
Maybe he’ll show you mercy, too.”
“If I take her to Sulaino, I’ll never have to worry about Father’s mercy.” Arden frantically clawed at something, although he couldn’t see what. Larenis repositioned the knife against her throat. She held her gaze with Kell’s when he met it. Her lips trembled, but the determined set of her jaw told him she wasn’t ready to surrender.
“Why are you doing this? Are you trying to become some kind of hero?”
“He’s plotting to take the crown, Kell,” she answered, despite the blade pressed against the place where her pulse throbbed. “He’s trading me in exchange for the king’s death.”
“That’s quite enough from you,” Larenis growled, and a new line of red appeared on the side of her cheek.
Anger seared his veins. His baser instincts wanted to tear Gandor and Larenis into shreds and feed them to the dogs, but he had to be careful not to hurt Arden in the process. “This is your last warning, Gandor. Let her go. Don’t become a pawn in Sulaino’s game.”
“Like you’ve become a pawn in your little witch’s? I think not.” He swung his sword at him, following it with a counter-swing of the torch.
Kell jumped to the side. Two breezes tickled his skin from where they fanned the air, first cool from the blade and then warm from the flames. He lunged toward his brother, not caring if he killed him.
Gandor caught his blade between his sword and the torch and tossed him to the side. Kell hit a wet patch and slid into the cavern wall. Stars bloomed on the fringes of his vision. The clang of metal behind let him know one of the others had stepped into his place, buying him enough time to get to his feet before attacking again.
Larenis used Arden as a shield against Ortono. “I’ll have you executed for failure to obey orders,” he told Ortono.
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