How could he be pissed at her? Her loyalty was to her kingdom and her king. A nice conversation in a carriage didn’t change that. She didn’t owe Brett anything.
“It’s all right. I don’t blame you. I just don’t understand how my people could have missed that clause.”
“The emissary documents are ancient. Designed by a Twilighter and approved by a human. Orin must have placed the clause into the document and hidden it with magick when the last treaty was agreed, when documents for passage to and from your world were finalised.”
“Which means there could be other clauses in other documents.”
She nodded vigorously.
“I need to get out of here. I need to get home.”
Her face fell. “I wish I could help you, but the guards will be watching our every move. Orin is always good to his word. He will keep you here until you sign the revised treaty.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“What about a message? Is there a way to get a message through the gate?”
Nadia gnawed on her lip, her gaze downcast.
“Nadia, please.”
She sighed. “The royal messenger sends documents through once in a while. It’s how Twilight communicates with your government.”
Yes, that’s how Baal had received the request for a meeting from Orin.
“So we slip a message among the others?” he asked.
“Except it could be weeks before any communications get sent. I imagine, now that Orin has you in his clutches, he will be maintaining silence until he has what he wants.”
Okay, so he couldn’t get any messages to Lindrealm, and he probably wouldn’t have the chance to look for Lauren, so the only option was to sit tight and wait. Baal and Kenna would get worried that he hadn’t checked in. Someone would come for him.
He just had to sit tight until then.
How hard was that?
Just don’t sign anything.
There was a rap on the door, and it swung open to reveal the same guard who’d escorted them to the palace upon arrival several hours ago.
“Vincent?” Nadia said.
Vincent sighed. “The king grows impatient. You have two days to agree to sign the treaty or he will be forced to turn to more persuasive methods.”
Nadia’s hand flew to her mouth to hold back the soft gasp that escaped regardless.
Persuasive methods. He knew what that meant.
Two days … The Black Moon … Kenna and Baal would be out of reach and preoccupied.
It looked like he was on his own.
12
It was strange being back at the fortress, like I’d never left. It was like the building was wrapping its arms around me for a welcome home hug. Warmth seeped into my bones, and despite my anxiety at seeing Erebus again, my muscles unknotted and relaxed.
We’d landed in the entrance way, a courtyard structure surrounded by thick, high railings. The heavy studded door was firmly closed, but swung open as we approached.
I exhaled and strode forward.
Monarchs didn’t follow, they led the way.
Erebus was standing inside the foyer, waiting for me. There was no time to prepare, no time to compose myself. So I stood there, pulse pounding, in the presence of the djinn that had stolen my heart and then crushed it.
He was just as I remembered, a beast of a man with a body built for crushing. His long white tresses were pulled back from his face and fastened at the nape of his neck, and his dark skin shimmered in the firelight that hugged the wall in sconces. His silver eyes flashed as they roved over me.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood taller. “You wanted to see me?”
His eyes skimmed over me. “You’ve been ignoring my summons.”
Summons? His choice of words grated, and I clenched my teeth. “No one summons me. I come if I please.”
Erebus’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You have an obligation, one that you’ve ignored for too long.”
What the heck was he talking about? I resisted the urge to glance at Baal for guidance. His heat at my back was enough to lend me the strength I needed for this altercation.
“I know my obligations, Erebus, and I’m working to fulfil them. The throne will be mine.” The confidence in my tone belied the tremor in my knees.
His brows snapped down. “You’ll be dead before you see that throne. You’re a djinn in a mortal body, and once your enemies discover who you are they will crush you, and all will be lost. You are the flame and you belong here, with me.”
His words were a blow, knocking the breath from my lungs and clearing the lingering cobwebs of hope that had been clinging to my broken heart.
You are the flame.
That’s all I would ever be to him. A means to an end. A tool to be used.
Heat filled my chest, as my trusty friend anger shook itself awake. “I am not the flame. I’m Kenna Carter, Ibris’s last surviving heir, and your future queen. I would trust you to remember that when you address me!”
His eyes twitched, and his gaze flitted over my shoulder to Baal before dropping back to me. When he next spoke, his tone was softer.
“Kenna, will you walk with me?”
My heart, the fool that it was, lurched before my savvy mind kicked it in the teeth—a reminder that we’d been here before with the soft words, the walks, and the confidences that had led to my bruised heart being crushed. But if I was ever going to convince him my words were my own, I’d have to meet him one-on-one, without Baal at my back.
“Baal, wait here for me. I won’t be long.” I kept my eyes on Erebus. “Lead the way.”
_____
We were back on the balcony off the dining room, the one where he’d shown me the hoard and the ceaseless army that fought it for the first time. Today the vista was calm, the hoard didn’t batter at the gates, and the ceaseless army remained stationary.
I leaned against the balcony wall. “It looks peaceful out there.”
“For now, but your intervention merely weakened the hoard. It will be back. It is already gathering in strength again.”
“I know. But once I have the throne and bring peace to the dimension, there’ll be nothing to fuel it. It’ll die.”
Erebus’s shapely mouth, which could be both cruel and soft, parted on a sigh. “Kenna, I know you to be a woman of great character, compassion, and moral strength, but you are mortal. I don’t know what half-truths Baal has told you, but the chances of the throne accepting you are slim to none, even if you are Ibris’s heir, all it will sense is your mortality.”
Wow, his doubt hurt. “You really don’t believe I can do this.”
Erebus pinched the bridge of his nose. “I believe that you believe you can. Baal does you a disservice by withholding the facts. Kai is a ruthless Overlord. His spies are many, and his reach is far. If he finds out who you are, he will kill you before you have a chance to make a claim for the throne.”
“I know all this, and we’re being careful.”
“Maybe so, but do you really want to risk your life and the flame that you host for a shot at the throne that is so slim it is practically none existent?”
“I’m no host, Erebus. The flame is part of me. It doesn’t control me. I control it.”
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Dammit Kenna, you belong here with me, where I can keep you safe. Without the flame, the gates will be overrun once the hoard regains its strength.” His expression hardened. “I cannot risk losing it. I made a vow, and I will do whatever it takes to keep it.”
Without the flame … Without it. Not without me. He would never see me. My stomach squirmed … Had I just walked into a trap?
He grasped my wrist and clamped something heavy and metallic around it.
I stared at the golden wristlet then back up at Erebus. “What the fuck is this?”
“I’m sorry Kenna, but you belong to me now.”
13
I screamed and punched his back, but Erebus, ignoring my protests, carried
me like a sack of potatoes up to my old room and dumped me on the bed. Scrambling off the mattress, I faced him, chest heaving. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. My throat was so tight with rage, I could barely swallow. Dammit! I slammed my wrist into the nearest wall, and the clang of metal against stone filled the air. Fat lot of good it did. Not even a scratch. It was a muting charm to bind my power and prevent me from accessing it.
I was a fucking prisoner.
I glared at him with the full force of my derision. “You bastard! You planned this.”
He swallowed and raised his chin. “I’d hoped you see reason. This,” he glanced at the cuff on my wrist, “was a last resort.”
“Where’s Baal?” What had they done to him?
“You don’t need to worry about that. Baal will be fine, and you’ll be safe here. In time you’ll understand this was the only way. You can have your old room, but please put all thoughts of escape from your mind. Fargol has been punished for his part in your escape the last time.”
He reached out to caress my cheek, as if I was some frightened bird in need of soothing. A red haze fell over my vision, and my fist shot out to punch him in the face. He flinched, blinked slowly, and then strode out of my room.
Fuck! My hand was on fire with pain. What the heck was his face made of? Stone?
I needed to get out of here, now. The balcony was deserted, no sign of Fargol, not even when I called to him.
I was on my own.
My eyes burned with tears of frustration. The urge to hurt Erebus was an inferno in my chest. How dare he treat me like a possession?
Where the heck was Baal?
A soft rap at my door had me dashing away the tears. It opened and Vale skulked in, carrying a tray of food. He placed it on the bed. Should I rush him? No point. I wouldn’t get far. Maybe reasoning with him would help?
I exhaled through my nose to compose myself. “You know this is wrong, Vale.”
Vale shook his head. “We do as Erebus bids.”
“But you have a mind of your own, and you know this is wrong. I should be out there preparing for the Black Moon.”
Vale’s eyes flickered from side to side as if he were waging an internal battle. “It doesn’t matter what I think, Kenna. We vowed to aid in Erebus’s cause, and right now he believes that keeping you here is the best course of action. I promise, you will be well looked after.”
“Like a pet? Like a possession? What about what I want?”
Vale glanced at the balcony. “What you want cost Fargol his freedom.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“The fortress put him to sleep, if you stand on your balcony and crane your neck you might catch a glimpse of him.”
“But who keeps the denizens from climbing the walls?”
“Bertha is awake. She does a good job.” His lips turned down. “I miss Fargol though.”
Guilt clawed at my belly. “What did Erebus do to Baal?”
“He made the fortress expel him.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
“It means, by the time he finds his way back, Erebus will have placed wards around the fortress to keep him out.”
So Baal had been expelled. He would be back for me, but there would be no way for him to get to me. No Baal, no Fargol, no Vale.
I was on my own. My despondency must have shown on my face because Vale’s expression softened. He took a step toward me and then caught himself.
“Vale? Please … If there’s some way out of this …”
“Erebus truly believes that that throne will reject you, but if you are worthy then the fortress will know.” He backed out of the room.
“Wait. What does that mean?”
He shook his head. “I can’t. I have to go.”
The door closed softly behind him, leaving me trapped and confused. The fortress would know if I was worthy? What did that even … Comprehension bloomed on my mind.
I knew what I had to do.
14
This was crazy. I was crazy. But it was my only hope.
Vale had said that the fortress needed to deem me worthy. Surely the fact that it had delivered me where I’d wanted to be on several occasions, surely the warmth I’d felt when I’d arrived, indicated that it approved of me. Whether it thought I was worthy enough for it to go against Erebus’s wishes was another matter entirely. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I needed to connect with the fortress and beseech it to wake Fargol. It was unfair to ask Fargol to break the rules for me again, but maybe there was a way I could help him this time. There had to be a way to break the connection between fortress and gargoyle, a way to take him with me indefinitely?
Rolling the rug out of the way, I parked my butt on the cold stone floor. The stone was part of the fortress, and now we were connected physically—its chill seeping into my buttocks. “Okay, here goes. Please, please, please, hear me.” Closing my eyes, I reached out with my mind, visualising Fargol, visualising my escape. “I’m no good to anyone trapped here. I’m a queen and I need to be on my throne.” They weren’t words any longer. They were conviction. For the first time since recalling who I truly was, I believed in who I could be.
In the darkest recesses of my mind, my alters stirred in accord. I deserved to be on the throne, not locked in a fortress against my will. I was born to rule. I’d lived life after life to prepare my soul for this very purpose, and Erebus wouldn’t take it from me!
Heat flared in my chest, sudden and disabling. It pulsed under my diaphragm, once, twice, and then exploded through my body like a mini tsunami. For a brief moment the world was suspended in fire, and then I was staring at everything in high definition: every mote of dust, every crack in the rocks that formed the walls, every individual fibre that made up the fabric of the duvet.
Something clinked by my thigh. The wristlet that Erebus had forced on me lay on the ground.
I was free.
The sound of wings beating the air filled the room. My heart lifted.
I ran to the balcony just as my friend touched down.
“Fargol!” I rushed to him and attempted to throw my arms around his huge stony frame.
“Kenna came back.”
“I did, I’m so sorry, so very sorry. I didn’t consider how helping me would affect you.”
“Fargol was happy to help, Kenna. Kenna is Fargol’s friend.”
“Yes, yes I am. But I was selfish. I should have come back sooner. I got caught up in learning everything I needed to know to claim the throne.”
“Kenna is heir, fortress knows.”
Yes. It did. “It woke you for me.”
“Yes. Fargol will take you away from here. Fargol will stay as long as the fortress allows.”
I’d always thought the fortress somehow served Erebus, but now I wasn’t so sure. “Who does this fortress belong to, Fargol?”
“The fortress belonged to Ibris, and then the flame, and now,” he bowed his head, “it belongs to Kenna.”
A different kind of heat infused my veins—the heat of triumph. I allowed it to curl my lips and shine from my eyes. Eberus must have known. Had he hoped that I wouldn’t figure it out? Or had he thought the fortress would be duped by my mortal body and refuse to make a connection with me?
“Fargol, can you take me to Baal?”
“Fargol is Kenna’s faithful servant.”
“No. Fargol is Kenna’s friend.”
15
There was no hullabaloo. It seemed like my escape had been unanticipated. Like he’d done all along, Erebus had sorely underestimated me. I’d be back soon to claim what was mine, enforce my birthright and all that vengeful stuff, but first I needed to find Baal. I needed to make sure he was alright.
We flew over Evernight, our eyes scanning the terrain for any signs of the djinn.
I leaned in to speak into Fargol’s ear. “Could he have been expelled out of Evernight?”
“Unlikely,” Fargol said.
<
br /> The longer we spent in Evernight, the higher the chance that Erebus would discover my absence and come looking for me, but I didn’t care. Let him come. I’d show him the true power that simmered in my blood. I was Ibris’s spawn and he would do well to remember that.
“There!” Fargol swerved and began to drop altitude.
I scanned the dark rocky terrain until I spotted movement—a shadowy huddle of shapes which grew clearer as we approached.
Ice filled my veins as the picture came together. Baal surrounded by creepers, fighting for his life. His shirt was torn, a welt going from shoulder to hip. He’d been stung, which would explain his sluggish movements. He was strong, and against one or two of the blighters he may have come out on top, but against four … The odds were not in his favour.
“Kenna want to help?” Fargol asked.
“Hell yeah, I want to help. Take us down.”
Baal saw us a moment before we landed. Fargol dropped me on my feet, and spun straight into the action, his huge stone arm shot out to grab the nearest creeper and pluck off its head. Black slime splattered my clothes, but I didn’t care. I rushed to Baal’s side, getting my shoulder under his armpit just as he sagged. Staggering under his weight and gritting my teeth, I moved him out of the danger zone while Fargol took on the creepers three to one.
“I have to help him.” I lowered Baal’s sluggish body to the ground and leapt into the fray. My hand went to my waist, fingers searching for Frieda and grasping air.
Shit! I’d left her back at the office.
Okay flame power, let’s see what you can do.
Heat bubbled in my veins and a tingle ran up my spine. My body began to glow.
The creepers who’d been attacking Fargol turned on me, both attracted and repelled by the light I was emitting.
Long, thick, centipede-like creatures with lethal mandibles for crushing and a paralytic sting, creepers were high on the ick factor. I’d only come into contact with them a couple of times: once when I’d been a cadet in training, and the other when I’d helped a family of djinn while Sabriel watched. The first time I’d had Brett at my back. Right now I had Fargol and a power I didn’t fully comprehend. So I did what I’d done when facing the hoard—I let the light shine, let it glow so bright that I had to close my eyes against the glare.
Into Evernight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Fearless Destiny Book 2) Page 7
