A Gift Freely Given (The Tahaerin Chronicles Book 1)

by J. Ellen Ross

  He shoved her hard against the door, causing her head to strike the wood. One hand went around her throat while the other hand groped roughly at the laces of her dress.

  Remember, something hissed in the back of her mind.

  Gasping for breath, Leisha choked as her vision blurred and blackness crowded the edges. She felt dazed and then his lips were on hers as his hand moved to gather her skirts up.

  Rage at this treatment burned away all other thoughts. All the fog disappeared. No one touched her like this.

  Fight. Something rose up, something terrible and powerful and angry. Leisha felt it winding up around her legs, her hips, rising to her shoulders. It whispered to her, seducing her, caressing her with promises of violence and vengeance for this violation, for the hurt this man caused Zaraki. She accepted its offer and it uncoiled like a dog responding to its master’s voice, racing through her veins.

  Fellnin looked into her eyes and it was all over.

  Reaching out, Leisha abandoned the body she no longer needed and felt the power well up at her calling. Like diving into still water, there was nothing stopping her, nothing protecting him from her fury.

  She paused, feeling the thoughts coursing through his mind, getting her bearings. Pushing aside the conscious thoughts, the lust and violence, the triumph, thoughts of rape, she plunged deeper. Fellnin’s mind reeled at her invasion, but she felt no concern for any pain she might cause him. Listening for the unconscious thought, Leisha heard the harmonies of his mind as together they made his body work.

  Tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump. The rhythm of his heart distracted her. Could she stop it? Maybe. She tried and could not immediately decipher how to control it. Another sound. That was it. The one she hunted for.

  She followed the sound of Fellnin’s brain telling his lungs to fill and empty. Feeling the mechanism that made them work, she saw how to take control. For a moment she sat, reveling in the power over life and death. Then, like plucking a harp string, she took him.

  ***

  Andelko paced in the small space available to him. He hated this. By now, the guard should have started attacking the keep, but outside all they heard were the sounds of the enemy soldiers celebrating. They needed to leave this building; it would become a death trap if no help came from the castle. Charging out into the yard was suicide, too. He had seven men with him, not enough to mount much of an attack. They needed to do something soon.

  “Sir?” Ulryk, one of his juniors, pointed over his shoulder to a small room at the back of the building. “There’s an old door in the back. It opens out, and I was looking at the wall. There’s barely enough room for me to squeeze out, but if we can get rid of the door, I could look around.”

  “Go see where it leads,” Andelko ordered.

  The men pried the door out of the rotten frame and Ulryk disappeared. He was gone for several long minutes but then returned, grinning ear to ear. “The wall makes a shadow all the way around to the back of the keep, sir. There’s almost no one near us. Maybe a couple of men, but we can take them without raising an alarm, I think. I saw a door at the base that should take us into the keep.”

  All around the small room, men turned eager eyes on Andelko, ready to act. He gave them a feral grin. Not enough men to mount an attack, but more than enough for a rescue. “Let’s go find ourselves a queen.”

  ***

  Zaraki pounded on his cell door, wild with fury and fear. He would not look away, even as Leisha seemed to resign herself. Fellnin held her against the door to her cell with one hand around her throat while the other pawed at the front of her gown. He would not look away as Fellnin pressed his lips to hers. He would stay with her, just as she asked. She stood so calm, serene and beautiful.

  Then her face went blank and her eyes lost focus. He saw her pupils dilate wide. Something changed in the air and he felt a rush of power radiate out around her. His hair stood on end.

  A moment more and Fellnin froze, falling to his knees as if forced down by a great hand. He looked terrified as he lost control of his body.

  A frightening, triumphant smile crept across Leisha’s lips and suddenly she was present again. “Tonight, you’ll fuck no one,” she said, mocking him. “I’ll make you wish you’d killed me instead.” Her voice sounded powerful, malevolent and angry.

  Leisha exulted in the power she controlled, wanting to slaughter him, to punish him for what he tried to do to her. The power urged her on, whispering to her all the things she could do to Fellnin, all the ways she could hurt him. She wanted to give in to it.

  In the cell across the hall, she felt Zaraki and remembered she needed to save him. It drew her back from the edge and she focused all her attention on the man in front of her. Still held captive, Fellnin knelt, limbs paralyzed, as his face darkened, mouth working trying to find air to breathe. “You chose unwisely. But let’s see if you’re capable of learning anything.” She released him long enough to allow him to gulp a single, frantic breath. He reached for her, and just as quickly she crushed his rebellion. “No, not again,” she chided. “You’ll never touch me again.”

  Again, his limbs moved back into the position Leisha demanded of them, arms by his sides, knees bent. She held him that way until his eyes bulged. Kneeling in front of him, nearly nose to nose, she spoke as if trying to reason with a slow child. “Now breathe and tell me if one of these keys in your hand opens my lover’s cell.”

  Once again, Fellnin slumped and gasped for breath as Leisha released her hold on him. He looked up, eyes filled with hatred. “Fuck you,” he rasped out, not bothering to pull himself up this time.

  She stood up, a cloud of anger and annoyance passing over her face. “You choose poorly again. You see, I’m learning as I sit here in your head,” Leisha said, tapping his forehead with one foot. “Tonight, you hurt something of mine, and I’m going to make you regret it. Now I know how to stop your heart.”

  Fellnin paled and shuddered, falling over on his side. He convulsed once, still conscious and aware of what was happening, tears leaking out under his lashes. Like a cat with a mouse, Leisha toyed with him until she exhausted any will to resist her. “Let’s try again and see if you’ve remembered your manners. Up,” she commanded, and his body jerked itself back into a kneeling position.

  Are you all right? she sent to Zaraki.

  Yes. Are you… Awed and frightened, he remembered how it felt when she forced his body to obey her. He almost pitied Fellnin.

  I’m in control. Even in his head, her voice sounded powerful, commanding. Triumphant and confident, she looked like an avenging spirit. Or an angel of death.

  Turning her attention back to her captive, she asked, “Are you interested in helping me now and ending this torment? I assure you, I’ll keep hurting you until you beg me for release. I want my lover out of his cell. Is the key on this ring?”

  This time the big man shook his head and began weeping.

  Leisha did not know how far away he could go and stay under her control. “I’ll give you back enough will to get up and drop your weapons through the window to Zaraki’s cell. Then we’ll go get the proper keys together. If you do anything I don’t like, I’ll snuff out your life.”

  He did not fight her. Standing up with slow movements, he stumbled out of the cell and, with fumbling hands, unbuckled his sword to push it through the small window to Zaraki. Fellnin turned to continue down the hallway before Leisha stopped him. She cocked her head for a moment and then he collapsed to the ground, screaming himself hoarse before she stopped the fire burning along his nerves.

  “All the weapons, please,” she said when his sobbing subsided. He pulled a dagger from his boot and handed it to Zaraki.

  Behind the door into the dungeon block hung several more key rings. “Hand me the one I want and then back you go to my cell. If you give me the wrong one, I’ll find the most painful and prolonged death for you.”

  He reached with a trembling hand and chose one. Shaking his head, he dro
pped that one and took another. Leisha allowed him to drop the key ring into her open hand. “I’m still in there, Fellnin,” she warned as he shuffled past her and back to the open cell.

  Using a key from the first set, she locked him in. Then she turned and tried the keys from the other ring in the lock on Zaraki’s door. As the key turned, she left Fellnin’s mind, sick of it and of him.

  Zaraki wrenched the door open and pulled her to him, heedless of the pain in his ribs. He ran his hands over her shoulders, then gently over her bloodied lip. After satisfying himself she was whole, he held her to his chest. “I’ll fucking kill you,” he said to Fellnin. Never again, never, never again, he chanted over and over.

  Anger and adrenaline kept him upright now, but Leisha knew it would not last. Taking his face in her hands, she made him look at her, his eyes wide and his thoughts a twisting chaos. I’m unharmed. Come with me. She flooded him with her own emotions, love and pride and relief. We can fight back now.

  “Do I kill Fellnin?” she asked as they turned down the corridor. The man whimpered and she heard him scuffling in his prison.

  “Yes. Don’t leave him to come after us later.”

  She nodded when it was done. Then a sound from the far end of the corridor made them both whirl. “Highness? Are you free?”

  “Eli?” In another cell, she found him and Jan, both beaten but alive. Neither looked to be in any mortal danger.

  “One moment. I’ll get you both out.” It took several tries until she found a key that worked. “Are you both all right?”

  Jan nodded. “I think so. This is mostly our fault. We decided to make trouble.”

  “We have to move now,” Leisha said, wishing she could give them all time to rest. “Follow me.”

  They climbed up the narrow, winding staircase at the far end of the dungeon. She listened before pushing the door open. Fellnin had not bothered to lock it. A long hallway leading up to another flight of stairs stretched before them, a few torches lighting the way. They were halfway down the hall when the door at the other end opened.

  Leisha panicked, looking for a place to hide them, but then the man stepped down into the torchlight. He saw them and drew his sword. “Staval’s pet wasn’t up for the challenge?”

  Zaraki stiffened and tried to step around her. “No.” She waited as the man drew closer. Then she took him, stopping his heart and watching as he toppled to the stones. As she waved them all forward, she stumbled and felt Zaraki’s arm catch her around the waist.

  “How many times can you do that?” he asked his voice full of concern.

  Frowning, Leisha found her feet. “I don’t know, honestly. I didn’t know I could do it until tonight. We need to find more help.”

  Eli and Jan gaped at her but said nothing. As they passed by, Jan reached down and snagged the dead man’s sword.

  They climbed the last set of stairs and opened the door into a large storeroom. Doors led off each side, and when they opened a few, they found smaller cupboards stuffed with food and decorations for the party. Exhaustion clawed at Leisha, tempting her to stop and rest. Darkness now crept around the corners of her vision.

  “Let’s rest here,” she suggested. “In a storeroom, so we’re out of sight.” Opening the first door, she found the closet stuffed with crates and goods for the party. The three men slumped down on sacks of food. They all looked awful.

  Leisha took stock, realizing she had to be the one to command this little band. Three injured men and two had weapons. Closing the door, she sat down and felt the power respond to her call. With this, she could reach further than ever before, rather than just being able to sense those close by. The things she could do before tonight paled in comparison to what she could do now.

  She cast herself out and everything changed. Trailing behind her, Leisha felt a leash or a tether binding her back to her body. The minds of others appeared as smoky motes on a flat, black background, and she understood roughly where they stood in relation to her. A friendly one, Andelko, shone bright, his mind a welcome, soothing presence. He and several others raced in their direction, hunting for her.

  Testing her new skills, Leisha reached out to him. Andelko? I’m in the storerooms downstairs and I’m free, she told him and felt his shock as she invaded his mind. In quick thoughts and images, she tried to reconstruct her trip down from the second floor and show him where they were.

  A few minutes later, the room rang with the sound of men, soldiers. She stood up, reaching for the door, and when Jan tried to stop her, she smiled at him. “We have a real army now.”

  Opening the door to their hiding place, she saw men dressed in her colors. Several whipped around, hearing the sound of the door, and then lowered the weapons when they saw her. Andelko stared for a moment, happy beyond words to see her. Without thinking, he rushed over to lift her off her feet and spin her around. “We were just coming to save you.” All the men beamed at her.

  “My heroes,” she laughed. “Are Staval’s men behind you?”

  “No, we killed a couple in the yard and snuck in here. They’re spread very thin out there. Guard the door, Irion.”

  This bought them time to plan, Leisha thought, as a slim sliver of hope reached into her heart. “I have Jan, Eli and Zaraki with me,” she said, gesturing towards the open storeroom, not bothering to explain how it happened. “We need to get out of here. We can’t wait for the castle to rescue us. Once Staval realizes I’m free, he loses all incentive to hold back. He’s only keeping me alive for the spectacle an execution provides. There’s a side gate. I saw it from upstairs, but I don’t know where it is from here.”

  Andelko and his men considered it. “They have men between us and there. I did see the gate earlier. It’s likely barred, but we could use it. But it’s a very long run between here and the wall. There’s hardly enough to guard you all as we run. I heard fighting in the streets too. I’m afraid even if we get out of here, we’ll just be met with more mercenaries.”

  “So first we need someone to meet us outside?” she asked.

  “If we could reach the side gate, yes,” Andelko said.

  “I can even some of the odds. Watch over me. I’m going to see if I can reach help.” Zaraki stood behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. Andelko looked confused but said nothing.

  Flinging herself out again, Leisha slammed into a wall of fatigue. Sleep tempted her, and the blackness came closer. Not yet. Reaching deep, she found power again, enough to allow her to search outside the walls, to stretch out the leash tying her to her body.

  A flash of recognition showed her to a familiar presence. Aniska? she asked and felt a rush of confusion and fear. Aniska, this is Leisha.

  Her response came clumsy and confused, unsure how to respond to a presence in her mind. Are you…dead?

  Even in their predicament, Leisha laughed. I’m not dead. I’m with Zaraki and several others. We’re trapped in the keep. Are any of our soldiers nearby?

  I have a few and I saw Symon earlier, leading a handful of the guard. Leisha also saw images of Aniska prowling the streets with a band of soldiers, desperate to find a way into the keep and killing Staval’s men. Over and over, she emerged from doorways and shadows to flash her blade into vulnerable spots in their armor.

  We can get out through the side gate, but once we’re out, we’ll need someone to meet us. Now Leisha showed Aniska an image of the gate from the inside of the yard, hoping she could put together where it was just from that.

  Aniska signaled she understood and went to find Symon.

  Leisha slumped back, drained and exhausted. At least now they had help.

  “No more,” Zaraki demanded. Even in the poor light, he could see the color draining from her face.

  She ignored him and turned to Andelko. “Aniska’s going for help. It’ll be a bit of a wait, but once she finds enough men, we have to move. If— When we get out of here, we should assume an army is on the way.” Staval surely meant to subdue the ci
ty by force once she was dead.

  “I thought the same thing, Highness. As soon as we’re back to the castle, I’ll recall the Horse and the Guard from Moraval. If someone else hasn’t done it already.”

  Leisha nodded and rested her head on Zaraki’s shoulder, careful not to hurt his ribs. I’m so sorry for this, she told him, her thoughts full of sadness and fury that someone would hurt him to get to her. If they survived this, she vowed people would tremble seeing the punishment she chose for Staval.

  In the quiet, another thought stirred. With no heirs, what would become of her kingdom if she died here? The question had never occurred to her and she made a quick decision. Looking across the room, she sent to Andelko, If something happens to me, I want you to take the crown. You’re the only one who can hold it. Protect my kingdom. Please.

  He turned to stare at her for a long moment before turning around and refusing to respond.

  Leisha felt something from him, saw flashes of memories which made no sense, but then they evaporated, twisting away like smoke. She shook her head and let it go.

  The soldiers paced around the storerooms like caged animals and finally Leisha felt a familiar tug, like someone calling her name in a crowded room. She cast herself out, searching for the presence, and found him just outside the walls. Symon?

  Yes, Leisha, I’m here. Aniska found me. Are you all right? Panic wove through his thoughts.

  Yes. We’re free. Have the guard start attacking the keep. If we make it out, can you meet us at the side gate? She showed him where she meant.

  Confusion and relief sat uppermost in his thoughts now, but he did not question. She saw the images in his mind of gathering up disorganized, scattered forces and fighting back. Yes, I can be there in a few minutes.

  We’re heading to the gate now. Be ready for us. And, Symon, he’s with me and alive.

  A surge of relief met her words as she broke contact.

  “We move now,” Leisha told her pitifully small band before she lost her nerve. “Symon and Aniska will be waiting.”