Bringing those bindingbooks had been a terrible idea.
"Stefan, I'm so sorry," I whispered in the darkness. I had left him with a bigger mess than I'd realized. War threatened him from the north, and I was the one piece that could stop it. It was a marriage that could save thousands of lives, and Stefan had chosen not to even mention it to me. But if all of this had happened since we'd left the castle, how had Alex already known?
My heart ached for Stefan. I hated that I couldn't be there for him, but if I were still there, I probably would have been whisked away to Orindor in a white dress. It was so easy to forget how archaically this world operated. From my studies, I knew many kingdoms had been founded and fortified based on advantageous marriages. My grandfather had threatened me with this since I'd arrived in Gaia; I had just never actually and seriously considered the implications of such conventions.
But could I do it? Could I marry a man I did not love in order to save lives? I'd never considered such a question before, and I couldn't believe I was asking myself this now. To do so would be sacrificing my self, because my heart belonged irrevocably to Alex.
Alex, who had always expected this to happen, which was why he'd fled to Alioth in the first place. But he'd made me a promise. He'd promised to never leave my side.
…unless you ordered him to.
I sighed, wrapping my arms around my knees. He would be here soon: Thaddeus.
A bubble of anger suddenly rose up inside of me and I yelled, slamming my bad fist on the floor. I kept slamming it and slamming it, distantly aware that it ached, but I didn't care. I wanted the pain. I hit the floor for every lie. For every bruise and cut. I hit the floor for Stefan and the shadowguard and Lord Commodus's offer.
I hit the floor for my father.
And then I slid onto my side and curled up into a ball, my face hot and wet with tears, and was overwhelmed with exhaustion and pain.
I didn't know how long I'd been asleep. I absently reached for the necklace at my throat, then remembered that Myez had taken that, too. He had forgotten one thing: the little branch of Dragon's Breath berries was still in my boots. But a lot of help they were.
I sat up. I felt exceptionally weak, and my back and hips were stiff and aching. Stone was not meant for sleeping on, yet I slept on it more often than not these days. I clutched my left arm to my chest, glaring at the small, golden grid of light that taunted me above. Were Alex and Vera still in their cells? I had no idea, but certainly Myez wouldn't have bothered imprisoning them if he hadn't planned on handing them over to Thad, too.
Thad, my cousin.
And then it made me wonder: What could Eris have offered Myez that would make him betray decades of allegiance to Mercedes? It wasn't gold, and Myez had made it very clear that his preferred currency was information.
I paused.
You can give him information.
I might as well start designing my tombstone. It would never work.
If you stay down here and wait for Thad to come, you're good as dead, anyway.
I made up my mind, and with that decision, I grew so excitable it was like I'd just downed an entire pot of coffee. I also silently thanked my conscience for finally saying something useful.
"Please work," I murmured to myself, then yelled at the top of my lungs, "Hey!"
I waited. Nothing.
"Hey, up there! I know you can hear me!"
The light above flickered as a shadow passed over the grille, but still nothing.
Fine.
I screamed and yelled everything I could think of. Anything to get someone's attention. I had to get their attention, or I wouldn't even get a chance to try it. Finally, it was the yelling, "Your mother is a gargon," part that finally got the attention of one of the half-giants. I didn't see his face—just a patch of darkness over my grid. And then when the half-giant finally spoke, all he said was something that sounded like, "Grrrmmmrrrgglllrrr."
This was my chance. My only chance. "I have information for Myez Rader."
The loquacious half-giant grumbled again and backed away.
"I know the location of the Pandors' box!" I yelled.
He paused near the edge of the grille.
I took a quick breath. "Myez Rader already knows I am the last of the Pandors, and I can tell him the location of the legendary box of my ancestors. If you don't believe me, go and ask him, but I swear when he finds out later that he'd had this opportunity, I wouldn't want to be you."
The half-giant hesitated before my grille. Then with another eloquent growl, he left. Whether he left to speak with Myez or stand farther down the hall to avoid my psychotic outbursts, I didn't know. But if this didn't work, I would have to accept my fate.
I waited and waited. And waited.
And waited.
I sagged against the wall. My arm felt like I'd stuck it inside of a woodstove, and the grille above blurred every time I looked up. There was nothing else I could do. Thad was going to come and take us away, and I didn't know what would happen after that.
Metal jingled outside the grille and I looked up again. The light was blocked by shadow, and with a loud creak, my grille opened.
I hoped against all hopes that it wasn't opening because Thad had arrived.
A rope lowered over the ledge, with loops knotted at intervals along its length. Still, the rope was so short I had to pull myself up to the first loop, and doing it with only one arm made it a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, the half-giant pulled the rope—and me—up to the ledge. I scrambled onto the floor, putting most of the pressure on my right hand, and stood, hesitant.
No Thad.
The half-giant had a long spear pointed at my chest and was glaring at me as though he'd done all of this against his will. Or perhaps he was still offended about his mother.
I raised my good hand in surrender. "I just want to talk to Myez Rader, like I said before."
He grunted and jabbed the spear toward me. I took quick inventory of my surroundings. One other half-giant stood guard between the grilles Alex and Vera had been dumped into, and a normal-sized man relieved my escort, standing near my opened grille.
There were too many for me to take on solo, especially since I only had one working arm, so I'd have to commence with the second part of my plan. I walked, following the half-giant back up the corridors, memorizing every turn and landmark.
We ascended a staircase, veered down another hall, and stopped before the wooden door that led to Myez's office. This time, there were no gossamer girls to shoo away. The half-giant rapped on the door so loudly it sounded as if he were attacking it with a battering ram.
The door clicked and creaked open as though pushed by an invisible hand, and the half-giant touched the tip of his spear to my back, nodding for me to step inside. I took a deep breath and stepped through the threshold.
Myez Rader sat at his desk, his gaze fixed on me with a kind of invasive scrutiny, and it was in that moment that I realized my plan was entirely and irrefutably stupid. The half-giant walked forward and handed Myez a ring of keys.
Those must be the keys to our grilles.
The door locked behind me, leaving Myez Rader and me alone.
Myez scattered sand over the ink on a sheet of stiff vellum, blew off the excess, then rolled it into a tight scroll. He used the candle at his desk to melt wax for a seal and stamped the seal into the paper with one of his many rings. He plucked a small bird from a cage I hadn't noticed earlier, tied the scroll to its talons, and released the bird up into his fireplace. With the fire still burning. Was the bird fireproof?
Myez then turned back to me, steepled his fingers, and rested his chin on top of them. "Vald informs me you know the location of the box of the Pandors."
So the son of a gargon had a name. "I do." I held his gaze while trying to make sense of my periphery. Good, our packs were in a pile right beside his desk. But I still needed a little time to solidify my strategy.
In my hesitation, Myez raised a brow.
"The box of the Pandors holds the power to overcome the shield in Lord Eris's possession," I continued, trying to bide some more time.
"I know that it holds power, your highness, but where is it?" His voice was perfectly cool.
Stefan's bindingbook rested on his desk. My heart picked up a little. "I will tell you if you let us go."
Leather creaked as Myez leaned back in his chair, intertwining his hands on the table.
"Do you mind if I sit?" I gestured toward the chair opposite him at his desk.
He did not answer or give any kind of physical signal, so I decided to take his silence as a yes. I needed it to be yes, anyway, or this would not work. I stepped forward with caution and sat, noting Alex's sword propped against his desk.
"Vald also tells me you insulted his mother," Myez said.
I swallowed my laughter. "I was trying to get his attention."
Myez's lips smiled, though his eyes did not. "You know, your highness, I admire your audacity." He leaned forward in his chair. "I know you aren't going to tell me the location of the box, but it was a bold move. It got you out of your cell."
I forced my expression to remain controlled. "If you're so certain, why did you let me out of my cell?"
"Because I really do believe you know its whereabouts. You obviously know its value—one of the few things you do understand. You have also smartly deduced that since Lord Eris wants you, I cannot harm you. But I can harm them."
"Touch them, and I'll take my secret to the grave," I said through clenched teeth.
His face was a mask.
I leaned forward. "Don't pretend you don't care. You know the box would make you the most powerful man in all of Gaia. No longer forced to live down here, hiding because you want the world to think you are dead. You've been waiting for the right time to seek revenge, and now Lord Eris has provided a way for you—but on his terms. None of that would matter if you had the box, because the power it holds is greater than the shield—greater than anything this world has seen for centuries—and you could take back whatever it is you seek by force." I made it sound as convincing as possible. Truth be told, I didn't really know what he was seeking and I didn't know for a fact that he wanted the world to think he was dead, but it had seemed the most logical conclusion to me in the depths of my dark dungeon.
He watched me, his face blank as he drummed his ringed fingers. "Well, aren't you surprising?" It was a rhetorical question.
"Like I said," I leaned forward farther, letting my hand slide down my leg and into my boot, "let us go, and I'll tell you." My fingertips brushed the berries, and after a few failed attempts, I finally hooked my pinky around it.
"Unfortunately, I cannot do that." He sat upright, raised his right hand and made a motion like he was squeezing the air.
The breath instantly left my lungs and my throat clamped down as though someone were squeezing it. I choked and clawed at my throat with my free hand, gasping for breath.
"Tell me where it is," Myez said flatly.
I choked and struggled, but his grip only grew tighter. My heart pounded in my ears and my lungs felt as though they might burst. Suddenly, he let go, and I collapsed forward, gasping for air.
"You have ten seconds," Myez said.
You have to act now!
I stayed hunched over, heaving, as I slid my other hand beneath the table, near the candle. I would only have a split second.
"It's in a"—breathe—"an abandoned temple in a town called—" Now!
In one quick motion, I snatched the candle, dropped my berries in his goblet of fire and ice, and kicked upward on the lip of his desk, knocking it back on top of him. Thus preoccupied with his desk, it gave me the seconds I needed to touch the flame to the liquid and berry, and throw both at the pyramid of barrels. I dropped to the ground and shoved myself against his upturned desk—barely managing to grab our packs in the process.
An explosion rocked the world and a wave of heat shocked through me. I didn't dare move, curled up in my fetal position beneath the lip of his desk. The air was so hot it felt like my skin was going to melt from my bones. I breathed in and coughed as hot air burned my lungs, and I forced my eyes open. The smoke stung and bright orange burned everywhere. A loud crash sounded against the door; the half-giant was trying to get inside. I had to get out of here.
Myez lay on the ground beside his desk, unmoving. The desk had blocked the brunt of the explosion from him too, but one side of his face looked charred and the acrid scent of burnt hair hovered in the air.
A fleeting feeling of guilt passed through me, but I didn't have time to consider what I'd done. I crawled to his side, coughing and wheezing, and tried tearing off a corner of his cloak. Having no such luck, I reached out to grab Alex's sword and cried out. The metal burned my palm. With sweat dripping in my eyes, I turned back to Myez, fumbling around his body for the keys. I found them looped around his belt, right alongside a small dagger—my dagger. I jerked both from his belt, shoved the keys in my boot, and cut a few strips from his cloak. I wrapped one around my palm, then held another piece up to my nose and breathed. I checked his pockets; he had my necklace in his cloak. A crash sounded again; I didn't have much more time.
I scrambled away from him, grabbing Alex's sword with my cloak-wrapped hand while ignoring the acute pain traveling through my left arm. I crawled back to our packs as the door rattled against another boom. One more ram and it would break open. I scooped up the packs and finally found Stefan's bindingbook on the floor, or what remained of it. It was nothing but a square of flames now. I'd have to leave it, but at least no one else would be reading it.
With a last grunt of effort, I threw myself against the wall beside the entryway just as the door burst open. Men and half-giants rushed inside, immediately covering their faces and coughing on the thick smoke. "My liege!" One of them yelled, while I snuck out from under their noses.
The sounds of quick footfalls echoed down the hall. My eyes darted around, looking for a place to hide, and I found a narrow cutout in the wall. I jumped behind it right as a handful of men dashed around the corner. They ran past me and in the direction of Myez's room. It wouldn't take them long to figure out I was gone. I had to hurry.
As soon as they were out of sight, I kept running. Retracing my steps. Every turn, every corner, pausing only to listen. My body fought me every step of the way, but it was my desperation that urged me onward. Most of the guards had fled to the explosion, so I found the halls conveniently empty. I descended the last stair, ducked behind a corner, and glanced down the corridor where Alex and Vera were still imprisoned as I blinked back the sweat from my eyes. The half-giant remained where I'd left him, as did the other guard, and from their expressions, they were totally unaware of the chaos above.
Well, they were about to be made intimately aware.
I dumped the sacks in the corner, slipped my dagger in my other boot, and shoved Alex's blade through my belt, behind my back. It made standing awkward, but at least they couldn't see it at first glance. I stepped out from behind the corner.
The man was the first to notice me. He took a single step forward, drew his blade, but looked very, very confused.
"Hello, there," I said, as though we were greeting each other in a park. I also said it loudly, hoping that Alex and Vera would hear me.
"Where's Vald?" the man asked.
"He forgot the keys," I lied, walking steadily toward them. "He told me to wait for him here." I noted the rope ladder hanging from a hook on the wall.
The man and half-giant looked to each other for an answer. It was obvious this scenario had never presented itself to them before, and I didn't appear to pose a threat. One little girl, unarmed, against a man and a half-giant, deep in the heart of the dungeons.
"What is that behind your back?" The man narrowed his eyes as though he were trying to see through me to what I had hidden there.
Only a few more feet…
I feinted surprise. "Oh, you mean this?" I
pulled the sword from behind my back.
The guard's eyes widened in disbelief, and I struck. I distracted him with the blade then jammed my heel in his right knee. He cried in pain and collapsed, while I ripped the rope from the wall behind him and set the loop around the metal rung mounted to the ground before the half-giant attacked. I dodged as I kicked the end of the rope into Alex's cell.
"Alex, catch!" I threw the keys through his grille.
And then the half-giant slammed me against the wall. My head hit the stone hard, and I crumpled to the floor, heaving for breath as something warm trickled from my mouth. Blood. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I'd bit off a piece of my tongue. It felt like it, anyway.
The half-giant lunged at me. I clutched my bad arm and spun away just in time. Alex's sword had slid out of reach. The half-giant charged me again, and I ducked, pulled my dagger from my boot and plunged it into his foot. He reeled in pain and fury, and his arms swung down like a gorilla's. And I was cornered with no weapon.
A triumphant smile stretched on his ugly, square face. He brought his arms down and I was bracing myself for impact when the tip of a sword appeared in the middle of his chest. His eyes widened in surprise, and he slumped forward, falling to the ground, dead. Alex pulled his sword out of the half-giant's back, wiped the blood on the half-giant's shirt, then hurried to my side.
His eyes were wide with so many emotions, which all came out with the word, "How…?"
I gasped for air, pointing at Vera's cell.
He noticed my mouth. "You're bleeding." Then he looked up at my hair. "And…is your hair smoking?"
"Later." I leaned forward with my hands on my knees, spitting blood on the ground.
Alex hurried to Vera's cell, used the keys to unlock it, and tossed the rope down. When she crawled out, she looked straight at me and said, "Well, you have to be the smartest idiot I've ever met."
I laughed and coughed at the same time. "The packs…" I pointed to where I'd dropped them off. Alex looked at me with utter disbelief before running to the corner and snatching them.
Breath of Dragons (A Pandoran Novel) Page 9
