“Woman.”
Mikel flinched as both brothers’ confused stares fell upon him. “What did you say?” Jaron asked lowly.
“It was a woman, Jaron.” Mikel sighed, glancing over his shoulder to Janil, who gave a slight nod encouraging him to continue. Inhaling deeply, he locked his gaze with Jaron. “It was Ivy, Jaron. Ivy did this to him.”
No word could be used to describe the expression on Jaron’s face at the revelation that Ivy was the one responsible for downing Tyran. Wide eyed and furrow browed, Mikel watched as he glanced to the back of the tent where Janil gave him a slight nod, confirming without a doubt that what Mikel was telling him was true. Stunned and completely confused, Jaron slowly stepped away from Jarod and sat in a nearby chair.
“W-why?” he managed to mumble after a long stretch of silence.
“Like I said, it’s complicated.” Sighing, Mikel limped his way across the room and pulled back the final curtain to reveal Citera and Dirik.
“What has been going on here?” Jarod growled upon seeing Dirik’s beaten body. “Who did that to the boy?”
“The Black Guard.” Mikel sighed. “They found their way to the stream and Dirik and Citera happened to be there. They beat them trying to get information about the camp. By the time Tyran found them they were both nearly dead. Tyran killed them, of course, but I think he still felt guilty about not knowing they had made it that deep into the forest, so one day he showed up with Ivy and this powder he claimed would heal the kids.” Mikel hesitated as he suddenly became overwhelmed with emotions.
“He gave Citera the first dose since she was awake, hoping K’s venom was still in her system. Unfortunately, he was wrong and she immediately had an adverse reaction to the medicine.” Janil joined in, laying a gentle had on Mikel’s back.
Dropping his head, Jaron pinched the bridge of his nose. “He didn’t.”
“I’m afraid he did.” Mikel joined back in. “With my permission, he bit her wrist and gave her his venom. And it worked, she healed, but something went terribly wrong with Tyran.”
“He couldn’t stop.” Jarod said lowly.
“Right.” Mikel nodded weakly. “That’s when Ivy stabbed him. I still don’t understand why it happened, all I know is she saved Citera’s life by doing what she did.”
“And she’s sleeping now…”
“Because of the potion you gave me. Her Link took effect only minutes after Tyran healed her.”
Rubbing his hand down his face, Jaron shook his head. “Damn fool. He couldn’t stop because he didn’t know the blood of Terrians is different from that of the donors. It’s doubly addictive and once tasted it triggers the darker side of our nature.” Glancing behind him at Tyran, Jaron sighed, “He is going to struggle with this for quite a while. He will need to be closely watched when he awakens.”
“Where is Ivy?”
“We don’t know, once she woke up from the sedative I gave her, she snuck out of the tent and we haven’t seen her since.” Janil sighed, “I tried to go into the Wanderer side of the camp to check on her a few days after it happened, but they wouldn’t let me in.”
“I’ll go,” Jaron shook his head. “Let’s just hope they haven’t executed her already.”
“What!” Mikel, Janil, and Gabriel all shouted at the same time.
Jaron sighed, “It is against the Wanderers’ law for them to attack a Full-blood under any circumstances. Besides the obvious reasons, they view it as an unrepairable flaw, an inability to control your base emotions.”
“Ohhh, the poor girl.” Janil, cried leaning into Gabriel’s embrace, “she tried to tell us they would kill her, but we didn’t listen. We just stood by and did nothing as she returned to her people knowing what would happen to her.”
“I’ll check on her.” Rising from his chair, Jaron stopped in front of Mikel. Looking over his shoulder at the kids, his expression saddened as he turned his attention back to him. “I’m sorry for what happened to them. I wish… I wish I could have been here for them when this all happened, but I wasn’t. And while I can’t change the past, I can make you this promise, the Shadows and all their cursed Black Guards will pay. This I swear to you on my life.” Reaching in his pocket, Jaron pulled out a vile and placed it in Mikel’s hand. “The antidote, as I promised.”
Staring at the small vial for a moment, Mikel sighed. “And K?”
A defeated look came over Jaron as he was suddenly unable to face him. “I won’t lie to you Mikel. She is in worse shape than she was in before. If you wake Citera now, she will likely need a block to keep her from feeling too much of the discomfort. Just let me know if she is too weak to do it herself and I will give her one like before.”
“Is there anything we can do to help her?” Janil asked, from Gabriel’s arms.
With a slight shake of his head, Jaron ran his hand through his hair. “No, I am afraid not. She allowed her darkness to take control in Lanoria, and honestly, I don’t know if she can fully recover from that. And even if she does, she won’t be the same as she was before.” Seeing the fear in Mikel’s eyes Jaron patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, while she may not be the same toward Citera as she was, K would never do anything to hurt her.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“Spend time with your loved ones.” Jaron said with a sad smile. Turning he headed for the door of the tent but looked back one final time over his shoulder. “For soon, war will be upon us, and there will be few chances to do so in the days that come.”
Epilogue
Mallok stood motionless in the center of the room that had served as K’s prison, staring at the destruction surrounding him. It was the first time since the trial had ended that he had had the opportunity to come here and see for himself just how bad things had apparently become for her. Granted, Marko had fed him updates along the way, frequently voicing his concerns over her condition, but standing here and seeing for himself, put the situation in a whole new light. Releasing a ragged sigh, he made his way over to the balcony where a large pool of blood covered the floor. She should have been unconscious, he thought studying the copious amounts of crimson coating the smooth white surface. If she was weak enough to pass out and lay here the length of time it would have taken her to lose that much blood, then she shouldn’t have had the strength to mask, much less down two Immortals.
With a frustrated sigh, Mallok ran a hand through his hair and followed the trail of bloody foot prints leading into the bathroom. Stopping just outside the busted doorway, he stared blankly at the shattered mirror barely clinging to the wall. Obviously she was unmasked at some point. Shifting his attention down to the blood spattered shards scattered about the floor he quickly realized it would be near impossible to figure out exactly what had occurred within these walls. But just as Mallok was about to surrender his efforts, he spotted something amidst all the rubble and debris, that stood out as being out of place.
“Lord Mallok? Are you in here?”
Feeling he had at last found the answer he was looking for, Mallok turned to meet his young captain. Entering into the main room, he spotted Marko standing barely inside the door looking pale and anxious. With his fighting arm still injured and healing, Mallok watched as the fingers that normally would be wrapped around and twisting the hilt of his sword, were instead forced to settle for fidgeting within the confines of a sling. “How is your arm doing?”
“Its fine sir.” Marko answered quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. “Thank you for asking.”
“I did not see you yesterday at Ivan’s service.”
“I was there my Lord, just at the back of the crowd.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Mallok studied the young man closely. “Why at the back? Ivan was a close friend of mine and your father’s, I would think you would want to pay your respects not only to him but to his wife and son as well. Besides, I had the impression you and Yuri were close.”
“Yes my lord, Mrs. Yuri basically raised me after my mother passed away.
She was like a mother to me and Ivan like a second father.” Marko paused overwhelmed with emotions. Mallok watched as the young man struggled to fight back his tears, but after a few moments he cleared his throat and managed to continue. “I spoke with her in private later that day and offered her my condolences as well as my aid should she ever need it.”
“I suppose that is fitting.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Mallok furrowed his brow. “Now let us move along. Do you have any idea why I asked you to meet me in here today?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Surprised by his response Mallok cocked his head. “Really? Please do enlighten me then.”
“You would like to know what happened in here the day K passed out.”
“No, that part I have already received report on from Simon and Will.” Mallok responded gruffly, pulling Marko’s attention up to his. “What I want to know from you is… what happened in there?” Narrowing his gaze, Mallok gestured behind him to the bathroom.
Immediately what little color the boy had left, completely drained from his face. Swallowing hard, he stared blankly at the bathroom door, then back to Mallok. “In there, sir?”
“I believe that is what I just said.” Lowering his hands, Mallok motioned for him to come closer. “Now step inside and recount for me exactly what happened after you busted down the door.”
With laden steps, Marko made his way slowly across the floor toward the bathroom, making a point to avoid eye contact with Mallok as he passed. Stopping just inside the bathroom, he paused, scanning the destruction laid out before him. Eyes shifting from one end of the room to another, he remained quiet for quite a while, seeming to be replaying the images over and over again in his mind. Thinking he was never going to speak of his own accord, Mallok was about to reprimand him again when suddenly words began to spill slowly from his mouth.
“When I came in I couldn’t find her,” he began softly. “All I saw was the broken glass and the blood. I grew concerned about her condition and continued to call her name over and over again but she didn’t answer.” Pausing, Marko turned his head toward the shower. Mallok followed his gaze. “Since that was the only place I couldn’t see inside, I approached the shower.”
Stepping inside the bathroom, Mallok pulled open the shower door and immediately spotted the small pool of blood near the corner as well as multiple smears on the walls. “She was sitting in here… in the corner.”
Not moving from his fixed spot by the door, Marko nodded. “Yes sir. She started crying and told me to get out…”
Holding up a hand, Mallok cut Marko off. “Whoa… did you just say she was crying?”
“Yes, sir.” Marko nodded weakly. “I was surprised too. So I asked her why she was able to cry and she told me that the reason she passed out by the patio was because her Link had been attacked by some men and was unconscious. She said that because the girl was out, she could feel all the emotions her link usually suppressed.” Pausing Marko looked up at Mallok, “It was then she asked me to give her a few days before telling you she was weak enough to read, hoping her Link would wake up in that time.”
Rubbing a hand down his face, Mallok now had a better understanding of why his young protégé had done what he did. “She didn’t want to be entombed while still capable of feeling the emotions.”
Nodding Marko continued, “So I promised her I would do it and did.” Dropping his head in shame, Marko closed his eyes. “I am so sorry my lord. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but then I imagined what it would be like to be buried alive and left to waste away…”
“Marko, you have already told me about this and it’s all right, I understand.” Pausing to let him settle down a bit, Mallok then gestured to his hand. “But you still haven’t told me how you injured your hand.”
“M-my hand?”
“Yes, both Simon and Will said K attacked you. That you had a bandage wrapped around your hand when you came out of the room. I also spoke with the physician who backed up their story, saying you had a large, fairly deep gash in your palm when you came to see him that day; bad enough that he called in a Caster to use one of their potions so that you wouldn’t be left with any permanent damage.” Narrowing his gaze, Mallok glared down at Marko. “So tell me, did or didn’t K attack you?”
Shifting uncomfortably, Marko stared down at a spot on the floor near the broken glass. “Yes sir.”
Following his gaze, Mallok spotted a large piece of glass on the floor, with quite a bit more blood than the spatter that coated the others. Walking across the room he picked up the giant shard, “Using this?”
Staring at the blood soaked glass, Marko nodded weakly. “She was trying to go back to the room to lie down, but she was so weak and kept stumbling. I wanted to help her, fearing she would fall again, but when I reached out to grab her arm she became angry and picked up the glass, warning me not to touch her. When I continued to insist and tried to grab her again, that is when she stabbed the glass into my palm.”
“And after that she passed out?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I see.” Strolling over to the vanity by the sink, Mallok laid the piece of glass on the counter before turning back to face Marko. “Well, I guess that explains everything. I thank you for coming by to help me piece it all together. I just wanted to be sure there wasn’t something I missed or should have caught that could have forewarned me of what was going to happen in the Throne room.”
Upon hearing his words, Marko visibly relaxed, “Of course, anytime sir.” Then with his eyes darting from the door then back to Mallok he asked, “Am I dismissed then?”
“Of course,” he answered, keeping his expression stoic.
Appearing unsure, but not wanting to waste the opportunity to escape, Mallok watched as Marko made his way toward the door. He allowed him to get nearly through the door, before he called to him one last time. “Oh Marko, one last thing. What does the cup have to do with all this?”
Visibly cringing, Marko paused in the doorway.
“You see, it’s been bothering me since I walked in here.” Marko remained unmoving, frozen in his near escape as Mallok walked over and picked the small cup up off the floor. “Why is this one cup all the way over here by where you said K attacked you, and the rest of the vanity items are still neatly sitting where they are supposed to be?” Cup in hand, Mallok approached the now trembling Marko and forced him to turn around and face him. “But more importantly, I would like you to tell me why there are traces of blood inside of it?”
“My lord, I…”
Grabbing him up by his shirt, Mallok slammed him against the bathroom wall. “Be careful what you choose to say from this point forward boy.” He growled, accentuating the last word. “I warned you the other day not to lie to me, and yet you still stood in this room and lied directly to my face!”
“My lord… I… I… I don’t know what you want me to say.”
Infuriated, Mallok pulled Marko toward him and slammed him into the wall again, this time making a point to apply pressure to his wounded shoulder. Crying out in pain, Marko wrapped his good hand around Mallok’s, desperate for relief. “My lord, please!”
Ignoring his pleas, Mallok continued his assault. “Did you feed K your blood? Yes or No!”
“Mallok.” Grimacing, Marko did everything he could do to fight back the tears. “My lord, don’t do this… I beg of you.”
But despite the fact he cared for the man in his grasp as he would his own son, Mallok refused to back down. Pushing his own sentiments aside, Mallok forced his power into his hand, applying heat to the already painful wound. Screaming in agony, Marko thrashed wildly in his unrelenting hold.
“I did it… I did it… just please stop!”
Closing his eyes, Mallok let him fall to the floor as he turned his head away. They remained that way for quite a while, Marko on the floor clutching his shoulder while Mallok remained with his head lowered and back turned. Finally, after what felt like hours, Marko spoke.
> “I am truly sorry, my….”
“Sorry?” Mallok growled, spinning to face him. “What exactly are you sorry for Marko? Disobeying me, lying to me, or being responsible for the death of one of the best men I ever had the pleasure of knowing?”
Marko visibly jolted by the harshness of his words, stared up at Mallok wide-eyed, “You blame me for Ivan’s death?”
“Do I blame you?” Mallok half-laughed half-snarled. “Well let’s take a look at the facts shall we? You fed K your blood, delayed telling me she had fallen for three days giving her time to rebuild her strength, and then you hid the fact you had fed her your blood and allowed us to believe she was weak enough to read. Tell me Marko, when you came to get K to take her to the trial, did you notice she didn’t look the same?”
Marko instantly dropped his gaze to the floor, confirming what Mallok already suspected. “Just as I thought,” Mallok huffed. “Your failure to preform your duties and your betrayal of my trust resulted in the downing of two Immortals and the death of Ivan, so tell me Marko, who besides you should I blame?”
A heavy silence descended over the room. Slowly and unsteadily Marko rose to his feet, before raising his gaze to meet with Mallok’s. “I know it doesn’t mean much after everything that has happened, but I really am truly sorry sir. You have taught me so much and I know you had hoped I would be every bit of the man and soldier my father before me was… and in that I have failed you and him both. I readily accept the blame for what happened in the Throne room,” pausing Marko swallowed down his tears, “including the death of Ivan and willingly submit to whatever punishment you decide is worthy of the crimes I have committed.”
Staring at the young man, with his back straight and eyes determined, Mallok easily saw the truth in his words. “Damn it Marko.” Raking a hand down his face, Mallok sighed and shook his head, burdened with a decision he had no desire to make. “I should have your head removed from your shoulders for this. But how the hell can I do that to your father? The man risked his life to keep this country safe and protected for twenty years. Hell, if it wasn’t for him, there wouldn’t even be a Lanoria anymore.”
Forsaken (The Shadow Chronicles Book 3) Page 38
