“Months!” Miri squeaked.
Ezra turned to Lord Cassian, clearly sharing the sentiment. “We do not have months, Lord Cassian. We need to rescue Amri as soon as possible.”
“Yes, but these things take time and planning.” Lord Cassian frowned. “We will achieve nothing by halfheartedly storming the castle. Speaking of which, Lord Zaphir, how many of your followers can you promise me.”
“It is hard to say without speaking with them first, but I would estimate around one hundred Na’tyr. Give or take a few.” Zaphir answered between sips of wine.
“Only one hundred.” Lord Cassian looked disappointed.
“I assure you Lord Cassian, that one hundred Na’tyr are worth one thousand Humans. And for every Na’tyr that sides with you, that is one less that sides with King-Regent Razmir.”
“Amri said that she was going to unite the castle staff for your cause.” Browen added.
“How bold of her.” Lord Zaphir remarked. “It is no secret that the staff are unhappy with the state of things, but they consist of those whose wills are easily bent. It would not be much of an army and will hold little more value than as a surprise.”
“Any added edge we can find is of value Lord Zaphir.” Lord Cassian nodded to Browen. “I spoke with her at the Masquerade and I feel no doubt in her spirit, she will make a fierce leader. Hopefully the surprise of the servants turning will provide the real forces with more of a foothold.”
“Many lives will be lost.” Lord Zaphir mused.
“So be the cost of justice then.” Lord Cassian replied grimly. “All who have agreed to stand with me know the danger that they face and all of them have found the exchange worthy.”
“Then allow me to be your voice to Lady Kirra, and vice versa while we plan.” Lord Zaphir offered.
Lord Cassian bowed his head. “I would appreciate that Lord Zaphir.”
“The half Na’tyr of Alumeen…” Miri whispered shyly under her breath. “They might be convinced to join if that means that they will no longer be hunted or considered outsiders.”
“Is that so?” Lord Cassian smiled. “And what numbers do you estimate that they offer?”
“I only saw a few of them.” Miri answered timidly. “But I know they would want to help.”
“Well then we shall arrange a meeting with their leaders.” Lord Cassian nodded to Miri, then looked between the others. “Any other potential allies I should be made aware of?”
“The soldiers.” Browen spoke up. “I don’t know how many, but I spoke with more than a few who would like to see Esper free again.”
“Ah, so you were the soldier Lady Kirra was dancing with.” The edges of Lord Zaphir’s lips curled in amusement. “I was going to ask once our business concluded. I must apologize for interrupting your… moment, but not even I am spared of the King-Regent’s tantrums.”
Browen’s cheeks flushed at the reminder but he nodded thanks.
“It is dangerous to find traitors among the soldiers.” Lord Cassian continued looking hard at Browen. “If you say the wrong thing to the wrong person it will be your head.”
“I know.” Browen gave the nobleman a resolute stare. “But I’ll take that risk for Amri. Besides I might have a contact at the barracks that can help.” He smiled as he remembered his conversation with Forrens.
“Very well.” Lord Cassian nodded and crossed his arms as he considered. “As I mentioned previously, it will take time to consolidate these new resources, and take stock of old ones. As part of my agreement with the Lords of Esper, I will need to meet with them regularly to keep them apprised of the situation. We have one month before Lord Zaphir will be available to meet with us again, as I understand it. That meeting will be the start of our planning. To be certain that everything goes smoothly I would like to take our time with this. Lord Zaphir, if you could provide architectural plans for the castle it would be appreciated. Then, once our plans have been structured and reviewed to perfection, we can make our move against King-Regent Razmir. Esper will be free again.”
Everyone raised their glasses at the proclamation, even as Browen, Miri and Ezra gave downtrodden looks at the time investment. It sounded like it would be a minimum of two months before Lord Cassian would be confident in taking the castle. Two months of Amri living as a slave and two months before they continued on their quest.
Epilogue
Razmirandia
Fingers drummed with frustration against a mostly empty wine bottle and Razmirandis stared morosely into his reflection in his glass. With a deep sigh he downed the last of the white wine and set the empty glass onto his desk. He then turned to the bottle and wondered why he had even bothered with the glass. No one was here to see him and even if they did what did it matter. Maybe it was to keep some semblance of decorum, a reminder of his royal blood, or perhaps it was an attempt to flex some sort of control in his life. He could control how much wine went into the glass, how much wine he drank, but even that felt beyond his command these days.
“What would Nos think to see you like this?” He mumbled out loud as he filled the glass again. He ground his teeth in anger at the thought and slammed the empty bottle down hard on the desk with a roar.
There was a timid knock on the door and Razmirandis looked up with a wicked grin. The door opened upon his call and the aged servant that he had inherited along with the castle hurried in with Razmirandis’s latest pet.
“Lady Kirra, as you requested my Lord.” The old Human bowed deeply.
“You are dismissed… whatever you name is.” Razmirandis glowered at the Human, it was disgusting how mortal bodies decayed as they aged.
“Darwood my Lord.” The servant bowed again.
“Whatever.” Razmirandis growled at him, then locked his eyes on his pet. “Sit and have a drink with me.”
She glared at him yet followed his command and took the seat opposite at the desk. The door closed again, and the pair were alone. Razmirandis grabbed another bottle of the white wine from a drawer in the desk and a fresh glass. Carefully he poured his pet a drink and slid it in front of her.
“Specially shipped from the Isle of Gilthe just for me, consider yourself lucky.” Razmirandis smirked when her face wrinkled at with her first sip.
He finished his glass and poured himself some more with a sigh. He wasn’t fooling anyone by inviting her to drink with him, he was still sad and alone and they could all see it. But it made him feel better to pretend, if just for a moment. It was a shame that Zaphir had left for his monthly dinner with the Lords of Esper. A duty that they both agreed would help keep them in line.
“Did you enjoy my Masquerade?” He asked as he swirled the liquid around the glass.
“Did you?” She snapped. “It seemed to me that Queen Zarrennia ruined your fun.”
He smirked. She was smarter than his other pets, and far bolder, it was a shame that it wouldn’t last. “The Queen has the ability to suck the fun out of any room.”
“Then why did you invite her? Why tolerate her at all?” His pet challenged.
He laughed and took another sip of wine. She was trying to goad him into a dangerous maneuver, perhaps hoping it would kill him and she would be free. Little did she know that he had been at this game for a long long time. He may be broken, sad and a drunkard, but he would never forget his lessons and he would never be caught making such foolish mistakes again.
“How about we play a little game.” He smirked as he leaned heavily on the desk towards her. “A game of question. For every question you ask me, I get to ask you one of my own. If I refuse to answer a question I drink, if you refuse to answer a question you drink.” He looked at her untouched glass of wine. “And lucky for you I’ve a head start.”
His pet followed his gaze and hesitated as she looked at the full glass of wine. Then she nodded. “Fine, I
’ll go first. Why do you take a Human as your slave for a year?”
“You’ve played this game before.” Razmirandis chuckled and took a drink from his glass. “My turn. How has your stay at my castle been so far?”
She blinked at the easy question. “It’s been… fine, I guess. Do you care about the wellbeing of Esper at all?”
“No.” He answered bluntly, he stopped caring about anything long ago. His answer seemed to infuriate her, and he smiled as he asked. “Now back to my first question, did you enjoy my Masquerade?”
“Yes.” She answered with a smirk. “Why did the Queen give you Esper instead of keeping it for herself?”
“Because she owed me after everything that I had lost in her name. It was a political move to garner Na’tyr favor. That, and empires that overextend have a habit of crumbling. Who was that soldier you danced with at the Masquerade?” He grinned wickedly at her surprise. “Answer or drink.” He pressed as she hesitated.
“No one… he was just a friendly soldier that wanted to dance.”
“You’re lying.” He smirked. “Tell me who he was or take a drink.”
“That’s not…”
He slammed his fit loudly against the wooden desk. “I make the rules and I demand the truth, or you drink!”
She leaned back with a glimmer of fear in her eyes and answered meekly. “A friend.”
“What is his name?” Razmirandis asked.
“It’s not your turn to ask a question.” She hissed, her fear turning into fury. “What happened to the people who lived in this castle before you took it?”
He tilted his head in curiosity and answered. “Some of them still work here and most of them are dead. What is his name?”
She took a drink from her wine glass and winced at the strong flavor. He smiled wickedly as she drank, it didn’t matter that she didn’t answer. It wasn’t the first time friends or family members found desperate work at the castle, just to be together again.
“What happened to Esper’s Human King and Queen?” She gave him a hard stare as she asked.
“Dead. Or so it is presumed.” He cocked his eyebrows at her. “No one has heard from them since they fled like cowards. I thought everyone knew that.”
“They were not cowards!” She stood and glared down at him.
He smiled at the reaction, the Humans of Esper were so nationalistic, it was almost too easy to get under their skin. “My turn again, what do you think of me?”
She took her seat and blinked for a moment before reaching for the wine. Again, Razmirandis laughed at her reaction. After only a few sips, her cheeks were already flushed red. Her brow wrinkled as she considered her next question then she finally asked.
“Why are you hunting half Na’tyr?”
His lips twisted into a snarl. “For the same reason as your first question.” Then he took a deep drink finishing the glass. “Do I frighten you?”
She paused at the question and considered her options carefully before quietly answering under her breath. “Yes.”
Razmirandis smirked. “I imagine you’ve heard a great number of rumors about the Mad King. How exactly do I frighten you?”
Despite her admitted fear she glared at him. “It’s not your turn.”
He snickered in spite himself and waved a hand allowing her to ask a question.
“What is the Chaos Gate?”
“The Chaos Gate?” He blinked with surprise then narrowed his eyes with suspicion. “How does an Esper girl know about something like that?”
“It’s how you got here isn’t it?” She frowned in a way that exposed some of her fear. “Queen Zarrennia opened the Chaos Gate and in exchange you and all the Na’tyr helped her take over Madaria.”
“Is that what people whisper?” He asked. “The truth is far more interesting, but it is also far beyond your simple mind.”
“Are you going to answer or drink.” She reminded him firmly.
He smiled sadly. “The plane of darkness is a centuries old prison for the Goddess of Dark and all those who served her. Nearly two hundred years ago now, the Goddess of Dark tricked a mortal Elf into creating a gate using forbidden magic. It formed a breach into that plane and allowed for the Goddess and those who served her to escape into this world. But good things don’t last. The Goddess was defeated and most of her servants were sent back through the Chaos Gate. Then it was sealed until Queen Zarrennia opened it again.”
The memory made his heart ache and he covered his face with a hand as a tear escaped down his cheek. It had seemed so simple back then, so hopeful, not like now. With a shuddering breath he pushed down the feelings that had burdened him for so long, then lowered his hand to look at his pet. She blinked in surprise, not only at what she had learned but his reaction, and Razmirandis laughed drunkenly. She was a simple Human girl; she couldn’t possibly understand.
“I have grown bored of you.” He sighed at the empty bottle and glass. “Leave before I decide to entertain myself some other way.”
She got up with a look of relief and hurried towards the door. He watched with a dark scowl. Maybe Zaphir was right and all of this was childish, but the alternative made his heart ache with an intense pain like no other.
He stood up drunkenly. There was only one thing that would satisfy his pain in that moment. First, he would make a stop at the cellars and get another bottle or two. Then he would go down to the dungeons and give his friend a visit. The thought contorted his expression into a twisted blend of wicked delight and pained heartache as he left his office.
Turn the page for a sneak peek at Book 3 of the Breach of Darkness series
Prologue
Arze
He couldn’t do it. Why couldn’t he do it? Arze shuddered at the memory of the Masquerade, of his sister, and forced his gaze out through the carriage window. He could faintly see the towering landmarks of the Ironside mountains, a faint blue in the distance over the canopy of trees that lined the Queen’s road. Esper was far behind them, they were in Madaria again and less than a day’s ride from Verta, home. But home was no longer the safe sanctuary that it had been before.
He couldn’t do it. She had said something that had reminded him briefly of before. Of entertaining themselves in the carriage ride home by telling each other stories and laughing about the latest absurdities of court and politics. He had remembered that he had once loved his sister more than anything else, before days of unending pain poisoned his mind. Ezra was stronger than him. She would have been able to endure the tortures his mother and Commander Illian inflicted upon him. If only he had been the one sent out on that fateful mission rather than her.
The carriage rolled over a bump in the road and Arze was knocked back against his seat. Regardless of the soft cushioning, despite the light force of the impact, Arze screamed in pain as he was reminded of the brutal whipping he had suffered only days ago. Punishment for sneaking out without permission, one that Commander Illian refused to heal until they were back in Verta.
The only other occupant in his carriage was Commander Illian, who snickered at Arze’s cry. Arze whimpered as he leaned forward and returned his attention to the passing countryside. He had been whipped until he had passed out. Even now, days later, he could still feel each and every long gash that ran down his back. At least that had been the extent of the punishment this time.
At the Masquerade he had recoiled when he had first felt his sister’s presence. This was all her fault, every cut, every bruise, every broken bone, they were all her doing. She had betrayed the Queen, their mother and him. Even as he felt hatred like no other burn within him, he had not been ready to face her. That was until a thought crossed his mind later on in the evening. She could take his place, if he captured her and presented her to Commander Illian she would be the one to suffer his lessons, not him.
&
nbsp; He didn’t have a plan but with whatever remained of his courage, he had snuck away from the festivities to follow that faint connection that they still somehow shared. He had been surprised at how strong it was, even after so long apart, after so much had happened to change them. In retrospect the attempt had been idiotic. He should have just reported what he felt to Commander Illian and stayed out of it. But he had wanted to see her and confront her about what she had done to him.
Arze did not know that showing her the pain that he had suffered was going to incapacitate her as it had. And she didn’t fight it. She accepted the torture, all while pleading with Arze that it wasn’t her fault. She was different than he remembered her, no longer as indifferent about the world around her. And then there was the flame. It was terrifying to behold and Arze could feel Ezra’s struggle to hold its influence back. It wanted nothing more than to burn. Within Ezra’s mind he could feel it long to lash out and burn him, but she held it back. Then he felt it. Even as she suffered the same indescribable torments that he had, as her bones broke, and her flesh was torn apart mentally, she had focused on her love for him.
She was his twin, identical in every way but sex, and they had once shared a bond that neither thought could be broken. She had remembered even through the torment that he inflicted upon her. As Arze watched his sister scream in pain before him, he wondered if he was wrong. That it was him who had betrayed her. He didn’t know what to do in that moment of realisation. All of Commander Illian’s lessons had twisted the way he looked at his own sister, his other half, and he had let it happen.
Thankfully they were interrupted. Ezra’s new friends had come to her rescue. Shaken from his stupor Arze had run back to his abusers, knowing full well the punishment that would await him if he didn’t. What was worse was that he thought that he ought to be punished for his brief moment of weakness, of hesitation. He had Ezra in his grasp. With the nearby soldiers’ help they could have taken her back to the castle, he would finally be freed of his torment. Perhaps he would have even made his mother, the Queen, proud. And yet, he couldn’t do it.
Sunken Wind Page 44
