by M. Lynn
He suspected her next words weren’t for his ears, but he couldn’t walk away.
“Dav.” She sobbed softly. “You can’t do this to me.” She was silent for a moment before she hiccupped another sob. “Earth help me.” He imagined her pressing herself to the ground in prayer. “Make me stop loving him.”
This was a mistake. Davi ripped himself from the door and strode away without a glance at the curious guard. If he stopped even for a moment, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his new mission. Failing his father was not something he could do.
Chapter 24
Trystan prowled around his room, feeling as confined as a caged animal. It had been two days since his meeting with Ramsey and the traitor, Lorelai. Two days of still not seeing Rissa, or Alixa, or Avery. Were they okay? Was Alixa okay? She shouldn’t even be here with them. The rest of them, they were bound to this quest by blood. It was expected of them for who they were, but Alixa didn’t deserve to be caught up in this. If anything happened to her because of him. He slammed his hand against the stone wall flanking the narrow window.
How long now since they’d been captured? Six days? And he still had no idea if Ramsey managed to switch the crystal. If truth were told, he had no idea if he could even trust Ramsey or Lorelai. What was he thinking, leading them all here with this idiotic plan? Hell, he hadn’t even seen Calis Bearne since that first day. After growing up on stories of the man’s ruthlessness and cruelty, being kept prisoner in this cage of luxury was not quite what he was expecting. Not once had Calis tried to question or torture him. He hadn’t even called for his presence. What exactly did that mean? Maybe that was the torture in itself. Maybe him being kept here in this room while Calis tortured Ri or Alixa was his punishment. Or maybe he was trying to drive Trystan insane. If that was the case, then it was surely working.
Running his fingers through his hair, he stifled the groan of frustration building in his throat. Not even Davi had come back to see him after the fight. Davi. It killed him to even think the name. What Calis and Ramsey had done to him was beyond cruel. It was barbaric. Bringing him back to live this lie and not remember those who loved him the most?
“Dammit!” He took his anger out on a pile of books, sending them flying off the table in one fell swoop and crashing into the wall. He needed to do something. Ramsey and Lorelai had told him to wait, but he was tired of waiting. Enough was enough. He needed to get out of here. He needed to find Alixa. It was driving him over the edge not knowing what was happening to her. Striding across the room, he jiggled the handle of his door, finding it locked as always.
“Hey,” he yelled, slamming his fist into the thick wood. “Is anyone out there? I demand you to let me out! Hey!”
He kept pounding the door, refusing to give up. Suddenly, he heard a commotion followed with yelling.
“Trystan? Trystan, is that you?”
“Alixa?”
“Yes, it’s me. Step away from the door.”
He stepped back in surprise just as the door flashed with a bright light and swung open, nearly knocking him from his feet. He stumbled but caught his balance as faces peered in at him from the hallway.
“What the…?”
“Trystan.” Alixa crashed into his chest, her arms encircling his neck tight. “Thank the earth you’re okay. I was so worried, and no one would tell me anything.”
He hugged her back, the tight band of fear squeezing his heart earlier easing some now that she was in his arms. “I’m fine. You? Did they hurt you at all?”
She stepped out of his embrace, her eyes landing on his bruised face. “No, but you’re hurt.”
Her fingertips grazed his cheek, but he grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “I’m fine. Had a visit from Davi is all.” His eyes skimmed over her face, drinking her in. “It’s so good to see you. I was so worried.”
He broke off and looked over the top of her head as Avery entered the room.
“Avery, you are well?”
Avery ducked her gray head. “As well as can be, sire.”
“Good.” He kept watching the door expecting to see Rissa, but Avery was followed by Ramsey and the seer instead.
“How are you all here? The guards? And where is my sister? Is she not with you?” In answer to his question, Ramsey smiled slightly.
“The guards are taken care of, your Majesty. The spell I used will keep any soldiers in this wing out for a while. Your sister is being held in the rooms below us. We will get her on the way, but we must move quickly.” Ramsey glanced over his shoulder in apprehension. “The guard change is not expected for another two hours, but I have no idea when the Prince might show up. He has been seen walking these hallways as of late.”
It took Trystan a moment to realize the prince Ramsey was referring to was Davi, and the hope blooming in his heart shrank to pea size.
He turned to Lorelai. “Will Davi try to stop us if he finds us escaping? Is he loyal enough to his father for that?”
Lorelai’s blue eyes clouded over with pain. “Yes. He will try to stop you. He has no kind memories of you, Trystan. Or Rissa. All he has is the hatred that was planted there. A hatred that has only grown and festered in his time here. Calis made sure of that. He will try to stop you and keep you here until his father returns.”
Trystan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and closed his eyes. He prayed to the gods that they would not run into Davi. He couldn’t handle harming him in any way, but he knew Davi would not think twice. The rest of Lorelai’s words registered then, and he opened his eyes. “Calis is gone? That must be Lonara’s doing. She has lured him away.” He turned to Ramsey. “Did you manage to do the switch and get what was needed before he left?”
“You mean this?” Ramsey pulled a leather cord from his tunic and held it gingerly in his palm. Hanging from it was a crystal identical to the one Lonara had given him. “How do you think I managed to take out so many guards with magic?”
“I don’t believe it.” Trystan’s disbelief was tinged with awe and wonder as he stared at the crystal in Ramsey’s hand. It was dull and lifeless right now, devoid of any power, but Trystan was well aware of the miracles this simple rock could produce. He reached out to touch it, but pulled back, afraid of what any simple contact may do. “This is the real Tri-Gard crystal?” Ramsey nodded as a tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth.
“But how? How did you manage to get this away from Calis?” Alixa’s confusion matched Avery’s as they glanced between Trystan and Ramsey.
Ramsey nodded Lorelai’s way. “It was all due to the seer. As much as you choose to harbor hatred against the girl, she is on our side. While I simply put Calis’s guard under, she crept into his rooms and switched the crystal while he slept, much to her peril. Calis has no idea it’s been switched and he will be well away from the castle before he even notices. As should we. We need to move. The crystal detects Lonara’s presence drawing closer. She will be here to aid us soon. Let us not waste any more time.”
The halls were eerily quiet. So quiet Trystan could hear every breath Alixa took as she crept down the stairs behind him, her hand in his. This castle was not much different from the one Trystan had grown up in. The same stone, mortar, and granite formed its foundation, but this castle felt wrong. Cursed, as if all the pain and misery it had seen over the years had permeated the walls and filled it with a deep sorrow that affected everyone in it. A shiver wracked Trystan’s body at the thought of how Davi’s bright light might eventually be extinguished by this shadowy place. No wonder he had not seen much of his brother in the new Davi. Light and virtue were traits that would not survive here in this palace of darkness.
Whatever magic Ramsey had performed on the floor above had not made its way to this level. The low murmurings of the guards outside of the room that undoubtedly held his sister, wafted down the hall.
All five of them ground to a halt at the sight of the still alert soldiers.
“I thought you took care of all the gu
ards, Ramsey?” Trystan whispered in irritation and the old man shrugged.
“Apologies, sire. It has been twenty years since I’ve wielded this crystal. I guess I’m not as adept in my old age. My spell was not as effective as expected.”
“Not exactly the reassuring words we need to hear at the moment,” Alixa growled at Ramsey. “Do something already.”
Before Ramsey could do as she ordered, the murmuring abruptly stopped, and a gravelly voice floated to them out of the gloom.
“Is someone there? Who’s there? Who’s slinking in the dark? Show yourself.”
Lorelai moved into the aura of torchlight before Trystan could stop her. “Just me, Lorelai. No need to work yourself up.”
“Oh, aye? And who’s that with you?” The guard’s voice was tinted with suspicion, and he raised his sword as he took a step their way.
“Fall into sleep.” The words were spoken so quietly Trystan wasn’t even sure who said it, but the brilliant flash of light from Ramsey’s hand and the way the guard simply disintegrated into a puff of smoke told Trystan that the old man was not as fully in control as he wished.
“Crap!” The second guard yelled as he turned to run away, but Ramsey’s power struck him dead center in the back and he crashed against the opposite wall, crumpling to the floor out cold.
“Effective enough,” Trystan admitted as they hurried down the hall. Pushing the guard aside, Ramsey performed the same trick on Rissa’s door as he had with Trystan’s. The door swung open into an empty room. A fire roared in the hearth, filling the dark corners with light, but his sister was nowhere to be seen. A heavy dread filled Trystan’s heart as he stepped into the room.
“Rissa…”
“Argh!” The scream hit his ears just before the weight landed on his back. Fingers dug into his hair and ripped, trying to pull out chunks of his skull with it.
“Rissa, stop!”
The painful ripping paused as the puzzled voice of his sister met his ears. “Trystan? What the hell?”
She fell from his back and landed nimbly on her feet as he turned to her, pain still throbbing in his scalp.
“How?” was all she said, but he shook his head at her.
“No time to explain, but we have to go. Ramsey says Lonara approaches. Our time to escape is now.”
Rissa didn’t ask any more questions. Grunting in agreement, she said, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.” Glancing down at her hand, she grimaced as she noticed the chunk of sandy hair clenched in her fist. Throwing it aside, she grimaced at Trystan. “Sorry about that.”
“You and me both,” he whispered as he followed her out of the room, rubbing his newly formed bald spot.
Once they hit the hallway her gaze encountered Alixa and Avery, and a tiny smile lifted her lips, but the smile froze in place as soon as she saw Lorelai. Trystan groaned out loud as his sister’s back stiffened in anger.
“You!” she growled as she lunged the seer’s way. Lorelai stumbled back just as Trystan caught Rissa about the waist, holding her in place.
“Rissa, calm down. Despite what you may think of her, she is here to aid in our escape. She is the one who made our quest a success. You cannot harm her,” he whispered in her ear, trying desperately to make her understand.
She stopped resisting him and Trystan knew his words had registered. Slowly he released her even though her back remained rigid and her eyes glared hatred at Lorelai.
“My brother tells me this is not the time, murderer, and he is correct. I will act as Dreach-Sciene’s princess and not as a grieving daughter for the moment. But there will come a time when I will make you pay for what you’ve done.”
Although Lorelai was visibly shaken, she didn’t respond to Rissa’s threat. Instead, she ran a shaky hand over her face and pointed down the hall. “This way. We will exit through the servant’s quarters.”
“Wait,” Avery commanded, and Trystan paused as the sword master bent to retrieve the blade of the unconscious guard. She flipped it a couple of times in her hand, testing its weight. Finding it suitable enough, she gave Lorelai a curt nod. “Not my blade, but it will do. Now we are ready to go.”
The cold, narrow passageway Lorelai led them through paled in comparison to the frigid wind that greeted them as they exited the castle. The icy air immediately tore at Trystan’s lungs like sharp blades, yet he turned his face into the wind and accepted it with a deep breath. This was the first fresh air he’d breathed in a week. It felt darned good.
They paused in the shadows of the castle, looking out over the bobbing lanterns of the guards patrolling the grounds.
“Which way, Sorcerer?” Avery whispered and in response the old man paused, holding his crystal in the palm of his hand to shade it against any telltale sign of light. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself, oblivious to the impatient shuffling of Avery by his side. Suddenly his eyes popped open, and he grinned through the gloom.
“The west wall of the castle. Lonara awaits us there.”
“West?” Alixa arched a brow. “Isn’t west that way?” She pointed to the field covered in dead shrubs and trees stretching straight to the wall and crawling with guards.
Ramsey grew quiet. “I’m afraid so,” he whispered.
Trystan huffed a sigh of resignation. “Of course, it is. Nothing about this can be easy.”
“The magic will get us there intact,” Ramsey assured them. “Just give me a moment to remember. And stay close.”
“Remember?” Alixa whispered over Trystan’s shoulder. “What the hell does he need to remember? If he means how to use magic, then were in deep sh---”
Ramsey bolted out of the shadows and straight into the field, startling them all. Trystan quickly regained his wits and yelled, “Go! And stick to him like a thorn to a rose.” Ushering them all to follow on Ramsey’s heels.
The cry went up almost instantly as they nearly collided with a guard who seemed to appear out of nowhere. His look of surprise quickly changed to alarm as he shouted, “The prisoners are escaping!”
Lights came bobbing at them from all directions, turning into more guards. Trystan’s hand instinctively went to the missing scabbard normally a fixture at his hip and swore under his breath at remembering he was weaponless. Why hadn’t he grabbed a weapon the same as Avery?
“Crap. You better know what you’re doing,” he yelled at Ramsey’s back.
A mere moment after Trystan felt the air behind him tingle on the back of his neck, a bolt of light shot over his head and he ducked, disbelief escalating into fear at the realization the soldiers were attacking with magic. This was entirely new. He had no idea how to defend from magic. Pushing his fear aside, he willed his legs to keep moving as he called to Alixa and Rissa, “Keep running! Don’t look back. Get to the wall.”
Another bolt sailed past Trystan, splintering the dead tree towering to their left and blowing it apart. Trystan pushed Alixa out of harm’s way as wooden projectiles hurtled toward them with deadly intent. Closing his eyes, he raised his arms over his head, hoping desperately to avoid serious injury. To his surprise, there was no contact. No splinters of wood tearing at his clothes or ripping away skin. There was nothing. Opening his eyes again, he blinked. The debris bounced off them like they were encased in some sort of invisible shield. That’s when it hit him. Ramsey’s instructions to stay close. He was protecting them with magic.
“Almost there,” Avery turned, encouraging them on as the stone wall came into view. “Keep going, your Majesty.”
“Almost where?” Alixa screamed as another flash bounced over their heads. “We’re running toward a dead end. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s no gate in that wall!”
“Trust in Ramsey,” Trystan yelled at her back, even though his own doubts were growing with every passing moment. Alixa was right. There was no sign of any way to escape.
“Trystan Renauld, stop running and face me you coward.”
The familiar voice caused more fear than he could ever i
magine churning in his gut. Davi.
“I said stop.”
Trystan stumbled to a standstill just as Ramsey’s shield broke. He could see it fracture and crumble like splintering ice all around them.
“No, no, no, not now,” Ramsey muttered as he shook his crystal in desperation. Trystan’s attention shifted to Davi. His brother stood on a slight rise behind them, a horde of soldiers at his back like hovering angels of death.
“You think I’d let you walk away that easily?” he cried out as he raised his hands and a wave of energy rolled down the slight slope, flattening everything in its wake. Trystan planted his feet, expecting to be swept away by the power, only instead, the very air in front of him appeared to solidify into a protective barrier. Davi’s attack shook the barrier, but it persisted and protected them from the brunt of impact. Ramsey had gained control of his flickering power.
“Ah, Lorelai. Well done. Too bad you choose to stand with our enemies instead of your family.”
Lorelai? She’d protected them and not Ramsey? Trystan glanced over at the seer, tears running down her face and her arms shaking with the effort of warding off Davi’s magic.
“Fool,” Rissa spat as she stared at Davi, her face a mask of frustration and her eyes wet with tears. Trystan grabbed her arm, trying to halt her words, but she shook it off. “We are not your enemy.”
Davi turned to look at her then, and for a slight moment, Trystan swore their Davi was back. His face softened, and his eyes opened wider as if recognition set in. As if Rissa had finally gotten through. But then the other Davi took control, and he sneered in disgust.
“Lies. You may have corrupted my cousin with your falsehoods, but I will not fall for the same. Stop hiding behind your protectors, Renauld and face me like the king you think you are.”
He pulled his sword and held it high above his head as he and his men ran down the slope.
Avery took a stance and held her blade, determined to protect her king at all costs, even as Rissa’s scream of “Avery, don’t!” was whipped away by the blast that shook the very ground beneath their feet. Trystan stumbled, but managed to stay upright as the dust and tiny rocks fell out of the sky, stinging his face and his eyes. Choking on the dust, he struggled to see through the plume that was settling over them all.
