“What?” Croygen stilled, his annoyance draining away. “What are you talking about?”
“Stavros bought your acquaintances.” Kennedy stood, her tiny frame full of strength. “And because you were the one to vouch for them, I have to suspect you as well.”
Croygen’s mouth fell open, words dying on his lips.
“No.” Lexie shook her head next to me. “Croygen would never do that. He’s innocent.”
At Lexie’s declaration, Annabeth came to her side, grabbing her hand, the other hand holding the small monkey. “I also vouch for his innocence.”
Before anyone could respond, the doors banged open, startling me. A mass of Kennedy’s guards swarmed in the space, delivering the Queen a handful of pirates—men and women. The only one I recognized was Jack, the one we’d met on the dock earlier.
“All the ships are accounted for, but we only found individuals on the Black Revenge, Your Majesty.” The large redheaded Scot shoved Jack forward, his feet scrambling, his expression twisted with anger. He, too, was dressed only in pants, his feet and chest bare. Lipstick marks dotted his bare torso.
“Is this what you call being accommodating to your guests?” Jack wiggled his tied hands, his eyes blazing. “I enjoy kinky sex in my cabin, but being tied up by the Queen is giving me flashbacks to the previous leader, Your Highness.”
Kennedy’s eyes narrowed on the pirate, her aura sparking with anger. Comparing her to Aneira was one of the worst things you could do, not to mention untrue.
“Let’s skip the denials and untruths; I don’t have time for them.” Kennedy lifted her head with indignation, her raven tattoo showing on her neck. “I have a castle to defend and kingdom to save.” She took a step down, coming even with Croygen and Jack.
Lorcan, standing by the window to her side, moved forward, his eyes flashing red in warning to the men: Don’t fuck with the Queen, or you became a dweller feast. “People always say don’t trust a pirate. Lesson learned.”
“You fucking bastard!” Croygen surged for Jack, but guards quickly grabbed him, pulling him back.
“What are you talking about?” Jack looked around, stopping on Croygen for a beat before peering back at Kennedy. “You asked me to come as a favor to the Queen. I was happy to stay far away from this fight.”
“I know pirates have no honor, but there was an unspoken code between us. I saved your life,” Croygen seethed, leaning into Jack’s face.
Jack’s mouth parted, his eyes wandering back to the few crew being held around him. “Where’s the rest?” His head snapped to the Queen. “Why only nab us?”
“There was no one else,” Sturt growled back. “Seems some of your crew took off.”
Croygen and Jack both gaped at the Scot.
Mutiny was a cardinal sin with pirates.
“No. No way…” Jack’s voice tapered off. His attention flew to Kennedy. “My crew wouldn’t do that.”
“Were you the one to get word about the location of the ships?” Kennedy took another step closer.
Befuddled, Jack stared around the room, taking in each one of his stunned crew. His head bowed, a vein twitching in his forehead. “No. My second relayed the information to me.”
“Bellamy?” Croygen snorted. “Yeah, that’s a shocker.”
“He’s been faithful to me for fifty years.”
“Fifty years he’s been dreaming about taking your ship.” Croygen leaned into Jack’s face. “I warned you years ago about him, but you didn’t listen.”
“Why would I listen to you? You were the one who wanted my ships,” Jack snarled back.
“I was open about it.” Croygen didn’t back down. “He was the weasel. The one slowly taking over the crew, questioning their alliance to you.” Croygen’s toes knocked into Jack’s. “I swear, if your mistake hurts any of mine, you’re dead.”
With arms tied behind his back, Jack bucked his chest into Croygen, shoving him back. Fury strained Croygen’s features. He bared his teeth, diving for Jack.
“Stop!” Kennedy’s hand rose, her authority ringing through the air. Both men stopped, but didn’t look at her, their chests heaving with rage. “We don’t have time for this. It can wait until the real battle is over.” She rubbed her head. “I’m going to have to take the risk and believe you were deceived as well.”
“You’d think I would stick around here if I were lying?” Jack said to Ken, but kept his gaze locked on his fellow pirate.
“No, I don’t think you would.” Kennedy stared at Jack. “Actually, I know you wouldn’t. I can sense your truth. You would run like the coward you are.”
Jack scoffed. Croygen’s mouth parted in a grin.
“It’s the one thing you can trust about a pirate. He’ll charm you, rob you blind, but won’t ever stick around.”
“True.” Jack chuckled. “Sorry, man.”
“Sorry I didn’t believe you, but you know, you’re a fucking pirate.”
“Seriously, boot humper,” Sprig’s voice exclaimed. We all turned to the monkey leaping from Annabeth, to Sturt, to Croygen, where he settled at last, pointing at the rock-star pirate. “You trust him?”
“Trust?” Croygen tipped one eyebrow. “Pirates don’t trust. But we do have a code. And he owes me.”
“But…” Sprig folded his arms in a huff.
“Right now, that’s the best I can hope for. We can’t worry about those already gone.” Kennedy’s voice filled the space. “We have to worry about the ones coming for us now. The fight is on our doorstep. Do what you need to do. Meet back here in an hour ready for battle.” She waved a dismissal to the room. The guards let the remaining pirates go, watching them closely.
“I don’t have the crew anymore to get all the ships prepared,” Jack said.
“Hey!” Croygen opened his arm. “What the hell am I?”
“One man.” Jack replied.
“Don’t underestimate me.” Croygen winked.
“Or me.” Lexie stepped up, moving next to him. “He’s taught me a lot. I can help.”
“So can I.” Rez pushed through the throng of people, moving beside her father. Croygen smiled at her with warmth and love. “Sirens know a lot about sailing. By ship or by sea, I can help.”
“Georgia will help you get the rest of the crew you need from around the docks.” Kennedy motioned to the pretty guard. “Not to be cheesy, but all hands on deck. Every single person is to be put to work. We are greatly outnumbered, and this is only one of our fights.”
We also still had to fight the stone. Fight for Lars and Zoey. As far as we knew, Stavros had no idea Lars was no longer, that there was something more powerful in his place ready to take over.
The stone could destroy Stavros, but at what cost? Were we making a deal with the devil to beat another devil?
Fionna, you could end this. Your sacrifice would give the cauldron enough power to fight the stone. Put the stone back in its old cage. Save Lars. Zoey. Possibly end the war.
It was the worst plan in the world with more holes than swiss cheese, but I couldn’t think of another way this would play out. As Kennedy said, we were outnumbered and outpowered with no other choice.
This time I would not hold back. It was my only choice left. It had to work.
Pulsepulsepulsepulse. I felt Lars screaming his refusal. As usual, I ignored him. We denied the fates my death the first time and brought this on ourselves. This time he couldn’t stop me.
I slipped out quickly, before my sister saw the blood covering me. Turning the corner, I gasped at the figure lurking in the shadows. “Shite.” I took in a breath. “You scared me.”
Goran stepped forward, his skin pallid, his eyes dead. “I will help you.”
“Help me with what?” I shifted on my feet, trying to act innocent.
“Die.” His stiff form moved forward. Every day he appeared less humanlike. It was so creepy and heartbreaking, but I did this to him. “We are connected, Fionna. You are the one who ties me to the earth. You are my p
uppet master. You called for me. Even if you don’t realize it.”
That was unsettling.
“I will help you save Lars,” he stated. “Your death will unlatch me from this hell while saving thousands.”
Feck. That was direct, but it was also true.
My lips rolled together and I nodded. “Okay. But I need a shower and trousers first.”
He stared at me, no response.
“And knickers.” I motioned to my bare legs.
Abruptly he turned and walked away without any kind of acknowledgment.
Even if I had to leave it behind, I wanted to make this world safe for my friends and family... and most of all my daughter. She made this all so much harder for me.
But it was time to face my fate.
Chapter 22
Ember
Ryker’s massive physique slipped silently down the corridor, his head swiveling around, his shoulders tight and pulsing with tension. Like the patter of rain on a rooftop, our boots tapped softly over the stone floor in unison. My eyes darted into every crevice and hallway we passed, waiting for something to jump out at us. I hated being weaponless, literally and magically, leaving us vulnerable and open for hunting season.
We passed several hallways that led off to other passages, but we stayed on the main one, leading us past the room where we had last seen the kids, the room within a room. If I ever saw Lars again, we would have a serious talk about why he even had this room. I understood he had done a lot of things I neither wanted to know about nor would agree with, but even more than the dungeons, this space unsettled me. How many times had Lars brought a loved one here to torture his captor with? Lars was different from Stavros, but only in degrees.
At least Lars strived to be fair, to be equal to all.
“Do you think she’s setting us up? Some sick cat-and-mouse game to her?”
Ryker’s jaw clicked, his teeth grinding as if he had no clue if Amara was toying with us. Determination and anger set his brow. I could feel rage pumping off him, the ferocious need to save his son. Protect him.
I didn’t have kids, but I still understood that feeling. I’d watched too many of my loved ones get captured because of me…had seen some of them tortured or killed. There was nothing you wouldn’t do to save them. No law you wouldn’t break, no line you wouldn’t cross.
Scouring the hall as we stepped out, we sank deeper into the underground maze. Even though I knew the house, I had no clue how vast the world was down here. The farther we went, the more my chest clenched at the sensation of being trapped far underground.
“Wait.” Ryker’s hand shot out, grabbing me, adrenaline soaring through me. He stopped, tilting his head. The thump of my heart pounded in my ears, blocking out all other noise.
“What?” I croaked, spearing my vision around, ready for the attack. “What do you hear?”
His eyebrows furrowed, his head twisting even more, trying to catch something.
“What?”
“Shhhhh.” He stepped past me, every inch of him on alert.
Swallowing, I tried to ease my thundering heart, forcing my ears to switch into dweller mode. The moment I let myself and zeroed in on the noises around me, it slammed into my ears.
Singing.
“Look!” I pointed at a sconce hanging from the wall. No flame burned inside. Shit, Amara was really helping us?
The singing was soft, and I didn’t recognize the tune, but the soft little Irish voice whispering the rhyme gave me a rush of hope.
“Piper.” I stumbled forward, following the sound, my nose trying to pick up her scent. It was challenging down here with all the smells, and I wasn’t near the level of a true dark dweller, but my senses were super strength compared to a human. Turning a corner, we came to a short hallway lined with a dozen barred doors. More dungeons.
Piper’s smell was blocked from me, but her little voice bounced off the stone, echoing her presence from every chamber.
“Piper?” I whispered hoarsely, running along the doors, looking into the cells. They were pitch-dark, damp, and held the same chains mine had. She was a child, and he kept her locked down here. How scared she must be. I bit back the bile curling my stomach. “Piper?”
Ryker flipped the window guards open on the other side, both of us making our way back.
She went silent, probably unsure who was coming for her.
“Piper, it’s okay, I’m Ember and I’m a friend of your aunt and mommy.” I glanced into a cell. Empty. “Please, talk to me so we can find you.”
Nothing.
Almost at the end of the hall, I swung open a window door, shining light into the small cell. I almost missed the tiny pair of boots scrunched into the corner, the rest of her hidden in the shadows. “Piper! Ryker, she’s right here,” I squeaked, gripping the bars, feeling the goblin metal licking at my skin. “Hey, sweetie, we’re here to get you out. Can you move into the light?” Ryker’s hands already fiddled with the lock bolted over her door, probably wishing as I was that Sprig was still here.
“Piper, are you okay?” I forced my voice to stay soft and calm.
Like a breath of wind, her small voice floated to me. “Yes.”
“Do you know where my son is? Wyatt. He’s just a baby,” Ryker asked, his hands twisting at the bolt trying to break it off the wall, his voice tense. I could make out the sound of clothes brushing the wall, her shoes sliding on the stone, her body rising as she stepped into the shower of light across the floor. Only dressed in leggings and a short-sleeved top, her arms were coated with bruises, as if she had been gripped and manhandled with force. But lying in her thin arms was Wyatt, wrapped in a dirty blanket, asleep.
Ryker sucked in sharply, veins straining in his neck, his muscles vibrating.
“I protected him. They didn’t hurt him.” She adjusted his weight in her arms, bringing him closer to her chest. He was little, but she was so tiny for a five-year-old I was shocked she didn’t drop him.
“Did they do that? Did they hurt you?” I nodded toward her marks.
She lifted her chin, looking identical to her mother with her little defiant expression.
Ryker’s shoulders bumped into me, almost as though they grew, his entire body bulking up, eyes glowing with fury. More veins popped up from his skin, his nose flaring. He seemed to occupy the entire hallway with his rage. His teeth bared, his fingers gripping the deadbolt, twisting it with a deep vibrating growl. I stepped away from him. A whine of metal pulled my eyes to his hands, flakes of dust chipping off the wall. Trickles of sweat glided down the side of his face, his shoulders rising with the strength he exerted to bend the lock.
Crap on ash bark. It was the first time I’d seen the true demon in him. Anyone else probably would be frightened, but it didn’t scare me at all. If anything, my demon side felt very comfortable with him, as though it wanted to come out and help too. But mine was locked away by the goblin metal, and I had no clue how Ryker was able to muster his.
A roar ricocheted off the walls, Ryker’s body bowing forward, fatigue creeping up on him.
Snap!
The bar ripped off the wall, swinging the door open. He was inside in an instant, reaching for the baby. I went next to Piper. She gently placed Wyatt in his father’s arms. The baby stirred, his lids blinking up at his father, wiggling with recognition and excitement. Ryker’s expression softened, his eyes full of unequivocal love, his rough fingers brushing over Wyatt’s chubby cheeks with a choked sigh. He brushed his lips over the baby’s forehead, his blond lashes blinking away the emotion in his eyes.
“Thank you,” Ryker whispered, glancing at Piper. “Thank you for protecting my son.”
Piper tilted her head, her hand palming Ryker’s arm, her face appearing so wise for her age. “I protect him. I saw it. He will also be my best mate.” She touched Wyatt’s face. “When he gets bigger, of course.”
I smiled, turning Piper toward me, running my hands over her bruised arms.
“Are you hurt anywh
ere else?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But I am very hungry.” She rubbed her belly, her accent dancing in my ears.
Noises reached us from down the hall, yells booming throughout the corridor, my head perking up.
Time was up.
“Shit. We’ve got to go.” I got back on my feet, grabbing Piper’s hand. Ryker rose, folding Wyatt into his chest, his mouth tight with power, all earlier emotion locked back inside.
“Do you know another exit out of here?” he asked while we scampered back to the main hallway, looking both ways for any enemies.
“No.”
He grunted with annoyance.
“Sorry. Lars never gave me the super-secret map of his torture labyrinth down here,” I snapped, keeping Piper close to my side.
We heard more shouting from the path behind us and swiveled our heads that way. Only one choice existed.
“Let’s hope there is a way out.” Ryker moved first. Keeping low, he crept along the path, Piper and me close behind. The shouting reached a fever pitch. They knew we were gone, and it wouldn’t be long until some were coming down this path for us.
Ryker and I picked up our pace, though I constantly swung around, sure I felt strighoul teeth caressing my neck. The thud of their footsteps pounded along the back of my spine.
We came upon a split in the hallway, a wrong or right choice before us. “Which way?”
“I…I don’t know.” My head swiveled. In both walkways, nothing hinted at what lay beyond the dark passage. The group behind gained on us. “Crap!” I rubbed my head, the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Every second we wasted…
“This way.” I took the lead down the left one, Piper jogging next to me, her little hand tight in mine. After a while, her weak legs started to falter, slowing us down. I swooped her up on my back, her arms strangling my neck, but I pushed forward, sprinting down the endless corridor.
Then I sensed it, the rise in the path, my muscles fatiguing at the ascension. An incline meant we were closer to the ground level. To freedom. But the stink of strighoul skulked up my nose. If I could smell them, they were too close.
Rise From the Embers (Lightness Saga #4) Page 28
