A Soul for Vengeance (35 page)

Kell’s chest tightened. What did Fermo want? More land? Titles? Zara? He kept his voice steady as he asked, “What is your news?”

The boy’s voice caught as he tried to speak, but not from fear. Agony squeezed his face, and his words came out as a sob. “My lord is dead, Your Majesty. The Thallians intercepted us on our way here.”

The silence of shock filled the room. Even Kell needed a moment to take in this information. Fermo hadn’t betrayed him.

“My lordship fought bravely, giving his own life for the kingdom, Your Majesty. So many of our men perished by his side.” A tear streaked through the filth on his cheek. “Before he drew his last breath, my lordship ordered me to come here and warn you.”

Kell knelt beside him, placing his hand on the boy’s shoulder to comfort him. He’d misjudged Fermo—badly. “How far away are the Thallians?”

“Two, maybe three days, Your Majesty.”

A whispered curse hissed through Bynn’s teeth, the only sound in the tent other than the messenger’s grief.

Kell turned his attention to the leaders gathered with him. Time was running out. They needed to act now, and act as one. He leveled his gaze with each of them, not leaving until he had confirmation they would stand behind him. Once he had it, he stood and addressed the guards. “Please see that he’s taken care of.”

The guards escorted the messenger out while he returned to the map. He stared at the bend in the river that cradled the castle. Zara’s plans always seemed to border on madness, yet they’d always been successful. Ortono’s plan had the same vibe to it. It was crazy enough that it might actually work. “Do you know where we can get a boat?”

A hint of a smile played on Ortono’s lips. “Yes, Your Majesty. We used every one we could get our hands on to cross the river on our way here. I have the perfect one for this mission.”

Bynn stepped in between them. “You’re not seriously considering this, are you?”

Kell pushed him aside on his way to Arden and Dev. “I’ll need some magical backup.”

Arden grinned, the green ring in her eyes glowing brighter. “You’ll have us and more.”

“Think about what you’re proposing.” Bynn tailed after him as Kell threw on an extra tunic to keep him warm. “This borders on suicide.”

“You said that about Zara’s plan, but she managed to infiltrate the palace and feed the nightmare dust to the Triumvirate.”
And I pray she’s still alive when we get there.
He stopped his friend’s protests by turning to him. “I’ll need someone I trust to watch my back. Someone who’s good with a lock pick. Are you in?”

Bynn’s mouth opened, then closed.

“Your sister’s in there, Bynn. She’s risked her life to smooth the way for us. Now, it’s our turn to follow through.” He held out his hand. “Are you with me?”

Bynn stared at his hand for several long seconds before accepting it, pulling Kell into a hug. “I’m with you every step of the way, old friend.”

“Thank you.” He pulled back, addressing the remaining men in the tent. “Ortono, Fane, Parros, I’m leaving you in charge of the army. If we fail, I’m turning the rebellion over to you three.”

Ortono stepped forward, accepting the responsibility on behalf of the other two knights. “We won’t let you down, Your Majesty.”

“Now, tell me we can get my hands on that boat.”

****

Zara never thought she’d welcome death with open arms.

Ermane had chained her to a chair in the center of the room. The cold metal was the only thing that kept her from slumping to the floor. The day of torture had battered her body, filling it with the cold sting of metal followed by the searing streams of blood, but so far, she’d managed to keep it from breaking her mind and spirit.

Ermane circled her like a wolf, twisting a long thin blade in his hand. He’d given up on using magic to hurt her hours ago. His eyes blinked irregularly. His mouth jerked at odd moments. His body twitched like there was a mouse crawling under his robes. But he seemed to be oblivious to signs of the withdrawals, even though they hadn’t completely claimed him yet. “Where is the prince?” he asked again.

She refused to think about Kell, refused to give Ermane the slightest hint of information when he plundered her mind. If she didn’t let that information rise to the surface, then hopefully, it would continue to elude him. She gave him the same response she’d always given him. “I know nothing.”

“You’ll have to break soon.” He laughed manically, swiping the blade along her arm to produce a fresh stream of blood.

Zara gritted her teeth. The sting of pain was nothing new. He’d cut her before, letting her blood seep from her veins. His magic always followed, healing the wound so he could repeat it all over again. “I know nothing.”

Shouts filtered down the hallways along with the rattling of distant doors. Hope swelled inside her, only to be squashed a second later. She was deep in the heart of what had been the king’s private chambers. Ermane had cast layer after layer of magical barriers when he brought her here. No one would be able to get to them. No one would be able to rescue her.

He pulled her head up by her blood-matted hair. “Perhaps we should try something different. Where is the prince?”

“I know nothing.”

This time, he plunged the blade into the right side of her chest. Her breath froze, and her eyes popped open. Her mind burned, screaming for this to end.

Ermane laughed, twisting the knife inside her and sending new waves of agony pulsating through her body. He pulled it out with the sick slurp and dangled the blood-covered steel in front of her. “Did you like that?”

She struggled to swallow air, her vision growing dimmer with each frantic breath. “I know nothing.”

A sheet of magic surrounded her, easing her pain and healing the injured lung. Ermane stared at her with a feverish glow of sick curiosity, still holding her head up by her hair. “No, don’t you go dying on me yet, Zara. You see, the glory of magic is that I can take you to the brink of death over and over again, only to heal your wounds enough to bring you back. I can do this,” he said as he stabbed her chest again, renewing the hot poker of pain, “as much as I need to until you break.”

“I. Know. Nothing.” Those three words had become her meditative mantra. As long as she kept saying them, she knew Ermae would never discover what he wanted.

He pulled the knife out, healing her again. “We’ll see about that.”

Each time he stuck the blade in her chest, her stomach, her side, a little piece of her life force slipped away from her. His healing magic came sooner with each injury. He knew she was dying bit by bit, but he refused to let her surrender to death. “Tell me where Prince Kell is, and I’ll let you die.”

Zara met his gaze, wondering if he meant what he said. Death would be bliss compared to what she was going through now. She’d never tell him the truth, but would it be worth giving him a lie so this would all end? The cold, numb abyss of death beckoned to her. She wrestled with her conscience before replying, “I know nothing.”

Shouts now came from the courtyard below, rising through the open window and bathing her with a moment’s respite. She hung on the words she could make out. Slaves. Revolt. Ranellians. The corners of her mouth rose. She might die, but others would carry on her mission.

Ermane paused long enough to listen to the same shouts, his face twisting with fury when he turned back to her. “You never stood a chance with your little rebellion.”

She let her grin widen. Time to give him a different answer. “You’re wrong.”

A howl of frustration spilled from his mouth before the blade swiped across her throat.

Chapter 32

Arden held her breath as Dev leapt from the unsteady boat to the boulder along the cliff. He landed lightly on his feet, never wobbling even when the current yanked the rope in his hands. He pulled the boat to the rock and secured the rope. “Hurry—I don’t know much longer it will hold.”

A snap from the worn hemp only added to his warning. Arden took his hand and jumped from the small rowboat to the boulder, followed by Bynn and Kell. Her breath billowed out around her mouth in the pre-dawn chill.

“If I remember correctly, the gate is this way.” Kell waved for them to follow as he inched his way across the pile of rocks that formed a narrow beach between the river and cliff. “Found it!”

Arden held onto Dev as they picked their way forward over the slippery surfaces. Nestled in a crevice stood an old iron gate similar to the one she’d gone through when she took on Sulaino. It blended in so well with the rocks, she would’ve never known it was there. She reached out to touch it, searching for a crackle of magic but finding none. “It hasn’t been sealed by the Thallians.”

“That bodes well for us.” Kell stepped aside to make room for Bynn. “Time to challenge your lock-picking skills.”

Seconds ticked by with the beating of her heart, punctuated by the occasional curse from Bynn as he navigated the rusted locking mechanisms. At last, a creak came from the lock, followed by the groan of the door hinges.

The sky was lightening behind them, but the tunnel ahead remained dark and foreboding. Arden conjured up a ball of light. Dev added his, and together, they stepped inside.

“Just as I remembered,” he said, giving her a wry grin.

“We’re wasting time.” Kell pushed past them, reaching the edge of the light in a few strides. “Let’s go.”

“I hate the dark almost as much as I hate magic,” Bynn muttered behind them as they followed.

“I can always turn off my spell,” she replied.

“No, don’t,” he said with an edge of panic in his voice. “Just keep up with Kell so we don’t get lost.”

The tunnel wound up the cliff in a series of circular stairs before flattening out into the main chamber where she’d attacked Gandor and Larenis after they’d wounded Dev.
“This looks familiar,”
she said to Loku, carefully dropping one of her shields.

“Yes, my little Soulbearer, it does. Care to free me a bit more so I can help you?”

She bit her bottom lip. She’d released him enough to where he could offer a warning, but she knew better than to give him too much leeway in a time like this.
“We’ll see.”

“You know you don’t stand a chance without me
.
”

As much as she suspected he was right, she refused to give into the temptation to free him right now. Arden slipped her hand into Dev’s, letting him ground her enough to push those doubts out of her mind.
“If we need you, I’ll let you free
.
”

“Oh, that’s so generous of you. Perhaps I’ll do nothing in return
.
”

She squeezed Dev’s hand, Loku’s threat not fazing her a bit. She knew what leverage she had over him.
“If I die, then you’ll lose me as your Soulbearer
.
”

Dev squeezed her hand in return. “Staying grounded?”

“Absolutely.” She continued to hold his hand until they came to the door leading to the castle.

The shouts on the other side caused all the men to draw their weapons. Arden pressed her ear against the door, noting the tingle of magic against her cheek as she did.

“Put those Thallian scumbags in there until we can throw their bodies over the walls,” a woman ordered. Her voice was too common, too rough to be Zara’s, but she still issued commands with authority.

“I think it’s safe to move forward,” Arden whispered, “but there’s a ward over the door.”

Bynn cursed, but Kell came toward her with his sword. “If it’s anything like what Nelos used, this should work.”

He wedged the tip into the gap between the door and the frame. A shower of blue sparks exploded from around the door, driving away the shadows. Kell dragged the sword around the brim, cutting through the magic ward with every inch.

“Very clever,”
Loku hummed.
“We must get our hands on that sword one day.”

“I’m not stealing from Kell.”

“But think of all the fun we could have with it. Nothing would be off limits to us.”

When Kell reached the bottom, the door swung open to reveal a group of kitchen workers armed with pots and pans. An older woman with coarse features stood in front, her frying pan raised like a sword in one hand and a butcher’s knife in the other. “Who are you, and what kind of magic are you using on us?”

Kell stepped into the light, a boyish grin on his lips. “Liverna, how are you this lovely evening?”

The frying pan dropped to the cook’s side, and she approached him with a pale face. “By Lady Moon, is that you, Prince Kell?”

“Yes, Liverna, I’m finally home.”

Her disbelief turned to joy, and a smile wrinkled her already lined face. Her reaction spread through the kitchen staff, filling the once hostile cellar into a welcoming space.

“What? How?” Liverna wiped her brow and shook her head. “By the third moon, how did you get inside?”

“The river tunnel and a little help from my friends.” He ushered the rest of them inside.

Arden waited for a note of suspicion to hang in the air when she and Dev entered, but the kitchen staff had obviously been in the palace long enough to remember them. They kept their distance, but didn’t hinder their passage.

“Tell me what’s happened,” Kell said.

“Where do I start, Your Highness? First, Decindra fell to her death out of one of the tower windows. Then Ermane locked himself up in the king’s old quarters, ranting like a lunatic for the last few hours but not letting anyone in or out. Once we saw our armies gathering outside the city, we decided it was time we took back the castle.” She pointed to the pile of dead Thallian soldiers in the corner. “I would toss them out with the trash where they belong, but Ermane has us all locked in here with one of his magical spells. Even the Thallians can’t get out.”

Bynn stopped in front of Liverna. “Have you seen my sister? She’s about so tall, gray eyes—”

“You mean the girl who took Sagalia’s place?” Fear replaced the pride that had lit up the cook’s face. She stepped back, her eyes darting to the others as though she wanted someone to answer instead of her. “Last we saw of her, she was trapped with Ermane.”