A Soul for Vengeance (4 page)

Her steps slowed as she came to the main gate of the Conclave. Magic hummed along her skin, growing stronger the closer she got. She paused a couple of feet away, the humming morphing into dozens of tiny pinpricks. Any closer, and she feared what pain awaited her.
“How are we going to get past the spell?”

“By tricking it.”
Loku’s magic wrapped around her like a blanket, soothing the prickling fire.
“The spell was meant to keep you from passing through the gate. It wasn’t armed against me.”

Arden knew what was required of her. She’d have to surrender to him if she wanted to sneak past the spell.
“You promise to release me once we’re free?”

“
Upon my soul.
”

As soon as she gave her consent, Loku pushed her consciousness back into a remote corner of her mind. It always felt like this when he seized control of her, like she was watching her life play out in front of her without having any say in what was happening. This time, however, there was no necromancer to defeat, no god to battle, no chaos and destruction. After she’d gone past the gate, he simply released her.

“See?”
he asked as she mounted the horse.
“You can trust me, my little Soulbearer.”

“Perhaps.”

“And the best part of this plan is that your little bracelet there will keep them from finding you. Once we’re past the Imperial City, you’ll never have to worry about being their prisoner again.”

She glanced down at the bracelet the Mage Primus had created for her. The magic inside had been cast to keep Nelos’s servant from finding her, but now it would be used against the creator.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’ve never taken it off.”

“Don’t, because the moment you do, they’ll hunt you down and drag you back to those mithral chains.”
His laughter carried a sinister tone at the end, one that prickled her skin with gooseflesh.
“Yes, my dear Arden, we have many adventures ahead of us. But first, I’ll keep my promise to help you find your mother’s necklace.”

She nudged the horse forward, her vision sharper than it had ever been at night. Her hesitations about going down the mountain at night eased, but she still couldn’t shake the sensation that she’d just landed herself in even bigger trouble.

****

Dev rubbed his face and glanced at the clock for the twentieth time in less than an hour. How much longer could these knights drone on and on about their accomplishments? He knew from the moment he saw them that none of them would be good enough for Arden.

His attention turned to the door, his feet itching to leave and find her. He’d worked so hard keeping this a secret. In a perfect world, he would’ve been able to wait until a new Protector was chosen, thus relieving him of his obligations and allowing him to pursue Arden as suitor.

Actually, in his mind, he saw himself asking her to marry him and then dragging her to bed for a week. Their last kiss still haunted him, still kept him awake long into the night and made his body howl in frustration. Every time he kicked himself for not taking her up on her offer then, he remembered what happened when he let his emotions cloud his judgment. She was aptly named Trouble, and until he knew someone with a clear mind was looking out for her, he couldn’t let anything compromise his duty, no matter how much he wanted her.

Arano, his father and Mage Primus, leaned over and whispered, “Are you even listening to any of them?”

Dev discreetly shook his head. Right now, all he cared about was getting through this and finding Arden so he could apologize for blindsiding her with his news. He’d even come clean with a full confession if it wiped away the look of betrayal that had filled her eyes.

The Empress’s eyes slid toward them, her brow raised. She waited until the last knight finished speaking and stood. “Thank you all for coming. Tomorrow, I will meet with the Mage’s Council to discuss your merits, and from there, the individual interviews will begin.”

Dev bit back a groan. Screw the bloody diplomatic process. Just pick one and be done with it.

As the others filed out the room, the Empress lingered by her throne. Her lips pressed together as sternly as any governess who’d caught her charges splashing around in a mud puddle rather than attending to their studies. “Mage Primus, I’d like to have a word in private with you and the current Protector.”

“My quarters are at your disposal,” his father replied.

They passed through the now empty corridors in silence. At this time of night, most of the students were already in bed. Part of him wanted to sneak away to make sure Arden had done the same, but he doubted the Empress would allow that based on the tone of her order. At least he knew Cinder was with her. If he couldn’t be there, Cinder was a good substitution, especially since the damn wolf practically doted on her.

It didn’t escape his notice that the Lord Chamberlain, Caz di Milori, was notably absent from the Empress’s entourage. As the head of the Milorian family, Caz had successfully ensured that just about every important position in the empire was held by one of his blood relatives, all the way up to the Empress herself. By now, he probably knew Arden was his niece and was most likely already scheming of a way to fit her into his political machine. His absence had Dev even more uncomfortable with the current circumstances.

“May I offer you something to drink, Your Imperial Majesty?” Arano asked as they entered.

“Brandy,” she replied and took the chair closest to the fire. When his father gave her the glass, she nodded. “You may sit now.”

Oh, how gracious of her to give us permission to sit
. Dev missed the days where he was fighting undead and other monsters. Courtly etiquette was a form of torture to men like him. Still, he gave her a tight smile and sat on the edge of the sofa, hoping this conversation would be brief.

Empress Marist took a sip of the amber liquid, her imperial demeanor relaxing. “I take it you never informed the Soulbearer of your request, Sir Devarius.”

“No.”
In case you couldn’t tell by her reaction
.

“May I ask why?”

The muscles in his legs tightened as though they wanted him to spring from the couch and run away from the Empress’s interrogation. He looked to his father for guidance. Only Arano knew the real reason Dev had asked to resign. The Mage Primus had guessed from the moment he saw Dev with Arden that his son had fallen in love with his charge. “I didn’t want her to fly off the handle and do something stupid.”

“As she’s prone to doing,” the Empress finished. She took another sip. “You had frustrating Soulbearers in the past—Syd comes to mind—but you never asked to be released from your vow. What is about this particular Soulbearer that pushed you to this decision?”

“I have my reasons.”

When he refused to elaborate, she turned to his father. “Your son is proving to be a riddle.”

Arano cleared his throat, taking a generous gulp from his own glass of brandy before speaking. His father was an older version of himself, his auburn hair long since faded to gray but his dark green eyes still wily with centuries of experience. “He is a grown man who has served the Empire well for many years.”

“Was this his choice, or was he steered toward it by members of the Mage’s Council?”

He no longer could sit still. “It was my choice,” he said, rising to his feet. “The Mage’s Council knew nothing of this until I approached them with my request.”

Empress Marist tilted her head to the side. “So none of them suggested you resign from your position based on your inability to protect the Soulbearer from Nelos’s servant?”

By Jessup, the Empress could ignite his temper almost as quickly as her cousin. Must be a Milorian family trait. “No,” he said in a clipped voice.

His father spoke before the Empress did. “Considering the events leading up to that night, I’d say Dev has done a remarkable job protecting the Soulbearer.” He took another sip of brandy before adding, “And I’m not just saying that because he’s my son.”

“Of course not,” she replied with a hint of sarcasm. “But since we are on the subject of family, you’ll forgive me if I seem to be just the slightest bit interested in the protection of my cousin.”

A single note of dry laughter broke free from Dev’s lips. “So you’re willing to claim her now, huh?”

“I never denied her. One could tell just from looking at her that she was a Milorian.” A silver halo flashed in her eyes, giving him the sneaking suspicion that the Empress’s interest in Arden was far more than just familial concern.

“Any idea when you’re going to stop keeping her a prisoner of the Conclave?”

The Empress nodded. “I’ll release her when I’m certain she’s not a threat to herself or others.”

“Knowing Trouble, that would be never.” He ran his fingers through his hair, gritting his teeth then he came to the ends sooner than he would’ve liked. He’d cut it short after the fire singed the tips, and it was taking far too long to grow back out. “We’ve done our best to keep her from learning any news about Ranello’s fall, but with your people here, it’s only a matter of time before she learns that bit of news, too.”

“And what do you think she will do?”

“She’s fiercely loyal to a kingdom that would’ve burned her if it hadn’t been for Kell’s intervention. If she thinks her homeland is threatened, she’ll turn to Loku for help once again.”

Empress Marist paled. “We can’t allow that. He’s already gained too much influence over her as it is.” She looked away, taking a long drink from her glass while her eyes flashed silver again. “Our first priority is to continue to train her so she’ll resist Loku’s influence.”

“That’s easier said than done.” The sober realization struck him like a fist to the gut as he added, “She probably trusts him more than she does me at the moment.”

“And is that why you wish to resign?” The Empress came toward him like a golden cat stalking its prey. “Because of your
personal
relationship with her?”

Dev tried to raise his defenses, but he was too late. The Empress had already invaded his subconscious, searching for the answer to her question. She probed the corners of his mind until she discovered the truth. When she found it, her eyes widened, and her lips parted with a faint gasp.

He tightened his jaw, on edge now that she knew his weakness. “You can say that.”

She withdrew from his mind and took a step back, blinking several times. “Very interesting, indeed. This certainly complicates things.”

His father refilled his glass, then the Empress’s. “Now that we all know the truth, what are we going to do about it?”

She kept her back to them, staring into the dying fire while she held her glass in her hand. Normally, she was so in charge, so ready to answer any question brought before her that her silence surprised Dev. At last, she said in a hushed voice, “Does she know?”

The pain in Arden’s eyes appeared before him once again, squeezing his chest and constricting his airways. She’d looked at him as though he’d ripped her heart out and stomped all over it. “No.”

“Why not?” Empress Marist turned around, an odd glitter forming in the corner of her eyes. “If you truly love her, why can’t you tell her?”

He struggled, both to draw in a breath and to find the words to explain his conflicting emotions. “I’m not free to love her as long as I’m her Protector.”

“But you of all people know what fate lies in store for her.” Pity washed over her face. “And yet you’re willing to give up everything to be with her?”

A lump formed in his throat, restricting his speech, so he simply nodded.

The corners of her lips rose into a sad smile. “Then I will do all in my power to help you, Sir Devarius.”

For the first time in weeks, hope—albeit, cautious—bloomed inside him. He bowed to the Empress, wondering why she’d offered to help him after years of their strained relationship. “Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty.”

A knock sounded at the door, ending their conversation. All emotion vanished from Empress Marist’s face, leaving behind her haughty mask of imperial composure. “Enter,” she said.

The Mage Secundus stuck his head into the room, worry adding extra lines to his round face. “Good—all of you are here.”

Arano set his glass aside and stood. “What is it?”

“I was a bit worried about the young Soulbearer after seeing her reaction to this unfortunate business, so I went to speak with her.” He paused, wringing his hands for a moment before saying in one swift breath, “She’s nowhere to be found in the Conclave.”

Redness stained the Empress’s cheeks. “Impossible. My spell prevents her from stepping past the walls. She has to be here.”

The Mage Secudus shook his head. “I’ve searched everywhere. I’ve asked the Mages Tertious and Quartus to help me.”

Dev cornered him. “What about Sazi? Have you checked her tower?”

The Mage Secunduss nodded. “We’ve even tried casting a search spell for her.”

Bitter laughter came from his father. “You won’t find her as long as she still wearing the bracelet I gave her.”

A string of curses exploded from Dev’s lips. Leave it to Trouble to make him look completely incompetent in front of the Empress and the entire Mage’s Council. “Has anyone seen Cinder?”

The Empress snorted. “I think you should be more concerned about your missing Soulbearer than your wolf.”

“You don’t know how much that damn wolf likes her. If anyone can find her, it’s him.” He paused, another possible scenario playing through his mind and turning his blood cold. “Or, if by some chance she’s found a way around the Empress’s spell, he may be with her.”

Shock replaced the Empress’s fury. “Are you suggesting she’d attempt to scale down the mountain in the middle of the night?”

“Yes.” He curled his hands into fists, wishing he had some object of hers to help him form the mental connection he’d had with her when Nelos’s servant had taken her. Arden’s father, Varrik, had the necklace now, though, and he doubted she cared about anything here in the Conclave. He could only use the intensity of his feelings for her, which ran along teeth-grinding frustration at the moment. He closed his eyes and called out her name in his mind.