Alliance (36 page)

“Dead,” Ryneq hissed, and Lerran didn’t look too surprised, but a sharp gasp from beside them reminded Ryneq that Nysad hadn’t known. He cursed under his breath before turning toward the other cell. Nysad and Eldin were close, brought closer still by the attacks, and Nysad should never have found out about Eldin’s death like that. “The witch caught Vashek with her spells and forced him to land in one of the caves. He carried Eldin and Glaevahl, and the witch killed all three of them.”

Nysad looked between Ryneq and Lerran, the shock evident on his face. Ryneq didn’t want to go into details. It wouldn’t do Nysad any good to know how they’d been killed.

“Lerran?” Ryneq lowered his voice so only Lerran would hear him. “Can I ask what Glaevahl said to you?”

Lerran sighed and turned to face him. “
Khar N’ath. R’ian fir’ik midhle il ar’lith el affek, Hervath afle se’ern loreth ad sol’reth
.” He said the words softly
,
a sad smile on his face
.
“It means, ‘Grieve not. Rid the land of this foul magic, then take me home to Hervath so I may rest eternal in the forest of our ancestors.’”

They settled into silence then. Lerran appeared to have drifted asleep if his even breathing was any indicator. Nysad had his eyes closed, and Peros hadn’t made a sound since Ryneq and Lerran had entered the cells. Ryneq stayed awake, though, his mind awash with possible scenarios of what might happen next.

He knew from their conversation in the caves that the witch meant to contact the elves. From what they’d witnessed up there, Ryneq had a good idea what they planned to do with the riders, but surely they didn’t think the dragons would sit patiently and let her tear away their bonds like that, even if she did hold Ryneq captive.

Footsteps sounded on the steps, and the two guards immediately stood and looked alert. Seran marched around the corner, followed by two guards in Athisi uniforms this time, and the witch.

“Is he awake?” Seran waved in Lerran’s direction.

One of the cell guards reached for a pail of water sitting at his feet and then threw it into the cell over Lerran’s head, making him splutter. “He is now.”

Lerran pushed himself up and leaned next to Ryneq against the wall at the back of the cell. He didn’t flinch when the witch stepped forward, but Ryneq caught the way his hands curled into fists.

“Hurry up, Mariskah. We don’t have all day,” Seran barked, and he
did
flinch when Mariskah snapped her head round to glare at him.

“Oh? You have somewhere to be?” She hummed when Seran didn’t answer, and Ryneq almost wanted to laugh at how easily the king capitulated. “That’s what I thought.” She wrapped her small, pale hands around the bars and peered at Lerran before catching sight of Nysad and Peros next to them. “Besides, I don’t think this will take long at all.”

She focused in on Lerran again. “I need to send a message to Alel, elf. Summon me an
egrath
.”

“Why?” Lerran hedged. “You’re going to kill us anyway. Why should I help you?” Although Lerran knew the plan and was well aware they needed to contact Alel for this to work, they also needed to give the elves time for the dragon’s blood to be ready.

The witch laughed, her black eyes gleaming in the torchlight. “I don’t care about you or your Torserian allies.” She patted the vials of blood at her belt. “I have all I need right here.” Judging from the way her gaze lingered hungrily on Lerran, Ryneq doubted that very much. “But I made a bargain that must be upheld.”

Seran had a smug look, and Ryneq assumed this was the whole reason he allowed himself to be pushed around by the witch. That and the fact he appeared to be terrified of her.

“I’ll make this easy for you. Your debt is paid. No more need die if you do as I ask. Summon an
egrath
, and I will fetch the physician to treat him.” She smiled as her gaze landed on Peros. “As long as there’s still something left to save. The choice is yours.”

Lerran glanced at Ryneq, and Ryneq nodded. “Fetch the physician, then I will call an
egrath
.”

The witch looked victorious as she waved at the guards and told them to fetch Djilak. Ryneq wanted to frown but held it back. It would take at least a day for an
egrath
to get here from Alel. And another day for it to return. That left them with three days until the dragon’s blood would be ready. Lerran could have refused to help, but the witch would no doubt have found a way to change his mind, and Ryneq didn’t want anyone else to die if he could help it. There had to be another way to delay things.

When Seran and the witch left, Lerran shuffled closer and leaned in to whisper in Ryneq’s ear. “The
egrath
only fly in daylight. If we convince them it needs to rest, then I think we can delay things enough for the elders to do whatever they need to.”

Ryneq tamped down the flare of hope at Lerran’s words. They had a long way to go yet. “I will follow your lead.”

Lerran bowed his head and settled back in place, letting his eyes fall closed, presumably catching what rest he could while they waited.

“Nysad?” Ryneq kept his voice low, but the guards looked as though they couldn’t care less.

“Sire?”

“What of the men and our people?” Seran still hadn’t mentioned the villagers hidden in the caves, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been discovered yet.

“The rest of the men are under guard in the barracks. There were many injuries, Sire. I’m not sure if they’re being treated or not.”

Ryneq let his head fall back against the wall. If Seran let wounded men suffer and die needlessly, he was the worst kind of Rodethian scum. The palace had already been taken. He didn’t expect to be treated well as the fallen king, but there was no reason to keep Djilak from treating the men. He would ask when the physician arrived. “And the villagers?”

Nysad leaned a little closer to the bars. “I haven’t heard anything, Sire. If they’ve been discovered, then no one is talking about it.”

His people should be safe even if Seran found them. They were of no threat to him or his men, but Ryneq would much prefer them to remain hidden for as long as possible. They had to come out soon, though. Their supplies wouldn’t last forever. “How long can they stay there?”

“They had supplies for three days at the most, Sire.”

Not long enough. Ryneq hoped Seran had some decency in him somewhere and would allow them back to their homes under guard.

B
Y
THE
time Djilak arrived, Ryneq had drifted into a light sleep, and the opening of the cell door jolted him awake. Lerran stirred next to him, and when Ryneq looked through the bars, Nysad had already moved to give Djilak room to work.

The guard locked the cell door again but remained just outside, keeping an eye on them. Everyone kept quiet as Djilak treated Peros’s leg and the cut across his forehead. Ryneq felt his impatience growing—he wanted to know what Peros’s chances were and also what had happened to the others who’d been injured. Finally Djilak sat back on his heels and snapped his bag closed.

“Well?” Ryneq didn’t care if the guards heard him now.

Djilak cast a glance at Ryneq and Lerran, checking for any injury. “I’ve done what I can. The rest is up to him. I’m sorry I don’t have better news, Sire.”

Ryneq scrubbed his eyes, feeling more tired than he had in days. At least Peros had a fighting chance now. “Have you been able to treat any of the other wounded?”

Djilak frowned. “Not at first, but they let me into the barracks a few hours ago. We lost some, but I believe no more of them are at risk for now.”

The loss of his soldiers made Ryneq want to kill Seran several times over, but at least they were being treated now.

Djilak stood and brushed at his knees to get rid of the dust. “Keep an eye on that arm, Nysad.” He nodded once to Ryneq, and then the guard unlocked the cell to let him out.

They waited for the witch to come back, demanding Lerran to summon an
egrath
now that Peros had been seen by Djilak, but she never came. Their hands were unbound now, and Ryneq rubbed his wrists, trying to subtly hint to Lerran without attracting the guards.

He’d said he could fix the cuff if he had his hands free, and now they were.

Lerran caught his meaning but shook his head. “Not yet, but soon,” he mouthed, and Ryneq let his shoulders slump. They needed to be able to contact the others.

Ryneq tried not to feel frustrated and eventually fell asleep, despite the cold and the hard floor, and prayed that his riders and the elves reached Alel safely.

T
HE
WITCH
returned just after dawn.

“The sun has risen, elf. Call your
egrath
.”

If Lerran was surprised that she knew so much about the elven birds, he didn’t show it. He merely nodded once and closed his eyes. The witch watched him, seemingly fascinated as he sat as still as stone, the barest hint of purple visible when he finally opened his eyes again.

“It is done.” Lerran settled his hands in his lap, and stared back at the witch. “It will take at least a day for the
egrath
to arrive, and then it will need to rest before making the return journey.”

Ryneq hadn’t ever known an
egrath
to need rest before, but he wasn’t about to argue. If the witch believed it, Lerran had bought them another day.

She eyed him warily, but in the end she huffed and left without another word. The guards brought them meager rations and a pail of water—not enough to keep them from going hungry, but more than Ryneq had been expecting.

They didn’t see anyone other than the guards for the day. The hours dragged and Ryneq found himself dozing to pass the time, until he finally fell into a fitful sleep.

T
HEY
WERE
woken again at the same time the following day.

“Bring him.” The witch pointed at Lerran through the bars. As soon as the guards dragged him out, they bound his hands again, making him wince. “Your bird is here, but we can’t get near it.” Lerran smirked, and the witch narrowed her eyes, fixing him with her black-eyed gaze. “If you try anything, I will kill you.” With that she walked out of the cells, with the guards shoving Lerran after her.

Ryneq yawned and reached for the water. He only took a small drink, not sure when they would get anymore, but it was enough to soothe his dry throat. He refilled the cup and passed it through the bars to Nysad.

“Thank you, Sire.” Nysad drank, and just as he handed back the cup, a low groan sounded behind him.

“Water….”

Ryneq leaned as close to the bars as he could, and Nysad shifted to the side to reveal a very pale-looking but conscious Peros. He eyed the cup in Nysad’s hand, and Ryneq quickly took it and refilled it. “Here.”

Nysad helped Peros sit up a little, then held the cup while Peros took a few small sips before collapsing back onto the ground. “Thanks.” He closed his eyes again, but his breathing didn’t even out, so he wasn’t asleep.

“How do you feel?” Nysad asked, handing the cup back to Ryneq.

Peros managed a small pained smile. “Awful.” He licked his lips and half opened one eye. “How do I look?”

“Awful.” Ryneq and Nysad replied at the same time, causing Peros to huff out a laugh.

“Thought so.” He lifted his fingers as though to wave away their concern. “Going to sleep more.”

Ryneq met Nysad’s gaze as Peros drifted back to sleep, and raised an eyebrow.

Nysad’s eyes flicked down to Peros, lingering on the wound on his forehead. “It’s not infected.” He leaned forward a little and lifted the bandage on Peros’s thigh. “Neither is this. And he has a little color now.”

Ryneq relaxed back against the wall. With any luck Peros would pull through; the thought of losing anyone else left a bitter taste in Ryneq’s mouth.

The guard brought them more food while they waited for Lerran to return—days-old bread and some fruit. They hadn’t seen Seran for over a day now, and Ryneq was desperate to find out what had happened to his kingdom and his people. He’d avoided thinking about Seran and his men roaming about the Stone Palace doing as they pleased. He needed a clear mind for what lay ahead of them, and dwelling on Seran would only distract him.

His thoughts inevitably drifted to Nykin—just as distracting, but harder to dispel. The riders would be in Alel now, hopefully working on a rescue plan. Although considering the last rescue plan Nykin had been involved in, Ryneq prayed someone else was doing the planning this time.

Lerran returned what seemed like hours later. As soon as the guard untied his hands, Lerran rubbed his sore wrists, his fingers deftly tracing something over the surface of the silver cuff. If Ryneq hadn’t been paying close attention, he would have missed the way Lerran’s lips barely moved as he mouthed something too quiet for Ryneq to hear. His eyes flashed purple for the briefest of moments, and then he smiled fully for the first time in days.