Bound (39 page)

Kira, you can’t go that way. It’s a dead
end.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Kira tried
to stop the shivering.
How do I get out then? I can’t go back
out there and I’ll freeze if I stay in here.

There was a long pause before Lydia answered.
Her thoughts seemed broken and jumbled.
Jump . . . water will
take you . . . falls.

What? You’re not making any sense.
Kira felt the Crystor warm around her wrist.
Lydia, how bad are
you hurt?

I’m okay. Gregor is trying to stitch it up.
He wants to give me something for the pain, but it will make me
sleep. I need to be awake for you . . . for Altaria.

With all the commotion, Kira had completely
forgotten about Altaria.
Can you hear Altaria? Can she hear
you?

No, I tried, but there’s nothing.

Altaria, can you hear me?
But only
silence answered. “Altaria, can you hear my voice?” As she listened
for a response, her shivering slowed and a warm sensation swelled
within her. It continued until she felt as if she was completely
engulfed in a thick wool blanket. It felt strange, almost foreign,
like their souls had somehow bonded. Like finally, they were
friends.

“Okay, you can hear my voice and not my
thoughts. That’s good.”

Lydia, she can hear me. Tell me what to do.
Is Octavion there?

But Lydia didn’t answer.

Lydia?

Jump . . . the water will take you to the
falls . . . it dumps out there. You need to be . . . careful . . .
watch for jagged rocks. When you hear a loud rush . . . deep
breath.
Another long pause.
Kira?

I’m still here. Then what?

Hurry.

The urgency of Lydia’s thoughts caused her
heart to race and her night vision to brighten. “Okay Al, this
water’s gonna be really cold, so keep that warmth coming or we’ll
never make it.” Kira stepped to the edge of the cavern and looked
down. She couldn’t see the water, not even with her new gift of
sight.

An eruption of voices echoed through the
narrow corridor. Shandira shrieked out several commands right
before something solid hit the wooden door. Fear surged through
Kira and for a brief moment, she couldn’t move. Then she heard door
explode off the hinges and Shandira’s voice ordering her men to
hunt her down. It was now or never. Kira took a deep breath, closed
her eyes and jumped.

The water came sooner than she expected,
drawing her down into its depths. She frantically kicked to the
surface and gasped for her next breath. Rushing fast and wild, the
underground river forced her into the jagged walls and pulled her
under with its current. More than once, she had to duck to avoid
being struck by low hanging rocks. When her ears filled with the
rush of the falls, she took a deep breath and held it. An instant
later she was airborne as she shot out with the water and plummeted
into the deep pond below. She came up flailing for something solid
to cling to. Pulling herself up on the rocky ledge, she collapsed
there, soaked and shivering violently. Whatever warmth Altaria had
given her before had been lost in the frigid water.

“Al, I’m cold.” By the time Kira rung out her
hair and shirt, the warmth had returned and so had most of her
strength. Her determination to escape with her life propelled her
forward with renewed confidence.

After checking for leaches, she weighed her
options, deciding to make her way down the narrow canyon to the
meadow instead of hiding out at the falls. If Shandira’s men
figured out she’d jumped, they’d be right behind her and she
couldn’t risk being captured again. She’d have a better chance of
getting out through the canyon.

Kira ventured down the trail that wound
alongside the river. It didn’t take long for her to reach the place
where Cade had hidden with a full view of the meadow. She scanned
the canyon where the bodies still lay where they’d fallen. An eerie
silence gave way to the rumbling of thunder in the distance. A
flash of light, followed by a loud crash startled her enough to
bring her to her knees. She had to be sure it was safe before going
out in the open. She waited and watched.

Only a few moments had passed before she
caught movement in front of her. The Royal that injured Cade was
still alive. Kira ducked behind a rock. She had to get past him. It
had been hours since the battle and he still lay exactly where he’d
fallen, yet he’d not bled to death, nor had Shandira and her men
come for him. It didn’t make any sense.

A clap of thunder made her jump. Her heart
raced. She peeked around the edge of the rock and searched the area
around the fallen man. A sword lay at his side. If she could get to
it without him seeing her, she could finish him off and be on her
way. She sat back on her heels and inhaled deeply. It was one thing
to kill a man from a distance—quite another to do it face to face.
She’d have to summon all her courage and try not to think about
it—to just do it. Then she remembered he was a Royal. With his
enhanced senses, he would surely hear her approaching. He probably
already knew she was there.

She let out the breath she’d been holding.
She had no choice. If she was to get away, he had to die. She
slowly stood and walked the distance between them. As she
approached, the man reached to his side and took the sword by the
hilt. He made no attempt to lift it from the ground, but held it
firm in his grip.

“You are Octavion’s pet.” He breathed in,
cringing with pain. “And now you mean to kill me.”

Kira didn’t respond. She knew she wasn’t as
strong as him, but the adrenaline flowing inside her was fueled by
Octavion’s blood, and it boiled within her. Like when she shot
Luka, she didn’t even think about what she was doing—she let
instinct be her guide. She took the two steps to his side, kicked
the sword from his weak grip, and bent to pick it up. It took both
hands to lift it from the ground, the heavy point dragging across
the dirt before she brought it up in front of her and let the tip
rest over his heart.

A sinister grin crossed his face. “They are
coming now. You will not escape.”

Another loud crack came from behind her, but
this time there was no flash of light. The sound echoed off the
walls of the canyon and didn’t seem to stop. It was enough of a
distraction for the man to grab Kira’s ankle and pull her off
balance. He grabbed the blade between his palms and pushed it from
his chest. Kira stumbled back, dropping the sword.

With another crack, the canyon filled with a
bright flash of light. Near the creek, a funnel cloud appeared.
Coming closer and closer to the ground, it stirred a strong wind
that snapped small branches from nearby trees and sent them flying
into the whirlwind.

As it touched down, it turned on its side and
slowed. The center opened up to expose a black hole.
Another
portal to Ophira?
she wondered. Kira’s senses began to shut
down and she realized more Royals were coming. She jumped to her
feet and took off running toward the trees, passing the man she’d
killed with her arrow. She managed to get to an outcropping of
rocks before she heard men’s voices yelling and cursing. Ducking
behind one of the boulders, she tried to catch her breath.

Some of the voices seemed to get further
away, but one she heard clearly, and he was close.

“I have found Eros,” he yelled.

Kira leaned around the rock. There was a mass
of underbrush between her and the voices, but she could still see
fragments of the canyon through the branches. Not far off, a young
man lifted the dead Royal from the ground, then vanished,
reappearing an instant later near the opening of the funnel. He
handed the limp body to an older man. A few seconds later, the
young one knelt near the man Kira tried to kill. He leaned down and
listened to what the man whispered. Slowly, his rescuer lifted his
head and looked in Kira’s direction. He drew in a deep breath and
smiled. He’d caught her scent.

“Draego! Collect your cousin. We must go.” A
man near the opening raised his hand into the air and motioned
toward the funnel.

“Another day, perhaps,” Draego promised Kira,
his voice carrying easily over the distance. He transformed,
exposing his teeth in a snarl. Then he was gone.

Kira couldn’t move. She wanted to run, but
she couldn’t take her eyes off the scene in the canyon. Several men
had stepped through the hole into the meadow, collected the bodies
and were now being sucked into the funnel one by one like they were
at the end of a powerful vacuum. Only two remained when Shandira
appeared, ordering the men to hold the doorway open until she could
collect her men. Draego stepped from the opening and blocked
Shandira’s path to the hole. There were no words, but Kira
understood what was going on.

He’d refused her entry.

Shandira vanished, reappearing an instant
later near the entrance, but Draego was faster. He took her to the
ground and held her there until the rest of his men had been drawn
into the funnel. He let go and dove for the opening as it sealed
shut. The force of the wind was so strong Kira had to tuck her hand
into a crevice in the rock to keep from losing her balance. It
lasted several seconds before the funnel blended into the storm
clouds with another flash of light and deafening crack of thunder.
The ground trembled under Kira’s feet for a moment—and then,
suddenly, the eerie silence engulfed the canyon once more.

Shandira still lay on the ground, holding a
wound in her stomach. She rolled onto her elbow and pushed to her
feet. She glanced to where the funnel opening had disappeared
before slowly turning her focus in Kira’s direction. Her face
twisted into a mask of hatred and rage.

“Al, we’re in trouble.” Kira whispered. She
was pretty sure Draego had given her location away, but regardless,
she had to get out of there.

Kira wasn’t ready for what came next, nor was
she surprised. Shandira disappeared from the meadow; Kira sprang to
her feet and took off toward the boulders where she’d hidden during
the battle. If she could get to her bow, she might have a chance
against Shandira. She was half way there when Shandira’s sudden
appearance affected her senses. Kira’s legs sluggishly fought to
move through the dark fog that surrounded her as Shandira blocked
her way.

Kira changed direction to avoid her, but was
blocked when Shandira appeared in front of her again. She grabbed
Kira by the neck and took her down in an explosion of fury, her
razor sharp teeth only inches from Kira’s face.

“Let go of me!” Kira struggled to get loose,
but Shandira’s hold on her was too powerful. Kira had landed on her
back with Shandira straddling her hips. She had both her arms
pinned to the ground. Kira kicked and squirmed, but Shandira didn’t
budge. She merely smiled.

“Perhaps you are ready to meet my new
friends. They like feisty, little things.” She jumped to her feet
and jerked Kira from the ground. When they leapt to a wooded area,
Shandira threw Kira to the ground, her face in the dirt.

“Here boys, I brought you a gift.” Shandira
laughed, giving a swift kick to Kira’s ribs.

The pain seized the first breath Kira managed
to take after the violent leap and left her gasping for air.
Grabbing her side, she pulled her legs up underneath her and
brought her head up just enough to see two sets of boots. The
Darkhords—Zerek and Nigel.

“A tasty treat,” Zerek said. He grabbed her
hair and pulled her up to face him. “Don’t fight me.”

Shandira grabbed at her stomach again, this
time stumbling back against a tree. “Tie her up and don’t let her
out of your sight.” Her face paled more with every word.

Kira took a swing at Zerek’s face, barely
missing. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her, sending a
jolt of pain through her shoulder.

“Stop,” she cried.

“Perhaps she could be of use to you
Princess,” Zerek said. “She is your sister’s healer.”

“Is this true? You can heal?” Shandira still
leaned against the tree, glaring at Kira from behind several
strands of long dark hair. She pulled up her blood soaked shirt to
reveal a make-shift bandage wrapped around her middle, the stained
section in the center slowly growing.

“No,” Kira said. “He’s lying.”

Shandira leaned forward and pushed up the hem
of Kira’s shirt. “If he’s lying, where is your wound?”

“You missed.”

“Then why do I smell your blood?” Shandira
let go of Kira’s shirt, slipped her dagger from its sheath and
touched the point of the blade to Kira’s throat. “Heal me, or I
will slit your throat.”

“Go ahead, kill me. I don’t care.”

Shandira smiled. “Perhaps you will change
your mind after I let these boys have their way with you.”

Zerek leaned close to Kira’s ear, a
sweat-soaked lock of hair flopping over his face. “Don’t worry
about them, they won’t want you when I am finished.” Then he kissed
her full on the lips and cupped his hand over her breast.

Kira felt Octavion’s blood boiling insider
her as she shoved him away. “Don’t touch me!” When he leaned in for
another kiss, she twisted around, delivering a swift kick to his
leg and drove her shoulder into his chest. He stumbled back,
hitting his arm against a tree. The force of the blow loosened his
grip on Kira’s arm and she was free. She grabbed the dagger at his
side and thrust it out in front of her.

Shandira laughed. “Cael, she’s all
yours.”

The Royal who’d escaped from Octavion
appeared, grabbed the knife and picked Kira up by the front of her
shirt. He held her there long enough to draw in her scent before
tossing her aside. She hit the dirt and rolled, striking her back
on a stump. It took her a minute before she could refill her lungs,
but by then Cael had her on her feet with his hand knotted in her
hair. He pulled her head back with a jerk and brought his face
close to hers. “Run again. I’d love to avenge my brother. Or, don’t
you see the resemblance.”