Bound (40 page)

She’d never seen him that close before, only
from a distance in the canyon. Now that they were closer, she could
see it—he looked just like Bastian. Both had long dark hair, pulled
back at the nape of their neck. High cheek bones set off the thick
black lashes that surrounded their evil stares. Even their voices
were similar. “Bastian . . . is your brother?”

He smiled. “She’s a smart one. Perhaps we
should keep her as a
pet.
”

“She’s wild,” Zerek said. “We’d have to tame
her.”

“But the rewards would be
sweet
,” Cael
said. His laugh was deep and throaty, like someone had stuffed a
bag of rocks down his throat.

“Enough,” Shandira ordered. The color had
completely washed from her face and she seemed to have trouble
keeping her balance. “Nigel, help me to the cave. Cael, you and
Zerek bring her in. If she gives you any trouble, break her legs.
That should keep her from running.”

Kira hadn’t realized they were so close to
Octavion’s lair. She’d come full circle.

Nigel helped Shandira onto a pile of pelts
while Cael forced Kira to the ground next to her. “This better be
your best work. I’m quite inventive when it comes to torture.”

Kira nodded. She felt the warmth within her
increasing and knew it was Altaria’s way of telling her not to do
it. When that didn’t stop Kira, a slight pressure began to push
against her chest and her heartbeat increased. “Al, stop,” she said
under her breath.

Shandira’s eyes shot up. “What did you say to
me?”

“I said, ‘I’ll stop.’ I won’t run.” The
pressure subsided and her pulse slowed.

Shandira lay back on the makeshift bed and
pulled up her shirt. “Cael, help me with this.” Several thin strips
of linen wrapped around her waist, holding the bandage in place.
Cael drew his knife and slipped it next to her skin, cutting the
fabric so the bandage could fall away.

Zerek shoved Kira forward. “Heal her.”

“It’s not that simple. It takes a lot of
energy and it’ll be very painful for both of us.” Kira sat back on
her heals and looked down at Shandira. “Are you sure you want me to
do this?”

Shandira groaned. “Nonsense. I’ve taken much
more pain than you could possibly cause.”

Kira tried not to smile. What she had planned
for her captor would be sweet revenge. The heat rose inside Kira’s
body and she knew Altaria was giving her the added strength it took
to give her sister what she deserved—a massive jolt of excruciating
healing from the Crystor. Kira placed her hand on the wound, pooled
all her energy into her healing and didn’t hold back. She could
feel Octavion’s blood burn through her veins, her eyes sear from
the cold and her heart slam its erratic rhythm against her ribs
with each agonizing beat. Shandira collapsed into
unconsciousness.

Completely spent, Kira slumped to the dirt
floor of the cave, unable to move. She’d delivered the blow
Shandira deserved, even if it had cost Kira all her strength in the
process.

Zerek stood near the cave entrance whittling
on a piece of wood while Shandira slept. He’d tied Kira’s hands
behind her back with a thick strip of leather and forced her to the
ground next to one of the book shelves. While trying not to anger
her captors, she’d managed to overhear several interesting facts
about the Darkords.

For one thing, the process of becoming a
Darkord was slow and agonizing, during which time they lost most of
their Royal gifts. Zerek had been a Darkord for a couple years and
had lost his ability to travel; though he could still share his
thoughts with his brother, Nigel. Even though he was much bigger,
Nigel was the younger of the two and had only been a Darkord for a
few months. He could still share his thoughts, but traveling was
difficult and he could only take himself a short distance. He’d
also lost the ability to speak. Apparently his gift had something
to do with his voice. Zerek teased him endlessly about being mute,
and Nigel let him.

It didn’t take long to notice Nigel seemed
different than the others—hesitant to help in their cause and quick
to distract Cael and Zerek when they taunted Kira. She wondered how
much of his turning against Luka had been Zerek’s idea and if Nigel
had followed along out of loyalty to his older brother.

When Shandira woke, she sent the men out of
the cave so she could change into one of Altaria’s outfits she’d
found while rummaging through a trunk. Before taking off her pants,
she emptied her pockets onto the table. Kira couldn’t see most of
the items, but she did recognize one thing—the heart pendant she’d
ripped from Altaria’s neck. Kira’s body warmed and her pulse
quickened.

“I know,” Kira whispered. “I see it too.”

Kira thought about the story they’d told her
about the necklace and how it was created for their mother who was
a commoner—
Kira
was a commoner. For the first time since
she’d been captured, a flicker of hope rose up in her. If she could
get to the necklace, maybe she could speak to Octavion and get some
help.

When Zerek came back into the cave, Shandira
ordered him to tell the other men to collect the weapons and any of
Octavion’s things that might be useful—she wanted to leave before
dark. Within seconds, all three men returned and began gathering
the books and collections of bottles and boxes from the wooden
shelves. Kira kept her eye on the necklace, but no one picked it
up. Slowly, she scooted closer to the shelves until she could touch
the base with her foot. The men were paying attention to Shandira
who was barking orders for them to hurry—so Kira gave the towering
shelf a shove. It teetered precariously for a moment before
crashing to the floor and knocking the table over. What remained of
the bottles scattered around the room, some exploding glass and
liquid onto Shandira’s clean pants.

“Cael!” Shandira screeched. “Have you no
brain?”

Cael had been the closest when the shelf fell
and tried to catch it. Now he was bent over, picking it up off the
floor. It gave the appearance that he’d sent everything crashing to
the ground. “I did not touch it,” he yelled back.

Kira managed to scoot back to her place
unnoticed, so when Cael turned his focus on her with his
questioning look, she shrugged. No one bothered to pick up the
scattered bottles, nor did they notice the necklace among the
rubble.

“If you untie my hands, I’ll clean up the
mess,” Kira said. She had to get that necklace.

“You think me a fool?” Shandira said,
brushing off the front of her pants.

“No, I’m offering to help. My shoulders and
arms ache from being in one position so long and I thought if you
tied my hands in front, I could help pick up the mess. At least it
would give me something to do.” Kira clumsily got to her feet using
the overturned table for support. “Besides, healing you took all my
strength. I couldn’t run if I wanted to.”

Shandira looked at her suspiciously. “Untie
her but don’t let her out of your sight,” she told Zerek.

Kira turned her back to Zerek so he could cut
her bindings. As he did, he also removed her healing pack and
tossed it in one of the boxes near the door. He grabbed her by the
hair and pushed her to the ground. “Be quick about it.”

Kira grabbed a small box and made her way
through the bottles, retrieving the ones that had survived. As soon
as they turned their backs, she carefully tucked the pendant into
her back pocket, almost being caught when Shandira came through the
cave entrance.

“We are done here. I need to feed.”

Kira held her hands out in front of her. “You
can tie me back up now.”

Shandira smiled, a flicker of disbelief in
her eyes. “Being submissive are we? An act, I’m sure.” Stepping
closer, she took Kira’s hand and, without warning, pulled her into
a violent and painful leap.

When they appeared inside a large wooden
structure, Cael and Zerek were waiting. Zerek grabbed her hands in
front and tied them together, cinching the leather around her
wrists. “Where do you want her?” he asked.

“Throw her in with the beast. He hasn’t eaten
for a while,” Shandira said with a smirk.

Zerek turned Kira around and forced her to
follow Cael. They were in an old barn—stars shone through the holes
in the roof and several of the stalls were missing doors. A damp
musty odor filled her nose.

“Move,” Zerek ordered. He kicked her
backside, knocking her into Cael who turned and hit Kira across the
face with the back of his hand. She stumbled into one of the wooden
support beams. It took her a second to regain her balance and
stand. Her cheek burned, but she refused to let the tears come.

Cael grabbed the handle of a red metal door
and slid it to the side. He clutched the front of Kira’s shirt and
tossed her into a dark room, slamming the door closed behind her.
The bolt latched.

The other part of the barn had been well lit
with lanterns, but the only light in this room was from the moon
shining through a small barred window. A ferocious roar from the
other side of the room thundered in Kira’s ears and sent her
scrambling against the wall. As she drew from her gift and adjusted
her eyes to see, a white figure came into view.

“Toran?” Kira’s heart leapt in her chest. She
started toward him, but he came at her, his razor sharp teeth
gleaming in the dark. Kira stopped short. She heard the solid clank
of chains, followed by his painful cry. Taking a step back, she
slumped to the dirty straw covered floor. Kira’s heart sank. Why
had he done that? They were friends.

Toran’s matted fur was a mass of bloody
streaks mingled with solid black stripes. The heavy chain that
clanked in a ring on the wall pulled at his collar which seemed to
be the main source of his pain. How could they be so cruel? They’d
referred to him as
the beast
, but he was the gentlest
creature Kira had ever met—man included.

“Toran, buddy. It’s me . . . Kira.” She
thought of how horrified Octavion would be to see his friend in so
much pain and held captive by chains. She remembered the chains
that bound Octavion and how Toran had hid himself during that
healing process. Had seeing Octavion bound like this been too much
for him?

Thinking of that day reminded Kira of the
pendant. She twisted her body, trying desperately to reach her back
pocket, but having her hands tied in front made it impossible. The
increased adrenaline she summoned to see better, ignited her
temper. She doubled both her fists and gave the wall a hard punch,
sending dirt and straw raining down from the rafters.

Toran growled, exposing his teeth again.

“I’m sorry buddy. I didn’t mean to scare
you.” She inched her way toward him. She wasn’t afraid, but she
didn’t want him to be either. She’d rather be eaten alive by Toran
than killed at the hands of Shandira and her allies. Kira slowly
offered her hands so he could take in her scent, keeping her
distance. “Toran. It’s okay. You can trust me.”

His eyes met hers and she thought she saw a
flicker of recognition. He growled.

“Shh. I owe you a rub down, remember?”

He cautiously reached with his paw as if
testing her sincerity. She stroked his filthy fur with the tips of
her fingers. “That’s my boy.” She scooted closer and buried her
hands in the fur behind his whiskers. He leaned into her hands and
purred. The tears she’d held back moments before came easily now.
She wasn’t alone after all. She stayed there for a few minutes,
content with touching him and giving him what comfort she
could.

Eventually, Toran rolled over onto his side.
She nudged a little closer—testing his boundaries—then stroked his
fur, stopping when her fingers tangled in mats of dried blood. “Oh,
Toran. I’m so sorry they did this to you.” As hard as she tried,
she couldn’t summon enough power to heal him. Completely spent, she
curled up between his front and back legs with her back against his
stomach. The warmth and security of his body helped her release her
tension and fear, and the constant rhythm of his purr soothed her
to sleep.

Kira woke when she felt Toran’s body stiffen.
As he stood, he growled deep in his throat and exposed his upper
teeth in a snarl.

“What is it boy?” Muffled voices carried from
the other side of the metal door, but Kira couldn’t make out what
they said. When they stopped and the barn fell silent, the door
slid open and Cael and Zerek strolled in. Nigel stood by the door,
his arms folded across his chest. She saw disappointment and regret
in his eyes before he looked away.

Toran jumped to his feet and lunged for Cael,
only to cry out as the chain yanked him back. Sunlight streamed
through the window—shining on the source of Toran’s pain. The thick
leather collar held metal blades against his neck. Whenever he
pulled, the blades drove into his flesh. In addition to the fresh
blood matted at his throat, long gashes sliced across his back.
Kira tried not to think of the torture he’d endured at the hands of
these monsters.

Zerek held a leather whip in his hand. He’d
coiled it like a rope, but when Toran dove for him, he dropped all
but the handle and snapped it in the air. Toran cowered before
jumping at him again. This time the whip hit him square across the
face. Toran cried out and slumped to the floor.

“Stop it!” Kira begged. She crawled to Toran,
examining his fresh wound. Laying her hand over the injury, she
tried to heal it, but nothing happened, not even a hint of burn
from the Crystor.

“The Princess would like a word with you.”
Zerek snapped the whip again.

“She’s no princess—far from it,” Kira
said.