Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) (27 page)

"If you had support within the
court–"

"It would mean nothing at
all," she interrupted. "One person, a dozen people, will not change
how I would be viewed. Prince…Shael is the one who needs support now, not
me."

"I'm quite certain the prince can
take care of himself."

"Then you don't know him," she
said flatly.

Baelan started and then gave her an
assessing look. "I know him better than you."

The childish rebuttal made her laugh.

"We were friends once," he
continued softly.

Even she understood what that meant.
Prince had no friends, and hadn't for a very long time.

He continued in the silence. "We
played together as children. We learned together as we grew, and yes, I can say
we were friends."

"Until?"

He smiled ruefully. "Until we were somewhat
older than you. The court, the politics, his duties, got to him then. He became
untrusting and cold, as most do." The Elf looked off to the side, lost in
memories. "He pushed everyone away." He shook his head. "I
suppose it was for the best, given the life he was to lead and power he grew to
hold."

"Everyone needs someone," she
said quietly.

"You think I didn't try?" Looking
away, a frown crossed his beautiful face. He brushed a silver lock of hair away
and shrugged a shoulder. "Time has not changed what we had, not for
me."

"Does he know that?"

"You ask too many questions,"
he muttered. "I was supposed to be learning about you."

"You have been." She smiled at
the confusion crossing his face. "I love him, and he knows that. No matter
what you may have told him, or what you may believe, he is the one I gave my
heart to. I fell in love with
him
. Not his crown or his power, just
him." Leaning back, a weary sigh escaped her. "I'm so tired of having
to explain myself."

"It is unfortunate you aren't good
enough for him."

Even though she knew his words were
true, at least from an Elven point of view, they still cut her deeply. No
matter what she did, how hard she trained or what power she learned to control,
she would never be an Elf and she would never be immortal.

Clenching her jaw, she kept her chin up.
What they thought didn't matter. What did was how Prince reacted to it. Perhaps
he was the one not strong enough if he wouldn't fight for her. She looked down
at her clenched fists. Honestly, she didn't know if he would, or if he'd let
his ideas of duty win over her.

"Such expressions on your face.
What are you thinking?"

His smile was soft, kind…and she didn't
trust it for a moment. "Want to make another try at reading my
thoughts?"

Sultry lips twisted into a wry grin.
"I think not." His head tipped slightly to the side and his gaze
dropped to the floor.

Recognizing someone was speaking with
him, she kept quiet.

"The matter of Lord Vesrin should
be settled soon enough."

The comment surprised her. "Settled
in what way?"

"He and those working with him will
be returned to Rivenward, dead or alive. Either way, you will no longer need to
worry."

"Dead or alive?"

"You must understand the royal
family will not tolerate their insubordination and what they have done to our
prince."

She knew they didn't care about her, she
being merely a pawn Vesrin used against Prince, but their lack of caring rather
rankled. "Yet they only sent you?"

Baelan laughed gleefully and clapped his
hands. "You are quite amusing."

She didn't understand what he was
laughing about. Were there others, or was he quite simply powerful enough to
deal with Vesrin and his men alone?

"I too, will not tolerate the pain
they have caused him." Leaning forward, his sweet beauty distracted her
once again. "It would be wise to remember this. I will ensure the safety
of my prince."

The sudden coldness of his tone startled
her, leaving her once again at a loss for words. "I don't–"

Roan interrupted her.
Arowyn, remain
in the room.

I…what? Why?

Sudden shouts made her look toward the
door.

Baelan stood. "Ah, they have
arrived."

"Who?" She scrambled to her
feet in alarm.

Just. Stay. There. Baelan will protect
you until I arrive.

A loud, rumbling crash shook the entire
house. Yells and screams grew louder.

Baelan adjusted his sleeves, appearing
unconcerned about the havoc going on within the warehouse. "Vesrin and his
men are attacking." His eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Have you any
weapons?"

Chapter 23

The Rush of Battle

By the time she grabbed her belt from
Roan's drawer, the other from her pack, and buckled them on, Baelan paced
before their closed door. The sounds of fighting didn't lessen, but grew louder
and closer. The house shook again and she braced herself on a bedpost.

"What is that?"

"Rune magic."

Of course it was. She looked wide-eyed
at the Elf, and he gave her a boyish grin.

"So you'll be fighting with
runes?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "We shall
see. Such magic was not given to us to fight each other, yet we still manage
somewhat. Collateral damage so to speak." He glanced over at her and
winked. "Humans have no such protection. I suggest you keep out of the
way."

She recalled quite easily the last time she'd
gotten hit with a rune and gave him a sharp nod of agreement.

Something banged against the door and
they both turned quickly to face it.

"Come now, girl. Open the
door!"

She glanced at Baelan. "Who is
that?"

"Not Vesrin," he answered with
a frown.

"Time for us to go, little
one."

She shook her head. "Are they not
here to kill me?"

"Apparently not. Which isn't a good
thing."

"I know." She scowled.

Something crashed into the door again.

"Well, we can't have that,"
Baelan muttered. He pointed to the bathroom door and then raised a finger to
his lips for her to be quiet. She shook her head. He glared, pointing more
forcefully. "Go," he whispered.

Grinding her teeth, she did as he asked.
Fighting Elves with magic wasn't exactly something she could do anyway.
Slipping into the room, she closed the door most of the way and waited close
by. She didn't want to risk losing her escape if the Elf outside decided to try
the bathroom door to the hallway.

Peeking through the small crack she'd
left, she jerked back when the bedroom door suddenly exploded into the room.
Baelan attacked at once, and it didn't take her long to decide she didn't want
any part of that battle, or to be anywhere near it. If Baelan fell, she had no
chance.

Moving as quietly as possible, she
backed away from the door and moved to the other. Unlatching it carefully, she
crouched to the side and pulled it open a crack. Finding the hallway deserted, she
opened it farther and moved into the hall, keeping low and quiet.

Peeking into the bedroom, she winced at
the destruction. Roan wouldn't be pleased, at all. Baelan appeared to be
holding his own, fighting the other Elf, both with his sword and tossing runes.
The other Elf had his back to her. She frowned; he didn't look to be the one she'd
gutted.

Taking a deep breath, she leaped passed
the door and continued in a quick jog down the hall.

Where are you going?

She grinned at Baelan's irritated voice.
Away from fighting Elves.

Roan is going to kill me.
After a brief
pause he continued,
I suggest you not go far. It is unlikely this one came
alone.

"Rot." Nearing the room at the
end of the house, she moved into the shadows along the wall. Loud fighting
continued, but it still only came from outside.

She heard a crash behind her and dropped
into a crouch, turning to the look down the hall. Whatever the Elves were
doing, they at least kept it to the bedroom.

Turning again, she surveyed the common
room. Furniture was pushed about, and the door hung open, but not a lot of
damage had been done. Seeing a body sprawled near the door, she crept over to
it and grimaced down at one of the men. Evan? Something like that. Checking him
over she found he still lived.

Something moved behind her, and she
whirled around, surprised to find the wide-eyed face of the boy crouching by a
tipped over table.

"There another way out of
here?"

He shook his head wildly and she cursed
under her breath. Looking around the room, she saw the back corner would work
as a hiding spot. Grabbing the man under the arms, she dragged him over, hiding
him behind a jumble of furniture. The boy followed her and moved into hiding as
well.

"There any bandages about?" A
nod. "Good, if you can get them, wrap his wounds tight. Try to stop the
bleeding. Otherwise, just…hide." Another vigorous nod. Sighing, she rubbed
her forehead. "Try to stay safe."

She made it back to the door, wincing
once at another loud noise from the bedroom.

Something jumped through the door, and she
reared back, drawing her daggers.

Raythe crouched across from her, sword
drawn. He blinked in surprise when he saw her. "Are you hurt, miss?"

"No," she answered, keeping
her voice low. "What's the word?"

"Rotting Elf took out our archers.
Right side of the landing is gone. Just humans out there right now. We're
holding our own."

"Where's Silas?"

He glanced away, and her heart dropped
to her stomach. "He got injured when they rushed us." He ran fingers
through his chestnut hair. "I couldn't leave him…"

Reaching out, she grasped his arm.
"Hey, you don't leave friends."

He snorted. "He's my brother.
Twin."

She blinked at that. The two were so
different she'd never have made the connection. "Family's always
first," she said finally.

Giving her a weak smile, he shook his
head and winced. "Roan's going to kill me." At her confused look he
continued, "We're supposed to protect you."

"I'm fine." She winked.
"He doesn't need to know."

That got a weak laugh out of him.

"Your brother safe?"

He nodded. "I got him hidden out of
the way so he can heal."

"Good." She jerked her head in
the direction of the bedroom. "Baelan's dealing with the Elf."
Shifting forward, she peeked out the door into the warehouse. The fighting
seemed centered near the bottom of the stairs, though a few other groups fought
as well. "They could use some help."

He shook his head quickly. "Not a
good idea."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'll not have
them die for me while I sit up here. Come or not, I don't care."

"You are very frustrating."

"Yes, yes I am," she muttered,
looking out again. "Don't suppose you can shift?"

"Roan would certainly kill me then."

Why was everyone suddenly saying Roan
would kill them? Had she missed something? "Shame. I imagine they'd clear
out pretty quickly if you did." Moving forward, she peered around the door
one last time and grinned. The archers may be gone, but she saw a bow and
quiver within reach.

"Miss, I really must insist
you…"

Swinging around the doorframe, she kept
low as she went out onto the landing. Moving quickly, she scrambled across the
rough wooden boards and grabbed the bow and quiver before hastily taking cover
behind one of the railing posts. They might not have archers, but that didn't
mean someone wouldn't throw a knife at her.

As she settled the quiver over her
shoulder, she glanced at the door to see an unimpressed Raythe still cursing.
Turning her attention to the fighting below, she pulled an arrow and set it to
the bow. Leaning around the post, she started firing rapidly, glad she'd
decided to get back in practice with the weapon. She aimed for enemy farther
out, the fighting down below too close for comfort. She didn't want to hit
friend instead of foe. At least she knew Roan's men by sight, if not by name,
and quickly picked off targets until, reaching back, she found the quiver
empty.

Arowyn, is all well there?

Tossing the quiver down onto the head of
a man below, she quickly hid behind the post once more and debated how to
answer Roan.

It's loud. Baelan is trying to distract
me. I think he's flirting with me,
she lied.

He'll flirt with anything with two legs.
Don't take him seriously.

She mentally laughed.
I'm not. Where
are you?

Within the city, but Garsin ambushed us.
I'll be there as soon as I can.

It took her a moment to remember Roan had
named Garsin as the Elf she'd gutted.
Be safe
, she thought finally, not
sure what else to say.

You as well. Stay in the room!

Rising to her feet, she kept the bow in
her hands as she moved to dart down the stairs. She actually bumped into
Raythe's back as he appeared in front of her.

"Try not to do anything
stupid," he grumbled loudly over the noise.

"Got your back," she replied.

He glanced over his shoulder at her in
surprise. Giving him a little push, she took a settling breath and they both
bolted down the now rickety stairs. At least it didn't collapse.

When they reached the bottom, she didn't
have time to think any other useless thoughts. Swinging the bow to clear the
area around her, she and the Were pressed into the fighting below.

Calm settled over her as she swung and
dodged until she used the bow to pull a sword from an enemy's hands. The string
broke suddenly. She tossed it to the side to pull both of her daggers.
Following Raythe, she danced through the men, spinning, kicking, slashing, and
stabbing. The sounds of clanging metal, grunts, and screams faded around her.

Vaguely she heard, "That's
her!" Men pushed toward her but none were quick enough to get by her
blocks.

Raythe stepped back into her, avoiding a
slashing sword, and she shifted to the side. A huge man swung his sword down at
her and she blocked, catching the blade on crossed daggers. The strength of the
blow jerked her hands back and she took the hilt of one of her blades in the
side of the mouth. Pushing back and to the side as she twisted, she disarmed
the man. Cursing loudly, she sprung forward, swinging a leg out to catch the
man behind the knee, and drove a blade into his chest. It caught in his ribs,
and she cursed again, abandoning the weapon.

Twirling around she spit out a mouthful
of blood and found another target. Ducking down under another blade, she drew
one of her boot knives and fought on.

"Down!"

Bending at the waist, Raythe's sword
skewered a man behind her. She spun, took a hit against her arm, ducked and
struck. A blade sliced across her thigh, and she turned again, only to find the
Were already engaging the opponent. Not feeling the wound at all, she still
quickly checked the damage with her mind. Finding no major arteries hit, she
ignored it and slashed at a man coming up behind Raythe.

He turned on her, however, his original
target spun and sliced through the man's side.

Suddenly, no one stood before them. She
blinked and let out a slow breath.

You fight well.

For a girl?

Raythe laughed.
If I even thought
such a thing my mother would box my ears
.

A grin twisted her lips, and she winced.
Tongue probing the inside of her split lip, she looked around. Few of the enemy
still stood. The fighting had moved her away from the stairs and become more
spread out. Bodies littered the ground. How many had they lost?

Sensing someone behind her, she spun,
dagger raised.

A hand blocked her strike, strong
fingers curling around her wrist.

"What, exactly, do you think you're
doing?"

Dropping her arm, she grinned at Baelan.
"What does it look like?"

Frowning, he shook his head. It rather
disgusted her how beautiful he still looked, even with hair in disarray and
blood on his face.

His stormy eyes took in her
blood-splattered appearance. "How much of that blood is yours?"

"Not much." Despite a few
aches and the wound on her leg, she'd come out of the fight relatively
unscathed.

The Elf opened his mouth and then
snapped it shut, his eyes darting past her. She turned in time to see the
massive bay doors explode open with such force she suddenly found herself on
the ground.

Scrambling to her feet, she cursed under
her breath. Baelan of course still stood and did not look happy.

The Elf striding through the remnants of
the doors set his eyes immediately on her.

Versin.

"I'll take care of him. Go back to
the–" Humans suddenly ran through the door, at least another dozen of
them. "Or you can deal with that."

With a swift nod, she twirled her
blades. "Done."

Raythe stepped up beside her and she
took the time to cast him a small grin. Fighting without her family left a
strange feeling inside of her, but she wasn't alone in this battle.

The men engaged them. Glancing up, she
saw a glowing rune sail by Baelan. It moved so fast, she reacted on instinct
alone, raising a blade to block it.