Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) (33 page)

He killed me!

And yet he is here. Perhaps he can be of
use.
Bo
gave her shoulder a squeeze before stepping back.

She stared at him for a long moment,
trying to control the anger and hate. A year ago, would she have forgiven the
Elf? Perhaps. What had she become?

Sucking in a deep breath, she fought
back against the fury. "How do I know you won't kill me? Or my
friends?"

"I will be devoted to you. Your
wishes will be mine."

His words hit her hard as her thoughts
for some reason turned suddenly to Kei. He wouldn't even recognize her now,
would he?

"I accept," she finally said.

Baelan's whole body relaxed but then
suddenly stiffened. She took a quick step back as strands of power flowed from
his body, wrapping around him, moving and pulsing. He fell forward, hands braced
on the ground. The power found purpose, moving to his wrists and neck. They
condensed there, darkening, piercing.

Baelan cried out sharply and she took
another step back as his entire body twitched and thrashed. His fingers curled,
digging into the hard ground. The strength of the power involved made the hair
rise on her neck and arms.

"Wither me," she muttered,
wondering what she'd just gotten herself into.

As the power faded away, once again her
eyes were drawn to his wrists. The outlines of the links had been filled in.
Her mouth opened and closed again as she saw blood running from them down onto
his hands.

Everyone watched in silence as his body
jerked once more. Slowly he pulled himself back into a sitting position, head
bowed, hands curled gently on his lap. The way he held them, she'd say he was
in a good deal of pain.

Even with the hair still over his face she
saw red flow down his neck and chest, darkening the low collar of his rough
shirt. Did chains circle his neck as well?

"It is done," he said into the
silence.

She looked at Raythe and then Silas. Not
knowing anything about rune magic rather irritated her.
Roan?

How has the meeting gone?

Well, I think he just became my servant.
Or something. I don't know.
She waited for him to tell her she'd been an idiot.

I expected as much.

His response surprised her.
So, how
do I know it worked? That he won't kill me the first chance he gets?

There should be tattooed chains, on
wrists and neck.

There are.
She hesitated.
Are
you leaving now?
He should have left already. That he remained in the city
rather confused her.

The weather has been bad to the north,
but is clearing. I will leave in a few days.

Kei is to return soon,
she blurted
out.

I know. Now deal with your Elf.

He's not my Elf!

Actually, he is.

Silence met his words, a crushing panic
coming over her. She almost said more, but a gust of frigid wind blasted them,
sharp needles of ice striking her face.

Glancing once at Baelan, she grimaced,
hoping she just hadn't made another huge mistake. She turned and nodded to the
Were.
Thank you for your help today.
Spinning on her heel, she headed up
the stairs, Bo and Garen falling in behind her.

After hanging up her cloak, she headed
for the practice room to put her sword away. Bo followed her in and hung up his
crossbow.

"Did I make a mistake?"

Turning to face her, he rested his hands
on her shoulders. "You did well. It wasn't an easy choice."

Sucking in a shuddering breath, she
tried to stay calm. "If he turns on us, if he hurts any of you… I
don't…"

He pulled her close, wrapping his thick
arms around her and giving her a squeeze. "From what I understand, that
won't be a problem."

Pulling back, her thoughts settled
somewhat. Suddenly she groaned. "I don't know if I can look at him every
day. I hate him, Bo. I hate him."

"Shh. I know." He cupped her
cheek in his huge hand. "He can help you. Remember Prince sent him here.
He would never do anything to cause you harm."

True, and frustratingly so. After a few
more deep breaths, she nodded. She'd deal with having the traitor Elf around. She
could avoid him if she needed to. Certainly the spell wouldn't last for too
long and she'd be rid of him.

"I believe he's still outside. You
might want to have him come in before he freezes off some fingers."

With an irritated huff, she returned to
the door, pulling it open and holding it against the raging wind. Baelan
remained where she'd left him, curled in on himself against the wind and ice.

"Get in here you stupid Elf!"

∞ ∞ ∞

Baelan stared down in dismay at the
muddy tracks and puddles he'd left behind him.

Aro crossed her arms and shifted
uncomfortably. She didn't know how to act around him. "You can clean it up
later," she finally snapped. Pointing to the bathroom door, she tried to control
the anger just seeing him made her feel. "Get in there."

His head bobbed once, and with slumped
shoulders, he shuffled inside. He stopped so suddenly she almost ran into him.

"A bath?"

"Yes, a bath. You need one.
Terribly." Moving around him, she instructed him on how to use the water.
Glancing over at him, she realized he thought she'd meant to lock him up
somewhere. Her stomach clenched and a wave of nausea rolled over her. She
wasn't that kind of person.

Yet she'd wanted to kill him, hadn't she?

"Rot," she muttered, running a
hand through her hair. "Baelan," she said more loudly. "Baelan!
Look at me."

Finally raising his head fully, enough
of his hair fell to the side for her to see his dirty face. Darkness circled
his eyes, though from bruises or lack of sleep she couldn't be sure. Those gray
eyes no longer danced with mischief and life, but regarded her in painful
sorrow. What caught her attention was the vivid red scar slashing across his
left cheek and curving up around his eye.

"Elves don't scar," she said
without thinking.

His eyes dropped back to the floor.
"They do when they have no power." At her confused look, he
continued, "I told you they took everything."

"What good are you going to be to
me, then?"

He shifted from one foot to the other.
"It is returned now. When you accepted me. Prince Shael ensured that it
would be so. He, too, thought I'd be no use to you without my power."

The bitterness in his voice rather
shocked her. Perhaps she'd not be happy either having one’s worth be judged by
the power they held.

"Don't take too long." Her
thoughts turned to where she could get some clean clothes for him. Quite
honestly, he smelled.

Finding clothes that would fit proved
more of a challenge, Baelan being taller than her or Kei, but much slimmer than
Bo. Eventually she settled on one of Bo's plain shirts and a pair of loose
pants she'd bought for Kei to sleep in. She'd send him out to get his own
clothes tomorrow. In case the bleeding hadn't stopped yet, she also grabbed a
roll of bandages.

Arms full, she kicked the bottom of the
bathroom door. "You done in there?"

"Yes."

Awkwardly she managed to open the door
and used her hip to swing it wide as she walked in. She stopped abruptly.

Baelan knelt by the tub, bent over the
rim as he scrubbed at his clothes. Thankfully, he'd wrapped one of their towels
around his waist.

The towel didn't hide the array of angry
new scars crisscrossing his back.

"What…who…?" Her words died
off as he sat back on his heels. "Who did that?"

His head tipped to the side slightly, as
if the question surprised him. "The court," he replied quietly, not
looking at her.

"They didn't let you heal that
either?" He shook his head. "Is it too late now?" A small, sharp
nod.

With a sigh, she set down the clothes. She
didn't like how her anger seemed to be so quickly turning to pity. The urge to
comfort him came over her, but she shook it off and grabbed the roll of
bandages. "You're still bleeding," she said as she walked toward him,
noting the red rivulets running down his back. "Is that normal?"

He looked up at her as she approached, gray
eyes wide with some emotion she couldn't identify. "Yes. The strongest
spells hurt the worst when we put them upon us."

She stumbled and froze as he turned to
face her. Tattoos covered his chest, some sliding around his upper arms and
across his shoulders. Her eyes followed them down to his hard stomach until
they disappeared under the towel. How far did they go? She shook that thought
off. Unlike the simple links, they took the form of various complicated runes.

Gathering her composure, she held out a
hand. "Let me wrap them."

For a long moment he stared at her
outstretched hand before settling one of his in it. Stepping closer, she
examined the links. She couldn't see any wound. They just slowly seeped blood.
Frowning, she sharpened her sight and gasped. "They're made from little
runes!"

Baelan nodded slightly. "Yes."

She began to wrap his wrist, eyes
occasionally flicking to his face or chest. As she started on his other hand, she
paused for a moment. "You know," she said softly. "If I ever,
even for a moment, think you mean harm to my family or friends I will kill
you."

"I will not harm them, Arowyn. This
I swear."

She snorted. "On the honor you no
longer have?"

He visibly jerked at her words before
turning his head away, jaw clenched tightly. She finished wrapping his wrist,
content he understood the situation.

He didn't speak again until she was
forced to move closer and kneel before him to wrap the chains around his neck.

"After I was sentenced, and
punished, I…begged the prince to speak with me," he began, voice quiet and
hesitant. "He did, though only because he wanted to know why I hurt you.

"For days we spoke. He told me
about you, and also about himself. I offered to serve him. He refused, but then
he said perhaps you would accept me. However, he would not let me come until he
ensured I now understood his feelings, and yours, and that I accepted
you."

She glanced up at his eyes and wasn't
surprised to see the sincerity in them. Prince would do such a thing.

"I will never hurt you," he
continued quietly, "and I understand how it will be between us. What I
have done cannot be forgotten."

"Did Prince know I wouldn't kill
you?"

Baelan shrugged a shoulder. "He
doubted you would but said it was a possibility. It was a risk I took."

Tying off the bandage, she sat back and
shook her head. "I'm not sure what to do with you."

"Whatever you wish." He tried
to smile but it wavered and faded.

What did he think she would do to him? She
didn't know and didn't want to ask. She wasn't a monster. She wasn't like the
Elves who had whipped him and left him scarred. "I found some clothes,
they won't fit well, but will do for now. I'll have Bo bring some food over
from the inn. You can sleep on the couch." Not looking again at him, she
fled the room.

Chapter 29

Unwelcome News

Sleep did not come easy. Her thoughts
sprang about, as did her feelings. What if she'd been wrong and Baelan would
try to kill them all in the night? With his power returned, she didn't know if she'd
be able to defeat him. On the other hand, images of his tortured body flitted
through her mind, bringing forth feelings of sadness, regret, pity. He'd been
through so much…yet he had betrayed her. Round and round her thoughts went, and
when she did finally sleep the nightmares came. A giant wolf once again chasing
her down.

When she woke, the dream reminded her she
still had yet to figure out what to do about the Were king. Whether or not Roan
had spoken to him on her behalf, she didn't want to rely on the pirate's help.
For a while, she stayed in bed, mulling over what to do or say to the king.

After she got up and dressed, she headed
to the kitchen. Off to the side, she saw Baelan crouched down before Garen,
trying to coax him closer. The Were snarled, fur bristling.

A laugh burst out of her. Apparently
Prince hadn't told Baelan everything if he thought Garen a dog.

"He doesn't like me," the Elf
said plaintively.

"He has good taste," Bo
muttered as he searched through a cabinet.

The Elf stood outside your door all
night,
Garen informed her.
I kept an eye on him.

Thank you. Apparently the spell makes it
so he can't hurt me. I'm not really trusting it, though.

A wise decision. He is a strange one.

That he is.

Baelan gave up and stood.

"Did you eat?"

He nodded once and looked away.

Moving to one of the drawers, she poked
around and finally dug out a small pouch of coins. "Go to the market and
get some clothes." She tossed the pouch at him. "Make sure they're
good quality, a few sets. We'll be traveling in the forest for some time."

Holding the pouch in one hand, he stared
at her in confusion.

"A pack, too," Bo added.

"Yes," she agreed. "And
anything else you might need. We'll be leaving likely within the week." He
frowned in confusion and she explained, "We go to heal the Fey."

"I…see," he said finally.

Her brows rose. "I assumed you were
coming?"

"Yes," he said quickly.

"Well, go on then." She shooed
him toward the door.

"I have no choice." The last
came quietly as he turned away.

Perhaps I should follow him?

She glanced at Garen.
Good idea.
"Baelan, wait!"

When he paused at the kitchen door, she
scrambled through the cupboards, finally finding some jerky. Tossing him a
piece, she forced a smile to her lips. "Try this with him."

Garen trotted up to the Elf, sat, and
wagged his tail.

A tentative smile crossed his lips as he
carefully held out the dried meat. Garen took it gently, scarfed it down, and then
circled Baelan's feet.

"There you go. Pick him up some
more treats if you like."

Baelan nodded and left, walking
carefully as Garen continued to bounce around him. She struggled not to laugh.
Don't
overdo it!

Once she heard the front door close, she
leaned against the counter and crossed her arms, her mirth fading. "I
don't trust him," she said flatly.

"Second thoughts?" She nodded,
and Bo continued, "I'll admit I had them myself last night. What's done is
done."

"I could still kill him," she
grumbled.

"You could…but that's not who you
are." She glared over at him and he shrugged his wide shoulders.
"Being kind, taking care of others, it is part of who you are. It is not
something you need to lose to be strong. You're not a killer, pup."
Walking by, he tapped the top of her head. "Think on that."

"Where are you off to?"

"The inn." He paused.
"Did you need me today?"

She waved him off. "No. I thought
I'd head down to the docks and check one last time about my brothers. Maybe
stop and say goodbye to Roan. The Were can come with me."

After a brief hesitation, he finally
nodded. "Good enough. They're good boys."

When Bo left, she belted on her weapons
and grabbed her cloak. Hopefully she could avoid Baelan as much as possible
today.

∞ ∞ ∞

Raythe followed her around, and mostly
kept out of her way, while she visited the dockside taverns she and Bo had previously
found most promising. A few of the barmen remembered her, some didn't. She
managed to avoid any fights, but also didn't find out any information.

Garen kept in touch, letting her know
when they returned. When Baelan started cleaning, he headed over to the inn.

Leaving the area, she noticed more
people taking note of her and grimaced. Stopping, she turned on Raythe who
followed behind her. "Do I want to ask?"

He winced. "They know who you are,
miss. Especially since you have me following you about."

"Who I am…?" She crossed her
arms and glared. "He forget to tell anyone I left? They all think I'm
still in his bed?"

The Were looked away, finding interest
in a few clouds drifting by.

"One more stop," she finally
said, heading for another tavern. He followed silently behind her.

Pausing once through the door, she let
her eyes adjust to the dim light and eyed the room. Finding nothing alarming, she
headed for the bar. Raythe took a spot just down from her, shaking his head
when the bartender glanced over at him first.

The older man turned his attention to
her then, and after a moment gave a brief start. "I remember you. Been a
while."

She rested her arms on the rough and
sticky surface of the bar. "Thought I'd check in again before I head out
of town. Heard anything about Kingsport?"

The man grinned, showing a number of
missing teeth on one side. Pouring a shot of some clear liquid, he tossed it
back before speaking. "Was hoping you'd come by again. Still paying?"

Raising her eyebrows, she nodded once,
stiffly. A knot formed in her stomach. Digging into a deep pocket she pulled
out a silver coin and slipped it across the bar. "More if what you have is
any good."

The coin disappeared. Folding his arms on
the bar, he leaned forward. "Had a mate in a few weeks back. Used to be in
the Dressan navy."

"What's he doing here?" As far
as she knew, the navy stayed far north, near their own land.

"Misunderstanding regarding his captain's
wife," he paused a moment. "Or maybe it was his daughter." He
shrugged. "Liked to tell stories, though. Had a few about this
Kingsport."

Her fingers curled into fists.
"Let's hear it."

"The city fell. Navy sunk a number
of Fran slave ships, chased a bunch more. Thought that was the end of it.
Refugees came, not many. Said a resistance started up, got more people out,
collapsed the mines, that sort of thing."

She nodded. Her brothers would be a part
of that sort of thing. They probably led it. "They take the city
back?"

"Here's where it gets good. Frans
came back in the spring. Was quite the fight, ships burning at the docks,
fighting everywhere when the people made a stand. In the end though, they
weren't enough. More slaves were taken. They caught one of the leaders, had him
tortured in the market square in front of his people. Hung his body on the bell
tower."

She lowered her eyes to the bar and
tried to keep breathing.

"That was the end of it. Not long
after, thousands came out of the mountains seeking refuge in Dressan."

Her mind refused to work. Spots danced
before her eyes. "He mention any brothers. The Masons."

He wrapped his knuckles on the bar. "That's
the name. Couple of them led the people."

"No." No, no, no. "Seven.
There are seven."

The barkeep shook his head and held up
two gnarled fingers. "Mate just said a couple."

Blinking rapidly, she turned her head
away and caught Raythe's worried expression. Rot. Raising her chin, she nodded
to the man across the bar. "They still in Dressan?"

He shrugged and leaned back.
"Imagine so."

"This mate still around?"

"Sailed out last week, I think."

Of course he had. Closing her eyes, she
tried to gather her composure. She wished Prince was here to search the man's
memories for anything he'd forgotten or hadn't said. He wasn't, and a different
rush of pain filled her.

Fumbling for a few more coins, she
dropped them on the counter. "If…" She cleared her throat. "If
you hear anything more, send word to the West Wind. They'll pay."

"Will do, miss." He hesitated
a moment and then poured another drink and slid it across to her.

Tossing it back, the burn didn't do much
to ease the pain within her. With another nod, she turned and left, not really
seeing anything around her.

Stumbling out into the light, Raythe
caught her arm. Shaking it off, she started walking, not headed anywhere in
particular. Numb, everything felt numb. Except for the excruciating pain in her
chest.

Reaching blindly for Kei, she found only
more numbness. She still held on, not knowing what else to do. A whimper tried
to crawl up her throat, but she trapped it behind trembling lips. Walking
blindly, her mind started to work once more, spinning the new information
around and around. Some of her brothers lived. Some didn't. Dead. They were
dead.

A hand slid around her arm. "This
isn't the place," Raythe said quietly.

Her eyes burned. Chest tightening, she
couldn't keep her breathing under control.

After a few quiet moments, Raythe pulled
her in another direction. "This way."

He led her for a while before she
thought to ask where he took her.

"To the captain." He turned to
look at her when she stopped walking. "You did want to see him again? You
won't get another chance."

She followed him, regretting her
decision to mention to the Were she wanted to see Roan one last time. Really, she
didn't need to. Didn't really want to now.

Yet still, she found herself worrying her
lower lip between her teeth. It wasn't like he meant anything to her. He'd
practically kept her hostage for months. Perhaps he could distract her from the
pain, though. She tried to think of him, and not her brothers, but that brought
a whole other set of emotions she didn't want.

"Rot," she muttered. Maybe
this wasn't a good idea. Walking away and never seeing him again would be the
best thing to do. "Raythe…"

They turned down yet another side street,
and then he stopped, tipping his head toward an alley. "I'll wait
here."

She nodded and forced a smile. It wasn't
his fault she'd changed her mind. Taking a deep breath, she raised her chin and
turned the corner, pushing the pain within her down. Half the alley hid in
shadow, and she wasn't surprised to see Roan step from them as she continued
forward.

Stopping in front of him, she shifted
awkwardly, unsure what to say. Pausing mid-sway, she laughed suddenly at her
actions. Perhaps she sounded a bit hysterical, but she couldn't help it.
Straightening, she looked up at Roan.

He looked the same, ruggedly handsome,
eyes as icy as ever. A faint smile curved his lips.

"It is good to see you again,
Arowyn. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

She snorted at his words. Seeing him
again did distract her, somewhat. The urge to cry did not go away. She wanted
to go home, hide in her room, and scream. Wanting to cut the visit short, she shrugged
a shoulder and told him the truth. "I missed you, and I wanted to say
goodbye before you left."

Her words startled him, which gave her a
great amount of satisfaction. For a moment he just looked at her in confusion
before he laughed quietly. "Such brutal honesty. My girl is growing
up."

"I'm not your girl," she said
automatically, though with no force in her voice. It was time to admit to
herself she did care for the shady pirate. She didn't love him, but she liked
him well enough. Somewhere along the way he'd become her friend.

He held out his hand, and after a moment,
she placed hers in it. Pulling her closer, he brought it to his lips for a soft
kiss. Her eyebrows rose, and despite the despair deep within, a smile quirked
her lips at the noble gesture.

"I may have missed you, too,"
he admitted. "The house has been quite empty without you. You've been
doing well?"

"Well enough," she lied.
Standing close before him, he hadn't released her hand. She didn't make an
issue out of it. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."