Broken Skies (30 page)

He jolts and cocks his head to the side. “They’re coming. I have to get out of here. Whatever happens, remember I love you.” He pulls me in for a hug and kisses the top of my head.

“But they already know…” My protest too late, his shape has already dissipated and I’m left alone in my dreamscape. Getting out of here just became even more important. I’d always thought the E’rikon hadn’t attacked before because we were at least evenly armed or they just didn’t care. That illusion has shattered with my brother’s revelations.

What would Jace think of me if he knew that I gave Flint the key to his own destruction and set him on a path directly here? And if he knew that all his pain and screams were for nothing, that they had me anyway, that I’d
delivered
myself here based on the promises of the very boy who was the catalyst for what could be the end to the human race? He’d hate me. My only hope to redeem myself is to get us both out of here before the sky falls down around us.

TWENTY SIX

When my eyes open the thing I most want to do is close them again. I’m still in the white room and I want more than anything for it to just go away. I raise a stiff arm to push my hair out of my face and realize that I’m no longer restrained and I’m dressed in a simple gray gown. A nervous feeling, a smaller, lesser cousin to hope, crawls into my stomach. They aren’t going to bring the light back, at least not right now. My sigh of relief puffs my lips out and I close my eyes again.

The hiss of the door brings me to full alertness and my limbs tense in preparation. Preparation for what I have no idea, my legs are much too shaky to even hold me up much less allow me any sort of defensive position.

The smell of bread wafts into the room and my stomach clenches and growls. Aching hunger brings me up to a sitting position and I curl over my still rumbling stomach. How long has it been since I’ve eaten? Is this a new form of torture, letting me smell the food? But no, a loaf of bread lands on my cot and I snatch it up with greedy hands. I don’t even bother looking up until the bread is gone and I am searching out the crumbs on my blanket with a wet finger. A disgusted snort brings my head up and my eyes narrow on Vitrad’ face.

“You.” The word comes out in a snarl.

“Save the theatrics for someone who cares Miss Mitchell,” he says. “You may have caught the attention of the Vestra family, but their allegiance is fickle as is their power here. Stellan may be swayed by his wife for now, but without results we will just have to go back to the way things were.”

Vira did something for me. At least she bought me time.

“I don’t know what you expect me to do. I don’t know what you want from me,” I say.

“Yes. You do. You just refuse to help us.” He stops my retort by raising his hand. “At least that is the report I will present to the rest of the Council. How quickly do you think the people will turn on the Vestras when they find out that Steliro has bonded with a halfbreed spy who tricked her way into our city in order to get information on our defenses? Perhaps she even assisted her brother in the murder of my dear, dear daughter’s bondmate.” He makes an exaggerated swipe below his eye with one finger and raises his eyebrows.

My next words catch in my throat. Vira was right. Vitrad is using this as an opportunity for a takeover. The level of deception and lies twisting and turning together leave my mind spinning. Who can I trust?

He continues. “Both you and your brother have managed to keep us out of your heads, but you can only imagine how fascinated I was to learn that there really is some truth to the rumors that you are capable of something special, at least according to your brother’s pleas to keep that information from us. There is a weapon inside you Miss Mitchell and I want it.” The cold smile that slithers across Vitrad’s face sends ice through my veins. He laughs, a hard sound that screeches in my ears. “I can see the realization forming on your face. Yes, Steliro gave me this information. Did no one tell you that you cannot block out your bondmate?”

Freezing Tendrils of dread and betrayal twist through me, twining around my stomach. Lir let him into my head? There’s no other way Vitrad could have known…

“Such a passionate boy. So easily lead into hatred for the humans. Did you perhaps think Steliro was out there by accident? Mechanical problems? And such luck to come across your brother…” He lets out a mocking chuckle.

Further conversation stops as a rumble works its way to my ears and the room shakes. The light flickers and in the stuttering darkness Vitrad’s brow furrows and he almost looks worried. The expression is gone quickly, replaced with a hard resolve.

“This was not supposed to happen yet. Seems the humans have arrived sooner than expected.” He says the words under his breath, more to himself than to me. Then his full attention turns back to me and a cold smile crawls across his face to match the icy look in his eyes. “I look forward to continuing our conversation.”

He spins on his heel and strides to the door. The sound of his voice shouting orders drifts in through the closing door, but it’s cut off as soon as the door slides shut.

He didn’t put my restraints back in place. I’m alone and I somehow doubt that there’s anyone behind that mirror watching me when there’s much more important things going on out there. This is my chance.

* * * * * * *

It’s ten steps from one side of the room to the other. I’ve counted the 133 tiles on the floor at least five times…really slowly.

After sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the bed, it took me a while to gather enough strength to rise to my feet. I promptly crashed back down on the bed. Stretching helped and so did flexing my muscles and rolling my ankles, at least enough that I was finally able to stand without my legs shaking out from under me. I don’t even know how long it took until I could take a few faltering steps. Gradually, I worked my way across the room once, and then again until my steps evened out and my legs stopped protesting at holding me up. It’s not like I had anything better to do.

Now, it’s been hours and no one has even come to check on me. There hasn’t been anymore rumbling or shaking and it’s almost too quiet. Thoughts of Lir slip in and I push them away. I can’t deal with that right now. I finally have a hope of escaping and I’m stuck in this room pacing back and forth. It’s boring and monotonous, but at least if the door opens I’ll be able to run. Of course, there will probably be someone on the other side of the door trying to keep me in. What I really need is a weapon.

The titles are all glued down, not even a broken corner to allow me to wiggle one loose. Smooth walls, unbreakable mirror….the bed frame is plastic. I make another circuit of the room. The light is too high. Unless… I shove the bed into the center of the room and stand on top of it, reaching for the fixture. Dammit. Still out of reach.

Lying down on the bed, I let out a sigh of frustration and throw my arms out to the side. A sharp pain in one wrist brings my eyes to the restraint on my left. I focus on the large metal buckle and smile. It’s not much and it certainly wouldn’t be fatal, but if I pull the restraints off the bed and bundle them together somehow with the buckles on the outside, I might be able to cause enough pain to distract someone.

I’m putting the final touches on my buckle bludgeon, three restraints balled up at the top with the fourth providing me a method of swinging it, when I hear a thud outside the door. I slink closer and press myself against the wall next to the door. There’s no way for me to hide in here, but I should be able to escape notice long enough to surprise whoever comes in.

The hiss of the door opening is nearly drowned out by the pounding of my heart. This is it.

He enters slowly— black boots, gray uniform, clearly E’rikon— and my arm swings forward. Just before my makeshift weapon makes contact with his head, he shifts sideways and the buckles fly by only inches from his temple.

“Blazes, Jax,” says Rym. “I’m here to help.” I narrow my eyes and wind up for another swing. Rym puts his hands up and takes a step back. “Vira sent me. Well, really she told me you were down here and implied very strongly that I should come get you.” He eyes the protruding buckle prongs and then glances at me. “Resourceful aren’t you? That looks like it might be painful.”

I nod and step closer, letting the warm coils of fury expand in my body.

“I won’t hurt you. I’m not even armed.” He holds out his empty hands palms up. “There isn’t much time….I know where they’re keeping your brother. I can take you to him.”

I clear my throat. “Why should I believe you? Maybe this is all part of the plan?” Buried anger bubbles up and heats my words. “He twisted the bond, used it against me. He let that thing into my head!” I swing, he dodges and circles around. “He lied to me. He manipulated me. All to get me here.” Another swing, another dodge. “To use me.” Swing. “To break me because my brother is too strong.” Swing. “Joke’s on you guys, I was already broken!” My voice has risen to a screech and my arm swipes erratically through the air. The burn behind my eyes gives way to tears that blur my vision. Just one hit. I just want to land one.

As if he understands, Rym stops moving and lets the buckle hit his chest. He flinches, but doesn’t back up even when I raise my arm again. “Lir didn’t understand what he was doing.” He peeks at me through one eye. I drop my arm and he continues. “He was sucked into my father’s delusions after Kov’s death and never even thought to question the reasoning behind my father’s plans. Yes, it started as a vendetta, but things changed. Lir changed. He’s done nothing but fight for your release… well, he did until he was locked up down here too.”

“Then what was the agreement he made with Vitrad? What was he talking about at the meeting?”

“He agreed to bring you before the Council so the request for your brother’s release could be made formally. Nothing more. Lir thought he was helping.” His shoulders relax and he steps forward, his eyes glued to mine. “What they’ve done to you… It wouldn’t be condoned if people knew. This is not what we are, this,” he gestures to the room around us and the restraints in my hand, “is what my father has twisted us into. I’m not asking you to forgive any of it, just let me help you.”

He’s been quick enough to dodge my strikes and could have hurt me easily if he wanted to do so. Besides, I don’t really have any other choices. “Okay,” I say. “Take me to my brother.”

Rym grins. “Ace!” A wink. “I’ll let you go in first though.”

TWENTY SEVEN

Rym leads me confidently through the empty halls until we reach a recessed silver door. He opens it with his
kitu
and steps to the side to let me enter. Once inside, I recoil, nearly knocking Rym over in my backward motion. Seeing my brother in my dream did nothing to prepare me for the actuality of his condition.

The skinny, pale form on the bed barely resembles the Jace I know. His wrist bones jut out visibly even under the dark purple bruises covering them. No cushy leather for him. Instead, metal chains wrap around his limbs and hold him in place. He doesn’t even move when a noise somewhere between a gasp and a sob works its way out of my mouth.

I rush forward and fall to my knees next to the bed, brushing strands of greasy red hair away from his face. Patchy facial hair covers the lower half, but despite its vivid red color, it does nothing to pull my attention away from the gauntness of his cheeks. I run my fingers over his forehead, his nose, his lips, silent tears streaming down my cheeks. What have they done to him?

Reaching down, I grab one of his hands and squeeze, flinching at the feel of the bones under his skin. “Jace. Wake up.” Not even a twitch. “Please. We have to go now.” Still nothing except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. “Please…” I rest my head next to his and whisper my pleas directly into his ear while stroking his cheek with the back of one hand.

A guttural moan finally passes his lips. I raise my head and lean over his face as his eyelids flutter and he moves his head slowly from side to side. “I’m here, Jace. I’m here. They won’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let it happen.”

“Jax?” The raspy noise is nearly unintelligible. “I thought I dreamed you.”

“You did, but I’m here for real now. We’re going to get out of here. Go home.”

The chains rattle when he tries to move a hand and he instantly tenses and starts struggling against his bindings. “No! You’re not really here. It’s just a trick. I won’t do it.” He squeezes his eyes shut and batters his wrists against the metal.

“Jace, stop!”
Stop!

His eyes fly open and focus on my face.
It really is you.

The sound of his words in my head shocks me, but some instinct in me recognizes the connection between us and I find it easy to form my response.
Yes. Now
please
, we need to get out of here.

I thought I told you to get out of the city
. He scowls and I recognize the expression that he’s given me since we were kids, the one he gives me when I don’t do what I’m told. I can’t help but smile.

And if you’d stuck around long enough to listen to me, I would have told you it was too late for all that.
I give him an exaggerated eye roll.
Besides, you know I never listen to you.