Raven's Hand (22 page)

I turned just as Kane’s eyes opened to find
Killian there with us. A look of disbelief crossed his face, but
only for a moment. He drew his sword, preparing to charge at
Killian and kill him. I reacted in the only way I knew how.

Power issued forth from me, striking Kane an
invisible blow that sent him tumbling across the chamber floor. I
knew my attack was only possible because the assassin had been
focusing on Killian rather than me, but at least it bought us a few
precious seconds. Killian needed no prodding. He spotted the
blessed sword standing out of the pedestal stone and reached for
it.

I began to warn him that the weapon would not
come free, but Killian was already taking hold. The blade
practically sprang out of the stone at his touch. Killian rushed
ahead, putting himself between me and the assassin who was now
getting up off of the floor.

When he saw Killian with the sword, anger
burned across his face. He charged and struck expertly, and I
feared that his superior skill would overcome Killian, but I was
wrong. Killian not only held his own as the battle began, he
advanced upon the assassin with steady powerful blows. His
technique was as blindingly fast as Kane’s, and I could not help
but wonder how much of this was Killian and how much was the blade
blessed by Eliam.

Kane realized that his natural advantage was
gone in this contest. Killian had been well-trained and was highly
adept at sword fighting, despite his youth. He wouldn’t beat my
love with skill alone.

He resorted to his unnatural advantage
instead, choosing a spiritual attack empowered by the Malkind
spirit using his skin. The assassin parried a sword strike from
Killian and then dodged back, letting loose with a blast of power
meant to topple my love, but Killian parried the energy of the
attack with the blessed blade and stepped closer, unleashing a
terrible energy attack of his own.

Killian swiped the air with the blessed
blade, slashing an arc of light before him that issued forth like
an illuminated shock wave. The attack was unexpected and savage,
pummeling the assassin and knocking his weapon out of his hand.
Kane hit the wall and sank to the floor.

Killian lunged at the man while he was down,
while I waited behind, wondering how long it would take Evelyn to
realize what had happened to her prisoner below and come up here.
She might have already been on her way. I wasn’t sure if she would
come alone or bring her soldiers with her. Alone, I might be able
to take her in a fight while Killian battled the possessed
assassin. After all, he was doing better than I would have
expected.

However, as Killian came to deal the
deathblow, while he was down, Kane roared in unnatural fury. His
voice was now a mixture of several dissonant tones, all spilling
forth like sewage from an overflowing gutter. The demon was fully
awake and angry.

He swiped his hand toward Killian, igniting
the air with flames of fire meant to keep my love and his weapon at
bay while he recovered. Killian paused, shielding us with the sword
which had responded to the counterattack with an inner luminosity.
It’s almost as if the presence of the demon’s power had excited
Eliam’s energies placed upon the sword.

“Kill him quickly, before the Malkind spirit
takes over completely!” I yelled over the din of battle.

Killian attempted to charge toward the
wounded assassin again before he could recover himself. Another
roar of power caused the stones beneath our feet to shatter. He was
on his feet again, and the eyes were glowing brightly with inner
spiritual light.

I felt the oppressive influence of the
Malkind spirit gathering within the temple chamber. It felt like a
storm coming, building in strength, readying a release that would
sweep away everything in its path. We could not stay here.

Kane’s hands came up toward Killian. They
burst into flames—flames that he meant to hurl at my love. The wall
behind the assassin ignited, becoming an inferno that threatened to
sweep around the room and surround us in fire. When that happened,
we would both be consumed.

I delved deep into the well of power within
my person as a Daughter of Eliam. Thrusting my hands skyward toward
the ceiling, I then seized hold upon it with my mind and dragged my
hands down. The entire ceiling collapsed down upon Kane, snuffing
out the flames gathering about him. I pulled Killian back as the
falling stones became an avalanche that would destroy us also if we
remained.

He followed me out of the chamber into the
corridor, barely escaping the archway before it also came down in
the conflagration. The sounds of shouting and crying resounded all
around us. The collapse of this chamber might have set off a chain
reaction of ruin in the rest of the palace. There was no sign of
Evelyn yet, and Kane remained beneath the pile of stones for
now.

Intuition told me, however, that he had not
perished. The Malkind spirit could have strengthened his body to
withstand the downfall of the ceiling, or might have simply used
its considerable power to shield him from harm. Either way, he
would be back.

“We must flee while we can,” I said, pulling
him by the hand.

The sound of stones falling came to us
through the corridors of the palace with the screams of those
trapped beneath them. Guards and other palace denizens passed us,
going in different directions, reacting to the emergency. None of
them paid us any attention. We were no different to them than
anyone else trying to escape the scene as parts of the palace
structure collapsed around us.

We ran through passages, turning at
intersections, attempting to find our way out. Killian took over
leading after we passed several places where rubble had fallen into
the corridor. “I know how to get to the stables from here,” he
said, smiling. I nodded and followed him, still holding to his
hand. The sword remained out in his other, ready in case we ran
into any opposition.

Soon, we found ourselves in stables as
Killian had planned. There were two rows of stalls here and many
fine animals to choose from. We spotted a dappled mare in one
stall, and Killian began to saddle her, when a loud equine scream
came to us from several stalls down.

We looked to find another horse shaking its
head out over its stall door, as if to motion us down to its
location.

“Esmeralda!” Killian exclaimed happily. “What
are you—?” His expression became concerned as we reached the mare
and her stall. “Father must be here at the palace because of me,”
he said.

The horse, surprisingly, seemed to understand
and agree with this statement, nodding her head.

“This is your horse?” I asked curiously.

“More like a part of our family,” Killian
said, stroking her muzzle affectionately.

The mare regarded me warily. I stroked her
muzzle, and her thoughts became known to me. She was angry over
Killian’s father and fearful for his life. She was concerned about
my presence with Killian also. She didn’t trust me.

I shared my thoughts of Killian with her,
allowing her to feel my love for him. I sensed a deep affection for
Killian from her also. She meant to protect him. Still, after only
a moment, she began to relax. Killian regarded us both curiously,
smiling.

“Well, it seems you possess the gift with
animals as well,” he said.

I smiled at him fondly, releasing Esmeralda.
“I am a Daughter of Eliam, am I not?” I said. “All of us have the
ability to share thoughts with intelligent creatures. We are all
part of what Eliam made.” Then what he said actually sank in. “Can
you share thoughts with her also?”

Killian nodded. “Sometimes she tells me
things I don’t want to hear,” he said. “She can be fussy when she
gets her dander up.”

I smiled and then realized we were delaying
too long. Kane would emerge from the rubble and come after us.
Evelyn also, when she realized what had happened, would send her
soldiers. We had to escape while we could.

“I think I can sense what you’re thinking
also,” he said. “At least, that is, when we are close like this.
However, I cannot leave my father here at the palace with all of
this trouble brewing.”

I did not say anything. I could understand
why Killian would want to rescue his father first. Of course, he
would. It was only natural, and his father would certainly be in
danger after all that had happened this evening.

Killian’s expression changed from concerned
to resolute. “No,” he said, “we cannot delay any longer. You’re
right, the soldiers will come for us. Either father is safe now and
might find his way from here, or he is already a prisoner. If the
latter, then I’ll have to come back for him. However, not before I
see you safely away from this castle.”

“You must be in terrible pain,” I realized,
examining his facial injuries more closely. “You can barely talk
where I can understand you.”

“I’ll be all right,” Killian said attempting
to grin, but failing rather miserably because of his swollen
jaw.

I laid my hand lightly upon his skin.
Immediately, I received a deeper understanding of his injury. “Your
jaw is broken in three places,” I said. “The rest of it is all
swelling, cuts and bruises. I can easily heal them. The bone will
take longer and be painful.”

Killian laid his hand over mine upon his
face. He attempted a pained smile, closing his eyes as he appeared
to enjoy my touch. I knew it must hurt just having anyone touch it,
but he didn’t let on that he experienced any discomfort. Still, it
was obvious he must be in terrible pain every moment.

“Not here,” he said. “I have to get you to
safety.”

“Then you’ll allow me to take care of you?” I
asked.

He nodded as I withdrew my hand. I motioned
toward the stall door and it opened at my thought command.
Esmeralda came out to us, still wearing the saddle Killian’s father
must have rode in on. Killian hopped into the saddle and then
reached down to bring me up also.

I settled in behind him, doing my best to
ignore the discomfort of the gown in this awkward position. This
was no time for expressing my concerns over it. We were running for
our lives, not attending a ball.

Esmeralda walked us out of the stall and then
took up a canter through the stables. When we reach the courtyard
beyond, we spotted soldiers. Killian kicked his heels gently in the
stirrups and Esmeralda rocketed forward, escaping the courtyard
before the bewildered soldiers there realized that we shouldn’t
even be there, let alone riding a horse at a hard clip away from
the palace. They only seemed to know that trouble was brewing
inside those gilt walls, and they should be investigating that
situation rather than concerning themselves with a young man and
woman going out for a ride through the countryside.

Evelyn manipulated her wand, gesticulating
wildly in her attempt to uncover what remained of the temple where
she had left her servant, Kane, and the young Daughter of Eliam.
Thankfully, she had sent her son, Nathan, to the infirmary prior to
going to the dungeon in order to kill Radden’s son. Had she not,
this attack upon the palace, or earthquake, or whatever it was
would surely have claimed his life when the entire ceiling of the
temple came crashing down.

The entire palace was in a panic. People were
trapped beneath debris and blocks of stone. No one seemed to know
how this all had happened, and Evelyn had no time to investigate
whether the palace was besieged. Nathan had gone to take command of
his troops in the absence of his father, the King. Evelyn was more
concerned right now with whether they still had a Daughter of Eliam
alive that could be bonded to her son, so that he could assume his
father’s throne.

Certainly, if the palace was under attack,
she would have to act quickly to have him made king. House politics
were such that the throne could not be transferred while a living
monarch reigned. They would have to kill Nathan, but she had ways
to keep him alive; escaping by one of many secret tunnels being one
of those methods.

Still, without the girl, she and Nathan would
be back at square one of the process. At first Evelyn had moved the
stones gingerly. Now, she simply levitated them with her wand as
quickly as possible and flung them aside into the corridor.
Servants who had thought to stand by and assist her had been forced
out of the way lest their bones be smashed beneath the flying
rubble.

Evelyn could only hope that her assassin,
Kane, had been able to take the girl and escape in time. However,
none of the people she had come across on her way back had seen any
sign of him. He might be lying here beneath this heap of rubble
with the girl.

The queen was sweating profusely now,
expending her mental energies as fast as she could, using her power
to move the heavy stones. She was desperate now. All might be lost.
Her family would come to ruin, or worse. They would be slain by
whatever rival house had come knocking on their door today; if
indeed it was an attack.

So far, she had seen no foreign soldiers
within the palace. She could only hope that this was a chance
earthquake or something similar. It was not unheard of. However,
the disappearance of the boy down in the dungeon seemed far too
coincidental. Her wand would not have obliterated him. Something
else had happened, though she had no idea what. Still, if the boy
did yet live, he would have to be destroyed in order for the
bonding to be successful.

So many problems all coming at once. Tears
streamed down Evelyn’s face, streaking the dust upon her skin with
muddy rivulets. What, she wondered, could she have done to deserve
such a turning of the fates. She had always been faithful to her
Malkind masters, and in turn they had kept House Rainier in power.
Surely, there was none so faithful as her that they should seek to
transfer the crown to another host. Oh, what could be
happening?