Scorched Treachery (26 page)

I could hear the yell of his pain, the agony behind it. He was definitely injured, possibly weakened from the attack
, and for one moment, I thought that I might be able to turn him to ash, not just a single finger as I had done once before.  I knew better, he would recover quickly thanks to the Vilỳ poison he infected himself with every night. One bite to strengthen him, and then he would throw the creature’s lifeless body away until there were none left. I moved without looking at him, my bare feet turning to take me in a run toward the river.

I ran through the narrow streets of Prague, the beige rock fronts of the buildings a mellowing calm over the frantic beat of my heart pounding in my chest.

My feet padded against the stones, and with each step, I let my magic surge through the rock, tracking where he was. I had only barely turned the corner before his signature disappeared from the ground. He had already recovered and was chasing after me.

I shouldn’t be surprised.

I brought my magic to me and increased my pace as I raced and weaved between people. I pushed them out of my way, throwing them into walls and small cafes as I jumped and raced away from him. Each step increased my fear, my expectation, but still Edmund had not reached me. As much as I wished I would be the one to kill him, I knew it wasn’t my destiny. My only chance for survival was to get away from him.

I could see the break in the buildings, the grey of the river, and the Úřad vlády České just on the other side. I had just turned the last corner toward the river whe
n his warm body collided with mine, the force of the impact sending me headlong into the white bricked wall I had been running next to. A loud crack echoed in my ears as the impact split the stone.

I felt my skull crack, my magic congregating at the wound as it repaired the damage. My head swam for a moment as the painful headache grew and then ebbed, my magic doing its best to keep me in one piece.

Edmund turned to face me. I couldn’t help but smile at the red welts of melted skin that lined his face and arms. The angry red marks boiled and blistered where the scalding rocks had hit him, the largest gashes healing visibly as his magic surged.

“Wynifred!” he howled as he slammed his hand into the wall by my head, another crack growing to join the first as he pinned my arms above me.

“Yes, Edmund,” I said causally, as if we were just enjoying a romantic stroll.

“I am glad to see you’re back to yourself
, now stop attacking me and get back to work.” He moved his other hand to rest against my cheek, and I smiled. I smiled at him the way I had for centuries, before letting my magic flare through my cheek and into his hand.

He yelled out as pain
, his grip on my wrists increasing as his own anger flared.

“You can’t have me, Edmund,” I growled.

I felt the heat behind his hand grow, the temperature scalding me. It hurt, but I refused to scream. I simply smiled at him, narrowing my eyes in a challenge. His anger grew and he howled, my body flying into the air as he threw me away from him only to land in the middle of the murky waters of the Vltava River.

My body hit the water with a loud slap that seized through
me in an agonizing ripple and cut all sensation from my muscles. I sunk into the cold water, kicking and squirming as I fought the sinking of my body into the river. Suddenly, a warm hand wrapped around my neck. The strong hand pressed roughly against my water-filled windpipe as it pulled me up through the waves and held me just below the surface of the lapping waves.

I looked into Edmund’s face
from where he held me under the grey water, my last breath held in my chest, his crazed face mad with victory. I attempted to fight him, but the lack of air made it more and more difficult.

“Think you can escape me and go back to that little half-breed? I will never let you win. Never!” he yelled, as his manic power convinced him of his imminent success, but no, I was not ready to let him win just yet.

I wouldn’t give in that easily.

The bubbling energy of my magic moved through my veins, boiling within me. I could feel the fire magic taking over.

I smiled at him from beneath the murky water.

His face paled, his crazed energy flickering before growing again, convinced there was nothing more I could do. The light from my body grew, reflecting off his face as I gazed at him from underneath the murky waters.

The water began to boil around me. The river turned into a boiling pot around my super-heated body. Edmund yelled out and attempted to release his hands, but I held them in place, my hands moving to wrap around his wrists and hold them down.

“No!” he spat, his voice muffled through the water in my ears. I felt his hands pulse, and my body spasmed underneath the water, the electrical attack frying the tips of my nerve endings.

Pain shot through me in a million volts. It buzzed painfully around me.

My mouth opened as I yelled in agony. The sound waves of my scream reverberated through the water as they burst from me, the water splashing away and splattering Edmund’s face with scalding water. Edmund yelled as the attack hit him, but he flattened his hands against my skin and sent pulse after pulse of paralyzing energy through my body.

I screamed with a jolt that rippled down my spine, wave after wave they incapacitated me. I didn’t know how much I could take. I let go of his wrists, my mind struggling to send the command to the weak grip I now had. Slowly, my hands loosened as Edmund laughed maniacally, believing his attempt to kill me was succeeding.

My lungs burned for air as my hands flew toward Edmund’s face, the urge to kill him pulsing through me, my magic strong as it plunged into him.

Anyone else would have turned to ash, but I knew that with Edmund, this attack would never end in his death. The best I could hope for was a few lost fingers, maybe a singed ear lobe, and the time to get away.

He yelled out as the pain hit him, my energy a pulse that sent him flying through the air away from me.

I pushed myself out of the water, my magic taking over as I threw myself into the air. I hacked and gasped as I flung myself through the sky like a ragdoll, only to eventually right myself and quicken my pace as Edmund’s yells behind me increased.

I turned my body toward the green copper roof of St. Vitus cathedral, the golden arches of the south entrance glittering at me in the distance. The tall stone arches sparkled in the sun, the sandstone appearing as bright as gold in the setting rays of light.

I could hear Edmund yell from somewhere behind me. The sound increasing, he was getting closer.

Please let Sain have made it to the gates already.
I didn’t have time to wait, and I was going to have to seal the gate once I passed through it. I just wished I had enough time to complete the process.

I dropped my body closer to the earth, my heart beating quicker when I saw Sain standing near the large golden stone work of the gate, a large earthen mug clutched against his chest.

“Run!” I screamed, when I was within distance.

Sain looked up at me, confused for only a moment before he turned and bolted down the hall, toward the large chapel.

I didn’t slow my speed for landing. I flew right into the courtyard, my hard landing exploding bricks into the air at the rough impact. I straightened myself and turned to face the courtyard just beyond the gates.

The few tourists in the courtyard looked through the rubble, for the most part, confusion covering their faces.

Edmund was right behind me. I set my jaw and raised my hand, a shimmering shield flowing from my fingers to cover the large opening of the golden gate.

My magic surged out of me as it spread in a curtain between the giant arches. I looked through the magical barrier to see Edmund change his course in order to intercept me.

Edmund was almost here, and the shield had not set yet. I pushed harder, my teeth clenching as I grunted through the pressure, yelling as the exertion hit its maximum and my magic pushed and pulled to escape from me.

My mouth opened as I screamed, the shield setting itself into the stone the moment Edmund’s body hit hard against the barrier. The impact of his collision rumbled through me, shooting me away from the shield and slamming me into the high wall behind me.

I straightened myself the same moment Edmund did, his jaw as set as mine as he turned to face me. Edmund’s eyes stared into mine, the whites blood shot with anger and power. I had never seen him this worked up. I could tell at once that this shield would only hold for a matter of minutes once he decided to come at me.

Edmund uncoiled his body as he faced me, his hand lifting to his face. A large chunk of his arm was missing,
the edges blackened with ash. Even with all of my power, that was all I had been able to accomplish against him.

He smiled at me as he bit down on his finger, the one I had burned off all those centuries ago, the replacement forcibly taken from one of his many servants. He bit down on it and pulled, the flesh separating slowly, his hand dripping with blood as he ripped the finger from his hand.

“I have a present for you, Wynifred,” he sneered, his breathing shallow as some power-based insanity threatened to take over him.

“Keep it,” I spat, turning from him. I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of whatever he had to give me ever again.

I had barely turned my back on him before I heard the heavy clang of an attack against the gate.

I didn’t turn to see what he had done. I let the angry yells that Edmund filled the air with wash over me as I ran. The clangs and yells of Edmund’s attacks lessened the further I moved from the barrier, but I focused on them, knowing they would grow the second the shield collapsed.

I overtook Sain quickly, his pace quick in the panic that seeped off him, but his body not up to the strain.

“You will have to seal the door to the tombs. Otherwise we
will not have enough time.” Sain’s voice was low as he spoke, his pace not nearly fast enough for us to get away.

“You think I don’t know that already?” I grabbed his arm, knowing he was too weak to move fast enough and pushed him forward through the ancient chapel we had entered.

I would have loved to walk quietly through the massive space, bask in the ancient architecture of the buttresses and stained glass windows I had known since I was a child. But the manic yelling of the man behind us was a heavy reminder of the desperate situation we had found ourselves in.

The calm heads of the pious people turned at our frantic movement and the yells that followed us in. I saw the ancient priest step forward in his long black robes, his hands extended in welcome and worry.

He was sweet and kind. All of these people were and I knew Edmund would kill him.

“Vytékat!” I yelled to the old priest. His face opened in horror as the high screech of my voice broke through the relative quiet of the cathedral.

He wasn’t moving. Fine, I would make him.

I lifted my hand as we passed him, his body lifting ten feet into the air before I sent him tumbling into a confessional.

It was enough. Edmund’s growing screams mixed with the new fear of those in the chapel. I saw people cowering against walls, hiding under pews, and a select few darted toward the main door to the beautiful room.

I didn’t wait to watch them hide. I kept my attention in front of me. There were only a few rooms to go before we would reach the catacombs, only a few minutes before we would reach Ilyan’s tomb. We could make it.

We could.

Sain and I turned at the ancient pulpit at the head of the chapel to dart through the heavy wooden door to the left of one of the many sandstones statues. I heard the door slam behind us, and for one brief moment, we were trapped in
silence. I listened to my labored breathing, Sain’s panting, and felt the tightness of my chest adding to the panic I felt.

“To the door,” Sain whispered.

I nodded once before continuing to drag him behind me.

My heart beat and sputtered as we moved through the small bare hallways of the offices and apartments of the clergy before coming to a lone, black, stone door at the end of the empty hallway.

The catacombs.

My hand touched the ancient knob of the door as the door several halls behind us opened, releasing the screams we had trapped in the main chapel back into our ears.

He was coming.

I caught my scream in my chest. The door swung open and I shooed Sain into the dark, damp space in front of us, closing the door behind us as quietly as I could.

The smell of ancient death hit my nose. The long forgotten smell of loss ignited my panic even further.

I sealed the door, my magic closing the cracks and melting the stone together into a solid slab of rock.

It was pointless really, Edmund knew where we were going, but anything I could do to slow him down, I would.

Our
breathing escaped in a rush as our feet moved us down the winding stone steps and into the depths of the tombs below the Cathedral.

“Faster,” Sain panted. I wasn’t sure if he spoke to me or to himself, but I took it at as a warning and let my magic flood through both of us, increasing our pace.

We flew down the staircase as the air became damper, the light dimming as it welcomed us into the home of the dead. We reached the base of the staircase, the dark expanse of the tombs a vivid reminder of the prison we had just left behind - the prison I had left my mate in.

I couldn’t think that way.

Death filled my lungs as we moved past the large, dark stacks of bones that made up the walls of the labyrinth we had walked into. Skulls smiled at us, each one a casualty of plague or war. The bones served as a warning to grave robbers, but it was not one I needed to heed. We were going into a tomb, not taking things out of one.

My magic heightened my sight as we moved through the maze of bones, Sain’s green light once again shone brightly in front of us as it led the way. We moved quietly through the deathly green hues, our ears perked for the sound of the door exploding
off its hinges.

T
he sound never came.

My heart beat wildly within me. I was hav
ing trouble keeping my focus. Edmund should be here by now, something was wrong. My nerves prickled as my heart called out ‘trap’, putting me on high alert.

Sain’s feet stopped in place, our intertwined hands pulling me to a quick stop in front of him. I gasped at the sudden stop, the sharp intake of breath echoing around the open space that surrounded us.

“He is here,” Sain whispered, and my whole body turned to ice. “Do not fight him, or we will not survive.”

We stayed still in the labyrinth of bones as Sain’s words settled into my mind. Edmund had moved beyond the door.

The sound of our breathing mixed with a drip of water that was falling somewhere around us. The sounds bled together as they bounced off the bones and amplified themselves.

I took a hesitant step forward, the heavy thump of my heart against my ribs causing me physical pain.

We took one step after another, my bare feet surging with magic with each contact with the stone of the floor. Sain stayed close, his breathing heavy in my ear. I was his only protection.

We moved through the labyrinth of bones at a snail’s pace, my head peeking around each corner before we moved, my feet dragging through puddles of stagnant water in an attempt to keep my connection to the earth
’s magic.

I shivered as we moved into the large space of the catacombs, the ceilings higher, the roof speckled with small windows that let ribbons of light into the ancient hall.

I froze in place as I searched for him. But I felt nothing, saw nothing. I wanted to believe that Edmund was not here – but I felt Sain’s tense body beside mine. I couldn’t doubt Sain’s sight.

“Where is he?”

Sain said nothing in reply, the quiet that surrounded us only interrupted by the occasional echo of a drip of water. I turned to face him, his eyes wide as he focused on the bright white coffin that the mortals had buried Ilyan in when he resigned as their ruler, faking his own death, more than six hundred years ago.

I turned toward it, expecting to see Edmund standing right beside it, but the large hall was still empty. The room was silent except for my
ever-increasing breathing.

I took a step into the room, Sain following as he cowered behind me. My bare foot accidentally slapped hard against the smooth stone of the floor, the sound echoing around us. I froze. If Edmund was down here, I had just given away our exact location.

“Ruuuuun,” Sain breathed out, his voice shaking as his whole body began to convulse.

His words were lost as my pulse quickened. I turned toward him, only to see his body shake, his eyes darkening into black and then fading back into green. His body convulsed beside me as his eyes flashed between colors, his mouth opening in a silent scream. Sain’s eyes widening as if his whole face was being stretched.

I forgot to breathe as I stared at him, the panic taking away my ability to process what he had said.

“Ruuuuun,” he repeated again, his voice deep and hollow.

This time the word sank in, it ignited inside of me and sent my feet moving in a panic; Sain’s body dragging behind me as his feet stumbled in a blind attempt to follow.

Our feet hit heavy against the floor, our breathing mixed with the hollowness of our steps. Each sound hit my ear, the urgency of each one increasing as we made our way toward what was now our only chance of escape.

“I’m going to hurt Cail, Wynifred.” I froze at Edmund’s voice, my feet coming to a stop only inches from the tomb that would lead us to safety.

“I’m going to rip his body apart piece by piece. Hundreds of years of disloyalty need
s to be punished after all.” His voice was loud, his heavy breathing making the desperation, the madness, heavier in his voice.

I couldn’t move as I listened to him, as the echo of his words hit my ears over and over. I fought for control. I fought to recall the words Sain had said only moments ago.

“I am going to make him pay.”

“If you can get in,” I said simply, unable to control my mouth as I took the last step toward the tomb.

“You think a little fire can stop me? I will be back in there before nightfall, you little slut. Then I will do to Cail what I did to Rosaline. I will remove his soul from his body, as slowly and as painfully as I can.”

“No!” I couldn’t help the sound that came from my mouth. I turned around to face him, my fingers clawing at my thighs with the need to rip his eyes from his face.

Edmund stood at the entrance we had just come through, his smile wide as he watched my panic. His eyes flashed as he watched me, his dark hair loosened from its usual tightly gelled style, his hand dripping blood from where he had ripped the finger from his body.

This had been his plan. He knew I wouldn’t back down from this threat
; he knew and so did Sain. Sain wrapped his arms around me as he attempted to keep me back, to stop me from attacking.

“Do not fight, Wynifred,” Sain hissed in my ear, the reminder of his sight from only moments ago barely grazing the surface of my panic.

“I will rip him apart, limb by limb, until there is no more blood to shed, until his soul has given up. I will take his soul, Wynifred, and I will use it the way I use Rosaline’s. I will keep it in a place you will never find it. Not that you will be alive much longer than he is.”

“NO!” I fought against Sain, his weak body using up the last of his energy in an attempt to keep me at bay.

“I would do the same to Talon…if he was still alive.”

I could hear Sain mumble behind me. I could hear him gasp as my magic surged under my skin, burning him on contact. But he didn’t budge. He endured the pain as he attempted to keep me safe.

Stay safe Wynny.

My fight left me as Talon’s voice echoed through my head, his words joining Sain’s in a jumbled mess that pulled the fight out of me.

I stopped struggling against Sain’s hold. I looked down to the stone floor of the catacombs, my eyes scanning over the tombs that littered the floor in front of us before I raised my head to look at Edmund.

Edmund smiled at the look in my eye, at the way my lips pursed. He believed he had won – that I would fight
him now and he would win. He was a fool to think I was so easily predictable anymore.

I wasn’t who he still thought me to be.

I was Wyn.

My eyes locked with his as I sent my magic surging through the floor of the tomb, the ancient magic in the stone collecting with mine to supercharge the
pulse, which hit in a surge that shot him straight into the air.

Edmund yelled as his body impacted with the roof of the tombs, the magic still surging through his body painfully.

I pulled Sain with me as I turned, the lid of Ilyan’s coffin lifting just enough to allow us passage inside.

Edmund’s screams died as we slipped ourselves through the opening, the magical barrier of Ilyan’s protection washing over me as I moved through it.

There was no way Edmund could follow us here. For the moment, we were safe.

“Wynifred!” Edmund yelled. I turned, my eyes peering at him through the gap in
the lid. “I will make him pay.”

“
I will retrieve both of their souls, Edmund, right before I rip your heart from your body.”

He balked at my statement, his face going white before the lid to the coffin dropped, enclosing us in the dark space.

I listened to Sain’s breathing equalize alongside mine as we waited for a sign that Edmund was trying to follow us, as we waited for his attempt to break through the barrier Ilyan had placed around the tomb.

But none came.

A deep green light flared in Sain’s hand, and I looked toward it, my heart calming to see the relief in his face. We just looked at each other, neither of us having the words for what had just happened.

Sain turned toward the tunnel that opened up behind him, the long dark a
byss that would lead us safely underground and right into Italy. His light flickered along the walls of dirt and stone until the tunnel faded into an endless stretch of claustrophobic black.

In any other situation, I would have been scared at seeing an endless enclosed space.
Instead, I felt my heart relax at the promise of safety it held for us.

“We’d better hurry,” Sain whispered as he stepped into the tunnel, the first step of a long journey.

I rushed to catch up with him, his words sending ice down my spine.

“What do you mean?” I asked, dearly hoping he hadn’t seen anything else.

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Sain didn’t look at me as he spoke; he simply continued walking, his slow pace taking us straight forward.

“Is he coming?” My voice slithered over my tongue, the fear rushing right back to the surface.

“No,” Sain said as he turned to face me, “but you have less time than I originally thought.”

Sain reached forward and grabbed my
left hand, lifting my arm to eye level. I looked at him in confusion, trying to make sense of his words. His eyes darted to my arm.

“Sain?” I asked, my eyes following his to my arm and then returning to him as I tried to make sense of what he was saying.

“Edmund has plans for your brother. We must get you to Joclyn before it is too late.”