The Soother (27 page)

“Control is yours. Take it back. Control is yours. Take it back.” Isabelle chanted the words, repeating them several times over, never once loosening her hold on Krystoff.

Inner peace fought with insanity. Krystoff forced the shadows from his mind, shoved them back to their rightful place. The effort cost him. He stumbled. Scout caught him, held him steady. Ambra joined Isabelle. Their voices melded, became one.
Control is yours. Take it back. Control is yours. Take it back …

Control is mine. Take it back. Control is mine. Control is mine.

Several moments later, Krystoff was ready to stand on his own. Relief warred with fear. He may have beat the shadows this time, but how much longer could he fight the relentless battle to keep them contained?

Isabelle slowly released his wrist, lingered close by. He couldn’t blame her. Krystoff figured he looked about as great as he felt. Which was the equivalent of terrible. A fresh wave of hunger drilled through his gut. For the hundredth time that day, he squelched it. Hunting for food was neither a priority nor an option.

Ambra sighed. “You feel strongly for my daughter.”

Krystoff jerked his chin down, assenting, though Ambra hadn’t posed a question.

“Do not feel bad about that,” she ordered. “I couldn’t have chosen a better man for Calliope. Your emotions are pure.”

Krystoff swallowed, unable to make eye contact.

“I agree,” Isabelle chimed in.

Scout coughed. “Yeah. Me, too.”

This brought Krystoff’s head up. “You?”

Scout lifted a hand, palm up. “Why do you think I chose your soul?” His tone, dry as the desert, indicated his statement was no big deal.

Krystoff begged to differ.

“Wait. What? You have his soul?” Isabelle asked Scout, then whirled on Krystoff. “You don’t have a soul? That’s so cool in a not-so-cool kind of way.”

Ambra cleared her throat. “We can sort all that out later.”

“Can you think of anything else, Isabelle?” Scout asked. “Did Calliope say something that maybe hinted to where they were taking her? Did you see anything?”

Thank the gods Krystoff hadn’t come alone. If he had, he’d be one insane wizard by now. Following Scout’s lead, he prompted Isabelle. “Anything.”

Isabelle closed her eyes. They shot right back open. “Dungeon! I heard a woman mention a dungeon. Must have been Riona. I’m so sorry I didn’t think of it earlier.” Her shoulders slumped. “That’s not much help, though. There have to be a bazillion dungeons out there.”

Krystoff cursed his own stupidity. His mother didn’t have a predictable bone in her body. What had changed? “But only one Riona would use,” Krystoff said in response, then looked at Scout and nodded.

Scout gathered everyone close.

“Where are we going,” Ambra asked.

Krystoff and Scout spoke at once. “Mistropa.”

Scout teleported everyone into the forest of Mistropa.

Krystoff’s shadows, calmed by the environment change, sighed the moment his boots touched the soggy ground. He couldn’t say the same for himself. Agitation whipped through him just knowing Calliope had been trapped in the dark realm for far too long.

“This is where you live?” Isabelle whispered, her nose turned up to the point her eyes crinkled at the corners. “It could seriously use a little color. Do your people have something against color?”

Ambra
shooshed
her.

“It’s all right.” Other than the mountain, Isabelle had never been away from her village. Krystoff understood her curiosity. He tried seeing the land through Isabelle’s eyes. Didn’t matter whose eyes he used. This realm was dark, dreary, depressing and drab. “Mistropans are highly opposed to light.”

Isabelle elbowed Scout. “I’m surprised they let you in.”

Krystoff laughed, despite himself. Ambra rolled her eyes.

Scout smirked. “Let? More like it’s impossible to keep me out.”

“Where do we go from here?” Ambra asked, sobering the mood.

Krystoff tilted his head. “Straight ahead.”

They did so as quietly as they could manage, their footfalls drowned out by the relentless spine-shivering howling. Krystoff only had to inform Isabelle what the sound was. Everyone else was very familiar with the cry of the banshee.

The anticipated ambush never came. Krystoff realized Riona had been expecting him all along. Had his delay put a kink in her plans? He stopped, turned to Scout. “Will you lead them the rest of the way?”

Scout nodded. “Yeah. I got this.”

“No ghosting,” Krystoff said. “Take it nice and slow, and wait for my call.”

“Wait.” Isabelle grabbed Krystoff’s arm. “Where are you going?”

He did his best to smile reassuringly. “Riona is waiting for me. She doesn’t know about you. I’ll go in first. Scout will bring you in as reinforcements.” Plus, if Calliope was … Krystoff forced himself to think it, preparing for what he hoped wouldn’t be.
If
she was dead, Scout could protect Isabelle and Ambra from seeing her.

“Go,” Ambra said with a wave of her hand. “We’ll be right behind you.”

Krystoff squeezed Isabelle’s arm. He wrapped her fingers around his staff. “Watch over this for me.”

Isabelle started to speak but Krystoff had already flashed to just outside the circle of hell.

• • •

Flames shot up around the circle. Heat licked at Calliope’s bare back, singeing her skin. She squirmed against the hot pole. Riona and Eron were facing off, the queen’s anger palpable and potent.

“How dare you deceive me?” Riona lashed out with a bolt of dark magick.

Eron blocked it with one palm, flicked his whip with the other. A sinister smile, reminiscent of a lethal scimitar, curved his lips. “Perhaps you are not the queen you think you are.”

“I second that.”

Calliope’s heart stuttered, then pounded. She sought out the owner of the voice, but couldn’t see past the rising wall of flames. “Krystoff!” she yelled.

Madness reflecting in her eyes, Riona cast another blast of magick at Eron, this time hitting her mark. Eron fell hard, sliding across the ground, tearing up clumps of dark earth. His rage-filled bellow followed. “I’ll deal with you later.” Riona turned her back dismissively.

Riona smoothed her clothes, fluffed her hair. Then, with her hands straight out, she pushed her palms to each side, creating an opening in the flame wall.

Calliope cried out as Krystoff stepped through. She slumped against her restraints. He briefly caught her eye before refocusing on Riona.

“Hello, Riona.”

“Riona?” she spat. “I am your mother. Show some respect.”

Stance wide, Krystoff stood as still as a statue. “You are nothing to me. You don’t mean anything to anyone.” He flashed a chilling smile. “Even your right hand has left you alone.”

Calliope glanced to where Eron had been. Her heart sank. Krystoff was right. Eron was gone.
Bevva
.

Riona hitched her chin up. “I had already dismissed him.” She clapped her hands twice. Mistropans poured through the opening Riona had created in the flames, surrounding their queen and Krystoff. “You see, son? I’m not alone at all.”

Krystoff rocked back on his heels, nodded his head. “Neither am I.”

Calliope squinted into the darkness beyond the opening in the fire. She saw nothing but trees. Was Krystoff jesting? And why wouldn’t he look at her?

Riona laughed, drew the curtain of fire closed. Calliope sniffed back her disappointment. Now it didn’t matter if Krystoff had brought help. Whoever it was would never be able to penetrate the fire.

“Really? Do you think your nomas will save you when the last of your power is seeping into the earth? My earth?” Riona cocked a brow and waggled her finger. “Now that I have you and the witch, I won’t fail. When you expire and your power belongs to me, I will never fail again.”

Krystoff shoved past Riona. She threw a bolt of magick and hit him in the back. A shift in his gait was the only indication he’d felt it. The line of Mistropans tightened around him.

“Let him go,” Riona ordered with a sweep of her arm. “She’s too weak to be of any use to him anyway.”

Calliope swallowed back tears as Krystoff made his way to her. So that had been Riona’s plan. To kill her son and extract his magick? How had she planned to siphon Krystoff’s power from the earth? Black magick was the only answer Calliope could come up with.

Finally, Krystoff looked up and held her gaze. The storms in his eyes were darker, but nowhere near as black as Eron’s and Riona’s. She choked on relief.

He reached for her face. She leaned into his hand.

“I’m sorry, angel.”

“For what?” Calliope whispered.

Hs mouth parted for precious seconds before steely resolve shadowed his eyes. “Riona is my problem, not yours. This never should have happened to you. Any of it.”

Keeping her voice low, Calliope said, “You’re wrong. Riona is our problem.”

He tensed. “I — ”

“Can you get me down from here?”

Krystoff looked over his shoulder. Calliope followed his gaze. Riona lifted a black sculpted brow, smile firmly in place as if she didn’t consider either of them a threat. Was she really going to allow Krystoff to say his goodbyes? Calliope didn’t buy it.

Krystoff turned back, smoothed a hand down Calliope’s leg, paused when he came to her bleeding knee. He stared, his cheeks hollowing.

“You’re hungry,” she said, knowing the restraint he was using and hating that she couldn’t touch him.

Spine straightening, Krystoff ignored her, instead saying, “When I tell you to run, I need you to go as fast as you can. I know you’re tired. Ambra and Isabelle are out there. They’ll take you home. They’ll take you back to light.”

Damn it.
She’d told them to stay away. Why had Krystoff brought them? It was too dangerous. “Alone?”

He shook his head. “Someone I know is with them. He’ll watch over them.”

“You sure?”

Krystoff appeared to weigh his answer before finally saying, “Yes.”

She’d have to take that reassurance and hope for the best. “So,” Calliope said and licked her cracked lips. “You want me to run?”

“Exactly,” Krystoff answered, his tone firm and unrelenting. “Don’t stop until you’re out of Mistropa.”

“Your plan sucks, Krystoff.”

He yanked his gaze up to her. “How so? My plan gets you out of here.”

Calliope would have thunked his head, had her arms been free. “This is what we’re going to do,” she said. “First you’re going to cut me down. Then you’re going to kiss me goodbye. Understand?”

Storms swirled in his eyes. Along with something else. Regret? Calliope would worry about that later.

He gave a tight nod. “I understand. Then
you
get the hell out of here. I’ll take care of Riona. Rest assured. I need to do this, Calliope.”

Calliope nodded, even though she had zero intention of running away. She understood duty every bit as much as Krystoff.

Krystoff used magick to cut the rope. Grumbles of protest sounded behind him. Veins bulging in his neck, Krystoff growled back. “Ignore them,” Calliope said when he paused. She needed him to focus on her. After, he would have his chance to fight. She’d fight right beside him. No matter what Krystoff had said, Calliope would not be running.

Her limbs complained as the last of the rope came loose. Calliope feigned fatigue, slumping into Krystoff and sliding down his body. He held her even after her bare feet touched the ground. Twining her fingers in his hair, she pulled his face to her neck as if hugging him. Krystoff moaned and his body grew stiff.

“We better make this fast, Charmer.” Calliope kept her lashes tight as she watched Riona. Riona rolled a ball of darkened magick between her palms as she slowly moved toward them. The queen was up to something. Calliope didn’t think for a minute she was giving them these moments out of pure motherly love. “I need you to bite me.”

Krystoff shook his head. Calliope knew he feared she would weaken if he took her blood, but she felt the sting as one fang grazed her neck. With all her strength, she pushed to the balls of her feet. Krystoff couldn’t turn his head fast enough. His fangs punctured and she knew she had him. He suckled hard. Her knees buckled as pain gave way to euphoria, which was that much better for the show. Calliope dropped to the ground, taking a feasting Krystoff with her.

“What are you doing?” Riona yelled. “Stop.” Her order echoed.

Intoxicating as his bite was, Calliope had to make him stop. She shoved gently against his shoulders. Krystoff groaned. Backed off.

Calliope closed her eyes, slowed her breathing. “Kiss me,” she murmured.

Krystoff brushed the hair away from her eyes, caressed the stars with the pad of his thumb as if they were alone. She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments and pictured them back at their oasis.

“How tender,” Riona crooned, snapping Calliope out of her heavenly thoughts. Riona stood over them watching, waiting.

Krystoff growled again. “I will tell her goodbye. Then you and I will finish this. Once and for all.”

Riona laughed. “We will, indeed. I’ll have the power that resides in both of you.”

Calliope pulled Krystoff’s head down before he could respond to Riona. The pressure of Krystoff’s lips made Calliope sigh. She opened for him, deepening the kiss, wanting it to last forever. Forever would have to wait. When Krystoff pulled back, Calliope bit down on his lip and drew blood. His eyes widened. She let his blood slide down her tongue before opening her eyes. Tingling power sizzled through her veins.

Krystoff gazed down at her, confusion etched in his face, hunger heating his eyes. Calliope smiled, waited for Riona to step closer, then kicked out and nailed Riona’s shin with her heel. Riona staggered back and Calliope jumped to her feet.

Krystoff shoved Calliope behind him as Riona regained her balance with a roar. “Run, Calliope.”

“Not a chance.”

“We had a deal.”

“I altered it, just like you altered me.”

Krystoff tensed at her words. His face had remorse written all over it.

Maybe that was what his regret was all about. He assumed she’d hate him for drinking from her. Originally, Calliope had, but that was before she’d been captured, before she’d realized he’d only done it to help her.