Union (32 page)

Faelon nodded. “Another day or two and I’ll be out there with you.”

Avelor appeared then, eyebrow raised at Faelon’s declaration, and Nykin doubted very much whether Faelon would be going anywhere in the next few days.

“I’ll see you both later.” Nykin smiled and let himself out.

T
HE
WITCH
attempted to breach the barrier eight more times over the next two days, but each time they reached the place where they thought the she should be, they found no sign of either her or Seran and his men. It frustrated everyone, fraying nerves almost to the breaking point.

“It’s like she’s toying with us.” Ryneq paced around their bedroom, hands gesticulating wildly as he moaned and cursed about their lack of progress. “Every single time we think we’ve got her, she vanishes into thin air.”

Nykin thought about pointing out the obvious—she was a witch after all. But Ryneq turned and glared at him, as though he’d read Nykin’s mind, and he decided it was best to keep quiet while Ryneq vented and got it all out of his system.

“Have you spoken to Fimor yet? Is there any news from Torsere?” Ryneq stopped at the foot of the bed, in front of Nykin.

“No news yet, but he was just flying out to contact Vashek when I spoke to him.”

Ryneq pulled a hand through his hair. “Let me know the moment you hear from him.”

“Of course.” Nykin stood and stepped closer to Ryneq so he could wrap his arms around his waist. “I know you want to catch them, but we need to be patient.”

Ryneq sighed, but he dropped his hands to rest on Nykin’s shoulders. “They’re up to something, and I don’t like not knowing what it is.”

It wasn’t the first time Ryneq had said this, and Nykin agreed with him. Seran knew the witch was capable of breaking through the barrier—she’d already done it once—so why wouldn’t he get her to do it again? “I think you’re right, but there’s nothing we can do except keep on as we are. They’ll slip up eventually, and then we’ll get them.”

“I hope you’re right.” Ryneq slid his hands up to cup Nykin’s cheeks, and Nykin closed his eyes as Ryneq’s lips met his. They hadn’t had much time alone since the witch attacked the first time, and Nykin missed the closeness. He relaxed into the kiss and pulled at the back of Ryneq’s shirt until he could get his hands underneath. Ryneq’s back was smooth and warm, and Nykin greedily ran his fingers over wherever he could reach.

He walked them back toward the bed, intent on taking things further, when the door flew open, and Avelor stood there with a mixture of excitement and fierce determination on his face. “We found the witch! She broke through the barrier again, but Lerran and Glaevahl have her contained. No sign of Seran, though.”

Ryneq was already reaching for his sword by the time Avelor finished speaking. “Let’s go.”

R
YNEQ
BUCKLED
his sword tightly around him, anticipation and excitement flowing through him at the thought of finally putting an end to the attacks once and for all. “Nykin.”

He turned to say goodbye, but Nykin was strapping a dagger to his thigh as he followed Ryneq to the door. Ryneq stopped in his tracks, his gaze alternating between Nykin’s face and his dagger. He looked so determined, and Ryneq’s stomach dropped at the thought of Nykin being anywhere near the witch. “Lerran,” he said, his eyes locked with Nykin’s, “can you give us a moment, please?”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Lerran bowed his head. “I’ll be just outside when you’re ready.”

Ryneq waited until the door closed softly behind him before speaking. “Nykin, I—”

“No!” Nykin’s eyes narrowed, and his mouth settled into a hard line. “I’m not going to stay behind while you go to face down a witch. Look what happened to Faelon.”

“She’s already been captured, Nykin.”

Nykin stepped closer, and gripped the front of Ryneq’s uniform. “She’s dangerous, Ryneq. I can’t wait here not knowing what’s happening.”

Ryneq gritted his teeth, desperate to get his point across. “The danger is minimal, but I don’t want to risk you being anywhere near her, please understand that.”

Nykin’s expression didn’t change, so Ryneq took a step toward him. “She’s a dark witch, Nykin, and if by some chance she manages to escape Glaevahl’s hold, I won’t risk you being near her. You have old magic in your blood, and I have no idea whether that will attract her attention, but I’m not willing to find out.” He cupped Nykin’s jaw and tried to smooth away the tension with his fingers. “It was bad enough seeing Faelon fall by her hand.”

He leaned in, half expecting Nykin to pull away and sighing in relief when he didn’t. “I almost lost you once, Nykin. I can’t go through that again.” Ryneq closed the last of the distance between them and kissed him. He’d only meant it be a brush of lips, not sure how Nykin would react, but Nykin fisted his hands in Ryneq’s hair, holding him close as he backed Ryneq up against the door.

“I understand what you’re saying, you know I do.” Nykin pulled back enough to meet Ryneq’s gaze. “But now you need to listen to me.” His eyes were dark, and his grip tightened almost painfully in Ryneq’s hair. “I took a vow, Ryneq, to protect you until my dying breath.” He rested his forehead against Ryneq’s. “And that is exactly what I’m going to do.”

Ryneq had almost forgotten the vows they’d spoken to each other back in Torsere, and Nykin’s words were a harsh reminder. Nykin was his equal, and even if he wanted to keep him safely locked away in their rooms, Ryneq knew he didn’t have the right to order him to stay behind. “I’m sorry. I just want you to be safe.”

Nykin let his hands fall to Ryneq’s shoulders as he drew back a little. “I know that. But I can take care of myself. I’m a dragon rider in your Army, and even without Fimor, I know how to fight, Ryneq. I don’t need protecting like a helpless child.”

Ryneq eyed Nykin from head to toe. The tight black leather of his uniform clung to the muscles in his thighs and arms. With the dagger strapped to his thigh, and two short swords in a harness across his back—Ryneq had no idea when he’d put that on—Nykin looked far from helpless. “Okay, then.” He ran his thumb across the hilt of the dagger, and Nykin raised an eyebrow. “Let’s not keep Avelor waiting any longer.”

T
HE
ELF
was standing just outside the door, and even though he’d probably heard everything, he didn’t say a word as they came out of the room. Ryneq fell in beside him as they walked down the stairs and across to the stables, grilling him for all the information he had on what had happened.

The horses were saddled and ready to go when they got there. Selene and Cahlith were also waiting for them, along with two other elves—all four of them already astride their horses. Ryneq relaxed a little when he saw Cahlith, relieved that another of the elders would be accompanying them. He still wasn’t convinced the witch hadn’t just allowed herself to be captured. That way she could get behind the barrier and into Alel, and Ryneq wouldn’t believe otherwise until he could see for himself.

Nykin greeted Selene warmly and immediately turned to Ryneq as though he expected him to say something about her and Lerran.

“Selene.”

She bowed her head a little. “Sire.”

“Ride with Nykin, and try to stay as far away from the witch as possible when we get there.”

“Yes, Sire.”

She drew her horse alongside Nykin’s, and they set off along the road to Alel with Avelor and Ryneq leading the way.

They set a fast pace, Avelor urging his mare on, and Ryneq marveled at the horses’ ability to keep up such a pace without even breaking a sweat. The deep, even breaths under his thighs didn’t feel labored at all, and once again Ryneq thought magic was involved. They’d been riding flat-out for a while, and none of the horses showed any signs of tiring whatsoever.

“We’re almost there,” Avelor said and reined his horse in to a walk.

Ryneq strained to see through the trees ahead of them, but he couldn’t make out anything other than more trees. “Where?”

Avelor veered off to the right, and after a few more paces, he pointed out in front of them. “There.”

Ryneq saw a flash of white through the branches, and as they got nearer, he saw the white elven horses tied up against one of the trees. They followed suit and dismounted alongside them.

“Nykin, Selene.” Ryneq looked back over his shoulder at his two riders. “Seran and his men could be around here somewhere, so keep your eyes open.” They both nodded, and Ryneq resisted telling Nykin to be careful. He was a soldier out here, and Ryneq needed to treat him as such. “We’ll let the elves handle this, but be prepared for any signs of trouble.”

He allowed Avelor and the others to walk ahead of him, and Ryneq took his place in front of his riders. Although he wanted nothing more than to march over to the witch and confront her, he wasn’t stupid. His sword was no match for her magic, should she manage to escape, and the elders and other elves were far more capable of handling her.

He spotted Glaevahl straight away. He stood against one of the trees, the swirling colors of the barrier visible in front of him, as he weaved some sort of spell to fix it. The hole in the center getting smaller and smaller as Glaevahl worked. The witch had obviously broken through again with a big enough tear to walk through, but neither Seran nor any of his soldiers had come through after her. A trickle of unease crept down Ryneq’s spine.

“If she breached the barrier again,” Nykin whispered from beside him, echoing his thoughts, “where are all the others?”

Ryneq shook his head, because he had absolutely no idea. Seran had threatened him with this exact scenario, but now the witch had breached the elves’ defenses, Seran was nowhere to be found. “Something’s wrong.”

Nykin hummed in agreement, and they followed after Avelor. All four of them walked over to where the witch was lying bound on the forest floor.

Ryneq motioned for Nykin and Selene to hang back, relieved that they obeyed him without question, and Cahlith hurried over to the elves guarding the witch.

“Where’s Lerran?” Ryneq asked, looking around for him.

One of the elves near the witch nodded over to the left. “Gone to search for any sign of Seran.”

Ryneq’s gaze fell on the witch again, and he frowned. “Is that all that’s keeping her prisoner?” He gestured to the thin silver rope wrapped around her body and pinning her arms to her side.

“Yes, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity.” Avelor moved forward until he was within touching distance, and Ryneq followed. The witch appeared to be unconscious, but Ryneq still drew his sword, not wanting to take any chances. “The rope’s infused with a spell from the archives. The elders discovered it among the old books yesterday. It binds the witch’s magic and slowly drains her power.”

Ryneq looked closer, and the rope seemed to pulse with energy, emitting a soft glow with each beat. “Will it hold her?”

Avelor smiled tightly. “I hope so.” He turned to address one of the other elves. “Was she on her own?”

“Yes. We caught her as she stepped through the tear in the barrier, her magic must have been drained because she hardly put up any resistance. She was alone, though, and we haven’t seen anyone nearby.” Avelor thanked him and pulled Ryneq off to one side. Cahlith was now helping Glaevahl close the hole, and Ryneq kept the witch in sight as he listened to Avelor.

“Where’s Seran and his army?” Avelor waved at the deserted forest around them. “I don’t like it.”

Ryneq peered out into the trees but could see nothing out there. “I don’t like it either.” He walked closer to the barrier and stretched out his hand but didn’t actually touch it. “If Seran wasn’t interested in getting into Alel, then what’s he been doing for the past few days? I—”

“Ryneq! Look out!” Nykin yelled from behind him.

Ryneq immediately spun around, drawing his sword and cursing himself for taking his eye off the witch for even one moment. The two elves guarding her were sprawled on the ground, the silver rope pooled in a heap next to them. It all happened so fast, Ryneq barely had time to react. The witch flew toward him, spitting out words he didn’t understand, and Ryneq saw both the elders raise their hands as the other elves rushed after her, swords drawn.

The elven spells hit her from behind. She lunged forward, still chanting, and her eyes were as black and cold as Ryneq remembered. He thrust with his sword, and the witch laughed in his face as she saw it, until the blade flared with a bright-purple glow, and he buried it in her chest. She fell to her knees, clutching at the hilt and hissing as it burned her hands.

“No!” she screamed it at the sky as Ryneq twisted his sword, driving it deeper into her, and both elders hit her with another spell. She crumpled in a heap, face distorted in pain, her hands swatting ineffectually at Ryneq’s sword.

Nykin was at his side moments later. “Are you all right?” He pulled Ryneq away from the witch and clutched at his jacket. “Ryneq?”

Ryneq shook his head to clear it. “Yes, I’m fine.” His heart pounded from the rush of adrenaline, and he hauled Nykin closer, burying his head in the crook of Nykin’s neck. “Thank you.” He took several deep breaths before stepping back and looking down at the witch.