Veiled Innocence (Book One, The Soul Cycle) (36 page)

“
Those weren’t dreams, were they?
” she
asked
, staring at the gem. She peeked at it through her fingers. It did not glow this time. “They were warnings. From this?”

Orris grew eerily still. “What did you just say?”

“I
’ve… had visions.”

“
Don’t say another word!
”
screamed the dream voice.
 

He looked at her sharply, taking a step closer. “Visions? What have you seen?”

She shook her head, forming a fist around the gem. “I… I can’t tell you.”

He took another step forward
,
and the hunger returned to his eyes, which were slowly turning crimson. “What have you done, Lianora?”

“Nothing.” She trembled and pushed back against the wall.

His eyes flared. “I must know what you’ve seen!”

He lunged for her, fingers curved like talons. She rolled to the side as he slammed into the wall, swearing loudly as his head hit with a sickening crack. Terrified, she scrambled away from him so fast that
she tumbled off the stone slab and landed
hard on her knees and elbows. Slivers of pain shot through her legs and arms, but she hauled herself up. The moment she tried to stand, her knees shook, and she was once again on the ground. She had forgotten how weak her body was from fighting the river and malnourishment. 

“Fight,”
ordered the voice.
“Run
.
”
 

The dream voice edged her on, and Lian began crawling toward the entrance. The rough floor of the cave scraped her palms and feet to pieces, but she barely noticed the pain over the fear in her heart. 

Behind her, Orris did not stir. Perhaps he had been knocked out from the hit. Maybe she had a sliver of hope after all. She wanted so desperately in that instant to live, more so than anything s
he had ever wanted in her life.

Her breath
quickened as she inched along.
Sunlight poured from the mouth of the cav
e, spilling onto her fingertips. Suddenly, s
omething seized her hair
and jerked her hard backwards. She
cried out as she was flung across the floor and into the stone slab. She slumped to the ground, her h
ead and back throbbing fiercely. Something jolted through her; it felt like a pie
ce of her was being ripped out. H
er mouth opened in a silent scream as a stream of sha
dows was yanked from her throat. The shadows soared through the air and writhed
down Orris’ open throat. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward for a few seconds before slowly rising and opening his eyes.

They were black.
 

“It is near impossible to kill a Dracor. We heal twice as fast as mortals.” 

She groan
ed
and blinked her eyes as he
sauntered toward her. “I can’t believe my luck,” he said. There was something odd about his voice, almost as if there was another mingled with it. The effect was chilling, like two sets of vocal chords were being used at once.
What was even spookier was that she recognized the voice.

That’s the dark voice I’ve h
eard in my head; t
he imposter.
Did the spirit somehow transfer to him?

“The necklace. You must give it to me.” He held out his
hand, but she shook her head.

“No,” she said, but part of her wanted to give it up. She was scared. She was tired of fighting, tired of running, but most of all, she was tired of all the bloodshed and loss. If giving over the necklace could somehow make things better, then why shouldn’t she? 

“
Because if you give it up, dear child, then Darkness has already won. You cannot let him have it, no matter what happens.
”

But why?
Why
did
it have
to be her and not someone else?

Orris loomed in front of her, his hand twitching in excitement at his side. He licked his lips. “I cannot help myself, child,” he said, sounding more like himself. His eyes flickered back to life, but as soon as they did
,
they became dark and hollow again. “Give it to me,”
hissed the imposter
. “I must have it.”

He reached for her hand, where the necklace l
ay splayed between her fingers. The light faded
as Orris leaned closer, blocking the light.
She gritted her teeth
as his breath drifted across her cheek and he pried her fingers loose. 

He h
issed, and her eyes flicke
d
to the shadow that had suddenly appeared behind him
. 

A black saber was drawn at his throat.

Orris grinned and slowly turned around, not looking the least bit surprised to find Vishka standing behind him. He placed his hands in the air in surrender. “I knew who you were the moment you set foot in the palace. Sooner or later, I knew you’d come for me.”

Her mouth was set in a hard line. “How long have you known?” Vishka asked, glancing behind her.

What is she talking about?
Lian looked from Vishka to Orris. A third figure stepped from behind Vishka.

Rowan.

He looked exhausted, with several nasty cuts along his brow, arms and legs. He stared at Orris evenly. “Since he left
a man and came back a monster.”

Vishka’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the saber. “I kill all in allegiance to Darkness. Whose side do you stand with?”

Rowan didn’t answer. 

Orris grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down, son. Perhaps you weren’t a waste after all.”

The hurt registered across Rowan’s face. 

“Answer me.” Vishka’s eyes hardened. “Do you side with him?”

Rowan shook his head. “No, never. Yes, I knew what he was, though I didn’t understand entirely what
had happened. I was very young
.”
He looked at Vishka. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know if I could trust you. I thought you were one of them.”

“In a way, I am,” she said, never taking her eyes off Orris. “We are
abominations, you and I,
selling our souls to postpone death.”

Orris laughed. “Two sides of the same coin, and yet we couldn’t be more different. What your master doesn’t know is that He’s already lost,” he crowed. “Now that I know what Lianora can do, who she is –”

“Why should I believe you?” Vishka hissed. “The word of a
Dracor
?” 

“Don’t pretend you didn’t see it yourself!” he cried. “Lo
ok at her! The crystal is proof.
She is the key to everything!”

Vishka’s eyes flickered toward Lian, who sat watching all of this with wide, frightened eyes. Vishka’s gaze locked onto the gem
,
and something flashed across her face – fear, realization, euphoria – she could not tell.

“Get her out of here,” Vishka said. Rowan made to move around her when Orris laughed, low and sinister. 

Rowan froze, the color washing from his skin. Orris bowed his head as his laughter rolled through the cave like distant thunder, sending chills along Lian’s arms.

“Did you think I would let her go
so easily?” he said in his two
voices. “Oh, no. Not now. Not ever.”

Orris’ voice morphed to a growl as he fell to his knees. His features became more animal-like as his muscles twitched and spasmed out of his control. 

Vishka and Rowan realized what was happening at the same time. 

“Run!” Rowan cried as Vishka yelled, “We must leave now!”

But it was already too late.

Orris was shifting into a Dracor.

Destiny

IT WAS MESMERIZING AND
horrible at the same time.

Shadows whirled around Orris’ writhing form.
Hisses and snarls spilled out of him
as bulky black wings sprouted from his shoulder blades.
They all watched, open mouthed, as h
is body lengthened and shifted into a slender feline form, but with sharper angles. His fingers and feet became oversized paws dr
ipping with long, curved talons, and a
long, razor-sharp beak sprouted from his mouth.
Worse of all were his eyes; t
hey burned
a fiery orange, but the
y were still distinctly human.

She saw it; a slender shadow figure rose from Orris and sailed straight toward her. It slammed into her with the force of a thousand horses, and she reeled for a few seconds, feeling suddenly sick at her stomach.

No! Not again. Please, let this thing just go away!

Rowan grabbed Lian
, oblivious to her inner turmoil
. “We must leave. Now.” He pulled her to her feet, and no sooner had she stood did Vishka seize her other arm. “Climb onto my back,” she ordered. 

Lian did as she was told, awkwardly hooking her ankles around Vishka’s waist. Then they were off, quick as a shadow, as they streaked into the sunlight with Rowan trailing behind. “Run faster!” Vishka called over her shoulder. 

Rowan grunted behind them and
then said something that made Lian blush. She dug her fingers into Vishka’s shoulders as she took a turn too sharp and they nearly careened off the edge of the narrow path. Dust kicked up behind them, and the incline steepened as they ran farther and farther down the spiraling path.

A great, t
errible roar sounded above them. Lian gasped
as Vishka plunged to
the
left when the path suddenly veered into a small clearing surrounded by red-leaved trees. 

The beating of massive wings was directly above them now, and Lian shivered as Death kissed her back with each gust of wind.

“Down!” Vishka yelled, and they all slammed into the ground as the Dracor’s talons brushed the air where their heads had just been. 

Lian toppled off as Vishka whirled and drew her saber, snarling as the Dracor arced above her, preparing to dive again. 

Lian scrambled to a tree and clut
ched it with trembling fingers, wishing desperately that she had a bow.

Rowan ran to her and
kneeled
. “Are you all right?” he asked, placing a hand on her arm. 

She nodded. “I’m fine,
” she lied, hugg
ing herself.

Rowan pulled her to him in a fierce, quick hug. “It will be all right. But if anything happens to us, you run. Accalia needs you.”

Without giving her time to reply, he grabbed
a
hefty,
fallen tr
ee branch
and joined
Vishka. 

The Dracor swirled and ducked in the sky, toying with them like a predator dragging out the catch of its prey because it knows they have nowhere to go. 

They were trapped.

It
dived
, and Vishka and Rowan swatted at it, but it rose back into the sky just as their weapons would have made contact.

Then it hurtled toward Rowan, talons stretched wide and beak parted for the kill. Vishka cried out to him, but he didn’t have time to move. He turned his head just as the Dracor’s talons pierced his flesh, digging deep into his back. Rowan screamed as it dragged him along the ground, finally tossing him to the side like a ragdoll. He crashed into a tree and fell to the ground. 

“Rowan!”  Lian wanted to go to him, and she would have had Vishka not seen her
and shouted, “Don’t! You must not
attract its attention!” The Dr
acor dove and snapped at Vishka
,
but she leapt out of the way, nicking it across the chest with her saber. 

Across the glade, Rowan trembled
and
stumbled to his feet. His tunic was soaked through with blood, and his skin was the color of chalk. 

The Dracor curved through the air and flew toward Vishka, not seeing Rowan. He picked up his branch and swung it hard into the Dracor’s mouth as it flew by. It fumbled for a second as a wing flapped clumsily through the dirt. Vishka ran forward and pierced its wing through with her saber, tearing a streak of blood through the mass of black feathers. The sound of ripping muscle and breaking bones trailed the metallic
zing
of her saber.

The Dracor wailed and rolled along the ground, righting itself on all fours and wheeling around to face them a few feet away. It snarled and growled at them, snapping its beak. It pawed the earth restlessly, shifting its weight back and forth as it studied them. 

Rowan and Vishka braced themselves as it roared and charged, its broken wing trailing behind it.