Vengeance Born (The Light Blade #1) (4 page)

They didn’t know about Annika’s skills? Kalan reined in his uncertainty. Getting answers could wait until later; for now, he needed to focus on escape.

Hesia took his hand and pulled him along after Annika. The only sound they made came from his bare feet slapping on the stone pathway and the rustling of their skirts. He had no way of knowing if the path they led him on was one to freedom. He’d entered the dungeon barely conscious. For now he would have to rely on them, and while every instinct rebelled at the idea, he had little choice.

They hurried along a corridor, going left when it split at an intersection. The intervals between torch-braziers grew longer as if this part of the dungeon was rarely used. Stone lined the corridor instead of wooden cell doors. Underfoot became wetter and their pace slowed. He drew in a deep breath. The air smelt fresher.

At another intersection, Hesia drew him to a halt. “This is where I must leave you.”

Annika saw Kalan nod. Once their escape became known, her father would interrogate Hesia. Her heart raced at the thought. They’d been companions too long for him not to suspect the old woman might know something. While Hesia could handle her father, and had before, Annika still feared for her friend. She embraced the old woman. “Please, come with us.”

Hesia patted her back. “You know I won’t make it. I’m far too old to run.” The woman released her and placed the healer’s pouch on her shoulder. Gnarled fingers gently traced her face. “May the
Lady
bless your path.” Her gaze met his. “Both of you. Go swiftly now, and don’t look back.”

A gentle push started Annika on her way but at the last corner in the corridor, her steps slowed. What was she doing? She placed a hand on the cold, stone wall, her fingernails digging into the grimy surface.

An ache started deep within her chest and spread outward, expanding to include her lungs. She labored to suck each breath in, and hot tears stung in her eyes and made her throat ache. She was leaving the woman who’d been more her mentor, protector, and best friend, the closest thing she’d had to a mother since her own had died giving birth to her twenty-five years ago. And here she was leaving behind the only person who’d ever loved and cared for her. For a half-blood outcast.

Annika swallowed hard and fought the urge to look back. It took everything within her to fulfill Hesia’s request. Her heart felt like it was being torn from her chest. She gripped the leather strap of the healer’s pouch until it cut into the skin of her hands, and forced herself to focus on the man walking beside her.

Merciful Mother
, she’d entrusted her life to a warrior sworn to kill demons. Her mouth dried. Despite his compliance so far, would he see past her demon side as Hesia had? Would he give her a chance to prove she meant him no harm?

The plan she’d spent many seasons mulling over suddenly seemed foolish. She trusted a human who’d just spent weeks being tortured by demons. Wouldn’t he want revenge? Once free of the dungeon she’d be alone with him. Alone to face reprisal and retribution. The very things she was trying to escape.

Annika stumbled to a halt, panting, her stomach churning. She wanted to be sick again. The temptation to turn back pulsed as rapidly as her heart.

“Annika?” Kalan’s deep voice was tinged with urgency. The warrior grasped her shoulder. She flinched. “What’s wrong?”

She kept her head bent, away from his searching gaze. “Nothing.” Her voice wavered.
Lady
forgive her for that lie. She licked dry lips and tried to control her fear.

His voice was quiet, terse. “We can’t stop now. You know that. Killing the guards and freeing me sealed your fate. There is no going back.”

She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached. As much as it galled her to acknowledge it, he was right. She would never be safe. Then again, she never had been. Leaving was the only thing to do. They had to get out of the catacombs and be into the forest before dawn.

She flushed, embarrassed by her weakness and forced herself onward. “This way.”

Kalan followed her. The torch in his hand spluttered. A draft of fresh air brushed past her face as the sound of rushing water echoed through the tunnel. They were close to the grate that was the final barrier to freedom. Hurrying forward she grasped the shiny black bars and pushed hard. Nothing. No movement.

“No!” She couldn’t stop her outcry. “This grate should be rusted, more corroded. It’s been repaired.”

The underground river that supplied the castle with water surfaced within the catacombs of the dungeon and joined its tributary outside the grate. Beyond it she could hear the sounds of the forest: a night owl hooting as it hunted for prey, the rustle of leaves as a breeze passed through the trees.

She hadn’t returned to check the grate, afraid the
Na’Reish
guards would see her and question her motives for visiting the catacombs. She pressed her forehead against the cold metal, panic eating at the edges of her fragile control.

They were so close to freedom. Turning back meant death. Her father would never pardon her for helping a Light Blade warrior, and even if by some miracle he did, the death of two
Na’Reish
was unforgivable. The skin on her back ached with past memories. All his tormenting and past abuse would be nothing compared to what he’d do when he discovered her most recent actions.

Kalan crouched beside her. “Is there any other way out?”

His tone was neutral, his gaze intent but calm. The condemnation she’d expected to see on his face for her failure was nonexistent. It helped rein in her fear. She shoved the bars again, this time in frustration.

“Nothing that wouldn’t be considered sheer suicide.…” She broke off, her gaze going to the water running through the grate. Leaning over the lip of the pathway, she tried to see underwater. “Wait… there might be…” The water was too dark. She scrambled to her feet and stripped off her cloak. “Undress. Hurry.”

The warrior’s face lit up in surprise. “What?”

She toed off her boots and unlaced the front of her dress. “The grate shouldn’t extend much farther below the water. There should be a gap to let debris through.”

He caught her arm. “Are you sure? It’s winter. The water will be freezing.”

“You want to go back?” She peered up at him as he grimaced. “I didn’t think so. We’re going to need dry clothes when we get out. I’ll take our things to the bank once you pass them through. Then you’ll only have to make one trip. Can you swim?”

“Yes.”

“Will you make it?”

As his gaze flickered to the grate and beyond, her stomach churned. No male had ever seen her without clothing before. Her cheeks burned at the thought of him seeing her body. He’d likely find her repugnant.

Why that thought bothered her she didn’t know. She tried to focus on the task ahead. The temperature of the water and his condition should concern her more. He had to be weary from his imprisonment and the cold water would likely drain what strength she’d given him when she’d healed the worst of his wounds. His gaze met hers again, lips thinning.

“I’ll make it.” He pulled off his shirt. “Going back isn’t an option.”

She finished unlacing her dress, her hands clenching a moment in the folds before letting it drop to the cobblestoned floor. Kalan’s sharp intake of breath brought another flush to her face. She’d been ridiculed too many times by the
Na’Reish
for her paler skin markings to be comfortable with nudity. She crouched on the edge of the pathway, and let her long hair hide as much of her body as it could.

Kalan couldn’t take his eyes off Annika. Swirling patterns marked the sides of her face, trailed over her shoulders down either side of the slender length of her back, then curled over the curves of her hips and along the backs of her legs.

The wavy strands of her hair brushed the top of her buttocks and he caught the pale flash of a curved breast as she perched on the edge of the waterway wall. Desire mixed with shame slammed in his gut. How could the sight of a naked demon stir him?

He sucked in a ragged breath, fighting his body’s heated response to the sight of her. Was this some bastardized version of her power? She could heal him with a touch. Could she make a man’s body feel things his head told him were dangerous?

“I apologize if the sight of me offends you.” Annika’s shoulders hunched, her words stilted, softly spoken.

Growing up as Na’Chi hasn’t been easy.
Hesia’s words echoed in Kalan’s head. How could she not know she was beautiful? Annika slipped into the water before he could reply. Her startled gasp as the water closed over her echoed around the chamber. He shoved the torch up against the wall and knelt on the edge, ready to offer a hand if she needed to get out.

She swam to the grate and grasped the bars. He heard her take several deep breaths before she disappeared under the water. Long seconds passed, then her head reappeared beyond the grate on the other side.

“The hole is an arm’s length below the water’s surface.” Her teeth were chattering hard. “Roll up our clothes and put them into my pouch.”

He fought his body and gained control as he stripped from his breeches and stuffed his clothes along with hers into the pouch. The less time she spent in the water the better. He pushed the tightly strapped pouch through the bars into her outstretched hand.

She peered up at him. “Wait until I return.”

He chafed at the warning, listening as she swam to the bank, disappearing into the darkness of the night, but her words were prudent. She knew his limitations as well as he did. He shivered, shifting from leg to leg, rubbing his bare arms then glanced toward the grate. The cold night air chilling his skin would be nothing compared to the water.

On her return, Annika grasped the bars again, gasping in deep, shuddering breaths. The sound of her chattering teeth echoed back off the tunnel walls, and in the flickering torchlight her face seemed even paler. For some reason her vulnerability concerned him.

“Are you all right?” he asked. She nodded and motioned for him to hurry. He doused the torch and let it wash away, then slid into the water. The cold shocked the breath right out of him. It felt like a thousand icy needles were piercing his skin, and his nerves screamed in protest. Resisting the urge to scramble out, he grasped the bars of the grate.

“Lady’s Breath!”
It was all he could manage as he searched with his feet for the gap. There was a current pushing at his legs. Something slimy brushed the back of his thigh and he tried not to think about what it might be.

“Perhaps if you move faster you’ll warm up some.” Her soft taunt distracted him from the cold.

He shot her a frown that probably looked more like a grimace and she laughed, the sound light, engaging. With a prayer to the
Lady
for help, he took a deep breath and ducked under the water.

Keeping his eyes closed, he used his hands to feel his way through the hole in the grate and surfaced as soon as he could. Even that brief submersion sapped the strength from his limbs. He shook his hair from his eyes, gasping in air. His breath frosted in front of him as he fought to curl his fingers around the bar. They were already numb from the cold.

Annika pressed up against his back, one arm curling around his chest from behind, the other hooking in the grate, supporting them both as the warmth of her body seeped into him. “I’ve got you.” The feel of her soft curves against him made him thankful the water was so cold.

Her strength surprised him. Supporting a full-grown man twice her weight and a head taller shouldn’t have been so easy.
Na’Chi
blood; demon strength. Her slender stature hid it well. The reminder quelled his desire as quickly as water doused a flame.

The nape of his neck prickled. In battle, he’d seen
Na’Reish
warriors break limbs like they were sticks and once decapitate another with his bare hands. Was she as strong as them? Best he remember she wasn’t human and that she could kill with a touch.

“Let’s keep moving, warrior.” Her voice sounded strained. “The longer we wait, the colder we’ll get.”

Kalan nodded. She swam only an arm’s length away from him as they made their way across the river. His chest felt tight and the aches he feared would hamper him in a swim were superseded by the numbing cold invading his body.

He made it to the bank under his own power but only just. Stumbling from the water, he collapsed onto the grassy verge, sucking in desperate breaths. Once down, his limbs shook uncontrollably. He couldn’t even feel the ground beneath his buttocks.

“Here, wrap yourself in this.” Her cloak settled over him and she tucked it close in against his body, her hands rubbing his back. He would have pulled away from her to do it himself but his limbs wouldn’t obey.

After several minutes though, he felt a rapid warmth seeping through his limbs. He sensed the familiar tingle of power emanating from her. The heat invading his body came from her hands and wherever she touched him. Yet another variation of the healing skill he’d never heard of before tonight. His shuddering slowly eased, replaced with a good dose of caution. She was still a demon and now he knew with complete surety to be wary of her strength.

In the faint moonlight, he saw an enticing flash of naked female skin as Annika crouched beside him. He clutched a fistful of blanket. Why hadn’t she taken the time to dress? Her brow furrowed in concentration, and she kept glancing up at the fortress wall and along the bank. He cursed softly as he realized that she was keeping watch. His brain must have frozen right along with other parts of his anatomy to forget the danger they were still in this close to the fortress.

She looked at him as the power and the warmth she’d created faded. He averted his gaze from her lush body and looked only at her face, startled to see that the flecks in her eyes now glowed a bright red color.

He frowned. “Your eyes…”

She hesitated in reaching for the pouch at her feet. “What about them?”

“Why do they keep changing color?”

She unlaced the pouch and thrust his clothes at him then turned her back on him to pull her dress over her head. Was she ignoring his question?