Wielder of Tiren (The Raven Chronicles Book 3) (11 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

P
ain woke Kial. It wrapped around his body, constricting with every breath. He lay on something cold and hard, that much he knew. He fought to regain control of his muscles, willing his mind to
ignore it. At least he was still alive.

              His mind began to make sense of the jumble of images. Being dragged down
a dank, dark corridor. Any misstep resulting in a swift kick to his gut or a sword pommel to his back. Sera’s face, tearstained and scared, as they propelled him into a cell. Her voice screaming his name as his head hit the wall and blackness overtook him.

              Sera. His heart constricted at the thought of her. The threat made against her, should he fight back. He knew he couldn’t fight against them, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to get them both out of this mess.

              The ringing in his ears dissipated at last, and he began to listen for more sounds. Footsteps, the burning of a torch, anything to tell him someone was nearby. Or coming to pay them a visit.

              At first, it was only silence. The muffled sounds of sobbing reached his ears. He opened his eyes, turning his head.

              The windowless cell, two walls of iron bars thicker than his arm, sat against cold stone. A single torch burned in a sconce outside the door, on the opposite wall. Either he was the first inhabitant, or they’d cleaned it recently. No straw for bedding, nothing but rock and dirt and him.

              Slowly, he sat up. His hand went to his ribs, wincing in pain as he moved. Carefully, he prodded his skin. He wasn’t certain, but he didn’t think anything was broken. Bruised, certainly. But not broken.

              He turned his head to his left, trying to figure out where the sobbing was coming from. Sera lay curled up on the floor. Her shoulders shuddered with her tears. The dark red velvet of her gown covered with dust and rips in the fabric.

              “Sera,” he called out as he dragged himself closer to the bars separating them. “Sera, it’s me. Are you okay?”

              She didn’t move, but the heaving in her shoulders lessened. Kial grabbed one of the bars, using it to move himself as close as possible. He reached the other arm between the bars, hoping to touch her. But she was too far away.

              “Sera? Talk to me, please. I need to know you’re all right,” he pleaded with her.

              Her body shifted. “All right? No, Kial. I’m not ‘all right’. I’m cold and scared and…” her voice trailed off.

              “We’re going to get through this. Together. Senyan can’t do what he wants until he has Hala’s dagger. Your mom or someone else is going to find it first. You and I need to stay alive, figure a way out. That’s all.”

              She sat up, her black hair tumbling loose from the braids she’d had them in. “Do you really believe that, Kial?” she whispered. “That they’ll find the dagger before Senyan?”

              He could hear the desperation in her voice. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, comfort her. “I do.”

              She turned, her head bowed. Her hair fell around her face, obscuring most of her features. She clutched the front of her dress with one hand. The cut lacings woven in between her fingers. “But, what if we don’t get out? What if they don’t find the dagger before he does?” Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, falling unchecked onto her skirt. “What if Curtis…” her back curved even more as her body bent with the sobs.

              Ignoring the pain it caused, Kial pushed himself onto his knees. “Sera, it’s not going to happen. I won’t let it. This is what they want, to make you afraid of them. You’re stronger than they are. I know it. They live off of fear. You
can’t give in to it.” He
reached his arm through the bars again.

              She turned to face him at last. Purple bruises dotted her neck. Her face, splotched red from the tears, tore at him. Fear marred her features. “I’m not that strong, Kial. I know what they did to Mom. They’ll do the same to me, or worse. I can’t live through that.” Her voice broke.

              “Take my hand, please,” he begged.

              She moved closer and took his hand. It trembled in his. “You can, Sera. And you will. Because of who you are. I know you were closer to your father, but you are a mirror image of your mother.” He smiled at the shock her words gave him. “You have her strength. I know you do. And you’ll find it in yourself. It’s not about how much magic you can harness. It’s about how much love you show. She got through everything because she loved your father, and he loved her.” Gently, he urged her to move nearer to the bars. When she was close enough, he reached his other hand through the bars and moved some hair away from her face. “I love you, Sera. Nothing will ever change that. If you ever find yourself doubting your own strength, remember that. And it will help you.”             

              “But what if—”

              “No. We can’t think that way. Your mother knows we’re missing. Probably knows who took us. She will come for us. That’s a fact. We concentrate on what we know, figure a way out of here if we can. But our one job is to survive until then. Or until she comes.”

              Sera took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The tears no longer fell from her eyes. “Is there anything we can do? Senyan threatened us both if we
didn’t go quietly.”

              Kial smiled. “We did our part. We let them throw us into these cells. But nothing I promised said we’d stay here.”

              “Do you really think we can escape?” Hope sprang up in her gray eyes.

              He looked to the hallway outside the cells. “I haven’t seen a guard since I woke up. I doubt the doors are unlocked, but…” he stopped talking when the sound of a heavy door being opened reached them. Footsteps followed, coming their way.

              He squeezed her hand in reassurance and let go, pulling himself to his feet. She scrambled to hers as well, her hands trying to tie small knots in the tattered lacings of her bodice. Whoever was coming to visit them, he was going to
face them head on.

              Two guards, one carrying two bowls, came into sight. “Get to the back of your cell,” one ordered. “And turn around.”

              Kial nodded once to Sera, and then did as he was ordered. He could hear a key turning in the lock. The hinges creaked briefly, then the tumblers in the lock moved again. Seconds later, the same sounds repeated next to him.

              “It bothers me to see you both eating on the floor like dogs.” Curtis’ voice cut through the silence. “Go get our guests at least a chair to sit on.” He ordered. “I’ll make sure they don’t try to escape while you’re gone.”

              Kial turned his head. Curtis stood inside Sera’s cell, a smug smile on his face. She hadn’t moved.

              Curtis began to stroke one of the bars separating the cells. “This isn’t the way I would’ve housed the two of you, but it wasn’t my choice. Senyan seems to think you’re full of untapped potential. I’m not so sure myself. Marked or not, you seem to be rather unremarkable.” The look on his face shifted, chilling Kial to the bone. “Perhaps it takes something shocking to bring out the fighter in you.” He lunged for Sera, grabbing her arm and dragging her closer to him. He pinned her between the bars and his own body, pressing her face into the metal. An arm encircled her waist, while his other hand brushed the hair away from her shoulder. “Tell me, Kial,” he put his cheek next to Sera’s. “Would you like to watch as I turn her into a woman? Or just hear the screams and imagine what I’m doing to her?” His hand traveled down the neckline of her bodice and plunged into the front.

              Kial’s stomach churned as he watched Sera’s body stiffen. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She bit
her lip, trying to keep back the scream he knew she must want to give voice to.

              “Or perhaps it would be more fun to make you part of the education. Come closer.” Curtis demanded.

              He shook his head, his legs refusing to move. “I will have no part in rape.”

              The hand fondling her breast clenched under the fabric, and Sera screamed. “I said, come closer.”

              He shuffled closer to the bars, more afraid of what he would do to her if he didn’t than anything else. “Much better,” Curtis crooned. “I wouldn’t want you to feel left out. Now, take her arms and hold her still. If she’s anything like her mother, she’ll be a wild one to ride.”

              A flash of green flared in the corner of Kial’s eye. Looking down, he caught the hilt of a dagger peeking out of the top of Curtis’ boot. The gem flashed briefly before going dark again.

              He reached through the bars, putting his hands lightly on Sera’s arms. “Trust me,” he muttered, his voice barely audible.

              The sound of a door opening distracted Curtis. He stepped away from Sera, cursing under his breath. The guards returned, carrying the chairs and tables as told. The second he turned away, Kial whispered in Sera’s ear, “He has Hala’s dagger in his boot!”

              Sera’s eyes went wide, then a calculating look replaced the fear. Chances were high that Senyan didn’t know Tiren was right under his nose. They needed to work this to their advantage, but how?

              “Lord Senyan requires your presence, Baron Curtis.” A third guard came running down the hallway. “The new King has ordered the city evacuated but that you remain.”

              Curtis swore, then glared at Sera. “What’s your mother up to now, girl?” he growled as he stormed out of the cell.

              Kial continued to hold on to Sera until everyone left. Once they were alone again, they both let out heavy breaths.

              “If Curtis has Tiren, why hasn’t he given it to Senyan?” Sera whispered.

              Kial shrugged. “I don’t know. I think those two have different agendas. Curtis wants the throne, I know that much.”

              “He could be waiting, planning on using it to kill Ramberti.”

              “And, if he’s having everyone leave the city except Curtis, that’s going to make
assassination difficult.” Kial slumped into the chair left in his cell. “We’ve got to get that dagger away from him somehow.”

              They sat in silence for a few minutes. Sera spoke, her voice even. “He’s going to come back for me, Kial. It’s a certainty. He’s trying to scare us both with the idea that he’ll rape me. Eventually, he’ll try to do it. That’s when I get the dagger.”

              Kial looked at her, shocked. “Sera, you’re not planning on letting him rape you, are you?”

              Sera smiled in a way that shocked Kial. The strength he knew she had was there at last. “Not one bit. My family has an unofficial motto. Mom and Dad would say it to each other all the time. Something about the other one being tough, they can take it.” She paused. “When he comes again, and he will, he’ll find out just how much like my mother I can be.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

A
rwenna tossed in the bed, punching the pillow once again. It was no use. Sleep wasn’t coming.

              On the other side of the alcove, Y’Dürkie’s soft snoring let her know her sister wasn’t having the same problem. She flipped on her side, clutching her covers in her fist and pulled them closer to her chin. Staring outside into the dark cavern, she sighed. This wasn’t normal for her. She’d always been able to sleep. Even the night before she went into Tanisal to face Corse all those years ago, when so much was at stake. Why was tonight any different? They knew they were safe here. Y’Dürkie had put her armor aside, a rare thing for her to do when she wasn’t at the Stronghold or Arwenna’s home. Sleeping in her armor had saved both of their lives more than once.

              Finally, she gave up. Pushing the covers aside, she rose. It wasn’t cold in the cave. Nannan kept the climate pleasant for them.

              She crept barefoot out of the alcove so not to wake Y’Dürkie. The last thing she needed was for her friend to think something was wrong.
It’s been a long day, that’s
all
, she thought.
I’ll go sit near the lake, put all of this in order
. Then I’ll be able to sleep.

Looking out across the cave, the clear water of the lake drew her gaze. Maybe sitting near that would help calm her mind. The steps, cut from the stone but left rough, helped her from slipping as she walked down to its banks. The
table and benches where they’d eaten were gone, back to whatever realm Nannan kept them in. What a dragon would need with human-sized furniture wasn’t something Arwenna wanted to contemplate.

She found a spot on the edge, where she could dip her toes into the water if she chose to without getting the hem of her underdress wet. Maybe if she just watched the reflected light dance on the water, her mind would let her sleep.

The subtle sound of shifting sand told her someone was near. Drawing her knees to her chest, she didn’t look. This was Nannan’s home, and it would’ve been rude to stare.

Instead, she kept her sight on the far wall of the cave as her visitor settled on the sand next to her. Quartz veins cascaded like water down the face of the rock, intersecting with smaller rivulets of silver and gold. The effect was mesmerizing.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.”

Arwenna snapped her head to her left, her eyes welling with tears. “Joss?” she whispered. Her heart desperate to know it was him and not an illusion.

He smiled slightly. “Yes, it’s me. For now, anyway. Nannan,” his head bobbed toward a dark passage off to the right, “felt that you and I had unfinished business. What she said to Lexi to release me for a short time I don’t know. But it worked. I’m here.”

Arwenna shook her head, “No, you’re not. You’re dead. Nothing can change that.” She swiped at the tears running down her face.

He shifted, facing her. “You’re right. I’m dead and there’s nothing that can change that. Not even Nannan.” He placed a hand under her chin and raised her face to meet his. “But we can’t leave things as they were and have you be at peace. You have questions that only I can answer. I won’t be here but an hour. I don’t want to waste the time with you being angry at me.”

“Why, Joss? Why the secrets? Why didn’t you tell me Senyan was doing things again?” Her voice cracked with pain.

He drew her close, and she willingly put her head against his chest. But no heartbeat reached her ears. She closed her eyes tight, trying to hold back the tears that continued to spill. “Ah, love. I didn’t want to. It was Lexi’s order. And there was nothing solid to share with you. We knew so little, and we didn’t see the point of telling you when it was more speculation than anything else.”

She drew back, looking him in the face. “I’m not a doll!” she threw the words at him. “I’ve been through so much and come out fine. One more bit of bad news wouldn’t have crushed me! Why does everyone think I can’t take it anymore?” she demanded.

He smiled, and brushed a single lock of hair aside from her face. “We know, Arwenna. We know. But those of us who love you didn’t see the need to make you continue to take it. You’re tougher than anyone else I’ve ever met. Gone through things that would’ve broken anyone else. And come out on top. That doesn’t mean we thought you would snap over hearing Senyan was back. It just means we love you enough to try and let you keep the peace you’ve obtained. You earned it, and then some.”

“But the trip to Oranji…the metal going to Liam. You didn’t share any of that.”

“Honestly, there wasn’t much to share. It was a hunch on my part. I was visiting some of the same places Senyan had, trying to learn what he was looking for. Along the way, I found the
Caretaker who took care of you when you escaped from the caverns. Before we found you at the village. She told me the rest of the story. That it would take more than you and Y’Dürkie joining with Tiren to fight Corse. That I had to find Trieste’s heart, figure out a way to join it with Tiren. Only then would
there be a weapon that could end this. That Tiren and Trieste together would die along with Senyan,” he paused, “or with you.”

Arwenna took a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper, “But if I’d known all of this, maybe I could’ve prevented him from…” she stopped, unable to complete her thought.

“No, Arwenna. You wouldn’t have been able to stop him from killing me. Nothing could. If not when it happened, then later. After he’d killed Liam or turned Sera into the same type of soulless puppet he was. I was never going to come out of this alive.” He pulled her close to him again. “You can’t save everyone, Arwenna. I know you want to try, but it’s not possible. You gave me a lifetime of love. Those memories will remain with me, even as my spirit sits idle in Lexi’s realm. It’ll keep me sane. You have no idea how inane the chatter of hundreds of dead fairies and pixies can be.” She couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “And, I’m sure, when your time comes. When Hauk decides you’ve done enough and it’s time, but not before. Lexi will allow me to come welcome you to the next part of the journey, walk at your side again. But your job isn’t done yet.”

“I have to kill Senyan.” The words rang in her ears, echoing into her soul in a way she’d never experienced before. A sense of rightness, conviction, rose from deep within her.

“Yes, you do. Only you can. It’s not murder; at least I don’t see it as such. He’s been so close to death, courted it for so long. He only knows power, pain, madness. To kill him now would be a kindness. For not just him, but the entire world.” He kissed the top of her head, the gentleness in the gesture making her sigh with longing. “Don’t kill him from vengeance because he killed me. Do it because it’s the right thing for you to do. The same compassion that stopped you before now has to be the force behind the blow.”

He pushed her away from him, taking both of her hands into his. “I didn’t want this for us. Please know that. I didn’t know when my death would come, or that the last thing I’d see was your face as it happened. I’ve only wanted to love you. Never cause you pain.”

Arwenna bit her bottom lip, unable to hold back the grief any longer. With tears flowing in hot streams down her fa
ce, she collapsed into his lap. All of the sadness, the loneliness of the last few months came bubbling to the surface. Her entire body shuddered with the force of her grief. When the sobbing at last had run its course, she fell asleep, exhausted.

How long she slept she didn’t know. But she awoke in the bed, not on the beach. Joss was gone. She lay there, her mind taking in the conversation, trying to commit every word he said, every touch of his skin to her memory.

“Arvenna? Are you avake?” Y’Dürkie called out softly.

She threw off the covers and sat up. “Yes, I am. And ready.”

“Ready for vhat?”

She leveled a steely gaze at Y’Dürkie. “I’m ready to kill Senyan.”

“Vell, then. Let us get back to Tanisal. I vould hate to make you late.”

Without another word, the two got dressed and began to walk back out of the cave.