Araman

Chapter Twenty Nine

  “You lied to me.” Raliena yelled at Dergen as she trailed slowly along behind him. She had been ordered to follow him out to the bridge in the gardens where they now walked, the sun rising in the sky. He had not specified how quickly. She would fight his orders and turn them against him just as he did with her words and it may give her the extra time needed for the Lagania to catch up with him.

  “You were the one that did not specify your demands.” Dergen replied not looking back at her.

  “You twisted them, as you do everything.”

  Dergen turned on her, now angry at how long she was taking to walk to the bridge. He planned to escape into the forest by using the door Raliena always used to access her secret hideout, but had to cross the lake to reach it.

  “All this simply to force me to make the bond?" Raliena asked, buying time.

  "Not all of it.” He replied. “Most things I do are for my own satisfaction." Dergen smiled cruelly and pushed a bit of hair from Raliena’s face. "I could not face the Lagania single handedly. Not yet while I would still have to teach you obedience. Lishini was necessary to at least distract them while we escaped. He is ruthless and ambitious and would have weakened them in the process."

  "Coward." Raliena spat. Trying to provoke him and keep him distracted.

  "Do not mock me!" He yelled from frustration. “You think I could not order you to kill everyone in that ball room, your precious Lagania." He spat on the floor. “And that melding General, he is no match for me. The only reason he is still alive now is because I can forgive your insolence. You have no idea the power you now possess, and I control.”

  He took a step towards her. “I control.” He repeated.

  Dergen pulled a lock of hair from behind her ear so it fell down her shoulder. Raliena almost shuddered at what exactly he could ask her to do and turned her head away.

  “Keep up.” He muttered and started walking again.

  They reached the bridge much faster. Dergen made to continue walking and Raliena felt the order to follow him to the bridge fade.

  She stopped in the centre and glanced over at the cascade of water falling beneath it. Usually the sun rising at this viewpoint would take her breath away, but now she just felt sick.

  “What are you doing?” Dergen demanded realising she was no longer next to him.

  “The only thing I can do.” She replied quietly and placed her hands on the edge of the bridge. She steadied her nerves and carefully stood on the first wooden slat forming the bridge, then eased her leg over the top to stand on the opposite side of the railing.

  “Stop.” Dergen said suddenly panicked. “I command you to climb back over!”

  Raliena felt the slight pull on her will, but it quickly faded when she thought about what she planned to do.

  “You were right.” Raliena said looking up from the wood beneath her hands, that temporarily held her to this life. “The Lagania did tell me everything, including how to break the bond.”

  “You wouldn’t.” Dergen had been slowly advancing towards her and was now only one step from where she stood.

  “You cannot stop me.” Raliena looked back over her shoulder at the water below and wondered briefly if it would hurt. “Not from this.”

  “You would throw away all that power?” The desperation in Dergen’s voice was evident. “Do you know what I have had to do to claim you?”

  “I promised I would not let you use me.” She shook her head, enjoying tormenting him before she left the world behind.

  “I won’t allow you to throw it away!” Dergen lunged forward just as Raliena let go and caught her mid-air.

  Her feet dangled in the air, grasping for something to hold her up and finding only the spray of water that cascaded off the cliff. This was the second time she was clinging to someone who would determine her fate.

  “Let me go, Dergen.” Raliena said more calmly than she felt now she had time to think about what she was doing. “If not now, then I would find another way.”

  “You are mine, Armon.” Dergen yelled back. He was not straining from holding her due to his increased strength. “Just as your mother should have belonged to my father.”

  “It would have ended the same way.” Raliena replied.

  “So, if I cannot have you no one can?”

  “I am not yours to claim.”

  They stared at one another for a long while, neither noticing someone approach.

  “Don’t you dare, Dergen!”

  Raliena looked up to find Kassen standing at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the bridge, one hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

  “Take another step forward General and I’ll do more than dare.” Dergen replied. “And don’t even think about pulling that sword out.”

  “Just leave Kassen! You can’t help me.” Raliena shouted over the roar of the waterfall.

  Kassen looked pained as she said this and he realised that what she said was true. Only the death of one of them would break the bond and he was determined for it not to be her. Kassen took another step towards them, his eyes fixed on his enemy.

  “I won’t let you fall Raliena!” He looked deep into her eyes. “I promised.”

  Trying to keep strong, Raliena held back her hopeless tears as she watched Kassen take another advancing step towards Dergen.

  “That’s not your decision to make, Kassen!” The Sinner retaliated.

  “No!” Raliena replied. “It’s mine!”

  She released one of her hands from Dergen’s grip, forcing him to grab her other wrist. With one hand free Raliena snapped the silver chain off her neck, it recoiled back into a single chain and she held it over the waterfall.

  Kassen stepped forward forgetting his sword, and Dergen’s, who unsheathed it at Kassen’s advance and held it against his neck, still gripping Raliena with the other hand.

  After a few shocked breaths and intake at the new situation they were all in, Dergen continued talking.

  “Well Raliena, it seems that it is now in your hands at how our predicament is to end.” He looked down at her hardened face and smiled despite everything. “Are you to put the necklace back on, so I can pull you up and I will allow your dear General to live so long as he does not come after us.” Dergen grinned at Kassen’s growl in response.

  “Not likely.” Kassen snarled leaning into the point of the sword at his throat.

  “But,” Dergen continued, still staring at Kassen. “If you refuse me, I shall drop you and as you fall into the depths of the waterfall, you can watch me drive my sword through your lover’s heart.”

  Kassen was breathing deeply with anger, trying to restrain himself from running into the sword just to get his hands on Dergen.

  “Not if we have anything to do with it!”

  All three looked across to the other side of the Sinner. Mixed feelings ran through them when they saw Derio at the foot of the bridge standing with his sword pointing at Dergen in a menacing stance.

  Princess Sherin and Sitnen came running up behind Derio, also with swords in case Kassen should fail.

  “So this is all the army Attashar had to offer?” Dergen said mockingly.

  Sitnen and Sherin walked up the steps and stood by Derio. Both had their eyes fixed on Dergen.

  “Princess Sherin.” The Sinner greeted. “I would have thought me killing your bastard brother was a positive thing for you. One less person in your way for the throne.”

  Sitnen had to hold Sherin back before she could launch herself at Dergen, angry tears spilling in her eyes. It pained Raliena to watch her suffer.

  “What is she doing here!” Kassen accused.

  “We were trying to get her to safety when we saw you on the bridge.” Sitnen explained, putting Sherin firmly behind him.

  “You’re outnumbered, Dergen!” Kassen spat, it was n
ot the time to scold Sherin.

  “You are forgetting that hanging from my arm is a very valuable power that you cannot afford to lose.” Dergen retaliated.

  “And that is the only reason why you are still alive!” Derio replied for Kassen, who was ready for a fight.

  “The only thing I cannot lose is Raliena.” Kassen said with feeling.

  Overwhelmed by all the new information that was running through her head, Raliena was finding it hard to keep control. But this statement from Kassen broke through her confusion and brought her back to reality.

  “This will stop now!” She screamed above everyone else who immediately stared at her. Raliena took in all their expressions carefully.

  Derio and Sitnen’s worried but fighting expressions. Little Sherin, furiously trying to hold back tears, her hands shaking. It did not suit her to be holding a sword, so young and ready to kill. Dergen now showed that he was the heartless man his father once was, and had trained him to be. Every bit a Sinner but not yet a Master.

  Then finally she stopped at Kassen who was filled with love and desperation for her. The sadness showed in him and grew as he realised what was about to occur. He stood motionless with the sword at his throat willing it not to happen, but also knowing that it must.

  “I give you what is mine to give.” The Armon murmured to him in a barely audible whisper and saw him shudder.

  A tear rolled down Raliena’s cheek as she turned from Kassen’s sorrowful face, her eyes then turned to the stars above the castle of Verxia, silhouetted against the moon, the sun behind her fast illuminating the sky.

  Dergen growled in pain at the burn forming from where he had hold of Raliena, the last of her powers, and slowly, before anyone realised, her hand slid from his, and Raliena, Araman of Verxia, Armon of the Lagania, was falling into the dark abyss of the perilous waterfall.

  The last thing she saw were all their faces, watching in shock, then the sky above, the same as always, seemingly oblivious to the plights of the world…