“Archigos Ini-herit?” he seemed to puzzle over this for a moment. “Why would he be traveling with Tiege and your cousin to come to your aid? Where is your father? Your uncles?”
“I guess my dad is with my mom, who didn’t do well when she thought I was dead. My uncles might be with Tiege. We weren’t connected long enough for me to find out. And I don’t know why archigos Ini-herit is with them.” The fact was, she didn’t care why the elder was coming after her, so long as he did. “Maybe he’s along to heal anyone who might need it. Or he could just be trying to protect Tiege and Clara Kate from the increasing dangers on the mainland.”
“Increasing?”
She blinked as the answer sat in her mind. It took her a second to realize it, but she had just consciously withheld an immediate response. The tea was largely wearing off.
Despite the relief she felt upon realizing that, she decided that she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t at least warn Sparky about what Tiege had told her. If he wasn’t informed, he could blunder into a situation that might lead to him being harmed. She might want to rip his head off for putting her through this, but she didn’t want to be the reason he got himself killed. He had saved her life, after all.
“Tiege warned me about a group of Mercesti led by some male named Zachariah. The group is preyeing on females down here on the mainland.” He stiffened at the grave news, even as she continued, “Zachariah murdered a female named Luvania and apparently a number of others. Tiege is worried the group could find me.”
“Luvania is dead?”
She couldn’t read his expression, but that was nothing new. “Yes. I’m sorry. Did you know her?”
There was a prolonged silence, during which time she struggled to read him. He was beyond a doubt the hardest being to read when he wasn’t lying. Eventually, he said, “Your brother is right to be worried. I have seen evidence of the group he mentioned.”
“They’re apparently looking for something,” she said. “I don’t know why they’re killing females, though. You should be careful yourself, just in case.”
After studying her in silence for a long moment, he looked around her makeshift shelter. “You are not hidden well enough here. You must move to something with a much smaller point of access.”
“But Tiege and the others won’t be able to find me if I’m hidden.”
He clenched his jaw, his eyes flashing. For some reason, he seemed infuriated. Once again, he advanced. She backed away, her limbs returning to within her control. Unfortunately, a hard rock surface stopped her retreat.
“How could you have such bloody little sense?” he demanded, reaching out and shaking her hard by the shoulders. “Your brother connected with you once to determine your whereabouts. He will certainly do so again when he gets near. You could hide yourself from sight and lead him right to you with your thoughts!”
She hadn’t considered that, and felt like an idiot for not having done so.
“You should feel like an idiot,” he snapped, making her realize that she wasn’t completely outside of the tea’s influence yet. She had obviously spoken that thought out loud.
His hands remained on her shoulders in a firm clasp. She had instinctively reached up and grasped his upper arms when he grabbed her, and she felt the hard muscle of his biceps beneath her hands. Because he was bent over her and his mouth was so close to hers, the memory of her attempted kiss flashed through her head. She had the unavoidable and mortifying thought that she wished he hadn’t stopped her.
She watched his expression change as they continued to stand there staring at each other.
“When you want to kiss someone,” he said, making her realize she had been speaking her thoughts again, “do not talk it to damn death.”
And then he pulled her against him and captured her mouth with his.
He didn’t kiss her. No, that was far too sedate a term for it. He claimed her.
This was no gentle brushing of lips against lips. This was an undiluted assault of the senses. This was lips and tongue and heat and urgent, roaming hands. This was erratic breathing, bodies pressed together, skin touching skin, bursts of unbelievable and unexpected pleasure. This was beyond her wildest imaginings.
She vaguely realized that she was groping him just as much as he was her. Her tongue was pressing just as eagerly into his mouth as his did hers. The sounds of pleasure in the alcove were as much hers as his. Probably even more so.
She had never known kissing would be like this. Dear Lord, she wanted—
A burst of pain in the side of her face had her breaking away from the kiss in startled confusion. She saw a look of equal puzzlement on Sparky’s face. When the pain hit her again, she gasped, lifted a hand to her injured cheek and shook her head as if to clear it, blinking as her vision blurred. She grew disoriented. Strangely, she felt the ground beneath her body even though she had just been standing.
When her gaze once again focused, she shook her head a second time. In the moonlit darkness, it seemed there were now two Sparkys.
“Is she awake this time?” asked one of the Sparkys as her focus faded in and out.
She managed to register that the voice wasn’t Sparky’s. As her heart rate spiked with fear and the heavy damper of sleep finally cleared her brain, she also realized that she was no longer dreaming.
“Yes,” Bertram replied to Tycho’s question. “She is awake.”
Excitement surged through them. They had done it. They had managed to find the Kynzesti before the Waresti did. Eirik would surely welcome them back now.
He nearly lost hope when they reached the mountains. How could they possibly find the missing Kynzesti in such a vast landscape? But they had flown along the ridges, anyway, figuring they had nothing to lose.
A stray feather led them right to her. Tycho chanced to spot the feather fly out from under a rocky alcove as the wind caught it. When he flew down to investigate, he found the sleeping female.
It had taken them a couple of minutes to rouse her. She slept right through them examining her to ensure she was, indeed, a Kynzesti, and then conducting an exam of sorts to ensure she was, indeed, female—they had laughed heartily over their humor there—as well as through them binding her hands behind her back with several strips of fabric torn from her rather useless cloak. She had even slept through Bertram’s discovery that her weapons were blessed, not stirring at all through his screams of pain as his contact with the weapons resulted in a surge of holy light that blistered the skin on his hands.
Tycho had very wisely used the female’s cloak to cover his hands so that he could disarm her without injuring himself. They discarded the cloak and nunchucks in a pile on the ground, deciding the items were useless to them. Then they set about waking her up.
Finally, she stirred. Bertram figured she must be especially groggy because of her prolonged exposure to the cold and possibly hunger or dehydration. Whatever the reason, he was glad to see her come around. They needed her in fairly good condition to present to Eirik in order to earn the most favor with him.
As soon as she regained consciousness, she looked between the two of them, her eyes growing wide. He and Tycho watched as realization set in. She shifted as if to move away from them or perhaps reach for her weapon. That was when she discovered she was bound.
A sound issued from her throat, but it was hampered by the gag they had stuffed in her mouth and tied into place. No sense allowing her to scream for aid, after all. They might not reach Eirik’s current location before the Waresti got close enough to hear her.
“I did not expect the Kynzesti to be such an attractive female,” Tycho said, his eyes gleaming. “Perhaps—”
He was cut off when the female somehow flew to her feet and kicked him in the gut in one swift move. Bertram was still blinking in surprise as Tycho doubled over when her booted foot connected with his body mere millimeters from the center of his groin. Pain ratcheted through him and he hit the ground.
She might have g
otten away if she could fly. As it was, he and Tycho staggered back up from their embarrassing takedowns and flew after her. She managed to run and leap a fair distance down the mountain. But a bound Estilorian on foot would never outpace wings.
Tycho tackled her when he was close enough. They hit the ground hard and slid along the rocky surface a number of feet. Since the female was on the bottom, she took the brunt of it. Still, she fought like a crazed animal. Both Tycho and Bertram were in serious pain of their own by the time Tycho finally had enough and slammed her head against the mountain to knock her back unconscious.
“You had better hope that did not cause permanent damage,” Bertram said as he rubbed his bloody lips from where she had head-butted him and split the skin against his teeth. He was pretty sure at least one of his ribs was broken, too. “We did not go through all of this just to have her die before we get her to Eirik.”
“Do not worry,” Tycho said in a hard voice as he lifted the female for transport. His left eye had swollen shut. “She will be fine. Eirik may have the pleasure of killing her himself.”
Chapter 34
Zachariah jerked awake with the taste of Tate still fresh on his tongue. He was on his feet with his tomahawk in hand before consciousness completely returned to his brain, his instincts at their full height.
With the residue of pain lingering in his left cheek, he carefully scanned his environment to see what had caused the disruption. The wind howled off the mountains in the distance and the night sky shone clear and bright thanks to the nearly full moon. Although the trees around him rustled and swayed, he didn’t sense another presence anywhere near him.
Even as his eyes shifted to focus on the dark side of the mountain, fear spread like a fire in his gut. And that was when it occurred to him at last what he should have realized in the first place.
It wasn’t his pain or fear he was experiencing. It was Tate’s.
He knelt on the ground and jerked open his satchel. With a quick and thorough search of the bag, he pulled out the items he thought he might need and stuffed them into his pockets or wherever he could fit them. The satchel would only weigh him down. As he did so, his heart raced with what he knew was Tate’s terror and exertion. Different parts of him gave him clues to what she was experiencing, such as the tightness around his wrists that told him she was bound and the almost suffocating sensation that indicated she had been gagged.
He also felt the lingering effects of the deep sleep he had induced on her. He knew that whatever she was going through was exacerbated by his actions because her reaction times were compromised. Taking the time to analyze just how he felt about himself in that moment wouldn’t have helped matters, however.
Her fear continued to spike, and pain exploded along his body in ways that told him that she was being severely mistreated. It took a tremendous amount of focus to push past the sensations and emotions being forced on him, but stubborn will was something he had in abundance.
When he finally finished loading his pockets, securing his tomahawk in its harness and turning toward the mountain trail that he sensed would lead him to her, he felt such pain in his head that he knew Tate had suffered a significant blow.
His connection to her was suddenly severed.
It was enough to motivate him to do something he hadn’t done in nearly five decades. He extended his wings and flew.
Tiege once again flew with Ini-herit. The sky around them glowed orange due to the flicking wings of the Waresti now traveling with them. His thoughts were still hazy, but finally started clearing when the unexpected pain hit him.
His head snapped back as though he’d been struck. The involuntary reaction had him head-butting Ini-herit, who cursed and briefly lost altitude.
“Ow! Sorry,” Tiege said, reaching up to rub the back of his head where he’d connected with the elder’s face. “I don’t know what—”
A second sharp sting of pain hit him, but he managed to control his reaction this time. His heart raced. A feeling of escalating fear seized him around the throat.
Two of them. There are two of them!
His sister's thoughts flashed through his head. “Tate’s in trouble,” he said.
“What?” Ini-herit asked.
The words barely made it out of Tiege’s throat thanks to his hammering heart. Forcing himself to calm down and focus, he said more loudly, “Tate’s in trouble.”
Hands are tied—gag in my mouth!
The thoughts were rapid. He doubted she realized she conveyed them. Glancing over at Alexius, who had flown nearer when Ini-herit’s flight pattern had been disrupted, he asked, “How far is Harold from Tate’s location?”
Alexius’ eyes glowed briefly. “He thinks he’s still at least thirty minutes from her.”
It wasn’t Tate’s fear that flooded Tiege then. He knew that the Mercesti Alexius had mentioned had reached his sister, and he was nowhere near her to help. They were probably at least twenty minutes from her location themselves. He hissed as pain seared along his side. Other pain exploded in his cheek, as though someone had taken a fist to it.
“Oh, God—she’s in real trouble,” he said choppily as he fought for breath. He brought his hands to his head in an effort to center himself and somehow ward off the projected pain. “They’re hurting her. They’re—”
The next blast of pain had darkness ringing his vision. He felt himself fading. Then silver light and healing energy swirled around and through him. He blinked back to full awareness. When he looked up, he caught Clara Kate’s worried gaze.
“Tiege?” she asked.
He saw that she read his expression and knew what he was going to say. Still, he looked to Alexius and said, “I can’t sense Tate anymore. The Mercesti have her now.”
Caleb figured they were about thirty minutes from reaching Tate, judging by Uriel’s continued updates provided by Harold. It sounded like Tiege might actually make it to her first, which was fine with him. He’d rather know the twins were together than think of either of them on their own.
Uriel’s eyes flashed. When the energy subsided, he exchanged a look with Gabriel. Caleb knew even before his brother’s thought entered his head that something had gone wrong. Gabriel caught his gaze. His eyes had flashed to dark blue, something that only happened when his Gloresti instincts were engaged.
The thought was to the point: Tate’s in trouble.
“You wish to die, do you?” Eirik asked in his unfeeling tone.
Ariana didn’t even bother nodding as he walked a slow circle around her. She just stood there and hoped that Deimos was really, really hungry. Judging by the saliva dripping from his mouth where he stood about ten feet away in the grips of four large Mercesti, he was.
Please let it be over quick, she prayed.
“Very well. Do you wish to disrobe yourself, or shall I do it for you?” Eirik asked.
It felt like ice sliding over her skin as she flicked her gaze to his when he stopped in front of her and stared down at her with his deadly red eyes. She realized then that he intended to turn her over to his men before he let Deimos kill her. Her resolve faltered as a number of the soldiers around them stepped closer.
Think of Tisha, she told herself, even as she trembled in fear. Think of all of the Estilorians who will die if you assist Eirik in finding that scroll.
“See? I can be accommodating,” Eirik said when she just stood there without speaking. “I have offered you a choice, have I not?” He once again started circling her, causing the other males to step away to give him room. “I will even give you another option. Live, follow me and achieve power beyond any of your most far-reaching dreams.”
Some choice, she thought bitterly. Give up her soul for the chance of her physical form to live on under his control. He was completely deluded if he believed that was at all an appealing thought. Visions of the world she knew falling within the dark shadow of Eirik’s rule had her reaching for the buttons of her gown.
“What are you doing?”
he asked her, coming to an abrupt halt.
“I’m making my choice,” she replied as she fumbled with the buttons. She was pleased that her voice didn’t waver. “You and your followers may have this body. You can abuse me however you’d like for as long as you’d like, and then you can kill me or turn me over to your disgusting henchman to do the job. But you will never get me to lead you to that scroll. You can find it yourself. And I’ll happily die letting you wonder if I’ve been leading you in the right direction at all.”
She registered the surprise in his gaze even as the first button came undone. She realized then that he hadn’t expected her to stick to her decision. That knowledge firmed her resolve.
His eyes narrowed consideringly. Managing a smile as she held his terrifying gaze, she unfastened the next button. “Thanks for letting me decide, Eirik. I happen to really like this gown. It’d be a shame to see it destroyed before I am.”
For the first time in the many days she’d been with him, Ariana saw some form of emotion flash in Eirik’s gaze. She thought it must be fury, but his face remained so expressionless that it was hard to tell. Only when his eyes moved from hers and lowered to scan her body did she understand.
Her fingers slipped on the buttons as realization dawned. Revulsion had her looking away from his face. Up until then, he had treated her like nothing more than a mat upon which he wouldn’t even deign to wipe his boots. She realized now that she preferred that to the depraved interest she had just inadvertently ignited. Mortified, she reached again for the next button as tears burned behind her eyes. She blinked them back, determined not to break down at this critical moment.
Murmurs arose from the outskirts of the crowd then, drawing her attention. When Eirik looked away from her and turned his attention to the sky, she lowered her hands from the buttons and glanced around to figure out what was going on.