“Your ex-girlfriend, Kimberly?” Rissa’s tone imparted the fact that it was not a question she’d really asked, only a means to express her displeasure.
Rissa wasn’t the only one to react to the news. Although Endreí was focused on her, he couldn’t help but also notice Kara’s brow arching in a manner that also managed to convey her… annoyance.
“Yes,” he replied. “But that’s not important. What is important is that she’s the one who cast the spell on me. Tási is the source of the magic that’s been plaguing us.”
With that said, Endreí told them everything he’d learned; the entire conversation between him and Tási. When he finished, he fully expected another outburst from Rissa, but her reaction caught him completely off guard.
“Can you kill her, Kara?” Rissa asked the other woman, practically pleading with her for relief. “Can you sneak inside their camp and slit that bitch’s throat for me?”
His wife had suffered silently for years believing he’d been unfaithful to her, so Endreí understood her desire to see Tási dead. Yet she didn’t possess the skills necessary to do the job herself and was forced to ask Kara, his supposed mistress, to perform the task for her. As a Shadow, she definitely had the proper talents, but any mission like that was doomed to failure. The vast discrepancy in experience between Kara and the members of Dreya’s army meant that she was almost certain to be discovered, and her capture would likely lead to Tási uncovering the truth: Her curse had failed, at least in its ultimate goal. Not only that, but if Tási found out about Rissa, he doubted even the threat of her would-be Empress would hold back her rage.
“No,” Endreí responded a bit too forcefully, causing both women to turn on him.
“What do you mean, no?” The venom in Rissa’s voice lacked any restraint. “Are you trying to protect her?”
Even though she remained silent, Kara’s harsh gaze leveled the same accusation at him.
“I mean it won’t work,” he sighed, not caring that it gave away his growing frustration as he turned towards Kara. “I know you saw their class descriptions for yourself. Tell me, do you really think you can slip past three hundred people that are at least twenty levels above you?”
Although she didn’t answer his pointed question, the look in Kara’s eyes told him all he needed to know. As much as it wounded her pride to admit the futility, Kara understood that there was absolutely no chance for her to succeed against such odds.
“So, we do nothing?” Rissa fumed, observing Kara’s response just as he had. “We simply let this bitch take whatever she wants from us and ruin our lives while she’s at it?”
“I’m not saying that either,” Endreí’s exasperation began to mount as well. “But sending Kara off to be slaughtered doesn’t help anything.”
Rissa rolled her eyes at Endreí’s response, clearly thinking Kara’s death might solve at least one of their problems. Before he could reply to her unspoken jealousy, Kara beat him to it.
“So, what can we do, Endreí?”
“I’m not sure,” he was forced to confess, earning him a derisive snort from Rissa. “But now that I know who’s responsible and why, it may help me find a way to break the spell.”
“Until then, I need you—both of you—to stay away from me whenever anyone from that army may be around,” Endreí’s intense stare underscored the deadly seriousness of his request. “If Tási finds out I’m married or even that I care about you, Kara, there’s no telling what she might do.”
Rissa clearly didn’t like her relationship with Endreí being mentioned in the same breath as Kara’s name, but she also understood the implications of what he’d said. Tási was powerful enough to wreak all sorts of havoc, and apparently also obsessed enough with Endreí to actually make good on any retribution she sought. There was simply no telling what she might do if she discovered that he’d overcome her curse and found happiness with another.
“I should go,” Kara finally responded after a brief moment of silence. “Let me know if you find out anything else.”
Once she’d shut the door behind her, Endreí was left alone with Rissa inside their small home. Normally, he’d welcome the opportunity to spend a few moments with her; their hectic lives kept them apart far too frequently. Yet this time, the tension between them filled the air, creating an almost stifling atmosphere within the room. Seeking anything to break through the uncomfortable stillness, Endreí took hold of Rissa’s hand as he spoke.
“Come sit with me outside,” he rose and waited to see if she would take up his offer.
The stony expression on her face yielded just slightly as she accepted and followed Endreí onto the porch behind their home. The tiny space had always been a favorite of theirs, a place where they would often watch the sun set beyond the village’s high walls. Taking seats beside each other, Endreí basked in the evening’s warm glow; nature’s beauty seemed to have no concerns over their precarious circumstances.
As he so frequently had done in the past, Endreí’s eyes drifted away from the fading light to admire Rissa’s incredible beauty. The soft color of her skin came to life in the dwindling sunlight, making him wonder—not for the first time—if the name “twilight elves” had perhaps more than one meaning.
“I know it’s not your fault,” she didn’t look away from the setting sun as she spoke. “I even understand that Kara’s not to blame either, but I just can’t help lashing out sometimes.”
“My people don’t tolerate infidelity, Endreí,” Rissa’s eyes burned hot with her desire for vengeance when she finally turned to face him. “I will kill her for what she’s done to us.”
Having declared her intentions, Rissa turned back to face the sunset, reclining in her chair with an almost serene expression on her face. The calmness he saw there belied the simmering anger Endreí knew was lurking inside her, and despite how much stronger Tási was, he had no doubt that Rissa would find a way to exact her revenge. He only hoped it wouldn’t come at the expense of her own life as well.
Chapter 7
Although Endreí and Rissa stayed up for a while after, the promised word of the would-be Empress’ demands never arrived. When it grew dark, her army simply camped in the fields beyond the village walls, their numbers threatening enough even without taking any aggressive actions. They looked on for a time while others made their own preparations for whatever might come to pass, finally retiring inside when Daze took command of the night’s watch. Eventually, the couple settled in for a restless night’s sleep with the woman’s ominous request still hanging over them.
Morning came, and Endreí woke first, leaving Rissa to sleep while he prepared breakfast for her. The pleasant aromas wafting through their home finally roused her as well, and she joined him almost the minute it was ready. Although they ate fully expecting their meal to be interrupted at any moment, no one came to tell them that they’d received a message from the horde camped just beyond their walls. The wait became almost oppressive as the hours dragged on and it lingered even longer, very likely exactly as their green-eyed opponent intended. Finally, almost mercifully, a messenger summoned them when her letter arrived.
The walk to Nate’s cabin was over in a blink of an eye, and Endreí sat beside Rissa as the rest of the village council arrived. Once the others had taken their seats, Endreí watched Nate toying nervously with the folded parchment in his hands—a decidedly unusual action for his typically well-composed friend.
“So, um, here it is,” Nate began, gesturing with the paper in his hands. “I’ve looked it over already, but I’ll hold my opinion until you’ve each heard what’s in here.”
Nate then read the contents to them as they sat in utter shock; each of its demands seemingly more onerous than the one that preceded it. Aside from arbitrarily declaring their village to be within the bounds of her so-called empire, making them her subjects, Dreya demanded that they hand over fully half their food and livestock in support of her military. Supposedly, this force would ensure
their safety against the threats of the outside world, but Endreí couldn’t help but believe that the insufferable woman was perhaps the worst of them he’d ever come across.
Daisy rose from her chair to stare out the window as Nate continued to relay the details. Endreí recognized her conflict as Daze glared towards the shuttered gates, knuckles whitened in rage as she listened to still more of the woman’s intolerable expectations.
They were given only one choice if they refused to submit to her demands: exile from the boundaries of her self-declared realm. Should they choose to leave, however, it would be with little more than the clothes they wore. The ‘Empress’ had also declared the fruits of their labors as Imperial property, relenting only so much as to permit them to take away whatever they could carry on their backs. The decision they were left with was quite simple. They could suffer under a series of demands that might very well lead them into starvation or wander off into the wilderness and risk the perils of the lands beyond their walls.
Rissa seethed beside him in outrage as Endreí pondered one other fact that hadn’t been contained in the letter. Only his status as one of her supposed citizens had led Dreya to intervene on his behalf when Tási had tried to drag him away. Were he to reject that thin protection, all bets would be off, and he had little doubt that once he did, Tási would come searching for him. With nothing left to control her, Endreí would be helpless against the woman’s power, and even though she might want to take him alive, Tási would show no such restraint towards either Rissa or Kara—any showdown between them would most likely end in their deaths. Yet he still felt that he had no choice in the matter.
Remaining in their village was nearly suicidal. The loss of so much of their food and livestock would almost certainly lead to starvation. Even if they survived, he was under no illusion that this would be the only demand that was made of them. The Empress would continue to take more and more, until there was simply nothing left to give, of that he was convinced. On a more personal level, he also knew now that Tási had found him, Dreya’s intervention had only spared him for the briefest of moments. Eventually, she’d come back for him again, and he had no doubt how that confrontation would end. Endreí knew he had no option but to abandon his home, yet even that drastic action wouldn’t save them unless he could convince his friends to do something much more than that.
“They’re going to kill us all, one way or another,” Endreí struggled with the words. Although he truly believed them, he also knew that what he was doing treaded all too closely towards manipulating his friends for his own purposes.
“If we stay, it’s a slow death while they bleed us dry,” Endreí leaned back into his chair as he continued. “And if we leave, they still might follow us and take what little we have. Even if they don’t, there’s nothing to prevent them from finding us wherever we may settle and doing the same thing all over again.”
“What are you suggesting?” Kara responded, more curious it seemed than anything.
“They have to die, or at least enough of them to ensure that they’re no longer a threat to us,” Endreí let out a deep breath as he began to lay out his plan. “We’ve done something like this once before, but I think it may be a little bit easier this time.”
A stillness came over the room as they all realized the full impact of what he was suggesting. Poisoning the army outside their gates the same way they’d killed off most of the Bone Crushers years ago was no small matter. Should they fail, it would mean nothing short of their complete annihilation, yet it seemed they were also faced with that very same prospect even if they did nothing. With no good options to choose from, it wouldn’t be an easy decision for any of them.
“The letter requests our reply before sundown,” Kara noted, her voice taking on a strange tone he couldn’t quite place. “Why don’t we use some of that time to consider things and meet again in a few hours?”
It was perhaps the best suggestion at the time. With a rather momentous decision ahead of them, the opportunity to deliberate separately for a while would be helpful. Daze barely managed to contain her fury as Steph guided her away, and Endreí favored Kara with a quick nod as he and Rissa headed outside; one she returned with a look Endreí was unable to decipher.
“I can make a batch of poison while we’re waiting,” Rissa’s mind was already made up as they sat down beneath the shade of their favorite tree. The distinctly effective toxin was a specialty of hers, one that she alone could create. Not a highly surprising fact since its key component was her own blood, a closely held secret only the two of them were aware of.
“We’ll have plenty of time for that if it’s what we decide to do,” Endreí rebuffed her gently.
Although they both wanted the same thing, he felt the need to pull back a little. With eight of them on the village council, at least three others would have to agree before his plan could be set in motion. The highly risky idea he’d put forth was far from certain to gain such approval, and Endreí began to consider yet another option—one that was even more dangerous.
Staying together with his friends might be far safer in some ways, yet it was also fraught with its own dangers. With Tási still alive, not only did he face the constant risk of her coming after him, but her spell would eventually lead him and Kara to betray the ones they loved. Leaving them behind and heading off alone with Rissa might be more hazardous, but it would also make him that much harder to find while eliminating the possibility of him succumbing to Tási’s curse. Perhaps the magic might manifest in some other way if they were alone, but he was certain of its effects should he and Kara continue to remain so near to each other. In this case, the unknown was far more appealing to him than the inevitable.
Endreí didn’t share his thoughts with Rissa, however. If it became necessary, there would be plenty of time to do that later. Rather than have that difficult conversation, they sat together quietly, enjoying the brief period of calm before the chaos that was sure to follow. Long before they thought it would be time for the council to reconvene, Kara came looking for them, asking the pair to return to Nate’s cabin far earlier than either of them had anticipated.
Kara seemed odd to Endreí as they walked back, always staying just a few steps ahead while avoiding his gaze as if she’d done something wrong and was trying to hide it from him. He could only imagine that she’d made up her mind and that he wouldn’t be happy with the way she was going to vote on the issue—until he walked through the front door of Nate’s cabin.
Instead of seeing the rest of his friends gathered around their meeting table, Nate was sitting there alone, glaring at Endreí with a look of barely contained rage. It was an expression he recognized quite clearly—the same one he’d seen on Rissa’s face when he’d made his confession to her. Suddenly, Kara’s strange behavior made sense to him, and he immediately knew what she’d done. She understood the need to eliminate Dreya and her army and had told Nate of Tási’s curse in an effort to sway him to their side. Although his wife’s… dalliances might not have crossed that fine line into unfaithfulness, he knew that Nate was outraged by what had occurred between them.
“It wasn’t his fault,” Rissa easily understood the situation, stepping between him and Nate as she spoke on Endreí’s behalf before he could find the words himself. “And for her part, it wasn’t Kara’s fault either. Both of them were under Tási’s spell. As… difficult as it is, we need to remember who’s really to blame.”
“It shouldn’t have taken this for them to tell us,” Nate’s fingers dug into the table’s dark wood as he attempted to rein in his fury.
“You’re right,” Rissa agreed with him. “I’m not at all pleased with what’s been going on between them, but we have a chance to help them break free of this magic for good. We can either do that, and focus on our futures together, or live in the past with our anger.”
Endreí and Kara stood by mutely while the pair debated their fates. The discussion brought back all of his feelings of guilt and shame,
reminding him that he’d not only failed his wife but his best friend as well. Nate relented with the barest nod of his head, still clearly incensed, yet willing to listen. Relieved by the turn of events, Endreí took a seat beside Rissa at the table as Kara sat next to Nate—both as far away from each other as conditions allowed.
“You think killing this Tási woman will end it?” Nate’s eyes drilled holes in Endreí’s skull as he spat out the words.
“Yes,” Endreí acknowledged Nate’s deduction, one he hadn’t even admitted to himself just yet.
Nate exhaled a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, a gesture Endreí recognized as one his friend often displayed when he was grappling with a difficult decision. When his mind was made up, Nate looked Rissa in the eyes, ignoring both Kara and Endreí as he spoke.
“Fine, we’ll do this,” anger and frustration mixing freely in Nate’s bitter tone.
Rissa nodded back, and then Nate turned to face Endreí.
“Get out of my house and stay the fuck away from me,” Nate growled through tightly clenched teeth as his barely contained fury instantly resurfaced. “I don’t ever want to see your face unless I absolutely have to. And if you go near my wife again, I’ll break every bone in your body.”
Endreí understood his friend’s anger and, considering just how strong he was, Nate was completely capable of following through on his threat. He was ready to flee that instant until Rissa responded.
“If that’s the way you want it, then your wife’s going to face the same consequences from me,” Rissa glared back at Nate. “She’s no more innocent than he is.”
Endreí knew that in her mind, Kara was actually the more guilty party—she’d confessed her understanding of the full depth of their betrayals while he hadn’t even realized it. Still, he was glad Rissa had chosen to keep that fact to herself, and more than a little surprised by her restraint. Obviously, she understood just how volatile the situation was and didn’t want to throw any more fuel on an already raging fire.
Echoes: A Second Skin Novel (Second Skin Book 6) Page 8