by RJ Metcalf
The man stumbled, and she swung without hesitation, her blade catching her opponent below the belt. Half the crowd groaned in sympathetic pain over his howls, while the other half hooted their approval. Ben swallowed bile.
Her opponent crumbled, his scream covered by the cheers of the onlookers. Raine said something to him and he shook his head. She shouted something inaudible, stabbing him through the heart. She kicked his broken body and turned so Ben could see her face fully.
Tears and blood-splatters stained her face, her hands, her clothing. She looked down at her sword. Dropped it. Her body shook and she hunched over, elbows on her knees, bowing her head.
The gate opened and Geist swore. “Son of a whale.”
A man jogged up to Raine and settled his arm around her shoulders, gently leading her to the way out of the pit. He lifted his face and Ben stiffened in surprise.
Andre.
Chapter Forty-Three
Ben
Ben followed Axil and Geist out of the pit after it emptied of the fighters and prisoners, ignorant to whatever Axil was prattling on about. Ben’s head swam. Raine was alive. So was Andre. But Raine. She seemed … broken. She wasn’t one to just slaughter, torture, a man in such cold-hearted blood without reason. There were only a handful of reasons that Ben could think of, and none of them made his concern ease. Instead, the concern felt like a snake coiled around his heart, constricting him.
He needed to find her. And Andre. Now.
Geist’s jaw hadn’t eased at all since they’d left the pit, and he kept stealing glances back at Ben. Finally, Geist leaned in. “We’re supposed to wait, see if Jade can get Raine out the right way.”
Ben shook his head. “She has no idea about Andre. And something is wrong. We need to get them both out. Jade needs the encouragement.”
“I’m not denying that, man.” Geist shook his head, his gaze touching on the walls, the lights overhead, the manway they just passed. He gripped the strap of the steam rifle slung over his back. “I just don’t know how we’ll be able to pull it off here.”
Ben shoved a hand through his hair, trying to not let his agitation color his thinking. He needed to stay calm. Keep his head about him. They’d figure this out. “OK. We need a plan B. If we can get a legal release for Raine, we need to get one for Andre, too. We need to send a message to Jade and Weston.”
Geist crossed his arms. “I can check if Timothy is done with his tattoo already, talk to him about getting a message out. But first … He jogged to catch up to their guide, and suddenly Geist’s enthusiasm ramped up. “That She-Bear was as amazing you said she’d be. I don’t suppose we could have a chance to talk to her?”
Axil stopped in surprise then shrugged. “I don’t see why not. You’re done teaching for the day, right? She’s down on Holden’s level, and tends to return there right after her fights. I’ll lead you there.”
“Thanks.” Geist smiled and Ben twitched his lips in an approximation of gratitude.
They were led to the cage and then down the ramp, past empty cell and empty cell. Ben’s nerves grated as Axil whistled cheerfully. Had the man not seen how Raine reacted to that other prisoner? Didn’t he even wonder why she’d behave the way she did? Were all guards here so desensitized to the brutality of this place?
They entered a large cavern that could’ve fit the Sapphire in length, height, and width at least twice over. Geist let out a low whistle. Cells lined the edges, and Axil stopped to talk to a pony-tailed prisoner who pointed to a corner in the left. Axil gestured them that way.
A different concern suddenly seized Ben. They were dressed as Aerugan military. They were supposed to be above the law. What if she recognized them and accidentally gave them away? They hadn’t thought of that before, had they? She’d recognize Geist. And she wasn’t as close with him as she was with Ben, so maybe she’d be more subtle if she saw Geist first. Maybe. Hopefully.
“You can go first, since you’re such an instant fan of her,” Ben said it as casually as possible, like his heart wasn’t beating hard enough to break through his chest.
Geist shot him a side-glance, confusion evident before it cleared and he nodded. “I’ll let her know that her second-best fan is wanting to say hi, too.”
Axil laughed. “Bump that down to third-best. I hold the number one fan slot.” He paused and pointed at Geist, his expression dead serious. “And no funny business, now.”
Geist nodded briefly and disappeared behind a curtain. Ben crossed his arms, holding in his impatient jitter. After a moment, Geist stuck his head out and waved at Ben. “Come meet the She-Bear.”
Heart pounding, all-too-aware of the guard watching them, Ben pushed the curtain to the side, entering a small cell that smelled of salt and blood. Raine sat there on a hard slab that was clearly meant to be a bed, frozen as she stared at him. She’d changed into fresh clothes, but dried blood coated around her fingernails, a splash of crimson that she’d missed streaked her temple, and scratches covered her arms. It was all too clear, the exhaustion that weighed on her shoulders, evident by the circles under her eyes.
“I’ve been summoned.” Axil poked his head in and lifted his wrist to show a slender metal band with a gem flashing in it. He gave Ben a friendly nod. “You two can handle yourselves, right?”
Geist touched a finger to what seemed like a rock salt bowl filled with medical supplies. “Of course.” He shot Ben a look.
“Uh, yes.” Ben couldn’t break his gaze away from Raine, her brown eyes expressing more than he’d dared to hope for, and more than he’d feared. He caught the glimmer of joy, then a realization dawning, followed by what looked to almost be horror and shame. In the back of his mind, he knew he should say something more to their escort, so he shot a glance over his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Excellent. And you know your way out.” Axil waved at Raine, almost like one would to a famous person when too shy to say something. “Fantastic fight as always.” The curtain made a slight shushing sound as it dropped back into place, hiding Ben, Geist, and Raine from the rest of the room.
Ben pulled the curtain back and noted that Axil really had left them with her. But some of the other prisoners lingered nearby, clearly curious in the two guards that came to speak to the lone female prisoner. Where was Andre?
He turned slowly, his muscles threatening to turn into mush at the simple relief of seeing Raine, alive, whole. But he couldn’t ignore the way she held herself, the pain she tried to hide behind a broken mask.
Raine looked stricken. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she dropped her gaze to her hands, her lips trembling. Finally, a whisper. “How?”
What could he say? “We’re here to train the guards in the new steam rifle tech,” he lifted the strap of his own steam rifle and gestured at the one slung around Gest’s back. He lowered his voice. “But we’re also here to keep you safe until we can rescue you.”
She said nothing, eyes glistening as she stared between them, her gaze coming to rest on the fixed steam pistol on Ben’s belt. “Papa?”
“Safe. In Lucrum,” Geist supplied.
A breath whooshed out of her and her shoulders eased just a fraction.
“We saw you fight,” Ben said finally, letting the curtain return to its spot. Her eyes widened even further, two tears slipping down her cheeks before she snapped her gaze away, focusing on a pot of water instead. He’d never seen her like this. But he’d seen Sara like this. More than enough times for him to fill in the blanks right now, giving him answers that he had no way of knowing were true. He swallowed hard. Jumping to conclusions wouldn’t help matters. “What happened out there?”
“Don’t ask.” Her voice was sharp, but brittle. She closed her eyes and visibly swallowed. “Not now. Please.”
That only ratcheted up the unease in his gut, but he wouldn’t press. He had to get her out of here first. Ben tried to keep his voice neutral for the sake of anyone listening in. He ached to hug
her and ask what the hell happened out there. But he couldn’t blow his cover. He had to ask about Andre without being obvious. “Where’s the guy that came out to you at the end?”
Raine’s gaze flickered up to him, the doorway, then back down again. “Lynx. He got called away for a medical exam.”
Geist snorted. “Seems like everyone here is getting a medical exam all at once. Is that normal?”
“No?” For the first time, Raine looked up, her expression clear, focused. She shook her head. “The only time any of us actually see the doctor is if someone got into a mining accident or something. And even that’s rare.”
“Didn’t Markus say he had to deliver some important medical stuff?” Geist hefted a roll of gauze. “Maybe that’s why everyone is getting called in?”
“That could be it.” Ben moved closer to Raine and halted when she stiffened, her jaw clenching. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Do you know where he’ll go when he’s done? I’d like to talk to him too.”
She glanced up at him then away. Why wouldn’t she hold his gaze? “He’ll be back. This is his room.” Her voice broke at the end.
Ben mentally reviewed the tiny interaction between her and Andre at the pit. Nothing in their exchange hinted toward anything remotely romantic or involved, and he couldn’t fathom Andre pushing himself on her, nor her willingly staying in the same room as Andre if there was anything going on that she didn’t want. Maybe Andre was protecting her? He studied the silent tears sliding down her cheeks again, the way that her eyes darted to him, but wouldn’t stay on him.
“We’re here to help in whatever way we can.” Ben said finally. He nodded at Geist, tearing his gaze away from Raine. He couldn’t keep watching her. Not when she was crying and he was supposed to keep his distance like a guard who didn’t know her. If he touched her, if he hugged––if she let him hug her––he wouldn’t want to let go. He couldn’t start that. Now at this moment. “Prince Weston and Jade are working to get you legally released. We just didn’t know that Andre was alive.”
Her eyes widened and her gaze snapped to him. “So he really is the Andre you know.”
“He nearly gave us a heart attack when he walked out to join you,” Geist muttered. “We were all told he’d been killed.”
Ben nodded. “It throws off some of our initial plan, but we’ll roll with it. We have to get news out to Aerugo that Andre is here, and that we need to get both of you released. And if that doesn’t work … well,” he gestured at Geist, “That’s what this guy is for.”
Hope flared in her eyes before shuttering. “It would take a miracle.”
“Raine,” Ben called gently. Her face stayed stubbornly downturned, focused on his shoes, but not up at his eyes. He crouched, catching her off guard. A hint of color rose on her cheeks and he gave her a small smile, keeping his voice low. “Are you allowed to walk around freely right now? Can you go with us, and we can find Andre, find our other man, Timothy, make a plan?”
Raine nodded and pushed herself off the bed. She swayed for a moment, then grabbed a clean bandage from a basket and wrapped it around a large scratch on her arm expertly. “I know where he’ll be for an exam.” She walked between them, cautious to keep a wide berth, not allowing for even a glancing touch. “Follow me.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Christopher
Christopher stared at the stone ceiling of his prison, tracing the cracks in the rock with his eyes. What had the Doldran prince and the sage done with the information he’d shared? Had Kaius been arrested? Had they ignored what he’d told them? He was fairly confident that he remembered Pamela mentioning how Aerugo had two different prisons—depending on their prisoners. So even if Kaius had been arrested, there was no way to know, not if they put him in the other place.
The gate from beyond creaked on half-rusted hinges, and Christopher frowned to himself. Mealtime shouldn’t be for another hour or two, at least. Unless they were trying to disorient him. That had a chance of working, depending on how long he was stuck down here without a window or sunlight to keep track of time.
“If Weston is willing to risk it and take the possible blame, I’m not going to hesitate to run with it.”
The voice carried far in the quiet block of cells, and Christopher sat up in recognition. It sounded like King Brandon was back.
He leaned against the wall, legs stretched out over the bed, aiming for nonchalant. Footsteps echoed closer until Brandon and Finn came into view of his barred window. Finn nodded to him, and Brandon’s stance settled, as if he’d crossed his arms out of Christopher’s sight.
“We have a proposition for you to consider,” Finn began. He gestured at Brandon. “He has the blood-bond. How, exactly, you don’t need to know. But we’re relatively certain that it’s been proven now that his bond is on the same level, if not above, the one who rules you. So here’s the theory: If you’re willing, Brandon will take the lead of your bond. I theorize that he can break all the other bonds.”
Curiosity pulled Christopher to actually face them. He studied Finn’s sincere expression and Brandon’s hesitant, yet willing face. He opted for the first question that came to mind. “How would that work? Being bonded, I don’t have a choice in my master. You’re making it sound as if I do.”
Finn nodded. “What would happen if two different Elph, each with the same rank, were to give you contradictory orders?”
Christopher shrugged. “Then you’d get to choose who to obey, and if you value your life, you’d obey the one who has direct influence on your life or death.”
Brandon winced while Finn gave a grim haruumph. “We’re fairly confident that Brandon holds equal rank and can get you in the position of having a choice.” He shrugged, almost apologetically. “Of course, I could be wrong, but it’s worth trying, isn’t it?” He skewered Christopher with a keen-eyed gaze. “Unless you’d rather remain a slave with no free will.”
Christopher was shaking his head before Finn even finished his sentence. “And what do you mean, other bonds? I don’t have other bonds.”
Brandon’s cheeks sucked in, and Finn raised his eyebrows at Christopher. “You’re saying that there’s no other information you know, that you haven’t shared? Information that you couldn’t offer, because we haven’t asked the right question to get past the block?”
Christopher grimaced. True enough.
What would it mean for him, though? If Brandon took lead of his bond, then Brandon would be able to order him to do anything. Even take out his own friends. Pamela.
But Brandon didn’t seem the sort to do something like that. Even now, the Doldran king stood rigidly, staring at the ground, jaw set and a distinct air of displeasure around him. He seemed more likely to try to free everyone and protect their lives than order them into a death match on the streets, just for the amusement of Elph nobles.
Let alone order him to kill himself if he got caught or failed at his mission.
Cold sweat broke out across Christopher’s skin at the memory of how close he’d been to obeying Kaius’s order, about to jump out the window to plummet to his own death. Then Brandon’s order to stop had overridden it. The confusion. The … gratitude that Brandon had prevented his death.
And no matter what happened, he’d still be a slave to someone. Brandon would just be the better choice of leaders. Christopher would be free to choose his own master for once.
“I’m willing to try it.” For the chance of following someone who was willing to risk his life to save a child, over a group that was willing to sacrifice his own friends without second thought? Done. He’d throw his all behind Brandon. “How do I do this?”
“It’s a decision mixed with something from Brandon.” Finn gave Brandon a pointed look, and Brandon sighed, his expression pained.
“Are you absolutely confident that this will work?” Brandon spoke lowly, but his voice echoed in the quiet enough for Christopher to hear him. “I don’t want to do to him what was done to me.”
&nb
sp; “Just try it.” Finn replied, his voice firm.
Brandon grimaced and looked fully at Christopher. “I want you to live your own life, free of compulsion. So—” He took a breath and lifted his chin, his gaze hardening. “Make your own choices, free of myself or any other leader you’ve had.”
It was as if slime at the bottom of a creek oozed away, leaving behind clean rocks. Or like mist evaporating under a summer sun. Christopher hadn’t realized how many small, underlying compulsions had been layered onto him until they were gone. He sat there, staring at his boots, marveling in the feeling of refreshment. He laughed, shocked.
“I—I’ve never felt this good before.” Christopher flexed his hands, beholding them as if for the first time. If he took a life from here on out, it would be because he chose to, not because he was ordered to. He could save a life if he wanted.
He could return to his childhood home and give his family the memorial they deserved.
Christopher stood and met them at the window. He stuck his hand through the bars. “Thank you.”
Brandon’s jaw dropped slightly, and he looked between Christopher’s hand and his face a few times before shaking it. “Uh, you’re welcome.”
Finn grinned and elbowed Brandon aside to have his turn. “You’re welcome, lad.”
Curiosity ate at him, urging him to ask before he could stop himself or second-guess his words. “The gem on your sword, why do you have it?”
Brandon blinked and his hand fell to his sword hilt. “What do you mean?”
Christopher couldn’t believe the Doldran king seemed ignorant of what he’d been carrying around on his hip. “That’s an activation stone. For the blood-bond.”
“It’s a what?” Brandon’s voice rose in a pitch that under any under circumstance would be deemed entertaining. The king swayed where he stood, bracing his hand against the cell wall.
Finn settled his hand on Brandon’s shoulder and fixed Christopher with a stern look that betrayed the older man’s wartime experience. “Are you certain about that?”