Kael parted from my side and stepped closer to the chief. The guards flanking him shifted, ready to run my partner through with the spears in their hands.
“She only did so out of survival.” Kael’s tone was hard, rough. “We tried to tell you Vehrin was evil. We tried to warn you. What was she supposed to do, let your shifters kill her? What purpose does that serve?”
The chief’s face grew dark as his brow furrowed in anger. I elbowed my way past Kael.
“I understand you were under dark influence…” I started.
“That does not excuse them from attacking the very people who had come to help them in the first place.”
I laid a hand on Kael’s arm. “It is not his fault. Vehrin is strong. I was about to attack you not long ago, if you recall.” The thought still made my stomach clench. The dark mage had control of me, and I nearly struck Kael down.
Kael’s features softened and he opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the chief spoke.
“You are to be put on trial for the crime of murder.”
The bottom fell out of my already shaky world. “What?”
“You can’t put us on trial. We came here to save you.” Kael tapped his chest. “I am an agent for PITO, and you have no right. We were sent here for a purpose. You cannot punish us for that.”
The chief tilted his chin up. “PITO holds no sway here.”
Without another word, he turned and left. Two of the guards went with him and the other two gestured for us to follow. We did so silently. Kael was likely too angry to speak. I was too stunned. We’d just survived a battle with demons and a confrontation with Vehrin. What would happen to us if they found us guilty?
We were led to a small home. It was empty, and as we were told to rest inside, I tried not to wonder if the inhabitants were laying in pieces outside with the other deceased. The beaded door in the entryway rattled, and then we were alone.
I sat down heavily on a bench against the right-hand wall and stared at a faded blue and yellow rug at my feet. A trial. It seemed an almost unbelievable thing to have to endure after what we’d just gone through. I wanted to be angry at the leader of the lion shifter pride, but I couldn’t fault him for lashing out in his grief, especially when the cause was by my own hand.
Kael’s shadow fell over me. “Livvie…”
The curtained doorway clicked again, and a small woman entered with a tray in her hands. There was a large bruise across her cheek and a cut across her brow, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. She didn’t speak as she crossed the room to a table and set the tray down, but as she passed me, she gave me a small nod and the barest of smiles. Something in her glance told me she did not agree with this trial the chief insisted on.
Kael went to the tray as she left and lifted the lid to reveal fruit, cheese, and some sort of sliced meat. My stomach gurgled eagerly.
“You don’t think it’s poisoned, do you?” I asked.
Kael shook his head and rolled up a piece of the meat. “The chief is too honorable for that. If he’s going to kill us, it will be after the trial in front of his people.” He popped the meat into his mouth and moaned.
I plucked off a few fat, purple grapes. They were warm, but sweet. I went for some of the marbled cheese next.
“We can’t linger here,” Kael said. His voice softened to a murmur. “We need to sneak out.”
I swallowed my bite. “We will do no such thing. We’ve already done too much damage here. Sneaking off will only make us look guiltier than we already seem.”
“Vehrin could return at any moment. He’ll still want the other two relics.”
“Why, if the one he has overrides the two I have anyway?” I asked.
Kael thought for a minute while he chewed. “The keys in your possession are still powerful. If he had all three, Vehrin would be unstoppable. Besides, if he can take the opportunity to control you with the relic bound to your soul, he will.” He reached for some cheese. “And who knows what limits the third key has? How close does he have to be to override your keys? Would it be temporary, or can he only fight the power of your relics for so long? He won’t risk the chance. Trust me, he’ll want the other two keys.”
I nodded. “Still, he’s likely recovering. I don’t think he’ll come after me again until he’s at full strength. He’s badly wounded, remember? You bit off his arm.”
Kael folded his arms across his chest, endangering the shirt taut across his muscles, and grinned. Smugness rolled off him. “That was rather satisfying.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I sampled some of the sliced meat. It was good, if a bit more gamey than I was accustomed to. As I chewed, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to chew on someone’s arm.
Kael’s voice interrupted my morbid thoughts. “So, I take it we’re not leaving?”
“Not without permission. This chief feels we owe him a trial. We can at least give him that. If we’re found guilty, well, then we can figure something out.”
“It may be too late by then.” Kael took hold of my elbow and pivoted me to face him. “I won’t lose you, Livvie.”
Kael’s skin was warm and electric against my own. His touch felt like home. I pursed my lips and peered up at him. “Kael, what happened between us?”
There was something deeper, something more meaningful happening here that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Kael reached up and touched my cheek. His soft gaze melted me where I stood. “Livvie, there’s something we need to talk about, but not here, not now.”
“Why not?”
As if in answer, one of the guards returned. The chief was awaiting us for our trial. Kael took my hand and gave it a squeeze as we followed the man back outside.
A circle had formed near the entrance of the chief’s home. He was standing at the head, and Kael and I were led to the center. I couldn’t help but notice the ground was still wet with patches of blood, even if the dead and wounded had been cleared away. The men who had moved aside to let us pass quickly closed the gap. If we were found guilty, fighting our way out would be nearly impossible.
I would endure the chief’s questioning, if mostly out of guilt for the harm I’d done to his own people, but I would not let him make me or Kael out to be the villains in this mess.
The chief spoke, and his deep voice carried through the still air.
“You are being accused of murdering members of this pride, including the mate of their chief.” His words were loud and strong, and his fists clenched tightly at his side.
“Murder is a strong word,” Kael said.
Mouth pressing into a hard line, the chief’s nostrils flared as he glared at Kael. “The accused will not speak until given permission to do so.”
Kael’s grip tightened on the hand clenched around mine, but he grew silent.
The lion shifter’s gaze flicked to me. “Why did you come here?”
I thought carefully before answering. The last thing I wanted to do was word something in a way he would be able to twist into an admission of guilt. “We came to ask for the relic, to keep it out of the dark mage’s hands. We knew he was seeking it, just as he tried to get his hands on the two I possess.”
“You came to ask for the key, or to take it?”
I shifted. I hated the weight of the judgmental stare the man pressed upon me. Thankfully, he seemed to be one of the few who felt as if we were a guilty party. Most everyone else in the circle seemed…numb. I suddenly felt bad they had to be here, instead of with their families.
“As I said when we first arrived, we came to trade the spear for the relic, as we were instructed to do.”
The chief crossed his arms. “And did you intend to harm my people?”
“Of course not.” I stepped forward, breaking my grip from Kael’s. “I would never harm an innocent person.”
“And yet, I saw you slay my mate,” the chief said.
I heard my partner’s angry grunt and held out a hand to stop him fro
m coming to my aid. I could handle this.
“I did.” The silence was so deafening, I could hear my blood pumping in my ears. “I killed her, and you will never know how truly sorry I am, not only for her death, but the others, as well. I didn’t want to kill her. I wanted to help. We were trying to stop Vehrin, but she was attacking me and I had to protect myself. I cannot fathom the depth of your loss, just as you cannot fathom the need for me to stop that dark mage before he destroys hundreds of people, humans, shifters, and fae alike.”
The chief regarded me for a long, calculating moment. “You possess magic?”
“I do.”
“The same magic the mage is capable of unleashing?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. My magic is my own. It is ancient, tied to me in a way even I cannot understand.”
The planes of the chief’s face were hard. Instead of being creased with age, adversity had chiseled strength into his features. They didn’t soften, no matter what I told him, and with his next words, I knew this was a losing battle.
“How do I know you are not working with Vehrin? He said not to trust you, you said not to trust him. What choice did I have but to give one of you the relic?”
There were no words I could say that would sway him. He was beyond all logic, it seemed. We should have left when Kael suggested it, but I wanted to try and make things right.
I had killed innocents, and no matter the reason for it, the guilty part of myself felt deserving of punishment.
Kael was silent behind me. He was likely in the midst of making a plan to get us out of here.
The chief gestured to the circle of onlookers. “Does anyone have anything to add, or should we proceed?”
“I have something I would like to say.”
A collective gasp whispered around me, and my heart jumped. I knew that voice. I turned to find a woman walking into the circle, with white dots painted down her forehead and to the tip of her nose.
Bibi.
Children accompanied her, the ones who had managed to flee before we arrived back at the pride. They ran toward their family now, though I knew by the crying of some they would not be reunited with loved ones.
A little boy ran straight to the chief and wrapped his arms around him. He was asking a question and peering around. I didn’t understand his words, but I knew who he was seeking. His mother. I wanted to wipe at her phantom blood staining my hand.
The chief didn’t speak to his son. Instead, he inclined his head as Bibi came to stand beside me. The rest of the crowd did the same, and I wondered at the reverence they held for the woman. Respectfully, Kael and I did the same.
“Forgive me, Bibi, but you must leave the circle. It is only for the accused,” the chief said.
Bibi gestured down at herself. “Then you must accuse me, for I am the one who sent this woman and her companion here in good faith, and you threw dirt in their faces and spat on their wounds. Did she not present the spear to you?”
The chief’s mouth opened and closed a couple times. “She did. And then she killed members of my pride.”
“No. You did, by letting Vehrin take a hold of your mind.”
A deep line furrowed his brow. “I was not myself. The dark mage held me under his influence.”
“An influence which would have been harder won if you were not such a proud and suspicious man. You made it all the more easier for him to slip his dark tendrils inside to take root. I know this woman would never intend harm on another. She is the one chosen to bring down the dark mage, and she cannot afford to take any chances. If she dies, we all will perish.”
“No pressure,” I muttered.
Bibi glared at me and I fell silent.
“You will release her, and give her and her companion enough food and supplies to make it back to civilization.”
Whatever sway Bibi held over these people, it seemed he could not argue. He nodded, though reluctantly.
“If you have faith in them, then I must, as well.” His mouth twisted as if the words were bitter. He started to walk away.
“You owe her your life,” Kael said. The chief glanced back. “She gave you an earring bestowed by Bibi, and in doing so, kept the demons from finishing you off. If she had not, your people would be without a leader right now.”
The chief stared at me, then gave me the barest of nods before picking up his child.
“A gift he was not worthy of,” Bibi grumbled. “His father was a great leader. Despite his years, he still has much to learn.”
I smiled at her. “Thank you for saving us…again.”
She waved a hand. “I didn’t do it for you. I meant what I said. If you die, we are all doomed.”
“I’ll do my best to stay in one piece, then.”
A rich laugh bubbled up her throat. “Yes, do so.”
Silence fell between us before she gave a small smile and strode off to see to the wounded. Half an hour later, Kael and I were laden with packs of supplies. There was no doubt in my mind the chief was eager to see us go, so when he walked toward us, I was surprised.
“As a thank you for saving my life, and not leaving my son an orphan, I will give you something.”
I looked toward his hands, but they were empty. I glanced at his face with a raised brow.
“A bit of knowledge,” he said. He lowered his voice. “It’s a rumor I have heard my whole life, but given the circumstances, I feel it has worth.”
He paused, and I wondered if he were considering keeping the information to himself after all. Finally, he spoke.
“There is a fourth key.”
Chapter 28
Kael grunted as I bounced hard off his back. Too caught up in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed him pause. He turned and looked at me with a smile on his lips.
“You know, it’s a wonder you haven’t stepped on a cobra or something.”
I shuddered, recalling the den of snakes I’d had to crawl through. “Don’t say that.” I glanced around, hoping for a hint of civilization but seeing nothing except the same grasses and dotting of trees. “Why are we stopping?”
“It’s going to be dark soon. We need to make camp. We should reach Nairobi tomorrow.”
The last thing I wanted to do was spend another night in this place, but I also didn’t want to end up hyena chow by trekking through the dark. Besides, I was exhausted. Even though my shoulder hadn’t been poisoned by the demon, the wound still hurt, as did the cut on my hand from traversing the underground pathway to the hidden altar.
“Sit down, Livvie.” Kael’s voice wasn’t demanding, but soft and quiet, almost as if he were pleading. His eyes were wide as he watched me. I couldn’t argue with that face.
I folded myself to the ground as he went to a nearby acacia tree to scrounge up fallen wood. I hoped demons wouldn’t crash our party this time around. I could use a night of uninterrupted sleep, even if it was in the open air and on the hard ground. After Kael returned with an armful of fallen branches, I stretched my legs out in front of me and watched him.
He seemed different, somehow. Not in appearance, though he had managed to find clothes which actually fit him before we left the lion shifter pride. It was more like my perception of him had changed.
I tilted my head as he carefully piled kindling in a patch of earth he’d cleared of grass and debris. It was the strange bond I now felt with him, but something told me it had nothing to do with the fact we had been bound not only as a sorceress and her guard, or that we had been former lovers in that past life. It was something else…
“You going to tell me why you’re staring at me?” Kael said suddenly.
I didn’t bother denying. “How did you know I was staring at you?”
He chuckled. “I could feel it.”
“Is that a shifter thing, or because we seem to be, uh, more connected?”
Kael glanced up at me for a brief moment, then turned his attention back to the sticks. “Don’t most people know when they are being watched?”
“I suppose so.”
My partner brought forth a spark, then a flame using only a flint from the packs with all the expertise of a survivalist. He placed more firewood amongst the flames and waited until he was certain it wouldn’t go out before standing.
“I’m not sure what’s in those packs to eat, but it likely isn’t fresh. I’m going to hunt something down.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t see how you can kill something like that.”
“It’s in my nature. Don’t worry, I won’t eat it raw in front of you.”
Gross. “Please, don’t. I enjoy my antelope steaks medium-rare.”
“You’re kind of odd, you know that?”
I climbed to my feet and jabbed him in the chest with a finger. “Hey, I’m not the one plucking something from the menu with my teeth.”
Kael grabbed my hand and held it to his chest. His gaze captured mine, gripped it as strongly as his fingers wrapped around my own. “You are a fascinating woman.”
I laughed softly. “You just said I was odd.”
“Odd is fascinating.”
His warm breath brushed against me. I’d closed the distance between us without even realizing it. “Calling me odd is not a good way to get me to kiss you, you know.”
Kael’s lips were so close to mine, I could almost feel his smile. “And who says I want to kiss you?”
I pressed my lips to his. Energy wanted to explode from me at the taste of him, the strength of his grip, and heat of his mouth on mine. Kissing Kael sent tremors through me, and left me feeling unsteady.
Damn, even the earth seemed to be moving beneath my feet.
Kael broke apart from me with a startled expression and gripped my shoulders before I could be knocked backward. I glanced around frantically as a loud groan filled the air.
The earth was moving.
The ground lurched and jumped beneath us as an earthquake growled beneath the dirt. My feet shuffled in an attempt to keep my footing, but my bones seemed to rattle and I collapsed to the ground. A grunt whooshed from my lungs as Kael landed on top of me. He rolled off but kept one hand on me as his gaze danced frantically around us.
The Hunted Soul Page 20