“You don’t have the first clue how to use your power do you? What a waste of a knight.” She scoffed and walked over to Magnus. “Would you be a dear, love?”
“Of course.” He snapped his fingers, and her wound closed as if it’d never been there at all. “Now go apologize to him. You provoked him on purpose.”
I stood up, glaring death at her. I hated her, hated her more than I'd ever hated anyone before, in the real world or the virtual. She was nothing but the incarnation of cruelty. And I promised to see her dead before I let her anywhere near Eris.
"You would threaten your own daughter’s life, just to force me to cooperate with you. You disgust me."
She barked out a laugh so cold, it chilled my very bones as she wound her finger through Magnus’s. "I don't have to lay a finger on her, abomination. You’ll kill her long before that."
Her words struck cold fear in my heart, and I wanted to ignore them, storm up the stairs, and flee this place…but I couldn't, and Aliria knew it. Godsdamn it! If she's lying to me…
The thick stone floor cracked with every heated step I took. My fury this time, however, burned with cool detachment. My face nearly touched hers when I spoke through clenched teeth. "No more fucking games! Tell me what you mean right now."
"Or what?"
"Or I tear myself to pieces to kill you, bitch. Now tell me!"
Aliria breathed through her nose at me, relaxing her posture to drop her cruel gaze, she stared at me with very human emotions on her face. "I'm not so heartless, you know, to treat my daughter so."
"Could’ve fooled me."
That garnered me a quiet chuckle. She backed up and looked at me without all the pretense, without her air of superiority. As the cruelty and darkness left her face, she looked so much younger. She actually had a kind face, a face that haunted me.
"I would never harm Eris, not ever. But you will. Whether you want to or not. You’re not entirely in control anymore."
Denial was on the tip of my tongue, and I was a millisecond away from denying it with every fiber of my being. But she was right, and I couldn't say otherwise. I'm not in control of myself anymore, not since I made a deal with the Aspect.
"But the Aspect is part of the Hive; it can't harm the queen."
"It was part of the Hive, but like you, it's not entirely pure anymore. It's corrupted, and the more power it gains over you, the less it has to obey. One day it will overpower you."
"I won't let it," I said, but my words were hollow. I couldn't stop it; it had already proven as much.
I needed help, but Eris couldn't help me. She’d told me she couldn’t.
Aliria could, though, and she knew it.
What made everything worse was that I was playing right into her hands. Whatever game she was playing with me required me to steal Lachrymal’s Heart. They needed it, and this was just bait to reel me in.
"What are you offering?"
She smiled, and her kindness disappeared, back to her usual self. "You perform this task for us, and I can rid you of your monster."
There was no room for me to maneuver. She'd beaten me.
I would do anything to keep Eris safe, a fact that was too dangerous for my enemies to know. I was a puppet on strings, dancing for Aliria's amusement, to help achieve her and Magnus's goals. And I couldn't do anything against it. They had me hook, line, and sinker.
I wanted to scream at her, but I calmly made my way back to the table next to Magnus and Raven. I propped myself against the table and stared dead into Magnus’s eyes.
"All right, let's steal the heart of a god."
Chapter 5 - Rock and a Hard Place
Eris
It took a few minutes to calm myself down enough to speak without crying or screaming at my own helplessness. I wiped away what few tears managed to escape and composed myself. I took the hands of the children, and it helped.
Gil and Wilson looked at me with a mixture of concern and confusion. The others further down the table whispered about my outburst. Gil scratched his bald head and spoke first, his voice filled with worry.
"Eris, you all right? What's wrong?"
I tried to speak, but my words caught in my mouth, and I choked on them. I shook my head and tried again, but I had to force them out. “Sam's gone."
As soon as the words fled my mouth, my emotions threatened to spill out once more. I fought them down, held back my tears and squeezed Tegen and Chiera’s hands tight.
Gil drew his brows together, tilting his head. "Who's Sam?"
Oh no! In my despair, I didn't realize what I'd said. The fact that I let slip his name only sent me further into misery. I couldn't fight the tears that spilled over my cheeks.
"I meant Duran...please don't tell him I told you. He'll be angry with me."
Gil chuckled and grinned, trying not to break out laughing. He looked at me with a smile so warm, it made him glow. "Oh, girl. Have you seen the way that boy looks at you, and you at him? He isn't capable of getting angry at you."
He stood from the table and walked over to me. Gil leaned over and wrapped his humongous arms around me. He pressed his lips gently against the top of my head and whispered in my ear.
"Don't worry your pretty head. I won't tell him." Gil stood up to look at each of the members of the Guild. “None of us heard anything, isn't that right?"
A few yeahs and some nods of agreement rose from the table, all except one. Harper spoke up from further down. His bright orange hair and pale forehead were all I could see of him. "I heard what she said!" His voice held a devious joy in it. As if he was planning something.
Yumiko stood in a flash, her crimson eyes flared with anger. “Shut the fuck up, Harper. You didn’t hear shit.”
She brushed a lock of her beautiful black hair from her cheek and looked over to me. She gave me a curt nod and a twinge of a smile before sitting back down.
“Thanks, Yu,” Evelyn said, humor alight in her golden eyes as she looked over. “Now, what do you mean he’s gone?”
“He’s not in the castle. I don’t know where he is, but I know that it’s very far away, and that he’s afraid.”
“And how do you know this?” Wilson asked from the head of the table, a quizzical expression in his dark gray eyes.
"D and I are connected. He is my bonded, and we can feel each other, no matter how far we are.”
Gil whistled at that, which earned him a few chuckles from the others. Though Wilson didn't seem to fully comprehend what I meant, and I couldn't fault that. Humans don't have a frame of reference for bonding, and I'd be confused if I were in his place.
"So you can read each other's minds?" he asked, tugging at his full beard.
"No," I said, shaking my head. I’d expected that question and let out a small laugh. "Duran asked the same question when we first bonded, but no, we can't read each other's minds. We can only feel each other's emotions."
Wilson pursed his lips as he frowned, the lines at his eyes and forehead became pronounced as he sighed in frustration. He reached across the table to grab Gil's mug of ale.
"Hey!" Gil protested but didn't stop him.
Wilson chugged the contents and tossed the wooden mug onto the table. It rolled and splashed the last dregs of ale onto the wood, but nobody complained. Everyone was too lost in their own thoughts to worry about a little spill.
"I don't get it, but that's not important at the moment. Duran wouldn't leave without telling anyone, and with how attached the two of you have become, he definitely wouldn't leave without a word to you.” Wilson stood up from the table and looked at each one of us in turn. "That means Duran didn't leave here voluntarily."
"There is no way for anyone to get in and out of here without one of us noticing!" Gil shouted.
"That's simply not true. Wilson and I can do it quite easily," Evelyn interrupted.
Gil looked from Evelyn to Wilson. "I call bullshit! We spent nearly two years making sure this place couldn't be infiltrated, and you're telling me
the both of you can do it without a sweat."
"Pretty much."
"Of course."
Gil let a groan and buried his face in his hand and reached for his ale, only to realize once again that Wilson had drunk it.
He grumbled under his breath and went to fetch another one, though as he walked passed me, he flashed a kind smile to the children and me.
He came back a minute later, new mug in hand, and immediately started debating with Wilson and Evelyn, with the others swiftly joining in. They got louder and louder, but nothing was getting accomplished.
"All right, all right…settle down, you mongrels," Wilson said, and amazingly, everyone got quiet. "This line of questioning is getting us nowhere, and the answer doesn't matter right now. What is important is that our guild leader has been abducted to gods know where, and we're here bickering like high schoolers."
I didn't know what a high schooler was, but I had to agree on his points. Sitting here going back and forth was stupid.
There was nothing more that I wanted to do than immediately rush off and scour the entire island to search for him, but I couldn’t. I didn’t have the first clue as to where to start, and I wasn’t strong enough to go off on my own regardless.
I hated it, hated my own weakness and inability to do anything to help my bonded, but if I couldn't help Sam…I’d only be a hinderance, and even if I could, I can’t leave the children by themselves. I can’t help Sam. I knew he could take care of himself just fine, and I had to trust that, had to trust that my bonded would come back to me, or I’d never get a moment’s peace.
"We can't help the guild leader. Even if we knew who has taken him, we don't have a single lead to follow."
Silence draped over the room as everyone realized how powerless we were to help him. Makenna looked up from her meal to join in. "Who do we like for this?"
"An excellent question," Wilson said.
"I think we all know the most likely suspect," Gil interjected.
I shot my head up, and everyone was nodding in agreement. The answer was so obvious to everyone but me. "Who?" I nearly shouted. I can't begin to guess who it could be, so how could they?
Evelyn just stared at me. "Magnus. It has to be."
"Oh," I said. It was obvious.
"Duran killed quite a few of his men, so he's getting his revenge," Wilson said.
Gil thumped his large hands on the table, causing me to jump. “What are we going to do about it?” he asked, looking at all of us.
I sighed, trembling as I stood, my heart in pieces. I knew the correct answer, knew what we had to do.
“We do nothing.”
Gil’s eyes went wide. “What? You should be the first person busting down the gates to get him.”
"That's exactly what I want, but what good would it do? We don't have the faintest idea of where to look."
"We could at least ask our informants. They could have a lead for us," Wilson said as he stroked his beard.
"And how well did that go for us the first time around? Might as well be a ghost with how difficult he is to pin down,” Evelyn chimed in. “And you can bet no one is going to spill any secrets, not to us. Magnus has too much money to throw at his problems."
Wilson sighed into his hands before his head shot up and he slapped himself on the forehead. "Gods, we're stupid." He motioned with his hand, his eyes staring at something I couldn't see. His interface, I guess. He moved his hand for a few moments before growling in anger. "Of course, it wouldn't be that easy."
"What?" I asked.
"I tried to send Duran a message, but his contact card is grayed out," Wilson said, his face distressed, full of anger. He slammed his fist into the stone above the fireplace and cursed as his skin tore and blood oozed out of the wound, which he ignored.
Wilson threw his hands up, which only caused flecks of blood to fly in the air. "Godsdamn it! What the hell else are we supposed to do?"
Evelyn's eyes turned to me with a curious smile. "I think our little queen has an idea."
I had to frown at her. "It’s an idea, but I'm not happy about it."
Gil took another drink of his ale. "Well, let's hear it."
"From what I see, there isn't any way to help D. There is too much we don't know, and it would be nothing more than a wild goose chase to try…much as that hurts me to admit, I don't see a way to help him right now. So I don’t think we should even try.”
“He can take care of himself; I believe that, but I have to do something other than stay here, or I’ll be sick with worry. I’m going to take Cheira and Tegen home.”
Evelyn perked up at this. "Back to Slaughter Woods?"
"The Silvanus Darkwoods, yes.”
She smiled wide at me, her bright white teeth and golden eyes lighting up with anticipation, her whole body awash with the energy of adventure. "I’m so going with you. It’s been ages."
I happily accepted her offer. There was no way I could go by myself, and I was about to beg the guild to help me anyway. "Of course. I was going to ask you anyway. I can't go alone; I'll die by myself long before we reach the woods."
Evelyn tilted her in her chair to glance at the other members. "Any other volunteers?"
"You're not leaving me behind," Adam said.
"Of course not, little brother."
Adam scoffed, but he was hiding a smile. "We're twins, idiot."
Wilson chimed in next. "I would love to help, but with Duran gone, it falls to me to lead the guild, so I have to stay."
"Well, if Wilson is too afraid of the big, bad, man-eating woods, then I'll go," Gil said.
I beamed at him. "Thank you, Gil."
He just chuckled. "Can't let my best friend's main squeeze go alone. He would never forgive me. Besides, you've grown on me."
"I'll go too," Makenna said with a raise of her hand.
Everyone looked at the little woman with surprise, to which she flushed with embarrassment. Her face turned as scarlet as her hair, but her emerald eyes held determination and excitement in them. "Just think of all the unusual creatures that live in those woods. I can't miss an opportunity to study them."
Her answer received a round of laughter from the entire guild. "Of course, leave it to the bug freak to want to go," Harper said.
"Shut up," Makenna replied.
"Read the room, you moron," Gil said, pointing to the children and me.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot."
I ignored his words, too thankful for the other members to let anything get me down. “Thank you, all of you.”
Wilson stood from his chair. “All right, everyone going, get packed. You know the drill.”
Immediately, there was a bustle of activity as everyone filed out of the dining hall, leaving me and the children by ourselves.
Well, best go pack myself.
***
It was painfully apparent that I owned very little. I packed my clothes in a spare bag in Sam’s room, but that was all my belongings in the world. I shouldn’t have spurned Sam’s attempt to give me money before. I’ll probably need it.
I sighed as I stared at the elegant nightstand by the bed and opened the bottom drawer. He won’t care in the slightest, but why do I still feel like a thief? I opened the chest of gold and grabbed a handful, tossing it in a small canvas bag with a leather drawstring, and pocketed the money with regret. I’ll pay this back, love. I promise.
I stood, all my possessions in order, and went with the children to find Gil.
As I reached the inner bailey, I opened the door to Gil’s forge. The air was hot, and while the temperature didn’t bother me, it stifled the air and hung in my lungs with every breath. Several sets of metal benches sat along the wall, and I told Tegen and Cheira to sit while I went around the corner to speak to Gil.
He was hunched over a grindstone in the corner of the space. The sleeves of his sapphire tunic bunched around his biceps, showing his dark, muscled forearms. Sweat dripped down his head and neck as he worked furiously to sh
arpen a large, black axe. Sparks arced from the stone, landing harmless on the dirt floor.
I called out to him, but it was drowned out by grating metal against stone. I tried again, louder, nearly shouting.
Gil turned, stopping his work. “Done packing already?” he asked, wiping his brow.
I nodded.
He leaned around me to glance at the meager bundle I had slung around my back, at which he rubbed the back of his bald head and grinned. "Looks like you don't have much. That won't do, won't do at all." He turned back to his work, grinding away at the axe. He spoke between grinds. "Once I'm done with this bastard, I'll see about getting you more gear."
He nearly jumped as if he was stung by a bee. "That reminds me! I have a present for you. I'll give it to you here in a minute!" He turned back to his weapon and started whistling to himself as he worked, a soft but upbeat tune to which he bobbed along, filled with energy.
Gil worked for half an hour while I went and stayed with the children. When he was done, he came around the corner with the massive black axe strapped to a makeshift harness behind his back. He had a box in his hand and set it at my feet with a cheeky grin.
I knelt and pried the lid off the box. It fell to the dirt with a thump, and I gazed at what Gil had been so excited to show me. A bundle of fabrics and leather stared back at me. I picked up the first piece in the box. A thick leather cloak rolled out. It was short and would stop just above my knees. As I picked up the dark brown garment, a slight jangle sounded, nearly inaudible to anyone but someone with my hearing. I turned over the cloak to see the inside was interwoven with chains. Chainmail.
"It’s nothing fancy. I wanted to make it out of shadowsteel, but I used the last of my supply working on my project. So it's not as good as I would like, but its Aldrustian steel, so it's durable and lighter than average. I also sewed a weight into the hood. It should keep from falling off your head if we have to hide your features."
“It’s perfect. Thank you, Gil.”
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