‘Release her!’ Ash shouted.
The desperation in his voice tugged at Sloane’s heart. If she didn’t know any better, she would have almost believed that he genuinely thought she was being held captive and was desperate to get her back. But she knew it was all an act. She just couldn’t understand why he was doing it.
‘You can stop with the theatrics,’ Rhyn said. ‘Sloane is my guest. You know why she is here. She is free to leave at any time.’
‘Then let her come home with us. Allow our people to be at peace. It’s all we want,’ Ash replied.
Sloane’s skin rippled with repulsion at her brother’s lies. She could see his men were becoming incensed by his words. They were cornered and unable to fight, but she could see the way their eyes grew harder. They kept sending concerned looks her way, and it seemed as though they believed every word of the story Ash was spinning. She didn’t know what he hoped to achieve with his act, but her gut clenched with worry because she felt certain Ash was right where he wanted to be.
‘She’s not going anywhere with you,’ Rhyn replied. ‘And I know you do not truly want peace between us.’
‘You’re making a mistake,’ Ash started to respond, but Rhyn stepped towards him so that he towered over Sloane’s brother.
‘No, it is you humans who are mistaken. I will not come to a truce, and my people will not go down without a fight,’ he said. ‘You are not welcome here, and if you do not leave, we will have no choice but to destroy you. We will slaughter every human that tries to fight us, and then we will go after the people back in your settlement. I do not wish to fight, but if you endanger my people I will not hesitate to bring an end to yours.’
Ash slowly reached his head back to look Rhyn in the eyes, a smirk still plastered across his face. ‘So, I guess we’re done here.’
‘Leave,’ Rhyn growled. He took a step backwards and lowered his sword. As if he’d spoken the command aloud, the warriors who threatened the human soldiers also lowered their weapons. They then retreated to stand behind Rhyn, each one of them stern and menacing as they stared at the humans.
‘Go,’ Rhyn said, nodding his head in the direction of the woods. ‘And never return here. It will not end well for your people, that I promise you.’
Ash’s gaze slowly scanned Rhyn’s warriors again, as if he was sizing them up. When he looked back to Rhyn, Ash’s eyes were hard, and his face was stern. His expression reminded Sloane so much of their father; she almost felt like she was looking at a younger image of the man she despised so much.
‘You’re going to regret this,’ Ash said, his eyes flicking towards his sister as the words left his mouth. He spoke to Rhyn, but Sloane felt like her brother’s comment had also been directed at her. He turned before she could consider his threat and started towards the trees. He had no protection and no form of defence, but Ash walked with an air of confidence. The same couldn’t be said of his men, who rushed to follow him with a desperation that betrayed their alarm.
Ash didn’t turn as he entered the woods, and as he disappeared into the shadows, Sloane felt a mixture of relief and worry. Rhyn had warned Ash never to come back, but she knew her brother wouldn’t listen to the threat. He would return to their father and together they would scheme another way to beat the Unfaih. Ash would be back, only next time it wouldn’t be with his hands held in the air.
Sloane started to push her way past the Unfaih warriors towards Rhyn. She was suddenly feeling every ounce of her exhaustion and swaying unsteadily on her feet as she made her way through the crowd. Rhyn was heading back towards the rift with Elyx at his side. From the look on Elyx’s face, the warrior was unhappy with what had just happened.
‘Why did you let them go?’ Sloane heard Elyx ask, as she neared.
‘Because we don’t fight unless provoked.’
‘We could have captured them. They could have given us leverage…’ Elyx argued.
‘Perhaps,’ Rhyn replied. ‘Or maybe taking hostages would give the humans the perfect excuse to attack us.’
‘You father would have kept them…’
Rhyn stopped in his tracks and glared at Elyx. ‘I am not my father.’
Elyx didn’t question his decision again, and the two of them continued walking in silence. Sloane lingered a short distance away, and once she could see their disagreement was over, she decided to approach.
‘What did you think of Ash’s display?’ Rhyn asked her when she reached them.
‘They’ll be back,’ she said. ‘I’m certain of it.’
Rhyn frowned at her conclusion and glanced at Elyx who had a similar look on his face. ‘Why do you believe that?’ he asked, looking back to her.
‘Because he was clearly lying,’ she replied bluntly. ‘Ash never had any intention of coming to a truce today, and he certainly didn’t want me back. But he also didn’t want a fight. Twenty men would never have been enough to get through the rift, and he knew that. I saw the way he was looking at your men. He was just here to get a better lay of the land and a better idea of the strength of the opposition they face.’
Rhyn folded his arms over his chest and looked at her, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. ‘Surely the humans are not that stupid. We could have killed them all.’
Sloane shrugged. ‘They follow my father’s orders. They will do whatever he tells them. They’ll be back, and when they return they won’t come bearing promises of a truce,’ she replied. ‘Especially now that you’ve told Ash there’s no way in hell you’re giving him the Liftsal.’
‘He said they weren’t after the Liftsal…’ Elyx said.
‘I think that was more for the idiots who followed him,’ Sloane replied. ‘You both saw the act he put on. I’m not sure what he’s up to, but whatever it is, it’s not good.’
‘Do you believe he’ll be back again soon?’ Rhyn asked.
Sloane shrugged again. ‘I don’t know. The Captain won’t run into battle recklessly, especially after Ash tells him how many warriors he saw. That might have bought us some time. But if he wants the Liftsal as badly as I think he does, he may not be thinking as clearly as usual.’
Rhyn’s eyes narrowed further, and he shook his head at Sloane’s words before he looked to Elyx. ‘What do you think of what you just observed?’
The frown furrowing Elyx’s brow deepened as he considered the question. ‘We need to prepare ourselves for a fight,’ he replied. ‘The humans could attack at any time. We must come up with a plan to stop them before they try to destroy our world again.’
A cold shiver ran down Sloane’s spine as he spoke. She tried to shake it off, but she couldn’t dismiss the ominous feeling that had descended upon her. She felt certain a battle was coming; she just didn’t know when.
Chapter Three
The day was quickly growing hot, and Sloane was stifling in the thick jacket she wore, but she was too focused on watching Rhyn’s warriors to bother taking it off. The fighters had fallen into one long snaking line and were uniformly marching back through the rift to Ellysia.
‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ she murmured, glancing between the warriors and Rhyn.
Barely any time had passed since Ash had disappeared into the woods, and she found herself continually looking at the trees to see if her brother would return. She knew Rhyn couldn’t keep so many fighters on Aeris, but she worried that it was too soon to send such a large number of them back through the rift.
‘I can’t leave the castellum unguarded,’ he replied.
‘But Ash has only just left. What if he comes back?’
Rhyn’s lips twitched as he glanced down at Sloane. ‘Do you believe he’d come back again so soon?’
Her eyes drifted to the trees again as she thought his question through. Ash wasn’t an idiot. Well, he was an idiot, but not when it came to battle strategy. She let out a deep breath as she faced Rhyn again. ‘No, he wouldn’t. Not without back up.’
Rhyn nodded and looked back to his warriors. ‘I still ha
ve scouts in the woods. They will give us enough warning if the humans return.’
‘I suppose,’ she agreed, turning back to focus on the departing fighters. Suddenly, the warriors marching towards the rift froze, and they all spun around to face the trees as a shout came from the woods.
Sloane’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt a mixture of dread and anxiety churn through her stomach as she searched the trees for the source of the noise. The shout sounded like it had come from a man; someone who was clearly in pain. Her blood started to hum as it pumped quickly through her veins, and she tightened her grasp on Rhyn’s sword, which she still held in her hands.
She didn’t know if it was a human or one of Rhyn’s scouts, but either way the shout held the promise of trouble. She desperately hoped that Ash hadn’t been stupid enough to return. He’d been lucky that Rhyn had let him go the first time. He wouldn’t be so lenient again.
Rhyn pushed Sloane behind him, and she rolled her eyes at his attempt to shield her. She could protect herself just fine. She tried to move past him, but his strong arms kept her back.
‘You’re being ridiculous,’ she grumbled. She’d never seen him acting so crazy before. She was used to him passing her a knife and telling her to go for it, not expecting her to cower in his shadow.
Two figures appeared beneath the trees in the distance. It was hard to make them out at first as they were obscured from sight by the shadows the dense canopy of leaves created. Sloane squinted her eyes to try and see them more clearly. One of the figures was unnaturally tall, and Sloane could tell it was an Unfaih warrior. The second figure was much smaller and struggling within the warrior’s grasp.
As they stepped from the trees and into the bright sunlight, Sloane immediately recognised the man being restrained and she shoved past Rhyn to get to him. There was no stopping her this time.
‘You can let him go,’ Sloane shouted to the warrior, as she ran towards them. But the Unfaih man didn’t listen. Instead, his gaze lifted to Rhyn who was following close behind her. Rhyn must have nodded because the Unfaih warrior loosened his grasp and Jack came stumbling forwards.
He slowly righted himself and patted his body as if to check all of his limbs were still in place. Once he was satisfied he wasn’t injured, Jack turned to the warrior. ‘I told you I was with you guys,’ he said.
Sloane wasn’t focused on the two of them though. She was staring into the woods behind them. Jack was alone, and there was no sign of Rowe following him through the trees.
When Sloane reached Jack, she grabbed him by the shoulders. ‘Where is she?’
He hesitated before meeting her gaze. He was only slightly shorter than Sloane, and his eyes were level with hers as he blew out a long breath. ‘She’s not coming,’ he said.
‘What are you talking about?’ Sloane asked, the colour draining from her face.
‘Rowe has returned to the camp to be with your father. She wants to stay with him…’
‘What do you mean, she wants to stay with him?’
‘She’s staying at the camp,’ Jack said. ‘Rowe’s not coming back.’
Sloane swallowed the tight lump in her throat. It felt like she had a large rock wedged in it, and she was struggling to breathe as she tried to comprehend what Jack was saying. She dropped her hands from Jack’s shoulders and stepped away.
‘She wants to stay with him?’ she asked. Her words trickled out slowly, and she struggled to fathom why her sister would want to be with their father after everything he’d done. He was pretty much the devil incarnate. No, scratch that, he was worse.
She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, and she didn’t want to believe that Rowe would betray her. But she couldn’t deny that the news felt like a hard blow to the gut.
Jack nodded, causing Sloane’s insides to drop. ‘I came here to let you know what we were doing so you wouldn’t storm the camp and come looking for her. I’m returning to the settlement as soon as I can.’
Sloane started shaking her head. ‘I don’t understand, Jack. What’s going on?’
Jack sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. He looked like he’d had as little sleep as Sloane. ‘When Rowe and I heard sounds of fighting last night, we knew things with your father hadn’t gone as planned. We made a snap decision that the two of us would stay in the settlement. You need someone on the inside who can spread word about the Brakys. Everyone in the camp is in danger, and if we can convince enough people of the truth, the Captain won’t have any choice but to order an evacuation.’
‘It’s too late for that,’ Sloane murmured. ‘There’s no way the Captain will order an evacuation now, whether the people in the settlement push for it or not. Ash betrayed us. He told our father about the Liftsal, and the Captain wants it—badly. He’ll do everything in his power to get a hold of it.’
‘Oh.’ Jack’s shoulders deflated, and a sudden look of uncertainty flickered across his eyes.
‘Why didn’t you both wait and talk to me about this?’
‘Because you wouldn’t have listened,’ Jack replied.
‘I would have,’ Sloane argued.
‘That’s highly doubtful,’ Rhyn muttered.
Sloane shot the Unfaih prince a scowl. ‘Whose side are you on?’
Rhyn shrugged. ‘You would never have let Rowe take such a risk.’
‘She wants to help, and so do I,’ Jack added. ‘You need to give us a chance.’
Sloane let out an exhausted breath. Jack wanted to help, but there was no changing the Captain’s mind, and she knew it would be futile to try.
‘What’s the point?’ Sloane asked. ‘The Captain won’t listen, and a lot has changed overnight. We’ve got a much bigger problem now. Not only are the humans staying on Aeris, but they also want to come through the rift and take the Liftsal. We won’t need to worry about the Brakys finding the settlement if the humans enter Ellysia. And I dread to think what will happen if the Captain gets hold of the Liftsal and brings it back to the camp.’
‘Then we need Rowe and Jack there more than ever,’ Rhyn said. ‘My fighters are spread too thinly trying to protect both the rift and the castellum. If Jack and Rowe are in the settlement, they’ll be able to monitor the Captain’s movements. They can warn us if he plans to attack the rift.’
Sloane shook her head. ‘It’s too dangerous. What if the Captain hurts her?’
‘I won’t let that happen,’ Jack said.
‘And you’ve told me about the way your brother looks after Rowe,’ Rhyn added. ‘I don’t think he’d let it happen either.’
‘I still don’t like it,’ Sloane said.
‘You don’t have a choice,’ Jack replied. ‘We’ve both already made our decision. I’m only here now so you don’t tear the settlement apart trying to find your sister.’
Sloane crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I wouldn’t have torn it apart…’
Jack lifted an eyebrow before shaking his head as if to say he knew that was one argument he didn’t want to get into.
‘Won’t you both raise suspicion by returning to the camp?’ Rhyn asked, focusing his gaze on Jack.
Jack shrugged. ‘We’ll be okay. Rowe plans to tell the Captain that she only went with Sloane to find Ash. And I’ll keep a low profile. Sometimes it pays to be as invisible as me. I doubt anyone noticed I was gone, and the Captain has no idea who I am.’
‘Ash knows who you are and where you’ve been,’ Rhyn said.
‘Yeah, but he doesn’t know I returned to the camp,’ Jack replied. ‘Rowe went to see your father and him on her own. I’ve been keeping my head down.’
‘That’s not exactly reassuring,’ Sloane said before she let out a long breath. ‘I really hate this,’ she continued, but she knew she had no choice. She didn’t want to let Jack return to the settlement, and she hated the idea of Rowe staying there without her.
However, there was no way Sloane could go back to the camp without being restrained, or worse. And Rhyn was right; Rowe and Jack may be their best cha
nce at protecting the humans and stopping her father from getting to the Liftsal.
‘Would it make you feel better if I told you I already had some intel?’ Jack asked.
‘What are you talking about?’ Sloane replied.
Jack smirked, clearly enjoying the fact that he knew more than Sloane for once. ‘I overheard some of the guards talking in the camp. There’s another ship coming to Aeris. It was due last week, but it was delayed after suffering some problems on the way here.’
‘There are more of you coming?’ Rhyn struggled to keep the disdain from his voice.
‘Yeah,’ Jack nodded. ‘And from what I heard, it sounds like there will be more military on board.’
‘Do you know when it’s due?’ Sloane asked.
‘Three days.’
‘Three days,’ she repeated, slowly smiling as she turned to Rhyn. ‘That gives us a window to prepare for an attack. My father isn’t stupid. After Ash’s encounter this morning he’ll know he needs numbers if he wants to defeat you. He won’t attack before that ship arrives.’
She huffed out a breath to calm the tingles pulsing through her veins. She felt certain that’s what her father would do, and it must have been why he had sent Ash to the rift. He wanted to know what they were up against for when the ship arrived and he had the numbers that would assure him victory.
‘That’s what I was thinking too,’ Jack agreed. ‘The Captain knows he doesn’t have a big enough force to take on the Unfaih. When that ship lands, he will. If anything changes, Rowe and I can warn you.’
‘You’re right,’ Sloane admitted, shaking her head reluctantly. ‘But I want you to come to us the minute there’s trouble. I don’t want you guys trying to be heroes or taking any risks. If either of you is in danger, you both need to run for it. Okay?’
Jack nodded. ‘No heroics; check.’
The Oblivion Stone (The Liftsal Guardians Book 3) Page 3