by S. D. Grimm
“Return to me, princess.” A voice boomed, and Ethan looked down the row of abysshounds to see Franco standing at the end, arms open wide.
And Jayden walked right toward him.
Chapter 36
A Key
The door to the prison slammed open, and Serena sat up. A guard entered, looking frantic and disheveled. He morphed into a different form, someone with dark hair and golden eyes. Serena shrank away from him, but Madison rushed to the bars of her cell. “Connor, what’s going on?”
“The Mistress knows I’m here.” He looked at Serena. “You must be Serena. Here.” He held his hand into the cell. She reached out and he pressed his hand against hers. When he lifted it a key lay in her palm. “I have your daggers waiting in the tunnel. The key is for—”
“The spell chamber,” she said. Kara had kept her word.
“This one is for the cell doors.”
It was time. Serena sent a thought to her friend. “Dash, are you ready to escape?”
“I found a horse to carry the others. I’m about to break out of here, Serena. And it’s about time.”
“Good. Meet us at the end of those tunnels.”
Connor unlocked Ryan’s cell door. “Ryan, right? We’re here to help you break out of here.”
Ryan charged up to the cell door. “I know you, Captain. And I don’t trust you.”
“Good morning, Belladonna. You’re in a pleasant mood.” A voice outside the prison door spoke. Serena’s blood chilled.
Connor opened Ryan’s cell door. Ryan stood in the way, jaw clenched, chest rising and falling faster. Serena sensed the evil part of his heart stretching wider.
Connor glanced over his shoulder at Serena. “This won’t work. I don’t have time to hide him.”
“You have to!” Serena’s pulse sped. “Belladonna will make him hers.”
Connor closed the cell door, locked it, pocketed the keys, and took off his shirt. Then his face changed. It morphed into a complete likeness of Ryan. “I’m supposed to be him, which means he can’t be here.”
Serena gasped at Connor’s likeness.
Ryan backed up a pace. “I don’t look like that!”
Connor spread his arms. “Do you want my help or not?”
Ryan looked at the door like a skittish wolf. “Sh-she’ll see me leave. I–I can’t—”
“I can hide you,” Serena said and hope bloomed in her heart. “Give me a second to concentrate.”
Connor grabbed the cell bars, and his eyes pleaded with Serena. “Hurry!”
The door creaked open and Connor’s eyes widened. Ryan shrank away.
Serena stared at Ryan. How did Dash hide her when they weren’t touching? She used the cloaking feeling she felt when she hid herself and projected it onto Ryan. And his body melted into the air. Gone.
Connor smiled with Ryan’s face, but it vanished the moment Belladonna entered, carrying a scent of pear and lavender. Three of her men and Kara followed her. Kara shot a sly smile at Serena and showed her a small glass bottle.
“Good morning, my pet.” Belladonna purred as she approached Ryan’s cell. “Did you miss me?”
Connor stared. Serena hoped he’d be convincing.
“Good.” Belladonna slipped the key into the lock and it clicked open. She strode in, and the sun caught her glistening, wet lips.
Serena wanted to lunge at her. She clenched her fists instead, focusing on keeping Ryan hidden. She could still see him—though he looked hazy. And as Belladonna entered the cell, Ryan cringed. Serena’s heart clenched. Then he seemed to realize she couldn’t see him, and he backed to the farthest corner of the cell, glancing at Serena. She held a finger to her lips to remind Ryan to stay quiet. He swallowed and nodded once.
“I brought you something.” Belladonna moved closer to Connor, and he leaned back slightly. “Shy today, I see.” She shot her guards a glance, and they walked toward the door and out of sight.
Kara stayed, however, leaning up against Madison’s cell door and crossing her arms. “This should be good.”
Belladonna ignored her and turned her attention back to Connor. “Let me fix that.” She placed her hands on him and drew her face close to his.
When Connor’s lips touched Belladonna’s, the stiffness in his body melted away. He let Belladonna draw close. “There, I thought you might remember me.” She smiled wickedly.
Oh no. Serena pressed her hands over her mouth, and Madison clutched her cell bars.
“I have to go away for a little while, so you’ll stay in here. But hear me.” Belladonna put one hand on her heart and one on his bare chest where his heart would beat. “When I return, you and I will be together forever.” Then she pulled another vial out of her pocket. “Drink this, my love.” She caressed it and handed it to him, stroking his hand as he obediently took the bottle from her.
“As you wish,” Connor said, his eyes not even touching the bottle.
Serena’s heart sank. Belladonna had claimed the Wielder.
Chapter 37
Precarious Passage
Don’t! Don’t drink it!” Madison shrieked.
Belladonna flicked her hand, and Madison’s body slammed against the wall. Serena’s eyes grew wide, and she glanced at Madison, who was shaking her head. When had Belladonna obtained those powers?
Connor continued to tip his head back, but with Madison’s distraction, Belladonna had taken her eyes off of him. He winked at Serena and poured the liquid onto the straw behind him.
When Belladonna turned her face back to his, her sickly sweet smile spread unnaturally on her lips. Connor had the empty glass to his mouth, his head tilted back, and he brought it down, handing it to Belladonna.
The woman lit up visibly as she touched his cheek.
Connor wrapped his arms around Belladonna and nipped her ear. She actually giggled. “I have to go. I’ll be bringing the Mistress a present that will make me highly favored.” She leaned in to kiss him again, and Connor played his part so convincingly that Serena couldn’t watch.
She glanced at Ryan instead, who wore the face of someone who had just bitten into rotten fruit by mistake.
“Hurry back,” Connor said, and the new coldness of Ryan’s voice lingered in his own.
Belladonna smiled seductively before she strode out.
Kara left with her, not even looking Serena’s way.
When they were gone, Madison looked down at her hands and opened her palm.
“She gave me this,” she said. “It’s the bottle. The potion Belladonna puts on her lips before she kisses Ryan.”
Kara had switched the potion. Serena looked up as Connor melted back into himself. She let her cloaking talent on Ryan fade, and he bent over, holding his head in his palms.
The headache. Serena pitched forward in her cell. The headaches seemed to plague him worse when he fought the darkness.
Connor took the opportunity to sneak out of the cell. He locked it.
Ryan grabbed the cell bar in one hand and pressed his palm into his eye. “Some help, huh? Leaving me locked in here.”
Connor winced, but didn’t respond. Instead he opened Serena’s cell and then Madison’s. He handed Serena the key. “You need to help him break the bond with Smoke. He’s bound to the Mistress’s dragon. It’s made him her vessel. He will remain that even if the bond is broken, but as long as he’s bonded to Smoke, anything you say to him isn’t safe.”
“Vessel?”
Connor nodded. “The Mistress needs a vessel in order to survive here. A human who bonds to her mount—Smoke. She chose Ryan. She needs his heart to survive, otherwise she’s bound only to Smoke, but he’s not human, so she only survives in a sleeping state.”
Serena glanced over at Ryan, who sat on the floor of his cell, back against the stone wall. “If she needs Ryan’s heart—if we kill her—”
“She doesn’t own more than half of his heart yet, does she?”
“No.”
“If she takes over more than half
of his heart, I think the only thing that would save him is a link to the Creator’s power.”
Serena’s breath stilled for several heartbeats, and she pushed her cell door open. “How do I get him to break the bond?”
Connor winced and his gaze trailed to Ryan’s cell then back to Serena. He touched her shoulder and gave her an encouraging squeeze. “Help him choose to use the other half of his heart.” He dropped his hand and turned to leave.
Right. Because that wouldn’t be too difficult. Madison grabbed Connor’s sleeve before he could go. “Connor. Good luck. Tell Luc to be careful.”
“You, too.” Then he turned to Serena. “If you need me, call for me. I’m certain I’ll hear you.” He offered a grin and morphed into a soldier, put his shirt back on. “Oh.” He plucked a pouch from his pocket that Serena recognized. “Tangle flower?” He grinned. “I know just who to give this to. It makes good afternoon tea. After your sorry excuse for a meal is served, you’ll have to go. Meet Luc out back—outside the tunnels. Kara said you know where to go.”
“I do.”
“You have two hours.” He glanced at Ryan. “Creator’s blessing. I think you’ll need it more than I.” He left.
“Now what?” Madison asked into the silence. She still held the bottle Kara had given her. There was a paper on it. “A note.” She opened it.
Golden One, you don’t have much time. The battle is brewing outside. You have to get out of here as fast as you can. Get Charmer and the other Healer to the spells chamber. You have two hours.
She glanced over at Ryan. That wasn’t much time to get him ready. She handed Madison the key.
Madison looked up at her. “Where are you going?”
She motioned toward Ryan’s cell. “The dragon’s lair.”
Ryan watched her, like a dog ready to defend his bone, as she moved toward his cell. Opened it. Stepped inside.
She closed the door and sat down on the straw, far enough away that he’d have to move to reach her. “We have to break your bond with Smoke before we can escape. Otherwise . . .”
“The Mistress will have a link to me? She already does.”
“Your heart.”
He nodded and looked at the ground. He sat there, elbow on one knee, fingering a long piece of straw.
Serena shifted her weight, and Ryan straightened, hands ready to defend. She stilled. “I think her potion wears off. The one she gives you when she kisses you? Your headaches are dying in intensity.”
A dark chuckle escaped his throat. “You can feel my pain, too.”
Serena ground her teeth. “Whatever Belladonna called herself, she is no Healer.”
“No? She healed me enough times.” He turned so she could see his scarred back. Her heart ached.
“Ryan, that’s not healing. She hurt you.” She started to reach for him, but he tucked his chin and pulled away from her. “Do you want to break the bond?”
“Yes.” His eyes pleaded with her, and for a moment she thought she saw the real Ryan break through.
“All right. Let me help you. I happen to know a lot about bonds.” She smiled, then winced. “It will hurt.”
He leaned slightly closer. “Why would you do this for me?”
She fidgeted with the bit of torn lace on her filthy skirts.
His eyes narrowed.
“I—I can feel it taking over.” He clutched his chest, his heart. “You can feel it?”
“I can feel people’s hearts.”
“And mine?”
“Ryan, how much do you remember?”
“The potion is wearing off.”
“And?”
“I’m not sure I’m who I used to be anymore.”
“No one is who they used to be. But embrace who you are. I feel the good in your heart. It fights. Don’t give up.” Without thinking, she leaned in to touch his knee.
He caught her hand with a crushing grip. “I don’t trust Healers.”
Memories of her childhood flared, and she tugged at her hand. Cold sweat. Heartbeats. Faster. Faster. She yanked at her arm. Still stuck. She froze. Shook.
Immediately he released her arm. “I’m sorry.”
She looked away, embarrassed that he’d seen her reaction, and willed her pulse to slow. Madison was nearly inside Ryan’s cell, but at Serena’s nod, she backed away again.
Serena leaned away from him. “I just wish you could trust me.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m trying.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
He looked at her—really looked. “I remember you.”
She breathed in. “You do?” Her voice trembled. “Will you let me heal you?”
He stared at her, not saying anything. She rose to her knees and leaned closer. He stayed still. She held out her hand and placed it on his side, and he turned his head, squeezing his eyes shut. He shrank back from her, his breathing quickened. He was unwilling. More than that, he was terrified. Serena dropped her hand from him without healing him, and one of his eyes opened.
“What has she done to you?” she whispered.
He relaxed slightly. “I’ll be able to make it out of here. I’m strong enough.”
“When you break the bond, it will take a lot out of you. I’m trying to keep it from killing you.”
“Can you trust me? I’ll tell you if I need healing.”
She would earn his trust, even if it took all the time they had left. “I trust you, Ryan. But if you become unconscious, I’m going to heal you.”
He smiled, and it was a ghost of the charming grin she remembered. “I remember the night we met.”
Her heart stilled as she waited for him to continue.
“I used to think about it every day. You. You’re what kept me alive here. Thinking about you. Seeing your face when . . . when she tortured me, kept my hope alive.” He winced and touched his chest. It was working. He was breaking it. “And now you’re here.” He reached for her hand and she grabbed his. “Y-you came to rescue me?”
“Of course.”
“Why?” He doubled over, holding tight to her hand.
She stroked his hair. “I came because we couldn’t let you rot in the Franco’s dungeon, hoping that your charm and wit alone would save you.”
He laughed, still fighting the pain.
“I came because . . . because you’re one of the Deliverers, and we couldn’t let the Mistress get you.”
His heart fought—she felt the struggle as if it were in her own chest. Every beat ached. “I came because Ethan wanted to come for you, and someone had to stop him from being stupid and reckless.”
“You know my brother well.” He winced.
“I wanted that kiss you were too shy to give me.”
He bent over and muffled his scream with a fist.
A huge roar burst forth from the courts outside. A dragon’s. It was working.
Ryan screamed so loud, she thought his heart might burst. Then he fell, his head landing in her lap. “Is . . . is it over?”
She smoothed his hair. “Yes. You did it. Your heart is free.”
“It’s still tainted?” He didn’t lift his head.
“Yes. But one thing at a time.”
He closed his eyes.
“Ryan?”
“Hmmm?”
“You are the strongest person I know.”
He didn’t respond.
“Is he all right?” Madison clutched the cell bars.
“He’s asleep. We’ll have to let him rest.”
“For how long? We don’t have much time.”
Serena shook her head. “We have to give him every moment we can spare. Without another dragon we could convince to bond with him, the tear from the ripped bond could kill him.”
“If you’re going to stay in his cell, at least give me the key to the spell chamber.”
“Wait.” Ryan’s voice rasped.
Serena touched his head. “What is it?”
He sat up slowly. A crooked smile spread acros
s his face. “In Morgan’s vision, I had the key around my neck. And you were with Madison and me when we stormed out of here.”
Madison smiled. “Knight, it’s good to have you back.”
“I’m still not a knight.” He looked at Serena and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
Chapter 38
The Messenger
Ethan stood in front of Jayden as she took another step toward Franco.
“You’re the messenger the woman from my dream sent for me?” Jayden said to him, her eyes glazed red.
No black veins. He had to make sure she didn’t become too far gone that he couldn’t bring her back.
“Messenger?” Ethan tried to get her to look at him, but she wouldn’t.
“You know who I am.” Franco smirked.
“Ethan.”
What? Ethan’s mind raced. “Don’t listen to him, Jayden. I’m Ethan.” Ethan grabbed her arm. She spun and her dagger headed toward him. He let go and jumped back.
The red in her eyes glinted. “Franco.”
“No. You’ve been poisoned. You’re in a nightmare. You—”
She flung her dagger at him, and he ducked, but the weapon fell to the ground before it came close to him. Ethan turned to see Zephyr behind him, whipping his wings to create the shield. “She’s in the dream world again.”
“I have to get her out.” Ethan’s pulse pounded through his veins.
“She’ll kill you.”
“She’s going to kill you.” Chloe dropped off Zephyr’s back.
“Chloe? How?”
“Get down!” She pushed him behind her and drew her bow.
She released an arrow, and it sailed right toward Franco. He staggered back as the arrow pierced his skin. Then he looked at Chloe and smiled as he pulled it out.
“You can’t kill him.” Ethan pushed her behind Zephyr. “Why would you let her come?”
“She’s quite persuasive.”
“Jayden!” Ethan headed toward her again, but a tug in his chest pulled him forward faster, and he fell to his knees. A wave of heat fanned across his chest, but pain accompanied it, and he touched the scar. Blood? Could the crazy woman actually pull out whatever she’d put inside him? If that were possible, he’d make her try.