The Destroyer Book 2

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “I cannot speak for her. I assume that after she has spoken to you, she will have no further use for the hum--Duchess Nadea, and will let her go.”

  My eyes met the duke's and I saw the desperation in them. I glanced back to Greykin and he seemed beaten. I should have planned this rescue mission. Better yet, I should have told them to stay in their rooms while I handled everything myself. My friends ended up being a liability and had cost us our goal.

  At least we weren't dead.

  "I'll inspect the cell to make sure it wasn't Nadea that was being tortured. You'll prepare five horses, food, and supplies for the duke, Greykin, and the queen. I'll ride with them out of the city walls, for two days. Then I'll return and surrender." I did the math in my head as I spoke, figuring out how my friends could create a false trail with the horses and make it to the village where Jessmei was hidden by foot.

  "Two of my warriors shall accompany you. If you do not return by nightfall of the third day, then Nadea will die." The Elven leader was a quick thinker.

  "I don't need an escort. I will return per my word." The woman next to the leader smirked and shook her head after I spoke.

  "I don't trust you O'Baarni. I remember the White Bay Treaty all too well. My sisters will accompany you and keep you from harm." He smiled and motioned to the Elven holding the dagger to the duke's throat and the man slowly lifted the duke while keeping the blade on him. I tried to search my mind for anything about the White Bay Treaty, but I remembered nothing of that name. I stepped over Greykin and offered my hand to the Old Bear.

  "Can we be civil? I will show you that the woman was not Nadea if you wish." The silver-haired Elven's voice was like honey now that he was getting what he wanted.

  "Fine," I said. The man removed the dagger from Beltor's throat and slid it into the leather case on his leg.

  "Go tell them to stay their hand. We'll send another runner in ten minutes," the Elven leader ordered the woman next to him. She nodded and put her arrow back into her small quiver, threw her bow over her shoulder, and walked toward us. She picked a path in between Greykin and I, brushing up against me and glaring into my eyes with her golden-speckled orbs.

  "Show us now." I slowly pushed the Elven with the dagger from the duke and wrapped my arm through his, supporting him, his face was ashen.

  "Of course. This way." Their leader pointed through the hallway behind them and turned like a dancer, leaving his back to us and calmly walking away from the group. I wanted to kill him, but restrained myself for Nadea’s sake.

  "I'm sorry Kaiyer. We should have suspected this was a trap," Beltor whispered into my ear. The other two Elvens walked behind us.

  "They had my mother; they told me they would kill her if Nadea somehow escaped. I'm sorry Uncle." Nanos pushed in between us as we walked. His voice a high-pitched whine.

  "Maybe you should have been man enough to work that into our earlier conversation you nitwitted, ass-sniffing shit head," the Old Bear snarled.

  "The boy is terrified, Greykin, let him be," the duke whispered back.

  "I'll let him be after I kick his asshole out his mouth."

  "Silence!" I barked. The Elvens turned around to look at me, but I knew they had heard the conversation. I needed a clear head to think and I didn't want it to seem like we were divided.

  The corridor grew darker as we walked deeper. I felt Nanos place his hand on my shoulder for support several times. The black emptiness did not seem to trouble our guides enough to light a torch, so I opened my palm and used a little magic to create a small flame. It gave enough light for the humans to see.

  We came upon four torches casting a globe of light around a cell. I could smell blood and feces and knew we had reached our destination. Inside the room, an Elven man stood over a human woman tied to a table with leather straps. She was naked, her skin pale in the dim torchlight, bloody hand and fingerprints stood out starkly on her skin in several places. Her hair was roughly shorn, blonde and grimy with sweat and blood. Her stomach was cut open, the incision crossed her entire abdomen and gaped horrifically, fresh blood still oozing from the wound. The Elven was twisting her intestines around a thin piece of wood, as if it were a ball of twine. The woman whimpered helplessly as she noticed us, afraid we would bring more pain.

  "See? It is not your Nadea," the Elven leader said. Nanos took a step back and vomited violently.

  "This is barbaric!" Beltor spat at the man in anger. The woman’s eyes widened in hope as she dimly comprehended his words.

  "This is nothing compared to what has been done to my people." The silver-haired man lost his perfect smile. The tension between our two factions became elevated again.

  "End her life. You've made your point and gotten what you wanted. She need not suffer anymore," I said softly. The woman closed her eyes. I was unsure if she was relieved or terrified by the prospect of death. Probably both.

  "Yes. I agree with you, O'Baarni." He nodded to the torturer. The Elven calmly pulled out a small vial from his case of knives, pliers, and needles. He walked over to the woman and grasped her cheeks in his hand, squeezing harshly to force her lips apart. She struggled briefly but finally opened her mouth. She could not turn her head, but her eyes opened and stared at me as he poured it down her throat, letting go of her and wiping his hands on his blood-stained apron with detached efficiency. We watched silently as her eyes clouded and fluttered shut. Her face relaxed and her ragged breaths slowed as she died quietly.

  "She won't feel anything anymore." He smiled back at me and took a deep breath. I felt my anger flare up again and I wanted to rip his face off of his skull.

  "Get us our horses and supplies. I'm sick of looking at you." The Elven frowned and his men tensed behind him. I wondered how far I could push his control over his guards.

  "Of course, O'Baarni. We will take you to the stables, deliver the queen, give you supplies, and let you be on your way." He pointed an open hand down the corridor in the direction that I assumed led to the surface, and we resumed our prior formation.

  "I can understand that you don't enjoy my company. But I'll have you know that even though you have killed many of my kin, I bear you no ill will," he said as we walked up the stairwell.

  "It must be nice having such control over your emotions. I'll have to exterminate a few dozen more of your kind and see if that has an effect on you." I matched his pleasantness of voice. I was rewarded by angry hisses from his guards.

  "It isn't control of my emotions. It is love," he replied without missing a beat.

  I waited a few paces before replying.

  "I sense you want me to be curious and ask you with wide-eyed bewilderment what love has to do with anything. But I would prefer that you just shut the fuck up so I can continue to plan how I will rip your life from your ugly body." The duke gave me a glare like I had just kicked him in the balls and Nanos turned another shade of white, which I wouldn't have believed was possible. The silver-haired Elven laughed deeply from the belly.

  "I like you, O'Baarni. You're different than all the other ones I've dealt with in my negotiations. There is no subterfuge with you. What clan do you belong to again?" I tried to remember anything about a clan and I couldn't. Did he mean family?

  "I didn't say."

  "Ah yes, you can keep your secrets, although I have my guesses." He laughed again. "No. It is for love of my empress that I bear you no ill will. She would like to put our schisms behind us and find a way for coexistence." He looked back to me to make sure I was paying attention. This was the longest I ever remembered talking to one of their kind and I was feeling ill.

  "She will explain her philosophies better to you when she arrives in the castle."

  "I can hardly wait." If I could have forged a sword out of my sarcasm, I could have cleaved his skull in four pieces. They propped open a door and we came out into one of the castle's gardens. Dawn was approaching, bringing the promise of a new sun that would dispel the fine layer of dew that coated everything.
/>   "She is eager to meet you as well." He smiled at me again. He was good a controlling his facial features, but I easily saw the malice behind his eyes.

  Chapter 18-Nadea

  I devoted the early mornings to myself. The air was just above freezing and sometimes a fine layer of frost coated the long grass and tops of the oak trees. It wasn't as cold as in the North of course, but my lungs still burned when I did my morning exercise routine of rope climbing, pushups, and squats.

  The squats were the most difficult. My injured leg did not have a full range of motion. Gerald thought that I would never be able to walk correctly again and he would be horrified to see me attempting these movements. Whatever Ancient blood I had did seem to help me heal a bit faster, so I hoped that the exercise might strengthen the shredded muscles. Fortunately, the wound was no longer infected and there was no danger of losing the limb.

  We had moved our campsite six times in the last three weeks and the strategy kept us safe from Losher patrols. We also managed seven successful raids against farm houses and supply wagons that provided munitions to the camped army.

  It was the two failures that still bothered me. The first happened a few days after I took command of Nia's forces. We had completed our first sortie, and I became too confident. We raided a caravan delivering grain to one of the Losher satellite camps between the Teeth Mountains and Nia. The raid went successfully as well, but our escape collided with a scouting brigade. We lost fifty of our one hundred and forty-four men.

  The second failure was the last mission. Two dozen highly trained soldiers infiltrated the Losher camp in the dead of night to assassinate one of the tribal leaders and then plant evidence in a competitor's tent. We'd spent almost every waking hour over the past three weeks perfecting the plan, selecting the troops, and training. They departed three nights ago. They should have returned within half a day. I assumed they were dead.

  It was my fault, and although I didn't know exactly where the failure took place, I had been overconfident and attempted too bold a move. Now Losher would be sure of our existence and would hunt our army.

  "There should be a guard with you," Runir said from below me. I fought back a sudden gasp and almost lost the grip on my rope. My mind had been so occupied with my thoughts that I did not hear him approach.

  "I like to spend time alone exercising." I climbed down the rope carefully in between words.

  "Yes, I know. As would anyone else that spends more than a few days observing our camp and you. Your time isn't your own any more. If you were to be killed at this point, Nia would be lost forever."

  I had started my pushups while he was talking and only managed a grunt. The ground felt cool and soft as my palms pressed into the dark earth by the tree.

  "My father has probably reached Brilla by now. How do you think he is faring?"

  "This is part of the reason I exercise alone, Runir. I need time to meditate on such things without interruption. If you want to offer me silent support then you may, otherwise I'll see you during our morning meeting." I finished my pushups and began my next set of squats.

  "You shouldn't be doing that with your--" he stopped mid-sentence as I shot him a glare. He turned his back on me and climbed the rope. It was a good thing he faced away because I couldn't help but smirk.

  Runir had been upset the first week, refusing to talk to me or add any of his thoughts to the tactical meetings I ran. I put him in charge of a few of our successful raids, and he started to speak to me again. It was good to have my friend back, but I broke trust with him and would need time to rebuild our relationship.

  "Damn it man, you're on my rope!" I tugged it from the bottom and swung him around a bit. Runir pulled himself up to the branch and smiled at me. I made my way up carefully, slapped the top of the knot, and then worked back to the ground.

  "How many more sets?" he shouted from the top.

  "Two!" I replied after I began my pushups.

  He didn't speak again until my last set of squats. My heart and lungs screamed and I limped around the tree twice to cool my muscles.

  "You've changed." His voice floated from the top of the oak.

  "Being imprisoned and losing your family will do that." I started my stretching routine, taking care with my injured leg.

  "No. I meant before that. For the last couple of years, really."

  "What do you mean?" I looked up at him while I stretched my hip flexors.

  "You weren't as determined. Whenever I saw you we would run around the castle, have mock fights, and . . . I don't know. You had joy."

  "We only saw each other a few times a year. As I recall, I beat the snot out of you in those mock fights." I smiled up at him but he didn't return the grin. "You followed in your father's footsteps and became a soldier. I did my research. We grew into adults. I didn't change."

  "Maybe."

  I stretched for a few more minutes, letting the silence hang.

  "Spit it out then, Runir. Why do you believe I changed?"

  "I don't know why. I just think that you did." He glanced down from the branch.

  "You must have some sort of suspicion or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Out with it."

  "Okay." He sighed. "But you can't get mad at me. Agreed?" He looked down at me and furrowed his blonde eyebrows. His hair was long enough to tie back now. Along with the beard it made him seem like a warrior from the Northlands. It looked good on him.

  "Didn't we just discuss that we aren't children anymore? You know it will make me mad, but you'll say it anyway. Speak."

  "He did something to you. It is what I think." He lay on the branch with his face away from the ground.

  "Who did something to me?"

  "Kaiyer." He practically spat the name.

  "What? Are you daft?" Rage built up in my stomach.

  "You've been different since you returned with him." His voice grew angry to match mine.

  "You just told me that the change has been over the last couple of years! Before Kaiyer was even involved.”

  "The last couple of years you spent looking for him. I've seen him do magic. He must have some sort of spell over you to make you act different. This is just my observation. Take it for what you will." He climbed down the rope after he finished speaking.

  "How do you think I am different?" I tried to calm myself.

  "I just saw the way you looked at him. I've never seen you look at anyone that way." He sighed heavily when he reached the bottom and faced me.

  "You shouldn't be jealous of a dead man." I meant to say it in anger, but it choked off at the end of my throat and came out drenched in sadness. My eyes stung a little and I glanced away from my tall friend.

  "I wish you would look at me that way," Runir said with a frown as he stepped toward me. I couldn't tell if he noticed how my voice croaked.

  "Your logic makes little sense." I tried to change the subject. "You said I had changed over the last few years. Kaiyer only woke half a year ago. How does that fit into your fantasy?" I crossed my arms and scowled at him.

  "I'm a soldier." He shrugged and smiled. "I don't understand magic. He could have been manipulating you from wherever you got him."

  "I will not talk about this anymore with you. I know what this is really about."

  "What is this about?" I realized that he stood very close to me. I was tall for a woman, but the top of my head only came up to his nose so I had to look up at him.

  "The usual male bullshit. We've been friends for a long time, so you think you deserve my affection. A new man comes around, and you blame things on him. Kaiyer is dead. You do not have to protect me from my feelings for him. The way I feel about you has nothing to do with him."

  "No Nadea. This isn't about that. Of course I am jealous of him, but there is a more powerful emotion I have always felt for you." He stepped closer and put his hands on my shoulders.

  Oh shit. How did I get here?

  "We need to go to our meeting." I tried to move away but his grip gen
tly held me in place.

  "You have to know how I feel about you. How I've always felt about you?" His blue eyes looked down into mine, questioning.

  "I know how you feel." I turned my head away from him.

  "You know that I love you?" My heart dropped into my stomach. Maybe I should have skipped the exercise this morning. Of course I knew how he felt. It was impossible not to see it. I had ignored it for years, because I did not feel the same way, but valued his friendship. As long as the words remained unspoken, I did not have to hurt him.

  "Yes," I answered flatly. I saw confusion slowly cross his handsome face.

  "Why didn't you say anything? Do anything? Tell me?"

  "I'm sorry. What did you want me to do, Runir? Fall in love with you just because you love me? It doesn’t work that way. Did you not realize that we are in the middle of a war?" I managed to pry his big hands off of my shoulders.

  "You could have told me you knew. You could have shared your feelings with me."

  "And you could have developed a backbone and told me yourself, and not used Kaiyer as subterfuge."

  "Nadea, you deserve happiness. I can give you happiness if you will let me." I could tell he had practiced this speech. He probably rehearsed it in his head, like a playwright testing dialogue.

  "Can we sit? My leg is throbbing." I pointed over to the tree. I knew that I was going to have to put an end to this now and somehow salvage our friendship. Luckily, I had practiced my own rebuttal many times as well.

  "Of course, I'll carry you." He reached for me but I shook my head and limped over to the enormous oak. I found a thick root to sit on and admired the view of the camp for a minute while Runir gathered his thoughts.

  "I've been putting this conversation off for a long time."

  "I don't like where this is going." He sighed.

  "You knew we were going to have this talk, or you would have told me about your feelings sooner." I chuckled.

  "No! I was just waiting for the right moment."

  "And this?" I said pointed to the tents a few hundred yards from the tree. "Is your idea of the right moment?" I looked away from his downcast eyes and back to the camp.