by Genia Avers
His feet couldn’t move and he felt icy steel where leather boots had been. His eyesight was uncertain when he tried to focus. In the torchlight of the tunnel, he could barely make out another figure.
Ronan. His heart leaped.
Irons immobilized his little brother, but his stomach methodically sucked in and then out. Thank God, he still breathed.
He smelled a scent he didn’t recognize—a strange rosy fragrance. The odor overwhelmed. He kept his chin low and pretended to be unconscious.
Let them think I’m still knocked out.
He saw dainty feet but waited, needing time to plan a counterattack. An argument raged around him. At first he couldn’t make out the voices, but as his consciousness improved, his hearing became more acute.
He knew the male. The whiny voice belonged to the Duke of Reklaw. He wondered if the bastard was still naked.
“What do we do now? It’s bad enough Rekita hasn’t returned, but what do we do with him?” Kamber didn’t recognize the female’s voice. Nor did he remember the scent.
“We kill him, of course.” The female snorted. “No one will find either of them when we blow up this tunnel.”
“We can’t be sure no one else knows about this place,” the duke pleaded.
“Of course we can. Ronan has no guile for lying. He said no one knew about the underground passageway with the possible exception of his older brother. And, voíla. We have the brother.”
“What if he told Subena?”
“Don’t talk to me about that bitch. If your aim had been halfway competent, she would have died at the opera.”
“My dart landed exactly where I wanted it to go. If I’d meant to kill her, she’d be dead. What happened to your arrow?”
“She moved.” The dainty foot stomped. “Not that it matters. You said Kamber doesn’t trust her. Why would he tell her anything?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like taking chances. I picked up his cloak at the tunnel entrance. Maybe she left it there. For him to see.”
“For once, I agree with you. It’s better to be certain. Talk to your little girlfriend before we leave. If Subena knows about the tunnel, kill her. And do it right this time.”
“I can’t talk to Subena again.” Taslin’s voice echoed with fear. “I’ll be arrested the minute she sees my face. Have you forgotten? I pointed a gun at her and the precious prince. Hell, I’ll never be able to go back to Mydrias.”
“God, you’re such a wuss.”
Kamber heard a sharp intake of breath. The female was clearly in charge. Taslin panicked.
A boot kicked at the dirt walls. The thud echoed in the passageway and a surge of dust and grit rose up from the tunnel floor. The cloud billowed around Kamber, reached into his nostrils, and made breathing impossible. He coughed.
“So, the brave prince awakens. Daddy’s favorite son,” the female voice mocked. “So sad you have to perish.”
She grabbed Kamber’s hair and yanked his head up, forcing him to meet her gaze. She looked so familiar.
The she-wolf tightened her grip. She possessed amazing strength.
“Who are you?” Kamber ventured.
“Look closely,” she challenged. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I think I resemble my father.”
He stared, forcing his pupils to open wider. Dark hair, possibly green eyes. The familiarity of the smirking face overwhelmed him, but he couldn’t identify the evil beauty.
“I suppose a deal’s out of the question?” Any attempt to bargain would be futile, but he needed to keep the female talking. Just long enough for the reinforcements to arrive. Merk would send help.
She laughed, letting go of his hair and shoving his head. “Alas, no. I considered keeping you as a slave. We need more people to clean the sewers in my country. I’d love to see you suffer, pretty boy. Too bad I cannot take the risk.”
“I can get you a large sum of money. And free passage to the north.”
She sneered. “I don’t need your stinking money. All I want is your demise. With you gone, I’ll have free passage. For that matter, I’ll have large sums of money, too.”
Kamber played to her vanity. “You seem like a smart lady. Murder’s a tricky thing. Why take the risk?”
“There’s no risk, pretty boy. No one will ever connect me to your death. Since your darling wife didn’t die like she was supposed to, I’ll make sure she’s blamed. For the death of two Gatsle princes. Not my original plan, but still perfect.”
Subena blamed for his death?
He couldn’t let the female see her words affected him. “If you’re going to kill me, at least tell me what you hope to gain by framing my innocent wife.”
“Innocent?” the harpy shrilled. “That bitch depleted centuries of quartz with her technology projects. She squandered our life sustenance in her arrogant pursuit of toys. And what does she have to show for it? Defunct motorcars and a starving country.”
Kamber felt the same way once. Now, he resented his captor’s accusations. Subena had tried to fix centuries of abuse. She’d had no part in the squander.
But why would a Creshinite care about crystals? “What do you mean life sustenance? Aren’t you from the north?”
She laughed, the sound shrill and unnerving. “And here I thought you didn’t have one working brain cell. I am Creshinite, but as much as I hate to admit, part of me’s like you. My essence needs earth magic.”
Kamber’s head reeled. A Creshinite would probably assume all elvin people were alike, might assume Gatslians needed crystals. But why did this female need crystals?
“Killing me won’t restore the quartz.”
“I’m not killing you because of the quartz, you idiot. I’m killing you to end the treaty.”
He didn’t understand her logic. “Killing me won’t kill the treaty either.”
“Of course it will. Your dear sweet wife has already been linked to Ronan’s disappearance. Once you disappear, she’ll be blamed for that, too. Rothart will have someone’s head in a noose when his precious sons are gone.”
Kamber felt some satisfaction. The Creshinite underestimated his family’s trust of Subena. The king would never believe Subena would hurt Ronan. Or him. The treaty would hold.
“I also want you dead for more personal reasons.”
He jerked his head in her direction. “What?” He couldn’t care less about her personal issues, but the longer she talked, the more his odds improved. He had to keep her talking. “Personal reasons? Why? Who are you?”
“Look at my face again.” She pressed her nose an inch away from his. Kamber couldn’t see well, but something about her looked too familiar.
Keep her talking. “I’m looking. Not seeing anything.” He scrunched his nose, hoping to provoke her into rage. “What am I supposed to see?”
“So many questions, brother. So little time. What you should see is that I intend to destroy Gatsle. In the name of my father, or rather, my stepfather.”
“What have you got against Gatsle? Wait. Did you call me brother?”
“That I did.” The female sneered. “I suppose I should have said half-brother. Our dear old dad seemed to have dipped his wick in every pot around. While Gatslian females get pregnant only by a tryst with a true mate, my kind, and my mother, weren’t so lucky.”
Kamber felt as if he’d been buried alive. Her face—it was his father’s face. If Rothart’s screwing around caused Ronan’s death, he’d kill his father. Even if he had to do it from the great beyond.
“Who are you?” he whispered. “Is Rothart really your father?”
The mad lady snorted. “The people who know me here call me Kelsie, but my real name is Lady Vilavettia. You may have heard of me.”
Creshin’s daughter?
Her laugh sounded like audible evil, like a siren from hell. The warlord’s daughter was notorious, having a reputation as the most fierce of mercenaries and even more notorious as a spy. Too bad Dallison and his men hadn’t gotten to her.
>
“If you really are Vilavettia, then Creshin is your father, not Rothart.”
“You’re as stupid as your sire. Of course you can be my brother. Don’t you listen? Creshin is my stepfather, you dimwit.” The female’s fists curled into tight balls. “Creshin took pity on my mother after that piece of dung Rothart used her, dumped her, and then refused to acknowledge his bastard daughter. Me.” Her voice screeched.
She pounded a fist against her chest. “Our father kisses your ass but he’d never even acknowledge me. That would mean admitting that he fornicated with a Creshinite.”
She rose off the ground and hovered in the air. “Damn fool.”
God of the Mountain. She could fly. That’s why Subena had asked him if he could fly.
Brave as his troops were, they were also superstitious. They might bolt when they saw a flying harpy.
“I’m the most powerful person on the planet,” she squawked. “I have the skills of your ancients and all the skills of the Creshinites. Despite that, the arrogant fool Rothart still wouldn’t acknowledge me.”
Kamber felt supreme fear. Kelsie—he supposed he should call her Vilavettia—was a female scorned. A lunatic scorned.
It didn’t get any scarier. “If you want to go after my father, I’ll help you, but my brother’s innocent. Let him go.”
“Are you insane?” She glared at him. “Don’t you get it? I hate you and your asinine brothers. Your father wouldn’t acknowledge me, but that didn’t keep him from coming back to sniff around my mother. The damn man never shut up about you. I hate your little bride even more. She’s Rothart’s newest favorite.”
Kelsie, a.k.a. Vilavettia, lowered herself to the ground and slapped him across the cheek with the back of her hand. “Did you know he insisted on the wedding because he wanted Annika’s daughter? That Mydrian bitch was the only female to ever refuse Rothart. Bet you didn’t know that. Annika’s rebuff reignited the tension between Gatsle and Mydrias. I intend to see that tension intensify and destroy both countries.”
Kamber’s head reeled. His father had wanted Annika?
He couldn’t think about his father’s love life. For Ronan’s sake, he had to keep the crazy witch talking.
“I’m sorry you got a raw deal, Vila. Have your revenge. Kill me if you must, but there’s no need to start a war.”
“You really are dense.” She looked at him like he was some bloodless vermin. “My objective is to dissolve the treaty. I’ve tried to convince my stepfather to destroy Mydrias. He wanted the cilosange, but he wouldn’t strike because Gatsle and Mydrias became allies. He probably wouldn’t have attacked period, but I will.”
She made a growling noise. “After Mydrias burns, I’ll go after Gatsle. I need that quartz.”
Holy hell. If the female were half Dökkálfar, she’d need blood, not quartz. No wonder she was psycho. If she’d spent her life drawing on the power of crystals, she’d be completely mad. Crystals destroyed the life essence of Dökkálfar four times faster than the glass affected the Mydrians.
Keep her talking.
“You really think you’re a match for Gatsle?”
“My stepfather will help. Unlike Rothart, Creshin loves me.”
“But Creshin is de—” Taslin’s voice surprised Kamber. He’d forgotten the duke still hovered.
“Shut up,” Kelsie screamed.
“Creshin won’t fight against my father,” Kamber said, intentionally keeping his voice soft when he wanted to yell. “They’re friends.”
“I’ll lead the troops to victory myself. Your death is just a little bonus.”
Kelsie turned toward Taslin. “Kill him.”
Kamber didn’t react externally, but he envisioned Subena’s face. He wanted to be thinking about her in the end, because he no longer harbored any hope of freedom. This psychopath’s reputation was ruthless and he sensed her reputation was underrated. Even if the troops arrived, he and Ronan were goners. Kelsie would murder them before a single soldier found the entrance.
He just prayed it would be swift.
“One last question?” He stalled the inevitable. “Reklaw?” He nodded toward the duke, who was fully dressed. “Is he your lover?”
Kelsie spat at him. “You mock me.”
“He couldn’t get it up for you, huh?” Kamber goaded her. “Of course we can’t blame good ole Tas. The bastard gets a hard-on every time he’s around my wife.”
Kelsie gasped. “Taslin’s a cousin, you imbecile. I would never have sex with a relative.”
Kamber felt like the planet had swallowed him and spit him into the sea. What she suggested was sick. The damn duke could not be his relative. “Reklaw.” He gulped. “Tell me she lies.”
Taslin looked at his feet.
The unpleasant sound of Kelsie’s laughter echoed in the chamber. “He’s not related to you, if that’s what you’re worried about, you arrogant swine. His mother and my mother were sisters.”
“She’s a step-cousin. We’re not related by blood.” Taslin hurried his words. “Her mother and my stepmother were sisters. My father didn’t touch another female until years after my mother died.”
“See how ashamed he is,” Kelsie mocked. “Doesn’t want anyone to know his daddy also dallied with a Creshinite.”
The duke’s head popped. “My father was never ashamed of his second wife. He took care of her.”
“Took care of her?” Kelsie whirled and knocked him to the ground. “He threw money at her. He treated her like a whore.”
The duke didn’t shy away. “He didn’t. He visited your mother as often as he could. He was happy until—”
“Until I threatened to expose him?” Kelsie shot back. “If he loved her so much, why was he so terrified that someone would find out?”
“It doesn’t matter,” the duke snapped. “You’ve held this over my head long enough, Vilavettia. Now the truth is out and I won’t do your bidding anymore.”
“You’ll do as you’re told.” Kelsie growled. “Your estates are still mortgaged and I have the papers. Or did you forget?” Her voice turned sweet. “Enough talking. We must go.” She pulled a silver knife from her belt and tossed it to the duke. “Finish them or I’ll finish you.”
Taslin let the knife fall to the ground. “I won’t do it.”
Kamber stared at the duke. A combination of surprise and sorrow consumed him. He realized the man had been a victim. Like him, a victim of his father.
“Must we go through this again?” Kelsie seemed equally surprised at the duke’s resistance.
“You want them dead,” Reklaw said, “you kill them.”
“Well, perhaps you don’t care about your sex kitten either. Do you think I won’t break Rekita’s pretty little neck before I drive a blade through her unfaithful heart?”
“You can’t. She’s in a safe place.”
“Dear Taslin. You don’t think I’d leave a thing like that to chance, do you?” She shook her head, feigning regret. “If my messenger doesn’t hear from me tonight, your paramour is dead.”
“No.”
“Last chance.” She picked up the knife and moved toward Kamber.
“Wait.” The duke ran toward her. “I’ll do it.”
Kamber interceded. “Don’t do it, Taslin. There’s no messenger. In case our remains are discovered, she wants you to be the one tried for murder.”
“Shut up!” Taslin shouted. “She speaks the truth. I have to kill you.”
The female handed him the knife. “And you will kill the boy as well.”
“Thunder help me,” the duke said. “I will.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Subena scarcely remembered the ride to the rock. Adrenaline muted the pain. Love made her strong.
She didn’t pause when she reached the tunnel. There was no panic when she rushed into the dark earth, no fear. At least there was no fear of the tunnel.
Her eyes adjusted as she crouched low and scurried through the passageway, dodging the falling debris th
at covered the tunnel floor. She heard people.
Subena slowed, but crept closer. Her eyesight hadn’t completely recovered after her earlier ordeal, but her nose identified everyone in the tunnel. She found Ronan. And Kamber.
Thank Bockle.
She stayed hidden, formulating a plan. She watched Kelsie hand Taslin a knife. Not good.
The duke said he’d kill Kamber. Bockle help me.
Unable to delay any longer, she charged Taslin with every ounce of strength she possessed. His body hit the wall with a thud.
The attack left her disoriented, dizzy. She shook her head, trying to vanquish the stars, and crawled to Kamber. “Are you all right?”
“No, he’s not all right. He’s on the verge of perishing.” The maid, who was not a maid, walked toward her. Kelsie held the knife that had flown from Taslin’s hand. “I’m going to end his pathetic life and you get to watch.”
“No,” Subena screamed. She flattened her back against Kamber, glaring at the evil witch.
Kelsie sneered, “If you press real close, honey, I can push this piece of silver through both your hearts. You can die together. So sweet.”
Subena didn’t move, she just maintained her glare. For the first time, she understood hatred.
Kelsie tumbled backward.
“Did you do that?” Kamber whispered.
“I’m not sure.”
Kelsie lifted herself off the floor and circled. “A little mind combat, huh? You’re stronger than I expected. You won’t get away with another stunt like that.”
From her peripheral vision, Subena saw Taslin lift himself off the wall. “Subena, I wasn’t going to kill him.”
Kelsie twisted slightly. “Shut up, Taslin.”
The duke didn’t look at the screeching monster. “I promise, Subena. I wasn’t going to kill anyone.”
An ugly snarl marred Kelsie’s perfect complexion. “No, he couldn’t do it. You know how it is, princess?” The witch made the word princess sound like dung. “If you want something done right, get a female to do it.”
Kelsie lifted the stake. And attacked.
Taslin grabbed one of the boards supporting the underground wall. He yanked the beam out of place and struck Kelsie from behind.