“No,” Alec hobbled to Ariana's side in solidarity. “Sheridan doesn't deserve this life. Please.”
Varrick stiffened at the mention of the girl's name and he now swung around, grabbing Alec by his shirt and shoving him against the wall. “What did you call her?”
“Varrick, stop,” Ariana cried out as she tried to pry his grip off of Alec.
“What did you call her?” Varrick repeated with a growl and shoved Alec. “Kellen's daughter. What is her name?”
Alec blinked at him in confusion but answered. “Sheridan. Her name is Sheridan. And she's our friend,” he started to launch into a series of arguments in favor of rescuing her, but Varrick released him.
They all tensed when Liam and Nolan reappeared, Liam carrying what looked to be a body swaddled in several blankets. Ariana and Isauria stepped closer to one another, united in the horror of their shared knowledge of who was underneath the shrouds.
“Is that—?” Zelene asked.
Nolan nodded firmly. “Our mother.”
“Wait here with them,” Varrick ordered everyone before rushing off to check the cells.
Ariana ran after him, watching as he pulled every door off of its hinges and then rushed in, tearing the blankets apart in search of her. With each room that came up empty, a sense of dread began to build in Ariana's chest. Finally, at the very end of the row, Varrick found a tiny blonde mass on a cot. He ripped the bars separating him from her with a snap and stepped inside. She didn't stir at the sound.
He knelt down in front of her and reached out, touching her cheek lightly. “Sheridan?” He inhaled sharply when her eyes fluttered open. “Great Mother, you have her eyes. I found you.” He gently pulled her into his arms, her head lolling onto his shoulder. “It's all right, child. I have you now.”
Ariana backed up, giving Varrick room to pass. She'd never seen Varrick cry before, but there was no mistaking the tears running down his cheeks now. Clearly, there was more to Sheridan than Ariana knew. He gestured for Ariana to go ahead of him, and she obeyed. They returned to the group at the base of the stairs.
“Let's get moving,” Varrick barked out. “Cedwen, you take the lead. Nolan, you and Liam take up the rear. We'll be in the middle. Let's go.”
***
When Raemann’s group split from Varrick and the others, he and Kenward hid in the tree line with Rhaya, Terrena, and Tate, waiting for any sign they might be needed. It didn’t take long as soldiers began to surround the compound, obviously alerted to their arrival somehow. Without hesitation, Raemann’s group charged the Cahirans. Kenward and Raemann took the lead, but balancing their attacks with protecting their wards proved to be a difficult feat, and with every soldier they took down, five more seemed to appear.
Raemann breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Varrick’s group reuniting with them at last. He recognized Ariana right away, even if she did look a bit more battered than the last time he met up with Varrick and saw her. Curiously, Ariana wasn’t in Varrick’s arms, but another young girl was. Raemann didn’t have time to question this before another wave of soldiers attacked.
The others fought their way through the masses to join them, with Cedwen and Varrick in the lead. Varrick fought one-handed, the limp body of a blonde girl thrown over his shoulder. Liam was also burdened with a load over his shoulder, but Raemann didn’t have time to ask. Even with the whole group fighting, they were easily outnumbered and close to being overwhelmed. Ariana and the young Cyneward were both barely able to stand, let alone fight, and with Isauria’s lack of experience, Liam and Nolan were having a hard enough time just keeping her safe.
Zelene dove into the fight, but her magic was still weak and her skills with daggers not much better. Cedwen stayed close to her, blasting back any attackers coming at her from behind while taking out others with his sword. Terrena held her own, proving that Kenward had taught her well. She disarmed a nearby soldier, who punched her across the face and knocked her to ground. She didn’t pause but swept her leg underneath his, toppling him down beside her and stealing his own knife to plunge into his chest. She rolled away, dodging another blow from a different soldier and leapt to her feet.
The Cahirans clearly viewed her as the bigger threat and began to focus their attention on her. Rhaya tried using her magic to knock them away from her sister, but her efforts barely scratched the surface and only served to shift some of their attentions to her. Raemann pulled her behind him and fought off those advancing on him. Terrena was thrown backwards by a blast of air, and Kenward moved to come to her aid, abandoning the opponents closing in on him. His distraction was enough for them, and four soldiers jumped on him, and then everything seemed to slow down and happen at the same time.
One of the men stabbed his knife into the dirt. When he yanked it out, the blade surged with power, thick tendrils of a brown milk-like substance snaked over it, criss-crossing and hissing. He then shoved it through Kenward's chest. Kenward's black eyes dimmed, and then closed as he let out an anguished breath. Terrena screamed for him and threw herself onto his attackers. She gripped the first one, turning him to living ice and then smashed the hilt of her blade against him, shattering him into a million pieces. She then thrust her blade into the throat of the second. At the same time, Tate lit the third on fire and blew him backwards into the fourth.
“Grab him,” Zelene called out. “We need to get to the tairseach! Isauria, you carry Nandalia so Liam can fight. Ariana, you and your friend can carry Kenward. Varrick, let—” She choked on her words, doubling over in pain, and then let out a howl of agony and dropped to her knees.
Isauria dropped down beside her sister while Cedwen finished off his opponent and searched the crowd for Zelene's attacker as her pained lamentations intensified. Zelene held out her arms, screaming hysterically when welts began to appear. Isauria gasped knowingly and looked up, her terrified gaze locking onto a blonde woman heading towards them.
“Kellen,” Rhaya whispered, her own fear spiking.
Kellen looked at each of the Cynewards in turn, then lifted her hands palms up, and slammed them down in front of her. All three men fell to their knees. When Raemann looked up, the soldiers had taken advantage of the warriors' distraction and grabbed each member of their group besides Zelene. Kellen circled her and went to Varrick, who still held the unconscious girl in his arms.
“You have something of mine, Cyneward,” she said calmly. “I'll be wanting her back now.”
“You'll have to kill me first,” Varrick responded with a challenging sneer.
Kellen cackled. “That can be arranged, but it would be such a waste.”
“She's not yours,” he growled.
“She's not your, either, Cyneward,” she whispered mockingly. She walked over to Rhaya, and Raemann fought every urge he had to rip out Kellen's throat since there was already a knife to Rhaya's. Kellen sighed her disappointment as Rhaya stood with her hands clasped in front of her and her eyes squeezed shut. “Is this what the Duillaine have taught you? To close your eyes when you see something you don't like? You are no better than them.” She circled back around to Zelene and knelt in front of her. She tilted Zelene's face up with her finger under her chin. “My son is quite fond of you. He'll be glad to see you again. To say goodbye, of course.”
The threat behind her words was evident. She was going to kill them all, without question. Raemann surveyed their situation, his panic mounting when he realized he couldn't see any way out of it. He would have to simply grab Rhaya and run, and then hope the others followed. The only thing that mattered was keeping her safe. It was what he was trained to do, but his concern for the others had clouded that instinct.
He turned to her, and that's when he noticed that Rhaya hadn't closed her eyes out of fear; she was concentrating. Her hands were clasped in front of her so she could freely trace the symbol she had carved into all of their hands. He looked down at his own. The mark had faded, thanks to his healing abilities, but he still felt the power behind it
present. He could trace the spirals of the symbol even though they were no longer visible on his skin. The warmth began in the very center and spun its way out until it flowed through his veins. It continued to spread until he felt the warmth hugging his body. And the magic was intensifying. The others sensed it as well and began to look around in confusion.
Zelene smirked darkly at Kellen. “You really shouldn't have underestimated us,” she said when the power in the symbols began to reach its peak. Right before it did, Zelene took one of her daggers and slammed it into Kellen's stomach. “That was for my mother.”
Rhaya's eyes opened and she threw her hands out, which caused Kellen and the others to fly back from the people they held onto. Nolan and Cedwen dispensed of the soldiers holding Ariana and Alec and the group gathered together once more. The soldiers still standing launched their attacks but were continually thrown backwards before they could make contact with anyone that had been marked.
Rhaya grinned triumphantly, her hands still held out and her skin glowing faintly. “Let's go!”
Raemann rushed over and kissed her head. “That's my girl!”
They all ran back the way they came, heading for the tairseach, but not moving at a fast enough pace. They were burdened carrying three bodies, but it was Ariana and Alec that slowed them down the most. They struggled to walk after all that they had been through, let alone carry Kenward. Liam relieved them of their burden, but they still couldn't move fast enough. Tate lifted Ariana into his arms, and Cedwen slung Alec over his shoulders.
Kellen ordered her men after them but did not follow herself. The soldiers constantly looked for openings and tested the magic pushing them away from their prey. Beads of sweat formed on Rhaya's forehead, her glow intensifying with her concentration.
Raemann could see how much this was taking out of her and his pride melted. “Rhaya,” he warned, “how much are you still using of yourself to maintain these protections?”
“I can get us to the tairseach,” she said pleadingly.
He caught her when her knees buckled. “We have to hurry,” he called to the others as he picked her up. He ran with her as fast as he could to the tairseach. Her hand continually reached out behind them, like she tried to focus harder on the group. He could see the clearing in the middle of the tairseach just ahead, but he could also feel the bond between them growing thinner. He felt as though someone had reached a hand into his chest and clenched their fingers around his heart, boring holes into it until it was nothing but a shattered mess. He continued to urge her to be strong once they reached the inside of the tairseach and he waited anxiously for the others to join them.
Tate passed Ariana over to Isauria, who held her sister in her arms and then turned her panic-lined face to Rhaya. Tate leapt into action, drawing the symbols in the ground to get them home.
“Don't you do this to me, Rhaya,” Raemann begged her. She was slipping away and there was nothing he could do about it. Her eyes were closed but her forehead was still wrinkled in concentration. He shifted her in his arms, giving her a gentle shake. “Rhaya? You have to let go. We can take it from here, just let go. Let go! Please,” he begged her, his voice cracking.
Her wide eyes blinked up at him, full of apology before they dimmed and her hand fell limply to her side. He dropped to his knees, letting out an agonizing wail that reverberated through the trees. It ripped from his chest, touching everyone in sight as both friend and foe alike came to a standstill.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Zelene whipped around, searching for any sign of Raemann, but he had taken off with Rhaya before Zelene's eyes had readjusted from the bright light of the tairseach. When Zelene turned back to the group, she saw Rhaya still with them. Only no one else was aware of her.
“We need to get to my sister,” Terrena urged them all, her concern for her sister fueled by Raemann’s cry before the tairseach activated.
Rhaya looked around sadly, and then her face lit up when she met Zelene's gaze. “Zelene? You can see me? Because I think I might be dead.”
Zelene nodded subtly. A warm hand found hers and she was surprised to see it was Isauria's. When she turned back to Rhaya, she was gone. Zelene only hoped that was a good sign.
“Come on,” Isauria urged Zelene. “Raemann will be at the leigheas with Rhaya, and it looks like you might need to be there too.”
Zelene nodded and looked down at the welts on her arms. The pain was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. She glanced back to Ariana, knowing her twin was probably all too familiar with the sensation after her time in Kellen's dungeons. She knew rescuing Ariana had been the right thing, but now she worried that they had gone about it the wrong way. Was defying the Duillaine worth Rhaya's life?
Sylvanna, Arland, and Reilly met them along the road, which seemed so much longer than Zelene remembered it being when they left. Zelene rushed to her father but quickly pulled back from his arms, searching his face for any sign Rhaya might be alive and well.
“My sister?” Terrena demanded of them.
“She's . . . recovering,” Reilly said with some confusion.
“Thank the Great Mother,” Terrena breathed. “I feared the worst.”
“We all did,” Liam agreed, exchanging a heavy glance with Varrick.
Zelene closed her eyes in relief while her tension and adrenaline faded. Isauria caught her and they both exchanged wild grins before hugging. Zelene turned to Sylvanna, ready to face off with her. To her surprise, Sylvanna grabbed her face in both hands and searched her eyes, torment evident in her own.
“I see so much of Nandalia in you.” She surprised Zelene by pulling her into an embrace. “Don't make us lose her all over again, child.”
Zelene patted Sylvanna's back awkwardly. “Um, I'll try.”
Within the hour, the group found themselves back in the familiar setting of the leigheas. Bianca had immediately leapt into action, seeing to every cut and bruise they had. No one dared to argue. They were all too tired to fight.
Zelene avoided Rhaya, who still looked pale and beyond exhaustion. She sat down next to Cedwen, who held a cold compress to his skull. “Uh oh. Last time you were nursing a head wound, you ended up forgetting your whole life.”
Cedwen turned to her with a confused frown. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” A grin spread across his face at the look of panic on hers. “That was too easy.”
She sneered at him playfully. “Yeah, well I did just get my ass handed to me by Kellen. Call it an off day.”
He took her hand and flipped it over to get a look at the welts, which were covered in a paste Bianca had slathered on them. “I thought she was going to kill you.”
“I thought she was going to kill us all.”
“Yes, well, you showed her.”
Zelene didn’t feel any sense of pride over her actions. Not because she felt guilty. She didn’t. She hoped like hell that she had killed Kellen when she stabbed her, but somehow she doubted that would be the case. “I should have aimed for the throat. Same with Braddock.”
Cedwen put his arm around her. “Don’t do that. Don’t beat yourself up because you don’t have the instincts of a killer.”
“I’m not,” she said and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m beating myself up for not having the instincts of a survivor. You heard what she said, Cedwen. Braddock is alive. And if he wasn’t going to come after me before, I’m sure he will now. And so will she.”
“The good news is that nothing has really changed since yesterday,” he pointed out. “They were already after you before you stabbed them. Like it or not, they are your enemies. And we will fight them. Together.”
She smiled to herself, grateful that he had her back. She placed her hand on top of his and slowly intertwined their fingers. “Thank you. For being by my side.”
He kissed the top of her head and sighed contentedly. “Always.”
***
Ariana couldn't help but feel like she was being put on trial at the moment. Tw
o of the Duillaine were seated on their thrones in front of her. She stood between Alec and Varrick, both of whom earned heavy glares from the two women. No one spoke, but everyone glowered. Ariana wondered if she had landed in some sort of silent movie after her adventures in the Twilight Zone.
The younger woman with red hair forced a smile at Ariana. “Ariana, we welcome you back. I am Solanna and this is Sylvanna. We are greatly relieved to find you unharmed.” She shifted to Alec. “I believe we have you to thank for that. You protected Ariana from the moment you met, proving your loyalty as a Cyneward to the Duillaine. As such, we have decided to forgive your transgressions and allow you to continue your training. You will leave in the morning.”
Alec bowed his head. “I thank you for your forgiveness, but I must decline the offer to continue my training. I made a vow to never leave Ainnir Ariana's side.” He took Ariana's hand and squeezed it. “And I never want to.”
Solanna blinked at him. “I'm afraid it was not an offer, young Cyneward. You will leave. You must learn to focus your gifts before your ward is born.”
“He's not going to be a Cyneward,” Ariana chimed in. “And his name is Alec.”
Sylvanna leaned forward, her impatience growing. “What are you talking about? Ariana, we cannot prevent him from becoming a Cyneward. He is already chosen. He has already been marked, has he not?”
Ariana's optimism began to fade. “You're lying. Just don't send him away and it will be fine.” She turned to Varrick pleadingly. “Tell us how to stop the process.”
Varrick gently took her hand, a look of pity on his face. “Ariana, I'm sorry, but they speak the truth. Alec, you are already a Cyneward. Your ward will be born and she will become your life, your sole reason to exist. Your ties to Ariana only emphasize this.”
Ariana dropped Alec's hand, her heart breaking. “You mean . . . he . . . his feelings . . . it's all just because I'm Duillaine?”
Heirs of War, Crown of Flames Page 37