by C.K. Bryant
Chapter Fifty
Zerek stood near the cave entrance whittling on a piece of wood while Shandira slept. He’d tied Kira’s hands behind her back with a thick strip of leather and forced her to the ground next to one of the book shelves. While trying not to anger her captors, she’d managed to overhear several interesting facts about the Darkords.
For one thing, the process of becoming a Darkord was slow and agonizing, during which time they lost most of their Royal gifts. Zerek had been a Darkord for a couple years and had lost his ability to travel; though he could still share his thoughts with his brother, Nigel. Even though he was much bigger, Nigel was the younger of the two and had only been a Darkord for a few months. He could still share his thoughts, but traveling was difficult and he could only take himself a short distance. He’d also lost the ability to speak. Apparently his gift had something to do with his voice. Zerek teased him endlessly about being mute, and Nigel let him.
It didn’t take long to notice Nigel seemed different than the others—hesitant to help in their cause and quick to distract Cael and Zerek when they taunted Kira. She wondered how much of his turning against Luka had been Zerek’s idea and if Nigel had followed along out of loyalty to his older brother.
When Shandira woke, she sent the men out of the cave so she could change into one of Altaria’s outfits she’d found while rummaging through a trunk. Before taking off her pants, she emptied her pockets onto the table. Kira couldn’t see most of the items, but she did recognize one thing—the heart pendant she’d ripped from Altaria’s neck. Kira’s body warmed and her pulse quickened.
“I know,” Kira whispered. “I see it too.”
Kira thought about the story they’d told her about the necklace and how it was created for their mother who was a commoner—Kira was a commoner. For the first time since she’d been captured, a flicker of hope rose up in her. If she could get to the necklace, maybe she could speak to Octavion and get some help.
When Zerek came back into the cave, Shandira ordered him to tell the other men to collect the weapons and any of Octavion’s things that might be useful—she wanted to leave before dark. Within seconds, all three men returned and began gathering the books and collections of bottles and boxes from the wooden shelves. Kira kept her eye on the necklace, but no one picked it up. Slowly, she scooted closer to the shelves until she could touch the base with her foot. The men were paying attention to Shandira who was barking orders for them to hurry—so Kira gave the towering shelf a shove. It teetered precariously for a moment before crashing to the floor and knocking the table over. What remained of the bottles scattered around the room, some exploding glass and liquid onto Shandira’s clean pants.
“Cael!” Shandira screeched. “Have you no brain?”
Cael had been the closest when the shelf fell and tried to catch it. Now he was bent over, picking it up off the floor. It gave the appearance that he’d sent everything crashing to the ground. “I did not touch it,” he yelled back.
Kira managed to scoot back to her place unnoticed, so when Cael turned his focus on her with his questioning look, she shrugged. No one bothered to pick up the scattered bottles, nor did they notice the necklace among the rubble.
“If you untie my hands, I’ll clean up the mess,” Kira said. She had to get that necklace.
“You think me a fool?” Shandira said, brushing off the front of her pants.
“No, I’m offering to help. My shoulders and arms ache from being in one position so long and I thought if you tied my hands in front, I could help pick up the mess. At least it would give me something to do.” Kira clumsily got to her feet using the overturned table for support. “Besides, healing you took all my strength. I couldn’t run if I wanted to.”
Shandira looked at her suspiciously. “Untie her but don’t let her out of your sight,” she told Zerek.
Kira turned her back to Zerek so he could cut her bindings. As he did, he also removed her healing pack and tossed it in one of the boxes near the door. He grabbed her by the hair and pushed her to the ground. “Be quick about it.”
Kira grabbed a small box and made her way through the bottles, retrieving the ones that had survived. As soon as they turned their backs, she carefully tucked the pendant into her back pocket, almost being caught when Shandira came through the cave entrance.
“We are done here. I need to feed.”
Kira held her hands out in front of her. “You can tie me back up now.”
Shandira smiled, a flicker of disbelief in her eyes. “Being submissive are we? An act, I’m sure.” Stepping closer, she took Kira’s hand and, without warning, pulled her into a violent and painful leap.
When they appeared inside a large wooden structure, Cael and Zerek were waiting. Zerek grabbed her hands in front and tied them together, cinching the leather around her wrists. “Where do you want her?” he asked.
“Throw her in with the beast. He hasn’t eaten for a while,” Shandira said with a smirk.
Zerek turned Kira around and forced her to follow Cael. They were in an old barn—stars shone through the holes in the roof and several of the stalls were missing doors. A damp musty odor filled her nose.
“Move,” Zerek ordered. He kicked her backside, knocking her into Cael who turned and hit Kira across the face with the back of his hand. She stumbled into one of the wooden support beams. It took her a second to regain her balance and stand. Her cheek burned, but she refused to let the tears come.
Cael grabbed the handle of a red metal door and slid it to the side. He clutched the front of Kira’s shirt and tossed her into a dark room, slamming the door closed behind her. The bolt latched.
The other part of the barn had been well lit with lanterns, but the only light in this room was from the moon shining through a small barred window. A ferocious roar from the other side of the room thundered in Kira’s ears and sent her scrambling against the wall. As she drew from her gift and adjusted her eyes to see, a white figure came into view.
“Toran?” Kira’s heart leapt in her chest. She started toward him, but he came at her, his razor sharp teeth gleaming in the dark. Kira stopped short. She heard the solid clank of chains, followed by his painful cry. Taking a step back, she slumped to the dirty straw covered floor. Kira’s heart sank. Why had he done that? They were friends.
Toran’s matted fur was a mass of bloody streaks mingled with solid black stripes. The heavy chain that clanked in a ring on the wall pulled at his collar which seemed to be the main source of his pain. How could they be so cruel? They’d referred to him as the beast, but he was the gentlest creature Kira had ever met—man included.
“Toran, buddy. It’s me . . . Kira.” She thought of how horrified Octavion would be to see his friend in so much pain and held captive by chains. She remembered the chains that bound Octavion and how Toran had hid himself during that healing process. Had seeing Octavion bound like this been too much for him?
Thinking of that day reminded Kira of the pendant. She twisted her body, trying desperately to reach her back pocket, but having her hands tied in front made it impossible. The increased adrenaline she summoned to see better, ignited her temper. She doubled both her fists and gave the wall a hard punch, sending dirt and straw raining down from the rafters.
Toran growled, exposing his teeth again.
“I’m sorry buddy. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She inched her way toward him. She wasn’t afraid, but she didn’t want him to be either. She’d rather be eaten alive by Toran than killed at the hands of Shandira and her allies. Kira slowly offered her hands so he could take in her scent, keeping her distance. “Toran. It’s okay. You can trust me.”
His eyes met hers and she thought she saw a flicker of recognition. He growled.
“Shh. I owe you a rub down, remember?”
He cautiously reached with his paw as if testing her sincerity. She stroked his filthy fur with the tips of her fingers. “That’s my boy.” She scooted closer and buried her hands in the fur b
ehind his whiskers. He leaned into her hands and purred. The tears she’d held back moments before came easily now. She wasn’t alone after all. She stayed there for a few minutes, content with touching him and giving him what comfort she could.
Eventually, Toran rolled over onto his side. She nudged a little closer—testing his boundaries—then stroked his fur, stopping when her fingers tangled in mats of dried blood. “Oh, Toran. I’m so sorry they did this to you.” As hard as she tried, she couldn’t summon enough power to heal him. Completely spent, she curled up between his front and back legs with her back against his stomach. The warmth and security of his body helped her release her tension and fear, and the constant rhythm of his purr soothed her to sleep.