Heir of Pendel (A Pandoran Novel, #4)

by Barbara Kloss

  I crouched before him. "We're here to take back your city, Lord Tosca. I hoped you'd be able to use your magic to help us do that, but I think it'd be better if you stay hidden down here. Can you try to walk? Just so we can get you out of this cell?"

  He just trembled and trembled, and then he murmured something I couldn't hear. I pinched my lips together. I didn't think I could carry him alone. If only I could magically heal him a little, or ask Thaddeus to do it—just to ease his pain for the time being. But there would be no doing magic in these dungeons. The only person who could get past the enchantments was Lord Tosca, but he was barely conscious.

  "Need some help, Del Can't?" Thaddeus stood in the doorway. He fell silent as he took in the sight of Lord Tosca.

  "Yes, actually," I said. "He needs to stay hidden down here, but I'd like to at least get him out of this bloody room."

  Without another word, Thaddeus came forward and helped me hoist Lord Tosca up between us. Lord Tosca fought us at first—whether it was from sheer pain or fear of being touched, I couldn't tell—but he was too weak to do very much, and after a few grunts and shoves, we had Lord Tosca sagging between us. Very carefully, we led him out of the cell, his feet dragging on the ground, and when we brought him through the doors and into the corridor where the others were gathered, a heavy silence fell. A couple of the men started forward, staring at their lord in both fury and horror.

  "He's alive, but barely." I grunted. "He needs to stay down here."

  "I'll stay with him," one of them volunteered.

  "I'll stay, too," said another.

  "But what about…" Vera hesitated. She was wondering how we were going to proceed without Lord Tosca's help.

  "I think they're down here!" a voice suddenly yelled from above.

  I drew my sword. "Looks like we'll have to improvise."

  31

  STEFAN

  Plunk—plunk—plunk.

  Plunk—plunk.

  My head wrenched. There was a sharp point in my right temple, stabbing like an ice pick with every pulse, then spreading over my skull and down my neck so that my entire head felt as though it were between the hands of a giant, squeezing it flat. I expected my skull to explode any moment and squirt my brains on the…wall? Ground? I had no idea because I had no idea where I was.

  I winced my lids open, which was useless since there was nothing to see except darkness—everywhere. Not even shadows discerned themselves from one another. My skull seized with pain again and I squeezed my lids shut, waiting for the unbearable pain to subside.

  There was another, duller ache in the left side of my chest, right near my heart. With no small amount of strain, I managed to lift my right arm just enough to touch my chest. I wasn't wearing a shirt. My ribcage had been wrapped in linens. Of course, I couldn't see any of this—it was all by feel, but the spot over my heart was damp and sticky. A shock of pain knifed through my chest and I dropped my arm, teeth grinding against the pain.

  A knife.

  I had been stabbed with a knife, by my uncle, right through my heart…right after he murdered my grandfather. I felt a new pain now, and it had nothing to do with the wound.

  I heard a shuffle, a click, and the screech of metal, and then something cool touched my forehead.

  "…fever is breaking." The voice sounded murky and far away.

  "He needs more yerrow," said another.

  "I'm afraid if I give him more, he'll turn septic. He's too weak as it is."

  "Shall I get more lyca root?"

  "Is there more?"

  "Enough for one more dose."

  A pause. "Yes, fetch it."

  More shuffling and another cool pressure against my forehead. Who kept me alive, and why?

  Plunk—plunk—plunk echoed the dripping water, and my mind unwillingly drifted off with it.

  32

  ALEXANDER

  I bolted up the stairs and met the guards head-on. My body surged with adrenaline, my movements automatic as I cut through them all, one after the other. Somewhere in my mind their deaths registered: one, two, three, four, five…six-seven-eight. All of the wounds fatal. Not all of them immediate. Killing came so easily to me my advantage seemed almost unfair. Before I knew it, I was in the upper room of the dungeons, dripping with sweat and blood—my blood, but mostly their blood—with bodies lying all around me.

  "Demons and hellhounds." Thaddeus stood at the top of the stair, Vera right behind him, staring at the death. They looked both impressed and frightened. "No wonder my pops wants you dead," he said.

  I was about to comment when a mighty screeching filled the air. Thaddeus, Vera, and I exchanged a glance.

  "Was that a—" Thaddeus started.

  "Yes."

  Vera cursed, and I sprinted for the dungeon's main door.

  "You can't go out there right now!" Thaddeus yelled after me.

  I paused with my door on the handle. "And if we don't, it'll attack Theon and his men and they'll never get inside this city. I have to draw it away."

  Another horrifying shriek filled the sky, and this time the ground trembled. Thaddeus cursed. "You're even more suicidal than Rook!" he shouted, but followed me out the door anyway, with Vera right behind him.

  I stopped outside the dungeons. Guards stood a few yards before us, no doubt on their way to the dungeons, but were currently paralyzed and gaping at the sky. I glanced up just as the gargon unleashed a spray of fire.

  "Move!" I shoved Thaddeus and Vera hard, and the three of us barely dodged the flames as they slammed into the face of the dungeons with the force of a fire hose. The air burned hot as a smelter, and I heard someone yell, "There they are!"

  "Uh, Del Can't…I think they saw us."

  "Noticed!" I charged at the first wave of oncoming guards.

  The three of us cut through them, picking up weapons as we went, and a second wave of guards attacked to replace the first. The gargon hadn't tried hosing us again, probably because it wouldn't be able to hit us without destroying dozens of Eris's men. This made me wonder who—or what—was controlling the wild beast, but I was glad to see we'd effectively drawn the focus away from the open western gate as well as the dungeons. I thought I caught some of the citizens peeking down at us from where they were no doubt prisoners behind their own windows, wondering what in the blazes was going on. All we needed now was to stay alive until Theon realized I would not be giving the signal we'd discussed. The airborne fire hose should be all the signal he needed.

  And it was, because right as the third wave of guards approached, Theon and his men ran around the corner. The battle lines collided in a clash of steel and cries. Emboldened by our presence, citizens dropped large objects from their windows, and bricks and vases landed on a few unsuspecting enemy heads. And then came a giant.

  He wasn't a half-giant. This was a bloody full-sized one, hairier than a bear and easily four times my height. The plate of armor covering his shin was longer than I was tall, and he was taking out handfuls of our men with each swing of his bludgeon. Nords flew, crashing into walls, barrels, other Nords, and enemy guards. Some tried regrouping to get nearer, but the giant was too large and too strong. None of them could get close enough to inflict anything fatal.

  "That's a whole lotta ugly!" Thaddeus yelled as he fought beside me. "And he's taking our men down fast." I heard the question in his voice.

  "I'll go." I shoved off a guard.

  "Good, because"—punch—punch—stab—"I don't wanna get hit with Ugly's stick."

  I gave Thaddeus a look, to which he grinned, and I shoved my way through the fighting, set on that giant. He swung his bludgeon like a pendulum, knocking men left and right, and then he finally saw me, standing there waiting for him.

  He tilted his head to the sky and yelled, some wild and barbaric sound, then looked down at me, licked his lips, and adjusted his grip on the bludgeon. I brandished my sword, flexing my fingers over the hilt while never taking my eyes off the giant. And the giant was on me in two m
assive steps.

  He swung his bludgeon. I dropped and rolled away. The giant struck and struck again, hitting the ground like some real-life Whac-A-Mole, each time missing me by hair. He grew angrier and hit the ground faster and faster, getting sloppy with rage. And then I saw my window. I dove behind his legs, cutting hard across one of his Achilles tendons, severing through leather then tendon. He roared and spun on me, knocking my sword out of my hands. It skittered across cobblestone and came to rest somewhere behind him. His dark eyes raged with something wild and ravenous. He raised his bludgeon high, his lips twisted in cruelty.

  I ripped the dagger from my boot and threw it straight at his face. It spun end over end, fast and true, and sank to the hilt right between his eyes. His arms went slack, the bludgeon tumbled out of his hands, and he collapsed to the ground in a heap, face-first. I staggered to my feet and wiped my palms on my pants, then stepped around his thick arms to retrieve my sword. And that's when I noted the gargon above suddenly change course and dive.

  Men yelled as the gargon sped into the city, raking and clawing at anything in its way, wings pummeling through towers, ripping off thatch and chimneys, and dropping bricks on the fighting while leaving a path of charred rubble in its wake. It rose back in the air and I caught sight of a rider, guiding the gargon around in a wide arc, preparing to dive down again. But this time it unleashed fire.

  Flames hosed Nord and enemy guard alike, setting fire to rooftops and vendors and crates. Apparently, the gargon's rider no longer cared who it burned alive. The air burned and the streets filled with smoke, making it difficult to see and breathe. Men yelled and ran away from the fire, while others screamed, trying to put out the fire consuming their bodies. I scanned the street to where I'd left Thaddeus and Vera and sighed with relief. The fire hadn't touched them.

  The fighting dragged on and on, interrupted by a deadly rain of fire. My arms felt like lead, and my movements turned sluggish and sloppy. With every blow I strained, fatigue burning through the muscles in my arms. I couldn't keep going like this much longer. I stole glances at the others. Theon and his men were heavy with exhaustion. There were just too many guards. For every one we killed, five more seemed to take their place. They were everywhere, swarming the streets, as if we'd suddenly kicked over a hornet's nest. The fire only seemed to make them multiply. We needed Lord Tosca. We needed the great lord's magic. It was the reason we'd rescued him first, but Lord Tosca was too weak.

  A soft cry sounded directly behind me, and I spun around to see the shaft of a crossbow bolt sticking out of the head of a guard. I caught Theon's gaze. He nodded at me and lowered his crossbow. And then the point of a sword protruded from his chest.

  "No!" I screamed, punching and stabbing my way toward him. Theon slumped to the ground and Denn pulled his sword—my sword, Flamebearer—free. Fury ripped through my body. Denn looked at me, a sick smile stretched across his face. I ran at him with a yell, and the clash of our swords cut through the air. He deflected, metal scraping upon metal, and he bent forward to punch me in the gut. I twisted away, and elbowed him hard in the back. He stumbled forward but caught himself and whirled on me.

  "You look much better than last time I saw you," he sneered as I deflected his blow. "Thanks for bringing Theon back to me. I couldn't have caught him without your help."

  "You bastard." He deflected my next blow, but this time I moved closer and punched him in the jaw.

  Denn staggered back and licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I'm impressed, Del Conte, really…I am. You actually thought you could take this city."

  Denn rushed at me, sword to the side, but I saw the feint coming and I was ready for the kick. I sidestepped and snapped my own sword on his hand that held Flamebearer. He cursed, but moved faster than I'd expected and punched me in the rib he'd cracked. I gasped as new pain exploded.

  "You've lost, Del Conte," he said, goading me. "Surrender now, and maybe I'll convince King Eris to give you a quick death."

  I growled, working through the pain as I spun behind him. He shoved my strike aside and came at me in a volley of powerful blows. I barely knocked each blow aside, struggling against the throbbing in my ribs,.

  "I heard your princess escaped Orindor," he said. I'd been drawing my sword around, but hearing this, I faltered. Denn used my hesitation to shove me back. "Lord Tiernan notified us a few hours ago. Wants us to be on the lookout, and let me just say that as soon as we finish up here, I'm going to find her. And you won't be there to save her this time."

  He saw my anger and his lips curled as he attacked me again. "And you think what I did to Meira was bad. Just wait until you see what I do to your—"

  I screamed at him, pummeling him with blows. Blow after blow after blow—it was all Denn could do to stay on his feet. I no longer felt the pain in my ribs. My sword crashed against Flamebearer, again and again, each time sending Denn back farther and farther until he'd backed against a wall. And then I struck Flamebearer so hard, it fell out of his hands and clattered to the cobblestones. I held the tip of my sword to his throat, sweat burning my eyes as I snatched up Flamebearer. I held both swords at his throat. Denn held his hands out, glaring down the flats of my blades.

  "Do it," he hissed. "I dare you."

  My chest heaved with each breath, so many years of fury filling the edges of my vision with blood. My arms shook as the killer screamed for his blood—his death. He'd deserved it long before now. All I had to do was press the swords a little harder. I inhaled deeply and started pushing…

  I looked into his eyes. Those pale blue eyes that taunted and dared, eyes I had hated for as long as I could remember. Eyes I had known for years because I had spent so much time training with him. Watching him torment the weak, bully the frail, always beneath the noses of our instructors. And then with what he'd tried to do to Daria, and to Vera, and however he was involved with Meira's death. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to see the blood pour from his neck and watch the life drain from his body, and that was precisely why I could not do it. Killing him like this made me no better than he was. I lessened the pressure at his neck.

  "Coward," he spat. "This is why you'll lose—this is why you'll always lose! You don't have what it takes. You've never had what it takes to—"

  I rammed the pummel of my sword into the side of his face. He slumped to the ground. I turned and started walking away when I heard a thunk, followed by a sharp cry behind me. I looked back to see Denn sagging against the wall with a throwing knife in his hand, but he would never throw that knife because of the spear sticking out of his chest. Blood gurgled through Denn's lips as he tried to say something, and then he collapsed on the ground, dead. I turned back around to see Thaddeus glaring at Denn's body.

  "Thanks," I said.

  "Anytime, Del Can't." He met my gaze. Thaddeus hadn’t just killed him for me. And then he jumped back into the melee to fight alongside Vera.

  I staggered over to Theon. Blood oozed out of his chest, soaking the furs of his armor, and the skin on his face was ashen.

  "Theon," I said, placing my bloodied hands on his forehead. The puncture had done too much damage and he'd already lost too much blood. Even if I had the strength and time to help heal him, he was too far gone.

  His chest shook with ragged breaths as his lids fluttered open. When he saw me, he gave me a weak grin. "I'm not going to make it this time, am I?" A cough. Blood trickled out of his mouth.

  My chest tightened and I grabbed his hand. "No."

  He sighed and closed his eyes, but squeezed my hand. "Make them pay for this." Another cough, more blood. "Please."

  I gripped his hand hard. "I will. I swear to you."

  A shudder moved through Theon's body, and his hand went limp in mine. They would pay. For every life they'd taken, for every life they'd ruined, for every bit of suffering they'd caused. I released Theon's hand, picked up my sword and stood.

  My anger moved like liquid fire in my veins. If Eris wanted to keep this city, he was
going to pay dearly for it. I bounded back into battle, ignoring the pain in my side as I cut down anyone in my path, my fury fueling my strength. The gargon shrieked overhead again, and then fire consumed the building beside me. I sprinted out of the way as thatch and brick collapsed right on top of enemy guards and Nords alike. And then I saw the gargon arc back toward the town, aimed right for where Thaddeus and Vera fought.

  Horror gripped me. The gargon's flight seemed to move in slow motion. I yelled at Thaddeus, but he couldn't hear over the din of battle. When he finally looked up, his horror mirrored my own. The gargon opened its jaws. Fire bloomed in the back of its throat. I was going to lose them, right here, right now.

  And then suddenly the night came alive with ravens. Thousands upon thousands of them, all dropping from the clouds, attacking the gargon and its rider. The fire died and the pair abruptly changed course, trying to evade the swarm of ravens. Thaddeus and Vera were all right—startled, but alive—and the ravens kept attacking, diving into the city, pecking at the enemy guards while the rest surrounded the gargon. They had come. Theon hadn't known if they would, but they had. Theon was helping us even now. An alien cry filled the night, and in a whip of dark wool, the gargon's pykan rider fell from the skies.

  The pykan landed in a pile of crates. I bolted toward it, but as I drew nearer, I slowed to a walk in case it wasn't dead. A fall like that would've killed a person on impact, but pykans weren't exactly human.

  Flamebearer suddenly sprang to life, burning with that strange white fire, and the runes glittered just as they had before. And then I noticed the rider standing before the pile of crates. It was not a pykan at all.