Deny (The Blades of Acktar Book 2)

by Tricia Mingerink

  Brandi’s voice pleaded with King Respen. Renna didn’t dare move.

  He shoved Renna away. She tumbled and dragged Brandi to the floor along with her. He kicked her broken leg. Pain blasted through her body. She sobbed and curled into a ball.

  He stalked back to his desk. “By the time I’m done with you, you will deny your God.”

  Renna cringed. She wasn’t brave. She wasn’t strong enough for this. Already, her body begged to tell him anything he wanted to stop the pain.

  Beside her, Brandi pulled both of them upright. Her eyes blazed. “We’ll never deny our faith.”

  King Respen laughed, a sound like the booming of ice as it shifted on a springtime lake. “You do not understand my power. Not yet. But you will.” He waved to Martyn. “Take them to the dungeons.”

  Martyn hesitated for a fraction of a second. Renna held her breath. Would he give King Respen Leith’s knife?

  King Respen’s fingers tapped on the desktop. “They will be interrogated. I am as interested as you to find out how they escaped death at the hands of my Blades yet again. But nothing will be gained while they retain their defiance.” His lips turned upward, but it wasn’t a smile. “Better they get a taste of my hospitality first.”

  “Yes, my king.” Martyn thumped his fist on his chest and reached for Renna and Brandi. He dragged them to their feet and yanked them from the room.

  At the top of the stairs, Martyn gave a sigh and heaved Renna over his shoulder. She squealed but forced herself not to struggle. She’d fall if she hopped down the stairs on her own.

  Martyn didn’t set her down at the bottom of the stairs. Renna twisted, trying to see where they were going, as he carried her and dragged Brandi across the cobblestone courtyard. He entered a huge, squat tower at the northeast side of the courtyard. Two sets of stairs led away from the doorway, one headed up and the other down. He took the stairs down into a clammy darkness.

  At the bottom of the stairs, two guards stood in front of a huge, iron door. She felt Martyn stand straighter. “King Respen ordered me to bring these prisoners down here.”

  Renna grimaced. The guards were getting a great view of her rear end sticking in the air over Martyn’s shoulder.

  One of the guards grunted and pulled out a set of keys. Unlocking the door, the guard led them into a tight, circular space. Renna counted six doors set into the stone wall.

  The guard paused and unlocked a door. “This one’s empty.”

  Martyn shoved Brandi forward. She stumbled into the dark cell. Renna didn’t even have time to shriek as he tossed her from his shoulder and into the cell. She careened into Brandi. Both of them landed hard on the stone floor.

  Renna pushed herself onto her elbows, gasping for breath. She met Martyn’s gaze and pointed at the hilt of Leith’s knife in his boot sheath. “You didn’t—”

  Martyn grasped her arm and shook her. “Don’t mention it. Ever. Got that?”

  She nodded. Why was Martyn protecting Leith? Had he decided to honor their friendship? Or was he waiting until Leith returned to set a trap for him?

  Martyn dropped her arm and slammed the door behind him. Renna lay still for a moment. Her leg ached while the skin under her eye throbbed. But they were alive for now.

  She pushed herself into a sitting position and glanced around. The cell was six feet wide, six feet tall, and five feet deep. Not even a pile of old straw or a tattered blanket filled the empty space. A thin shaft of light filtered down from a small opening set near the ceiling.

  Brandi scrambled to her feet and tiptoed to the wall. Gripping the ledge, she pulled herself up to peer out the opening. After a moment, she dropped back to the ground. “There’s a barred window at the top of this long shaft that goes up to the ground level. I can see a bit of the courtyard. The shaft and window are too small. Even I can’t squeeze through.”

  “I bet water runs down it when it rains.” Renna grimaced. As bad as this cell was now, it’d be worse if they were forced to sit in a puddle of cold water.

  Brandi plopped to the ground. “It’s summer. It isn’t going to rain.”

  Renna leaned against the wall and stretched her injured leg. As long as she didn’t move, her leg didn’t hurt. She held out her bound hands to Brandi. “Now that we’re alone, do you think you can untie this?”

  “Maybe.” Brandi bent over Renna’s hands, her face scrunched. She tugged on the knots, her own hands still tied. After several minutes, the rope slackened. Brandi grinned and ripped it off. “Got it!”

  “Good job. Here, let me do yours.” Renna reached for Brandi’s hands. She clawed at the rope. The sisal jammed underneath her fingernails and slivered into her fingers.

  The rope eased and fell away. Renna tossed the rope away. They were free, or at least as free as they could be in a dungeon cell. She rubbed her wrists, wincing at the prickle of rope slivers stuck in her skin.

  Brandi curled up against Renna’s side and rested her head on Renna’s shoulder. “What’s he going to do to us?”

  A lump gathered in Renna’s throat. What could she tell her? King Respen would torture them until they denied their faith. Then he’d kill them. But Renna couldn’t tell Brandi that.

  Renna leaned her cheek against Brandi’s hair. She should tell Brandi that God was with them. As a Christian, the words should flow from her mouth. But she couldn’t do it.

  Maybe Martyn was right. Surely love didn’t look like this, sitting in a dungeon wondering what day King Respen would decide they’d die.

  Brandi’s question still hung in the air. Renna hugged her tighter. “I don’t know what King Respen plans to do with us. But whatever happens, I’m going to be here.”

  Brandi nodded and hugged Renna back. Renna’s stomach clenched at her empty promise. If God couldn’t keep His promise to be with His people, then Renna didn’t have a prayer of keeping her promise to Brandi.

  33

  Leith slumped into one of the chairs in front of Lord Alistair’s desk. Shad leaned against the wall, legs sagging, as if he might crumble at any moment. Leith had ordered Jamie to tend to the horses. At least he wouldn’t have to re-live the last few days.

  Lord Alistair bowed his head. Gray flecked his brown hair at his temples. “Are they dead?”

  “Walter Esroy is dead. We buried his body.” Shad’s voice wobbled.

  “Renna and Brandi were captured by a Blade.” Leith stared at the floor.

  “Is there any chance King Respen would’ve spared their lives?” Lord Alistair steepled his fingers. “Is there a chance he’d use them to bargain with the Resistance?”

  Leith shook his head. “Respen won’t bargain. What would he have to gain? The Resistance’s surrender? He’d be better off killing Renna and Brandi and getting the Resistance to surrender afterwards.

  “So they’re already dead.” Shad pounded his fist into the bookcase.

  Leith tried to think of a reason—any reason—why Respen would’ve decided to keep them alive. He couldn’t accept that Renna was dead. Not yet. Not until he’d seen her body himself.

  Power. That was the driving force behind Respen’s decisions. He‘d created the Blades to gain power. He’d taken the kingdom for the power he would wield. Every time he met with his Blades, his every move was calculated to remind his Blades that he was the one in power.

  Leith straightened. “Renna and Brandi might be alive.” He glanced between the two sets of brown eyes staring at him. “When a Blade fails three times, Respen has them killed. If they try to run, Respen has them hunted down.”

  “What does that have to do with Renna and Brandi?” Shad cocked his head. His hands remained clenched.

  “A failed Blade is always killed at a Meeting of the Blades in front of all the Blades. It’s a reminder of Respen’s power.” Leith’s mind whirled. “Brandi and Renna have escaped him three times. Respen has to prove to the Blades that Renna and Brandi aren’t invincible. He’ll wait to kill them until the next Meeting of the Blades two weeks from n
ow.”

  Shad clenched his sword’s hilt. “What will he do to them in the meantime?”

  “He’ll want them to admit that he controls their lives. He’ll do what it takes to make that happen.” Leith pressed his shaking hands against his knees. If he closed his eyes, he could see the torture. Renna chained in the meeting room at the top of the Blades’ Tower, blood flowing from cuts across her face. Brandi curled in a ball, screaming, as a Blade raised a whip again.

  No. Surely not. God wouldn’t let torture like that happen to them, would He?

  “I’m going to return to Nalgar Castle to try to rescue them.” A cold steel flashed through Leith. Whatever it took, he would rescue them.

  Lord Alistair shook his head. “Even if Respen hasn’t already guessed you’re working for us, if you return before your assigned mission length is over, he’ll grow suspicious.”

  “I can’t just sit here.” Thanks to Martyn, Respen probably knew about Leith’s treachery. But that didn’t matter. Only rescuing Renna and Brandi did.

  “I know. And I know I can’t stop you from going if it comes down to that.” Lord Alistair leaned his elbows on the desk. “Charging in there without a proper plan won’t help anyone. If you get yourself killed, you won’t be able to help them.”

  Leith crossed his arms. “We can’t just leave them in Respen’s hands.”

  “I know.” Lord Alistair tugged on his beard. “But what can we do? We don’t have the numbers to rescue them. You might be able to sneak in, but getting out would be difficult. With your cover blown, you can’t return to Nalgar Castle.”

  “Possibly.” Leith drew on the well of cold in his chest. Time to think this through as logically as possible. “Based on the evidence, Respen might not know I’m a traitor. A failure as a Blade, yes, but not a traitor.”

  That all depended on whether or not Martyn gave Leith’s knife to Respen. For now, Leith had to trust his friend would protect him. His chest ached too much to contemplate anything else.

  Shad rubbed his sword’s hilt. “That’s true. Unless he forces Renna and Brandi to tell him, he can’t know how they got out of Walden Manor.”

  “I’ll have to claim that Vane got them out before I arrived, and that Jamie and I killed decoys you’d placed in their beds.” Leith scuffed the rugs with the toe of his boot, first one way, then the other, forming patterns in the weave. “But I’ll have to continue on as if everything’s normal. I can’t go to Nalgar Castle early.”

  The words hurt so much Leith had to close his eyes for a moment. How could he possibly leave Renna and Brandi in Respen’s power even for a day, much less two weeks?

  But he couldn’t do anything else. As a Blade, he’d be able to walk freely into Nalgar Castle and straight into the dungeons. He could free them without the guards daring to question him. It was the only way to rescue them.

  “Even then, you could ride straight into a trap. Respen might arrest you the moment you return to Nalgar Castle.” Shad crossed his arms.

  “No, he won’t wait to arrest me until I return. It’s a power thing. He’d want me brought back in chains.” Leith shoved the shiver at those words deep into his chest. “The moment Respen realizes I’m a spy, he’d send someone to alert the Blades searching for Vane to arrest me instead. If that doesn’t happen, then I’ll know it’s safe to return.”

  “I see. So the more we convince him that Vane is still alive, the more he’ll believe that Vane rescued Renna and Brandi, not treachery on your part.” Lord Alistair tapped his fingers against his chin. For the first time since Leith and Shad had reported the girls’ capture, the glint returned to Lord Alistair’s eyes. “We’d planned to have you make your first appearance as Vane shortly. We’ll stick to that plan. Tomorrow Shad will announce to the men that there’s a Blade helping us, and you can make your first appearance as Vane.”

  Despite the knot in his stomach, Leith nodded. “Once that’s done, I’ll slip out of Walden as myself and report to Eleventh Blade Harding, who’ll have seen Vane’s appearance. I’ll send him to Nalgar Castle to report both Vane’s reappearance and my failure to kill Renna and Brandi. Hopefully that’ll head off any doubts Respen might have about me.”

  “Good.” Lord Alistair nodded once. “For the next two weeks, it seems all we can do for Renna and Brandi is pray and place them in God’s hands.”

  Leith swallowed. Abel Lachlan had said something similar before he’d returned to Stetterly. “The Lachlans will have to be informed.”

  “Yes. I’ll send a rider, though he might have some difficulty getting through.” Lord Alistair’s jaw tightened. “Uster is under siege.”

  A war lay between Walden and Stetterly. And a castle stood between Leith and rescuing Renna and Brandi.

  Two weeks. How were Renna and Brandi going to survive two weeks?

  Leith bowed his head but couldn’t find the words. How could he ask God to grant Renna courage for torture that even Leith feared to face?

  34

  Renna pried at a stone in the dungeon floor, but her fingers slipped and scraped against the stone. She slumped against the wall. “It’s no use, Brandi. None of the stones are loose. Not even in the floor.”

  Brandi kicked at the wall and slumped next to Renna. “We can’t just sit here. We have to do something.”

  Renna bit her lip. If only she could think of something. But what could they do? The walls, floor, and ceiling were solid layers of stone. Martyn had taken Renna’s knife, and they didn’t even have a hair pin between them. Even if they could get out of the dungeon, what good would it do? Renna couldn’t walk without assistance. How far would they get hobbling?

  Several pairs of boots thumped down the stairs. Renna tensed. It wasn’t time for one of their meals. “Brandi, help me up.”

  Brandi tugged Renna to her good foot and tucked underneath one of Renna’s arms. Renna wrapped her arm around Brandi’s shoulder.

  Their door rattled and swung open. Several guards and Martyn stood in front of their cell. Martyn drew one of his knives and stepped into their cell. Renna tightened her grip on Brandi’s shoulders. Shivers tore down her spine and into her legs.

  Martyn grabbed Brandi’s wrist and dragged her forward. “Come with me.”

  Renna hopped forward, using Brandi as balance. Martyn shoved her shoulder. She tumbled backwards, striking her back against the stone.

  “Not you.” He hauled Brandi away from her.

  Brandi twisted her arm and beat at him with her free hand. “Let me go! I’m not going without my sister.” She kicked him in the shins and leaned forward, her teeth bared to bite his arm.

  Martyn pressed the knife to her throat, halting her. “If you bite me, I will kill you.”

  Renna’s heart stuttered at the sight of a knife pressed to Brandi’s neck. “It’s all right, Brandi. Go with him.”

  For a moment, their eyes locked. It wasn’t all right. For all they knew, King Respen was taking Brandi away to kill her.

  Brandi managed one last whimper before Martyn dragged her from the cell. The guards slammed the door closed.

  Renna slid to the floor, gasping at the force of the tears shuddering through her body. She pressed her fingers into her palms. The bite of her fingernails focused her onto that narrow point of pain.

  She couldn’t panic. Not yet. Brandi would be all right. King Respen would most likely only question her. If he’d planned to kill her, he would’ve made Renna watch.

  She curled on the floor of the cell, waiting, waiting, waiting.

  What was taking so long? What was King Respen doing to Brandi?

  Let her be all right. Protect her from King Respen. The prayer clustered against the ceiling by all the other unheard prayers Renna had muttered for the past few days. She rested her face against the floor. God felt as cold and hard as that stone.

  When the door finally clanked open, Renna shoved herself upright. Martyn shoved Brandi inside.

  Brandi stumbled and fell against Renna. She pressed her mouth
against Renna’s ear. “The First Blade rescued us.”

  Renna opened her mouth to ask what she meant when Martyn grabbed her elbow and yanked her to her feet. Renna only had time to glance over her shoulder at Brandi before Martyn hauled her from the cell. The door clanged shut between them.

  Martyn hefted Renna to his shoulder and strode up the stairs. She bounced against his shoulder as he strolled across the cobblestone courtyard, through the dark passageway, and up the stairs to King Respen's chambers.

  Chills spiked through Renna's body as Martyn opened the door and stepped into the king’s study. As before, King Respen sat behind his desk. His pen scratched against what appeared to be some important document.

  Martyn dropped Renna on the floor. The thick burgundy carpet cushioned her fall. She rolled into a sitting position and drew her good leg up to her chest, stretching her injured leg out in front of her. Whatever they planned to do to her, she’d be helpless to resist.

  King Respen swiveled in his chair and fixed his dark eyes on her. His fingers stroked the ends of the armrests. “How did you and your sister evade the death I decreed for you?”

  Ice froze Renna's bones. What could she say? One wrong word, and she’d get Leith killed. That’s why Respen had decided to question her and Brandi separately. She didn't know what Brandi had told him. He’d see through their lies in an instant if they didn’t match up. What had Brandi been trying to tell her?

  The First Blade rescued us. It was the truth. Leith was the current First Blade. He’d rescued them by not killing them and taking them away from Walden. But surely Brandi hadn’t confessed Leith’s spying activities to the king?

  The First Blade. Leith had framed the former First Blade, making it appear that he was the spy, not a Leith. Renna clenched her fists. If she said that the First Blade had rescued them, would King Respen assume that the First Blade she was talking about was Harrison Vane? Was that what Brandi had done? Told the truth and let King Respen assume a lie?