Spilt Secrets (A Talnarin Novel Book 2)

by D. E. Chapman

  My eyes widen. I see the others exchange looks. They look confused and nervous, uncertain on how to proceed. Uncertain of who “the girl” is.

  The panic bubbles higher and my thoughts whirl. This can’t be happening. He can’t be here. This isn’t real.

  Once again, a hand roughly squeezes my shoulder. Fury is written across Elaine’s face, plain as day. Her eyes shine with unspoken pain. Even Erik is something other than stoic. Even Erik is furious.

  The sight pulls me up cold. What in the Hellvian is happening?

  I eye the rest of our group. The confusion is gone. Instead there sits determination and rage in their eyes. It appears no one is giving up anyone today.

  Thank gods.

  There’s no mistaking that voice. There’s no mistaking who the girl is either.

  It’s me.

  It’s always me, isn’t it? I just can’t seem to catch a break. That thought makes me want to cry. It makes me want to throw myself to the ground and scream with rage. I’m so tired of this shit. It seems the gods truly do hate me. There is no way I can fight the group if they decide to turn me over. And if they do, I’ll most likely be dead by morning.

  A shudder wracks my body.

  Without warning, there’s a flash of smoke. The talnarins nearest the blast cough wildly. Others rush forward through the smoke, affinities at the ready.

  In no time, the smoke clears.

  He’s gone.

  Without hesitating, I mount my beast. With a quick pull, I’m in the air. He’s headed to Craforian, I just know it. I need to stop this madness. I can’t let anyone else get hurt. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to these people. They’ve been nothing but kind. Is this how I repay them? By bringing havoc down on them? I just don’t understand why now of all times. What took so long to strike? He had all this time but is just now making a move. Why? What am I missing?

  A shadow at my side startles me. Whipping my head to the side I see it’s just Elaine. Determination and pain is etched deeply into her face. I can’t tell if it’s my emotions or hers. Looking to my other side, I see Erik flying with me too. Relief rushes through me. If they are with me, I have a better chance of making it out alive. With them here, I feel more confident that I can do this.

  Panic bubbles as a thought hits. The others. If they stay behind they’re at risk, too. I flip around and look behind me. They’re there. The rest of the team is close behind. Good. We’ll need to stick together if we have any chance of surviving this.

  Though, there is one other option.

  If I give myself up, maybe this could end peacefully. If I turn myself over, maybe I can save the others.

  I shake my head at the thought. It would never be that simple. He’s never that simple. No. This can only end one way. His death or mine.

  I’m so focused on ending this, I ignore my surroundings completely.

  Chapter 27

  We arrive at Craforian, Ivora landing beside the arena. Thankfully the rest were there to guide me back, otherwise I’d have gotten lost and killed precious time. I swiftly dismount and call my energy.

  The silence of Craforian is deafening.

  I pull up beside Elaine and Erik. Their expressions are terrifying. Luckily, I’m on their side; I wouldn’t want to battle such powerful talnarins. I survey my surroundings, noting that team two is gone. So are their capalts. That can mean anything, and tells me nothing.

  But, for some reason, it leaves me with an overpowering sense of dread.

  We group together tightly, voices hushed. Elaine quickly takes command and starts issuing orders. Half the group is to search the west to ensure the kitchen and dorms are clear. The rest are to search the library and arena. Meanwhile, Elaine, Erik, and I are to search Abel’s home.

  They’re really taking the ‘don’t let Alanna out of your sight’ thing very seriously. It helps ease the panic this situation brings. With a curt nod from Elaine, we set off for Abel’s. Erik leads while Elaine takes the rear, me in the middle. As soon as we near Abel’s home, we draw to a quick stop.

  The door is broken in, like someone kicked it down. My dread escalates at the sight. Please don’t be too late. Erik motions to move. We step through, careful not to make too much noise. Steps light, we search every room, each turning up empty. Every room we search increases the feeling of panic. By the end, I’m shaking so badly my teeth are rattling.

  The only place left is the office.

  I don’t know how much more I can stand. It’s too much. Too much anxiety, too much everything. We are standing outside and I can’t shake my bad feelings. Chills travel down my body as my heartbeat quickens.

  We slam the door open and pull to stop.

  My hand flies to my mouth in horror.

  A bloody mass lies on floor before the desk. The mass sits in a pool of blood, and more blood is splattered across the walls. I shudder uncontrollably. Somehow, I just know that the body is a friend. My eyes well at the sight.

  Whatever happened here was brutal and violent. The body groans quietly, clearly in pain. The sound nearly breaks my heart.

  Erik races forward. He falls to knees, expression pained. The emotions displayed on the stoic talnarin’s face are raw.

  Elaine and I step closer, needing to help. The face covered in blood becomes visible. I nearly sob.

  Benjamin.

  His eyes are closed, breathing shallow. Up close, I can see the stab wounds. There are at least three, if not more. The blood makes it too difficult to see clearly. Erik grips his twin tight. Tears rush down his face as he brushes Benjamins hair from his face. Elaine gently touches Erik’s shoulder. Her own eyes are misty. “You need to let go. We need to stop the bleeding.”

  The words are said so quickly I nearly miss them. Without a thought, I rip off my coat and shove it at Elaine. She grabs it and pries Erik’s hands from Benjamin. I grip Erik’s hand and squeeze, though his eyes never leave his brother’s.

  Once Benjamin is lying flat, Elaine rips the coat apart and presses the cloth down on his wounds. The pressure draws another pained groan from him. I crawl forward, eager to help.

  “I need you to press down here.” Elaine points to his abdomen. “Hold tight while I tie around it. Then we need to do the arm and shoulder.”

  I immediately move into action. In no time, we have him wrapped as best we can to stop the bleeding. He groans softly every now and then, the only sign he’s still alive.

  “We need to get him downstairs. The infirmary has better supplies.” Elaine looks to me, expression pained.

  This is going to hurt Benjamin no matter how we do it. I look at Erik and grip his hand once more. Softly I say, “We need your help Erik. We can’t move him alone.”

  That seems to snap Erik out of his fog. He nods his head, climbing to his feet. On the count of three we all lift Benjamin. I have his feet, Elaine has his head, and Erik has his torso. As predicted, an extended groan escapes Benjamin. I wince at the sound but keep moving. We go as quickly as we can down the stairs and around the corner into the infirmary.

  Once there, we carefully place him on a bed. While Elaine runs and gathers the necessary items, Erik cuts off what remains of his brother’s shirt, and I run and fill a pail with water. Erik has, understandably, refused to leave his twin’s side, so I offered to get the water instead. I return with a full bucket and methodically clean Benjamin of blood.

  By the time he is nearly cleaned, Elaine returns. She looks so forlorn that it startles me. That look doesn’t bode well.

  “I met up with the others. Unfortunately, no one here is a healer. At least, not a sufficient enough one for this task.” She bites her lip. “Erik, you’ll need to suture the wounds.”

  He glances up sharply, eyes wide.

  She pleads with him. “Either you do it or let another fire user do it.” Erik is already aggressively shaking his head. “I figured you’d rather do it than entrust someone else with your brother’s care. So, what’s it going to be? W
e need you to make a decision. We are running out of time. He’ll bleed out if we wait much longer.”

  Erik’s eyes shine with so much pain, it’s almost tangible. I sympathize with the pain of seeing a loved one hurting, or dying. I understand so well what it’s like seeing a sibling bleeding out too. Those memories surface, but I don’t allow them to consume me. I need to focus. I need to be here in the present, not the past.

  I shove away the dark thoughts. I can’t lose myself yet. They need me.

  Benjamin needs me.

  I’d missed part of their exchange when I zoned out. Erik decided to do it himself. He stands over his brother, looking lost. Elaine moves further in and injects Benjamin with something. She holds a small thin wood block in her hand. She swiftly wraps it in cloth. She fits the piece into Benjamin’s mouth.

  So he doesn’t break his teeth.

  Dear gods. This is going to be horrendous. I suck in a mouthful of air to gather my courage. I can do this. I step forward.

  “Grab his legs, Alanna.”

  I climb on the bed and sit on his legs. If I were to simply hold his legs, I won’t be strong enough to hold on. I watch as Elaine does a similar thing. She presses her knees on Benjamin’s shoulders. The additional weight causes him to groan.

  We both look to Erik. He closes his eyes tight and breaths in deep. “I’m sorry.” He mumbles it so quietly, I’m certain I wasn’t meant to hear it.

  “Start with the chest. It’s the worst of it,” Elaine commands gently.

  He complies, swiftly cutting the makeshift bandages. He drops the knife and presses his hand along the still bleeding wound. In the deafening silence echoes a sickening, sizzling noise. Half a beat later a muffled scream reaches my ears. The body beneath me buckles, but I hold fast. I slam my eyes closed, unable to tolerate it. I wish I could cover my ears too. The smell of burning flesh hits my nose, and I fight the urge to wretch.

  While I never burned my family, I burned Them. The smell and sounds of burning bodies is still the same. The screams echo just the same. It’s too much.

  I slam the door on my memories.

  “The shoulder and arm next. Do them at the same time.” Elaine’s voice is strangled. I don’t bother opening my eyes to see her expression. I can’t take it. A few moments of silence pass.

  Until it begins all over again.

  I shake my head back and forth. I will it to end soon. The muffled screams and buckling body are too real. Not soon enough, it all stops once more. The silence is so loud it hurts.

  I snap my eyes open and brave a look down. Where there were once stab wounds now sits melted flesh, angry skin burning red. Benjamin’s eyes are closed peacefully, almost as if the last few moments never happened.

  I slowly slide off his legs, dropping to the floor. My hands shake and my heart pounds. Looking up at Erik I find him staring at his hand in horror. He clenches them tight and moves closer to his brother. Erik lays his forehead against his twin’s, eyes closed.

  Elaine squeezes my shoulder, and I snap my head in her direction. She nods solemnly and leaves the room, for what I can’t say. I focus my gaze on the twins. Erik now sits at the head of the bed. Benjamin’s head rests in his lap, his brother soothing the hair from his face.

  Feeling like I’m intruding, I get to my feet. I wobble at first, but manage to steady myself. I scurry out of the room and find four talnarins standing guard right outside the door. The added security for the brothers is relieving.

  I leave Abel’s and walk to the crowd gathered. Seth stands at the forefront. If I remember correctly, Elaine put him in charge of the search party for the dorms. Speaking of, I search for Elaine but turn up empty. Where did she go?

  Seth moves to me and says, “Nothing of incident to report in the dorms or kitchen.” I furrow my brows and look around. Is he reporting to me?

  Why?

  “Just to be sure, we had trackers searching too. It looks as if everyone got away safety. No blood or sign of a struggle.”

  Where in the Hellvian is Elaine?

  “Did your team having better luck finding anything?”

  How much do I tell him? He’ll eventually find out about Benjamin anyway, right?

  “We found Benjamin in Abel’s office,” I manage to choke out. “He’s with Erik in the infirmary. He’ll pull through.”

  As an afterthought I mumble, “Multiple stab wounds.”

  Seth’s eyes widen. Anger flashes across his face. “How did this happen? What happened?” His voice cracks, horror evident.

  I open my mouth to speak when Elaine says, “That’s what we need to find out.”

  She’s back, thank gods.

  Elaine pulls up beside me and continues “I don’t know what’s going on. The timing is too good. Someone strikes the day Abel and Malik are gone.”

  Now that she mentions it, she’s right. How convenient for an attack the day we are missing the two strongest talnarins. How convenient that we spilt into teams for the festival. How convenient that we’re at our weakest. “We need to find the others.” Both Seth and Elaine look to me. “But we need to make sure the ones here are safe. I suggest we split up. Three more stand guard at Abel’s. The rest ride back out to find any trace of the others. But, we keep to the air. It should give us better leverage if faced with another attack.”

  Elaine is staring at me with awe and pride. I shift awkwardly and quickly look away.

  Seth, on the other hand, looks at me with a strange possessiveness. But it happens so fast I’m not exactly sure I saw correctly. When I look at him again, he looks determined and fierce. I shake off the strangeness of the moment and put it down to the high tension I’m feeling right now.

  Seth nods his head. “I agree. We’ll need the best trackers with the search party.” Seth turns and shouts. “Trackers, forward!” Four talnarins step forward, faces stern. “You’re with the search team.” He turns back to Elaine and me. “I’ll remain here and stand guard. I’m not the best at offense.”

  “Very well.” Elaine raises her voice so the team can hear her. “Two of you need to stay here and defend Craforian. The rest of us will ride out to search for team two.”

  Seth and two others disappear into Abel’s home. The four trackers remain standing, waiting for further instruction. Two additional talnarins hang back behind them.

  Something about the sight draws me to a stop.

  There should only be one other talnarin heading out with us. There were only fifteen of us in team one. I know there’s now sixteen because of Benjamin, but still, something doesn’t add up.

  I shake it off; I must have made a mistake, confused by the stress of the day. I don’t bother to recheck, and focus on the task at hand.

  Elaine is giving orders. “Marcus, go with Jillian. I want the two of you to retrace our flight. See if the others went to the festival.”

  I gently grab her shoulder. I lean it to whisper. “I don’t think splitting up is a good idea Elaine. If we search, we should search as a team.”

  She smiles and grips my arm. “Change of plans.” A warm feeling spreads throughout my body. “You two will remove the extra weight from the capalts. Wait for us there.” The two talnarins nod and run off.

  Elaine took my advice. That makes me happier than I care to admit.

  “As for you four, do what you do best. Try to pinpoint a direction as best as you can. I realize that team two flying out complicated things, but we can use anything we can get at this point.” They too nod and run off.

  I turn to her. “What are we doing?”

  She starts to walk off, me close behind her. “We’re going to help Marcus and Jillian unload the beasts. It won’t take the trackers long and we need to be ready to leave as soon as possible.”

  I don’t argue.

  Chapter 28

  As soon as we arrive at the arena, we hurriedly unload the beasts. No care is given on whether the weapons remain undamaged or not. Our only priority is getting to team two. In no time, the camping
gear and weapons are removed and eight beasts are lead out, ready to go. Standing at the ready are the four trackers from before.

  “Report.” Elaine barks, not unkindly.

  “It was hard to determine.” A female talnarin with glowing green eyes and blond hair steps forward. “It was hard to distinguish our trail from theirs. But as far as we can tell, they left the arena and took flight shortly after. We took extra precautions and looked elsewhere, but there’s nothing.”

  Elaine’s lips are pressed tightly together. “Which direction did they head?”

  The same female answers. “According to the tracks, they headed west.”

  Elaine cursed under her breath. Out loud she says, “But there’s no telling if they shifted direction once they were airborne.” She snarls under her breath. “Any signs of a struggle?”

  The girl shakes her head, eyes solemn.

  “How does Benjamin end up nearly dead in Abel’s office if there’s no other sign of a struggle?” I rub my face, frustrated. “Something doesn’t add up.”

  Elaine’s releases a tense breath. “I don’t know.”

  I look to the girl who was the spokesperson of the trackers. “Have any theories?”

  The female looks surprised I asked her a question. Or maybe she’s surprised I’m asking her opinion. Either way she says, “Take off was fine. They could’ve been attacked in the air. The others managed to evade and escape. Benjamin didn’t.”

  It still doesn’t add up. “But if that’s the case, where’s his capalt? Shouldn’t it be in Craforian still?”

  The girl shakes her head, brows furrowed. “I don’t know. Maybe the culprit took it with him when he left.”

  I pursue my lips, thinking. “So, then what? They dragged Benjamin back to the office. Why?” My lips turn down at the corners as I rack my brain for anything.

  “To make a point, maybe.”

  What the female says might have some truth to it. But what point are they trying to make? That they can get one of us? If it’s the same cloaked figure as before than we already know he can get us. He’s already proven that in the forest surrounding the castle. It feels like we are missing something obvious.