Last Stand: The Black Mage Book 4

by Carter, Rachel E.

  This is the price of your lie, a part of me nagged. Had you chosen to tell the prince the truth, none of this would come to pass. I dug my nails into my arms and stilled, telling myself that the rebels knew what they were doing. They could brave Darren’s attack—the Black Mage would never kill without a confession.

  But why did there have to be a second rebel? I wasn’t prepared to watch Darren hurt two.

  The prince was too focused on scaring his prisoners to notice my sharp intake of breath.

  I couldn’t watch Darren turn into his brother; I had to do something.

  You think stopping him will solve anything? You hold your ground and let them give the prince a good show.

  But that made Darren the villain.

  I shoved my way forward, channeling my panic into fury as I grasped Darren’s wrist. “Allow me?” My voice didn’t waver at all, and for that I was grateful.

  The Black Mage’s casting faltered as Darren’s gaze flitted to mine and then back to the two soldiers struggling for air. “Are you sure?” His question was rough, but I had seen the flare in his eyes. “I thought after your brother you wouldn’t want—”

  “You watch their reactions as I lead.” I willed my words to steel and refused to look away, even as I heard the older knight and his retching gasps. “I’ll give you a confession.”

  “Very well.” The prince dropped his casting as the two crumbled to the floor.

  I took a menacing step toward the prisoners. “The Black Mage won’t hesitate to kill you both.” I could feel Darren’s eyes at my back; I prayed he didn’t approach. “And neither will I.”

  “You t-two have…” The older man gasped for air as he crouched over the ground, kneeling. “…t-the wrong idea! It w-was an h-honest—”

  “Don’t lie to the Crown!” I grasped the collar of the soldier’s tunic, dragging his ear to my mouth. “Which one of you did Nyx send?” My whispered words were followed with a heavy blow to his face. My fist stung from the impact.

  The man screamed as blood spewed from his nose. It was the easiest bone to break. It was also the easiest to heal, or so Alex had always said. I prayed he was right.

  “Let him be!” the woman cried.

  “S’not us!” He choked.

  Did Nyx really want them to put on a show? I had hoped the man would “betray” his comrade or confess. How long would we have to carry this out until Nyx’s “traitor” confessed. How far would I be forced to go?

  “Ryiah,” Darren began.

  “No!” I raised my hand to stop the prince from leaving his post. It needed to be me. I wasn’t going to let their blood be on his hands.

  “You can confess now,” I warned my audience, “and stand a chance to live. But choose to wait it out, and I will not be so kind.”

  “We confess to nothing!” the woman shrieked. “Because we are not rebels!”

  Nyx must have wanted more interrogation first. I swallowed bile back down. It was one thing to attack a perceived enemy on the battlefield; it was another to attack someone on the same side.

  Magic shot out of my palm. Fire transformed into a whip of red that lashed across the woman’s shoulder. The soldier howled and her skin bubbled as my fire ate away at flesh and singed cloth. The stink of burning flesh crowded the cell as I maintained the flames’ hold.

  With trembling fingers, I held onto the casting for another five seconds before letting go. “Still keeping to your lies?” I shouted to cover my shame. “And you!” I pointed my finger at the other man. “You want to watch your comrade die? You want to join her? I’ve got a whole batch of castings I’ve been waiting to use on your kind!”

  The woman clutched her arm, shrieking her innocence as the male continued to protest their innocence. Fools. I ground my teeth and sent out my next casting: bolts of ice that buried into exposed flesh only to melt away and leave dripping wounds behind.

  Still nothing.

  Howls of agony filled the room as I grabbed a dagger out of my hilt and proceeded to stalk forward with rage. I didn’t have to fake it—my fury at inflicting pain was enough.

  I held the blade against the man’s neck, letting its sharpened edge nick his skin. “Who did Nyx send?” I whispered.

  The soldier looked at me with such hate I lost my breath. “I hope you rot in the darkest parts of the Realm of the Dead, choking on your own filth.”

  Don’t just stand there. Darren will notice. “Confess!” I screamed.

  He glowered at me, his eyes red and livid. “NOT US. NOT US. NOT US!”

  I stumbled back.

  Not us. His words… It wasn’t an act.

  The soldiers weren’t the rebels Nyx had sent. Darren must have spotted an error in their documentation that Nyx’s men had failed to catch before turning in their reports that first day we arrived. They were rebels, but not the right ones. Not us. Neither was the rebel Nyx had intended, the one with a story prepared, the one that knew what to say and when to break. The one that could lie, and lie well.

  These two were in danger every moment they were here. If I didn’t find a way to get them out, they might say the wrong thing. They couldn’t confess. If they did, all of our plans would be ruined, and their stammering lies might lead Darren in a different direction than the one Nyx and I hoped. It could lead straight toward the keep, instead of away.

  “Ryiah, do you need me to take over?” Darren had come forward at some point while I stood, hands limp at my sides. Horror flooded my chest.

  What have I done?

  “I don’t think you’re right.” The words fell from my lips, barely more than a murmur.

  The prince turned me around, pulling me away from the two bloodied soldiers. He kept his eyes locked on the two beyond as we moved to the other side of the room.

  “Love,” he said, “we’ve barely begun. I didn’t expect them to confess this fast.”

  “No.” My stomach churned with the realization of what we had started. I had let Darren… I had let me… A shiver ran straight down the base of my spine as a wash of ice flooded my veins. I had to stop this now. My grip on the prince’s arm tightened. “Darren, we are wrong.”

  “How can you know?” His expression was sympathetic, but hard. His muscles tightened beneath my fingers, preparing to take over my task.

  “I-I…” How could I even explain? I hadn’t served on their squad. I couldn’t shift the blame to Nyx’s rebel because I didn’t even know who she had prepared or if they were even in this squad.

  “Ryiah, this is too hard for you. After Derrick, I can understand why it might be difficult to perform. We can get another guard to swap places with you, take a break from the interrogation before it gets worse.”

  Where is Nyx? How was she going to fix this? Did she even know? Darren had shown up that morning for the squad’s interrogation without a word of what he had planned. No one had known, not even me, until he called these two inside and shown them the reports in his hand.

  “It’s not too hard. Just give me a moment—”

  “Ryiah.” Darren’s tone had taken an edge. “You aren’t ready for this. Go outside and get one of the other Combat mages to take your place.”

  “I’m staying.” I didn’t have a choice. I folded my arms against my chest. “Perhaps we should try questioning them one at a time.” Anything to spread out the interrogation.

  “These prisoners are trained soldiers. They have been hardened to pain. But no one is unbreakable.”

  “What about a hallucinogen?” I begged. It could buy us precious hours.

  “I need them conscious. And with hallucinogens, I have no proof the Alchemy mage is not a part of the rebels’ cause. Right now I only trust our own.”

  The prince pried my hand free as he started toward the two huddled soldiers. They were far from broken, but they had come into an interrogation expecting nothing more than a quick release.

  I could only thank the gods they hadn’t tried to fight back.

  Darren pulled a dagger from
a thin sheath at his waist. I had to think of something fast.

  The papers! “Wait!”

  The back of his neck twitched. “What is it, Ryiah?”

  “The report! Let’s discuss it with their squad leader and Nyx. They might be telling the truth or perhaps they can shed more light. If they find the activity suspicious, we can proceed—”

  “I find it suspicious.” Darren was irritated and had yet to turn back around. “Believe me, Ryiah, I spent hours studying those reports each night while you slept.”

  Even though I knew he didn’t mean it, I still experienced a punch to the gut. A prince of the realm shouldn’t be so restless each night that he studies scrolls to fall asleep.

  Yet another way I had failed my husband.

  But I couldn’t fail him in this. I couldn’t let him look back on this day later and hate himself. He could hate me all he wants after the truth was revealed.

  “Please.” I willed my voice to break, tears to well in the corner of my eyes. I was calling on every ounce of desperation and will. “Please, Darren, can we just check? I could never forgive myself if—”

  “As you wish!” The prince’s anger cut me off as he turned on his heel and stormed to the door, calling on two of our own to hold the soldiers until we returned.

  “Are you coming, Ryiah?” he barked.

  I scrambled after the prince, avoiding Paige’s gaping stare as we entered the hall.

  Darren began shouting summons for their leader and Nyx. The tension radiating from his shoulders could have cut the air like a knife; I felt the sting of it just racing to catch up.

  I swallowed as I followed him through the winding passages of the keep. I had just undermined the crown prince’s control. He was the Black Mage, and I had just made him look weak in front of potential enemies of the Crown.

  As soon as we were alone, Darren spoke without looking back. “Don’t ever do that again.”

  He would never understand; he couldn’t.

  In minutes, we caught up with Sir Bolton and Commander Nyx. Both looked shaken, though they were doing their best to appear calm. Abrupt orders to meet in a situation like ours… The commander’s eyes were wide as she addressed the prince.

  “What is it, Your Highness? My men said it was urgent.”

  “We identified two of Bolton’s men I believe to be rebels. We have them inside the cells for interrogation. They have yet to confess, but we thought it best to seek you out before continuing to much crueler methods.” Darren managed to state the last line as if it were reasonable, instead of a direct insult of his skill.

  “Dear gods, who are they?” Bolton interrupted. “Which of my men and how long—”

  The commander’s boot caught the man’s shin before he could say anything else. Luckily, Darren was too busy producing the scrolls in hand.

  Nyx kept a neutral face. “What is the report?”

  “Three incidents of stolen supplies in the last year.” Darren’s voice was flat. “All with the same patrol. You can’t tell me that is coincidence.”

  “I would be hard-pressed to doubt your theory, Your Highness.” The commander cleared her throat as she continued to look over the papers. “However, I believe we are at fault… Sir Bolton, have a look and tell me if you see the same.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The lead knight took over the scrolls and feigned understanding. “Yes, yes, Commander, I believe you are correct.”

  “Do explain.” Darren’s tone had an impatient edge.

  “The supplies were stolen, as reported, but the two soldiers in question are blameless.” Nyx bowed her head. “The truth of the matter is I asked Mendel to omit the details of the report to spare Bolton’s squad—and myself—the embarrassment. I feared the king might come to question my command if he saw them.”

  The prince’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Why would the Crown be upset?”

  “When you know what it is to lead, Your Highness, you view every loss as a reflection on yourself. An irrational fear, I suppose, but one I am guilty of all the same. I feared the Crown would see the circumstances—a sleeping draught—as a result of my negligence. One incident might have been forgivable, but three…”

  Darren scowled. “A sleeping draught?”

  “Bandits, perhaps they were rebels, drugged our supplies. When Mendel was writing up the report, Bolton thought it best to make the guards appear negligent and I agreed.”

  The knight expanded on Nyx’s lie. “We didn’t realize what was happening at first. Like you, I blamed my men and took away their privilege of drink… But after a second occurrence, I started to suspect something else. They hadn’t touched ale in months, and still they had slept through a theft on duty.” The knight adjusted his belt. “The two went a month without pay. But the third time it happened, one of the other guards had taken ill and foregone his evening meal. He noticed the unusual slumber—too early for most, it was barely dusk—of our entire squad during a run to the latrine, and while he was too late to prevent that final theft, a healer was able to confirm his suspicions. We’ve taken on a taster ever since, and the theft has stopped. I assure you, we will never be caught unawares again.”

  “Your men never mentioned this in questioning. They led me to believe it was their own negligence.”

  “Bolton’s squad was given orders to never say a word.”

  Darren’s jaw clenched. “Your orders to spare your keep of embarrassment almost cost two of your soldiers’ lives. You didn’t think to mention this little detail before you submitted your reports? Are there any other omissions you failed to mention before I consider another innocent man’s life?”

  “No, Your Highness.” Nyx exhaled. “None that I am aware of.”

  “Good,” the prince barked, “because this is not a good reflection on your command. Should it happen again, I will have no choice but to recommend a replacement.”

  Nyx hung her head as the knight shuffled his feet guiltily. I drew in a sharp breath, praying Nyx didn’t miss anything more in her reports. If the Crown recommended someone else for command, their whole operation would be at risk.

  “I understand.”

  Darren turned heel and stormed out the passage behind us.

  I started after him.

  “Ryiah.” A rough hand caught my wrist.

  I paused to look the commander in the eye.

  “Thank you.”

  I tried to keep my anger at bay. “I can’t do that again.”

  “I know.” Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Two more days. I have the traitor on Sir Maxon’s squad. We gave him time to prepare for interrogation. I thought it best for the rebel to be a man of Derrick’s final squad, it’d be the easiest conclusion to draw.”

  “Who is it?”

  “A young knight named Tallus. Recruited to the keep a year before last.”

  “How will I convince Darren?” I dug my heel into the dusty stone tile. “What proof can he offer?”

  “Tallus will have an incriminating letter hidden in his personal cot. It will be up to you to lead the interrogation.”

  I started to turn and then paused, glancing back. “You will need two healers for the soldiers in that cell.”

  Nyx took a deep breath. “Yes, I will see to them right away… I’m so sorry.”

  “Not as sorry as them.” I retreated back into the hall. Not as sorry as me.

  5

  The rest of that day passed with the subtlety of a storm. Sir Bolton’s squad was furious. After two healers carried out the two soldiers, squinty eyes and hard jaws promised a hate that would remain long after we were gone.

  Our interrogations were filled with stony silence and little else. By the end of our second day, the exhaustion was palpable to all.

  I wondered if any of the rebels believed Nyx’s faith in my word. Either way, the grasp of peace was tenuous at best.

  After that second night, Darren was quick to call a meeting with the rest of our own. “The distrust has shifted toward me. Keep you
r eyes open and your sword at hand at all times. I want everyone patrolling in pairs.” His laugh was cold. “Until we discover the rebels, the men of the keep will continue to blame us for what transgressed with those soldiers. I’d love to direct them to their errant commander… But they prefer to fixate on their prince.”

  I reached out to Darren, but he jerked away from my hand. He didn’t say anything in front of our audience, but his whole body was tense. The prince might blame Nyx, but he was still angry with me.

  I shouldn’t have questioned him in his role. You didn’t have a choice. I bit my lip until I tasted blood. Everything was becoming a mess of lies, and with every passing hour, the temptation to confess was growing worse. The only thing that bought my silence was the knowledge that the true rebel would be arriving that next morning and that we would be able to leave this terrible masquerade as soon as he was caught.

  “Did I tell you Alex and Ella joined the keep?” I was determined to break the uncomfortable silence that night as we lay down for bed. Darren had taken the last night to pacing like a caged lion, unwilling to look at me except for infrequent glances torn between exhaustion, gratitude, and frustration. I suspected a part of him was relieved I had called off his orders, but the stubborn bit of pride refused to admit it. He was proud to a fault.

  “Oh.” That was the length of his response.

  “They joined after Derrick was caught. Alex wanted to find the rebel that recruited him. Like you, he suspected north. They are a part of Maxon’s squad.” The lie would go a long way to explain their presence. “I wish he wasn’t here. I don’t like him putting himself at risk for revenge.”

  “Well,” the prince paused, “your brother might have more merit than I thought.”

  “I’m sorry I questioned your orders.” My voice sunk to a whisper. “I only—”

  “I don’t want to talk about it, Ryiah.”

  “Why not?” I couldn’t help myself. “You can’t keep doing this. You have to let me in. If you are mad, then yell, but don’t you dare shut me out.” I was such a hypocrite, it was amazing the gods hadn’t struck me down themselves, but I couldn’t bear to watch Darren suffer alone.