* * *
They landed in a small, dank room carved out of rock. The only light came from the eyes of a wooden Lightning Bird mounted on one wall. As if lit by fire, the garnets pulsed eerily, casting a blood-red glow across Rustus who was kneeling at an altar in the middle of the room. Somewhere close by they could hear the steady drip of water. Erin edged closer to Seth. Not liking the atmosphere either, he wrapped his arm around her protectively. She snuggled closer to him.
Rustus grunted. Then, with methodical deliberation, he removed his black gloves and laid them on the altar. Bony fingers pulled back the sleeves of his tunic, revealing pale forearms, scarred with purple puncture marks. A sharp-pointed dagger lay on the altar. With a steady hand, he picked it up, holding it in striking position above his left arm. “Lord Reuel, accept the sacrifice of my blood.” He plunged the tip of the blade into his arm and watched emotionlessly as his blood welled up, spilling onto the altar. It was already caked with dried blood; clearly this was something Rustus did often.
Erin looked nervously at Seth, but he didn’t notice. His eyes were darting around, almost as if he were expecting Reuel to appear. That frightened her almost as much as being in the room.
After a moment Rustus reached for his handkerchief to stem the flow. Then he waited. A clammy chill settled around them, and the Lightning Bird’s eyes glowed with an even brighter menace.
“Your offering has been accepted.” Reuel’s voice.
As Reuel spoke, Erin and Seth felt his icy presence coiling around their chests like a noose. They struggled to get away, but, lightning fast, Reuel tightened his grip, almost crushing them. Then he began to pull them towards the Lightning Bird. Convinced he was cracking her ribs, Erin cried out in pain and panic. Ignoring the stabbing in his chest, Seth locked his arm around Erin’s waist, holding her tight to him. His other hand grabbed the door-handle, gripping it like a lifeline to stop Reuel dragging them forward.
Erin gasped. It was suddenly all so clear to her. Rustus is Reuel’s mortal helper! And Seth broke his deal with me! He’s programmed the Stone to bring us here. She dug her nails deep into Seth’s arm, both to punish him and to stop Reuel from tearing them apart.
Seth didn’t notice. He too busy fighting an overwhelming compulsion to bow to the Lightning Bird.
“The sword! Use the sword,” Seth’s spirit shouted.
Grabbing the sword would mean letting go of either Erin or the door-handle. Neither seemed wise, so Seth dithered.
Expecting Seth to grab his weapon, the invisible Reuel whispered persuasively into his mind, “That puny knife may work against my Gefallen, but to me it’s nothing more than a mosquito bite is to an elephant.”
Seth believed him. He tightened his grip on Erin and the door.
Reuel smiled. And increased the pressure.
Oblivious of the fight going on behind him, Rustus looked up at the Lightning Bird. “My lord, I have felt in my bones that you wish to speak with me.”
“Your bones do not deceive.” Reuel’s cool voice showed no sign of his tussle with Erin and Seth.
“I’m listening, my lord.”
“Your son fancies himself in love with the Norin viper. After a day of her smiles and a night of her kisses he intends to fight for her.”
“I know of the problem, my lord. I saw them kissing last evening on the battlement. But Jared in love? I think not.”
“And you took what action to stop their kisses?”
“I alerted Jared to my presence. He dropped her immediately. Like I knew he would. And I’m sure my lord already knows I posted Eli and Bastion to protect Sophia’s bedchamber. They’re no friends of Jared. Not after he punished them for what he called their brutality when executing Namar’s wife in Ammarod. As you know, my son can be squeamish about what he calls brutality.”
“Just one of his many failings. And as for Eli and Bastion: enemies of Jared or not, it would seem that your son has more sway over them than you do, Rustus.”
“My lord?”
“It was Pledged loyal to Jared who guarded Sophia last night while she slept. Eli and Bastion spent their night drinking in Cian.”
“What?” Rustus gasped. “Eli and Bastion will pay for that treachery with their lives.”
The red light flickered, threatening to fail. “You will not kill them because I have further use for them. Alive. Your concern is your son.”
Rustus bowed his head, suppressing his fury. But he could not hide the anxiety in his voice as he asked, “Jared . . . has he . . . did he?”
“Sleep with Sophia?” Reuel finished for him. “No. A marriage has not taken place between them.” He laughed mirthlessly. “Love got in the way. His love and her virtue. If you can believe something so ridiculous. But Jared must be stopped. They must be stopped.”
Rustus scowled at Reuel’s repeated use of the word ‘love.’ “Of course, my lord.
But–”
“You have indulged Jared. Spoilt him. I warned you and warned you, but you refused to listen. Now he – like you – must learn who the object of his adoration must be.” Rustus blanched at the criticism. Reuel ignored it. “Caleb is now finally under my control and will do as I command him.”
“He has Pledged himself! That’s a great breakthrough, my lord.”
“He has yet to go down on bended knee. But that is now a mere formality. Still, Caleb is my concern, not yours. You must rein in your son. I will not tolerate his love for Sophia.”
“Jared has a mind of his own, my lord. He’s stubborn. Even for a Pledged.”
“Especially for a Pledged,” Reuel answered. “Send him to Ammarod.”
“Ammarod! No!”
The red light failed, leaving the room in absolute darkness. The interview was over.
Rustus slapped his hand on the altar in frustration. “My lord, I’ll arrange Jared’s transfer today.” He fumbled in his pocket for his flint, lit a candle, picked up the candlestick and stumbled towards the door. There, he yanked it open, flinging Erin and Seth aside, and hobbled out.
“Bow. Bow to me, now,” Reuel’s soft voice hissed out of the darkness.
Seth tried to pull him and Erin through the wall they were now pressed against, but he didn’t have the strength to fight against Reuel’s pressure to stay. Then he saw the gap offered by the open door. “Erin, don’t let go. Just hold me!” He focused all his energy, and with a huge wrench, pulled them out of Reuel’s clutches. They shot through the door, landing with a bump in a dark passage. “Touch the Stone,” he shouted to Erin. “Get us out of here.”
“You have it,” Erin shouted back.
“No, I don’t.”
“I felt it hanging around your neck.”
Seth patted his chest. She was right, but he had no idea how the diamond had got there. He also couldn’t think of where to tell it to take them. Somewhere safe. He touched it, praying it would read his mind. In a flash they were gone.
* * *
Reuel, who had slackened his grip to allow them to escape, rubbed his burning arms and torso with relief. His Lightning Bird flew to his shoulder, cackling. “Yes, my pet. The pain is severe. Even hanging by his side, Seth’s confounded sword is a menace. But my pain is a small price to pay for what I achieved here today.”
The Lightning Bird gave a cackle that sounded a lot like a query.
“Nothing works quite so well as distrust to create contempt, my pet,” Reuel explained.
* * *
The Stone’s idea of a safe place turned out to be the passage outside Marlthas’s office. The moment they settled on the floor, Erin collapsed against the wall. Seth rested his head on his knees, waiting for the gallon of adrenalin coursing through his veins to subside. He was just beginning to unwind when Erin leapt up and pounded her fists on his shoulders. “You did that on purpose, Seth! You took us to Reuel’s helper,” she screamed, more furious than she had ever been in her life.
“What are you talking about?” Seth grabbed her hands to stop her hit
ting him.
“Don’t play dumb, Seth. All your stupid questions about what I’m going to do with my life were just a decoy . . . a cover so you could get the diamond. And then you told it to find Reuel’s living stooge. I suppose the plan was to make a deal with him. But then Reuel showed up and tried to kill us. Again.”
Seth stopped wrestling with her, and stood up, towering over her as she crouched in the passage. “Erin, you’re crazy. I just touched the diamond and left it to take us where we needed to be. Just like you always do.”
“And you expect me to believe that? I’m not an idiot, Seth.” When he just stared blankly at her, she shouted, “And why didn’t you protect us with your sword? Do you actually want to Pledge yourself to Reuel?”
“I’ve told you already,” Seth replied. “I’m not one of Reuel’s Sons.”
“Then why didn’t you stab him with the sword? Rustus too while you were about it? He’s just as evil.”
Seth tried to think back to that frenzied moment, but his mind was strangely fuzzy. “Because I didn’t think it would work against him.” But even he could hear that his voice didn’t sound convincing.
Erin stared at Seth’s face, half hidden in the flickering torchlight, not knowing what to believe. Finally, she grabbed the diamond from him and draped it around her neck. “Seer-Stone, take us where we need to be so the curse can be lifted.”
Nothing happened. Erin was about to give it a good shake when Lord Alfred, Marlthas’s brother, came striding down the passage towards them. Clearly this was where they needed to be.
Frowning with worry, Alfred stopped outside Marlthas’s office. After a moment, he opened the door and stepped inside. Although Seth was still angry with Erin, he stood aside and let her into the office first.
Marlthas was kneeling next to Terah, feeding her chunks of raw meat. He looked up at Alfred and scowled. “Oh. It’s you.” After patting Terah, he walked to a table and poured himself a goblet of shenna. “Today’s news had better be more positive than yesterday’s report.”
Alfred lowered himself onto a chair, fingering his silvery-black beard. “How can it be more positive? You know as well as I do that our war effort in Ammarod is in complete shambles.”
Marlthas slumped down into a chair opposite him. “And the Predictor?”
“So well hidden I doubt even Reuel himself could find it.”
Marlthas took a slow sip of shenna; then drilled his brother with his black eyes. “Alfred, you’re my Lord of the Armoury, responsible for managing the war. How is this possible?”
Alfred’s narrow eyes almost closed to slits. “I know what you’re thinking. But it isn’t my fault. I’ve done my very best. After all, defeat is as bad for me as it is for you.”
“Then who the hell’s fault is it?” Marlthas slammed his hand onto his thigh. “You’re useless. Worse than useless. The most pathetic Lord of the Armoury in the history of Shenaya.”
Alfred leapt to his feet. “Don’t insult me, brother. You know the problem as well as I. We have the wrong commander leading the Pledged in Ammarod. That fool Paul may carry the title of Warlord, but he doesn’t know the first thing about waging war.”
“Then kill him. Why do I have to tell you this? And then send in the right commander.”
“And just how do you propose I do that when the right commander is being hidden behind his father’s cloak here at the Fortress?”
“I take it you are referring to my son?” Until he had spoken, no one knew that Rustus had entered the room.
Hand clutching his heart, Alfred spun round to confront him. “Rustus, how many times have I told you not to creep up on us? It’s . . . it’s unnatural.”
“And presumptuous,” Marlthas cut in.
Rustus sidled up to them. “Jared has earned his place back on the battlefield. He leaves today.”
Alfred threw up his hands in relief. “The Lightning Bird has finally heard my prayer. I’ll go and issue the orders for Paul’s arrest and execution.” He turned to leave, but Marlthas grabbed his cloak.
“Sit. Stay. I make those decisions.”
Alfred stopped in mid-stride, his face a mixture of puzzlement and fury.
“Jared’s leaving today?” Marlthas demanded from Rustus. “Why the hurry? This doesn’t have anything to do with Sophia? Or does it?”
Rustus pulled out his hanky, gave a loud snort, and, still wiping his nose and mouth, muttered, “I admit that Jared has developed a taste for Caleb’s Norin viper. I saw them kissing last evening. Of course, I immediately sent Eli and Bastion to secure her bed chamber so there could be no further indiscretions.” He waved his hanky dismissively. And then he lied. “But, as it turned out, Jared never even went near her room. It was all just a ploy to force me to send him back to Ammarod, which I’ve now decided to do.”
Rustus sank down on the sofa where Erin was sitting. She flinched, but he showed no sign of being aware of her. Unable to bear the crawling in her skin his proximity caused, she leapt up and joined Seth, leaning against the wall.
Marlthas sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, considering Rustus’s report. His brothers braced themselves for his fury, but he surprised them. “Jared will leave for the front line tomorrow morning – after he has been promote to Warlord. The two of you will cancel whatever plans you have for the day, and spend your time more profitably by bringing Jared up to date on the war.”
“Warlord! No!” Rustus gasped. “I’ll never permit it. Warlords have painfully short lives.”
“The hazard of the job.” Alfred gave Rustus a cruel smile and taunted, “The good ones – like Jared will be – usually die quickly because their bravery leads them into the hottest hot spots. And the bad ones are such cowards that we bring them home and chop their heads off.”
“No! No! No!” Rustus shouted, slapping his knee. “I will never permit Jared to accept that promotion.”
“You’ve stood in his way for long enough,” Alfred replied.
Marlthas held up his hand to silence his brothers. “Rustus, when you’re Overlord you can make these decisions. Until then, you do as I say. And I say we need Jared as our new Warlord.” He turned to Alfred. “And when Jared returns triumphant, with the Predictor in one hand and Namar’s head in the other, I’ll forgive him his indiscretion with Sophia and promote him to still better things.”
Alfred paled and began to shake.
Seth turned to Erin. “What’s he thinking? Why’s he so freaked out?”
Although she was still furious with Seth, Erin quickly read Alfred’s thoughts. “There’s only one military post higher than Warlord and that’s his. He thinks Marlthas wants him dead.”
Seth saw Alfred glance at Rustus in panic, but Rustus ignored him. Then even Seth, who struggled to discern anyone but Caleb’s and Jared’s thoughts, heard the first tendrils of a plan begin to unfurl in Rustus’s mind. It made him shiver. He looked at Erin and saw pure horror on her face. She had obviously heard it too.
Marlthas dismissed his brothers. Erin and Seth tried to follow Rustus, hoping to learn more of his scheme, but the Stone kept them in the office.
As soon as Rustus and Alfred had left, Marlthas commanded the Pledged manning his door to send for the sheets from Sophia’s, Caleb’s, and Jared’s beds. Then he paced anxiously as he waited.
A knock sounded. A beautiful, dark-skinned woman entered, holding an armful of sheets. Seth recognised her from the welcome dinner thrown for Sophia and Kezeah. “Who’s she?” he asked Erin when his own mind-reading skills failed him.
“I’m not your personal mind-translator,” Erin answered. Her bad mood was back with a vengeance, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Seth rolled his eyes and said nothing.
Stephanie stepped out of the Fourth Dimension and smacked Erin on the side of the head. When Erin looked surprised, she said, so only Erin could hear, “I said I would thump you if you started being a jerk again. Now answer Seth’s question before I give you a concussion
.”
“She’s Marlthas’s mistress,” Erin told Seth, words tumbling from her mouth. “Her name’s Mankana. She’s a slave. Captured when she was a child. She’s had a couple of kids with him. All girls. Useless to Marlthas as heirs, so he has no interest in them. But Mankana adores them. They’re at Queen Camp.” She settled back against the wall, wondering why Stephanie thought she was being a jerk. After all, she hadn’t programmed the Stone to take them to Rustus.
“Erin, try focusing. This is important stuff,” Stephanie said, interrupting her thoughts.
Erin looked up at to see Mankana flipping the sheets across Marlthas’s desk. “As you can see, my lord, no marriage has been consummated on any of them. Clearly the girl remains a virgin. She cannot yet claim the title of Shadow Lady as Caleb’s legal wife.” Mankana bundled the sheets up in her arms.
Marlthas nodded. “Bring Sophia. It’s time she and I had another little chat.”
Mankana bobbed a curtsey and left the office, taking the sheets with her. From the expression on her face it was obvious that she couldn’t stand Marlthas.
“Marlthas and Sophia,” Seth said, giving Erin a conciliatory smile, hoping to kick-start a conversation with her. “This is probably not going to be good.”
She glared at him, so they sat in silence, waiting for Sophia. Stephanie sat between them, eyeing them expectantly.
Although they seemed to wait an age, it was in reality only a few minutes before the door opened and Sophia walked into the office. She stopped at the desk, expecting Marlthas to be there.
“Come here, girl.” Sophia turned to the sound of the voice. Marlthas was standing at the window, his face obscured by the morning glare. “Jared tells me you make a fine lover. Pity my son can no longer expect a virgin in his bed.”
Sophia’s face turned ashen. “That, my lord, is a lie!”
“Come here.” Although her heart was pounding, Sophia walked straight-backed to join him. He grabbed her chin and wrenched her face up into the sunlight. She automatically clamped her eyes shut. “Look at me, and tell me again that my nephew is lying.”
Pledged Page 24