Pledged

by Gwynneth White

  Erin clutched Seth’s arm. “They’re going to kill her!”

  Seth was about to point out that she was already dead when five other Guardians ploughed into the Gefallen, wielding their swords with deathly precision. The wraiths scattered like dust.

  Erin burst into nervous laughter. “Boy, those girls can fight! It’s almost worth dying just for those skills.”

  “Come, my little warmonger,” Seth said, also laughing. “The Guardians look like they’re on top of things. Let’s catch up with Sophia.” He took Erin’s hand and ran onto the path. The moon was not yet up, and it was very dark. In the distance they could just make out the shadowy forms of two people running.

  “It’s spooky,” Erin said, stumbling over the uneven ground. “Maybe now’s a good time to tell you that I hate the dark. I still sleep with a nightlight.” Almost expecting Seth to laugh, she was surprised when he pulled her closer to him. They ran on in silence until they noticed that Vance and Sophia had stopped.

  Although Seth knew Erin was no runner, he began to sprint. “C’mon. You can rest when you’re dead.” Saying that surprised him. “My turn for personal confessions,” he said. “My mom always used to say that when I was too slow to do something she wanted.”

  For Erin, a few bricks in the wall dividing her from Seth had just crumbled; until now, he’d never shared any real details with her about his parents. It gave her a warm glow. And renewed energy to chase after Vance and Sophia.

  Within minutes they caught up with them. Vance had reluctantly stopped to let Sophia catch her breath. Gasping, both she and Erin stooped over, clutching their stomachs, waiting for a second wind. Alert for danger, Vance’s eyes scanned both sides of the path.

  Only Seth saw the Lightning Bird coming.

  With a rush of air, it powered out of the blackness towards them. Seth screamed out a warning, but only Erin heard him and looked up. She clutched his arm and they waited, breath held, for the Lightning Bird’s flaming talons to crush Sophia’s spine. But, just a wing beat away, it pealed off, roaring with frustrated rage.

  Vance felt the wind churned up by its wings beating on his back. Sword at the ready, he spun round and watched it vanish into the valley below. “The Lightning Bird!” he cried. “It was here . . . as real as you and me.”

  Sophia straightened up with a jerk. “Where did it go?”

  “Why did it go would be a better question.” Vance looked at Sophia with a thoughtful expression. “You have some powerful enemies. Maybe Jared’s right, and you are going to have the child who destroys all this.”

  “I have some powerful allies too,” Sophia said, pointing at Stephanie. Fresh from their fight with the Gefallen, she and the other Guardians were hovering behind them. “Was it you who frightened off the Lightning Bird?”

  “In a flash!” Stephanie said. The other Guardians laughed at her joke.

  “Thank you,” Sophia whispered. “You’ve saved my life. Twice.”

  Stephanie brushed her disheveled hair away from her face. “Best fun I’ve had in years!” She pointed at the other Guardians. “Until they came along to spoil it.”

  Erin and Seth could see Vance’s eyes getting bigger and bigger.

  Stephanie pointed to Sophia. “You’re guarding a VIP tonight, Vance. Sophia is very, very precious. So if you don’t mind, I’ll–”

  “We’ll be accompanying you to the look-out post,” one of the other Guardians interrupted. “And we’ll be spending the night too. Just to ensure that Reuel’s pet stays away.”

  “I think my Pledged might find that somewhat disturbing,” Vance managed to say. “They’re not the most spiritual bunch. And seeing . . .” He hesitated, still not sure just what it was he was seeing.

  One of the Guardians took his arm. “Angels . . . that’s what you’re seeing. And don’t panic. They won’t even know we’re there.”

  “Unless you tell them,” another Guardian added mischievously.

  “Like they’d believe it.” Vance shook his head. “I’m here, looking at you with my own eyes, and I’m still wondering if I’m going insane.”

  The Guardian holding his arm winked at him. “I promise we won’t mention a word to anyone about your insanity.”

  Stephanie tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I hate to spoil the fun, but Reuel and his Gefallen are not the only threats facing Sophia tonight. Rustus and his Defenders are still out there.”

  “But surely you can protect Sophia from them too?” Vance asked with growing boldness. “You girls fight like demons.”

  “Correction, Vance. Like I said, we’re angels, not demons,” the Guardian holding his hand said.

  “And, as such, we can’t interfere with human choices,” Stephanie added. “If Rustus wants Sophia, then there’s little we can do about it.”

  Vance looked at Sophia to see how she was taking this news. Her face was tense, but calm. He turned to Stephanie. “So Rustus could still kill her tomorrow if he chose to, and you angels will do nothing to stop him?” He shook his head again in disbelief, really not understanding how all this worked.

  “Protecting Sophia from the living is your fight, Vance,” one of the Guardians explained.

  “And we’d hate to deprive you of it.” Stephanie looped her arm through Sophia’s and set off at a quick pace to the look-out post.

  It was then that Seth noticed his own sword. It too was burning like the Guardians’ weapons, as if the very steel was molten, but the hilt remained cool in his grip. Smiling like a kid who’d just figured out how to put the batteries in his Star Wars light saber, he exclaimed, “This is some sword! I bet it would send Reuel screaming if he was on the receiving end of it. And to think I thought it would have no power over him. I must have been nuts.”

  “No. Just cursed.” Erin smiled at him to make sure he knew she was joking.

  He mussed her hair. “You have to remind me.”

  She leaned into the pressure of his hand, loving his touch. When he pulled away she asked, “I wonder who the other Guardians were?” She would have liked to follow them, but the Stone had rooted them to the spot.

  “Ah, maybe I can answer that.” Phineas had joined them, his face beaming. “Those dazzling girls are some of Sophia’s Norin aunts. Although they also married Shadow Lords, they didn’t live to see their sons overthrow Reuel’s Family. But still they remained true to Gideon.” Phineas paused. Seth had sheathed his sword and was now looking back down the path leading to the Fortress. It was quiet, as if nothing unusual had just happened. “You look troubled, Seth?”

  “I don’t get it. Why has Rustus let Sophia walk? He must know she’s gone. And with Jared’s XO too. That’s some insubordination.” He smiled, quoting Rustus, “Especially for a Pledged.”

  Phineas grinned, clearly loving Vance’s and Jared’s rebellion. “Vance is one of the defiant ones. So rare and therefore so treasured. That’s why Jared chose him as his second. And why Stephanie and the other Guardians revealed themselves to him.”

  “I don’t get it, Phineas. If the curse is so controlling, how do Jared and Vance get to dodge it like this?”

  “Good question, Erin. Each generation throws up a handful of boys and girls whose spirits just cannot be suppressed. Some use that rebellion to fight the curse, and to keep Gideon’s legend alive. But, as noble as they are, they can never overcome the curse on their own. They need the Shadow Lord’s help for that. The others – like Rustus or Marlthas – well, they just use their defiance to further their own ends. Not that it serves them. They’re still enslaved to Reuel.”

  “It must be terrible, fighting and never winning,” Erin murmured.

  Both Phineas and Seth grinned at Erin’s comment. Then Phineas said, “It would indeed be tragic to watch them fail if we weren’t so proud of their efforts. The noble ones, I mean.”

  Phineas’s remark made Seth uncomfortable, so he decided to change the subject. “You haven’t answered my question. Where’s Rustus?”

  “Perhaps, if
you’re not too tired, you’d like to go and find the answer? And then I’ll show you a comfortable place were you can eat and rest. Fortify yourselves for the sacrifice tomorrow.”

  Seth looked at Erin to see what she wanted to do. “You cool with that?”

  She nodded. “I’m tired. Exhausted, really. But let’s go.”

  * * *

  “It’s all just a little disorientating, this going-back-in-time lark,” Erin laughed as their feet settled down on the ground outside the entrance to the Lord’s Hall. Sophia was peering around the door at the feasting people. She had not yet had her meeting with Jared and Daniel. That was obvious.

  “It’s like déjà vu – all over again.”

  Erin giggled. “Very funny.” A movement in the passage to the left of them caught her eye. “Look, Rustus. Come, let’s follow him.”

  Rustus led them to a door further down the passage. With a furtive glance to see that no one was watching, he opened it and stepped into a small sitting room. Caleb was waiting for him.

  “You wanted to speak to me,” Caleb said the moment Rustus closed and bolted the door.

  “I do.” Rustus’s pale eyebrows arched with surprise. “But you do not look well, my Shadow Lord. You have malaria, I think – given your pallor, fever, and shivering. Can I send for my physician?”

  Seth and Erin agreed. Caleb didn’t look good. “What’s the matter with him?” Erin asked.

  “Pain. That’s what’s the matter with him.” Seth was very angry. “Although we can’t see him, Reuel is pumping his arm with current. Caleb can hardly think straight.”

  Holding his branded wrist against his chest to stop his trembling, Caleb replied to Rustus, “I wish it were as simple as malaria. But no physician can help me.” He would have preferred to remain standing while he dealt with his uncle, but a sudden dizziness forced him down onto the cushions. Recovering, he said, “Now speak.”

  Rustus settled himself on to a cushion opposite him. “I’ll get right to the point. Your father is planning to murder you. Tomorrow morning – at the sacrifice.”

  Seth and Erin grimaced at each other: here was yet another one of Rustus’s lies, spoken so glibly.

  By now almost immune to bad news, Caleb gave a tired snigger. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “The two of you had a fight this morning, I believe, and he no longer trusts you.”

  “And you, Rustus? Here to share this delightful news with me. Why?”

  “It is time for change in Shenaya, Caleb. Your father has led us on a military adventure in Ammarod to find a worthless machine, and that folly has left our Family hemorrhaging. More than that, we now face insurrection. A situation unheard of in all our glorious history.”

  Caleb studied Rustus through bleary eyes, trying to read the motive behind such casually spoken treason. “A worthless machine? I thought that the Predictor’s findings were set in the stars? Irreversible, in fact.”

  “Ha!” Rustus scoffed. “That machine is no more accurate at predicting the future than studying the entrails of a fish. Trust me, Caleb, there is no possible way it can tell whether Gideon’s Prophecy is about to be fulfilled.” His voice rang with the confidence that came with private knowledge. He knew Caleb had been with Talitha when Namar had demonstrated the Cosmic Predictor. Not having seen the disturbingly accurate invention himself, Caleb was forced to rely on second-hand reports about it. “You have been led astray by tales of doom, if you will pardon me for saying so, my Shadow Lord.”

  Caleb managed a small smile that Rustus could consider him so naïve as to believe his lies. “Cosmic Predictor aside, what do you propose to do about my father? Clearly you have a plan, or you wouldn’t have dragged me to this meeting.”

  “I propose that we kill him. Tomorrow. At the sacrifice. Before he can harm you.”

  Caleb’s fevered breath rasped in his throat. “Uncle, that’s a dangerously radical proposal. I believe it’s called treason. Earning unspeakably painful torture, followed by the blessed relief of execution.”

  “Would you rather lie dead in the dust at Reuel’s feet tomorrow, Caleb? Because that’s what will happen if you do not agree to act.”

  Caleb closed his eyes against Reuel’s torture. “I have learnt not to trust such offers. So, answer the following question: If, as you say, the Cosmic Predictor is a lie, then I take it you have no belief that the Gideon Prophecy is about to be fulfilled?” He opened his eyes and looked at Rustus. “This seems at odds with everything I know about you.”

  “Ah . . . now that is indeed an interesting question.” Rustus pulled out his handkerchief and blew his nose with a loud snort. “It’s never wise to be cavalier about things. So I suggest we take certain precautions.”

  “Precautions?”

  “Yes, my Shadow Lord. I propose that Sophia should die too. In fact, as it happens, I plan to sacrifice her on the altar tomorrow.”

  The remains of Caleb’s singed eyebrows twitched. So Daniel was right. He gave a grim smile. Don’t worry, little brother. Even though you think I don’t care, I’m on the problem. To Rustus he said, “Sacrifice Sophia to Reuel. How novel.”

  “Yes, Caleb. She will be on the altar and your father will be on his throne. The Great High Priest will slice her open for Reuel, and two of my Pledged, Eli and Bastion, will dispatch your father for us. Poisoned-tipped arrows will do the trick. We can then blame them for his murder. Disaffected troops gone bad, that sort of thing. They owe me one.”

  A frisson of horror shot through Caleb’s trembling frame. “I see. You have it all planned out.”

  “That’s my job, my lord. To protect the Shenayan household from insurrection. And bad governance.”

  “And then what happens in this unfolding drama of yours?”

  Rustus’s waxy features remained expressionless. “After your father is dead, with my guidance – while you find your feet, so to speak – we will bring the war in Ammarod to an end, thus winning us favour with our people. Then we will unfold your vision for Shenaya.”

  “And I’m to believe that you want the Outcasts freed?”

  “What I want is irrelevant. It’s my job to serve the Overlord of Reuel’s Family. And if Reuel sees fit to have you on his throne, then I’ll carry out your commands.”

  Reuel’s words about the ‘helper’ he would send came rushing back to Caleb.

  “Somehow I doubt that what I have in mind is quite what you and Reuel would go for.”

  Rustus’s eyes narrowed. “Well, Caleb, right now, I don’t see that you have many options. Jared is lost to you and Daniel is no fighter. Who else is there? Other than me.”

  “How about you leave my staffing problems to me.”

  “But your father will be dead tomorrow. These are issues you need to deal with now.”

  “I have not agreed to kill him.”

  “You do know that your father also plans to kill Daniel tomorrow morning.” Rustus leaned back, looking at Caleb through hooded eyes. He had baited his hook. Now all he needed was for his fish to bite. And then he’d strike and Caleb would be his – and with him would come power in Shenaya.

  Even Erin, who was not normally linked to Caleb, felt the wild fury surging through him at that news. He didn’t even try and stop it spilling into his voice. “Kill Daniel? What’s he ever done, other than be nice to people?”

  “Like you, he has not Pledged.”

  “And he never will, if I have anything to do with it!” A bolt of pain hit Caleb. He groaned in agony.

  Rustus looked on with interest, like a boy absorbed with watching the butterfly whose wing he’d just pulled off struggle to fly.

  Using every ounce of strength he could scrape together, Caleb forced himself to focus on Rustus, and not the pain. “My brother and I are the only men in Shenaya not yet cursed. I will do anything to keep it that way. Reuel will never have Daniel.”

  Rustus could almost smell victory, and was it sweet. But he kept his voice detached, almost disinterested. “Perhaps your
concerns for Daniel are all academic, Caleb. After all, he will be dead by lunchtime tomorrow. That hardly leaves any time for him to pledge, does it?”

  Caleb’s shoulders slumped. Rustus had him backed in a corner, and he knew it. He longed to ram his fist into Rustus’s face, he ached to tell him to go and hang himself, but Caleb was under no illusions about his father’s hatred for Daniel. Every cell in his body was screaming at him that Daniel was in mortal danger.

  Rustus, knowing he was winning, leaned in close. “The only way to protect both you and your brother is to allow me to arrange an early demise for your father.”

  It took Caleb a full minute before he replied, “I couldn’t care about me. But Daniel is different. So me standing by while you murder my father could be construed as self-defense.” Caleb fixed his feverish eyes on Rustus’s. “But listen carefully, because I’ll not be crossed on this. Killing Sophia, I’ll never condone.” He clutched his blackened wrist as Reuel sent yet another, even more intense shaft of fire up his arm and into his chest. Fully expecting Reuel to kill him, Caleb clambered to his feet, swaying for a moment before he found his balance. To hell with you Reuel. I’ll die like a honey badger. On my feet, fighting you until my last breath.

  Only Seth and Erin saw Gideon standing, arms folded, watching the scene. Although Reuel was not visible, it was clear that Gideon would not permit him to kill Caleb, but he also didn’t seem to be doing anything to ease the torture either.

  Through his pain, Caleb heard Rustus’s voice. “But, Caleb, Sophia is part of Gideon’s Prophecy–”

  Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but his words were at first slurred and indistinct. After clearing his throat, he spoke with conviction and clarity. “You will not touch Sophia. Because if you do, and I get to know about it – however tacit my compliance may be – I will end up as one of Reuel’s Gefallen. Now, while being a disembodied spectre, groveling to Reuel probably appeals to you, to me it would be hell. I’d rather there was no after-life at all, than face that.”