“You may.” Silver undid the fastenings, and let the plain material slide to the floor where the old man picked it up and hobbled away.
“He didn’t take your cloaks, so you’ll have to leave them in the passageway.” Silver informed them, turning, only to find them with their eyes wide as saucers. “What?”
“That dress should be illegal.” Keenan growled. “Weren’t we trying to keep a low profile?”
“I noticed you didn’t dye your hair.” Silver muttered. “And blame Tommy, he brought it for me.”
Instantly Keenan glared at him, Tommy put his hands up in the air in surrender, laughing. “It’s nothing compared to what some of the other wytches will be wearing.” He promised. “I personally saw one trying on a dress that was mostly strings of beads.” Although, Silver noted with some amusement, the thief didn’t sound opposed to the idea of such an outfit.
Keenan rolled his eyes. “Next time, I pick her disguise.” He grumbled. “She’s not supposed to draw the eye of every man in the room.”
Silver snorted and began to walk down the passageway. They followed the master of ceremonies’ instructions until they came to another panel. The mechanisms for these secret doors intrigued her; she’d seen similar things done using enchantments or glamour, but never by mechanical means. She made a point to look into them later, in case she ever needed to be able to locate one.
“Keenan first.” She whispered, knowing how sound travelled through small tunnels, pressing on the panel.
One by one they exited, the door sliding down behind them leaving them in an alcove behind a statue of one of the previous human kings. The plinth was wide enough to conceal all three of them until the moment when a large group of people walked past and they slipped out into their midst.
Music she recognised as the work an upcoming bard played softly while people dressed in colourful and expensive fabrics danced reflected in the stained glass murals that had once been windows all those years ago. Struggling to remember the name of the artist Silver noticed Tommy and Keenan wander off, occasionally fiddling with their belts as they went, slipping drops of her blood onto people when they shook hands. A sudden crescendo brought her attention back to her original thoughts; what was the musician’s name? Calum, perhaps? She frowned, Calum the Bard sounded about right.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” A voice behind her said, and Silver turned gracefully to see Endis right behind her, having approached silently during her musing.
“No, I don’t believe we have.” Silver replied smoothly, putting a choke hold on the anxiety she felt at being near him. He wore a green suit, matched by a mask shaped like a veil of leaves. She let her eyes wander up, notice the crown, and then sank into a deep curtsey. “Your grace.” She used such an articulate accent that her true voice was barely discernible.
“Perhaps you would like to dance.” He asked, and Silver forced a smile on her face.
“I would like that very much, your grace.” She accepted his arm and flowed smoothly onto the dance floor.
“I don’t believe I ever got your name.” Endis said, a few moments into the dance.
“Lady Cathleen,” Silver lied smoothly. “And you must be the King Endis.”
“I am.” He confirmed, “You are a wonderful dancer, Lady Cathleen.”
“I was taught at a young age.” Silver made up the story as she went along. “I never had the patience for sitting still, so dancing was the obvious choice.”
“I am sure a lady of your calibre had many accomplishments.” Endis attempted flattery and Silver resisted the urge to scowl.
The dance was quickly, blessedly over and Silver merged back into the crowd, trying to scout out for any possible traps while at the same time attempting to discover which of the masked courtiers Alda’s brother was.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” The master of ceremonies began in a loud voice as the rise and fall of the music faded to gentle background sounds. “Pray charge your glasses and be upstanding for your most gracious Sovereign, His Majesty, King Marten, first of his name and Romana, Queen of all Wytchdom, Grand Duchess of Morendor…” The titles went on, and on during which most people who had not got a glass quickly grabbed one from the waiters before toasting the two as they entered.
There was a long moment were everyone drank deeply from the wine glasses, Silver sipped cautiously, at once discerning the taste of blood. She looked around to see a few people faint, only to quickly be helped out by servants.
The wine was spiked with Romana’s blood, and with that Marten had removed most of the threats in seconds.
“You’re endangering my niece.” Silver warned Marten, whose eyes narrowed and began searching the room as he began a long and boring speech which she was sure was going to end up as revealing his marriage to Romana. “Don’t panic kingling; I’ve got it all under control.” A pause. “I hope you got her a decent ring.”
As if on cue Romana moved her left hand onto the balcony overlooking the room, and Silver caught a glance of a golden band set with rubies and, of course, one big diamond.
Not many people had noticed the ring, or the people keeling over from the wine, and it made Silver marvel at the unobservant state of humans. She searched the crowd, looking for someone moving, anyone who could be her target.
“…and so, it is with great joy I announce to you my marriage to Romana, soon to be princess-consort of our kingdom.”
There was a round of applause from a great majority of people there, the elves, wytches and over half the humans were cheering and smiling. A few looked a little stunned, but the overall atmosphere was joy. Some humans were muttering, grumbling, but she sensed no violent intent, and then there was the man moving towards the balcony.
Silver was almost level with him and she moved sideways.
“Take Romana down the staircase to your left.” She instructed, knowing the man would alter his course and it would lead him straight into her.
Marten’s eyes flashed animal for the briefest second, and Silver saw him mutter something in Romana’s ear, all the while still smiling and waving.
Romana’s image became almost blurry around the edges, and Silver knew a magical shield had been placed around her by one of the Coven, but she was mostly focused on the man coming right at her, the flash of steel in his hand and the dark eyes hidden behind a plain black mask.
She summoned her strength and grabbed his arm on the way past. The man looked down at her, and she knew the moment he noticed her eye colour because his skin began to bubble and distort, his clothes and flesh ripping to reveal grey skin underneath. The sound of tearing cloth preceded six grey bony wings bursting outwards, and Silver’s own ones unmerged from her back at the sight.
With a glance behind her she noticed wytches gathering around Romana like a shield.
“Sorry to crash the party.” She yelled up at Marten, using her wings to catapult her and the monster that it was emerging up, through the doors and out into the night.
Pincers that doubled as talons on the end of his wings dug into her flesh, spreading poison she was only immune to because of the power of her blood, but by the time she let the red eyed, sunken creature go, they were leagues from the palace.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Silver smirked. “I have some questions for you, and you are going to answer every single one of them.” She grabbed at a pincer and kicked upwards in the air, snapping the bone. “Where is Alda?” She demanded.
“Go to hell!” The creature growled through its rows of long fanged teeth.
“Been there, done that…” Silver retorted, dodging blows from the remaining wings and its arms as they spiralled slowly downwards, the monster losing the ability to fly with one of its wings broken.
When it suddenly changed direction, trying to force its way west, back the way they had come.
“Oh no you don’t!” Silver grabbed another wing and attempted to propel the creature into a tree below. To her surprise, he didn’t resist, diving downwards at
speed.
Only then did she realise what the creature had been waiting for.
Tommy and Keenan stood below, looking up at her.
The creature was heading straight for them.
Portals opened on the ground with a flick of her wrist. A legion of demons poured through, but it was too late, by the time she’d reached the ground the creature had grabbed Tommy and Keenan, stabbed them with those poisonous talons, and lifted them into its arms, carrying them off into the dense forest. All manner of curses ran through her head as she flew after them, but for all her skill, she lost the creature in the trees a few moments before she sensed a burst of magic that could only have been a teleport.
They were gone.
The rage Silver felt was screaming in her ears, around her, the forest burst into black flames, then disintegrated in the next instant, leaving the scent of brimstone. She landed in the ashes, the red of her dress standing out in stark contrast to the darkened soil.
“Silver!” Romana had to have sensed the disturbance instantly, she would have been blind not to. “What is it?”
Silver cursed. “I should have known!”
Romana wisely remained a safe distance away. “What happened?”
Silver was aware her skin was burning with black fire, but she felt cold as ice as she said the words that made her sister faint.
“Go into hiding; do not show yourself for any reason. Tommy and Keenan knew everything about you and now Alda has them.”
Silver felt strange as she looked at Romana’s crumpled form on the black scorched earth. She knew pregnancy made women fragile, and she should have been more careful.
She bent down, lifting her sister into her arms, annoyed at how frail the woman had become.
“When we get back to your isle I am going to force feed you. Pregnant women cannot afford to be this thin.” She ranted at Romana, as she created a portal. “That boyfriend of yours isn’t doing such a good job if he can’t even get you to eat properly.” The inane babble was probably another sign of her losing her mind.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
BECAUSE OF YOU
They reappeared in Morendor, Silver having created a portal to Marten’s side. When the king saw his fiancée in Silver’s blood covered arms, he almost lost it.
“She’s fine, just fainted.” Silver explained, “Now take the stupid woman, I have work to do.”
“I take it the creature survived.”
“Alda’s brother poisoned and kidnapped Keenan and Tommy.” Silver muttered. “I have hunting to do, and you need to get your fiancée to her isle, now. I have no idea what Alda will do to them, or what they’ll tell her.”
Silver practically chucked her sister at Marten and opened a massive portal into the sky. Demon birds poured out into the sky, like huge shadows.
“Are those?” Marten looked on in horror.
“Find Alda,” Silver croaked into the night, using her best imitation of their language. “If you fail, I’ll kill every chick in your nests.” It was a cruel punishment, but the caws of the birds as they flew echoed with determination, and she knew it was necessary. “I’m protecting my niece.” She informed Marten. “Contact me if you hear anything.”
With that she lunged into the air to join the search.
Two days passed before they found the body.
A bird flew up to her, a shape she dreaded clutched in its claws.
She crouched atop a tree that rose above the others, other demon birds scattered on the branches below her. She had no idea where they were, she’d flown without stopping to all corners of the world, across the desert, through dense jungle, even across the sea. But none of that mattered as a lifeless form was dropped down to her.
Silver looked down emotionlessly at the torn figure now cradled in her arms. Tommy was never this still, never quiet. This wasn’t who he was. She couldn’t feel sorrow for his passing, and that bothered her.
“Where was he found?” She demanded of the creature that had brought him to her.
“Great stone gates.” The bird replied. “Near the demon mountain,”
So Alda had left him on her doorstep. She looked at his broken, bloody clothes, seeing what Alda wanted her to see; a present wrapped in bright crimson.
“Keep searching. Find the other.” She created a portal to the field by Dalmorin where Tommy had trained with Keenan so many times, his eyes alight with mischief as he pulled one trick or another that caused the other thief to trip or fail. “You weren’t supposed to die.” She informed him, laying his pale body on the grass. “Keenan will never survive me without you to help him out.” Talking to a dead corpse.
Romana appeared next to her, as she had every day the boys had been gone. “Have you found—” She cut off, looking at the body in the grass.
“I couldn’t find him in time.” Silver informed her, her voice steady and calm.
“You monster.” Romana whispered, tears springing to her eyes. “You know why he’s dead and Keenan is still missing? Because of your demon shields. I can still sense them on him. She couldn’t break him so she killed him! Because of you!” Her voice rose to a shout.
“I didn’t mean for him to get hurt. If he had followed orders, we wouldn’t be in this situation.” Silver looked back dispassionately, but she didn’t try to dodge the slap her sister gave her, nor did she retaliate when Romana did it again.
“You should have been better.”
“I should have been?” Silver queried. “Who is it who’s supposedly unimaginably powerful and can apparently find anyone, anywhere, yet never managed to find Alda?” She spat the words. “This is fate, and fate holds no grudges and dispenses no mercy. He’s dead, crying and blaming me won’t change it.”
Romana sniffed and moved towards the body. “I’ll take him home; I’ll give him a proper burial.”
Demon fire surrounded the corpse as a shield. “You’ll do no such thing.” Silver replied. “He is home. This is his home.”
“And will you give him the proper last rites? Will you weep over him?”
“Have you heard yourself?” Silver demanded. “Our parents are Ancients. There’s nothing holy about them, you used to have the sense to not believe in silly superstitions, and Tommy never believed. He’ll get a warrior’s burial, like he would have wanted. And I don’t weep,”
The fire over the surface of Romana’s skin blazed hotter.
“Aww, dear sister, did I make you mad?” Silver taunted. “Leave, or even Kate won’t stop me from ripping you limb from limb. I can heal you afterwards so I won’t die from doing that.”
Romana looked like she would have said something, but then Gaillean appeared next to them.
“You will leave.” He addressed Romana. “I must speak with your sister.”
“But father, Tommy—”
“The boy is dead and you want to fight over his body like a piece of meat?” Gaillean gave her a look, and Silver became smug.
It was always nice to be the favoured daughter.
Romana’s fire cooled, but her expression remained angry. “Surely a proper burial would be more appropriate.”
“Think about it,” Gaillean replied. “There is no need to commend his soul to us for reincarnation, he was a warrior and a thief, but he defended our daughters and so he is already favoured. Your sister is right, and you need to let this one go. All you would be burying would be a lump of flesh anyway.”
Romana nodded slowly, tears still falling, then teleported away.
Gaillean turned his attention to her. “We have a problem.” He told her, looking grim. “Keenan has betrayed you to Alda, and as such has been brought before the Council.”
“Betrayed his vow?” Silver found that hard to believe.
“His mind was broken into; she managed to access his surface thoughts, but she discovered nothing of major importance about you.” Silver dimly noticed that Gaillean was being more forthcoming than usual. “Usually if the person who was betrayed forgave the vow-breaker
the Council would show lenience and let them go. This time, they plan to use him as a reminder that you’re their creature.” Silver’s eyes went wide at what he was suggesting.
“They’re going to torture him?”
“He broke a vow to the Ancients; they are within their rights by our laws to punish anyone who breaks a vow made to them. He’ll be tortured to within an inch of his life and branded a traitor to his word forever.”
Silver cursed. “He’s already been tortured by Alda. Is there no way you can persuade them out of it?”
“You have taken too long, in their eyes.” Gaillean replied. “They know you are somewhat lawless and wish to remind you of your place. Kate is trying to stall them.”
Silver snorted. “That woman wouldn’t do anything to help me if I came to her on my knees and dying.”
“I think you mistake her fear of you for hatred.” Gaillean replied. “You almost destroyed her daughter; she is scared of your ability to do so.”
Silver didn’t care about Kate’s emotions right now, not while Tommy lay dead on the grass and Keenan was under torture, he was part of a bargain, she needed the guild’s connections, and she was surprised to find how much she had relied on him being there.
“Take me to him.” She insisted.
Her father gave her a long searching look. “If you wish.”
With a last look at Tommy’s body, Silver took his offered hand.
They emerged in a bland room, lit by the sun streaming through a skylight. She remembered this place from Romana’s memories; the twenty-one thrones raised high in a circle above a dais in the centre. She was standing on the stairs leading up to one of those seats, and Keenan was chained on his hands and knees on the dais below her.
Silver's Redemption (Soul Merge Saga Book 3) Page 26