Not caring about the rules for such an action, she descended the steps to kneel close to Keenan. Her knife was out in a second, and droplets of her blood spilling over him. He didn’t collapse, so Gaillean was right, he hadn’t been completely compromised.
He looked at her, his sparkling ice-coloured eyes screaming at her to leave.
“I’m going to get you out of this.” Silver promised, speaking to his mind.
“Forgive my tardiness.” Silver looked around and found Gaillean seated on a throne behind her.
“Why have you brought her here?” A tall man asked, looking down at her as if she was a bug.
“That’s not a very nice way to greet your niece.” Silver retorted. “Let him go. Now.”
There was no change in expression on their faces, no one looked more than mildly interested, even Kate, usually so full of life, had a cold expression on that made her seem remote.
“He has broken his oath to you.” The short man said. “Surely you wish him to face justice?”
“He is forgiven, and he did not do it of his own will.” Silver retorted angrily. “I have already lost one ally because you lot sat here in your indolence and let your child,” she pointed at the one she knew to be Llewellyn, “attempt to destroy my world.”
“We will not spark a war within the Council,” A fine boned woman with a cut-glass accent spoke up. “And your accusations are not valid in this trial.”
“How can there be a trial, when I refuse to press charges?” Silver demanded. “I forgive him. Now stop pretending like this isn’t just a way for you to try and tame your little pet.”
“Whatever do you mean?” The same woman asked, and Silver silently made up her mind that when she was strong enough this was the first Council member who would die.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
THE POINT OF BREAKING
Kate groaned inwardly as she looked down upon the dais in the Council room. Silver stood in front of the chained halfling, her posture showing that she wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who harmed him further. What had Gaillean been thinking when he brought her to the Council chamber? She glanced across to see him staring down at the scene as impassively as she was. Stupid emotionless rules, she had no way to warn Ellamae that she had just signed her death warrant, even if she’d wanted to.
“The sentence has been passed, he broke an oath.” Llewellyn grumbled. “The man must be dealt with in accordance to our laws.”
“So the laws mean you will not punish your children for breaking them intentionally, but when someone is possessed and breaks a vow you’ll take them to the brink of death? I hate to break it to you but those laws are unjust. I am working on finding Alda, and after what she’s done I don’t need any more incentive to find her quickly and kill her.” Kate didn’t have to spy on her thoughts to know Silver was thinking of Tommy. “Let him go.”
“Lenience in this matter will only encourage more oath breakers.” Ellamae advised the Council.
Marcus spoke. “Put it to a vote. All those in favour of releasing the accused?”
Gaillean’s hand was first in the air, his eyes daring the others around the Council to refuse. Kate watched as slowly a few more hands followed before adding her own.
Marcus counted and then spoke again. “Those in favour of continuing with the original sentence?”
More hands flew up, and Kate’s hope that some would be abstaining from the vote died a quick death.
“The sentence is to continue.” Marcus surmised. “Move away, daughter of my brother.”
“You’ll have to make me.” Silver growled.
“Gaillean, control your progeny.” Ellamae ordered.
“That’s rich considering none of you are asking Llewellyn to do the same.” Silver replied, and for a fraction of an instant Gaillean’s gaze held approval before he descended from his throne and placed a hand on her arm to whisper in her ear.
“What are you telling her?” Kate asked, before she realised what she was doing.
“Like any good father, I am promising that I will help her destroy everyone who voted against her wishes but she can only do it if she’s still alive after.”
Silver bent her head, then knelt to be beside Keenan looking into his eyes as they talked mind-to-mind. When they were done, Silver ran a single hand through his hair, a sign of affection that would previously have been unheard of for the Silver Eyed Wytch, and followed Gaillean.
“I wish to put a request before the Council.” Gaillean said, ascending the steps to his throne, gesturing for Silver to sit beside him on the massive seat. Silver chose to stand, but Kate saw the disapproving look on some of the Council members’ faces. “That, rather than sending the accused to a temple belonging to our priesthood after his punishment, we allow him to leave with my daughter, in recognition of her forgiving his crime.”
“She will heal the scars with the blood from the third world of demons.” Corrina noted, “That will defeat the point of the punishment.”
“I can vow she will not.” Gaillean replied. “And I will be held accountable if she does.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Darren commented. “Any objections?”
The room was silent.
“Then make your vow.” Ellamae instructed, clearly not believing Gaillean would do it.
“I vow that my daughter will not use the blood of third world demons to heal this man of any scars he gains from the Council’s punishment.”
“Accepted.” Marcus responded.
There was no pause between his words and Ellamae resuming the punishment. Kate watched as Silver stood motionless, staring at the wounds appearing sadistically across Keenan’s skin. She didn’t move as he groaned in pain, even her eyes were empty. How terrible must it be, Kate wondered, to have two fathers who let you watch while the people you loved were tortured to the point of breaking in front of you?
It continued for hours, and still there was no sign of stopping, Keenan was becoming dangerously pale and Kate was about to say something when Isaac beat her to it.
“He has had enough.” The words were quiet, but easily audible over the silence of the room.
The gash that had begun forming across the back of his knee halted.
“He’s all yours.” Ellamae informed Silver, possibly expecting a reaction, but Silver did nothing. She didn’t look at the other Ancient, simply turned and looked at Gaillean.
“I’d like him to live, so put us both back in Dalmorin.”
Gaillean nodded, and Silver descended the steps as Keenan’s manacles opened. She hesitated, obviously unsure where to hold him considering the way scars networked across every inch of his skin, then dragged one of his arms across her shoulders and supported him around the waist.
With one final, burning look at all of them, Silver disappeared.
“Why did you bring her here?” Marcus asked.
“I believed it was just to allow her the chance to voice her opinion.” Gaillean explained, not sounding in the least bit repentant. “She was right in what she was saying after all.”
“We punished a vow-breaker.” Llewellyn replied. “None of her accusations were true.”
“I suppose I am much like my daughter in my inability to tolerate absolute lies.” Gaillean replied. “Brothers and sisters, did you really believe I would not know about the meetings you hold without myself or Kate present? I am the eldest of us all; I know your words even when they are not spoken in my presence. You believed we were too lenient with Silver and you wanted her to be reminded of who she was working for.”
“Are you admitting to have some kind of extra power because you are the eldest of us all?” Darren asked.
“I told you of this at the beginning of days.” Gaillean reminded him. “Our makers created me to watch over you. You have been gathering without myself or Kate much as you did when our child was born decades ago. You wanted to remind my daughter why you brought her back; all you have done is increase her hatred of you. I was surprised
that all of you were still alive and unharmed when she left.”
With those final words voicing his clear opinion of their abilities Gaillean left.
Chapter Thirty
HIS HUMANITY
“LENA! GET ME SOME BANDAGES!” Silver bellowed as she lay Keenan down on a bed, not even noticing that it was her own.
The hounds bounded into the room within seconds, sensing her distress. At the sight of Keenan they growled.
“Who did this, my queen? We will make them pay.” Naphulan, who had come to help with the search for Tommy, promised.
“The Ancients punished him for breaking his vow never to betray me, even though he was possessed.” Silver explained. “LENA!” She yelled again for the brownie. “I’m not even allowed to use patho-demon blood because it will heal the scars.”
“Then take my blood.” Naphulan said simply.
“Any old demon blood won’t work.” Silver dismissed. “Patho-demons have blood that heals anything instantly, but I doubt it’s the same for hellhounds.”
“We have some healing ability.” Naphulan replied. “If you rub my blood into the wounds it will at least close them, but it won’t be strong enough to heal any scars.”
Silver ran carefully through the words of Gaillean’s vow, searching to see if this was a loophole she could use. Naphulan raked his own sharp teeth across his back leg, tearing a wound that gushed black blood.
She rubbed her hands through the bloody fur without any further hesitation. Slathering it onto Keenan’s skin she watched carefully as the thick black liquid ran into his injuries.
Barely anything happened for several minutes, and all Keenan did was grunt as her fingers ran over the jagged edges of the cuts as she spread more blood over him. Then something strange started to happen. The blood began to flow in rivulets towards the injuries, filling them and scabbing over. Encouraged, Silver turned him over and began to rub the blood into the single cut that ran down his face.
Lena joined and dismissed her a little while later, insisting that Silver had done all she could and the healing should be left to those with more experience. Naphulan stayed in the room with her, donating his blood where necessary while Silver fled to the safety of the forests.
“How many more must die because I can’t find Alda?” She demanded of the world as she swung her fist into a tree, uprooting it and sending it flying across a meadow.
“Silver,” Gaillean’s voice sounded tentative, “I tried, we couldn’t do anything without breaking the laws, and we don’t have enough people on our side yet.”
“Why did you even give me the chance to protest then?” Silver demanded. “Why give me hope he could be spared?”
“Because I had hoped more would join us.” He replied.
She finally turned to face him, and to her surprise he looked like he actually cared.
“The bitch that did that to him, she dies.” Silver said, wanting no misunderstanding between them.
“If you are ever able to manage that, I will not stop you.”
“And after I kill the half-ancients, will I become more powerful, as Romana did?”
“You are already infinitely powerful, yet I believe more abilities will be granted to you.” Gaillean met her eyes and there was a solemn quality to them.
“Do you not object to me killing your sister?” Silver asked. “Will you step into save her at the last moment?”
“Ellamae is a creature of the Council; she has purged all emotion from her system as they wish us all to do. She is no longer the sister I once knew.”
Silver nodded, “Where is Alda? Just tell me, I want this over with.”
“You know I cannot.”
“Tommy would be alive if you had disobeyed, Keenan wouldn’t be scarred for life.”
“On the contrary, I believe it was a long term plan to remind you of the reason for your being allowed to live. Keenan, as your lover, was the obvious choice to make you listen.”
“My lover?” Silver laughed, “Not as all-knowing as you claim to be, are you? There’s nothing between us!”
“The boy is clearly infatuated with you, since you allow him closer than anyone else I simply assumed…”
“Assumed? How unlike you not to pry into every aspect of my life!”
“I respect your boundaries!” Gaillean protested, and he looked like he might actually be close to blushing.
“So Keenan was chosen because of his closeness to me…”
“Yes, they didn’t want to anger Kate and I by using Romana and they didn’t want to weaken you by using your familiars.”
“Familiars? I only have the one.”
“Not as far as the Council is concerned.” Gaillean replied smugly. “They think each one of your little ‘pack’ is soul bonded to you.”
“Why?”
“Because there was no way they’d let them all exist for such a long time on this world if they weren’t.” Gaillean explained. “Those hounds are part of a realm even Ancients don’t usually access. The idea of so many demons entering our own realm is not one they like to entertain.”
Silver almost smiled at the image of that glossy, cold woman from the Council trembling in fear on her realm, but the image of Keenan’s wounds quickly smothered any humour she may have found.
“Mistress,” Lena called from inside the mountain. “He is awake and asking for you.”
“I am sorry for this.” Gaillean gestured towards the door. “There was nothing I could have done.” He disappeared and Silver was left alone.
“Mistress?”
“I’ll be there in a second!” She called back, sitting down in the long grass.
But the truth was she didn’t know if she could face him again, now that she knew the reason he had been chosen was because he was close to her and expendable. In a way it was her fault, Romana would see it as her fault, just as she found Silver to blame for the death of Tommy.
She couldn’t avoid him forever, but she could tell him to go back to the thieves. The Ancient’s hadn’t said anything about glamour either, so perhaps she could get Romana to do something to hide the scars. At the least she could offer him a peaceful life away from thieves and the Ancients and her. That would be the right thing to do, that would be what Romana would do.
It was for the best.
She stood, finally having made her decision, after what he’d just been through, there was no way he would refuse, she was certain of it. Her speed carried her swiftly down into the mountain as she thought about exactly what she would say.
Silver hesitated by the door to her room, smoothed the leather sleeves of her armour and tucked her hair behind her ears. With a deep breath she opened the door.
Keenan lay on a bed with clean sheets that showed how long she’d kept him waiting. His skin was covered in long black scabs where the hellhound blood had helped him and Naphulan was resting by the footboard while Theria was talking with Keenan.
“I’m here to offer you a choice.” She interrupted.
“What kind of choice?” Keenan asked, his eyes intense in a way that made her suspect he knew what was coming and had his answer ready for her.
“I’ll hire a wytch to cover your scars with glamour, and you can choose between returning to the thieves or I can set you up with as much money as you need to live a happy prosperous life away from all of this. It’s the least I can do after what you’ve been through.”
Theria gave her a shocked look, but Keenan just closed his eyes.
“How long till I heal?”
Naphulan raised his head over the foot of the bed and answered for her. “Give it a couple of hours.”
“Then in a couple of hours I will be by your side, helping you to track down Alda.” Keenan stated. “I don’t want glamour, I don’t want to return to the thieves and I’m insulted if you think I want your money.”
“You shouldn’t have to face any more danger because of me.” Silver muttered.
“Is this the Silver Eyed Wytch speaking
or her sister?” Keenan demanded. “You know I can fight and you know I don’t want peace. But neither of these things actually matter to you, I’m useful, I’m an asset. The Silver I know doesn’t throw away assets.”
“I am not Romana!” Silver growled. “I merely thought you would be less useful to me if your mind was messed up from torture!”
“My mind is fine.” Keenan replied. “I am getting revenge for Tommy and you can’t stop me. As for the scars, I’m keeping them; they’ll serve as a reminder to you of how seriously I take my oaths. I didn’t betray you, not even to the Ancients.” He must have seen her puzzled look because Keenan explained. “It seems your father and Kate have prevented them from spying on you, and they wanted me to tell them everything about you. They even went so far as to promise me immunity from my vows if I betrayed you. I refused.”
“He speaks the truth.” A sweet lilting voice came from the corner of the room and Silver whirled to face the threat, knives descending from her arm sheaths as she did so.
The golden eyes stopped her dead in her tracks.
“Peace, niece-mine.” The woman said, lowering the hood of a pale cloak to reveal her face. “I come not to harm either of your further, but as aid. My name is Marta, and I am sister to your father and seer of the Council.”
“Why are you here?” Silver demanded.
“I had hoped my presence here would summon Gaillean and Kate.” The woman replied, moving over to Keenan.
Silver tensed.
“I mean to heal him.” Marta explained. “I voted against his punishment.”
“That doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to let any one of you anywhere near him.” Silver informed her. “Why do you want to speak to my father?”
“We would like to offer him our allegiance.” A male voice from behind her and Theria growled as a second man lowered his hood. “Niece-mine, I also mean no threat to you. My name is Isaac, Marta and I are –”
“Isaac!” Marta was suddenly on the other side of the room, her hand across Isaac’s mouth. “We don’t know if the girl is trustworthy.” She turned quickly to face Silver with an apologetic look, “No offense meant.”
Silver's Redemption (Soul Merge Saga Book 3) Page 27