“That won’t work this time, I’m afraid and she didn’t even listen to her living friends when they told her to stay and leave it up to them.”
“She’s alone?”
“She has her horse but people wise, yeah, she’s alone.”
He sighed again. “Just tell her to go back. I don’t want her to get hurt. There’s too many down here. She would never make it to me.”
“If that’s your word then I’ll tell her.”
“It is.”
I knew I couldn’t help him since that would be altering something but I would do as he asked and I told Jay everything he said—she didn’t seem to care.
“But where is he?” She asked. “That’s what I need to know.”
“I don’t know where he is. Somewhere underground. He mentioned there being a lot of people down there.”
“Bandits. I should have known. How do I find him?”
I sighed to her determination and sat next to her. “I shouldn’t be encouraging this but I know you’re not going to give up in finding him.”
“Of course not. He’s talking crazy. He should know that I wouldn’t. Tell me.”
“You’re never without help.”
“I feel like it. They made me come alone.”
“But you’re never alone either. Trever wouldn’t have just left you defenseless while he traveled the world. What did he leave you?”
She was still like she was thinking then pulled a small vial on a chain from her corset.
“He left you Lex and Rouge?”
“Yes but how can they help?”
“When you get into bandit territory, you should stop for the night and let them come to you.”
“You mean get kidnapped too?”
“No. Of course not. Set up a diversion. Making them think that someone is actually at the site and they’ll come. That’s when you send the lions out to kill them but make sure to leave one alive but injured. You use him to take you to the hideout where Troy is.”
“That’s brilliant. It sounds like an Adele plan, minus using the lions.”
“Well, yes, I am pretty smart when I want to be.”
“Thank you, Kole. I don’t think I could have gotten this far without you. You always seem to be there for me.”
“I try to be but I need to be getting back.”
“Of course. Tell—”
“I will. Bye, Jay and remember you just need your blood to summon them and they’ll only listen to you.”
I didn’t want to linger and get caught up in the past. She had something to do.
Chapter 11
Jaylyn
Kole was gone. It was nice to see him even for a minute and he did a good thing. He gave me more hope in finding Troy and bringing him back.
I looked at the vial in my hand and was ready. “Okay. Let’s do this. I need you.”
I opened it and sprinkled the golden flakes on the ground away from the fire then cut my finger with the sharp blade at the end of the bow still on my back.
The drops of blood fell on the ground and started to mix with the gold, turning into a black liquid. It started to seep into the ground and I took a few steps back to wait for the rest.
The earth began to rumble like thunder and cracked open like the cause of an earthquake. My eyes gazed down and the thunder sound soon turned into growls and sharp claws started to rip through the earth. I backed up even more, keeping Rajet steady as the two great black lions sprouted from the earth with one long roar.
“Lex. Rouge. It’s me. It’s Jaylyn. Trever is not here. It’s just me.” The lions turned to me and bowed their heads. “I need your help.”
One approached me who I’d like to think was Lex since he’s the one I spent time with before and turned his body to the side in front of me, looking over his back.
I smiled and climbed on like he had offered. “We ride west. To Troy.”
Rajet was left behind to wonder the plains or even try to follow if he wanted. I wasn’t overly concerned. He could always find me and I began my ride through the dark, getting closer to reaching the bandit country of western Seni and Troy. I could feel it and I wanted nothing more.
I traveled for two straight days and reached a campsite where maybe Troy was taken. The fire pit had footprints around it and a tear came out of my eyes, falling in one before I got angry. I ripped off my jacket and started with my plan.
I closed up the front of it and stuffed it full of fallen leaves, laying it on the ground to make it look like a person was in it. I used other parts of nature to make a head and legs and I waited up in a nearby tree with Lex and Rouge taking cover nicely in the shadows.
It seemed that hours have passed with no sign of other life until I heard voices within the trees below. “Look there. We’ve got ourselves another trespasser.”
“Watch it.” Another voice said. “It could be them.”
“Them? With no horse and only one visible person? It’s not them. I wouldn’t expect that they’d rest. This is some other no good intruder. Come on.”
I watched about ten men come out of the trees from under me and start to surround the fire.
“One. Two. Three.”
A few of the men attacked the fake body as I got out Kole’s bow and a single arrow.
“This isn’t human.” One said.
“What? What do you mean?”
“It’s a dummy.”
“A trap!”
I shot the arrow and it went straight through two men, sticking in a third from the force I learned to wield. Others started to panic and looked around as those three men fell dead. “We’re under attack!”
I knew they didn’t know where I was yet and I put the bow back on my back securely and flipped down out of the tree. The seven men left saw me and had their weapons out.
“It’s a girl.” One of them said.
“A very attractive girl that the chief would be quiet impressed with.” They all smiled and started moving towards me. I just stood with my hands by my thighs as they got closer, waiting in the still of the night. “Hold still, girlie and you won’t feel a thing.”
I smiled. “Oh, well, that’s comforting. I wish I could say the same thing for you.”
Yellow glowing eyes appeared out of the shadows on each side of me and the lions attacked.
The men instantly became cowards and started scurrying around, only making it more fun for Lex and Rouge. Their sharp claws sliced through flesh and their massive jaws crushed bones. Blood was everywhere. Cries of dying men echoed in the night until Lex and Rouge surrounded the last living man, recognizing their orders.
I stepped to them as they parted for me and looked down on the man.
“Just do it.”
“No.” I took out Troy’s sword I had at my side. “I seek the keeper of this sword and you are going to take me to him.” The man looked at me with fear as I pulled him up and pushed him back towards the trees. “Move.”
We walked into the darkness with Lex and Rouge following and I kept Troy’s sword pressed against the back of the bandit.
I was almost there; I was going to save him.
Chapter 12
Zayden
This was indeed a new experience. I was running on all fours but surprisingly picking up quite a bit of speed even with Darius on my back. He didn’t really seem to weigh anything but it was still weird. I’m sure he thought so too but it was better than leaving him behind. He always hated showing it let alone saying it but he cared about Troy just as much as I did and we both wanted to be there for him and make sure he’s okay.
We traveled for days without stopping; we couldn’t. We needed to find Jaylyn and make sure she was safe before finding Troy but I was getting more worried the longer it took. It didn’t help that we found her horse a few hours back without her anywhere nearby. Darius took over riding so it would come with us but I still couldn’t help but wonder why she would have walked. Something must have happened and I knew exactly what when we stumbled across the campsite
days later and saw all the dead.
“Think she’s been through here?” Ryon asked.
“I don’t know. Look at this.” I sniffed down to one of the dead bodies. “This is a bite wound.”
“A bite? From what?” Darius asked.
“Remember those two lions, the black ones, the ones I only got to hear about?” Adele asked.
“Yeah?”
“She has them.”
“That must be why she left her horse behind.” Ryon said.
“Looks like she kept one alive.”
I looked over to where Darius was pointing and examined the compressed dirt in the area. “A body lay here but no blood.”
“Why’d she keep him alive?”
The question was simple and it made me mentally smile just thinking of the answer. “A guide. Good girl. Let’s go! We’re getting close. They haven’t been dead long.”
Adele hopped on my back this time instead of Ryon’s and we started running south after Jaylyn. We were close and it would seem our time of nonstop running had paid off but she was still out of reach. Hopefully, with a captive, she was moving slower and we would catch up before she reached wherever it was she was going.
Chapter 13
Jaylyn
Several more hours passed and we finally stopped at a large hill that looked like it had been dug out on one side.
“That’s the entrance.” My captive said. “Tunnels go for miles underground like a giant labyrinth. You won’t find him before you’re caught.”
“That’s not your concern, is it?”
“Maybe it is. I can help you.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
He put his head down and spoke softly. “Because I know what it’s like to lose someone you love because of them.”
“But you’re one of them.”
“I am now. I didn’t have a choice. I had nothing else to live for.”
I almost felt bad but didn’t want to show emotion for his experience when I had my own to focus on and I kept my concentration on that. “So, what’s your entry plan? You have to realize that I have to kill everyone.”
“I understand that. It’s not like this is much of a family. We don’t sacrifice for each other but you should know there are probably about twenty inside and the chief.”
“Do they have any special fighting skills?”
“I’m not sure that any do. We’re mostly made up of drifters. Maybe some deserters from war but not many are. The chief’s right hand man is Jackal. He has some war experience and not exactly the kind of guy you don’t want to get on the wrong side of.”
“Oh, I probably do.”
“He’s the one who’s been transporting your Troy around.”
I immediately looked over. “You know his name?”
“We’ve seen his mark. Everyone knows who he is.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“The chief wanted him to be placed in the containment chamber. That’s where those who await death are kept. I’m positive they haven’t moved him since.”
“Okay.”
“What’s the plan? We walk in and start killing?”
“We don’t have to.” Lex and Rouge peered towards the entrance with low growls and I smiled. “They’ll take care of it.”
The man couldn’t even make eye contact with the lions and we started towards the hill’s entrance.
Everyone had to be already inside if they were there at all. It probably wasn’t the kind of place that had men posted outside like they were civilized by any means. We were able to go right in and I personally started out slowly killing randomly.
The bandits seemed more like night creatures and probably spent most of their days inside so the farther away from the entrance we got, the more there were.
I killed a man that was coming around a corner and whispered to my captive. “Take me to Troy.”
“We’ll have to pass through the dome room. It’s usually where most gather.”
“Well, I already killed about five of them so there should only be fifteen left.”
“Plus the chief. He’ll be sitting in the throne equivalent straight through the door.”
“Are you saying he should be killed first?”
“It would be smartest. He’d be less likely to give out orders dead but we couldn’t go straight to him without getting caught.”
“I can.” We stopped just outside of the closed door and I took out the bow.
“Okay, I’ve seen it you put it through people but can it go through a door?”
“If I use the right arrow.” I pulled out a single one that was made completely out of steel, including the shaft. “Stand back.” I hooked the arrow and aimed it directly at the center of the door. “Shall we say hello?”
“We shall.”
I let go of the arrow with a smile and it went straight through the door. We heard the commotion and the door had slowly started to open.
I pushed it the rest of the way while I put the bow back. “Lex! Rouge! Go!”
The lions bursts through the door and wreaked havoc on the unsuspecting men while we waited just outside it.
I stood casual with my arms folded, not effected by the sounds of death going on inside and noticed my captive’s eyes on me. “What?”
“Nothing.” He smiled. “Just an unusual day for me.”
“I’m used to this, okay? Death loses shock when you’re around it as much as me.” I pushed open the door when sounds of distress faded away and Lex and Rouge stood proudly over their kills. “Okay. Let’s see.” I looked around the room and counted the bodies. “That’s strange.”
“What?”
“I only count fourteen bodies.”
He looked around the room at the bodies as well but a bit more thorough. “I don’t see Jackal. Did you?”
“I don’t know what he looks like.”
“Pretty recognizable. He has a long scar down his left cheek.”
“If there were going to be any survivors from this, a few of them would come out with the same thing.”
He laughed, seeing the scratch marks on some of their faces. “Yeah. I suppose so.”
“Take me to Troy.”
He nodded and was about to turn away.
“Jaylyn!”
We stopped from taking another step and saw Adele and Darius come through the door.
“Adele! Darius! Ah, hi!”
“Did you do all of this?” Adele asked.
“No—they did.” Lex and Rouge stood behind me, waiting for an order.
“Oh, well, I think they missed one.” Darius said as he looked at my captive and took a step forward.
“No!” I got in between them. “I need him. He’s going to take me to Troy.”
I looked back at him and he nodded. “He’s this way.” He walked towards a hall in the left side of the room and I started to follow with Lex and Rouge close behind.
He led us through dirt hallways and I was right at his side.
“He’s inside. Or should be.”
“He is. I can feel him.”
He looked a little confused from my saying that as I started pushing on the door to open it.
“She’s special.” Adele said.
“I can’t.” I huffed, trying to move the heavy door but couldn’t budge it.
“Move. I’ve got it.” Darius stepped through us to get to the door and I was anxious as I watched him use his massive strength to push open the door with ease.
The door finally creaked open and I peaked my head in. “Troy?” I saw the skeletons and looked around more in sort of an almost crouched position to see passed the low ceiling until I saw just his feet. “Troy!”
Chapter 14
Darius
Jaylyn jumped down in with us right behind her. Troy was sitting up against a back wall with his legs straight out in front of him and his head hung down with his hair covering all sights of his face.
She got right close to him and tilted his
head back, moving the hair over the top of his head like he always kept it. He was so pale and look really thin just after days.
“I know you’re alive.” Jaylyn whispered.
“Jaylyn?” Adele didn’t seem hopeful.
“He’s alive!” She snatched. “He’s just really sick. That happens when you don’t eat.”
“No. It’s blood poisoning.” The bandit among us said.
“How the fuck do you know?” I asked defensively.
“I’ve seen it before.” He knelt down on the other side of Troy. “Look.” He opened the front of Troy’s shirt where it was cut and his Great Seni Fighter symbol was slashed up and severely infected from not being treated.
“Oh, no.” Jaylyn’s eye watered.
“Jackal.”
“What?” I asked, annoyed. I didn’t know why he was still here. He couldn’t care.
“It’s his mark cut into his skin.”
I looked at Adele and couldn’t make sense of anything.
“He’s a guy.” Jaylyn said.
“And still alive. I’m going to find him.”
He finally left the room and Jaylyn kept her attention on Troy.
“You can fix it.” Adele said.
“I can heal the wounds but resetting the ink would be your department.”
“Not until we get home. I’d need more ink to be able to fix it.”
Jaylyn sighed. “He’s not going to like it.”
“It’s okay, Jaylyn. Fixing that now isn’t a priority.”
“Fine. I’ll do what I can but we have to get home quickly. It’s not even going to look close to what it used to. Where’s Zayden? He’d agree.”
Adele and I looked at each other, knowing we shouldn’t go into detail right now.
“He sort of has this thing about being underground at the moment.” I said. “Just get started.”
Jaylyn looked to Troy and put her hand on his forehead to get a sense of what he needed healed. I hoped it wasn’t much. While she was there, her eyes started to glow and we waited.
A few moments passed and she paused from it all, lowering her hand and taking a deep breath. “Okay. I’m going to need your help with his next part.”
New Roots (Fate's Intent Book 8) Page 4