“He will be kept tied up,” the old man said gruffly from nearby.
The old man was in his middle years and very much used to violence. He did not flinch as Vell turned on him. The old man had seen much in his life and this little trick from the shapeshifter was enough to cause him to hesitate, but to feel fear? Not anything like he felt when he looked into those bright, glowing, blue eyes he was avoiding at all cost. He had faced death almost every day of his life, but those blue eyes were like nothing he had ever seen and the unknown shook him. Yes, he was afraid of her.
“I am sure he was only asking as a precaution. He is a Chosen,” the old man said as he matched Vell glare for glare. The shapeshifter considered ripping the man’s throat out just to make a point, but he knew he needed him. Out of the three, this one was the most competent and he could not afford to lose him. But, that did not mean he could not rip his throat out the next time they met. He very much looked forward to their next meeting.
“Just make sure he is tied up at all times. I don’t think he can do anything that would cause us any problems. He got enough of that stuff to keep him out for a week,” the shapeshifter said as he turned to head for the stairs. He paused in front of the quivering man-boy and considered ripping his throat out just for fun. Man-boy wilted as the warm fluid ran down his leg. After a moment, Vell continued toward the exit. Without another word, he ascended the stairs and the door slammed with a loud echo.
“He is lucky he did not try anything,” Man-boy said, but his voice waivered.
The old man smacked Man-boy in the back of the head so hard he sent him sprawling. Man-boy hit the ground and whimpered. When he looked up, the old man could see a touch of blood on his lip. The old man moved closer to lean over him.
“Shut up you sniveling little girl,” he snarled. “Or I will shut you up permanently. I don’t know where they found you, but I don’t like you and I will send you back in a box. Your pants reek of the coward you are,” he said as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.
The old man raised his hand as if to back hand the coward. He decided against hitting him only because he did not want to hurt his hand on this worthless, sniveling, pathetic excuse of a man. He shook his head instead and spat in disgust. He pointed at the cage Darcienna was in as he spoke.
“Keep an eye on her. If she does anything, kill her,” the old man said. Man-boy turned white as a sheet as he glanced at those blue eyes. But, as he watched, they started to fade. Right then, the other man, who now had a broken nose after his fall, stumbled over to stand in front of her cage.
Darcienna focused on Kade to see if there was any movement. His form still showed no signs of coming to any time soon. It would take time, but if she was right, it would not take the week that Vell expected. Time might just be on her side, but that was yet to be seen.
“Darcienna,” said a voice further down the row of cells. The familiar voice shocked her out of her own thoughts.
“Judeen?” Darcienna asked, not expecting to see her again.
“Yes. Are you okay?” Judeen asked.
“I am. Do you know what they did with my boy?” Darcienna asked, almost pleading.
“I have him. They believe you will behave, knowing he is still alive and knowing they could take him from you at any time.”
“Don’t forget it,” the old man said in a threatening voice.
Darcienna glided to the edge of the cage as if he were the one behind bars. She locked eyes with him. He blinked first.
“You ain’t worth it,” he said as he swallowed hard and moved away.
“How are you, Judeen?” Darcienna asked.
“About as good as I can be, under the circumstances. How is Kade? Is he going to be alright?” she asked, trying to hide her fear.
“I’m not sure. They gave him some kind of drug that is supposed to keep him unconscious until Morg gets here,” Darcienna said.
“Who’s there?” a weak voice called from the end of the hall.
“Garig?” Judeen asked as she raced to the front of the cell.
“Yes,” he said as he struggled to stand. “Is that you, Judeen?”
“Yes,” she said with such relief that she almost cried. “We fell into a trap set by one of Morg’s men. What happened to you? Are you alright?” Judeen asked in a rush.
“Yes. Apparently Morg has agents in every town in all directions for days,” Garig said as he pressed against the bars to look down the row toward his wife. “I did not know you were coming to town.”
“We were not, until we decided to buy Kade some clothes.”
“Kade? He is here? Why?”
“He needed to come back to the house for something he left,” Judeen said, praying he would not ask what. He was sure to become enraged if he knew that a book empowered by the Divine was left under his roof.
“I see,” Garig said, breathing deeply and stretching. “How is everyone else?”
“I am okay,” Darcienna said. “They hit me a few times, but it is going to take more than that to keep me down,” she said as she raised her voice. “And wait until you see how I make them suffer,” she said for their captor’s benefit. There was frantic talk at the end of the hall until the old man could be heard telling Man-boy to shut up. Darcienna smiled to herself, satisfied that she had hit home with her comment.
“My son sure can pick them,” Garig said.
“Who says he was the one doing the picking?” Darcienna added sweetly.
“Well, it’s good to see you still have your sense of humor,” Garig said.
They continued to talk for several hours, careful with what they said, as they were certain there was always a chance of being overheard. Darcienna steadfastly watched Kade for any movement. She started to have her doubts about her plan working.
None of the men wanted to stay in the cell area for fear of those blue eyes. They took turns coming in and checking on them but would quickly retreat to slam the door shut and lock it. Broke-nose came in first and would not even so much as glance in Darcienna’s direction, then Man-boy for the next hour followed by the old man. They all seemed most concerned with Kade, but none forgot about Darcienna and her threat.
After some serious deliberations, the men decided to slit Darcienna’s throat. However, after they agreed it was a good idea, none of them wanted to complete the task. Finally, the old man looked on Man-boy and Broke-nose with disgust and headed for the dungeon. He opened the heavy, wooden door, walked through and stopped in front of her cell. Darcienna stood defiant, glaring. She moved closer to him, and he flinched. He swallowed hard as he looked into those eyes that were so bright now he would swear they were pure lightning. He swallowed hard again, turned and quickly retreated up the stairs.
“You didn’t do it,” Broke-nose said accusingly, confronting the old man. He got a solid hit directly in the nose for that comment and Broke-nose started to bleed again.
“You bastard,” Broke-nose screamed. “I should kill you,” he said, drawing his boot knife.
“You go ahead and try,” the old man said, sitting down on a log by a fire while turning his back to Broke-nose. The old man was a grizzled veteran and he knew that Broke-nose would not even consider following through on his threat, even with his back turned to him. “You think it’s so easy? Then you go do it. I ain’t touchin’ her. I ain’t doin’ a bloody thing with her. She can rot for all I care, but I ain’t going near her again,” he said with such finality that both men knew it to be true. Man-boy even thought that maybe the threat of Morg might not be enough to get him in a cell with her. Broke-nose walked to the other side of the fire and plopped down on a log while jamming his knife back into his boot. He grabbed a cloth from his pocket and pressed it to his nose to stop the bleeding.
“You did not have to hit me,” he scolded.
“Well now you know I am serious,” the old man grumped.
“What do we do if that Chosen wakes up?” Man-boy asked.
“We will decide that if and when it happe
ns,” the old man said, trying to sound unconcerned, but clearly it had him on pins and needles. What the other two did not know was that the old man was considering dropping this entire operation and running as fast and far as he could. He did not get to be as old as he was by not knowing when to fold his cards and retreat, no matter the amount of money involved…even if he thought he had a winning hand.
“We could just slit his throat,” Broke-nose said while dragging his finger across his neck and making a sound to match. Broke nose was clearly the least intelligent of the group.
The old man looked at Broke-nose as though he were looking at a child. The level of ignorance, and a clear lack of understanding of the consequence of such an act left him speechless. It was one thing to leave, but it was very much another thing to kill the person that Morg wanted above all else. Without this Chosen to occupy Morg, they would, most likely, be the next target for his revenge. No. Killing this man was not an option.
“If you ever utter that again, I will end you where you sit!” the old man raged as he shot to his feet. Spittle was flying from his mouth as he spoke. The two men sank in their seats. “I do not know where they found you two bumbling little children, but if you want to live, you will stop thinking. If I don’t kill you, then Vell will, and if he does not, I dread to think of how much Morg is going to make you suffer. Now shut up, and don’t even say another word,” the old man said as his hand moved to his knife at his side in a practiced move that said he could have it out and bloody in the blink of an eye.
Both men looked at each other, but neither dared say a word. Man-boy considered holding his ground as he was not a coward, or at least, he told himself this. He decided it was his idea to stay quiet and let it go.
Knife or no knife, he better watch his tongue, or he will lose it, Man-boy thought to himself as he looked into the fire. He stole glances at the grizzled fighter and flinched when the old man tossed something into the flames.
Back in the cell, Judeen breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly moved to the entrance, watching the door at the end of the row. Satisfied they were alone, she hissed to Darcienna.
“What was that?” Judeen asked in concern.
“They decided to kill me but could not follow through. I make them too uncomfortable,” Darcienna whispered.
“How did you know?” Judeen asked.
“It’s my gift,” Darcienna said as if that was all that was needed. She was not about to tell them that her gift fired off strongly because of their intent to take her life. Ironically, their attempt to take her life is what saved her. The glowing blue eyes were too much for them to take. She was not willing to explain any more in the event that the men could overhear.
Kade heard the voice of Darcienna drift into his thoughts. He tried to focus on her words but found it difficult. He struggled to figure out where he was but came up blank. He lay still, listening to the sweet sound of Darcienna and felt himself drifting toward her. The closer he got, the more things he could sense and feel. His hands were tied behind his back. He could smell dirt from the floor, and it made it hard for him to breathe. He rolled onto his back as he listened to other voices that also seemed familiar. He pried his eyes open and saw he was in a cell. He looked through the bars and saw a pair of bright, glowing eyes looking down the row of cells. It took a moment for him to realize what he was seeing. Relief flooded through him as he looked upon those beautiful, blazing, rivers of blue and listened to her.
“Darcienna,” Kade said in a dry, hoarse voice. Almost no sound came out so he cleared his throat and swallowed to get some moisture worked up so he could talk. “Darcienna,” Kade said. She was already looking at him.
“Kade. Keep your voice very, very quiet. They think you are going to be out for a week. We must let them think that,” Darcienna hissed. “Are you ok?”
“No,” Kade said through tight lips. “My head is pounding and my whole body hurts. What happened?”
“We fell into a trap. That was not your father we were talking to in the tavern. It was a shapeshifter. He calls himself Vell,” Darcienna whispered.
“I figured something like that just before I passed out,” Kade said as he recalled the last few moments just before the drugs took full effect.
“Kade, we need to get you out of here. Morg will be here by tomorrow. The shapeshifter is going to get him as we speak,” Darcienna said as she struggled to be as quiet as possible.
“Do you have any ideas? My hands are tied behind my back,” Kade said as his muscles cramped.
“What about the dragon?” Garig asked.
“Father,” Kade said in surprise, speaking a bit more loudly than he intended.
“Kade,” Darcienna hissed. “Quiet!”
“Father. I am so glad you are okay,” Kade said, barely a whisper, praying he was not still the object of his disgust.
“Yes, Son. I am okay. They did hit me a few times, trying to get information about you, but I’ll survive.”
“We will have to return the favor as soon as we get out of here,” Kade said roughly. Darcienna hissed again for him to be quiet. He turned toward her cell. “Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?” Kade asked, afraid of what men might do with a beautiful woman.
“They hit me a few times but nothing beyond that. I am fine, Kade.”
He gritted his teeth as the anger started to flow through him. Every second that passed cleaned the cobwebs out of his head. He forgot about his pain and pulled as hard as he could against the ropes. They strained and loosened. In time, they would give way, but for now, they held. Kade could feel a trickle of blood flow down from his wrist onto the back of his hand.
“Can your dragon help us?” Garig asked again.
“I will get us out of this,” Kade promised, not hearing his father through his rage. “And, I will make Morg pay. If there is one thing I am going to do, it is make that man pay,” he vowed.
“Kade, can your dragon help us?” Garig asked more insistently.
Just then, the door slammed open. Broke-nose came in and looked around cautiously. He slowly moved closer to Kade’s cage, ready to jump and run, as if he was expecting something to leap out at him. He crept over to the door and found Kade the way he had left him. With a huge sigh of relief, he turned to look at Garig and Judeen.
“I heard talking,” he said accusingly.
“You did not say we could not talk. And, even if you had, we still would not do as you say,” Judeen said rebelliously.
The man drew his knife and advanced on the cell. Kade opened his eye just a sliver. It was clear she was trying to distract him and get his mind off the line of questioning. Make him mad. That was all she was trying to do, but Kade feared it was going to backfire. He was trying to formulate a plan when his mother continued.
“Yes, that is a great idea,” Judeen said, indicating the knife. “I am sure Morg would not mind you killing us. I am sure he kept us alive when he had us captive in town for no reason. Oh, wait. There was a reason. Because he wanted us alive,” she said as she glared hard at the man. “So, if you want to kill us, know that your death won’t be far behind,” Judeen said without so much as a touch of fear.
“Bah. You are not worth it,” Broke-nose said as he slammed the dagger back home in its sheath and stormed out.
“You might want to have that nose looked at,” Judeen called after the man. Kade mentally shook his head. He was sure that there might be a time when his mother was going to push things a little too far. But, not this time. The man slammed the door so hard it echoed like thunder.
“My dear, you do have a way with words,” Garig said. “That could have gone wrong.”
“My dear,” she echoed. “It went as I wanted,” she said simply.
“Kade,” Garig said, turning his attention back to his son. “Can your dragon help?
“They have him drugged and tied down with chains,” Darcienna said.
Kade rolled toward the door. The cells were made of iron bars that were spaced s
ix inches apart, allowing him to look and see his parents. After two complete rolls, he was at the door. He lifted his head and found himself staring into Darcienna’s faintly glowing eyes just five feet away.
“We will get out of here,” Kade said as he felt his strength coming back to him. He pulled hard on his ropes and felt just a slight little more give, but they still held him fast.
“You should save your strength,” Darcienna said as she watched him strain against his bindings.
“Kade, how were you able to fight off the poison? The men said you would be out for at least a week.” Judeen commented.
“I am not sure,” Kade said.
“See. What would you do without me,” Darcienna said.
“You had something to do with purging the poison out of me,” Kade started to ask, but then realized as he spoke that she must have healed him and ended it as a statement.
“I was able to touch him just before we were captured. I tried to heal the poison out of his body, but they broke the contact between us before I could get all of it out. It looks like it was enough, though,” she said as she looked at him.
“I did feel your hand on me for just a moment,” Kade said, thinking back. “Yes, I do recall.”
Right then the door at the end of the hall opened, and Man-boy stalked in to stop in front of Kade’s cell. His eyes went wide with fear as he looked down at the Chosen, who was looking back at him in defiance. Kade saw the look of fear in the man’s eyes and decided to bluff.
“I’ll give you one chance to live,” Kade said as he watched the man’s jaw hit the floor. “If you open this door and help my friends now, I will spare you. If not, I will destroy you, this place, and all those who were involved with this,” he said in his most intimidating voice. Kade could see the sweat start to bead on Man-boy’s forehead. His composure was quickly crumbling. He tried to swallow several times, but his throat had closed up in fear.
The Divine Path (The Divine Series) Page 21