Huntress Lost
Page 18
If I thought he had been still before, he now went stiller than death. For only the space of a few moments, then he released his hands from their clasp and let them drop to his sides. One of his fingers twitched twice.
“That is an interesting story as well. I guess time will tell whether you are delusional or if there is merit to your tall tale.”
“Well, while that time passes I suggest you watch your back,” I said, casting him a smile of my own.
“Thank you for that helpful recommendation. Perhaps before your death sentence we’ll utilize the Artifex one more time, and take care of Soo Kai and her band of Hunters. She is a defiant one, even if what you say is not entirely true.” His large black eyes bored into me, predatory and terrifyingly emotionless. “You’ve told me the trick to using it, after all. I just need to kill someone you love.”
With that, he flashed a smile and exited the room. The door shut behind him with a resounding boom.
I crawled into a corner and hyperventilated before sobbing myself to sleep.
It was hours later, a day maybe, before the Timekeeper came. I wasn’t terribly surprised when he/she appeared abruptly in my cell. Moonlight streamed in through my tiny window and the Timekeeper nearly camouflaged in the silver of it, except for those dark eyes. It spun its scepter by way of greeting.
“Not exactly the luxury treatment you’re getting here,” the Timekeeper said with a mock frown.
I was sitting up, my back against the wall. “They think I killed over ten thousand people.”
“Well, you did,” the Timekeeper said. “Don’t be in denial, Evryn. It’s not becoming.”
“If you’re here to kill me, get it over with. I’m not playing your little games, you sick bastard. You know what you did.” I turned my head and leaned my cheek against the wall.
“Ah, but you did play my little game, and a glorious game it was. I warned you that Soo Kai owed me a favor. But you traipsed on back to her like a good little lamb.” The Timekeeper grinned and the scepter twirled.
“I was trying to protect my mother,” I said weakly, my strength fading.
“Well, that backfired big time, didn’t it?”
I felt dead inside, like there was nothing left in me to fight. “Go take over the world or whatever you’re going to do. I told Casseroux you’re after him. He’s scared.”
“Is he now? How delicious.” The Timekeeper flicked its tongue out as if it could taste it.
“That’s your plan, right? Domination over all the realms?”
The Timekeeper’s brow furrowed. “That’s rather cliché, don’t you think? Perhaps something a bit more entertaining.”
“I’m not going to beg you to tell me.”
“Good, because I’m not going to. You know how I love a good surprise for everyone, most of all my little Lost One.” It paused. “But I will tell you this: that stag’s horn is really going to come in handy.”
The Timekeeper winked at me and vanished as abruptly as it’d appeared.
I slept after that. I slept most of the time. Night passed, day came, then night again. I wondered if Kellan knew I was in here. If he cared. And where had Rorie gone, back in Ellsmer? Had he still been there when the Artifex—when I—had destroyed it? Did my father know I was here? Was Jaffe imprisoned somewhere in this fortress with me? And frequently, my thoughts drifted to Xavyr. If anyone could get me out of this, it was him. But I didn’t think I wanted to be saved.
My dreams were the worst. They made the one where I fell into the Timekeeper’s realm seem like a walk in the park. It was basically a loop of the Hunter’s War, my mother dying, Ellsmer being destroyed, and then the corpses of those who had died parading before my face, shouting accusations. Often, that little bird in the window would wake me with its chirping. I’d never been so grateful for something in my whole life.
On the third day in my prison, since I’d woken at least, I became aware of the bird when I was awake. Before it had always come when I was asleep, and then been gone by the time I woke up. I cast my eyes up to it, shielding myself from the sun, which hurt after spending so long in a dim room.
It was a small brown bird, like the one in my dream with the stag. It flitted back and forth, balancing on the bars by using its little tail feathers. Something was held in its mouth.
Slowly, I rose to my feet, though everything hurt. I moved with care so as not to startle the thing, but it didn’t seem the least bit afraid of me. When I shuffled directly beneath it in the window, I could see that its eyes were a strange burgundy color. I reached up and took what it held in its mouth, which was a tiny, tiny roll of paper.
With trembling fingers, I unrolled the bird’s gift. Written on the scrap of paper, in an elegant script, were four words:
I follow the starling
I read the words several times. The witch, Mirelda. Was it a note from her? How did she know about me?
For the rest of the day, I paced my small cell. I felt stronger than I had since I’d gotten here. The agony of my mother and of Ellsmer still pressed down on me like a thousand mountains, but now there was something else: hope. Casseroux and the Timekeeper still had to be stopped. Soo Kai had been right about one thing: Casseroux did intend on picking off the Hunters one by one. And I wouldn’t see the end of my kind without a fight.
Night came, and as the hours passed with no sign of Mirelda or escape, I began to grow weary again. When tears streaked my cheeks, I felt a cold nudge on my hand and looked down to see that my fox had appeared. I hugged her and fell asleep with her soft fur against my chest.
At dawn, they came for me. Casseroux and a procession of a dozen soldiers.
“Take her to the showers,” he said, his lip curled as if it were my fault. “She’s unpresentable in this state.”
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“Your trial,” he said, and he turned and left.
Two of the soldiers flanked me and we marched down the halls of the fortress. As I passed one of the other prison cells, I thought I saw Jaffe sitting inside on a metal bench. We went down several flights of stairs and then after an abrupt turn, I was deposited outside of a large bathroom.
“Someone needs to watch her in there,” one of the soldiers said.
“I’m more than happy to do it,” said the other, leering at me.
“I’ll do it,” came a female voice. A voice I recognized instantly.
Sabin strode up behind the guards, who didn’t look thrilled at her interference.
“We can take care of it,” said the one.
“Titus requested me,” Sabin said in a fire-brand tone. “Now move out of the way.”
She took me by the elbow and led me into the bathroom, which held a large pool in the center. With a pointed look at the soldiers, she shut the door loudly in their faces.
I turned to face Sabin, but a door on the opposite wall opened, and a woman walked toward us. Burgundy hair, burgundy eyes. A small brown bird sat on her shoulder.
“Mirelda,” I said breathily, too shocked to move.
“Yes,” said the witch in her familiar voice. The voice that had haunted my dreams, the voice that spoke of deep magic.
Sabin squeezed my arm. “Don’t just stand there. We’re here to help you escape.”
Did you miss the first book?
Check out Huntress Found, Book 1 in The Timekeeper’s War series!
Huntress at War, Book 3, is coming in 2018
You can also check out Alexia’s bestselling Zyan Star urban fantasy series
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About the Author
Alexia is the author of the Zyan Star urban fantas
y series, and The Timekeeper’s War contemporary fantasy series. She lives in Florida with her son, two cats, a dog, a horse, and a bearded dragon. When she's not writing or reading, she can be found playing with horses, drinking wine, traveling to the next place on her global wish list, or maybe doing yoga. Dr. Who, unicorns and katanas make her very happy. Connect with her at www.alexiachamberlynn.com.