by Avril Sabine
“I’m not, kitten. But I won’t show them weakness or let them think they have something I need,” Ronan said directly to Amber.
She stared at the wall when they stepped into the kitchen. It was covered in pictures. From oldest to newest, starting at the left and travelling down the wall in columns. Hand drawn, painted, photographs. Some were smudged and faded. Rows of black and white photos eventually gave way to colour. The final picture was halfway down the wall. Amber looked into the defiant gold eyes, bronze hair tangled around her face while two hooded figures held her captive.
“That’s Ariana.” Ronan jabbed his finger at the picture.
Kade stared at the photos. “They’re Gold. Many of them pure Gold.”
The man shook his head. “Impossible. They can’t be.”
Ronan slammed him against the wall beside the pictures. “Take a closer look. They’re Gold. Most of them the purest of Gold. Their sacrifices were worthless. They gave you a handful of years in exchange for hundreds of their own years.”
“It can’t be true. The binding can’t fail. You don’t know what that means if it fails.” The man struggled to escape Ronan.
“Then how about you tell me,” Ronan said.
“We’re dead. All humans are dead. Humans, Knights, Knight Mages. Dead.”
“What about the dragons?” Amber asked. “You didn’t mention the dragons.”
The man met her eyes. “Because they can win against them. They can turn into their dragon form, strike then retreat. Hell Hounds can’t fly. They can move fast, but they can’t fly.”
Before Amber could ask another question, Miles said, “More are coming. They’re running up the hill. We’ve got maybe a minute. There’s fourteen.”
She felt Cooper and Miles move into the main room. A moment of panic hit her. How were they meant to face another fourteen? And how many of them were Knight Mages? They’d barely taken this one. Meeting Ronan’s steady gaze, her panic receded.
“Destroy the binding,” Ronan said.
Amber nodded, turning into a goshawk and flying into the main room. Behind her she could hear the man screaming that they were making a mistake. She landed in the stone bowl, turning human and drawing her sword. The bowl was as large as a double bed and in the centre was a jagged hole, barely big enough to put her hand into it. Remembering the instructions she’d read in the book Ronan had given her, she called flames to her sword before plunging it into the hole.
“No!” People burst into the main room, a woman with a caged Pliethin screaming at her.
Amber could barely focus on her surroundings. It felt like her entire body was engulfed in flames. She screamed, her head thrown back as the bowl shattered, falling to the ground in large chunks, only her sword keeping her from falling too. She tightened her grip on it as she fought to stay in place.
The flames died down and Amber slumped forward, the jagged hole and the pedestal all that was left of the bowl. Hands grabbed her as she started to fall, Kade pulling her sword from the pedestal. Arguments raged in the background. Guns and swords were drawn and she noticed her people had their backs to her, facing the Knights in front of them, the shackled man now with his own people. It took her a moment to realise that Rian was gone. She drew away from Kade and Crystal, who’d helped her to the ground, and drained power from one of her bracelets before she took her sword.
“Where’s Rian?”
“Bringing an army,” Ronan said.
“How long until they’re here?” the shackled man asked.
Ronan grinned, his predatory one. “You’re too late. Do you think you can do much with this handful? I have an army out there waiting for me.”
“They’ve got to get to you first. No one can enter here through the Void.”
Amber automatically searched the area, looking for the army Ronan had mentioned. She couldn’t find them, but realised she could now search outside the area they stood in. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. This building has changed since the binding was broken.” She frowned. “Actually, there’s something odd with the air. Like a wave of something.”
“Fear.” The shackled man held out his hands. “Let me go. Don’t leave me to die chained.”
Ronan shook his head. “Do you take me for an idiot? Then what? Give you a knife to stab me with?”
“No. You haven’t got a clue what you’re about to face. Can’t you feel the fear building? By the time they arrive we’ll barely be able to fight them. We’ll be fighting against our urge to run every bit as hard as we’ll be fighting against the Hell Hounds.” Continuing to hold out his hands, he took a step towards them, the grey chain rattling at his movements. “Let me go. Please.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Amber pushed past Ronan, sheathing her sword. “What’s your name?”
The man stared at her like she’d gone mad. “We don’t have time for this. The hounds are coming.”
A shiver passed through Amber as she heard the echo of Vikki in his words. “I know. So you better tell me quickly.”
“Simon.”
Amber took another step closer to him. “Can we trust your word?”
“More than you can trust the word of a dragon.”
“What are you doing, kitten?”
She ignored Ronan. “If we let you go to fight against the Hell Hounds, you have to come with us once we defeat them. Not all the Hell Hounds, just the ones that are coming right now.”
A woman moved to stand beside Simon and grabbed his arm. “Don’t do it.”
“Why would you trust me to keep my word?” Simon pulled his arm from her grip.
Amber held his gaze a moment, feeling the sensation of fear slowly increase. “Because we have Jonah and Wayne.” She didn’t bother mentioning Stanley as he obviously wasn’t important to them. “All we want to do for now is talk.” And hopefully find a way to call a truce so they could all work towards getting rid of the Hell Hounds.
“What happens if I don’t agree?”
“Don’t give in to them.” Again the woman grabbed Simon’s arm.
He shook her off like he had before. “Let go, Hannah.” His gaze remained on Amber. “We’re running out of time. Can’t you feel it?”
“What do you think will happen? If you lie to us, what do you think we’ll do to Jonah?” She didn’t have a clue what she’d be capable of doing, but doubted it would be anywhere near what Ronan would do.
“If I come with you, will you set Jonah and Wayne free?”
Amber shook her head. “No.”
“If you come with us after this battle we will keep you for no more than a week. Providing you don’t try to escape and your people don’t try to find you,” Ronan said.
Simon didn’t even glance towards Ronan. He continued to hold Amber’s gaze, ignoring the warnings from his own people. Finally he held out his hands. “I give you my word.”
Ronan took a key from his pocket and unlocked the shackles, letting them drop to the ground. Stepping back, he withdrew his phone and made a call. “It’s time. Only a handful.” He hung up.
“What’s going on?” Hannah demanded.
“Reinforcements,” Ronan said. “Even I can feel the change in air pressure.”
Rian brought Daray into the room for a moment. When Rian let go of him, Daray disappeared. Rian did the same and they both reappeared with Alsandair and Chait.
“Looks like I broke more than just the binding,” Amber said.
“How many more are you bringing in here?” Hannah demanded.
“That’s enough for now. We need space to fight. We’ll see how many hounds come through,” Ronan said.
“They must be getting closer.” Cooper rubbed his hands up and down his arms.
“Are we just going to stand around here, waiting?” Crystal asked. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“Practice trying not to run,” Hannah said.
She felt a large wave of fear rush over her. Cooper whimpered beside her. It was a familiar sen
sation. One she’d lived with for months. The exact sensation she felt every time she faced a battle. A smile formed and her shoulders straightened. She was more than ready. This was what drove her. This sensation.
“Can’t you feel it?”
She glanced towards Simon, nodding. “Yeah, but this is what makes me fight. Fear for those I need to protect.”
Ronan laughed, gesturing towards her. “She is what mages once were. They thrived on the fear the hounds brought, leaving death in their wake.”
Amber opened her mouth to argue. Three creatures came out of the Void, each seven foot tall, snarling, with large fangs visible. They looked like upright, rabid dogs with clawed hands and heat emanating from them, waves of terror preceding them.
Cooper shrank back, whimpering again. Amber stepped in front of him and Miles. “You back with us, Miles?”
“Yes.” There was fear in his voice.
“Good. Then stay out of the way.” She ran towards the closest Hell Hound, who was already under attack from some of her people. The rest helped the Knights fight the other two. Turning into a panther, she launched herself at the hound. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs and she turned into a goshawk, flying away as he tried to crush her. He was on his feet before she landed and became human again. She barely managed to dodge his attack and it was only because the hound also fought Kade and Ronan that he missed her. She had to learn how to move faster.
Becoming a goshawk, she darted in behind him, landing and becoming human as he spun to face her. By the time her daggers were in her hands, flames bursting along the blades, the hound was facing her. She plunged the daggers into his body, one into his stomach, the other in his chest. The smell of burning flesh filled the air around her as she let go of the daggers to again turn into a goshawk and fly out of the crushing grip of the hound.
He roared, clawing at the daggers that were embedded in his body, swatting at the blades that Ronan, Kade and Rian attacked him with. Landing, Amber drew her sword, wondering how much it was going to take to kill the beast. She drew fire to her blade, attacking him with it. He howled, blocking her with his razor sharp claws. When he turned to meet Kade’s blade, she plunged her sword into his side. He barely faltered.
“Here!”
Amber turned towards Kade, catching the sword he threw to her, calling flame to his blade as she drove it into the hound. The beast roared, molten blood pouring over her hands as he fell towards her, Kade and Ronan dragging him off her.
She stared down at the beast as she healed the blisters his blood had caused on her hands and arms, taking the weapons Rian had retrieved for her. Looking around, she saw there was still one hound fighting. He was surrounded. Scattered around the room were unmoving bodies. A glance showed that none of them were her people, but she had to look. Had to see if they were alive or could be healed.
Most of them had minor wounds, one was dead, and one looked like he wouldn’t last much longer. She tried to heal the man, but the dragon bone still wasn’t enough. She called Rian to her. “I want to give him some dragon blood, but I’m not sure if I should use Gold blood.”
“I will bring Maira.”
Rian disappeared before she could say anything. Pressing her hands against the torn flesh of the man’s chest, she tried to slow the bleeding. It didn’t help. Her hands were immediately covered in blood.
Rian and Maira came out of the Void and Maira knelt beside her, dripping blood into the Knight’s wound. Amber felt the life ebbing away and she frantically tried to knit together the torn flesh. She vaguely heard Simon and Hannah arguing with Rian, while Kade and Ronan kept them from their companion. Drawing power from another bracelet, she continued to try and heal the Knight.
“Maira, more blood, please.”
Maira came forward again, dripping more blood onto the man’s wound. He opened his eyes to stare up at Amber. His blue eyes were filled with confusion, then panic. He began to fight against her hands, trying to pull away.
“Rian!” Maira called out, pinning one of the man’s arms down. Rian knelt at the other side of him to do the same.
“Don’t fight me,” Amber said softly. “You’ll tear open what I’ve repaired.”
“You’re poisoning me.”
“It is the dragon blood. You will recover from it,” Rian said.
“Why?” The man continued to look up at Amber as she crouched over him.
The wound finally closed and she sat back on her heels, drawing power from two of her bracelets. “I’m a healer.”
Cooper knelt beside her, a bowl of water held out.
She gratefully rinsed some of the blood from her hands, trying not to focus on the colour of the water. Rian helped her to her feet and she stepped out of the way as the Knights crowded in to check on the man.
Kade joined her, sliding an arm around her waist. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Tired.” She looked around the room, her eyes pausing at each of the Hell Hounds. “I just want to go home.”
Ronan crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Not yet. I’ve got a job for you to do.” He headed for the closest Hell Hound, glancing over his shoulder to her. “Well?”
Sighing, Amber joined him, staring down at the hound. It was the one she’d helped kill. “What?”
He held out a piece of paper that had been folded into quarters. “If you speak one word, I will take you to the crypt and leave you there without a Pliethin.”
Recalling how he’d said he wouldn’t show the Knights any weakness earlier she guessed she wasn’t about to appreciate what was written on the paper. Reluctantly taking it, she unfolded the paper, reading over the words. Her anger grew as she read through the lines that covered a third of the page. Reaching the end she shoved the paper back at him.
“Burn it.” Ronan continued to hold the piece of paper out.
Calling a fireball to her hand, Amber smiled slightly as she pushed it against the paper, hoping it burned Ronan too. It burst into flames and Ronan dropped it to the ground. “What are you waiting for?”
Sensing Rian and Daray come closer, Amber waved them back. She crouched by the hound, wrapping her hand around the still warm arm, pressing the fingers of her other hand into the Pliethin cage. Shuffling backwards slightly she moved into the Void, watching as Kade stepped forward, stopping just before he reached where she was. She was relieved he didn’t step through her. It was one of the worst feelings.
Looking down at the hound she concentrated on trying to follow the instructions Ronan had given her. It took several minutes to find the pathway. Still holding onto the hound’s arm, she searched for more threads. There were none. And the one leading to this Hell Hound was slowly fading. But if the rest of the mages could learn how to do this than they wouldn’t be caught unprepared.
She couldn’t see why they’d be unable to. Dragon Mages had been able to do it centuries ago. With the help of their dragon, who would take them into the Void, they would choose the pathway leading to the Hell Hound and their dragon would take them to it. Shuffling back slightly, she came out of the Void, bringing the hound with her. Rising to her feet she glanced towards the kitchen wanting to wash her hands again.
Chait picked up the Hell Hound and disappeared into the Void.
“If you’re planning on using it to teach the other mages, you better hurry. The thread is fading,” Amber said.
“Rian, take Crystal and organise the rest of the mages.” Ronan turned to Alsandair. “Return Cooper and Miles to the castle, let the army know to remain on standby, then return here.”
Simon and Hannah joined them. After cutting off Hannah’s complaints, Simon said, ” There’s no need to keep your army here. I’m ready to go with you.”
Ronan reached for Simon. Amber beat him to it, grabbing his other arm. “I’m sure I can offer him more comfortable accommodations than you. Besides, the Knights already know where I live.”
Ronan held her gaze for a moment before he let go of Simon’s arm. His gaze
fell on Simon. “Jonah and Wayne are in my care. Don’t forget that.” Ronan disappeared into the Void.
Amber doubted he’d left the area. “Are you ready to come with me now?”
Hannah said no at the same time as Simon nodded. Hannah grabbed Simon’s arm, glaring at Amber. “If anything happens to him.”
“Don’t come after him and nothing will.” Amber glanced towards Kade and nodded at the question in his eyes. Pushing her fingers into the Pliethin cage, she stepped into the Void taking Simon with her. She drew the thread of the pathway to the planning room to her, stepping out of the Void before she could be pushed from it. She let go of Simon’s arm.
Both Kade and Daray arrived in the room.
“Can I see Jonah?”
Amber shook her head. “Not now. Maybe tomorrow. Daray will show you to one of the guest bedrooms. Let him know if you need anything.”
“I am to watch over you, not your captives,” Daray said directly to Amber.
“I have others who can do that. I’m not planning to go anywhere other than bed. Well, after I wash. I don’t want anything to happen to Simon before we’ve had a chance to talk to him.”
Daray nodded and reached for Simon.
Simon stepped away from him. “I can walk.”
Daray grinned. “The Void is quicker and you’ll be less likely to make a map of it.” Again he reached for Simon this time managing to take him through the Void.
Amber checked the location Daray had taken Simon to before she turned to Kade, sighing. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“I doubt Ronan will let you.”
“So do I.” She reached for Kade, linking her blood stained fingers through his before she took them through the Void to their bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The first thing Simon did when he saw Amber the next morning was ask to see Jonah again.
“Can’t we at least have breakfast first?”
Kade grinned. “You don’t want to see her when she gets really hungry. It tends to bring out the wild animal in her.”