Arissa's Fate (Redemption Trilogy)

by Daul, Amanda

  At that exact moment, a shrill gunshot pierced the air from outside. Startled, Arissa gasped, feeling a sudden burn in her throat as she did, ducking instinctively.

  “Cayl,” she whispered to herself.

  The explosive shot had definitely come from the same side she had left Cayl on. Her heart cringed, painfully, and then broke into a ragged gallop. Still gasping for air from the shock, she struggled to form words.

  This seemed to amuse the man even more.

  “Ah. That would be the desperate measures now!” He stood, grinning in satisfaction.

  Before she realized what she was doing, Arissa threw herself across the short distance that separated them, colliding hard with the surprised man. It all happened in a matter of a few seconds, but in the time it took Arissa to reach for her knife, bringing it up high enough to swing into the man's chest, was just enough time for him to slam the butt of his pistol into the side of her face with a sickening crunch.

  The force threw her backwards and was so painful that Arissa thought she was going to pass out. Her vision was completely clouded with dazzling stars, her eyes ringing dreadfully from the blunt force. Immediately she tasted blood from the deep cut her teeth had made on the inside of her cheek.

  Before she could come fully back to consciousness, she felt a hard boot smash into her ribs, a muffled grunt escaping her bloodied lips. She lay on her side on the wooden floor of the Governor's office and suddenly she heard one boot stomp hard on the floor, directly beside her face.

  The man knelt down beside her, stabbing her knife into the floor, less than an inch away from her face. The handle of the dagger vibrated after he let go.

  His hand curled strongly against her throat as he spoke through gritted teeth, “Leave before I can't control myself anymore and I do kill you myself. You have ten seconds to be out that door before I start shooting.”

  His voice was uneven in her hazy mind, but the words were clear enough. Still wobbly, Arissa instantly began hauling herself to her feet, snatching her knife out of the floor board as she rose. The only thing on her mind now was Cayl.

  She shouldn't have left him.

  Without even bothering to glance back at the ugly man, she started for the door, trying desperately not to trip over her cloak. Her ribs burned with every jolt and her jaw was throbbing so terrible that it obscured her vision.

  She made sure that she was almost to the nearest hall that she could duck into, out of sight from the office, before she summoned her courage. All in a flash, Arissa wound up her arm and spun back to face the man for only a second, letting the dagger sail from her hand, flying across the air in a deathly spin. As she was dodging through the adjoining hall, she heard a terrible, pained scream echoing from behind her, followed by gunshots. One hit the wall directly beside her, shattering the wood beneath the wall. There was no time for Arissa to retrace her steps throughout the mansion; she had to get outside as quickly as possible, before she got caught in another trap.

  Running as fast as her feet could carry her, Arissa searched for the easiest hallways, but the one she was on now was long and narrow, and had no doors except for at the very end, which she knew only led into the maids’ quarters. It was amazing what she had retained on her tours of mansion over the years. If he caught up to her while she was trying to find a way out of the hall, she was as good as dead.

  However, there was a large bay window positioned directly at the end of the hall, opening up into the light of outdoors.

  The thought sickened her, but it was her only chance.

  Sucking in as deep a breath that she could, Arissa ordered her feet to run even faster as she barreled toward the glass window panes, nearly six feet wide and twice as high. A few moments before the encounter, she heard a mournful yell from behind her, a man's cry.

  Without thinking any further, Arissa launched herself at the window, ducking her face deep into the folds of her cloak as she impacted with the shattering glass.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Arissa landed on her shoulder with a shocking jar, pieces of shimmering glass still raining down around her. Throwing her cloak up over her face, she hoped it would block most of the falling shards, but she still felt several painful stings in her leg where the glass had torn through her clothing.

  Still feeling winded and staggering, she struggled to her feet, running along the edge of the mansion trying to see into the forest where she had left Cayl. There was no more noise behind her, no more gunshots and no sign that anyone else besides the strange man and several guards were anywhere near the house.

  When Arissa arrived at the clump of trees she had left Cayl by, her heart dropped deep into her stomach, her heart twisting in fear.

  Cayl was gone.

  All she could think about was him being dragged back through the forest, with a possible second bullet wound. She couldn't comprehend all of what had just happened, wondering if she had been led into a trap or if someone had simply been following them.

  Cursing herself for being careless, Arissa quickly began scanning the forest floor around her. Expecting to find a pool or a trail of blood, she saw nothing. But then something else caught her eye.

  The small, black handgun that Landon had sent with them. She had left it with Cayl, but he had apparently lost it. Arissa scrambled to pick it up, hastily, her fingers twitching and shaking as she fell to her knees beside it. With a trembling grip, she popped open the chamber for the bullets, knowing it had been fully loaded when Landon had given it to them.

  Relief flooded her and she closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling heavily.

  There was a round missing. Cayl had been the one to fire the shot, not a soldier. If anyone had been hit, it wasn't him. Now she trembled even more violently with relief.

  But where was he? Something wasn't adding up, but Arissa couldn't seem to gather her mind enough to comprehend what was happening. All she focused on was that Cayl was once again missing.

  Thinking back to what the strange man in the Governor's office had said, suddenly, a light dawned on Arissa. She knew where they had taken Cayl this time.

  The man had told her that he was to get Arissa back to the General, but they both knew full well they would have to outwit her to make that happen, and they had. Feeling ashamed, Arissa realized that all the while she thought she had been a step ahead, she was actually exactly in the middle of their plot.

  Somehow, they had found out that Arissa knew what had really happened now, at least enough to clear herself. The Lieutenant had killed the Governor to clear the way for his own promotion, and had done it in a way that Arissa would take the fall. The leaders knew Arissa would stop at nothing to prove her innocence, which is why they needed her out of the picture completely.

  They had kidnapped Cayl so she would be at her most vulnerable, in hopes of leading her directly into the General's grasp. Not expecting her to be able to outwit the Captain, the ploy at the mansion must have been their backup plan, knowing she would eventually return.

  Now the General had her. There was nothing left for her to do except find Cayl. She didn't need to run to conceal herself anymore. He knew that and Arissa knew exactly where they were.

  Whoever had kidnapped Cayl had taken him to their home in Daer.

  The General was all about making a statement. Disarming and executing Arissa in the place she felt her most strong, would make a statement even more powerful than he needed to show the public his power. Using their home as a target location was smart, but they hadn't been counting on the fury that she felt now. She would feel the blood of the General on her hands yet.

  The two horses remained exactly where they had left them. Arissa still wore her hood up and the mask over her eyes when she untied both horses, letting one go free. At first, the bay horse didn't know what to do except bob his head frantically. When he realized that he was free, he dug his hooves into the loose soil and bolted away quickly.

  After lifting herself into the saddle, Arissa urged the horse
into a fast gallop in the opposite direction of where the first horse had disappeared to.

  She thought about the grand house that she had lived in with Cayl, the same house that she had acquired from the General as one of her prearranged agreements. She hadn't chosen the house herself, but it was exactly what she had needed at the time to feel as if she finally had a home. Most of the houses in the territory were ramshackle, falling apart with broken windows and wide spaces between the boards, letting in the cold air. Landon's house had been one of the better ones for citizens, built by his father before Landon was even born.

  However, the houses and manors that the government officials and leaders lived in were overly extravagant, no expense spared for the best. Their house had been a few steps above what she had chosen herself, but Arissa had guessed the decadent house and beautiful piece of land that had come with it had also been a bit of a bribe on the General's part, to ensure her so-called loyalty to him. It was located only a few miles from the Governor's mansion, just out of sight and sound of the city of Daer.

  If the territory had a capitol, it would be Daer. The people who were able to live there weren't the street rats or thieves looking to steal anything that wasn't tied down. The majority of the population was respectable people, merchants or other tradesmen who earned an honest living. Being the city in which most of the government was based out of, it was necessary that they kept a good example around them, another reason why the reformatories had remained in Vailwood, a good distance away from Daer.

  Arissa knew a shortcut through the forest that connected the Governor's property to her and Cayl's, having ridden it many times on Raze for the meetings she had usually looked forward to with the Governor.

  When the edge of her home property came into sight, Arissa felt a painful tug of longing in her throat. The last time she had seen her home was the night she had left in a panic, bringing only Raze and her black, hooded cloak with her. She had taken this exact path to the Governor's as quickly as possible and after that, she had run. Honestly, she thought that her home was something she would never see again. She was almost worried about how she would react when she saw it again.

  There was no sense in trying to make a plan or anything, because she was too outnumbered. There would most likely be an army of militia and artillery waiting for her in the shadows somewhere, and the General would be waiting to sink his bullet into her chest.

  Arissa had long ago accepted that her life would not be long. Her death was too valuable for the General to pass up. Like she had said to herself before, he loved a good statement.

  No, she couldn't worry about herself anymore. She couldn't even worry about her home or her career. The only thing she had to lose right now was her family and she needed to free Cayl if she had to die to make that happen. He needed to survive, no matter what. She owed him that much.

  Arissa couldn't resist pulling the horse up to a halt when she finally reached the last, grassy knoll that revealed their estate spread out below. The house that looked nearly the same as the Governor's on the outside, but it held more memories and more joy for her than anything else ever had. But now she had to convince herself to let go on those memories.

  Her emotions were just as much her enemy as the General.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  There was no point in trying to be sneaky when entering the house. They knew she would show up and she didn't have to worry about a soldier jumping out of the bushes at her. The General would have made it clear to everyone else that Arissa was to be his kill.

  She released the bay horse as well, on the knoll. It was only a short walk through the landscaped lawn and the graveled path to the manor. It very well may be the last time she could see it, and she wanted to take the extra moment to revel in it alone.

  The General was not going to do anything drastic within the next minute. Even though it was still difficult to picture herself in a grand house like this, Arissa had never felt more at home than in the years she had lived here. Of course, that had only been because Cayl had been with her the entire time to help make her feel that way.

  She walked purposefully through the gravel stones, eyeing the house as she gradually approached it. The slate grey panels that made the outer walls looked the same, as did the tiled roof and the dark shutters, most of which were bolted shut from the inside. There were three storeys, like the Governor's mansion, but the entire house was a much smaller scale than his. Through the large, double doors at the front of the house, was a short foyer, leading openly into the large, empty space that sat between the doors to a large kitchen and a glass-plated sun room that she had barely ever gone into. Even though the glass walls were bulletproof, it felt too open and exposed for Arissa.

  Upstairs was their master bedroom and an office that she never had used. Once she was able to leave the IT for the day, the last thing she wanted to do at home was to think about it even more. The last room of the upstairs hallway was a smaller room that made Arissa's heart cringe just thinking about it. It was painted a delicate cream color, with a rocking chair in the corner that Landon had specially made for her.

  The stairs were straight, rather than curved or spiraled, and sat in the very center of the open room, directly ahead of the front door of the house. The doors that Arissa would walk through in only a few seconds. She couldn't imagine what would be waiting for her there, but she didn't have the nerve, patience or will to wait any longer.

  After climbing the dozen steps leading up to the manor, she had laid her hands gingerly on each door, feeling the smooth metal of the engraved handles. Summoning her courage and her strength, Arissa leaned heavily against the doors, shoving them both open as widely as they would go.

  The interior of the house had been dark from the closed windows, but now a solid stream of light filled the room, lighting up the staircase like a spotlight. Everything was perfectly silent.

  Before Arissa made any move to progress into the house, she mentally shut down everything she was feeling. She forgot about her family that was at stake, the job that she hated to associate herself with, even the fact that she had promised Cayl time and time again that she was trying to become a better person. She didn't care about any of it, and it felt like she had suddenly been sucked into a vortex and every murderous, vindictive and heartless thing she had ever thought of in her life filled her now. She felt vicious and lethal. She wanted only to kill.

  The sound of her boots walking heavily on the tile floor bounced off the walls of the house, echoing. It looked essentially the same way that it had when she left, but something about it felt empty and hollow. It felt almost as if the spirit of the house had died when it had been vacated months ago.

  Arissa didn't stop or bother to gaze around her until she was in the very center of the open room, her face deadpan and solemn. For a moment, nothing happened. She stood, listening and waiting but there seemed to be no sign of another person in the house. The light from the doorway only reached the first half of the staircase; the rest of the house was still encased in the shadows.

  Abruptly, the open doors behind her slammed shut, the stream of light disappearing at the same time. The intense force rattled the walls and Arissa could feel the floor quiver beneath her feet.

  This was it.

  It didn't remain dark for long. Within a few moments, the walls of the house lit up brighter than the ray of sun had. Arissa's face was still hidden beneath her mask and hood, but when her eyes climbed up the staircase that was now visible, she wasn't surprised by what she saw.

  Cayl stood at the top of the stairs, fresh blood dripped across his shirt. He was standing crooked, heavily favouring his injured side. His head was hung down in exhaustion, his overgrown hair appearing sweaty and limp around his face. His hands were forced behind his back, an armed soldier standing on either side of him, grasping his forearms.

  Arissa didn't move her head, only swept the area with her eyes. At the top of the stairs, the hall stretched in both directions, and ther
e was now a solid row of soldiers standing abreast for the entire visible length of the hall. Every one of them had his rifle trained exactly on Arissa.

  Finally, she ducked her chin closer to her shoulder to glance behind her. Another row of soldiers had formed a half circle behind her, blocking her from any of the exits of the room. There had to be over fifty soldiers in the room, but she still didn't see the General.

  The cynical, spiteful side of Arissa was rising quickly. She didn't bother to wait for him to appear before she simply called out to no one in particular, “You know, it's almost as if you don't trust me!”

  Her words rang off of the walls, calling back to her and echoing. At the sound of her voice, Cayl's head snapped up, his weak, tired face looking shocked.

  “Arissa! What are you doing?” he called back to her, almost angrily. One of the soldiers holding him rammed the butt of his rifle into Cayl's shoulder, causing him to crumple to his knees.

  She didn’t try to move, she was glancing to ever corner of the house, trying to find where the General was hiding. She knew he was there. Just being around the man sent sick shivers through her spine.

  “I told you to remain quiet, peasant.”

  That voice. It was a disturbingly eerie, smooth voice that a person could never forget, as hard as they tried. Arissa would know, she's been trying to for ten years.

  Her eyes burned with hatred as she glared upwards to the top of the stairs. From the shadows beyond where the light could reach, she saw him. The brief outline of the monstrous ruler of their doomed world appeared, moving slowly, conspicuously. Arissa had to bite her lip to keep from cursing aloud to the man she hated, She needed to keep her cool, and wait for the appropriate time to make her move.

  “Well, well,” he announced, loudly, the voice of arrogance carrying down to her level. He stood as if at attention, his arms linked behind his back, his nose raised arrogantly high. Even from the distance, Arissa could see the jagged, red scar that he was famous for. It had been a souvenir of the last battle that had ended the wars completely, leaving the entire world in mass destruction and ruins. The ugly scar reached close to his hairline, across his right eye and down to the chin that he held forward.