by Amanda Daul
The pile of dead bodies at her feet was no longer an issue. Flames were swiftly engulfing the entire interior of the borstal, filling the air with a thick, choking smoke and pressing against the thin wall that currently separated Arissa from the flames. Except for the bars and hinges on the door, everything was made of wood and would be burned through in a matter of minutes.
Using all of her strength and rage, she jerked and pushed against the door, but whatever it had been locked with held tight and unyielding. Her chest throbbed with the painful, panicked beats of her heart as it pounded hard against her ribs, and she could feel her pulse quickening in her neck. There had never been a situation that she had not been able to get out of, but this one was proving to be the first. The only way out was locked and the fire was growing more vicious by the second, fuelled by the obscene amounts of oil spread on the floor. Heat was pressing against her exposed skin, nearly hot enough to burn through the thin shirt she wore, rather than the protective leather she was accustomed to. She gave up at the door, the bars becoming too hot to hold and the smoke inhalation causing her to cough and choke too harshly. Her knees hit the floor sharply and her hands were instantly roaming over the pockets of the dead men, hoping to find a weapon or something that could help open the door. Ignoring the sopping mixture of blood and oil that had soaked into their clothes, she searched, but everything they had possessed had already been taken.
She couldn’t believe how quickly the fire had consumed the oil-soaked wood of the building, covering the entire floor and attacking the walls and ceiling with such force that it was too loud for Arissa to even hear her own desperate, calling screams. Somebody had to notice the smoke and flames before it was too late, she told herself, knowing it was unlikely. The borstal was hidden out of sight from the rest of the camp in a private corner where prisoners and spies couldn’t hear or see anything else that was happening. Whoever had killed the wardens, trapped her inside and set the fire knew that. They must have been watching her cabin, waiting for her to emerge.
Rage was more apparent to her than fear. Obviously, somebody in the camp, someone she had chosen to work with and expected to help them had turned on them or had been a spy all along and killing Arissa had been the main goal. No matter the cause, it was working and within another minute, the walls to the cell would be burned through and the extra amounts of oil she was standing in would implode even worse than it had on the other side.
Her strength was spiralling away. The smoke had no escape from the small building, becoming so thick and heavy that it was beginning to suffocate Arissa. Even crouched on her knees, she couldn’t escape the pressing, black cloud sinking lower to the floor, filling every inch of the air.
The startling loud ringing in her ears made it hard to hear the severe roaring from the flames as it licked away the last untouched wood of the wall, several pieces of burning wood falling around her, one scraping against the length of her arm, burning her as it plummeted to the floor. She could no longer see the wall, her eyes burning and stinging too bad to even consider opening them again, but she knew the entire building was only moments away from collapsing completely.
Her mind was swimming and it felt like she was tumbling as her consciousness began drifting. Digging her fingernails into the slippery floor boards in a futile attempt to keep herself upright, the burning pain in her lungs made it impossible to focus on anything else. The deadly fire roared around her as she lay weak and numb on the floor, struggling to draw any breath at all. She felt the impact of being hit by other falling debris, but couldn’t register the pain.
At first, she couldn’t decide if it had been a hallucination, but she could have sworn she heard a voice over the buzzing in her ears and the deafening roar of the blaze. It wasn’t until she felt a strong grip grab onto her did she realize it was real. Her eyes were pouring tears from the painful stinging, her legs unable to support her.
She heard her name being shouted only inches away from her, but they hardly registered. The instant she felt her feet being swept out from under her and the grasp around her tighten, her awareness fell away completely and her mind was consumed by the suffocating, black haze.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Words were coming to her, distortedly, as if from far away, through the haze in her mind. It was lifting slowly and a moment later she could feel her eyes stinging from the light in her face that was too bright. Each breath hurt, sharp and raw stabs dragging through her chest, but the intense heat that she remembered was gone. The strongest pain she felt was down her left arm, but even as she was processing her new surroundings, it was ebbing.
She was lying on her back, but couldn’t remember moving. It had been hot and hard to breath, some kind of slimy substance coating her hands, but all of that was gone now. The haze was clearing quickly now and she could understand that words being spoken above her.
“Are you sure she didn’t hit her head? Why did she faint like that?” Trax asked, his words rushed and worried.
“It was the smoke inhalation,” a lighter, feminine voice responded. “She’s going to be tired and the dressing on her arm will need changing soon, but other than that, she’ll be fine.”
Who was that? She had immediately recognized Trax’s accenting words, but the second voice wasn’t as clear to her. Feeling the full wave of anxiety hit her, she jumped awake, gasping sharply and wincing at the pain of her eyes opening too quickly in the brightness. Her hands trembled, clawing to find purchase against anything to hold her steady, finding a solid grip on Trax’s arm. It startled her at first, not realizing he was standing so close to her.
Arissa was in the second room that was attached to her quarters, where most of the medical supplies was stored, as well as a long table, which was where she was reclined on now. The first thing she noticed was Trax’s expressive blue eyes watching her intently, locking on her gaze as if his life depended on it.
“Arissa?”
She tried to speak clearly, but her throat felt so raw and the world around her was still spinning. Her grip tightened on his arm, forcing herself to sit up and repress the whelming urge to be sick. “T-Trax?”
Ignoring the fact that they weren’t alone again, Trax smoothly lifted both of his arms to pull her into a crushing hug against his chest. She was too weak and disoriented to protest even if she had wanted to, but being held against his solid, warm frame was comforting in a way she had never realized before. His other hand stroked her dark hair, lingering on the back of her neck. The simple touch brought a warm shudder through her, feeling utterly childlike, but she revelled in the gesture of adoration anyway.
With shaking words and uneven breaths, Arissa began to explain what had happened in the borstal as the memories flashed back to her. She wasn’t entirely sure he could understand everything she said, but she did her best to describe what had happened from when she had discovered the bodies to when the mysterious cloaked person had set the building ablaze and vanished. It made even less sense while she heard herself speak the words, but Trax hung on each word, fury and sorrow both drowning his expression while he listened. He never loosened his grip on her the entire time she talked, hesitant to break the eye contact that they both seemed to cling to. It wasn’t until a moment later when Arissa had remembered she had heard another person speaking to Trax. A part of her felt like she was still confused, like she was asleep.
It was Yasmine standing behind her, her petite face offering a small grin when Arissa turned sharply to eye her. It took a moment to register why she was there, but then she remembered Landon telling her that he had brought his family with him for safety’s sake.
“I bandaged your arm for you. It was mildly burned,” she explained in her soft voice. Her light blue eyes were transfixed on the bandage roll she was replacing as she spoke, about to add another comment when heavy boot steps from the front room interrupted them.
Landon appeared in the door, leaning in first to sweep his eyes over the room before advancing. He approache
d her slowly, his steps become lighter and quieter. Immediately, he asked Arissa how she was feeling, but the look on his face was telling her what all three of them were feeling.
She spoke for them, slowly regaining more breath as she struggled through her words. “This is gone too far. Somebody in this camp has betrayed us. First the prisoner and then the guards and now the fire. There’s no way to figure out who it is while we’re still working with them in such close quarters.”
“What do you suggest?” Trax asked, still gripping her hand. It seemed like he had made the contact even more evident since Landon had entered the room.
“Without a way to find out who it is, our only chance is to let them all go. Send everybody back out where they are supposed to be and hope we haven’t created something against ourselves.”
“Send them out? Everything you’ve been doing here, training and coaching, was all for nothing?” Landon intervened.
“We can hope that they are still willing to fight the General and they can still be on our purpose, they just won’t be here. It’s about time we actually use that advantage before it’s too late. They need to go on acting as if nothing has changed, but when in reality, they will be able to pick up information that’s vital for us to bring down the General. We can arrange certain meetings or something, but keeping everybody here is suddenly too dangerous.”
“What if it doesn’t work? If somebody got to the soldiers we’ve been training and convinced them to fight against us now, what’s to stop them from telling the General everything we know?” Trax’s voice rose with pent frustration, his deep blue eyes scanning everyone else’s in the room. Arissa even noticed him glance to Yasmine, who had retreated to a farther corner, replacing other supplies and staying out of the conversation.
“We don’t have much choice,” Arissa shot back, sliding down from the table. When she touched the floor, her knees buckled slightly, but Trax’s iron grip kept her on her feet. She recovered quickly with a trembling breath. “What we need now is a secret weapon. Something that isn’t connected to the General like the rogue soldiers were. Something more powerful and less time consuming.”
“What do you suggest?”
Arissa was aware of the reaction she was likely about to receive. It was a plan she had already pondered and dismissed multiple times, but now, she was desperate for an upper hand against the General.
“Varkland.”
Silence overwhelmed the room for a moment and she took advantage of that immediately.
“I am going to go to Varkland and recruit as many people as I can.”
“Varkland? That city is full of nothing but wanted murderers and thieves!” Landon exclaimed, obviously put off by the idea.
“What exactly do you think we are?” Arissa countered back, her words hot. “They’ve been wronged, too. If anyone has enough motive to want revenge against the man who destroyed their lives, it’s the settlers of Varkland. I’ve already thought about it and I’m going.”
“I’m going with you,” Trax volunteered. Arissa nodded, but offered no other reaction. “I’ll set up a few plans with the leaders and get everybody from the camp on their way. Whoever the killer is among us, he’ll leave with the rest of the soldiers for now. It will buy us some time.”
Landon took a step forward, nodding to both of them, his gaze reserved. “I’ll go, too. Unlike the two of you, I’m not wanted for anything related to murder or treason so I’m not as risk of being arrested. Or whatever it is the General is doing now without a law to follow.”
* * *
Despite the rejections of Yasmine, Trax and Landon, less than an hour after their conversation, Arissa had insisted on setting out for the Varkland Mountains. They were treacherous, dangerous and filled with horrible memories, but Arissa was convinced it was the last suitable option they had at the moment. Though her arm still burned, she feigned recovery from the fire, though she still felt slightly dizzy when she stood on her own.
Their departure had been almost a full day ago now, all three aboard horses from the stable. Arissa had opted to leave Raze behind, giving him a chance to recover from the exhausting amount of traveling he had done with her lately.
She motioned for them to stop after reaching the first suitable camping area. It was surrounded by thick and eerie trees, the ground made up of soft dirt rather than the sand or gravel she was more accustomed to traveling. All she could think about was the last time she had been into these mountains, remembering the horrors she had witnessed before finally being able to bring Cayl back to Daer.
While Trax had left to gather enough firewood for a small fire, Arissa was content with ignoring Landon, not really feeling up to any sort of conversation. However, only a few minutes after Trax left, he was at her side. He simply asked her how she felt, but Arissa could hear the underlying tone in his voice, there was something else he wanted to talk about.
From the moment he spoke the first word, she knew exactly what was going through his mind.
“So...” he began in an ominous tone. “Trax?”
“What about him?” she countered, feigning ignorance as if she didn’t know exactly what he meant.
“I don’t think he’s too concerned about keeping your private matters a secret. What exactly is going on with you two?”
Growing up with Landon, he had always been her only confidant, but after she had fled his family as a teenager, she hadn’t seen him as often as she had wanted and even less since marrying Yasmine. He still felt like a brother to her and she loved him as such, but she could feel his concern radiating from his words, the obvious topic in mind.
“Before you say anything...” she started, unwilling to look at him as she spoke, but he cut her off regardless.
“I talked to Cayl. I know what happened.”
An awkward silence settled over them, only interrupted when Arissa sighed heavily, struggling for words. “It’s not...we...I don’t know what Cayl told you, but Trax is not the reason we split up. Our relationship just wasn’t fair to him anymore.”
Landon nodded. “I’m not blaming you. You just seem different since the last time I saw you. You’re still as stubborn and intense as you’ve always been, but now it’s like you’re even more determined and focused. I guess now I know why. I just want to know what you think about him. Trax, I mean.”
“To be honest...” she trailed for a moment. “I have no idea. Believe it or not, it turns out that there is a lot more to Trax than just leather and sarcasm. I was pretty shocked, too.”
Scoffing once under his breath, Landon cracked a thin smile and his softening gaze practically forced to Arissa to look at him. “I’m pretty sure Trax doesn’t like me anymore than I like him and I won’t lie and say I’m not upset about what happened between you and Cayl, but you’ve always been able to take care of yourself. As much as I wish I could ignore it, I’ve seen how he looks at you. If being with Trax is what you really want, then Arissa, don’t push it away. I know you and the minute you think something like this could happen, you’re going to want to bolt. Trax is loyal and smart, I’ll give him that. No man looks at a woman the way he looks at you if he’s not planning on sticking around. After everything that you’ve been through, Arissa, you of all people deserve a happy ending.”
His consenting speech had been the last thing she expected to hear while on the journey into the Varkland Mountains and Arissa couldn’t help but to feel a bit stunned as she attempted to process his words.
“I just want you to be safe, Arissa. I love you like my own sister, it’s my instinct to want to protect you.”
Her throat felt thick with emotion, so she just nodded stiffly, fighting back the hot prickles in the back of her eyes. Too flustered to return his quick smile, he pulled her close for a quick hug around her shoulders, releasing her only a moment later.
As soon as Trax returned to the small area, Landon stepped away from Arissa, as if signalling the end of their conversation, gesturing up the hill where the path continu
ed.
“I’m going to keep going on my own. I think it would be safest if I went into Varkland alone.”
Ignoring the dizzying spin in her head and sting in her arm from moving to quickly, she was beside him in an instant. “Are you insane? You can’t go in there alone!”
“Out of the three of us, I’m the only one not wanted for murder and treason and conspiracy and whatever else the General has against the two of you. Nobody knows who I am, they won’t recognize me. Lots of people just show up in Varkland anyway, so no one will think anything of me there.”
“Not until you start asking questions about recruiting for an uprising. Landon, you can’t really-”
“Relax, I’ll leave that part to you. I’ll just go ahead to scout and see what we can expect. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Arissa made another point to argue, but Landon was already mounted on his horse again. Challenging her worried glare, he assured her once more and then began trotting off between the trees.
She watched after him for a few extra minutes, still remembering what he had said about her and Trax. Was it that obvious? They had only come to terms with what they were a few days ago and it seemed like Landon knew more about it than she did.
It still didn’t make sense, though. Landon had known Cayl ever since the day she had been released from the General’s prison with her. He had stood by them at their wedding, just as oblivious as Cayl to the truth behind the marriage. She would have expected him to be angry with her, more upset than he was about her leaving Cayl and Janelle, but it was just the opposite, he seemed completely supportive.
Trax pulled her from her exhausted trance a moment later. Her head was beginning to swirl again, the effects of the smoke inhalation still evident. Even with his hand resting against the small of her back, she still stumbled off balance when she turned.