Asylum (Dragon Reign Book 6)

by Kit Bladegrave

  “How many did you say?” Hank asked, holding his sword at the ready as we backed up together, staring straight up.

  “I don’t remember,” I hissed.

  “We should—”

  A web shot out of the shadows and took Hank with it, plastering him to a tree. With him stuck fast, I aimed my hands and prayed for the light to work through me, but all it did was sputter. “Come on! Just work already!”

  “Sabella, get out of here!” Hank yelled as another spider bashed through tree branches and hit the ground, those pincers clicking hungrily.

  I froze until those eight, blood red eyes turned to me, and it stood on its back four legs. Then I was running, drawing the monster as far away from Hank as I could get it. I yelled when a shot of web flew past my head, weaving between the trees as another monster hit the ground to my right, knocking over trees and sending me staggering far off to the left. I felt the light inside me, but no matter how hard I tried, or how loud I yelled at it to come out, nothing happened. Those pincers clicked right behind me, death coming for me much sooner than I expected. Silly me thought I’d be lucky enough to have a vision of when my time would come so I could prepare for it. Apparently, that wasn’t in the cards.

  “Shit!” I shrieked as my arms windmilled at my sides when my toes reached the edge of the cliff and a fifty-foot drop onto sharp, jagged rocks.

  The two spiders clicked their pincers excitedly as I turned around, gulping as I stared them down. Those eyes reflected their hunger, and I desperately tried to get my power to work, mumbling under my breath as I stretched my hands out again and again, but after another bright flicker, the light was sucked away by the shadows, and I sagged. I swore the spiders cackled as they moved in. Did I let myself get eaten or jump off the cliff? The spiders prepared to shoot me with webs, and I crouched low, covering my head when a thunderous snarl cut through the night, and a large, furry body appeared out of the darkness, throwing himself into the two spiders and tackled them to the ground.

  All three figures disappeared into the trees, and I ran after them, waiting for a yelp of pain from the wolf. Instead, I ducked as a hairy, long leg came flying toward me, followed by more before the shrieking of the spiders was cut off by fierce growling and the wet, sticky sound of bodies being torn apart. That same furry body stalked out of the shadows, yellow eyes glowing, black blood covering his face and half his body. He bared his fangs at me, his hackles raised.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” I snapped at Tristan, and he huffed. “What?”

  He shook out his head, refusing to shift back. I crossed my arms and didn’t back down.

  “I know you told me not to leave, but what choice did I have, huh? I got a vision of those things attacking you and your party! And what about the villagers with you?”

  He growled louder as Hank and my guard slowly crept forward from the shadows. He started to turn toward them, but I picked up a stick and chucked it at his head, so he whipped back around, eyes narrowed at me as he gnashed his jaws.

  “Don’t you dare take it out on them,” I warned. “They came out here to keep me safe just like you ordered them. And you can’t sit there and tell me you would’ve checked this ridge? Would you?”

  When he didn’t move a muscle, I smirked in triumph.

  “That’s what I thought. I came out here to save your ass,” I said until he huffed. “Yeah, I know you wound up saving mine, but still. I wasn’t just going to sit back at the castle, waiting for you to come back home when I knew these things were waiting for you!”

  His eyes moved in a circle, and I threw another stick at him making him snap his jaws.

  “Did you seriously just roll your eyes at me? Really? You know what, maybe the next time I see you being torn apart by some vicious monster, I won’t come help you. How about that?” I stalked past him. He shifted his body to try and block me, but I kept on walking, not in the mood to deal with him right now. Ungrateful furball. “Hank, let’s go.”

  I could tell Hank was trying to hide a smirk and failing. Tristan snapped his jaws at him, and Hank coughed harshly as he fell in line behind me. The remainder of my guard followed, and I stomped down the slope, stepping carefully over spider corpses and legs, sloshing through puddles of black blood in my boots, until we finally reached the trees where we’d hitched our horses.

  “You know he’s going to give you hell once he gets back,” Hank warned as we mounted up.

  “Yeah and?”

  “And I’m just saying, maybe you should start listening to him more.”

  “So, you want me not to let him know when I have a vision that’s going to save his life?” I argued.

  “I’m saying you’re acting like a seer and not part of the pack,” he corrected. “I know you’re not a shifter, but you have to see this from his side, Sabella. The alpha is always obeyed.”

  I flicked the reins, and my chestnut mare started down the road. “Maybe it’s time for a change.”

  “You can’t change instincts,” he warned, but I ignored him.

  Shifter or not, Tristan was making it very difficult for me to do what I was brought here to do: protect him and the rest of the races. Every time I had a vision now, his first order of business seemed to be finding out what it was of and then tricking me into staying behind while he sent others out to deal with the threat. Forrest had returned to Gregornath to deal with the sudden threat of hellhounds along with banshees that had moved into his territory, but Craig and Kate were still in Torolf. There’d been plenty of nights where I would find her and vent about Tristan.

  I thought after proving to him I could handle myself, he would let up a bit on the over-protectiveness, but it had only gotten worse. The darkness unleashed by Baladon did nothing to help me prove I could keep myself safe. It zapped the light from me every time I tried to use it, just like tonight. I might get one or two hits with it, but then it would just disappear.

  Tonight would be like so many others. As soon as Tristan returned, he’d track me down and lecture me on putting my life in danger, and on and on and on. I told him repeatedly, though he refused to listen, that being part god meant I was not as fragile as he assumed. I healed much faster from wounds now, and though I wasn’t sure about the whole immortal thing, I sensed it would take a lot to kill me. I hoped. That didn’t mean I wasn’t scared of having that theory tested, such as tonight when I was almost eaten by spiders, but it should’ve made him feel better. Not like he had to watch me every second of the day.

  The moments where we seemed happy with each other were starting to be few and far between. Somedays, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering and drifting toward the notion that there was a chance we weren’t as perfect for each other as we thought.

  By the time we reached the stables, I was in no mood to talk to anyone and kept my mouth shut as I helped the two wounded shifters from my guard inside to see the physician.

  “From the way your brow is furrowed,” Kate said, and I glanced up to see her at the stairs, “I’d say tonight did not go as planned. What happened?”

  I shrugged. “Let’s just say Tristan is not a happy wolf.”

  “That bad?”

  “I went out to save him and what happens? Oh, that’s right, he winds up saving me. Again.”

  I told her exactly what occurred as she followed me up to my room, so I could change out of my spider-blood drenched clothes and scrub the rest of the crap off my skin.

  “You can’t blame him too much,” Kate said a few minutes later, and I scowled at her. “What?”

  “You sound like the rest of the shifters in this damned castle.”

  She tilted her head back and forth with a cringe. “Your power has been a bit shaky,” she said as she waved her hand back and forth. “If it was still like when you defeated the statue, I don’t think he’d worry as much. And then there’s the visions.”

  I ground my teeth, vigorously scrubbing at a spot of spider blood on my arm. “There’s nothing wrong with my visions
.”

  “Really? Cut the bullshit, Sabella.”

  My head shot up as my jaw dropped.

  “Don’t look at me like that. Tristan talks to Craig, and he talks to me. I know you’ve been having visions at least two times a day if not more,” she said, crossing her arms as those green eyes flared at me. “Tristan’s worried about you. Says it’s breaking you down and that your sanity is questionable afterward.”

  I avoided her intense, worried gaze as I went back to scrubbing my arm. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not. Is it really getting that bad?”

  I set the cloth back in the water basin and glanced up at my reflection, specks of blood dotting my face and my hair a right mess after running through the woods with giant spiders chasing me. With Tristan around, everything was sharper, clearer… but that didn’t account for the moments right before or after a vision hit me. I’d forget where I was, that I was even a seer. A few times, I hated to admit I forgot who Tristan was and would freak out until everything came back to me. So far, we managed to keep those moments private, so no one else knew how bad it got, but I refused to say aloud my fear of not coming back from the craziness one time. I felt terrible for it, too, making Tristan have to deal with me on top of fighting a war with no end in sight. Not to mention, we were still clueless when it came to that damned riddle and trying to come up with a plan to free the trapped gods, including my mother.

  Kate sighed and hurried over to me as my shoulders hunched and I fought back the first round of tears, hating I felt like breaking down. “It’ll all work out,” she told me, “you just have to have a little faith.”

  “How am I supposed to do that when I might fall apart before we find a way to win this war?”

  “You won’t.”

  I laughed bitterly. “You didn’t know me before all of this. You didn’t see me at my worst when nothing made sense. When I would spend days lost in my own head,” I whispered. “If that happens again with Baladon around? And these powers inside me?” I couldn’t stop my imagination from running off with me and hung my head. “The last thing I want to do is hurt someone.”

  “Then don’t.”

  I wished I could have that much optimism, but after tonight, knowing Tristan would be upset with me again and that Hank seemed to think I was the one messing up, my happy thoughts went out the window. I told Kate I was going to finish washing up then wait for the return of his majesty. She hugged me and promised again everything would work out. I willed myself, as I splashed water on my face and scrubbed at it until it was red, for a vision to come to me, one that would give me all the answers.

  But nothing happened, and after ten minutes, I grunted in annoyance, giving up. So much for being a useful seer.

  Chapter 2

  Tristan

  I stormed into the castle, shifting back the second my feet hit stone.

  “Get the villagers set for the night,” I ordered Boris who shifted beside me. “See to the wounded.”

  “Of course, sire, and where may I ask will you be?” he asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

  “Where do you think?” I snapped and ran up the stairs toward my chambers.

  My clothes stank as did the rest of me. I was covered in blood, saliva, and other shit I didn’t want to know what it was. After the fight at the village, I expected to have a quick run back to the castle and turn in for the night, but then we’d heard the panicked yells, and the second I saw that bright flash of white light, my heart had been in my throat as I took off, heading straight for it.

  Sabella. Why didn’t she ever just listen to me?

  Those creatures had her backed to the edge of the cliff. A few seconds later, if I’d been just a few seconds too late, they would’ve killed her. It didn’t matter to me if she was part god or not, we had no idea what her healing was like, or if she was immortal. I for one was not willing to risk it. My hands curled into fists so tight, my fingers protested, but I didn’t let up. If she was going to be part of this pack, she had to learn there was no disobeying orders, not mine. Not ever. I did it to keep her safe, keep the rest of my pack safe. Why couldn’t she understand that? She swore to me she was stable, but she was only lying to us both, and one of these times, I wouldn’t get there in time to save her life.

  I washed up hurriedly in my chambers, growling the entire time, before I pulled on fresh clothes and stormed through the side door and into the short hall that connected my rooms to hers. I threw the door open so hard it banged into the wall and waited to hear her yell at me, but her chambers were silent.

  “Sabella?”

  I cautiously stepped inside. She’d been known to throw things at me after a fight like the one we had out on that cliff. Nothing flew at my head, and I took another few steps, starting to worry.

  “Sabella?” I said louder then sniffed the air. Lilac. She was here… and then I spotted her red hair blowing in the night wind as she stood out on her balcony. Taking a deep breath and reminding myself to keep a tight leash on my anger, I went to her, but stopped a few feet short, standing in the doorway.

  I hadn’t tried to be quiet, so she had to know I was there, but she didn’t turn.

  “We’re going to play it like this then?” I muttered, but she didn’t even glance back at me. “Fine, if you’re not going to talk then I will. You deliberately disobeyed me, again! You can’t keep running off like that and straight into danger! None of us know what these creatures are or how strong and yet you insist on taking off with only your guard to protect you and are you even thinking about their safety?”

  She bristled at my words and whipped around. About damned time. “Of course, I do! Just like I was thinking about yours which is why I was out there in the first place!”

  “I would have been fine,” I argued, and she crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. “Really?”

  “What? What am I supposed to do when I get a vision and see you being ripped to pieces in it? Sit here, bat my eyelashes and think to myself, ‘Oh, he’s a strong alpha, he’ll be alright. Nothing can hurt him. I’ll just stand on my balcony, holding my handkerchief, and pray he’ll come home to me.’ Is that really what you want me to do? Really!”

  I ground my teeth as I growled. “I am stronger than you seem to realize.”

  “So am I!”

  “You are not a shifter! You are a seer—”

  “And part god! You always seem to forget that part!”

  “That means nothing,” I shot back. “We don’t know what your limits are because you’re half god, only half.”

  We glared each other down, both of our chests heaving in anger before I grunted in annoyance.

  “You will start listening to my orders, Sabella. You agreed to be part of this pack, and that means do as I say! I am the alpha, not you!” I yelled, losing grip on my anger very quickly, all out of fear of losing her.

  A flicker of doubt flashed across her face, and I wished I could take my words back. Too late.

  “You’re right, just like I’m not a shifter and… and… oh hell,” she mumbled a second before she collapsed as her eyes turned foggy.

  I caught her and sank to the floor, waiting impatiently for whatever rambling words were about to spill out of her mouth this time. “Leave it to you to have a vision to get out of an argument,” I whispered, more to myself since she couldn’t hear me. Her hands twitched, and her head jerked to the right and left before she sucked in a sharp breath and my gut clenched. This was not like any other time. “Sabella?”

  The fog in her eyes darkened, and an evil cackle that was not hers slipped from her open mouth. “How sweet you are, looking after my niece.”

  I froze as those dark eyes focused on me. “Baladon?” This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be.

  The cackling grew louder. “I see you continue to kill my pets, King Tristan, that’s not a very nice way to treat one of your gods now is it? No, no it’s not. What am I to do with you and your pack of mangy mutts, hmm? What indeed?”

&
nbsp; “We will stop you,” I warned him. “And I will personally find a way to end your existence.”

  “Is that so? I look forward to your attempts before I destroy you and all the others who defy me.”

  A cold shiver shot down my back, hearing this horrible voice coming from Sabella’s mouth.

  “Perhaps the next test will prove what type of leader you truly are, King Tristan. Tick tock, soon, very soon, I will have the power I need to make the darkness permanent and turn this world into a never-ending nightmare …”

  His words cut off and Sabella went rigid in my arms before she coughed harshly and sat up, eyes wild as she blinked, and the fog disappeared. I held her loosely, and then her eyes shot to my arms then up to my face, and she screamed, scrambling to get away.

  “Who are you?” she demanded, pressing her back against the railing as I stayed right where I was.

  “My name is Tristan, and you are Sabella,” I said calmly, while inside, I wanted to yell in frustration and worry about having to go through this again with her. “You are safe here. You just have to remember.”

  “Tristan?” she repeated, her eyes focusing only on my face. “I… I know you …”

  “Yes, you do. Take your time, it’ll all come back to you.”

  She nodded fervently, breathing in and out through her nose hard. Slowly, the recognition came back, and I sighed when she threw herself back into my arms, tucking her head against my shoulder as I embraced her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault like I tell you every time,” I grunted and cupped her face in my hands. “But you have to stop scaring me like this, can we agree on that at least?”

  She nibbled her lip. “I won’t sit by and do nothing, I can’t.”

  I sighed but kissed her before we both got to our feet. I waited for her to tell me what she saw, or about having Baladon inside her head, but all she asked was what she told me this time around. I kept her hand tucked in mine as I shrugged. “Nothing important, at least not that I could tell. Just more talk about monsters and what not,” I lied.