Kassie clung to the saddle when Kerak dived with a screech and Rumal lunged up from a crouch, hurling another spear through the rapthna’s head. The ancient dragon bellowed in pain and lashed out with its strong tail, making Phroma and Nesha take sudden evasive action. All the griffons scattered when the dragon roared and snapped, massive wings pumping the air while it shook its head and body, trying to get rid of the spears piercing it.
‘Phroma and Gredel’s turn,’ Kerak thought. ‘Then we leave!’
Kassie kept her eyes on the fight, refusing to look and see how their army did. Loi’s hysteria echoed through their link and neither she nor Sian commented, but the feeling of despair at leaving those men reverberated from each girl.
Focus! Sian thought sternly while they watched Phroma make a run for the dragon, Gredel sitting high with his crossbow ready.
We mourn everyone if we don’t succeed, Kassie thought to the girls, knowing her words were true but feeling like a traitor for thinking them.
Loi’s angry thought ripped through the link, making Kassie flinch.
THAT BITCH DIES!
‘Okay?’ Rumal asked. Kassie didn’t get a chance to answer when everyone screamed in victory, Gredel’s neck shot finishing the rapthna. The griffons and Sito swooped out of the way of the plummeting beast. Tomiar appeared alongside and Kerak’s thought flashed into her mind.
‘Finally! Let’s go after Loushka and Cat!’
Oooo, Kassie thought to the girls. Cat so gets it after this!
What the hell was she thinking? Sian’s thought growled through.
I’m going to bloody kill her—after Jenviet, Loi’s thought brought a brief smile and Kassie nodded in agreement, focusing on the task at hand when they swooped over the castle. The griffons and Sito landed heavily, bristled and ready to attack, but no one approached. The men exchanged glances before climbing down and the girls followed. They gathered together, the griffons and Sito standing protectively around them.
‘Don’t see Belsesus or Ignatius,’ muttered Daron and he turned Sian around, checking the seam on her armor.
Rumal, in the midst of patting over Kassie’s limbs to check her weapons were in place, glanced up.
‘They must be in there already.’
Sabyn nodded and he quickly re-tucked Loi’s long hair down the back of her armor.
‘We better move it.’
The griffons and Sito launched back into the air, spreading across the tower roofs to watch and Gredel made a sound, gesturing the girls to step close. His ruddy face showed little emotion other than sternness and he locked eyes with each of them for an instant.
‘No hesitating. At all. Those men dying back there die for you. Don’t let them down.’
Loi flinched and Gredel turned on her, his quiet voice threatening in a manner Kassie had never seen from him before.
‘Do. Your. Job.’
Sian thrust her hands out and Kassie took one, Loi the other. The men gave them a moment and the strong link allowed a sense of Cat to waft in, giving a moments relief. Releasing their hands Kassie turned to Rumal who looked down at her, eyes warming for an instant when he caught her hand.
‘Keep your energy up, beautiful. Let’s get this done.’
The three couples and Gredel climbed the steps to the tower, pausing when the doors swung open and after a wary glance around, they entered the building.
*~*~*
Chapter Thirty Four
The maelstrom cleared the staircase of all shadow creatures, and the elgrid waiting at the top of the stairs for me. I threw the stairwell door open, feeling more and more pissed off at the sadistic, egotistical, show and tell I’d endured. It gave inspiring thoughts as to what to do with her, but really, right now I just wanted her dead and this revolting castle incinerated. So it felt like a bit of a let down when I charged in, energy blazing, only to realize I stood in a library of sorts. Tense and waiting to be attacked I twisted this way and that, seeing nothing but a comfortable room lined with books and a large round table at the center surrounded by chairs. I stopped twisting and just stood there, listening, still waiting. Minutes ticked by and nothing happened.
‘Fuck this,’ I growled and walked straight across the room, aiming for the mirrored door on the other side that should lead to the stairwell. I reached for the door handle then jumped back with a gasp when the reflective surface shimmered.
‘So eager to donate your gift, Princess?’ The shimmer smoothed out, revealing Jenviet, smiling with teeth as white as her eyes and lips a garish pink. It worked perfectly with the Barbie doll blond hair that curled around her face and shoulders.
‘Don’t you want to wait for your friends?’
The image shimmered and I stiffened at the sight of Sabyn and Loi while they walked down the corridor with the enchanted frames. It changed again, showing each of the others while they stalked cautiously along, and I saw the wondering glances they cast at the ceiling, knowing those awful tanks caught their attention. The sudden vivid image of the girls, floating dead in this castle made my spine stiffen.
‘Why wait,’ I rasped out in a rough, angry voice, trying to mask the fear I felt for my friends.
I heard a delighted girlish laugh and Jenviet reappeared, clapping her hands demurely, the motion as patronizing as her tone.
‘Oooh, sweet little Catherine. I have no intention of seeing you without them. Don’t you think you’d be more comfortable waiting here?’ Jenviet inclined her head to the side, miming concern, her lips twitching with amusement. ‘Then you can all climb the stairs and meet me together! Won’t that be nice?’
She smiled then, a flash of teeth, and her upper lip curled in a sneer. ‘And you can watch as I slowly tear each of those charming men you brought along limb from limb. Watch as they scream in pain and slowly die, right before your eyes!’
That horrendous girlish tone deepened to a full voice, and that voice triggered the deep archaic energy within my veins. I slammed a fist into the mirror, splintering the surface.
‘Like hell you will,’ I hissed in a voice only partially mine, the flames beginning to claim me.
The image in the splintered glass gave a tinkling laugh, Jenviet tipping the back of a hand to her mouth while she giggled.
‘But darling girl, that’s how I got you to your full abilities! So I have to do the same for the others, it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.’
The flames and fury vanished and I gaped, white faced at her. She nodded encouragingly, that bright delighted smile firmly in place.
‘That’s right, little Princess! I know full well of your abilities. Do come upstairs if you like, try and find me if you so desire. It’ll kill time until the others arrive.’ She smirked at me. ‘I am so excited about meeting you all again! It’s only been three millennia or so. Welcome back my Fire Elemental, you’ll make a lovely addition to the second floor.’
The surface shimmered then returned to normal. I stood there, breathing in short despairing gasps while her words sunk in. Exhaustion hit, making my legs wobble, and I slumped to the floor staring blankly at the shattered mirror, my head throbbing.
She’s going to kill them, one by one, make the girls watch…
I started to shake, shock creeping into my tired limbs and I grappled with the voices within, seeing Alek’s fate for all of them, hands pressed to my mouth in horror.
‘Cat?!’
‘Loushka? Oh god, she’s going to kill them. Make the girls watch. Oh god, Loushka, I don’t know what to do!’
Tears flowed and I shook with sobs, fighting hysteria. Loushka hit me hard with a barrage of images; of men fighting and dying for us. Of Alek. The fury in her thoughts ripped through my fear as she roared at me.
‘The others have reached the second floor, GET ON YOUR FEET! Kill that evil woman! Don’t you dare betray Alek like this! ANNIHILATE THIS PLACE!’
I’d never heard her so loud before. I gulped the tears back and shook my head, snarling at myself for the moment’s cowardice. Sque
ezing my hands into fists, I stood and glared at the door.
‘Do it or die trying,’ I muttered. Not giving it another thought I wrenched the door open, making it smack against the shelves, pieces of mirror falling to the floor while I started up the final staircase.
The dead shadow creatures made Ignatius smile grimly, their charred corpses a sure sign Cat passed this way, and he opened the door, alert for any sign of movement. The brightness of the stone walls and floor made him blink a moment, and he almost missed the warning buzz, feeling something brush past his head as he threw himself to the side. The giant scorpion lashed out again, and again. Ignatius lunged and scrambled to keep out the way, the smooth stone floor proving a hindrance as his boots slid over it. Making a desperate snatch for the bola, he hurled it out and the chained stones wrapped around the creature’s tail. It weighted the tail enough that the scorpion couldn’t lift it. Ignatius stood, sword in hand and dealt a fatal blow to the creature’s head. Retrieving the bola he jogged down the corridor, eyes searching for the door to the next staircase. The gruesome sights in each alcove didn’t surprise him and the different species made him shake his head at the witch’s audacity. Ignoring the squat bonecrushers that waddled about the floor, he kept jogging then stopped short, genuinely shocked at the display in the furthest alcove.
Northerners hung from pulleys, arms tied behind their backs and bent backward, obviously broken, with massive rocks tied to their feet. All of them looked similar to Leseach, the long blond braids and shaved sides. Fascinated, Ignatius stepped closer to study them and realized they must be the rest of the troop originally meant to create the shields. With a bemused ‘humph’ he turned his back on the corpses and grinned when he spotted the door, a dead elgrid wedging it open, revealing the stairs within.
Excellent, he thought, I’ll be with you shortly, Cat.
Nothing challenged me on this staircase and I didn’t pause at the top, flinging the door open and charged in, my shield bright. Different again, this floor had dark, slate-like stone floors and walls. They gleamed under the subtle lights tucked into wall sconces. I paused and turned slowly around, examining the corridor I stood in. With the tacky colors she favored I had expected something garish. Taking my time I stared hard at the walls while I walked along the corridor, eyes peeled for the slightest variation. This floor, like the others, obviously had concealed rooms and I knew she sat waiting in one. I just had to find it. Pulling my sword from its sheath I dragged the tip along one wall while I watched the other, ears tense for a telltale sign. The corridor went some way then turned and I walked into a large room, lit only with the embers of two fires, one on either wall parallel to each other. Breathing heavily through the nose I gritted my teeth in annoyance, staring into the darkness, hoping to see a glimpse of light from somewhere. I could see absolutely nothing.
‘Fuck it!’
I slammed the sword against the stone feeling utter frustration while I fought at keeping the despair at bay.
I had to find her, the others would reach this room within an hour. I HAD to find her, to kill her before she got to them. I could feel my hands start to shake and I went to put the sword away when a whisper of a noise made me freeze.
Shifting into a defensive pose I started to creep into the room, keeping close to a wall. It happened again, a tiny metallic noise coming from the head of the room and a vicious smile spread on my face while I crept closer. With my sword now firm in one hand I reached the other hand out to the wall, fingers moving smoothly over the polished stone surface, and I strained to listen for other noises, my heartbeat insanely loud and knees feeling like jelly while I forced myself forward. The fireplace posed a problem and I froze at the start of it. With a grimace and silent prayer, I pulled away from the wall and moved closer to the middle of the room to avoid the light the embers gave off. A strange vibration near one foot made me stop, my whole body wired, ready to explode and I barely dared to breathe, not wanting to give away my position. Crouching, I winced when one of my knees cracked and inwardly swore, letting the silly voice in my head scream while I waited to be exposed.
Allowing what felt like the longest minute of my life to tick by, I bent a little closer to the strange vibration. For an instant it felt like a shimmering energy field ran from floor to ceiling, right beside me.
That’s not right, I thought in confusion when I felt my energy react, veins humming. Why am I not glowing? Looking around I could still see very little, the walls of the room barely discernable in the dull light. Straightening to standing, I flared my energy out.
Nothing happened.
My mouth dropped in a silent gasp of horror when I felt a strange energy somehow prevent mine from leaving my body.
Oh fuck.
I tried something else, ‘Loushka, can you hear me?’
Instead of the open communication I usually felt when communing with the griffon, it felt dead, like hitting a brick wall. I tried to reach the girls but couldn’t, the link non-existent in this room, and I stood there gaping like an idiot while the seriousness of the situation hit.
Dead, I thought, stunned and horrified. We really are dead.
Before I completely went to pieces that noise happened again, sounding like metal chinking against metal. The flight instinct vanished—too late for that now. One way or another I was dead, and somewhere deep within I felt my own fury rise, not that of my element. A determination, an utter refusal to simply roll over and die, grew.
Fuck this. I might be dead, but I’m not going down without a fight.
Gripping my sword firmly I pulled a dagger from the sheath on my thigh and straightened my shoulders, walking forward, not bothering to disguise my steps. My eyes began to adjust to the dim light the further I walked into the room and it didn’t seem so dark now. I could just glimpse a shape at the end wall and heard the metallic sound as the shape moved.
I blinked, feeling like I moved through deep water while I stared at the shape, my brain bewildered as it tried to make sense of what I approached. Blood roared in my ears and the weapons slid from my hands. I sucked in a harsh gasp of a breath and lunged forward, tackling the figure that sat manacled to the wall, and burst into tears.
‘Oh my god, Alek!’
*~*~*
Chapter Thirty Five
The blue goo smelled foul, a sickly sweet you could almost taste, with an underlying tang of acid and decomposition.
‘Phew,’ Sian exclaimed, blocking her nose when they crept past the mess leftover from the empty tanks. ‘I understand why Cat smashed them, but she could have thought of us behind her.’
No one else said a word and Daron, his face tense, kept a tight hold on her hand. The gruesome display of the previous Elementals chilled them all, and then to find the plaques on the bases of the shattered tanks; Sian shuddered.
Not happening, she thought, we don’t belong in that psychopath’s private collection.
Rumal made a quiet sound and Daron dragged Sian over there, Sabyn and Loi right behind them. Kassie pointed at the open door through which they could see a stairwell, covered with the charred bodies of strange pale creatures. Sian stared at the talons and weirdly oversized jaws of the otherwise fine boned creatures and gingerly stepped over another, climbing the stairs behind Daron. At the top of the staircase Rumal stopped and bent over another corpse. Daron pulled Sian closer, refusing to let go of her hand when he moved in to examine it. This creature wasn’t burned like the others, it had been killed with a blade.
‘Ignatius or Belsesus,’ murmured Daron when Sabyn peered past.
‘Good,’ Loi whispered with a look of relief. ‘Maybe Cat isn’t doing this alone.’
Hope not, Kassie’s thought came through.
Me too, thought Sian. I just wish we could get some sense of her, it’s like she’s vanished.
We know she’s alive, Loi thought. We’d feel it otherwise.
An exclamation from Rumal on the other side of the door stopped the conversation and Daron let go of
Sian’s hand then, lunging after Rumal. The door jerked shut before any of them could move. They heard a heavy pounding and both men cursing before it fell silent. Nervously, Sian reached for the door handle but Gredel stepped in front, easing the door open then beckoned them out. They stopped in the doorway and stared at Daron and Rumal who stood panting over the bodies of the largest scorpions she’d ever seen, easily the size of a mastiff.
‘C’mon,’ Daron reached for Sian while Sabyn urged them forward. ‘Keep close. This isn’t a nice floor.’
The smell hit her just after his words and she shot him a look of revulsion. Daron nodded and pulled her closer while they started down the light stone corridor, keeping his sword ready.
My hands shook, tears streaming down and I reached to cup his face, wincing at the bruises and cuts I felt. He was so thin, cheekbones and jaw line jutting into my hands while I gently touched him, my mind still disbelieving. I heard the chink of metal again and felt his hand cup mine, long fingers slowly winding between mine and I pulled back a little so not to rest my weight on him, the tears refusing to stop.
‘Shhhh,’ he whispered and the rough, abused voice tore at my insides. I didn’t know how to touch him without hurting him; I could see that every breath hurt.
‘I’m so sorry,’ I whispered in a voice thick with tears. ‘Oh god, Al, I thought you were dead.’
A slight breeze blew down the chimneys and he shivered. I realized then he wore nothing but a pair of shredded shorts.
‘Here,’ I moved closer, hoping to provide some body heat.
He shied back and in an angry tone snapped, ‘Don’t!’
‘What? Don’t be silly,’ I reached for him and he shoved at me.
‘Don’t, Cat! You have to go. You have to leave now. Before it’s too late.’
The sound of despair and sorrow when he breathed out that haggard command made my throat swell to the point I couldn’t speak and I dropped my head, more tears falling. Taking it as acquiescence he reached out, fingers brushing my forehead, and continued speaking in that rough voice I barely recognized.
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