Treason: Book Two of the Grimoire Saga (a Young Adult Fantasy series)

by S. M. Boyce

  “What—?” Kara asked.

  “I don’t think anyone heard her, but I’m sure guards will be by soon,” he said without looking up.

  Gavin examined something in his hand. Its silver chain slipped from his fingers as he rubbed his thumb over the sparkling metal. His skin blistered from whatever it was he touched, but he didn’t flinch if he was in pain.

  That had to be the pendant.

  “Gavin,” Kara said softly.

  It took him a moment to catch her eye, and it almost hurt to see the desire on his face. Between the pendant and unconscious princess, he held the two things he so craved but couldn’t have. Kara took a cautious step closer. The bags under his eyes made her think he hadn’t slept in days.

  “May I have that back, please?” she asked, reaching for the pendant.

  “Without this, you’re nothing but an ordinary girl,” he said.

  She ignored the jibe. “Maybe. But without me, it’s just a necklace that burns you when you hold it.”

  His jaw tightened, and he rubbed his thumb over the clover symbol in his hand.

  In a motion so quick she barely registered it, Gavin tossed the pendant to her. She caught it in reflex. Relief flooded through her body.

  “I would carry it everywhere, too, if I’d taken it,” Gavin admitted.

  “Thanks for giving it to me, then.”

  He shrugged. “I almost didn’t.”

  Kara didn’t know how to respond to that, so she put the necklace on and headed for the hall. Gavin stood, though, and stopped her by putting one arm around her waist. His touch made her skin crawl, but she resisted the impulse to push him away. He’d helped her, after all.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Take the first left and just keep running. That will take you to the forest line, and from there, you can get a head start. Look for a path. Once you find it, it will take you to a lichgate that can get you out of Ayavel. Once they call the Bloods together, I won’t stop them or slow them down. Don’t get caught.”

  “Thank you, Gavin.”

  Kara slipped out of his reach and didn’t look back as she ran toward the exit. Of course, Gavin would know where to go if she followed the path he’d told her about, but she didn’t have any better ideas. Running willy-nilly through the forest would be stupid. At least Gavin’s instructions gave her direction.

  Just as Gavin had said, the hall ended in a door that opened out onto a field. A forest began about a dozen feet away. Kara bolted toward it, her throat already stinging from the exhaustion, adrenaline, and panic. Tendrils of the spikes’ poison still lurked in her body, slowing her movement and thought.

  Once a few feet into the forest, Kara summoned the Grimoire. Its weight materialized in her hands, and she sighed with relief as it opened on its own. She had worried the Vagabond was still too angry to let her use the Grimoire to even escape.

  “Get me out of here, Ryn,” she said under her breath.

  Braeden charged through the forest on Iyra’s back, urging her to run faster than he imagined she’d ever had to run in her life.

  Kara was worth it.

  He stopped just within the tree line on the outskirts of Ayavel. The waterfall loomed nearby, but he didn’t need it. An army waited in the field by the lake. Some poured into the forest, even.

  Troops from every kingdom pooled together in close groups, restless and yelling at each other. Some prodded those from the other kingdoms, pushing as they passed or taunting each other with sidelong glances and sneers.

  Braeden’s shoulders tensed. Everything had just gotten far worse.

  One Ayavelian soldier nearest to the trees ran by, still tucking in his uniform as he ran over to another soldier nearby.

  “What are we waiting for?” he asked. “The Vagabond attacked Heir Evelyn! We should be chasing her!”

  Braeden smirked.

  One of the other soldiers in the group answered. “We’re waiting for the Bloods. They want to lead the chase themselves.”

  Blinding silver light appeared at the base of the waterfall. The roaring water parted as the stone path and carved stairs once more appeared.

  Gavin, Ithone, Frine, and the Ayavelian General Krik charged along the path from the temple. They all rode griffins and tore through the pass as if racing.

  Braeden cursed under his breath and turned Iyra back into the forest. She ran off at his panic, silently bolting through the thick forests he once thought were safe. He had never been so wrong.

  If he didn’t get to Kara first, there was no telling what would happen.

  Barely thirty minutes after the incident with Evelyn, Kara passed through the lichgate Gavin mentioned. Ryn ran to the thrum of her heartbeat which, thanks to the still-pumping adrenaline, was pretty fast.

  Kara directed Ryn toward the village. If anyone caught up with her, she would switch gears and find Stone instead.

  She toyed with the idea of going to the village no matter what. Gavin already knew where it was, and she had to warn Twin and Richard. But if he truly hadn’t told the other Bloods about its location, she might buy her vagabonds some time by leading the Bloods in a different direction. Kara just needed a moment of peace to search the Grimoire for a way to contact them.

  Trees blurred by as Ryn bolted to the village, his steps the quietest thing in the forest. Even though a deep hush had settled between the dark branches and underbrush of the woods, Ryn’s feet barely touched the fallen leaves as he ran over them. The occasional crunch under his feet or swish of his tail mingled with the cold breezes that rustled through the trees.

  A branch snapped far off to the left.

  Ryn stopped, but Kara held on too tightly for the sudden halt to throw her off. The giant wolf’s ears perked. He turned toward the noise and tensed. His shoulder trembled under Kara’s hand.

  “To Stone’s cave, boy,” she whispered with a sigh.

  So much for going home. Ryn tore away in a different direction than they had originally traveled.

  Another twig cracked, closer this time. A growl rumbled through the trees.

  The trees ended, giving way to a mountain. It rose into the sky like a cliff, without so much as a deer path winding up it. Kara pushed Ryn around it, but the huffing breaths of whatever chased them grew ever closer. She looked over her shoulder, but nothing passed between the trees.

  Even on Ryn, Kara couldn’t outrun this creature. Its growling came closer with every second. She didn’t have time to summon the griffin and change mounts, either—not if it was so close she could hear it breathing. She needed a plan. She needed to trick it.

  Kara turned around a curve in the mountain, leaning in so that Ryn hugged the rock face. A path appeared not far off, cut into the mountain. She tugged on Ryn’s fur to signal him up the narrow road.

  The mountain closed in on both sides of her. At first, Kara thought she had made a mistake. But, thankfully, the rock leaned away after a minute. Boulders littered the sides of the narrow road.

  Kara leaned back, and Ryn slid to a stop. She hopped off and jumped behind a boulder. Her giant wolf tried to follow.

  “No, over there, silly. There’s no room for both of us,” she said, pointing to a boulder across the way.

  He whined, but nudged her shoulder and obeyed.

  Kara slid behind her boulder and waited, her ears straining as she listened. Sure enough, the scrape of claws on rock echoed down the pass. The mysterious creature’s breath came closer with each pounding footfall. Panic raced through her; this thing sounded huge. She debated letting it pass, instead of trying to trap and kill it.

  The breaths grew louder, the rasping and grating noises enough to make Kara breathless, too. She peeked around the rock, just enough to get the slightest look at the monster when it passed.

  But the creature didn’t pass. It stopped by her boulder. She stifled a gasp. Its skin was as black as the Stelian forests, covered in scales. Its silver claws dug into the rock, splitting the mountain without effort. But its head—it looked l
ike a giant panther with silver teeth.

  Someone sat on its back. From her limited angle, all Kara could see of him was that he wore the silver tunic of the Stele.

  Great. Carden was looking for her now, too.

  Kara focused her energy into her palm, where a pearl blue blade erupted from the air around her and clung to her fingers. She stood as quietly as she could and climbed onto the boulder.

  The man began to turn toward her, so she jumped at him while she still had the element of surprise. Ryn growled, and the scaly monster the man rode let out a piercing scream.

  Kara landed against the man, his body warm and hard as she slammed into him. He grabbed her arm and tried to speak, but his mount twisted and reared. Kara fell with him to the ground. The world tumbled. Kara couldn’t get a look at the Stelian’s face until she had him pinned to the rock with her blade at his neck.

  He shrank, his body changing form until the gray skin became olive. His gorgeous eyes made her stomach do a flip.

  “Braeden?”

  “Iyra, stop!” he called over Kara’s shoulder.

  The dark creature growled. Kara turned in time to see the black monster turn at Braeden’s voice. Iyra relaxed, but kept her gaze fixed on Ryn. The wolf took a step back, his body tensed to spring. He bared his teeth, his shoulders hunched and his hair on end.

  “Kara, are you all right?” Braeden asked.

  He pulled her into a hug. She pulled him in close, letting her magical blade splinter and fall away as she did. She burrowed her nose into his neck without thinking or second-guessing herself. Relief made her shake. His arms tightened around her.

  For the first time since she’d left Twin and Richard at the village, Kara was safe.

  “Kara, are—”

  “I’m fine, but what about you?” she countered.

  “Fine,” he said.

  But his voice wavered, and his whole body tensed. She could tell it had been a lie.

  She set a hand on his cheek. “Gavin said you were gone. He tried to get me to marry him, Braeden, can you believe—”

  “He did what?”

  She laughed. “It doesn’t even matter. I knew he was wrong, I knew you’d come back.”

  “He’s wrong a lot lately.” Braeden smiled and brushed away the hair in her eyes.

  She hugged him again. She wanted to say that she missed his touch, his voice, having someone to trust. But all she could manage was, “I missed you.”

  He tensed again and sighed. “I missed you, too, Kara. I wish we could stay like this and just be, but we have to get you out of here. I only found you first because Iyra is faster.”

  “We can’t go to the village. Gavin knows where it is.”

  Braeden cursed under his breath. “Well, they’re coming for you. You should wish Ryn away. He can’t outrun them, but Iyra can.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  She hurried to Ryn and patted his muzzle. He looked up at her with hurt eyes and whined, but she shook her head and kissed the giant wolf’s forehead.

  “It’ll be okay, boy. You’re still my favorite.”

  He nudged her shoulder and dissolved into floating dust with a poof. Kara turned, now alone with Braeden and his monster mount, Iyra.

  Braeden jumped to his feet and climbed onto his giant mount with ease. He turned to Kara and reached for her.

  “Come on. I’ll help you up,” he said.

  She slipped her hand in his. He pulled her in front of him, wrapping his arms around her as he leaned forward. Kara had to suppress a smile at his touch. She had missed him entirely too much. She wanted to reach back and show him exactly how much.

  No.

  She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. The first Vagabond still wouldn’t talk to her. She couldn’t forget his threat to kill Braeden. She couldn’t risk his anger.

  “Kara,” Braeden said in her ear.

  She wanted to lean into him, to feel safe again, but she took a deep breath instead. “Yes?”

  “When I said I have to get you out of here, I meant out of Ourea.”

  She looked over her shoulder. His face hovered inches from hers. He held her gaze, his eyebrow turned in the slightest hint of remorse.

  “I’m not leaving,” she said.

  “I’m not asking.”

  “Braeden, you can’t make me leave Ourea because things got a little dangerous—”

  “A little dangerous? Are you joking? I know what happened, Kara. Don’t downplay what the Bloods did. They’re out of control.”

  “No, you don’t want me to be at…” She trailed off, remembering what Gavin had told her about the false information he’d given Braeden.

  “I just want you to be safe, Kara.”

  “Forget about me. Gavin is playing you. They plan to kill you at the battle with Carden.”

  “I figured.”

  “You—you did?”

  Voices echoed from the pass’s entrance.

  “We have to go,” he said.

  Iyra sprinted down the path. They ran so fast that the wind stung Kara’s eyes. She closed them and leaned her head back against Braeden’s shoulder. He tensed and tightened his hold around her waist.

  He leaned his chin into the nape of her neck as they ran. The world bled away at his touch.

  “To answer you, Kara—yes, I know what they’re planning. At least, I probably know most of it. I said my goodbye to you. That I got to see you again beforehand is a blessing.”

  “You can’t give up like that!”

  He laughed. “Come on, you know me. I’m not giving up. But if it’s the four of them against me, I’ll lose. I wanted to make sure you knew I didn’t just leave you. I care.”

  He burrowed his cheek into her neck again. Her frustration melted at his touch. He took a deep breath and kissed her temple. Heat rushed down her neck, and she resisted the urge to shiver with delight.

  “Braeden, I can help. Tell me where this battle is,” she said.

  “I’m not going to do that, Kara. I hope you forgive me for doing this instead.”

  “What?” she asked.

  But her suddenly drooping eyelids were answer enough. She managed to look up at him before whatever magic he’d used made her drift to sleep. He looked down with a rueful smile that made her want to slap him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  Kara’s world went dark before she could answer.

  Chapter 21

  Safety

  Braeden sat on a footstool beside a very pink bed in the human world. He had never asked Kara her favorite color, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t pink.

  Still, she looked peaceful. She lay in the bed, her hair spread out over the pillows. Dirt smudged her cheeks, and the sheets wrinkled whenever she tossed in her sleep. She probably hadn’t had much time to herself since he’d left for the Stele.

  Braeden gritted his teeth. He couldn’t figure out who he wanted to kill more: Gavin or Aislynn.

  He rubbed his eyes, still not wanting to leave. It hadn’t taken him very long to get to a bed and breakfast in Scotland thanks to Iyra’s speed. He’d made up some lie about jet lag to get the caretakers—Lori and Andrew—to let him carry Kara inside. He’d insisted they’d lost his reservation. It wasn’t the kindest thing to do to these nice people, but he was short on time and better ideas. They’d let him in, as they happened to have an extra room, and he’d silently counted his lucky stars as they led him up the stairs.

  He’d asked Lori for a pen and paper, which she had pulled from an overstuffed desk downstairs before going back to bed. He’d used it to write Kara a letter, which he now held in his hands. He had even put some money in the desk drawer for her, since he often stored human currency and clothes near the lichgates when he traveled.

  He needed to go; he just couldn’t bring himself to set the letter down and leave. He wanted to lay down next to her and sleep, but that would be running away again. That peace wouldn’t last. Carden would find him and maybe kill him if it becam
e evident that he could now defy orders. Braeden laughed. How he’d managed that, he would never know.

  He kissed Kara’s forehead and reached his hands to the back of her head. With a pang of remorse, he unclasped the Grimoire pendant from around her neck. He set the pendant in his palm to look at it, but it burned his skin. He winced and gritted his teeth through the pain long enough to shove it in his pocket. The burns disappeared as his skin healed itself.

  She would probably beat him senseless if he was here when she woke up. He should definitely go.

  He needed to take the pendant, though. She couldn’t stay out of trouble for two minutes. She would find the battle if she had her Grimoire. Braeden didn’t quite know how she would do it, but she would manage. She was the Vagabond. She could do anything.

  He set the letter on the desk as he left. Iyra waited for him on the other side of a nearby lichgate, and he was running out of time. He still had one more stop to make before he went back to the Stele, and he had to do it quickly.

  Braeden hated the thought of trusting Stone, but he really had no better options.

  He’d shared with Iyra as many of the memories of his and Kara’s trip to Stone’s cave as he could recall. Apparently, it had been enough. She tore off the moment he showed her the isen’s home. She insisted it would take no more than an hour to reach him, but after that, he only had another few hours before daybreak at the Stele. He had to be back before anyone realized he’d left. It might already be too late.

  He pushed away the thought. He had to get the Grimoire someplace safe, and Stone was the closest thing. The village was too far away; besides, according to Kara, Gavin already knew its location. Taking it there wouldn’t help. He wished he could warn Twin and Richard, but he didn’t have time. He barely had time to go to Stone.

  Braeden shuddered. How the first Vagabond could trust such a powerful isen was beyond him, but they seemed to have history. If Stone helped create the Grimoires, he obviously didn’t need their magic. He wouldn’t be interested in the book, and therefore it was safe to give it to him—or so Braeden hoped.