Exiled: A Return of the Elves Novella (The Return of the Elves Book 3)

by Bethany Adams

  It was dim in the tunnel, but her eyes adjusted quickly to the shifting light. Gods, she hated caves. Why couldn’t Kien have set his base in the trees? She would far rather climb than slink around rock formations with a mountain above her head.

  The light grew brighter, so Inona cast a camouflaging spell around herself. It wouldn’t make her invisible, but it helped distract the eye. She just had to keep her movements steady and slow. Way slower than she wanted after hearing Delbin cry out. But she’d been in enough difficult situations to know that rushing would help nothing.

  A voice echoed from the cavern ahead. “Tie him up.”

  “You aren’t going to kill him?” another said.

  “Do not question me,” the first man answered in a cold, regal voice. Probably Kien.

  The sound of shuffling grew louder as she neared, and then the snap of something breaking rang out. Inona’s heart gave a leap, but it settled at the tinkling of stone tumbling on stone. One of the men cursed.

  “Stalagmites aren’t going to hold him up,” a voice said. “Must be made of flowstone. Damn things keep breaking.”

  “Maybe if you weren’t trying to tie near the top—”

  “Shut up!” Kien’s shout reverberated down the tunnel. “No need to string him up. Just tie his hands together and bring him over.”

  “Don’t you want to torture him?”

  A pause. “Perhaps later.”

  Inona crouched low behind a large rock formation and peeked around the edge. A few body-lengths away, Kien stood glaring, his profile outlined in the dim glow of the mage lights dangling overhead. Clechtan, she cursed to herself. She edged back slowly so the movement wouldn’t catch his eye. She would have to work her way over to the huge stalagmite to her right. That would be a perfect spot to ambush him.

  A groan filled the cavern. “He’s waking up,” one of the voices said.

  “Then work faster,” Kien snarled.

  Though her instinct was to check on Delbin, Inona used the distraction to creep to a better position. Once behind the stalagmite, she glanced around the edge at Kien’s back. He hadn’t noticed her, best she could tell, his attention focused on the two men tying Delbin’s hands behind his back.

  A muffled sound from the side caught her attention. Inona’s gaze narrowed on another man slumped against a column. Another prisoner? But he wasn’t bound in any way, and his expression was detached as he watched the two tying Delbin. He did appear ill, his skin a sickly, pale yellow in the dim light.

  “Blast him again,” the third man mumbled.

  “No,” Kien said, his tone hard with command. “I have questions for him. Let him wake.”

  Inona moved shifted closer, this time behind a stalagmite near enough to Kien that she could almost touch him. But she didn’t move against him. Instead, she focused on Delbin and waited along with the others as he returned to awareness.

  He groaned again and shook his head. Then his body stiffened, and he started to tug against his bonds. “The hell?”

  “Delbin,” Inona whispered into his mind. “Kien’s men caught you. I’m in here.”

  He stilled. “Run. Warn Moranaia of his plans.”

  “You’re mistaken if you think I’m the type to leave a person to torture,” she answered. “Cause a distraction. Keep their attention. That’s all I need.”

  “I do hope you’re ready to tell me your name now,” Kien said. “Perhaps you will find yourself a little more forthcoming, hmm?”

  “Fuck that,” Delbin said.

  Then he rolled to the left, shoving hard against the legs of one of his captors. The man tumbled over with a yelp, and his body slammed into the second man as he fell.

  Inona didn’t wait to see what else might happen. She tightened her hand around the hilt of her blade and slipped behind Kien. She took a deep, bracing breath for only a heartbeat, then struck.

  Thank the gods she was tall.

  Inona flung her left arm around his waist and wrapped her right over his shoulder, pressing her knife to his throat. His body jerked, and her brows rose at the hissing groan of pain he released as her left arm tightened. She could feel, then, the extra fabric around his waist where he’d been bandaged. He really had been injured recently.

  Her gaze flicked to Delbin, and she winced to see him pinned against the rocky ground. One of his captors had his knee in Delbin’s back. The other stood above them, a blade clutched in his hand.

  “Call them off,” she said into Kien’s ear as she let the knife cut into his skin ever so slightly.

  Enough to release blood. Enough for the steel blade to affect his magic.

  “I should have known,” Kien bit out through gritted teeth. “You’re not Moranaian at all, are you? No scout there would carry steel. What game is this?”

  A smile he couldn’t see crossed her lips. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Now call them off.”

  “Leave him be!” Kien called.

  The second man stepped back at once. The one holding Delbin scowled for a moment, then shoved himself away. Delbin grunted as the man pushed him none too gently into the rock on his way up.

  “Help him up,” Inona ordered.

  The men glared at her, but at Kien’s nod, one of them leaned down and heaved Delbin to his feet. The man shoved him forward. Delbin stumbled and almost fell again before righting himself.

  From the side, a chuckle rang out. The third man. Inona frowned as she studied his face. She should have considered this plan more thoroughly. He’d appeared sick, but what if she’d been wrong?

  “Guess you’re not as powerful as you seem,” the man choked out around his laughter.

  Kien went rigid, and she could practically feel the rage emanating from him. “Says the man who let our entire plan fail. If you’ve power that wasn’t drained, shut up and act.”

  The laughter ceased, leaving a deep silence. The two behind Delbin exchanged uneasy glances and then turned their doubt-filled gazes on Kien. Were they less loyal than she’d assumed? But then one of them spoke.

  “What should we do?”

  “Unbind my friend,” Inona answered, putting force behind her words. “Or I’ll slice Kien’s throat.”

  Kien chuckled. “You wouldn’t.”

  Inona dug the knife a little deeper, and he let out an involuntary cry. “I am more than ready to dispense with any threat.”

  Power hummed around her as her captive tried to draw energy to himself despite the steel. Inona shoved her arm hard into his injured side, and he gasped, his magic sputtering out. “Untie him,” Kien ground out.

  What was she going to do with the prince? As the other two untied Delbin, she considered the dilemma. She couldn’t let Kien go. He was a serious threat to Moranaia, and if she couldn’t take him to Lord Lyr without getting Delbin killed, then she might have to kill Kien herself. It wasn’t ideal. The dark magic was troublesome, and she had no way of knowing what other plans he might have.

  But how could she take him alive? By all accounts, Kien was a powerful mage. An illusionist. The slightest slip and he’d turn on her. Miaran, but she hadn’t been prepared for this. Who would have expected to find their greatest enemy on such a simple mission? Apparently, she should have.

  Delbin rubbed at his wrists once the rope fell away. He turned his gaze on one of the men beside him. “Thanks, Patrick.”

  Patrick’s eyes glazed over, his body slightly slack. Had Delbin taken control? Kien straightened, restless against her hold. “Do not think to try for my mind, youngling.”

  “Yeah, I don’t want to see the messed up stuff in there. Thanks anyway,” Delbin answered. Then he shifted his attention to the other man. “How about you help my friend? You have some rope ready, see? Go tie up Kien.”

  “I will torture you for days,” Kien growled.

  Inona shoved against his wound again to cut off his words. Though her arm grew damp with his blood, she didn’t waver.

  “Don’t forget the third one,” Inona said as she met Delbin�
��s eyes.

  The man against the column laughed. “Take the fool. I’m done with this shit.”

  “You’ll rule nothing without my help,” Kien said.

  “It’s not like we’ve been ruling anything with it.”

  As the one with the rope tugged at Kien’s hand, the prince jerked back. Inona tightened her hold, her knife slicing a fresh line. He cried out, flinching, and in that moment of distraction, the other man bound his hands in front with the sharp, awkward motions of someone under mental control.

  Across the cavern, Delbin stared, unblinking, his body trembling. His face had gone pale, his breathing shallow. The effort of such control must be immense. They had to end this soon.

  Inona removed her right arm from Kien’s throat, turning the knife and hitting him in the side of the head with the pommel. He sagged against her, and she let out a grunt at his sudden weight. But she was strong enough to handle it. As Delbin ordered Patrick forward to help, Inona adjusted the prince in her hold and backed toward the entrance.

  “How long can you keep control of them?” she asked.

  “Not long.”

  Inona eyed the third man slumped against the column. “What about him?”

  “Can’t right now,” Delbin muttered.

  She frowned. Couldn’t what? Then she realized what he meant. If Delbin couldn’t control the man’s mind, they should tie him up, too. It would be the best choice. But Delbin was clearly shaking now, and from his sharp words, it was obvious he was about to lose his hold. They needed to hustle.

  “They’ll come after us as soon as you release them.”

  A grim smile crossed Delbin’s pale face. “No. They won’t.”

  Before she could ask what he meant, both men cried out, their hands going to their heads. Moments later they crumpled. Delbin sagged where he stood, and shadows like new bruises had formed beneath his eyes. But he didn’t pause for long, stumbling across the cave to reach her.

  With one last glance over her shoulder at the third man, Inona turned toward the exit. It was going to be difficult dragging Kien through the narrow space, but she didn’t have much choice. Not unless Delbin had regained some strength.

  “I know you’re wiped out,” she began.

  “Here.” Without further comment, he shifted to her side and slipped his shoulder under Kien’s left arm. Together, they hefted the prince’s weight and headed for the entrance. Now they just had to get him to the portal.

  Chapter 6

  Every muscle in Delbin’s body ached by the time they reached the truck. Hell, even his mental channels hurt. On top of the odd, electric blast that one bastard had used to knock him out, he’d drained himself heavily to take control of two minds two different times. Drawing in more energy had helped keep him upright and moving, but only sleep would cure the rest.

  With a sigh, he stared at the truck. “So how are we doing this?”

  “We’ll put him in the back,” Inona said.

  Delbin eyed the half-full bed of the pickup. Pieces of broken carnival rides and a few storage bins filled most of the space, but there should be enough room for the prince. Still… “What if he wakes up?”

  She winced. “Good question. Is there something we can tie him to? There’s not room for me to sit beside him.”

  Letting her take the prince’s weight, Delbin leaned over the edge of the truck bed and examined the thick metal rings in the side. Grunge had installed them so they could tie down equipment and tarps. Delbin grinned. Bet he didn’t expect them to be used to secure a prince. Then again, there was no telling what the old Sidhe had seen over the years.

  “We can bind him to the cargo rings,” Delbin said. “They’re steel like the truck bed. That should weaken him a lot.”

  “Good,” Inona answered.

  Delbin took Kien’s shoulders while Inona lifted his feet. Together, they rolled the prince over the side of the truck where he landed with a thump and moan of pain. Delbin exchanged a worried glance with Inona.

  “How long will he stay out?” he asked.

  Inona peered over the side at the prince. “From a blow like that, probably not too much longer.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  Delbin darted around her and tugged down the tailgate. With a smile for Inona, he leapt up and started searching through the toolbox at the back of the pile of junk. He shoved aside the ratchet straps and bungee cords. Great for securing non-living cargo, but not… Ah! Delbin snatched up the bundle of nylon rope. Then he edged his way around the prince’s prone body until he reached his hands.

  His attention on Kien’s face, Delbin released a tendril of magic until his mind touched the edges of the prince’s shields. Or what was left of them. In a few heartbeats, he’d eased through enough to confirm that Kien was hovering in that odd space between unconsciousness and awareness.

  They couldn’t let him wake up before reaching Moranaia.

  Delbin hesitated. If he messed up his mental blast, it could wake Kien rather than the opposite. Damn. As he considered the problem, his fingers flew along the rope, the knot patterns habit after so long on the road. By the time he’d secured the prince to the metal rings on the side of the truck with the rope, he hadn’t decided.

  Then Kien groaned and twitched, and Delbin detected his mental shift toward wakefulness. No more time to debate. He gathered his power and sent it, like a dart, into the prince’s mind.

  “What’s going on?” Inona whispered.

  Delbin held up his hand, a silent signal for quiet. Had it worked? He searched the edges of the prince’s mind. Only when he found blank unconsciousness could he let himself slump against the back of the cab in relief. And exhaustion. He rubbed against the ache in his temples. Then he straightened again and forced himself to move.

  Quietly, Delbin crept back until he could jump out of the truck bed. Then he turned to Inona. “I had to put him under again.”

  She nodded. “Let’s go.”

  They wasted no time hitting the road. Delbin had already backed out of the parking space by the time Inona had her seatbelt buckled, and with the hiking trails abandoned so late at night, he didn’t feel bad about speeding through the dark parking lot and the road beyond. Good thing it wasn’t daytime. No way they would’ve been able to get Kien tied in the back without being spotted.

  “I’m surprised he didn’t camp closer to the portal,” Inona said.

  Delbin’s gaze kept moving from the road to his rearview mirror, though he could barely make out the Kien-shaped lump in the back. “There was something about that column, I think.”

  He felt her stare. “What column?”

  “Sorry. Forgot you weren’t there for that,” Delbin answered. “There was a place where a stalagmite and stalactite had almost formed a solid piece. In the gap, they’d placed a crystal. The focal point of the spell.”

  “I didn’t see anything like that,” she said. His gaze flicked to her at the worried tone of her voice. Her foot began to tap a restless beat as she continued. “We shouldn’t have left the mage. We should have tied him up at least.”

  Delbin frowned at the dark road. “We didn’t have a choice. Isn’t Kien the priority?”

  “Yes, of course.” She sighed. “But I’m afraid not capturing those three is going to come back to haunt us.”

  Should he tell her what he’d done? Delbin had been exiled from Moranaia for so long he wasn’t sure what the rules were for the situation. But there was only one way to find out. “I erased the memories of the two I’d been controlling. I didn’t have the time or energy to wipe the mage, but I read him. He was serious about being done with Kien.”

  His nervousness built, twisting his insides, until Inona spoke. “This is going to be the strangest report I’ve ever given.”

  Delbin barked out a surprised laugh. “That’s all you have to say about it?”

  “You think I’m going to chide you?” Surprise laced her tone. “An exile isn’t allowed to use magic for harm, gene
rally speaking. But a situation like that was life or death. No one would expect you to choose death.”

  He considered her words as he followed the winding mountain road back toward the portal. Maybe he hadn’t broken as many rules as he’d assumed when he’d first arrived here. The first ten years, he’d struggled the most, but he’d been careful not to wield his power for personal gain. He had learned the heady danger of using manipulation from Allafon’s fine example.

  Delbin refused to turn into the monster he could easily be.

  As they turned down the road to the portal, Inona spoke. “Where are we going to stop? There’s nowhere to park in the neighborhood, and it wouldn’t be good to unload Kien in plain sight.”

  He snorted. “You’ve got that right. Never underestimate the ability of random people to do stupid stuff. Usually with no actual information about the matter.”

  “I can’t tell if you’re amused or bitter,” Inona said. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

  “You move around as much as I do, you see more than enough examples of how people react.” Delbin gave her a quick, wry smile before focusing on the road again. “And it’s certainly not exclusive to humans.”

  Inona went silent for a moment.

  “So what do you suggest we do?” she finally asked.

  He frowned. “Let me see if I can remember someplace close.”

  “Remember?”

  “I make it a point to know the area around any portals on our route,” Delbin answered. He passed the neighborhood, his gaze scanning the dark trees to his right. Yep, still there. He slowed and eased the truck onto a bumpy dirt driveway barely illuminated by the headlights. “There used to be an old house on the other side of the ridge from the portal. Not sure if anyone lives there, though.”

  Her voice rose over the rumbling sound of the truck. “What will happen if they do?”

  “Nothing, probably. We’ll stop before we get to the house.”

  The trees began to thin ahead, and the driveway curved toward the right. Moonlight poured across the empty expanse of hill rolling beyond. The far edge of that hill dropped away at the ridge, but it was impossible to see from this angle. He’d walked the area the last time the fair had visited Chattanooga, enjoying the energy of the portal. Dreaming of home. Hah. One hundred years of sacrifice might have been for nothing if his brother was dead.