From The Shadows : Book 2 in the Mortisalian Saga

by L. J. Stock

  With Rasmus on the floor and fighting to gain his feet, Shannon was my only defense and I still wasn't convinced that she was trained well enough to take on what was going to be coming at us. I also knew that I didn't want her risking her life for me. I needed her to get out as soon as she humanly could and survive, not that she would listen to me.

  She had me backed into the corner with both hands on either wall like my own personal cage, while her feet felt along the ground for a sword that was less than three feet in front of her. She glanced around at the scuffle in front of her and I hoped the sword would be enough to give her some backup against the guard that was now untangling himself from the fray just a few feet beyond that.

  Even though I knew it was risky, that this stupid plan of mine could fail absolutely, I closed my eyes and concentrated every part of my mind on the sword and visualized it, the weight, the feel of the steel, the sharpened edges, and the gentle ridges of the hilt. When Shannon gave off a small victorious laugh in front of me, I opened my eyes to see her with the sword prone in her hand.

  “I can't believe you actually managed that.” She laughed quietly, as the guard finally found his feet. “Remind me to give you a huge hug when this is over with.”

  “You're on,” I breathed, moving her hand with mine as the advancing guard took a swing at us. “Watch the bastard’s moves and counter them. You can anticipate them coming. Just work the weight of the sword to your favor and you will have control.”

  I guided her arm again as the guard advanced on her with accuracy. When she finally found her stride, I ducked under her arm to grab the dagger from the guard’s belt and ended up with the pommel of the hilt smashing into my temple. The dizziness came immediately and the cell seemed to spin wildly as the sounds of metal on metal deafened us. I slid down the wall to my ass to try to gain a little bit of equilibrium and breathe. I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid. I knew better.

  “Cass?” Shannon cried.

  “I'm fine, just concentrate,” I called out, struggling to use the walls to hoist me back to my feet and test the weight of the dagger in my hand.

  Shannon fought well considering she'd probably never handled a sword before. She swung the thing with brutal precision, making the clang of steel ring through my aching mind. She was drifting as she fought, the natural flow of a parry, and I tried to gain control of my own body to fight whatever was coming at me next. Both of them were tied up in their own battles—Rasmus with three on one, her one on one with a skilled swordsman. I could see Rasmus rolling on the rocky ground, avoiding the fists of one guard, but he wasn't completely untouched. Bruises were already forming with large areas of swelling, and blood was coating his face as he fought back with a rage filled war cry of his own. There were too many for him to fight alone, but I'd promised him I would stay out of the fight until it was absolutely necessary.

  I just wasn't clear on his clarification of necessary. I was quickly coming to realize that mine meant getting his ass up off the floor so he would have more of an advantage. I stayed where I was for as long as I could, but he was outnumbered and they weren’t giving him a chance to get up where he would be at more of an edge. He'd taken out another guard but the two who were still attacking him were relentless and seemed to be using a buddy system. Rasmus was an amazing warrior, but even he had his limits.

  Taking a step forward on shaky legs, I stumbled over the uneven ground and cursed myself as I gripped the dagger in my hand. How many times had I paced the damn thing during my captivity and here I was stumbling over it like it was my first time. Finding my center of gravity again, I'd only made it two steps when a freight train made impact with my cheek, sending me to my knees as blazing white lights filled my vision and blinded me temporarily.

  “Now I have you to myself,” Harker growled victoriously from above me. He grabbed a handful of my hair and forced me face down onto the rough, uneven floor. “You're going to repay that debt.”

  “Fuck. You,” I choked out, barely able to breathe as his iron forearm came down heavily across my back.

  “Oh, I'm getting to that, Princess. I will break you like a cheap filly.”

  I beat back the rising panic that was swelling like a balloon in my chest. All I needed was a single opportunity and I would have the chance to fight back against the giant who was killing me with his own weight. All I needed was my arms and I could change the game and have a fighting chance. Before I could draw in a breath to buck him from me, a stifled grunt came rushing from him in a hot wave, and he was a dead weight on my back.

  “Cassandra?” Grigori cried out, rolling the body from mine.

  “I'm fine,” I gasped, sucking in a breath as Grigori rolled the body from me, and the fight continued on around us.

  “You must go now. We have no more time and Harker will not be out for long.”

  He helped me up from my knees, not even blinking as I kicked the unconscious Harker in the gut. “Did he see you, Gori?”

  “No,” he answered quietly. With the sword fights going on behind me, I almost missed his garbled Russian speech. “Khachu chtoby ty byla moyey.”

  I didn't understand the words, but the reverence in his voice was crystal clear. He was telling me how he felt, the only way he knew how. Before I had time to answer him, my legs were pulled out from under me and I went down hard. My head cracked against the stone floor loud enough that it almost drowned out the din of the fighting around me. A loud buzzing filled my head so loudly everything pulsed in and out.

  “You think it's that easy?” Harker shouted as he pinned my arms above my head. He hadn't noticed Grigori. He was too invested in getting what he wanted from me and was blind to everything else around him.

  A roar of sound mixed with the persistent tinny buzzing in my head. It was animalistic and guttural enough to silence everything else that seemed to be rebounding off the walls. Harker was torn from above me, but his grip on my arms was rough and solid, and he pulled me with him. He hit the wall hard and I took the opportunity to roll from his grasp.

  Grigori took no chances this time. The second I was out of the way, he landed on Harker, his huge hand pummeling him with a relentless anger that reflected in his eyes. Harker fought back with the same ferocity and the two men were locked in a battle more fierce than I'd ever seen.

  The stone room was shaking with their anger. It was a no longer a battle but a fight to the death. Neither of the men was armed with anything other than their fists, and it was all they seemed to need. It was like watching two giants coming to blows as they bounced from wall to wall. I would never in my life have the strength that either of them had, and the sight of it stunned me momentarily.

  When I finally realized that Grigori had given me a moment to get things together, I moved and worked quickly. My eyes searched the tiny space for my friends. I wouldn’t be leaving without them. Shannon and the guard she was still fighting were in the back corner of the cell and I was shocked to see the absolute change in power. The guard had her by the throat, his large right hand fisting for another attempt to take her life, the intent clear in his eyes. She was a bloodied mess, her face swollen to the point where she was unrecognizable, but I wasn't going to let her get any more beaten than she was.

  With a cry of rage, I launched myself at the guard, my hands and body ready for action as adrenaline pushed the buzzing away and unclouded my mind. My fingers found purchase in his mouth and I pulled with all my might until he screamed with rage and shock. He shook me off as though I weighed nothing more than a kitten and turned his fists on me. The lessons I’d had daily with Damon seemed to line up in my mind as I stood facing him, my fists clenching and releasing at my sides.

  He came at me full throttle, his eyes narrowed and filled with anger trained solely on me, his new target. I sidestepped his advance and tangled my legs with his, bringing him down to the crowded floor of the cell in a perfect execution. Without taking a breath, I used all of my strength to smash his face into the uneven rock, a
scream pouring from my lips as I did. I knew I should stop, that I should keep my mouth closed before I alerted the other guards to what was going on, but it was out of my hands. All of my pent up rage and anger came boiling to the surface The blood began pooling as I ran out of steam, and when two hands grabbed me and pulled me from the floor, I flailed in their grip, my legs kicking out as I struggled.

  “Cass, it's me,” Rasmus shouted over the dull thuds and growls of Grigori and Harker. “We have to get out of here. Now.”

  “You'll have to take Shannon. I don't have the strength.” I panted, trying to wipe the crimson stains from my hand on my ruined dress rags. I was barely hanging on to my own consciousness as all of my unfettered rage abandoned me in the face of the body at my feet. Behind us, the bars of the cell stood open, and Rasmus didn't hesitate to move. He limped to where Shannon was crumpled against the wall, her face swollen and bloodied beyond recognition. Picking her up gently, he cradled her against his chest and turned to the door.

  “Do not pull any shit, Cass. You stick with me.”

  “You think I'm fucking crazy?” I asked, my eyes on the two fighting figures. Rasmus shrugged, nodded, and tried to cross the cell before his knees buckled. I offered him as much help as I could, my palms flat on his back as we made our way out of the cell and prayed that there was somewhere in the palace that held water waiting for us. The moment he was by the barrel, he dipped his hands into the water and gave me a pained expression.

  “I'm right behind you.”

  He nodded, closed his eyes, and was gone.

  I looked behind me only once, but I could see the fight still raging in the small space of the cell. Both men roared in anger as they smashed each other with wrath. I hated leaving Grigori behind after what he’d gone through to help us, but I couldn't stay here and risk my life or it would have all been for nothing. I turned to lean forward, my hand outstretched toward the water, but a hand tangled in my hair and pulled me back into the cell, slamming the door closed behind me. The moment I rolled to my knees and looked, I saw the sneering face of one of the guards in charcoal gray. He turned the key in the lock and sprinted free, leaving me in the cell with the two battling veneficus.

  For a brief second, I felt as though all hope was lost and huddled against the bars of the prison. I knew Grigori hadn't noticed me there. He was still in a battle to the death with Harker, all of his focus on the fight and not dying at the hands of that abominable man. I watched them in vain hope, praying that Grigori would get the upper hand and win the well matched battle, but when he finally noticed me, it distracted him.

  “Cass?”

  Harker launched himself onto Grigori and pushed their tangled bodies toward me. When Grigori moved to avoid trampling me, Harker took his chance and got him to the floor, his fist smashing into the soft flesh anywhere he could reach.

  I may have believed I was doomed, but the thought of being stuck alone with Harker was more than I could take. I stood up and reached for the water, my eyes closing and focusing on everything about it. I visualized the feel of it in my fingers, the cool texture, the viscosity of it as my fingers trailed over the surface. When my eyes flashed open, I almost cried out at the scene in front of me. There was a ball of water hanging in the air inches from my outstretched fingertips.

  I heard a gasp behind me, and I turned to look, all the while keeping my mind on that ball of water that was just coming to the tips of my outstretched fingers. Harker was open mouthed and glaring, but Grigori was on his knees, staring at me, his hand outstretched.

  “Cass, pomni, ya vsegda ryadom. Now go.”

  “Traitor,” Harker seethed, his fist crashing against Grigori's jaw. “You will burn for this.”

  I felt the water in my palm and let the concentration falter. Reaching out with my other hand, I grabbed onto Grigori's outstretched fingers before focusing all of my energy on the bathtub in the palace. My mind flickered between the two. I was so low on strength and my eyes were dimming with the pounding in my head. I was too exhausted to take us both through. I could see Rasmus on the other side shouting in desperation as he cradled Shannon in his arms. I latched onto his life force and pushed myself through with every ounce of strength I had left.

  I landed in the tub with a splash of water that rolled over the edges and pooled around where Rasmus and Shannon were on the floor. I leapt from the tub and turned to look at Grigori, but found my eyes meeting with the gray of Harker's. Grigori was unconscious, hanging over the edge of the tub.

  “You honestly thought it would be that easy to shake me?” He sneered, his top lip curling up making him seem all the more terrifying.

  Without any conscious thought for what the hell I was doing, I gripped the side of the iron tub with my free hand and wished I had a sword to use. The water from the tub was suddenly cascading on the floor as the iron sharpened in my grasp. As Harker lunged, I swung the makeshift sword forward, hoping I hit my mark as I lost my last tenuous grip on consciousness and the whole world faded to black around me.

  Chapter Twelve

  I woke up screaming, the keening sound falling from my lips in a panic while my feet kicked out and my arms flailed, wrists twisting painfully. I was trapped. Someone had tied me down, stealing my last vestiges of freedom. I could feel a presence close to where I was but I was too terrified to open my eyes and see who, or what, was there. I didn't want to see Harker smirking down at me with that victorious snarl on his ugly face. I'd been so close to freedom. So close to being at home and in Damon's warm and loving embrace. The hope that had swelled inside of me deflated roughly and I felt tears falling down my cheeks as I twisted roughly against my bonds.

  “Cass, calm down. Please, baby, you're gonna hurt yourself.”

  My muscles locked into place in a second of doubt before my eyes fluttered open at the sound of the familiar voice. They took a moment to focus before they met the most glorious sight I had seen in... I didn't know how long it had been. My mother's face hovered close to mine with traces of tears tracking down her cheeks. Her eyes were rimmed red as though she’d suffered every one of my nightmares with me. Lifting her arm, she brushed my long dark hair from my eyes as her bottom lip trembled with emotion.

  It was only then that I realized I'd misinterpreted the tucked in blankets of my bed as restraints. The moment my arms were free, I threw them around her shoulders, buried my face in her neck and cried, ignoring the way the room started spinning around me.

  I was home.

  We'd done it.

  We'd escaped the living nightmare that had held us in its clutches, and with that realization came the emotional deluge I'd been trying desperately to hold inside.

  I wasn't sure how long I was in her arms letting my soul bleed out every memory and intense moment from my capture, but she was the only person who had given me what I needed so desperately in that instant. She just stayed silent and supportive, her fingers tangling in my hair in long strokes as she tried to ease out the knots that had been there for weeks. She understood that words were too much for me. The only form of communication I was capable of was sobs and hiccups as the necessity of strength finally left me and I leaned on someone else for the briefest of moments. I was certain she had questions for me but she understood now was not the time. I didn't know when I would be able to fully explain what had happened since I'd left the palace.

  When I finally bled myself completely dry of tears, I tried to regain my breath. My chest ached from my hysteria and as I pulled back from her embrace, I rubbed it with my left hand, while my right moved to my temple, wishing that my head would stop pounding.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked gently, cupping my cheeks gently and easing the tears from my sore cheeks with her thumbs. “You've been out for almost two days. Acantha was beginning to think we needed to take you to a doctor in the other dimension.”

  “My head hurts.” I groaned, letting my other hand reach back and rub where my head had landed on the rock floor. Of course, that was
when the memories triggered and the last moments in that damnable cell came rushing back to me. The fight, Harker... Grigori… Shit. “Mom, where is everyone?”

  I watched as she shifted uncomfortably, settling back on the edge of the bed as she tried to decide how best to explain without upsetting me. One hand landed flat over her heart and I felt the relief that had been so intense just moments earlier start to recede.

  I looked around the room again, certain that I’d been mistaken, but she and I were alone. There was no one else around. No Melody, no Acantha or Alexa, and definitely no Damon.

  “Where's Damon?” I asked quietly.

  It seemed odd that he wasn't here with me, and for a second I felt the sting of ridiculous rejection and abandonment. For some days in captivity, this imagined moment had been the only thing that got me through the day, and now being home and waking in my own bed was a reality and Damon wasn't here. He wasn’t anywhere near me. Confusion swirled around in my head, dancing between the dull aching thuds, until the sudden realization dawned on me and I shivered at the sudden chill of my blood.

  “Oh no. Mom, where's Grigori?” I breathed.

  She let out her breath in one long, loud sound. There really wasn’t a better way of her answering my unspoken question than that, and she sat and waited, her eyes filling with worry as she watched me for a reaction.

  “What aren't you telling me?”

  She shifted again, her mouth opening as though trying to form words she didn't want to say. I looked around the room and took in the surroundings, trying to ground myself. Even sleeping almost a full forty-eight hours, it hadn't done much for my temperament. There were a lot of things to be pissed off about, but as shallow as it sounded, I was mad as hell that I hadn't woken up to Damon or my father. It was obvious there was something wrong with that situation, but seeing my mother’s reaction to not just Damon’s name, but Grigori's, told me there was something very wrong with the situation.