by S. Young
Aghast and repulsed, humiliated at being treated this way in front of Wolfe, who eyed the man as if he’d just signed his own death warrant, I decided it would be best if I shut up.
“Now,” the Iavii continued, “we’re going for a little walk outside. And ye’re both going to behave.” I noticed how measured his words were, as if he had to concentrate on his enunciation.
I tried to catch Wolfe’s eye to see if he had a plan, but our captor pushed me ahead and I stumbled, my throat nearly catching the blade edge again.
“If you want me to behave, you better stop putting her life in danger,” Wolfe warned in a tone that would have intimidated a lesser man.
The man grunted but was more careful with me as he took us upstairs. I really only caught a glimpse of a cozy parlor while we were taken out the front door of the modestly sized farmhouse. He dragged me down porch steps, and I gaped at the fields spread out before us. Dozens of tents sat on the farm—dogs, cats running around, horses grazing leisurely, some sheep and cattle off in the distance. In the center was a huge stone campfire, unlit, but still surrounded by the comings and goings of the Iavii.
“Come on,” the man demanded and pushed me ahead. We strode past a few tents, and people stopped to stare. Eventually he brought us to a halt outside a small tent made from blue, purple, and red patchwork.
The dagger fell away from my throat.
“Vrik,” a soft, husky voice called, and we all turned as a dark-haired beauty sauntered over to us. Her hips swished her drab skirts back and forth. Her worn blouse and gray skirt did nothing to detract from her loveliness. My spine stiffened in insult as she instantly dismissed me. She turned to Wolfe, and her eyes narrowed in appreciation as she dragged her gaze down his body and back up again. “These are the two?” she asked without taking her eyes off Wolfe.
The man behind me answered so I assumed he was Vrik. “Yes. Selena wants to see them.”
She nodded, eyeing Wolfe like he was a meal. “Can I have this one, Vrik, when ye’re done with him?”
My heart picked up pace as Wolfe stared back at her, expressionless.
Vrik snorted. “Scarla, we haven’t even sent the message off to Javinia that we have them. A little patience, please.”
She flashed her black, cat-shaped eyes at him. “But I want him.”
“I’m sure the lad will be more than happy to see to ye when we reach an agreement with Markiza Raven. But until then, he’s a prisoner and off limits.”
Scarla pouted and reached out to trail a hand down Wolfe’s chest. “I’m not happy about this, Vrik. Perhaps I should speak with Papa?”
“Papa will tell ye the same thing. Now leave, Scarla.”
So these two ill-mannered beings were siblings?
Scarla huffed and then went up onto her tiptoes to whisper in Wolfe’s ear. Whatever she said caused a manly blush across the crest of Wolfe’s cheeks. My heart thumped and I glanced away, gritting my teeth.
When Scarla left, Vrik grabbed my arm and thrust me into the tent. The men holding Wolfe did the same with my companion.
My eyes adjusted to the dimness of the tiny tent and I started at the sight of the older woman before us. The interior was bare; grass beneath my feet, the only piece of furniture a stunning library desk that would have looked more at home in a study at the palace. The old woman sat behind it.
“Here ye are, Selena. Our prisoners.” Vrik pushed me to her, and I caught myself on the desk. “Let us know if ye see anything that’ll tell us about any future land agreements we may come to with that damn Rada.”
Selena looked at him with a bland expression, as if he were below her interest. “Take the girl outside. I wish to speak with the boy first.”
As I was dragged past Wolfe, I threw him a questioning look. But he was focused solely on Selena. Who an earth was this woman? What was going on?
Outside, I found myself discomfited by the Iavii and their curious stares. I turned so my back was facing camp. Vrik watched me, his arms crossed over his chest.
“What’s going on?” I asked, more than a little impatient now.
“Be quiet.”
“Who is Selena?”
“I said, be quiet.”
“You know you’re really rather impertinent.”
The beast bared his teeth. “And ye are getting on my last nerve, Princezna.”
Trying to pretend that his animal behavior didn’t bother me, I sniffed. “I’m not a princezna.”
He made a face. “Ye look and act it.”
I do not, I huffed. I think all in all, I had been taking my kidnapping extremely well. Especially considering the terrible memories it brought back of being carted off by Wolfe’s father. I hardened in remembrance. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Vrik raised an eyebrow and then he had the audacity to grin. “Ye might be fun after all, Princezna.”
Before I could offer a disgusted retort, Wolfe was shoved out of the tent by the two Iavii at his back.
“What happened?” I asked, moving to him. Vrik gripped my arm and wrenched me away.
Wolfe snarled at him and then turned to me. “Nothing. The old woman is useless.”
One man walloped Wolfe across the head.
“Hey!” I yelled in outrage at the offending clansman and was rewarded with a bewildered look from Wolfe as I was pushed back into the tent.
“Anything?” Vrik asked Selena without preamble.
She shook her head. “He blocked me somehow.”
“Blocked ye?” Vrik appeared stunned. My head swiveled between them. I was completely at a loss.
“Hmm,” she answered. “Keep a careful eye on him.”
“What is going on?” I demanded.
Selena arched an eyebrow at me and then smirked at Vrik. “We’ve got a live one here.”
Vrik chuckled, a dark, sinister kind of chuckle that sent shivers slithering down my spine. “Seems so.”
The old woman smiled at me. “Give me your hands.”
I tucked my hands behind my back. “Why?”
She winked. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just give me your hands … or I’ll make Vrik hold you while we do this.”
I snapped my hands out so fast, she cackled. “Don’t think she likes you too much, Vrik, so I wouldn’t be getting any ideas.”
Vrik grunted behind me.
Selena snatched my hands in her extremely cold ones, and I felt every wrinkle and crevice of that sandpapery touch electrify through me.
She was a mage.
Seeing the question in my eye, Selena nodded. “I’m one of the Glava, little Azyl.”
Dear haven, they had one of the Glava and a Dravilec among them. I wondered if they had been collected as Syracen had done with me, Valena, and Kir. “Your specialty?” I asked.
“I’m a reader.”
“You read people’s minds?”
“No. Just their futures.”
I gulped and shook my head, trying to withdraw my hands. “I don’t want to know my future.”
She cocked her head, her eyes studying me curiously. “What happened to you, girl, to make you so afraid of the future?”
“Well, for a start, I was kidnapped by the Iavii.”
Vrik smothered a chuckle behind me as Selena glared.
“We won’t hurt you, girl. No. You fear something else.”
“You said you can’t read minds.”
She laughed softly, condescendingly, like I was a small child before a teacher. “I don’t need to read minds to know that a young, intelligent, pretty woman with her whole life ahead of her should be excited at the prospect of the future. You clearly aren’t. So why are you frightened?”
“I’m not frightened. I’d rather live each day as they come than know what lies ahead. Knowledge can cause a person to alter their own path.”
Her whole face lit up with pleasure. “What a wise thing to say.”
“So … may I go now?”
“No.” She tugged harder on my hands an
d I lurched forward. A sick feeling swirled in my stomach as Selena closed her eyes. She was still for so long, my heart raced harder and louder. I was sure they must hear it in this tiny, sparse tent. Finally, Selena grinned. Her eyes popped open. “Nothing to fear,” she assured me. “You’ll marry one of the Glava and be very happy about it.”
I scoffed and pulled my hands free. “Doubtful, madam, as I have no intention of marrying anyone. Ever,” I emphasized. I began to feel better. Perhaps she wasn’t really one of the Glava after all.
Selena shrugged. “I’m never wrong.”
Wolfe was right. This was nonsense. I rolled my eyes and pulled from her. “May I go now?”
Seeming amused, Selena nodded and Vrik strode forward, frowning. He grabbed my arm and I winced. He would leave bruises with his rough handling.
“That’s it?” he hissed at Selena. “Nothing about an agreement? About land?”
She shook her head, holding up her hands. “You know I only receive visions of what’s most important to their fate.”
“And you determined marriage was mine?” I snorted and turned to Vrik. “You might want to purchase a new Glava because this one is definitely broken.”
Vrik forced me forward and out of the tent. Wolfe was nowhere to be seen. Panic flickered inside me. “Where’s Wolfe?” I asked and received no answer. Vrik tried to lead me toward the house but I wouldn’t let him, digging my feet into the dirt. “Where’s Wolfe?”
“He’s fine,” Vrik snarled and used both hands to pick me up and put me down in front of him. He pressed his hands into my back and pushed me forward. I struggled all the way.
“Damn it, tell me where he is!”
“He’s fine,” he reiterated. “Now get yer ass in this house before I do good on my earlier promise to shut ye up in a way that I’ll definitely enjoy but ye won’t.”
Rage pervaded my good sense and I elbowed him, hard, as he pushed me forward. “Just tell me where he is?”
“Having a better time than me, probably.”
There was a sickening lurch in my stomach. Was Wolfe off with the Iavii girl while I was being mauled? Irritated beyond rationality, I lifted a knee and kicked backward, catching Vrik in the thigh. He yelled and grasped a handful of my hair as he forced me—kicking and shoving—into the house and down the cellar stairs.
“Where’s Wolfe?” I screamed for the millionth time as I was thrown into the cellar.
I landed with a wounded grunt, my ribs hollering in pain as they impacted with the stone floor.
I heard a curse and then Wolfe’s face hovered over mine. “Rogan, are you all right?”
He was here? In the cellar? I groaned and relaxed, thumping my head against the hard ground. “Ouch.”
“Rogan?” His fingers were on my face. My eyes flashed open and my heart lodged somewhere in my throat at his proximity. I could see the gold striations in his blue eyes, his dark lashes enviably long. Suddenly I felt a strange, my skin was too hot, and squirmed at his concerned expression.
Distrusting it, I flinched away and watched the concern disappear. He sighed and retreated from me. “I take it you’re fine.”
“Yes, I’m fine.” I struggled to a sitting position, willing my heart to slow. I pushed my skirts back down into some semblance of modesty. Not that it mattered. I was torn, smelly, and unwashed. Feeling Wolfe’s unwavering gaze, I stopped fussing and glared at him. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged. “I’ve just never heard you say my name before.”
“What?”
“You were yelling ‘Where’s Wolfe?’ over and over again.”
I flushed, not wanting him to misunderstand. “I thought they were separating us, and we have a better chance of escape if we’re together. And you’ve heard me say your name before.”
Wolfe shook his head, smiling wryly. “No. It’s always Captain or Stovia or Captain Stovia. Then there’s vikomt—you usually spit that one at me.”
Uncomfortable for reasons unknown and not wishing to have anything that could qualify as an actual conversation with him, I deflected. “Well, Vikomt, how do you suggest we get out of this?” I gestured around the cellar. “Now that we know they have a Glava and a Dravilec.”
Something like disappointment darkened Wolfe’s countenance before he seemed to shrug the sentiment away. “I wonder if they have more mages here. I hope they’ve not been …” He threw me a wary look before he continued quietly, “Collecting them.”
My throat worked against the memories, but I refused to drop my gaze. My expression hardened and Wolfe’s eyes blazed with an emotion I couldn’t interpret. Was it anger from the memories of me destroying his family?
“So what do we do?” I murmured, wearily wondering when this uneasy truce between us would end, when Wolfe would finally take his vengeance.
“The only thing we can. I heard our guards talking about festivities this evening. Apparently, you and I are attending. When we’re there, I’ll create a distraction. You have to keep your wits about you, Lady Rogan. Watch me all the time. When I make my move, you make it with me, and we run.”
I blinked, hoping I’d heard wrong. “That’s your big plan? A distraction?”
“Yes. It’s good, right?”
“You’re going to get us killed.”
“Well, since you got us kidnapped in the first place, you’re in no position to judge.”
Chapter 13
I schooled my expression as I was inspected by an older version of Vrik. The man stood by the campfire, shadows of flames flickering across his dark skin, pinpricks of light reflecting in the blackness of his gaze.
Around us the hubbub of noise was now a hushed tide, rising and falling with little bursts of laughter and conversation, as the Iavii enjoyed ale and food around the fire. Wolfe stood beside me in the darkness. We were guarded by Vrik and three other men, but not tied up, not held tight. It was as if, for now, they wanted us to feel less like prisoners and more like guests.
At the sound of a whimper, my attention was drawn to a girl sitting on a log, squashed in the middle of two rough-looking women. One of them grasped her hair, forcing her head back. Tears streamed down her face as one of the women held the dagger she’d been using to cut her apple up to the girl’s eyes. My face tightened in anger at their bullying and the man before me frowned, turning to follow my gaze.
He seemed amused by my reaction and offered me a lazy shrug. “She’s one of the Caels. Her brother was resistant to handing over his land, so we took her as punishment.”
My blood ran cold, crystallizing until I was frozen solid in my anger. “And what of her brother, her family?” I asked through clenched teeth.
He shrugged again. “Dead.”
The man seemed to flicker before me, his features merging with the man who had destroyed my life. They even had those same black eyes. “You son of a bitch,” I spat as I lunged, but Vrik wrenched me back.
Wolfe tensed beside me but I couldn’t look at him. Not with the memories. Not now.
Not caring if my outburst would provoke a lash of anger, I waited sullenly for a reaction. To my surprise the man laughed. “Ye were right, Vrik. She’s feisty. She’ll do well here.”
I lowered my eyes to regain my composure and then lifted them when I was able to project boredom. “What do you mean?”
The man waved the question away as if batting away an annoying pest. “First, introductions. My name is Tiger. I am leader of the Iavii.”
“What do you want from us?” Wolfe demanded.
Tiger seared him with a look. “I only want ransom from ye. Ye”—he shook his head and chuckled humorlessly—“the famed captain of the Royal Guard. I was expecting … more.”
“Really?” Wolfe smirked. “Funny, you’re just what I expected. You’re just a fucking leech, sucking land that’s not yours and growing fat on it. Like a bully”—he nodded at the girl who was being tormented, his eyes blazing with indignation—“in the schoolyard, taking what doesn’t belong t
o him and having the audacity to call himself kral.”
My heart thudded at Wolfe’s impassioned speech. An unexpected feeling of warmth took me by surprise. He looked at me when he was finished, and I dropped my gaze, glad for the shadows of the night that would hide my flushed cheeks.
I frowned, confused.
“Yes,” Tiger sneered. “That’s what a pampered prince who’s lived in luxury and peace his entire life would think. We’ve traveled for too long in Alvernia, across Daeronia. We like Javinia, it’s warm. It’s home. Nomads no more, we want land. But ye wouldn’t understand that. Ye haven’t had to suffer the harsh lands of the mountains and deal with uncivilized folks like us. The uncivilized breed uncivilized.”
“No.” Wolfe shook his head. “You choose to act this way, be this way. Dyzvati magic stifles emotions and actions that can lead to unrest and chaos. Not having that magic doesn’t turn people into automatic animals. It just makes sure those who would act that way can’t. Don’t blame your actions on lack of the evocation.”
“Shut him up,” Tiger directed the man beside Wolfe, and he raised his fist.
I lunged between them before he could hit.
“No!” I cried, putting my hands up to stop the blow. The man looked to Tiger who shook his head. The clansman lowered his hand, and I turned to find Wolfe glaring at me. Ignoring him, I addressed Tiger, “What do you want?”
“Tomorrow morning I send a message to Markiza Raven. In it, she will be told I hold ye both ransom—yer lives for land. Then we’ll have to wait while she informs the Rada and the princezna. When we get the land, we’ll keep our promise not to kill ye. He”—he stabbed a finger at Wolfe—“will be kept a prisoner until such time as I see fit to release him.”
“And Lady Rogan?” Wolfe bit out.
Tiger smiled, his eyes running the length of me in a way that caused the hair on my nape to rise. I almost gripped Wolfe’s arm in comfort. “Lady Rogan is something ye’re not, Captain.” He strode toward me. I flinched as he reached up and gripped my chin. “She is one of the Azyl … and I find that I am in need of an Azyl.”
I glowered in disdain and unfurling rage. “You’re a collector.”