by Brenda Trim
“Like I flew into the barrier over the academy,” she teased. Her voice was stronger than a second ago, but he had no doubt his Maurelle was completely back.
He chuckled and kissed her briefly. “Gods how I’ve missed you.”
“That spell of yours is extremely effective,” she told Shineah over his shoulder.
“It has to be. Can you remember anything about who took you guys? Do they know who Ryker is?” the Peridun replied.
Maurelle looked over at Brokk before she swung her legs over the side of the table. She was up and off the table in a flash. Ryker stuck close so he could catch her if she fell. She was surprisingly steady on her feet.
Shaking her head, she rubbed her arms. “No. They don’t know who he is, but they’re evil as fuck.” Her entire body trembled, and she took a step closer to Ryker. It was automatic for him to wrap her in his arms.
“It was the council,” Brokk added. “They wore masks the entire time, so I can’t tell you which members, but I sensed both human and Fae in the room with us.”
“I didn’t sense any humans, but when I brushed against the door as they lead us out, I caught a glimpse of humans talking to some Fae. I have to believe it was the council even without a clear picture of those involved. There aren’t any others that have that amount of power or access to the sections of Mag Mell the humans took over.”
“You know where they are?” Sol interrupted as he took several excited steps toward them.
Maurelle nodded her head. “They’re in a building in Dornwich. And, I’m betting they live there too.”
“We need to get revenge,” Daine announced, echoing Ryker’s sentiment exactly.
“You must not take such a risk, Your Highness,” Shineah warned.
“I will not tolerate the torture of anyone I love. And, neither should you. This is how they’ve managed to get this far. I will make them regret stepping out against me, and the entire realm will know about it. I need to send a message,” Ryker declared.
“I can see that you will not be swayed. The prophecy hinted at as much. I must insist that I give you a spell to mask your identity when you attack this facility. All of you, actually. If they discover one of you it will lead back to Ryker,” the Peridun indicated.
Ryker cocked his head and glanced at Shineah. “You translated the prophecy?”
“Prophecies don’t work that way. Something will happen to expose you. That’s what I was warning you about. I can see that you seeking revenge is what leads to your downfall, and I am going to change that Fate. I will ensure no spell or enchantment can break this illusion. But, I must warn you that this course of action is not wise.”
“I appreciate that, Shineah. You are a great ally, but I cannot and will not allow this to go unpunished. They grow too bold. If I ignore this then innocents will be snatched if they get even a whiff of my identity. Others will not be as strong as Maurelle and Brokk. No more will die if I can do something about it!” Ryker declared.
He had a million questions about how to rule his kingdom and was besieged by doubt. This was a fact he didn’t question. He needed to send a brutal message and fast, or there might not be a realm to save when he graduated. Fuck if he’d let that happen.
Chapter 20
Ryker crouched down behind a building in the business district of Dornwich. Getting there had been one close call after another. They’d decided to wait until the weekend when they could get easily into the Edge. Sneaking from there into the human sections was an entirely different story.
His aunt helped by giving them a place to hide while he made them invisible. The rebellion had a network that was invaluable. Once they couldn’t be seen by anyone watching them, they made their way to the check point and had to wait for a large caravan of goods to cross.
There again the rebellion came in handy. Ryker, his guard and Maurelle snuck into Dornwich by staying close to a wagon full of Fae made dresses that were all the rage in the human sectors.
Once through the checkpoint, Ryker and the others broke off and headed to the business district. The wagon was going that way, as well, but they didn’t need to add danger to the couple. They managed to get to the building in question without being caught.
There’d been a few close calls, but humans were far more ignorant of their surroundings than Fae. It was odd to him that there wasn’t as much activity in the human sections.
Well, not as crowded. All Fae worked and lived in the Edge which was a small city whereas Dornwich was large and sprawling. The humans lived in single-family homes with yards. He’d never seen such luxury in his life.
His kind lived in large apartment buildings crammed together. Centaurs didn’t even have yards. They lived in courtyards and alleys where they built shelters or in the forest. Not all centaurs wanted to live in the wilds. Many enjoyed having a home not to mention amenities like the bagel shop close.
“Are we ready? No one has come or gone the entire time we’ve been here,” Maurelle whispered from her position behind him.
“Yes. We need to activate Shineah’s spell. Now remember we will meet back here if we get separated so we can get back into the Edge,” Ryker replied.
“And, we kill these fuckers for what they did to Maurelle and me. None of them deserve to live,” Brokk added.
Daine and Sol nodded in agreement before they each muttered the incantation, “Dissimulato.” Ryker looked down at the skinny arms. He wondered what his face looked like. He couldn’t feel his wings at his back and a glance over his shoulder told him he was right.
“Let’s go,” he encouraged the others. They crossed the street and were at the back door and no one paid any attention to them, despite the few humans milling around on the street.
Maurelle tried the handle and found it locked. “Do any of you know how to pick locks?”
Brokk grinned and rubbed his hands together. “As a matter of fact, I do. Courtesy of a misbegotten youth if you ask my mom.” He tugged a hair pin from one side of Maurelle’s hair making it fall into her eyes. After several twists and turns there was a click from the handle.
Grinning triumphantly, Brokk twisted the knob and pushed the panel open. A loud siren started blasting right away. “Fuck,” Ryker cursed and ducked inside while pulling Maurelle with him.
“What do we do now?” Maurelle blurted and scanned the hall in front of them.
Ryker pulled out a knife he’d brought with him. “We get ready. This will be sure to bring them running.” Pounding footsteps echoed in a hall ahead of them.
Brokk and Sol took off running while the rest of them took a slower approach. Ryker had no desire to try and battle enemies in this cramped space. “Do you know where there’s a bigger room? This is not the ideal location to fight.”
Maurelle’s face scrunched up as she thought about the memory that she absorbed from touching the wall of the room where she was tortured. “Ummm…I think there’s one close. Follow me.”
The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed from around the corner. The loud blast of a gunshot made Maurelle scream and sent Daine racing ahead with Ryker. “Brokk. Sol,” he called out.
A grunt came in response. He was around the corner in the next second and jumping into the fray with his guard. A human male lay in a puddle of blood nearby with a hole in its chest.
Ignoring that, Ryker swung his weapon and cut the shoulder of a man about to swing at Sol’s unprotected back. Sol was trying to fight the one in front of him while protecting his back. Once his back was cleared, Sol took out the guy in front of him with one swift kick to the gut then another to the head.
“Gods this is awful,” Maurelle observed as she shivered while watching Sol twist the neck of the last one. “Please tell me that’s all of the security here.”
They continued to the room. It wasn’t what Ryker expected. He expected to see knives and poison and blood floors. Not a supply room with packages of paper, pens and other office crap.
Turning in a circle, he looked around. “This is where
they held you?”
Brokk narrowed his eyes and kicked a box across the space. “No. There’s a door behind those shelves. It leads down to the dungeon. This is the entrance.”
Sol and Daine started moving obstacles out of the way so they didn’t trip over them. Ryker assisted as his adrenaline increased and his nerves jumped. The items didn’t resemble their original state after he picked them up.
Wind suddenly picked up in the room and Ryker noticed Maurelle holding her hands out at her sides. Knowing what she was planning, he followed suit and switched from using physical energy to using elemental energy. It wasn’t as satisfying, but the job got done much faster.
“You hear that?” Sol asked from the doorway. All activity stopped and Ryker called on the air to carry the sound to his ears.
“Someone’s coming. Two if I’m not mistaken,” Ryker whispered. “Maurelle get behind us. I don’t want you on the front line so to speak.”
She nodded and headed to the far corner. Once she was safely out of the way, he focused on the hall. His tension ratcheted up when he saw a male turn the corner. Using his abilities to turn himself invisible, he backed away from the door.
“What the hell happened here?” a voice boomed from outside the room.
“Looks like an attack. Do you think it’s the king? Would he actually come after us?” another voice asked.
Ryker smiled at the fear evident in the tone of that last voice. They should be afraid of him. He’d roast their balls. Wanting to get their attention, Ryker flicked his hand and sent a clipboard flying into the wall.
“They’re still here,” shouted one of the voices right before their approaching steps echoed loudly.
A second later the two of them poured into the room. Daine sent a torrent of water their way and swept them off their feet. It was too fucking easy for Brokk and Ryker to slam their blades into their chests killing them.
“Let’s get rid of them before more arrive,” Maurelle called out as she held the hidden door open. Ryker picked one of them up then tossed him into the dungeon. Brokk added the second one, as well.
“Well, what do we have here?” snapped a male behind them. Ryker turned around and shoved Maurelle behind him.
“Just cleaning up the neighborhood,” Brokk growled.
The male at the lead had red hair and black eyes with black and grey wings at his back. He narrowed his eyes at them. “Why are humans in our building? This is off limits to you.”
“How did they get in here?” A female behind the leader added.
“Doesn’t fucking matter. Let’s take care of them,” a male said as he pushed his way past and into the room.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, he held up his palm and flames shot out of his hand. Ryker wasn’t sure they should use their elements since it would give them away. It could give his identity away, but as flames hit Maurelle in the chest and consumed her, he reacted on instinct and doused them immediately.
Her hair was singed, and she had blisters on one side of her face. The sight made Ryker instantly angry. The step he took in her direction was cut short when he was hit from behind.
He landed on the tile floor and felt his skull bounce off the hard surface. A groan left him, and a loud pop echoed in his ear a second later. Pain sliced through his stomach. Fuck. He’d just been shot. That had to be the searing agony in his abdomen.
There was no time to lay there. He had to get his head on straight and fight back or they would all be killed. Lifting his leg, he kicked the legs out from the male that just shot him. Ryker managed to roll out of the way before he was smashed. The sound of the gun hitting the floor was music to his ears.
Before the male got up, Ryker was on his back. He’d dropped his knife when he fell to the ground, but he still had his elements. Focusing on the air entering his lungs, he cut it off.
The male’s eyes went wide and his hands grabbed his throat as he gasped for breath. Ryker knelt on his back then turned to see each of his friends fighting a council member. The leader of their group was standing to the side, trying to reach the door.
Not wanting him to get away, he hit the one beneath him and jumped to his feet. The pain nearly took him to his knees, but he sectioned off the discomfort and stumbled into the leader.
Prepared for him, the leader touched Ryker and flames spread out from the touch. They seemed to pause for a split second before incinerating his flesh. By the time his skin started bubbling he was in touch with his own element and redirected the flames to the leader.
A fist to the stomach stopped Ryker and had him bent over with his heart racing and sweat pouring down his face. It was next to impossible to focus on anything. Swinging his fist out, he connected with the leader’s shoulder.
A male jumped between Ryker and the leader before he could do anything else. Ryker watched as the red-haired male glared at him then ran out the door. He committed the face to memory. That male would not get away with what he’d done.
Ryker circled the new male. He threw a punch at Ryker who barely managed to duck the blow given his stomach wound. Pushing forward, he stopped the male from advancing and cornered him at the same time.
Ryker called up his flames and threw them at the male. “So, you aren’t a human after all. You must be very powerful to cast such immaculate illusions.” Ryker’s mind raced at the same rate his heart was. Panic and the injury had his breath coming out in pants.
Air wrapped around Ryker’s arms and torso, immobilizing him. With his mind scrambled it took several seconds for him to snap out of it. Unfortunately, in the meantime a punch landed to his jaw before another to the stomach.
The last one had bile surging up his throat. He was fading fast and they were getting their asses kicked. Mustering all of his energy, Ryker tried to burn the male to a crisp, but nothing happened.
The male used his air to press Ryker to the ground. He fought with what energy he had left before they heard Maurelle scream. Both looked over to see the female she was fighting lift bloody hands from her chest. A pencil stuck out from her chest.
The female crumpled and the male called out to her then took off to the opposite side of the room. Ryker was still held by the air and unable to move. He struggled, making his gut bleed and pour down the front of his pants, weakening him. He should have listened to Shineah when she warned him that they would be killed during this mission. Not only was he going to fail the Fae people, but his closest friends.
Failure added to the burning of his gunshot wound. He wished he were in a book where he could suddenly gain strength from some unknown source or his dead father to beat back his enemies. All that happened was he continued bleeding and the council hurt his friends.
He screamed when the male holding Ryker in air shackles, backhanded Maurelle. Her head snapped back. She growled in response then rushed the male. “No. Don’t,” Ryker shouted to her. His chest twisted with worry for her. She couldn’t face the male. He was so much stronger and powerful. She could be hurt or worse.
Winds gusted around the two of them as Maurelle punched him. “Your reign of terror over the Fae ends now. They will be freed, and you will pay for what you’ve done to them,” she announced in a voice filled with layers and power. She seemed to float up and a couple feet away from him before her body stopped. The male cursed and went to one knee. Ryker’s jaw fell open as hope blossomed in his chest.
Maurelle was just as gorgeous as she wielded power in defense of the weak and innocent as she was lying naked beneath him. He was proud of her and turned on while trying to hold onto his consciousness and find a way out of the trap he seemed to be held in.
He watched in awe as Maurelle’s hands spread out to her sides. Fire sparked at her fingertips and then became blazing flames that she threw at the male. The power containing Ryker disappeared in the next second and he fell to the floor.
Using the wall, he got to his feet and made his way to Maurelle’s side. “Are you okay? What the hell just happened? You have the
fire element now.”
Shaking her head, Maurelle kept her focus on the burning male. “Open the door. Let’s throw him down to the dungeon.” Understanding her intention, Ryker nodded then pushed the shelves aside. He glanced at her as he searched for the way to open the door. “Send your elements to the wall. It’ll make a panel pop open.”
“Gods, I love you,” he blurted, making her gasp. He felt his cheeks heat as he sent all of his elements to the wall. He hadn’t meant to say that to her, but he didn’t regret it. He wanted her to know how he felt. Pushing the panel fully open, Ryker went over and kicked the burning male through the portal.
Once the male was tumbling down the stairs, he cupped one of Maurelle’s cheeks and took her mouth passionately. He poured all the love, admiration and joy he felt into the kiss.
“Great idea,” Brokk said, making Ryker break the kiss. He came over and pecked Maurelle on the mouth quickly then tossed another council member through.
Shaking his head, Ryker realized they were still facing council members. Sol and Daine were still fighting. Brokk went over to assist Daine and Ryker stumbled to Sol. Sol had taken care of his council member before Ryker made it to his side. Together they threw the body into the dungeon while the last one followed.
“I’m going to add more flames to ensure this place doesn’t survive. Want to help?” he asked Maurelle.
Shaking her head, she but her bottom lip. “I don’t have flames. I think I borrowed them from you. I wished I had your power over fire so I could make that asshole pay then suddenly I was holding flames.”
“It’s our bond. We’re connected deeper than you thought, Braveheart.”
“And you told me you loved me.”
“Yes, I did. And, I plan to show you how much as soon as we get back. Let’s send this message loud and clear. One of the council members escaped during the fighting.”
“We will get them soon enough. We dealt them a major blow today,” Sol declared as flames consumed the dungeon.
When there was no chance of the fire going out before destroying the place, Ryker and his friends turned to head back to Bramble’s Edge Academy. “We might need to stop and see Shineah or my aunt on the way back,” Ryker interjected. “I think this bullet is still in me. I can feel the lead slowly poisoning me.”