A Soul For Atonement (The Soulbearer Series Book 4) (15 page)

She turned and stood before the still wide-eyed king. “Do not keep the goddess waiting, Your Majesty.”

He straightened and lifted his head. His words rang with a snarl of thinly concealed animosity. “As the goddess commands.”

Sazi let his response roll off of her like raindrops on her wings. His pride had suffered a blow, but he would not defy Lireal. She bowed her head like a loyal subject. “After you, Your Majesty.”

Her mind raced with the next steps in her plan as they made their way to the palace. Once she had Dev, she would bring him to the portal before returning to Lothmore Palace to recruit Varrik. Only by acting together would they have the best chance of rescuing Arden.

Chapter 17

Arden wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders, but even the thick wool couldn’t protect her from the winds that blasted her from the opening of the canyon. She walked head on into them, every few steps forward ending with a stumble back. Ravens with two heads and six wings hovered above her in the gale, their caws mocking her efforts. She clenched her jaw and doubled her efforts to move a few feet ahead. As her energy waned, she diverted it from her confinement spells to her legs.

“My poor little Soulbearer,” a voice said behind her, “why are you being so stubborn?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“Aren’t you enjoying the beauty of chaos?”

A forceful gust ripped the cloak from her shoulders and forced her to turn around before the rest of her clothes followed. “That’s not funny, Loku.”

He shrugged, a spectral image unaffected by the winds. “I am still the master of the realm and can order the storm to cease. All you have to do is ask nicely.”

“I’m not going to play your game, Loku.”

“Pity.”

A fork of green lightning snaked across the sky and split, sending a bolt to the space between them. The ground exploded, and Arden flew backward. She grabbed her necklace and called to Dev in desperation.

But the only sound she heard before her vision went black was the sound of maniacal laughter.

***

Dev jumped up from the pile of straw that had served as his bed ever since he’d been taken prisoner by the Ornathians. Arden’s voice rang as clear in his mind as though she were in the dark cell with him, and there was no mistaking the note of fear it contained. His gut knotted as he tried to respond to her, only to receive silence.

A growl of frustration rose from the center of his chest, and he rammed his fist into the damp stone wall. He hated being locked away here, knowing she was in danger.

And it was all because of him.

By Jessup, if something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself
.

He rubbed his eyes before the sting of regret spilled out from them. For the past week, he’d replayed the events that had led him here and wondered what he could’ve done differently. He could’ve refused to trade places with Callix. He could’ve intercepted Loku before the chaos god took over Syd’s body. He could’ve kept closer watch over Syd.

He could’ve never lost his heart to the current Soulbearer.

No, I’d never want to change that
.

Dev squeezed his throbbing hand into another fist, but this time, he held back from punching the wall. He loved Arden too much to erase her from his life. As much trouble as she caused, he felt empty without her. He reached out to her once again and got the same response.

Silence.

A few heartbeats later, a different set of sounds caught his attention. Voices. Footsteps. The unmistakable jangle of keys. Someone was coming, and knowing Adeyemi, he immediately feared the worst. Undoubtedly, the king had grown impatient and was coming to retrieve him for the sacrificial altar.

Or worse, Arden was dead, and her mission to find the Blood of Lireal had failed.

A lump formed in his throat at that thought. He wasn’t ready to accept that answer. Not yet. Not ever.

He’d memorized the dimensions of the dark cell and moved to the place behind the door. It was his best hope for an ambush and for not being blinded by the light when they came in.

The voices quieted, but the lock didn’t click. Then a low, familiar voice spoke on the other side of the door. “Dev, it is Sazi.”

The tension in his muscles eased. “Any news on Arden?”

“Much, but first, I want you to be at peace.”

A single note of bitter laughter escaped his lips. The Ornathian knew him better than he thought. Either that, or she could see through stone walls. He stepped away from his hiding spot. “I won’t know a moment’s peace until I have Arden back in my arms.”

“Then we have little time to waste.”

He barely heard the click of the lock over the pounding of his heart. “What’s going on, Sazi? Where is she? Is she hurt?”

The door opened, and the long shadow of the Ornathian shielded his eyes from the torches behind her. “I cannot answer those questions, Dev, but I can tell you that she was successful. The Blood of Lireal has been returned, and by the king’s command, you are free.”

His vision adjusted from the dark to light, and he rushed forward. “Where is she?”

Sazi tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. If he didn’t know the power she possessed, he would’ve been tempted to shake the truth from her. “I do not know if you would believe me without the evidence.”

“Sazi…”

Despite the threat in his single word, she continued to study him for a long moment before replying, “She is in Chaos.”

His stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”

“Loku is holding her hostage in the Realm of Chaos.”

He wasn’t sure if he should laugh or scream. What kind of games was the chaos god playing? And how would it alter Arden when all was said and done?

“Then help me find a way to bring her back.”

Chapter 18

“Wake up, Arden,” a voice sang into her ear.

She blinked several times before the world came into view. The first thing she saw was Loku leaning over her, appearing more solid than usual. The second thing she noticed was that she was lying in an open room surrounded by floating white staircases that ran in every direction.

“How is your head, my pet?”

She sat up slowly, expecting to experience a sharp pain in her temples followed by waves of nausea. Instead, she felt nothing. “What happened?”

“Would you like something to eat?” Loku offered her a bowl containing dark green orbs covered with long spines. “Don’t let their appearance frighten you. The fruit inside is surprisingly sweet.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.” He set the bowl aside with a shrug, the constantly moving black lines dancing across his pale skin like ripples on a pond. “As for your head, I’m sincerely sorry about that. You of all people know how unexpected things can happen when you let your temper get the better of you.”

All too well. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d inadvertently set something on fire when she was angry. It was a wonder she’d made it out of Wallus without being burned at the stake for being a witch.

She stood, once again surprised at the lack of symptoms left over from the lightning strike. “Well, if you healed me because of the injury you inflicted, then my thanks. Now I only wish to be out of here.”

“Don’t be rude, Arden. Why don’t you consider staying for a while?”

“So you can lose your temper and rain lightning down on me again? No, thanks.” She moved around the room to determine the best staircase to take.

He gave a nervous laugh that made her pause. “Come now, Arden, you know me better than that.”

She gave him a look that asked if he was kidding. She knew the chaos god well enough, and the only thing she was certain of was that she couldn’t trust him. Close behind was the knowledge that the longer she remained under his power, the quicker she’d go insane. And his sudden change in behavior told her he was up to no good.

She finally picked a staircase and tested it to see if it would hold her weight. When it passed her tests, she started her descent. About halfway down the flight, however, the entire world seemed to roll over on its side. She fell and slid toward the edge of the stair, catching a glimpse of the swirling void below. Her mind ordered her to grab on to something, but her fingers slipped off the polished, white stone. Her feet disappeared over the edge, followed by her bottom. A scream froze in the middle of her throat.

A pair of ice-cold hands grabbed hers and kept her from dropping to her death.

She looked up into the face of her hero and found Loku grinning at her. “Should I let go?”

“You bastard!”

He chuckled, and the world rotated another quarter turn. Arden smacked against the opposite side of the staircase she’d been on moments before.

“Oh, I forgot to warn you about the stairs.” He let go of her hands and crouched beside her. “Chaos and all that.”

She got up on her knees, her lungs still struggling for air after her fright, and punched him in the arm. “That’s for scaring me like that.”

“Oh, come now, Arden, do you really think I’d let anything bad happen to you?” He cupped her chin in his icy hand and tilted her head up. His yellow-green eyes studied her with uncharacteristic warmth, and the dancing black lines on his skin slowed. “I’m actually quite fond of you, you know?”

“You have an interesting way of proving it.”

He clucked his tongue like a chiding nursemaid and wagged his finger at her. “You’re not being very nice. After all, I let you in on one of my greatest tricks. I’ve had the Blood of Lireal hidden in Chaos for decades, and none of those other deities even had a clue.”

“So you’re bragging now?”

“No, my little Soulbearer, just letting you know how very special you are.”

Arden sat back on her knees and looked for another escape route. As soon as she spotted one, she knew the stairs would shift or turn, and her stomach would drop. “You’re never letting me go, are you?”

“It depends.” The corners of his mouth rose into a scheming grin.

“On what?”

“A number of variables.”

An ache formed at her temple, and she pressed her fingers to massage it. “How long are we going to play this game?”

“It depends.”

A groan of frustration worked its way up from her chest. He could play this game for centuries, slowly driving her mad in the process unless she wrestled some concrete evidence from him.

Then something struck her as odd. The whole time she’d been in Chaos, Loku had appeared to be nothing more than a spirit, a ghostly image without any solid substance. And yet, when he saved her, his hands felt as real as her own. She shivered and rubbed the gooseflesh rising on her arms. “This is a dream, isn’t it?”

“No, Arden, this is very real.” He pinched her arm to prove his point.

She yelped, and studied the reddened flesh. “Then how do you have a body?”

Her breath caught after the words tumbled out. Had they given him back his ashes while she was unconscious?

“It’s not what you’re thinking.” He stood and held his hands out to the side and open toward the swirling heavens above. Balls of green magic gathered in his palms and sizzled along his skin, filling in the transparent areas. “We are in the very heart of Chaos, the seat of my powers, and I can control anything I want.” He slid his gaze toward her. “Even you.”

“Then why don’t you get on with it and addle my mind until I turn into Robb?” she asked, referring to the previous Soulbearer.

“Because I have better plans for you.”

She climbed back up to the platform to get off the fickle stairs and drew her knees up to her chest. He wasn’t going to let her go until it served his purpose, and trying to rebel against him would only add to her frustration. “They’re not going to give you back your ashes, Loku, not even in exchange for me.”

“I know,” he said with a heavy dose of resignation. The bowl appeared in his hands again. “Are you sure you don’t want to try one?”

She eyed the spiky fruit with suspicion, despite the rumbling in her stomach. “How do I know they’re not poisoned?”

“Because I give you my word as a god that I won’t let any more harm come to you while you’re in my realm.” He offered the bowl again. “Should I peel one for you?”

One of the spine-covered globes floated up from the pile and shed the dark green outer layer to reveal the deep pink, succulent flesh inside. It floated toward her, and when she reached out to touch it, juice dribbled along her wrist.

“It’s very sweet, despite its outward appearance.” Loku watched her while she took a hesitant taste and found it to be just as he described. “See? I wasn’t lying.”

Her stomach flinched at the first bit of food she’d had that day, but after the initial protest, she devoured the sweet fruit and reached for another.

“Allow me.” Loku levitated another one and peeled it for her. “I don’t want you to get hurt, after all.”

Once she’d had her fill of the fruit, she leaned back on her hands and asked, “So what is your purpose for bringing me here? I know it’s not to reveal the greatest trick you’ve ever played on the other gods.”