A Soul for Vengeance (10 page)

A muscle rippled along his jaw. “In other words, we’re outlaws.”

The irony of his assessment struck her as funny, and a bitter laugh broke free from her lips. “That’s one way to put it. Had this been any other day, I would’ve ordered the men to attack the soldiers and hopefully free those people.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She stared directly at him and said nothing.

He met her gaze for a moment before looking away. “I meant what I said about wanting to fight, Zara.”

“And I believe you, Kell, but everything in due time. We now have a leader to gather our forces around, but we need a plan to go with it if we’re to be successful.”

“And you need me to become that leader.” He tumbled his thumbs over each other, his voice far more serious than she’d ever heard. “And what if I suggested we focus our attacks on these workhouses to free our people and add them to our forces?”

“I wish it was as simple as that.”

“Why not?”

The scar along her stomach throbbed. She hugged her knees to her chest to soothe it. “On the outside, it does look simple. The Thallian keep our people there with minimal guards and without any chains. They don’t need them as long as they have the nightmare dust.”

“Nightmare dust?”

“The Thallians call it kokalla. It’s a powder they add to meager food and drink they offer their slaves.”

He stopped rolling his thumbs and pressed them together against his fingers. “And what does it do?”

“Nothing when taken every day. Taking it’s not the problem. It’s going without it. Once the nightmare dust gets into your system, the clock begins ticking. Go more than one day without it, and the withdrawals set in. It can vary from nightmares to vivid hallucinations to people outright killing themselves to escape the agony.”

Kell’s fingers blanched, and that muscle along his jaw rippled again. He was probably remembering his own withdrawals from the kokalla powder. “Is there an antidote?”

She shook her head, wishing it was as simple as that. “The only thing we can do is keep them safe until the withdrawals cease. It can take anywhere from one to five days, depending on how long the person’s been on the kokalla and how much they’ve ingested. But so many of the slaves fear the nightmares that they’d rather stay imprisoned by the Thallian and escape than enter withdrawals.”

Several minutes passed before Kell spoke. “You’re right, Zara, I don’t recognize the Ranello I’ve come home to, but that doesn’t mean I have to accept it.”

“Then have patience. Bynn will be able to tell you much more than I will.”

“How much farther until we get to him?”

“Three, maybe four more days, depending on the weather.” She pulled her blanket around her legs. “Then, once I have you back in the camp, and I can go back to doing what I do best.”

A wry grin cracked his serious façade. “And what’s that?”

“Giving the Thallians one small headache after another.”

Chapter 9

Dev paced the length of Sazi’s chambers, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes downcast. Over and over, he replayed his last conversation with Arden, his heart aching every time he saw the hurt in her eyes. He’d been so determined to keep his feelings a secret that it had backfired on him, and now he was paying for it with a string of sleepless nights worrying over her. If he’d just taken the time to pull her aside, to tell her why he was resigning—by Jessup, even kissed her back—maybe she’d still be here today.

“You’re going to wear a groove in the stones if you keep that up,” his father said from the chair by the fire.

“Impossible.” He paused long enough to stretch his back and resumed his strides. “Why did you have to create that bracelet?”

“You’re the one who wanted to keep her safe.” He puffed on his pipe. “Sometimes, I forget the consequences of my own power.”

“As soon as I find her, I’m going to rip that bracelet off and toss it into the nearest fire.”

“Pity.” Arano continued to puff on his pipe, each smoke ring adding to Dev’s annoyance.

His pace doubled, his boots stomping against the stones with more force than before. “You know, instead of sitting there, doing nothing, you can use your power to help find her.”

“I don’t need to use my magic, not when I have the power of deduction.”

If he wasn’t his father, Dev would’ve yanked him up from the chair and dragged him to the edge of Sazi’s balcony. Thankfully, the Ornathian returned before he gave into the temptation to try it. He waited until Sazi had tucked her wings behind her before approaching. “Any sign of her?”

She shook her head. “I have traveled along the road to Hebera many times, but I have seen no sign of her or Cinder.”

“And you won’t either,” Arano said. “She’s not going to Hebera.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Father, of course she is. It’s the quickest way back to Ranello.”

“Yes, but she’s not going to Ranello.” He emptied the ashes from his pipe. “At least not at this moment.”

The hairs on the back of Dev’s neck stood up, followed by an uncomfortable fluttering in his stomach. Arano was entirely too relaxed with a missing Soulbearer on the loose. He exchanged glances with Sazi, who nodded in agreement. He moved in front of his father and crossed his arms. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Just what I have told you. Arden hasn’t gone to Hebera.”

The fluttering turned into a heavy plunk. “You know where she is, don’t you?”

“No, not exactly, but I have a pretty good idea.” Arano reached into his robe, exchanging his pipe for a rolled-up piece of paper. “I received this from Varrik di Miloria this morning.”

“Varrik?” A dozen scenarios flashed through his mind, all of them bad. Arden hated her father, and if there was any connection between the two of them, it was likely to end on a fatal note. He took the note from the Mage Primus and brought it over to Sazi so they could both read it.

Arano,

I appreciate you informing me of my daughter’s disappearance, and your generous apologies are accepted, but unwarranted. Arden is safe and well at this time, and you should not be overly worried about her.

Varrik di Miloria

Dev read through it once more, then checked the seal to find the Milorian rose. The blood rushed from his head when he found it, and his palms grew damp. “The last thing I wanted was for Caz di Miloria to dig his claws into her.”

Sazi’s brow furrowed. “Are you suggesting Caz kidnapped her?”

“Of course I am. Now that he knows she’s a member of his family, how could he resist pulling her into his schemes? She’s the Soulbearer, Sazi, a weapon he could use if anyone challenged his power.” He wrapped his fingers around his sword’s hilt, already imagining how much he’d love to slice the blade through the Lord Chamberlain’s neck for taking Arden.

Arano rose from his chair and snatched the letter from Dev. “Stop and take a moment to think, you hot-headed twit. Varrik sent this letter, not his brother. And you know as well as I do he’s one of the few people in the Empire who refuses to bend over and kiss Caz’s ass.”

Dev’s anger bled out, leaving his fingers cold as he removed them from his sword. He reviewed the contents of the letter once more, this time looking for what was said between the lines. “The only way Varrik could know Arden’s safe is because he’s seen her.”

“Precisely. And more importantly, she’s probably still with him.”

“Preposterous, Father. Arden would never willingly go to Varrik.”

“Not even if he had something she treasured?” A wily grin formed on his lips.

“Arden only treasured one thing—her mother’s necklace—but that disappeared the night she battled Nelos.”

“No, we found it, remember?”

“Yes, but the last person who had the chain was…” He caught himself, everything becoming all too clear. “Varrik.”

Arano nodded. “You know her better than any of us. What are the odds she’d leave Gravaria without the one thing she treasured the most?”

“Fine, you’ve explained why Arden would seek out Varrik, but I wouldn’t describe the two of them in the same room as being safe.”

“And that’s where you underestimate Varrik,” his father said with a laugh. “Or have you forgotten who taught you that containment spell?”

Sazi stepped forward, her flawless face lined with worry. “But if she has gone to him, then we have bigger problems to deal with.”

Arano met her gaze, then looked away and pulled his pipe back out. “Perhaps, but I don’t think Loku knows.”

Dev’s mouth went dry. Whatever secret they shared, it involved the chaos god, and that always meant danger to the Soulbearer. “What?” he demanded.

“That letter came from Lothmore Palace.” Arano lit his pipe, but his eyes never left Dev. “Any idea what’s hiding in the vault below it?”

His lungs constricted, forcing his heart up into his throat. When he became the Soulbearer’s Protector, there was one place in all of Gravaria he was to keep the Soulbearer from going to at all costs.

Lothmore Palace.

****

The silence was keeping Arden up at night. Or perhaps it was the absence of a familiar presence that let her know she was never alone. Either way, she missed Loku.

A week had passed since Varrik contained the chaos god, locking him away in the deepest part of Arden’s mind where he no longer threatened her. But, in the same respect, she’d become so accustomed to hearing Loku’s endless commentary that she realized with some surprise that she’d been using it as a compass in her life, a measure of where she was in the grand scheme of things and where she should go next. Without him, she had to rely on her own judgment.

Without him, she was lost until she could trust her own bearings.

And she certainly could have used him tonight as she lay in bed trying to unravel the mystery of her father. Varrik hadn’t called her Daughter since the day he contained Loku, which was fine with her because she couldn’t bring herself to call him Father. They still treaded lightly around each other as though they were scared to move too quickly and have the ground shatter from underneath them. But with each lesson, she came away learning a bit more than she had that morning. Each day, he helped her trust her intuition more than the day before. And each interaction left her wondering if she’d be able to put the past behind her and forge a new relationship with him.

Her thoughts swirled around her head until they all ended with even more questions. She threw back the covers and grabbed her robe. Cinder hopped off the bed and followed her to the door. If she wasn’t sleeping, she might as well get a book from the library and try to read.

Arden jumped as Cinder growled in warning.

A cold voice asked from behind her in the hallway, “Going somewhere, Soulbearer?”

She turned to find Callix watching her, the moonlight glittering in his eyes. She wiped her palms on her robe. “Yes, I’m going to the library.”

“Let me accompany you.”

Her heart beat double time as he walked beside her.
“Loku, where are you? Why does this guy act like he hates me?”

But no answer came.

Callix opened the door to the library and stepped aside so she could enter first. “Are you looking for something in particular?”

“Just something to occupy my mind.” Her eyes never left him while she backpedaled to the nearest shelf. “Any recommendations?”

The cavernous library held more books than she could ever imagine—even more than the Conclave seemed to have—but Callix wasted no time grabbing a book from a shelf five cases down from her. “Try this.”

She glanced at the title, relieved to recognize the letters. “
A Realm Unleashed
. What is it about?”

He closed the space between them until she could feel his breath on her cheek when he replied, “Why don’t you read it and find out?”

A none-too-subtle nudge from the elf let her know his patience had worn thin. He followed her back to her room and closed the door behind her. A shiver coursed down her spine.
That was plain creepy
.

She paused to see what Loku would add, but the silence only added to the crawling sense of unease that canvased her skin. The warmth from the covers helped chase it away, though, and she started reading about a time when the three kingdoms were engaged in constant warfare. By the end of the first page, her eyes grew heavy, and she remembered nothing after turning the page.

The book was still sitting across her lap when she awoke. Sunlight sparkled along the gold-leaf lettering, giving some levity to the otherwise oppressive weight of the book. Perhaps Callix had been wise recommending the book to her—it certainly put her to sleep. She set it aside and dressed before going downstairs.

From the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, she felt Callix’s eyes on her. He silently watched her from the landing above until she joined Varrik in the drawing room. “Can you tell me about your little watchdog?”

Varrik looked up from his book. “I don’t have a dog.”

“I was talking about Callix.” She tossed a piece of bacon from the tea tray to Cinder before taking one for herself. “I have the distinct impression he hates me.”

“Hate is a strong word,” he replied, turning back to his book.

“Then intensely dislikes me.” She sat in the chair across from her father. “I don’t recall ever meeting him before last week, and I don’t see any marks of Nelos on him.”

“That’s because he follows Ivis.”

Ivis, another name for the Lady Moon. “Have I done something to piss her off?”

Varrik laid his book aside with a heavy sigh, marking his place with a silk ribbon. “This has nothing to do with the gods and more to do with our family.”

“Oh, so the grand Milorian family is ready to claim me, even though I’m a half-Ranellian bastard?”

“You are my daughter, whether you choose to acknowledge that or not.” He crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. “Were you this sarcastic before you met Loku?”

“Worse.” Although the god gave her powers that made some quiver with fear, he also thrust her into a world of kings and empresses where she had to be careful what she said to avoid offending the person who could order her execution.