Alliance (33 page)

Lerran struggled to get the words out, until she huffed in frustration and let go of him. “I don’t speak the old language of the elders.” How Lerran kept his voice steady after witnessing Glaevahl’s death, Ryneq had no idea, but he stared the witch in the eye and attempted to shrug. “He must have confused me with someone else.”

“I don’t believe you.” She raised her hand as if to strike him, but Seran interrupted her before she had a chance.

“Mariskah, there’ll be plenty of time to question the elf later. The dragon will be dead soon. Get what you need from it, and hurry.”

She turned and hissed at him, and Ryneq would have missed the way Seran flinched if he hadn’t been watching closely. With one more lingering look back at Lerran, the witch walked across the cave toward Eldin and Vashek.

Vashek struggled to raise his head as she neared. He opened his mouth, baring rows of sharp teeth, and just when Ryneq expected to see fire shooting out, Mariskah snapped Vashek’s jaws shut with a flick of her hand.

“Oh, elf magic is good.” She threw back her head and laughed in delight. “Almost as good as dragon’s blood.”

Ryneq watched the whole scene in shock, as Vashek’s head fell back onto the stone floor in defeat. He’d never seen that look on any of the dragons before, and he never wanted to again. A dark red pool formed under Vashek’s chest, seeping into the stone beneath and getting larger as Ryneq watched it. There would be no coming back from this for Vashek, and consequently not for Eldin, either. Ryneq tasted bile again at the thought of losing them both.

Mariskah drew a silver knife from her belt, the handle decorated with symbols, and a feeling of dread settled low in Ryneq’s belly. He glanced at Lerran, but the elf shook his head, looking as confused as Ryneq felt. She darted forward quicker than Ryneq would have thought possible and sliced the blade across the top of Vashek’s shoulder. It cut through his thick hide as though it was nothing, the dark red blood clinging to the blade as she withdrew it and stepped back.

She eyed the blood hungrily, and for a moment Ryneq expected her to lick the knife clean, but she appeared to get a hold of herself. “Bring the rider and set him on the ground over here.” She pointed at the cave floor over by the wall away from Vashek, and two of the guards reluctantly approached the huge dragon.

They took their time, obviously not wanting to get near Vashek despite the fact he hadn’t moved since the witch had used her magic on him. Mariskah’s patience wore thin, and her black eyes narrowed as she hissed at them. “I will curse you where you stand if you don’t hurry. Now, bring him!”

That seemed to be all the incentive they needed. The two Rodethian guards grabbed hold of Eldin, manhandled him off Vashek’s back, and dragged him over to where she stood waiting. Eldin grunted as they threw him to the ground, and he reached a hand down to where his leg lay at a very unnatural angle.

A low rumble echoed around the cave. Vashek tried to move to get to his rider, but Mariskah threw another spell at him, and he slumped back down.

“Tear open his shirt,” she ordered, and this time the guards immediately did as she asked. Eldin had scratches all over him, and red, angry marks already turning into bruising over the left side of his ribs. The witch ran her free hand over Eldin’s chest, trailing her fingers over the skin as though searching for something hidden underneath it.

And then Ryneq knew.

“Can you do it or not?” Seran walked close enough to see but still kept a fair amount of distance between them.

Mariskah ignored him, still searching with her fingers. “Aha!” She leaned closer, a triumphant grin on her lips as she raised the dagger, still dripping with Vashek’s blood. “This is going to hurt. So very much.”

Eldin’s eyes flew open the moment the tip of the knife pierced his skin, and he let out a desperate cry as she began to carve small precise marks into his chest. Soft words filled the cave, the witch’s voice flowing in a lilting rhythm that almost sounded soothing. “
Let that which magic forged together, now be broken by magic and forever cast asunder.
”

Vashek’s mouth fell open, no longer bound as she concentrated her magic on Eldin, but he was too weak to produce any flame.

Mariskah chanted the words over and over, and Eldin’s body began to twitch and shudder. “No,” he gasped out, trying to push her hands away, but the guards quickly moved to hold him in place. “Don’t… not like this.
Please.
” His eyes fluttered shut, his face a mask of pain and agony.

Ryneq watched in horror. He couldn’t imagine how it must feel to have their bond ripped away like this. When a rider and their dragon chose to have their bond broken, it took hours of careful preparation, and even then the connection was gradually reduced until it no longer existed. Neither dragon nor rider felt any pain, and certainly nothing like this. Whatever spell she’d found had to be the darkest magic.

It tore at Eldin’s chest, the symbols marring his skin with lines and curves until his back arched off the ground, wrenching out a piercing scream from him. He fell back, unconscious, and Vashek’s answering roar echoed around the cave, leaving stunned silence in its wake.

“Ryneq?” Lerran turned to face him, a horrified expression on his face. “I felt it… she just….” He swallowed thickly, his dark eyes glistening with tears. “She tore them apart. I’ve never… the magic….” He collapsed into Ryneq’s side, almost toppling them both, but Ryneq managed to turn enough to catch him against his chest. One of the guards hauled him off and shoved him down onto the ground.

Mariskah stood and wiped the knife on her dress. She glanced down at Lerran with a look of disgust. “Ugh, elves. I forget how sickeningly susceptible they are to magic.”

“Did it work?” Seran moved closer to peer down at Eldin, who remained unconscious, but still alive.

“Of course it worked. With the elf magic
and
dragon’s blood, I am unstoppable.” She eyed the guards, flicking the point of her knife between them as though deciding which to choose, finally landing on the one to Ryneq’s left. “You. Come with me.”

The guard cast a hesitant glance at Seran, but the king nodded and gestured for him to follow. Mariskah walked back over to Vashek with such an air of predatory excitement, Ryneq knew that whatever she had planned would be bad.

But he hadn’t been prepared for what happened next.

She ordered the guard to take off his shirt while she cleaned the knife properly, wiping all traces of Eldin’s blood from it before making another cut next to the one already on Vashek’s shoulder.

“You mean to bond them?” Ryneq shouted, straining against his constraints. “You can’t do that. Look at him….” He pointedly glanced over at Vakesh, lying in an ever-growing pool of his own blood. “If you try and do a bonding ritual, it will kill them both.” Ryneq couldn’t care less whether the guard died, but he had to try to save Vashek. Even if he feared it was already too late.

Mariskah shrugged, but her cold expression didn’t falter. “I need to know if it works. There will be other dragons.” Her words took a moment to register, and then the guard in front of her suddenly realized what that meant for him and bolted for the door.

He only managed two paces before he stopped in his tracks, held in place by an invisible force.

“I can make this incredible painful for you, or you can do it the easy way. Either way you will be bonded to this dragon. Which is it to be?” Mariskah laughed when the guard looked to Seran for help. “Oh, you’ll get no aid from your king. It’s him who wants this.”

Seran didn’t even have the grace to look guilty. If anything, he appeared impatient to get things moving. The guard’s whole body slumped in defeat as he turned and walked back over to stand in front of her again.

“That’s what I thought.” She motioned for two more guards to join them. “Hold him tight. He’s going to struggle.”

The guard began to panic. “What? I thought you said it wouldn’t hurt.”

“I lied.” She took the knife, now freshly covered in Vashek’s blood and began to carve on the guard’s exposed chest, much as she had on Eldin’s. The blade dug deep as she began to chant. “
Dark Mother, I offer my magic as a sacrifice. Bind these two through magic, let their blood fuse their connection and join their minds as one.
” A bolt of red light shot out of the witch’s mouth, straight into Vashek and the guard.

Vashek roared, and the guard screamed, and Ryneq wished he could cover his ears because the sound was terrifying. Mariskah staggered back as the guard’s head slumped forward, the knife dropping from her hand and onto the ground with a clatter. Her skin looked as white as a sheet—the spell must have cost her a lot of energy. If only Lerran were awake, maybe they could’ve taken advantage of that somehow.

He stole a quick look down, but Lerran hadn’t moved.

Mocking laughter caught his attention, and Ryneq raised his head to see Mariskah watching him. Her breaths came in harsh pants, but she wagged her finger at him. “Don’t think for one moment that I’m weak enough for your elf to take. My power is already replenishing itself, thanks to all the elf magic inside me.” She licked her lips, and her gaze raked over Lerran’s prone form. “I may have need of some more soon, though.”

“You can play with your toys later, Mariskah. Wake him.” Seran marched over to the guard and pulled his head up sharply. “I want to see if you’re as good as you think you are.”

“Careful, Seran.” Mariskah’s tone held a hint of danger, and Seran stepped aside, out of her way. Ryneq wondered just how much input Seran had in this whole thing. If the witch made all the decisions, then trying to get Seran to keep them alive might prove useless.

She walked up to the semiconscious guard, grabbed a hold of his chin, and yanked him roughly up to face her. “Wake up.” She shook him a little until his eyes opened, and Ryneq thought he’d never seen someone look more out of it. The guard had a glazed expression, the whites of his eyes littered with red. “Can you hear the dragon?”

When he didn’t answer straightaway, she squeezed her fingers, making the guard wince, but his eyes seemed to focus a little. “Can you hear him in your mind?”

“Y-yes.” He squinted at her, as though his head hurt. Vashek turned to face the witch and the guard, and if he really could hear Vashek in his head, Ryneq doubted the dragon said anything pleasant. “Sort of… it’s hard to make out. But he’s angry.”

Mariskah snorted out a laugh. “Oh, I’m sure he is.”

“He’s dying.” The guard shot a worried glance at the dragon, obviously knowing he didn’t have long left, either. Ryneq felt no sympathy whatsoever.

Seran huffed, sounding irritated. “I told you to be careful.”

Mariskah carried on as though Seran hadn’t spoken. “In that case we’d better get on with it. We need to get a message to the others. If they don’t return to the Eyrie, we will kill the king and the elf. I’m sure Ahlyria will be loath to lose another of her precious elves.” She fixed the guard with a stern glare. “Tell the dragon to send the message.”

The guard closed his eyes, frowning in concentration, but stumbled back when Vashek let out a deep snarl. “He refuses.”

“What?” Mariskah’s eyes went black, her fists clenched at her sides. “He can’t refuse a direct order from his rider. Try again.”

“He says we may be connected through our minds, but that I am not his rider, therefore I have no sway over him.”

“No! The spell was perfect!” She rounded on Vashek, her hands out in front of her. “You will send the message on your own accord or I will make you.” Vashek growled, making his intentions clear. He could hardly lift his head off the ground now, and Ryneq feared if she used any more magic on him, then Vashek would surely die. He’d lost so much blood already, it was a miracle he’d survived this long. “Very well.”

She spun around, took the guard’s head in her hands, and began muttering. The guard squirmed, fighting to get free, but between Mariskah and the other guards, he couldn’t move.

“Stop… please…
please
… it hurts….” The guard went pale, all color draining from his face, and when Mariskah dropped her hands with a frustrated cry, the guard went limp.

Ryneq quickly looked over at Vashek, and his heart sank when the dragon lay there, unmoving. His chest no longer rose and fell.

Mariskah cursed under her breath and motioned for the remaining guards to take the dead body of their comrade away. “I guess I shouldn’t waste this.” She knelt next to Vashek’s still body and began to fill some of the vials on her belt with his blood. It made Ryneq’s stomach churn, and he quickly looked away, focusing instead on Eldin and Lerran.

They were both breathing, although Eldin’s chest barely moved. Only the occasional twitch of his fingers assured Ryneq that Eldin wasn’t dead. Lerran, although out cold on the ground, breathed in a steady rhythm. They needed to get Eldin to Djilak, otherwise Ryneq didn’t think he’d last the night.

But therein lay another problem. Djilak had been in the barracks tending to the wounded soldiers when Ryneq had burst into the palace. He had no idea what Seran and the witch had done to his men or the rest of his people. Neither Seran nor Mariskah appeared to know about the villagers hidden in the caves, or if they did, had chosen not to mention it.

It would serve no purpose for them to be harmed, but Ryneq had ceased to try to predict what Seran and his witch were capable of. They had five more days until the dragon’s blood would be ready. He had no idea what the witch planned to do with hers, but Ryneq hoped the elves had something in mind that would get them out of this mess.

Seran paced near the mouth of the cave, eyeing Mariskah with distaste as she knelt next to Vashek and collected his blood. “What do we do now, then?” He glared at her, but she didn’t even bother to look up. “We have no way of contacting the dragons now.”

“The dragons will be headed for Alel.”

“So?”

“So we capture ourselves an
egrath
and do it the long way.” She secured the vials in her belt and stood, brushing the dust off the bottom of her dress.