Fated Release (Fated Keepers Series Book 2) (2 page)

“What? When? Let’s go! Why are we stalling? This is what we have been waiting for.” I knew she would react that way, it was the main reason I hadn’t told her before.

“Calm down Love, you know we are not going to trade you for anyone.”

“Well duh Lyon, honestly do you think I am stupid. But we can pretend to agree and take him by surprise. He doesn’t know of any of my powers or abilities. This is our chance to get her back. We have to take it!”

              We all gather downstairs a half an hour later to stock up on weapons and go over the details of the plan once again. I want to make sure we have all possibilities covered. I want a plan A, a plan B and a plan C and D. I don’t want to leave anything to chance. The plan is pretty straight forward. Orin will lead Arsema to the agreed upon location. We choose him to escort her for three reasons. One, he is the best of us all with a sword. Two, Tavish knows I will never give Arsema up, so, me showing up with her would be a dead giveaway that we are deceiving him, and three, I need to be able to communicate with them about our location and what is going on at mine and Haas’ end.

I can talk to Arsema through our bond and she can communicate with Orin telepathically as long as she is touching him.  So we will all have constant contact. Erik will be the only one traveling alone and his job is to secure the perimeter and search for the location of Tris. Elmeri is going to stay at the house and guard Cash. He is still fuming about not being allowed to come along, but Arsema refuses to allow him to come and I agree completely.

              As soon as the sun sets we head out. We are going to use the cover of the dark to hide our location several yards behind Orin and Arsema. I gave Arsema one of the guns she learned to shoot with to take with her and a small dagger that she hides in the belt of her pants. Orin keeps one hand on Arsema at all times keeping up the pretense that he is forcing her to give herself up. In reality it is just so we could keep an open communication. With them touching I am able to see and know exactly what is going on every step of the way even though I can’t be there with her myself.

              We arrive at the preordained meeting location just as the moon reaches its apex in the sky. We are in a forest of tall trees located about 15 minutes away from Arsema’s house. Orin stops at the tall oak with a sheet of paper pinned to it just like he was instructed to do. Moments later Tavish steps out into the open. He walks toward Arsema, stopping about 10 feet away. I can feel Arsema's rage at seeing him and feel her want to attack him right then, but we have agreed to try to talk to him and get as much information as possible before ambushing.

“Where is the girl?” Orin asks Tavish who laughs his deep evil laugh.

“She’s around. You didn’t think I would bring her with me did you? No I left her somewhere safe and I will give you directions to her after I leave here safely with Arsema.” We figured he would do something like this. That is why Erik was searching the area around us.

“Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?” I hear Arsema ask him.

“You didn’t DO anything. I was given orders to bring you in. And I failed. Now I am forced to hide in order to survive. If I bring you to Rochelle my life will be spared. It’s simple beauty. My life is more important to me that yours.”

“You evil piece of shit. And what about Tris? What did she ever do to you?” he paused briefly before answering her.

“She was a means to an end for me. Nothing more. Nothing less. And now she isn’t even worth that to me. I have what I need now and if you don’t mind I think it’s time for us to be on our way.”

The woods become flooded with Orfeo when he finishes speaking. There are at least 5 surrounding Orin and Arsema including Tavish and another 5 or more behind us.  Haas and I don’t hesitate. We spin around and begin cutting the evil spawn from this world.

              I sense Arsema and Orin have begun their battle also. I have to disconnect my thoughts from Arsema in order to focus on the attackers in front of me. I see Erik joining in the battle out of the corner of my eye and yell for him to get to Arsema while I slash my sword through the midsection of another Orfeo warrior. Blood and sweat are pouring into my eyes, but I keep swinging. Refusing to back down. Haas and I face the remaining 3 Orfeo back to back. One right after another they charge us. I lift my sword and swipe down decapitating one and turn without slowing to swing my blade toward the last remaining. Haas is pulling his sword from the chest of the second Orfeo and coming to assist me when we hear the scream. I turn toward Arsema and am immediately hit from the side and knocked to the ground. The last Orfeo is standing above me readying his blade for the final strike when Haas slices his head from his shoulders. I watch it roll to the side and breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank you brother.” I tell Haas as he helps me stand and we take off for Arsema and the others.

“Anytime brother.” He replies.

              Arsema is on the ground with her head in her hands when we arrive. I rush to he and gather her in my arms afraid of the wound I am going to find on her. “He’s dead Lyon.” I look around at my brothers and Erik trying to figure out who she is talking about. Who would be upset over losing when we are all still standing and alive? She senses my confusion and clarifies.

“Tavish. Tavish is dead. How will we find Tris now? He is the only one who knew where she was. How will we find her?” Ah I see the problem now.

“We will find a way. Don’t worry love. We will find her for you.”

Arsema...

              The battle in the woods has really shaken me. I don’t tell anyone but I feel completely drained. I don’t know if it is because I have just lost the last possible way of finding my best friend or if it has something to do with keeping the bond open and maintaining the contact with Orin during our fake exchange. Either way, I feel dead on my feet when we arrive back at the house.  I let the guys rehash the details of the battle to Elmeri and Cash. All I want to do is go wash up and lay down for a few. I stop in to let Cash know that I am ok and then I tell Lyon I am going to relax. He knows the events of the last few hours have left their mark on me. I took my first life tonight and I almost lost mine in the process.

              I have just taken down one of Tavish's goons when he comes up behind me, knife in hand. He presses the tip of the blade against my back right in the perfect position to pierce my heart if he pushes hard.

“Walk backward. Don’t make a sound.” 

Chills rack my body as I recall the feel of his breath against my ear, as well as his slimy hands on my body.  I have no choice but to back away with him. Erik glances up from the decapitated body of one of the goons to see Tavish leading me away. I have a moment’s notice to prepare me for the attack. Erik’s eyes widen just the slightest bit and then I feel the blade slide through Tavish’s back, barely missing my side when it comes out the other side. I scream, caught off guard, and Tavish releases me. Erik grabs me and pulls me to himself right as Orin pulls his blade out of Tavish and swings down, hard and fast, severing his head completely, taking any and all chance of me ever finding Tris with it as it rolls a few feet away.

              I am not really mad at Orin for taking Tavish’s life even though I know he thinks I am. I am just disappointed that we didn’t have the chance to get more information out of him before he was killed. I feel relieved to know that Tavish will never be coming after me or anyone in my family ever again, and that at least 10 of his goons were now dead too, and no longer a worry for me. We still have to Rochelle out there and I know she is a bigger threat than Tavish ever was, but she seems to have gone into hiding after she was found to be rogue. No one has seen or heard from her since that day in the dungeon. The day Erik saved Cash’s life. As far as I am concerned she could stay hidden. Never, would be too soon, for me to see or hear her again.

              I start the bath water and go to my room to grab some pajamas. I pull a pair of soft Mickey Mouse pants out of the top drawer and go in search of a tank top to match up with them. Tonight I am dressing for comfort. My body is worn out. I feel like I have been run over by a bulldozer and then scraped off the road and run through a woodchipper.

              It is safe to say I am sore. Very sore. I am heading back to the bathroom when something shiny caught my attention on the floor by my night stand. I reach down and pick up Tris’ necklace she had left here the day we went to the Café to see the band play. I clip it around my neck on my way back to bath. I plug the tub drain and sit on the toilet, waiting on the bath to fill. I don’t have the energy for a shower tonight. My luck I will survive my first battle with Orfeo only to fall in the shower and snap my neck. I am not called grace for my sweet nature. No I am the opposite of graceful. Clumsy at best. And Grace just kinda stuck with me for a nickname.

              Sitting on the edge of the toilet waiting on my tub to feel I let my mind wander back to fun times with Tris and Grans and how we used to laugh and joke with each other, usually at my expense, but I didn’t mind. I enjoyed making them all laugh. I am rubbing my fingers along the charm on Tris’s necklace thinking about her laughing when I get my first flash. It’s so quick I am not sure I actually saw anything, more like I feel it. I feel myself in a different atmosphere, I guess, you would call it. I shut off the bath water so I can concentrate and see if I recreate it again. With complete silence I am able to focus only on my thoughts of Tris and her laughing. It happens again. For a flash of a second I am not seeing my bathroom walls, I am looking somewhere else.

              I feel myself getting excited. This is the way to find Tris. I just know it. I made a promise to Lyon and Erik that I would not attempt to track anyone until we research it more. But that was before Tavish was dead. That was before Tris was completely alone, with no one to feed her or bring her water. That was before I was able to glimpse into the space she was being held. I have no choice now. I will save my best friend and I will deal with the consequences as they come afterward. Right now I am the only one able to help her. And I am going to do it. I connect with Lyon for just a moment. He is still downstairs with the others trying to come up with a game plan.

“Hey.”

“Hey love.”  He answers back immediately.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes I am fine. I just want to tell you something.”

“Ok I’m all ears love. What is it?”

“I love you Lyon. I need to say those words. I need you to hear them.”

“I love you too Arsema. Thank you for loving me. You have given me the most amazing gift in the world. Yourself. And I will be forever thankful for that.” I am almost in tears when he finishes.

“Thank you.” I tell him as I disconnect from him.

              I feel better having told him how I feel, even though I know he feels my love through our bond. I feel like I need to tell him myself and I feel better knowing I have. Breathing deeply in and out like Erik has taught me to do when meditating; I close my eyes and center myself, clearing my mind of everything else.

Once I have accomplished this, I take hold of Tris’ necklace again and focus all my thoughts on her. When I open my eyes again I am still in the bathroom, I can still feel the toilet beneath me, but I am not seeing the bathroom walls. I am looking at a different room from through someone else’s eyes. I am inside of someone else and that person quickly realizes they are no longer alone.

“Who are you? What do want? Just leave me alone.” It is Tris and the relief I feel at hearing her voice is like a soothing balm on my soul.

“Tris its Arsema babe. Calm down. We are going to get you out of here. I promise.”

“ARSEMA! ARSEMA! Is it really you? How are you in my head Arsema? Please come help me.”

“I can’t explain it right now T. and I don’t have much time. Do you know where you are babe?” I feel her relief instantly upon hearing my voice.

“At my house Arsema. We are in the basement of my house.” Her words shake me to the core. I glance up through her eyes and immediately recognize the room we are in. She has been chained to the bed on the Far East side facing away from the only small window. I see the marks we made with chalk on the walls when we used to play to down here as kids.