SpellBreaker: First Ordinance, Book 4 (31 page)

Unless a powerful witch or warlock came—one stronger than Deris—Dorgus' ash would forever stain the courtyard of the Queen's Palace.

I sent up a silent prayer, too, that Dorgus' next life would be easier. My mistakes, considerable as they were, were piling up and I feared I would never be allowed to ask forgiveness from those I'd harmed or offended.

* * *

Karathia

King's Palace

Lissa

"Mom, I think we should shield the palace first; I've got eyes in the surrounding villages. We won't fire until they're under attack."

My son, King of Karathia, had spoken. Erland, his father, nodded his agreement. "They will attack those around us—when they determine we're using all our capability to keep the palace safe," Erland said. "Once they begin the attack on the rest of Karathia, then and only then we start firing back."

"We don't have enough firepower to protect every life," Ry turned away to gaze at a painting hanging on a nearby wall. He'd replaced what had hung there during Wylend's reign—a rendering of Wylend's coronation, with a wide beam of light falling on Wylend's image as he lowered his head to accept the crown.

A landscape hung there now, of a large pond with reeds and grasses growing about it. There, a young woman and a boy could be seen skipping rocks on the water.

This was one of Ry’s favorite memories of Reah and Gavril; he'd had it painted by a well-regarded artist after Gavril's death.

I considered that for a moment—Gavril had been dead for a time. He'd been granted his life again, not as a favor to him, but to those about him who'd deserved such a gift. Rylend was reliving a memory, gazing upon that painting. I folded away to give him a few moments of peace.

* * *

Karathia—Past

Zaria

I considered the differences in Wellend's court when he heard grievances, and Helsa's court, as she waited to receive the ring and the crown before sitting the throne.

Wellend had heard everyone, dressed poorly or well. In Helsa's court, only those dressed to Hegatt's standards were allowed in the throne room. All others waited in the courtyard, where the ash from the pyre had left burn marks on the stones.

"It has been recorded in the book," Hegatt, as Regent, announced. "Helsa Blackmantle-Arden will act as Queen of Karathia until her eldest son reaches his majority." He lifted the ring from the velvet pillow, allowing the page to step back. "This is the ring signifying her rule, and will pass to Deris when he is crowned."

Hegatt held it aloft, for all to see. They didn't know, as Bekzi, Gerrett and I did, that it was crafted to inferior standards; the wizard who'd made it long gone with Hegatt’s money in his pockets.

I waited, my breathing shallow.

Helsa couldn't hold back the greedy giggle as Hegatt lifted her hand to place the ring. Behind her, shining golden in the light from a high window, stood the throne of Karathia.

My breaths stopped. The ring circled Helsa's finger, but had not yet touched flesh. I wanted to giggle too—from hysteria.

People always think there'll be a moment of joy when someone receives their comeuppance.

Not in this case.

Helsa shrieked when the ring was seated; Hegatt was blown backward by the ensuing blast. Everyone inside the throne room witnessed Helsa's torturous death as she fell to the floor, writhing and screaming as the ring killed her slowly.

I couldn't bear it for long and gave her death, to spare her further pain.

* * *

Karathia—Present

Quin

The Orb had forgotten me—or so I'd thought.

Until Daris appeared in the kitchen, grinning at Janis before turning that unholy expression in my direction while the Orb bobbed over her head.

It knew
.

It knew I'd healed Vardil.

Morid's cage, empty of its previous occupant, waited for me.

No, the Orb wouldn't kill me. Not yet, anyway. Things were coming clear and I cursed myself for being such a fool.

I was a hostage and had been all along. The Orb knew its enemies cared for me. It intended to use that—and me—as bait. Unless the Karathian throne was handed to Deris Arden, it would torture me. It would rule Deris and his sister Regent while the Alliances fell. Worlds outside the Alliances would then fall one by one, until nothing was left.

I wasn't the puppet the Orb created in the beginning, but it still intended to use me to ensure its plans came to fruition. It would torture me if that didn't happen.

Worse, it could hand me to Deris to torture.

I'd already seen his handiwork and it terrified me. Dragging out a death with waiting was torture enough. Adding pain until life left me was so much worse.

My shoulders slumping while Daris tossed pain spells at my back, I was marched through the palace until I came to the storeroom that housed Morid's cage.

Once I was locked inside, Daris leveled one last spell against me, which bent me over in pain. She laughed as she and the Orb left the storeroom; I huddled in a corner of the uncomfortable cage and considered my fate.

Don't let Bel and the others see this
, I prayed.
Let them make the right decisions. I accept my punishment. Let them live
.

* * *

Karathia—Past

Zaria

Wylend's attack came after Hegatt crawled to his daughter's side. She was dead—none would bring this one back to life.

Hegatt knew better than to take the ring from her finger and wear it himself. Instead, all of us watched, horrified as he regained his feet awkwardly, shaking still from the force of the blast. After removing the ring from Helsa's blackened and mangled hand with power, he sent it and her book elsewhere, using up the last of his strength.

The boom against the outside gates of the palace came then, announcing Wylend's arrival.

"I am Regent," Hegatt's voice, meant to be a shout, nevertheless echoed through the throne room. Limping along, he turned and sat on the throne.

If I hadn't held a shield about Bekzi and Gerrett, they'd have been blown back like all the others when Hegatt's body exploded.

* * *

Karathia

King's Palace

Lissa

"We have a message," Ry's tone informed me that something unexpected—and terrible—had happened.

"What?" I demanded.

My son's face looked as if he'd dealt with a thousand years of intense pain when he handed the folded paper to me.

Yes, I fully believed the note to be from Deris or Daris when I opened it to read.

Liron had finally revealed his hand—by signing the message at the bottom.

Images flitted across the surface of the paper. I'd seen Kaldill accomplish something similar, but this was nothing the Elf King would ever consider.

"Call all of Quin's mates. Immediately," I snapped at Corolan, who waited by the door to Ry's private study. "We need them here. Now."

This would kill Bel Erland.

All the images unfolding across the message depicted Quin in her new guise, and all of them involved torture.

* * *

Bel Erland

Even Bleek turned his head away after seeing the first few images. No matter what we decided, I felt Quin's life was over. Liron would never let her live, even if we capitulated and allowed Deris to take the throne.

Quin—that would be the last thing she'd ever want.

Dad and Granddad's faces were pale and worn
—surely they weren't considering this.

"Dad?" I walked toward him.

"Baby boy?" He hadn't called me that in ages. Not since I'd grown a full set of teeth. I was wrapped in his arms quickly—I knew he loved me. Mom arrived, and she hugged us both. "We're not giving them the throne," I mumbled against Dad's shoulder. "If you don't want to go with me, I'll understand."

"Where are you going?" Dad's eyes were misty as he and Mom pulled away.

"We're waiting on them to attack us. Well, I'm not waiting anymore. Liron intends to kill us, no matter what. I'm going to attack the Queen's Palace and everybody in it. Quin's being tortured. At least we may gain her a swift, clean death."

* * *

Lissa

I offered transportation to Ry's army—which now included all of Quin's mates. Kaldill—I'd never seen the Elf King dressed for battle before.

Instead of fine fabrics, Kaldill was dressed in shades of green, the colors blending and changing with their surroundings. Kaldill, with the power he held, could walk unseen past anyone. He held no weapons—he'd fight using only his talents and the experiences of who knew how many lifetimes.

I'd heard from Ildevar Wyyld, too.

He was ready to prepare all worlds for the onslaught if Liron won this battle. I waited to see what else he'd packed inside that Orb—or
who
else he'd packed inside it.

Quin's glass spheres gained a new perspective and respect—Liron had devised them. All of them, except the few she'd taken away with her, lay in the bowels of Avii Castle.

Did some of them contain sleeping rogues?

I felt ill.

All along, our doom lay no farther than the glass castle and what was hidden inside it. Where were the Three? Had they no concern for any of this? I admit; the choices lying ahead of us terrified me.

* * *

Karathia—Past

Zaria

Wylend Arden never saw Helsa's body—a handful of his allies hidden in the crowd removed her before he strode into the throne room as if he'd owned it all along. Behind him were Erland Morphis, Gale and Norn.

Except he called those two by different names. "Corolan, will you dispose of this ash—here and in the courtyard?" Wylend asked, turning to blond-haired Gale.

"Without a doubt, my King," Corolan grinned before attending to the task. In moments, Hegatt's ash lifted from the marble floor and hung in midair as he considered what to do with it.

Before he caused it to disappear, he turned toward me.

And winked.

* * *

Karathia

King's Palace

Lissa

"Ready?" Erland asked. Commanders, Generals, Captains and others filled Ry's throne room. Outside in the courtyard, others waited to be transported to the Queen's Palace.

"Kell?" I cast a puzzled glance at him and Rigo.

"It is my belief that no Sirenali can place obsession on a very old vampire," Kell flashed a smile. "We go, Lady Queen, to do whatever we can."

"Good. If you find Quin, mist her out of there, all right?"

"As you command, my beautiful Queen," Kell bowed.

"Lord Abenott, that is my wife," Rigo muttered beside Kell.

"Duly noted, King Rigo," Kell straightened, still grinning. "Duly noted."

"We go," Bel Erland nodded to me. I transported all of them to the Queen's Palace, which had stood empty for thousands of years.

* * *

Bel Erland

All our deaths were assured when the massive line of N'il Mo'erti assembled outside the gate of the Queen's Palace. We couldn't fold space farther than that; something stopped Gran from getting us any closer.

I assumed it could only be Liron, protecting himself and the ones inside the palace.

The machines that opposed us were faceless enemies, instructed to fire if attacked. Looking down the line, I watched Bleek and Lafe pull blades from scabbards at their backs.

They had no power, yet they were willing to fight anyway. Berel stood with them, a single blade gripped tightly in his fist.

Terrett stood next to Berel; I'd never seen him in his other form, before. He looked deadly against humanoids. We didn't face humanoids.

We all appeared weak against this army of machines. Anyone with power would realize this gathering of N'il Mo'erti was only for show. These were expendable. The real army lay elsewhere, ready to strike when we cast the first blow against the ones we could see. It was a standoff, and I knew it.

"Leave now, or she dies."

Liron, tall, white-winged and angry, appeared before us; Quin, looking small, wingless and weak, struggled in his grasp.

She bore evidence of burns across her body, although her face had been restored. Liron wanted to leave no doubt to any of us that he held her captive and at his mercy.

Be brave baby
, I sent to her.

My mindspeech bounced right back inside my skull. He'd done the same to her—cut off her mindspeech so nobody could reach her.

There would be no messages of love between us before we died—and we would surely die. Gran—I'd seen it in her face. Liron had some sort of power backing him, and I had no idea what it could be.

Deris and Daris appeared, then, while the Orb—Liron's hiding place—floated above their heads.

They were Liron's puppets, now. He no longer needed Quin to do his bidding—that much was obvious.

"No arguments?" Liron cackled.

"Raise your weapons," Deris commanded. Every N'il Mo'erti at his back lifted its guns.

"It's a pleasant day to die," Bleek announced, dipping his head to Liron in the traditional, Blevakian way.

At any other time, it would have been a pleasant day. Puffy clouds floated past on an unseen breeze; fall had come to Karathia while I'd been occupied with other things.

"On my command," Deris raised his right arm. When it fell, the battle would begin.

In slow motion, I watched Deris' arm descend while he laughed.

"Stand down," a voice shouted, and followed those words with others I failed to understand.

Deris' arm dropped. Quin shrieked in pain as Liron flung her to the stones at his feet.

Unable to move, I blinked at the scene unfolding before us.

* * *

Karathia

Queen's Palace

Lissa

Every N'il Mo'erti's weapon dropped to its metal, mechanical side. "Raise your weapons," Daris shouted at them.

He even leveled spelled blasts against two, who remained unmoving.

What the hell just happened?
Winkler sent. He'd come; I merely didn't realize it until then.