The Agrista (Between the Lines Book 1) (7 page)

  Alex began to tremble as the lush silvery fields came into focus at an alarming speed.
I wonder if Umbra experience turbulence the way airplanes do.
Marie would’ve laughed at herself for the thought, had she not been more concerned about diving face-first into the ground.

  Alex dove into the forest, shifting through the trees as he struggled to avoid a collision. Somewhere amidst his chaotic descent, he’d transformed into his human form. He thrashed violently as he bucked Marie off his back, causing them to tumble to the ground in a whirlwind of limbs.

 
“Nice landing!” she grumbled, rubbing a hand over her sore backside.

  “I’m going to kill Arécia!”

  Marie flattened herself against a nearby tree as Alex stalked toward her. She involuntarily flinched when he shoved his hand into the satchel slung over her shoulder, yanking his clothes free and getting dressed in a huff. She’d been too disoriented from their abrupt landing to pay any mind to his state of undress.

  “She’s so reckless! She could’ve gotten us both killed!” Marie ducked as Alex charged his fist into the tree, right above her head. She didn’t know him well enough yet to be comfortable with seeing him this angry. She had no idea what he was capable of.

  A silver leaf shook loose, grazing Marie’s leg as it eddied to the ground and left a clean slice along her thigh. She gasped at the sudden flash of red as blood began to trickle out, taking her by surprise.

  “I’m sorry.” The sight of Marie’s blood worked like a sedative, immediately quelling his rage. “I lost my temper, and now you’re hurt.” Alex cursed himself as he knelt before her. “Tie this around your leg.” He yanked his shirt off and ripped it at the seams, handing it to Marie. The sight of sweat gleaming over ridges of muscle was enough to momentarily distract her from the pain.

  “It’s okay,” she said with a shy smile as she wrapped the fabric around her leg, using it as a makeshift tourniquet. “You’re allowed to lose your temper every now and then, you know. What cut me, anyway?”

  “These are Infragilis Lilies,” Alex picked up the fractured petal and twirled it in his fingers. It reflected rainbows like a sun-catcher as it sparkled silver in the moonlight. “They’re indigenous to the planet Milités. The people here use them to make weapons and armor. Milités is a planet of soldiers, you see,” Alex discarded the lily and helped Marie to her feet.

  “Soldiers?” Marie wasn’t sure if she should feel worried or safe. She bent down to grab her bag and felt her heart kick into overdrive when she didn’t see it anywhere on the ground. “Alex, do you have the bag I brought?” she spun around to face him, only to discover that he too was nowhere to be found. “Alex? A-Alex? Alex!”

  Her heart hammered in her ears as the name became trapped in her throat. She spun in circles searching for Alex. Her vision grew hazy from the torrents of sweat spilling over her eyes.

  Someone wrapped around her from behind, causing her nerves to short-circuit with an explosion of quick, shallow breaths. Panic made her muscles painfully stiff, making it even harder to fight against the perpetrator’s crushing strength.

  Another person slapped a filthy rag over her mouth, saturated in the overpowering scent of pepper. She gagged as it permeated her airways and set fire to her lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

  The pungent odor scorched her eyes, making them feel like the strike pad for a match. She slammed them shut, squeezing out a stream of salty tears. The surge of moisture only slightly abated the pressure building behind her eyes.

  Adrenaline pumped through her veins, fueling her jerky movements as she repeatedly slammed her back into the man’s chest. She was surprised by her visceral need to fight back, having always thought herself timid, but it didn’t seem to make a damn bit of difference, either way.

  Marie felt panicked when she opened her eyes and couldn’t see. She was helplessly bound with fat cords of rope and kept in total darkness. A deep ache radiated from her lower back down to her knees. She tried to pull her wrists away from the curve of her back, but it only seemed to tighten the rope around her ankles as a sharp pain ripped through her muscles.

  A scream erupted from her lungs as she struggled to get to her knees, only to fall face first into the dirt as soon as she was upright. She immediately cursed herself and resigned herself to a helpless position. The last thing she wanted to do was alert her captors to her plight.

  She swiped her head to the side, breathing hard through her nostrils as she coughed up a lungful of dirt. She didn’t attempt to stand again. The painful position they’d bound her in was excruciating enough, and moving around only seemed to exacerbate it.

  “Please!” Frustrated, she cried out to her captors. “What do you want from me?” Her cries were met with silence. Silence held far too much possibility.
Oh god. What are they going to do to me?

  “Sir, Fallon and Cayden have returned.” Marie jerked awake to the sound of muffled voices.

  “Merciful Lucidus! This troublesome wench hasn’t given me a moment’s peace! I was ready to beat the damn girl unconscious just to get some silence!” Their cruel laughter sent shivers of terror racing through Marie’s body.

  A beam of light sliced through the room. The sudden infringement on her pupils caused Marie to cringe. A husky man appeared in the doorway and stomped through the room, cutting the ropes that bound her in one fluid motion. The cold gleam of his eyes left her cowering, eradicating her will to fight despite her liberation.

  “Ow!” she cried out as he yanked her to her feet by her hair.
“Is that really necessary?”

  “You’re a fiery one. I’m not taking any risks.”

  Shivers ran up her spine as he tossed her over his shoulder and placed a firm hand just below the junction of her thighs. It finally dawned on her how truly helpless she was to stop him or any of his companions from doing whatever they wanted to her.
Where’s my protector when I need him the most?

  “Stop! Where is my companion? What have you done with him? I demand to know!”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be joining him soon enough.” A subtle threat hung on the man’s playful tone as they emerged through the entryway.

  Marie kept her head down as they made their way through a large encampment filled with thousands of soldiers. She could feel their eyes swimming all over her, casting judgments based on her appearance and presence alone. She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth, willing herself not to cry. Her dignity was the only thing she had left to hold onto, and she didn’t want to give these men the satisfaction of seeing her break.

  “Your prisoner, Lady Fallon.” The soldier entered a small hut, dumping Marie on the floor as if she were nothing more than a bag of garbage. Pain tore through every muscle in her body, ripping the air from her lungs.

 
Marie rolled onto her side, grimacing. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Alex. He was unconscious, but he was still breathing. The fact that they were both still alive was her meager silver lining.

  “Alex!” Marie wanted to rush to his side, but she only had the strength to crawl. “What did you do to him? Tell me!”

  “He’s fine,” Fallon’s commanding tone cut through her thoughts, forcing Marie painfully upright. “He was shot with a Suripu Dart, which will knock a guy his size out for about...three hours?” She shrugged. “He
should
be awake by now.” Fallon nonchalantly nudged him with the tip of her boot. “If we used it on someone your size, it would’ve been lethal. You should worry more about yourself, and bask in the fact that we haven’t killed you...
yet
.” By the crazed look in her eyes, Marie knew down to her bones that it wasn’t an empty threat.

  Lady Fallon screamed intimidation. Her dirty blonde hair served as nothing more than a weapon holster, slicked back and fastened with two small sai. Her thick brows knitted together over big amber eyes full of mischief as she cocked her head to the side.

  Her body was lean and mean. Perfectly cut and kissed by the sun, she was a hardened woman. She had curves that would make a man melt had she not walked like one, and she wasn’t afraid to show it; her clothes barely covered her.

  She vulgarly positioned herself with her legs spread and wrapped around the back of a chair, flashing far more than an eyeful of cleavage. She straightened her thin lips into hard line, suppressing a smile as she looked Marie over disapprovingly.

  “You’re going to answer all of my questions. If I like what you have to say, I
may
let you live.” Fallon circled Marie like a vulture, relishing the thought of sinking her talons into the helpless girl as she slowly licked her lips. “Where did you get this?” Fallon slammed the Agrísta onto the floor, kicking up dirt in Marie’s face.

  “A slave from the palace gave it to me. Gustav,” Marie stammered, scrambling through the dirt on her hands and knees.

  “You’re lying!” Fallon dropped to her knees in front of her and leaned close enough for Marie to smell the garlic on her breath. “The only way to acquire such an artifact is by being of royal blood, and there’s no way that
you’re
of royal blood,” she eyed her appraisingly. “The women of Quinque are renowned for their beauty. You have such a boring, forgettable face.” Marie crinkled her nose in distaste, surprised that a grown woman would resort to such a juvenile tactic. “You don’t even look strong enough to be a servant girl!” Fallon laughed in her face, showering her with spittle and disrespect.

  Marie’s fingers twitched with violent impulse. Who was Fallon to speak to Marie, or
anyone
, like that? She briskly rubbed a hand over her face and sharply turned away. Her pride wasn’t worth getting killed over.

  “Seeing as you’re
obviously
not of royal blood, you must’ve
spilled
royal blood!” Fallon’s laughter cut off abruptly. “You killed Cerin, didn’t you?”

  Marie’s heart stopped when she spotted a menacing glint of steel. In a flash of movement, Fallon knocked Marie back and held a serrated dagger flush against the delicate skin of her neck. Beads of blood wove a pathway down the blade, causing Marie to visibly shudder as terror seized her nerves. If she swallowed, it would mean the end of her.

  She tried to slide back to give herself some room, but Fallon moved with her like a shadow, refusing to allow her even the slightest increment of space. Fear and dread flooded her features, yielding a sadistic smile from Fallon.

  She pressed the knife harder to Marie’s throat, drawing rivulets of blood as a line of fire carved across her flesh. Marie froze, knowing the next breath she took could very well be her last.

  “Cerin’s not dead, Fallon.” Alex’s raspy voice sounded like the wings of an angel, restoring the slightest bit of hope to Marie’s heart. She might get out of this interrogation alive, after all. “I thought so too. There’s been no trace of him or his Umbra, Aruzhan, but she was at the castle.” His admission was followed by a moment of silence that spoke volumes. “In the Throne Room, of all places. Cailene had the gall to display her like a piece of art, right out in the open! She’s under Canticum Dormientum. An immensely powerful paralysis spell, as Fallon well knows. I truly thought she was dead when I saw her, but a servant girl Johanna told me otherwise.” Alex grew silent, recounting the image of the tortured Umbra looming in the doorway, suspended in a state of permanent agony.

  “You saw Aruzhan, did you? The only way that’s possible is if you’re an Umbra. If you are, change,” she challenged.
  Marie watched him with bated breath. Every second felt like an eternity as tension knotted her stomach.
Why isn’t he changing?

  “I knew you were lying! You’re spies from the palace, aren’t you?”

  Marie gasped when the paralyzing pressure on her neck abated, allowing her to finally breathe again. That is, until Fallon made a beeline for Alex. She pounced on him with the vigor of a young lioness, straddling his chest with her mighty tree trunk thighs.

  “I should slit your throats right now,” Fallon narrowed her eyes, tracing patterns over Alex’s bobbing Adam’s apple with the dull edge of her knife. She applied just enough pressure to break skin.

  “Alex, change!” Marie groveled beside him.

  “He can’t change,” said a male voice, cutting through the tension. “I think you’ve had enough fun, Fallon. Off,” he commanded, ripping Marie’s attention away from Alex for just a moment.