The Coming Storm (69 page)

She knew and accepted there would be pain.

Elon had taken the pain of the soul-eater on himself. She would do this for him and for Colath. For her love for them and for the shared bond between them.

The trackers closed around her.

Ailith drew her swords as they surrounded her.

She fought because she must but the sound of the swords she heard in her mind was the sound she’d heard the day she, Elon and Colath had sparred. The music of the swords.

The wound in her shoulder opened again, fresh pain speared from it.

In the end she went down and they hurt her as they took out their frustration and their success on her.

 She bore it then made it seem as if she fainted. The chains went on.

She knew through the bond how much Elon hated what they did to her, how much it pained him to know this, how much it tormented Colath. She wished she could spare them, but she couldn’t.

It was hard, nearly impossibly hard, for Jareth to stand there and watch from safety. Harder than he’d ever believed possible but Jareth watched as he knew Ailith had what was done to Elon and Colath. He watched because he must, for their sake and hers and because if she could bear it he could.

At first, there was an awful beauty to it, to watching her as she fought, and he knew that if Elon and Colath could see her in those first moments they would have been proud. She and Smoke fought as one, her swords flashing in the thin autumn sunlight. Even ahorse she was graceful, lovely to watch, even at so deadly a purpose.

He saw the blow that took her from Smoke’s back, saw her land on her wounded shoulder and the blood flow afresh.

Still, she rolled, came up on her feet and whirled to drive them back.

Her swords flew and flashed in the pale sunlight.

Until she went down.

One drove a fist into her wounded shoulder and she collapsed. Even though Jareth knew she feigned some of it, it still hurt to see. More to see the chains on her, to see them strip off her boots so she must stumble after them barefoot.

He waited.

Then he followed.

Elon felt Ailith’s pain even in the midst of his own and his heart twisted. That hurt nearly drove out the more immediate pain they laid on him. Looking into Colath’s eyes, he saw the sorrow mirrored there as his true-friend shared it, too.

I come
, she’d said,
soon
. Ailith. His heart wrenched. She was coming. She would.

Tolan smiled, swinging the chain with the soul-eater on it. The one Elon had been carrying. He waited for her.

A chill went through him. Or did he?

Not now
, Elon thought.
Not now
.

Whatever it was Ailith had planned…

Tolan smiled, nearly danced with glee. His face melted and reformed, melted and reformed.

“They have her, they have her. Which shall I hang it on, which will she see? Which shall I hang it on, which will she see?”

His eyes went to Elon and the hate in his mad eyes was strong.

Tolan smiled and turned to Colath.

No
.

Not Colath. Not his true-friend
. He would know it through the bond, would feel the ripping away of Colath’s valiant soul. The friend who’d stood by him, beside and behind him so faithfully for so long.

His eyes steady, Colath stared the dark wizard down, even in the face of the soul-eater.

That one would see nothing, nothing of the fear, of the coldness that went through him at the thought of that thing touching him.

Tolan stood, soul-eater in hand, so close, too close to Colath, waiting for Ailith.

Even in his own extremity, Elon flinched when they brought her stumbling in with heavy chains on her bleeding wrists. Ailith. She was Elven enough that the iron chafed. There was blood on her face and more of it matted her hair – a bruise darkened one side of her face beneath the blood and there was more blood from her shoulder.

Fury nearly transcended his agony. If he could have killed Tolan in that moment he would have.

Just for that.

All he needed was his swords.

The trackers dropped her carelessly to the floor.

She fell to her hands and knees.

Looking at Ailith, Colath would have killed Tolan with his bare hands, seeing what they’d done to her. He longed for the feel of the hilts of his swords in his hands.

“Ah, little Ailith,” Tolan crooned. “All alone are you? Did the others run? Did the others flee? No matter. I told you I would have them and I do. I told you I would have you and I do. Broken and bleeding, broken and bleeding. Which shall I hang it on, which will you see? This one or that one. This one, I think. It will be more entertaining.”

The flickering firelight came from braziers. Ailith could see them from the corners of her eyes. Hot irons. One of the trackers stood close to them, turning the pokers, stirring the coals to get maximum heat.

Lifting her head, Ailith could look on them now, Elon and Colath, and see the truth of what had been done to them.

A breath whispered out of her, left her breathless.

Elon
. Her heart ached to see the cuts and tears and slices on him, the burns. His stern, strong face showed nothing but there was pain in his dark eyes, not his own but hers.

Her eyes went to Colath at Tolan’s words and she went cold.

Tolan stood with a soul-eater in his hands.

Colath
. He was too close to Colath. To put that thing on him. Knowing what it would do to her true-friend and sword-mate. The pain. She remembered the pain Tolan had showed her. More torture for Elon, too, that Tolan would do this to his true-friend, his dearest, closest and oldest friend as he watched, unable to prevent it. He would watch and he would feel it.

Her heart wrenched for him, for him and for Colath.

It would be torture as well for her, although Tolan wouldn’t know it. She, too, bore the true-friend bond with Colath, so true and so sure.

For Elon, for herself, she had to draw Tolan away.

“No,” she said, suddenly, “that would be mine.”

Elon thought his heart would stop at her words.
Ailith, no
.

Locking eyes with her, a chill shivering through him, Colath shook his head violently in denial.

Tolan turned. “Ah, would it? Would you do it? Would you trade your life for theirs?”

It was what he and those like him did, she knew, torment one to torment the others – that’s what Talesin had said.

Ailith struggled to her feet. Tolan was still too close to Colath, too close with that dreadful thing in his hands. Her weakness wasn’t so feigned, pain bit into her shoulder.

Jareth, where was Jareth?

In the lights in her mind, she sensed him near.

Intrigued by her efforts, Tolan took another step away from Colath. Tolan’s back was turned now to both he and Elon.

“Would you? Trade your soul for theirs?”

The trackers watched, fascinated.

Quickly, Ailith met Elon’s eyes. A sending through the bond.

Elon saw the look and the warning in those sure and steady blue eyes. Too steady.

Ah, Ailith
. She had something planned.

He felt something through the bond. Something. He almost smiled, nodded and tensed, prepared himself.

She shot a similar glance at Colath. The same message passed through the bond  to her true friend,
Be ready
.

There was something in Ailith’s eyes, a sense through the bond. With an effort, Colath slowly straightened, gathered what strength he had.

Ailith’s gaze went to Tolan, looked into his snake-like eyes and answered with absolute conviction so he would know the truth of it.

“In a heartbeat,” she said softly, “For them, yes. I would take it for either or both, with all of my heart and soul,
yes
, I would trade mine for theirs.”

Closing her eyes, she sank down to her knees, willed Tolan closer.

“Always. Always. But you don’t trade, though, do you Tolan? You just steal. So I won’t have to trade after all, will I?”

He took another step closer, his eyes narrowing at her words.

She looked up at him and smiled. Shot to her feet.

A light in the darkness.

She threw the elf-light directly at his face. His slitted eyes shut as he flinched and staggered back, away from the brilliance of it.

The signal to Jareth.

Magic, a shiver of it.

Elon felt it. A familiar and known magic. Jareth, somewhere near. To his astonishment and pleasure his swords appeared at his feet.

Colath’s swords appeared at his. His heart gladdened.

Elven steel.

Another whisper of magic, a softer magic, sweet, closer, drifted over Elon’s skin.

Ailith’s voice rang in the room, her tone reverberating in the massive space.

“Elon, Colath, you would be so proud of me, I’ve learned a new thing…” She paused, but only for a moment, and then her voice raged. “How to shatter iron.”

Her head came up, those steel-blue eyes blazed and then their chains and manacles did just that.

The irons in the brazier exploded, too, sending white-hot iron flying through that part of the room.

The tracker nearest was too close. He screamed as the shards pierced him in a dozen places, the wounds cauterizing themselves even as they burned deeper.

Ailith was close enough now, far closer than Elon had been when he’d helped Colath Heal her.

Her swords appeared at her feet.

She smiled and sent a surge of strength and Healing through the bonds to Elon and Colath as she bent to take her weapons up. It wouldn’t Heal all their wounds, she had neither the time nor the energy to do so but it would help. The surge went from her to Elon to Colath. So much so that there was only enough strength left in her to stand for a little while before exhaustion took her.

One swing, though, was enough, one hard swing against the chain with the soul-eater on it, clutched in Tolan’s hand.

It flew through the air and crashed against the far wall.

Free
. Elon had his swords in his hands in one motion and the strength and will to use them. As did Colath.

Colath snatched up his and turned.

The surviving trackers leaped for weapons they’d discarded for better entertainment. From outside there were shouts. Alarm. The other trackers.

Tilting her head, Ailith listened to the sounds from above.

Advancing on her, Tolan looked at her narrowly.

She smiled a sweet and lovely smile, triumphant.

Elon saw it and his breath caught at the sight of it. She was beautiful.

“No, Tolan,” Ailith said, fiercely, “I didn’t come alone. I brought company.”

Tolan roared and attacked, his face melting as his hands sprung claws inches long.

He snarled at her as Ailith threw up her swords to guard herself.

Ailith!

Tolan, you will pay
, Elon thought, crossing the room in a few long strides, Colath at his side once again.

“It’s not me you should worry about, Tolan,” Ailith said, her swords braced as the dark wizard’s claws raked for her face. Her gaze went over his shoulder as Elon advanced and she smiled in welcome. “It’s him.”

She threw herself backward, out of harm’s way.

Tolan’s eyes widened. He spun and ducked as Elon swung.