Treason: Book Two of the Grimoire Saga (a Young Adult Fantasy series) (21 page)

“Don’t make a sound, and don’t leave. Don’t close this door, either,” he ordered.

“You’re wasting your time!” the prince said.

“If I’d found Aurora first and she said the same about you, would you want me to leave you without even searching first?” Braeden asked, locking eyes with the prince.

The Lossian Heir didn’t respond, and Braeden took that as his answer. That he even had to ask such a question made him fear for the leader the prince would become.

Braeden walked back into the guard room as one of the cabinet doors creaked open. He knelt to greet the newly awakened guard with a punch to the face that knocked the Stelian to the floor. Hopefully, that would buy him a little more time.

He headed back to the prince’s cell, determined to find Aurora. He would have his pardon. Prison doors blurred by as he hurried through the passage. He wondered where—

Sobbing. He heard sobbing. Somewhere nearby, a woman’s soft whimpers slipped through the gaps in the guard window above her door. Braeden looked through the row of cells in the hallway until he chanced upon her.

A tall woman lay on the floor in the center of her cell, a shaft of light from the hallway falling across her black hair. The once-braided curls covered her face. Her silver skin glistened from the sweat on it. The rest of her, from her wings to her legs, was draped in the deep shadows of her prison.

Braeden looked around to check for coming guards and, certain they were alone, reached once more for the stolen keys in his pocket. He unlocked her cell on the first try. The buzzing hum died, and he looked once more through the bars.

Aurora glared at him from the floor, her eyes narrowed with enough hatred to stop all but Carden in his tracks. It was the scowl of a caged animal, one who had been poked and prodded and who’d had enough.

Relief pooled in Braeden’s stomach that he was the rescuer, not the torturer.

The Kirelm princess stood. Light fell across her face and neck. Dirt streaked her skin like claw marks. The hallway’s light illuminated one wing as she turned to face him, and then nothing but gaping shadow where her second wing should have been.

Carden had cut off one of her wings. Braeden opened the door, but didn’t know what to say.

“Aurora—”

“Oh,
Bloods,
it’s you. Thank goodness.”

She slumped forward, her glare and strength evidently a façade. Braeden wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him without a moment’s hesitation.

“I thought they were coming for the other one,” she said with a whimper.

Braeden tightened his jaw and suppressed the bile in the back of his throat. “I’m here to help, princess. Let’s get you home.”

Her eyes trailed over his clothes. “Why are you wearing a Stelian uniform? It’s not like you fit in.”

“Save your questions for later, princess. I’d like to get out of here first.”

She nodded, her eyes narrowing in disgust. “I can finally see why Blood Gavin hates these vile
creatures
so much.”

Braeden flinched at her choice of words. This hatred didn’t seem to fit his memory of the passive woman she’d been when he and Kara visited Kirelm all those weeks ago. 

He tried to swallow the insult. “Come on, Princess. We need to leave.”

She let him lead her. Braeden couldn’t be happier that she had no idea of his heritage. Changing back had been the wisest move of the entire rescue.

A cool rag lay on Kara’s head, useless against the aching tension slowly forcing her awake.

Oh, God, when did I drink tequila? I swore after that frat party freshman year that I’d never—

Kara shot up in bed, which only made the headache worse. Memories of the trial flooded her mind: the Bloods judging Braeden as if they had the right; the fear she would lose him; a whisper in her ear; the tendrils of black smoke that crept over her fingers as the Vagabond took over.

No, the migraine had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with being possessed by her mentor. He’d warned her it would take all her energy.

Blinding light left her unable to open her eyes. She rubbed them as if it would help. It didn’t. Mumbling drifted to her, but the fog in her mind left her a world away from everything. She strained to hear.

“
Please,
Kara. Lie back down.”

She still couldn’t see. “Who—?”

“Adele. I’m here, and you’re safe for now. I need you to lie back down. You’ve been out for four days. You need to rest.”

“Where’s Braeden?”

Dang it, why couldn’t she
see?

“Hush, now. The Vagabond overtook you. Do you remember any of the possession at all?”

Kara resigned to cradling her head in her hands and thought it over. No, not really. All she could remember was the fear of losing Braeden. She shrugged, hoping that would serve as an answer.

“As I thought. You need to rest,” Adele said.

“You didn’t answer my question. Where is Braeden?”

Silence. For a moment, Kara thought the muse had left the room.

“Adele!”

“He is in the Stele.”

“Seri—are you kidding? Why would he go there, of all places?”

“If I explain, will you lie back down?”

Kara took a deep breath and laid her head back against the pillow. Relief flooded through her mind as she touched the soft linen.

Adele summarized what had happened in the trial after Kara lost her memory, but stopped after she described the Vagabond’s possession.

“You were incredible,” Adele said, breathless.

“It was the Vagabond, not me.”

The beginnings of Kara’s vision returned in red and blue dots. At least she could see. She rubbed her eyes again, even though she knew it wouldn’t help at all. It was just nice to do something more than sit.

“No, that was you,” Adele said. “The Vagabond is a ghost with no physical power. He tapped a wealth of potential within you that has previously gone unused. You could have moved mountains, Kara, and nothing alive could have stopped you. The Vagabond only released his hold when he knew his point had been made. He didn’t want to use any more of your energy than he already had, most likely to protect you from others discovering just what you can do. It is always safest for the powerful to go underestimated.”

Kara ran her hand through her hair. Back at the Gala, Deirdre had said Kara was more than she knew. Apparently, she could even make stone
grow
. She’d scared dominant rulers into submission. She was
powerful.

“But how, the Grimoire?” she asked.

“No book can grant that much power, not even the Grimoire. It can only teach you to use that which you already have. No, your gift is yours alone.”

“I don’t understand how, though.”

“Nor do I, my girl. I suppose only time will tell.”

Kara sighed again. She was doing that a lot, lately. “So they let Braeden go?”

“Yes. He has to return with the kidnapped Heirs.”

“I must have been convincing if they trusted him with that.”

“The Bloods have nothing to lose at this point.”

“I guess that’s true. Oh well. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to help him.”

Kara stood and teetered on her feet. Blood rushed from her head, and it was all she could do to not fall back onto the mattress.

“As intimidating as you are right now”—it was easy to hear the sarcasm in Adele’s voice—“you need rest. Your body wasn’t used to channeling such a strong spirit or using so much of your inner gift. Though you’re healing quickly, you’re not ready yet.”

“But Braeden—”

“—is strong. You have to trust that he’s capable of doing this alone.”

“Of course he is. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t help.”

“That’s exactly what it means. You—”

“We’re going and no—”

“Child!”

“What?!”

“You. Will. Sit. Down.”

Adele tightened her fists. Kara sat down.

The muse continued as if their little row never happened. “Garrett is distracting the drenowith Council from my sudden absence. I need to protect you.”

“Me? Seriously? No, go help
Braeden.
I’m sitting in a bed! I’m fine!”

“No, you are not
fine
. Gavin’s face when you strode into the room terrified even me. Aislynn, Frine, and Ithone were rightfully scared, but not Gavin. He looked
greedy.
I’ve kept him at bay this long by moving you to a new room every hour or so. I don’t know when he’ll find us, but now that you’re up, we can leave for the village as soon as you can move.

“No”—Adele interrupted Kara before she could protest—“you may be able to walk, but that doesn’t mean you can fight Stelians. You’ll just get in Braeden’s way if you go to him right now. I can help you, but you have to do as I say.”

“Adele, Braeden is incredibly strong. I’ve never met anyone more focused. But the Stele is his weakness. If he goes there, he’ll be drawn to it. If Carden captures him, there’s no way he’ll escape again. Please understand why I have to go!”

“My girl—”

“Please, no more arguing. I’m going to the Stele.”

“But you don’t even know where it is!”

“Right. That’s why this would be so much easier if you would just help me get there.”

A voice boomed in the hallway, nothing more than a mumble until the speaker shouted a single phrase:

“FIND HER!”

“Gavin,” Kara said under her breath. It was involuntary, like a gasp; there was no stopping it, however much it didn’t help the situation or ease the dread.

Adele nodded. “Come, we can move into another room. The next empty one is two floors down, where they’ve already searched.”

Kara hesitated. “If we’re still going to bring peace into Ourea, I’ll have to face him sooner or later. It would be better to dispel whatever half-conceived plot is running through his head than to let it simmer.”

Adele opened the window and paused, her hand limp and forgotten on the latch. “You would still help them?”

“It seems like they need help now more than ever.”

“They only fear you for the moment. I doubt they will help you when the need arises. You are still very much alone in this.”

“I don’t want them to fear me. I just want them to see reason, and even the selfish can change, Adele. I’d be a pretty useless vagabond if I gave up on them. Besides, I’m not alone. I have you and Garrett. I have Braeden. That’s why I have to find him, to make sure he comes back.”

“Three allies can’t fight an army.”

“Look, I can’t run forever. None of the Bloods can control me, so—”

“Check every room!” Gavin called through the door.

The next few seconds were a blur.

The knob turned. Kara stood at the foot of the bed, leaning against the bedpost for support. Hinges creaked as the door opened. Gavin loomed in the doorframe, head turned to peer over his shoulder as he barked another command. Aislynn walked behind him, looking past Kara. The queen’s furrowed brows relaxed into awe.

A whoosh of air danced through Kara’s hair, sending strands into her face. A finch landed on her shoulder, and she didn’t have to turn around to know that the little bird was Adele. But the muse hadn’t moved fast enough. Aislynn had apparently seen her change.

“You heard m—” Gavin turned and stopped abruptly when he saw Kara.

“You are very loud,” Kara said simply.

Her chest tightened, and she tried to hide the fact that breathing had become difficult. Adele wasn’t a secret anymore. Sweat formed on her temple, but Gavin seemed to misinterpret the nerves.

“Kara, we were worried. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. You don’t have to be afraid of us,” he said.

“I wasn’t—” She cut herself off with a deep breath. No use letting him know about the muse on her shoulder as well.

Gavin arched his back. “We underestimated you, and we won’t do it again. You moved stone like it was water! You proved yourself, Kara, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have you as an ally if you’ll still have us. It’s clear that you still need to learn to control it, but with power like yours, we can destroy the Stele forever! I—”

“Stop,” Kara said.

Aislynn, Gavin, and even the little bird on Kara’s shoulder turned to look at her. She took a deep breath as her jaw tensed on its own.

“What?” Gavin finally asked.

“You heard me. Stop! You’re selfish, ignorant, and absorbed in your own little world. I’ve had enough!”

“How could you possibly—”

“You haven’t learned a thing. You were going to kill Braeden, and you act like I’ve forgotten that!” she said.

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “Yes, it seems you’ve taken quite an interest in the traitor.”

“Don’t twist this into something it’s not. I simply know an honest man when I see one, and I protected someone who needed me.” Kara tasted the lie and suppressed all thought of it, choosing instead to glare at the Hillsidian king in her doorway.

Gavin took a step closer. Aislynn grabbed his arm. He shook her off, but didn’t continue. Instead, he leaned in with a glare that should have made Kara shiver. Before the Gala, it would have worked.

But Kara was a different person now. She had more than just a book to protect herself.

Gavin spoke under his breath. “I’m trying to help you. Let me do that.”

A tickle ran up Kara’s arm, and it wasn’t until it stopped on her head and barked that she realized it was Flick.

“Enough, all of you!” Aislynn shouted.

“This doesn’t concern you!” Gavin shouted back.

“It certainly does. This is my kingdom, and I will banish you from it if you say one more traitorous word! You have gone too far. If the Vagabond won’t help you, it is because you are unworthy. When you find it in yourself to do as she says, you will be worthy of the help she gives. Until then, out!”

Gavin turned back to Kara and paused, glancing to the sparrow for the first time. He grumbled and stalked from the room, shouting orders at the guards in the hallway. He spoke so quickly that Kara couldn’t even make out what he said.

Aislynn closed the door behind him. She rested her head on the wood as she took a deep breath. “Vagabond, I wish circumstances were different. It seems you and I are met with opposition at every turn.”