Veiled Shadows (The Age of Alandria: Book Two) (29 page)

His energy suddenly jolted under his skin, moving to a specific point like a swarm of locusts, stopping at his shoulder to create a deep burn, only to continue moving into his head, unleashing a pressure accompanied by a pain so great he fell to his knees clutching his head. His body collapsed in on itself and he rolled to his side as his legs involuntarily curled up to his chest. Daegan’s body began seizing. He felt the darkness coming and almost hoped it would swallow him fast and send him into blissful oblivion. Then from his core he called out, “Kaeleigh.” His mind flashed with images of her. He could hear her voice. Feel her energy. Her touch and their kiss that shook him to his core. He felt himself pushing back against the tormenting pressure and pain that enslaved his body. Then suddenly his mind went black. There was a buzzing in his ears followed by deafening silence only to be interrupted by the one voice he did not want to hear at the moment.

“Daegan. Come to me now.” Maleina.

Released from her magic that bound him, his body relaxed. He held still with his eyes closed, lying on the hardwood floor and fighting back the traitorous tears that had escaped his eyes. Daegan took slow, steady breaths, allowing his soothing magic to move through his body. As he pulled himself up off the floor and onto the bed, he looked to the window and watched as an orchid floated in through an open window and landed next to him where he sat. The softest words uttered collectively by a chorus of voices were ushered in on the wind with the flower.

“
Fight. Stand up and fight. You were made for more than this.
”

Daegan took a deep breath. He walked again to the window as if he could see her.
Kaeleigh
. But what he saw for maybe the first time in his life was clarity. Daegan felt a peace that began in his chest and radiated warmth throughout his body. He closed his eyes and simply
felt
… felt his energy—his magic—weave in and out and around his being. The more it moved, the more it grew in strength and hummed, igniting all of him with purpose. His eyes flashed open, the fire within in them blazing. Standing up straight and strapping on his sword, he stormed out of his room.

⚔⚔⚔

Daegan violently threw open the doors to the throne room, practically ripping them off their hinges. He knew Maleina was waiting for him. He strode straight to the opposite end of the long, narrow room where she sat unconcerned on her throne. She wore an attempt at passivity on her face while she watched him close in on her.

“What have you done, Daegan?” Her voice sounded almost bored yet her eyes snapped up to his. “You see, you can’t fight me. Oh, you may try and use every ounce of strength that thinking of that little
witch
might give you, but you won’t win.”

“Maleina, release the prisoners,” Daegan growled out. “They do not deserve to be there simply because you feel threatened.”

Daegan gripped his left shoulder where pricks of pain began stabbing him.

“I see you understand our little bond,” she said.

Daegan’s eyes narrowed. His fists clenched at his sides.

Her eyes, now malicious, searched his face as she sneered, “Well, maybe not completely.” Maleina’s voice began to grow sharp and bitter.

“What are you speaking of?”

She wagged her finger at him as if scolding a small child. “Tsk, tsk. You should know by now that I hold all the cards.
I
pull the strings.” Maleina got up slowly from her throne and stalked toward him, eyeing him like prey. She circled around him, taunting him with her control of the situation.

She got right in his face, almost level with him due to the height of her heeled shoes, and ran one of her pointy red fingernails under his chin then over to encircle the marking that now burned on his bicep. Her eyes never left his. “Maybe you are not yet aware that I can enter your mind at almost any given moment and take over… not only to control, but to see what you saw, to hear what you heard, and to know
where
you were.” She stared into his eyes intently and smugly as the revelation of what she said settled on him.

Daegan’s face paled. He felt his body start to shake.

“That’s right… because of you, we found—Hunter, I think you called him—you led us right to and through his wards. I have been searching for him for a long time,” she taunted him, then turned to step closer to the platform that held up her throne.

It is my fault
. A pain—raw and deep—sliced through his chest. Arms clenched out to the sides, back arched and head thrown back in fury and defeat, he screamed out, “AGGHHH!!” Daegan fell to his knees. “Why have you done this?”

“I WANT THE POWER! I want that undeserving little girl’s power. I want yours, but most of all I want
hers
—she sits hiding away in her cavernous refuge dictating my steps, but only for
now
… my time is coming!” Maleina spat out in anger.

Daegan didn’t know all that she was talking about, but he had to get out of there. He had to free Kaeleigh before Maleina did something he couldn’t undo. He turned, beginning to storm out of the throne room, when there was a “CRACK.” The whip of her power lashed out and struck him in his shoulder, bringing him to an immediate halt. Daegan’s face was a mask of rage as he turned back to her, his own power surging within his core like he had never unleashed before, the pressure of it building up so extreme, he felt he might explode.

Maleina felt it and there was the briefest hint of fear in her eyes when she realized he could grow his power like that. Then she sneered and let loose a dark, evil sound from her throat. Her image shifted, her glamour wavering. Not as surprised by it this time, he aimed for her head, prepared to let loose his pent-up magical energy at the snakes that now slithered about her body, encircling her neck and arms and even moving under her dress around her legs. It was evil and grotesque as she appeared suddenly intoxicated by the rush of power it gave her and she breathed it in, igniting a fire in her eyes.

“Where do you think you’re going? I will always find you.” Again she laughed. And though she stood still, he could feel her filthy energy, the dark magic, that emanated from her as it tried to wind its way around him. “What about your
loyalties
, Daegan? And poor, spineless Halister? You would leave him here without his sworn protector? You don’t want his blood on your head too, do you?”

Daegan froze. He could hear the threat to her own son in her voice. Maleina walked up slowly behind him, brushing her fingers down his each side of his shoulders, and stopping with her left hand on his marking, she whispered, “Don’t ever forget who holds your leash. You can hate me but you will never be rid of me. Not now and not ever.” She smirked. “I know how weak you really are.”

A spark… an ember of energy… simmered in Daegan’s heart. He would free Kaeleigh as the last thing he did before he found his own fatal freedom. If he didn’t take it, Maleina would. He refused to be used by her again. He would rather die.

She began to saunter back to her throne as if nothing had happened, then she remembered something as she stuck her finger in the air. “At sunrise, dispose of the mutt and the traitor. I want the Sol-lumieth broken.”

He rose and left the throne room for the last time.

⚔⚔⚔

Hidden behind the doorway that led from the throne room into Wren’s private quarters, Rheina and Halister stood frozen speechless. They were in shock at all that they had heard, Halister more than Rheina as it was her
vision
that directed them to be there when they were. Not wanting to get caught, they snuck off without a word, hoping to cut Daegan off at the stables.

⚔⚔⚔

Daegan wrestled with his plan, if you could call it that. If his life was no longer, he would still be leaving Hal unprotected and he couldn’t do that. Almost caught unaware by the presence that was following him, he veered off his path to hide behind a tree in order to surprise his pursuer.
Focus. I need to get to Kaeleigh before the guards do.
With his knife clenched at his side, he jumped out into the path only to come face to face with Rheina and Hal.

He took a deep breath. “I almost killed you!”

“You wouldn’t kill little ole me, would you?” Hal failed at his attempt to make his own tension lighter, and his face fell when he really looked at Daegan. “What are you going to do?”

“Somehow, I think you know already,” Daegan said, running his fingers through his hair.

Rheina grabbed hold of his arm, staring directly into his eyes. “We were in there. We heard everything.” She waited until he understood what she was saying.

Daegan’s eyes shifted to Hal’s and back to his sister’s. She nodded.

“You have to go, Daegan. Get Kaeleigh and Chel and Finn and get far away.” Hal sounded more serious than he ever had before.

“No, I will not leave you both here with that… that
woman
!” Daegan spat out angrily. “You are my family.”

“This is bigger than all of us, Daegan. I think you realize that now. You MUST get the Sol-lumieth to the mountains. We will do what we can here.” Rheina focused her gaze on him, willing him to see the bigger picture.

Hal leaned in and whispered, intently locking his most serious gaze on Daegan’s. “The guards will be bringing all three of them up the prisoners path to the castle to be questioned further in one hour. You can intercept them there and head for the woods. The trees will protect you. You know they will. It will buy you time.”

Daegan, feeling a rush of adrenaline, was confused. “But she told me to kill Chel and Finn at sunrise… What is your mother doing?”

Hal smiled. “Perhaps my mother didn’t give the order.” With a brief expression of pride and sarcasm, he continued, “Must have been that spineless son of hers.” Hal winked, then more seriously he added, “However, she will be really angry if they actually get to the castle—then we’re all in trouble.”

Daegan smiled and spoke with sincerity, “Your mother truly knows nothing of your quality, my brother.” He looked down as he pondered the weight of what he was about to do. Worry furrowed his expression as he looked intently at Hal then at Rheina then back to Hal again. “I may never see you both again… she can find me… she can
control
me,” he said with a strangled breath.

Rheina interrupted, “This is your path, Daegan—your purpose. You must follow it as we must follow ours.” She kept looking back up at the castle from the tree line. “We need to go. Quickly, here, take this.” She handed him a wadded-up piece of material.
Clothes for the journey?

Daegan nodded and gave her a quick hug and kiss on the top of her head. “I love you, Rheina,” he said simply. His words surprised her as she had never felt such sincere affection from her adopted brother before. He then grabbed Hal’s forearm and pulled him in for a tight hug. “You are a good man, please be careful. Protect our sister and yourself. Hope that I do not die before I’m able to free them.”

They turned to walk back to the castle. Daegan’s emotions came up into his throat as a hundred memories of him and the only brother he ever knew flooded his mind.

“Hal!” he called out in a broken voice. Hal turned back around, revealing the tear running down his cheek, and nodded his head to the brother he loved. Daegan, overwhelmed, could only nod in return. Then he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

CHAPTER THIRTY

A creaking noise coming from the entrance of the cave stirred everyone from their attempt at sleep to bunch together, senses on high alert. Kaeleigh recognized the noise as the same one she heard when they walked in, however long ago that was now. Jumping up, Kaeleigh pulled a half-asleep Chel along with her. Finn stepped up in front of the girls, pushing Kaeleigh back behind him when she tried to force her way next to him. He wouldn’t have it; not when they didn’t know who was coming their way and what they intended.

Footsteps grew louder as they got closer. Kaeleigh gripped Chel’s hand like she thought she was dangling over a cliff, and bunched the back of Finn’s shirt with her other hand. She could feel how tense the tight muscles in his back were through his shirt.
He has a really nice back,
she thought as she recalled seeing him with his shirt off. She could appreciate nice things, right? Why not?
FOCUS!
Kaeleigh’s brain screamed at her. Letting go of Finn’s shirt helped, along with taking a step back with focused breathing.

Finally the footsteps came to a stop. One of the Ferrishyn guards stood before them suited up like he was going to war. Kaeleigh glanced out of the corner of her eyes just in time to see Chel roll her eyes, knowing it was at the unnecessary attire. He was tall with broad, muscled shoulders. He could have walked straight off a movie set.

“My lady Maleina requests your presence at a meeting with the council to discuss your punishment... perhaps even your banishment.” The tall brute with the low gravelly voice sneered before he began to unlock their cell door.

“Oh sure. Well...” Kaeleigh looked around the little home away from home cell as the frustration and fear came bubbling up out of her with sarcasm. “Let me just drop everything I was doing so that I won’t inconvenience your ‘lady.’”

The guard just stared at her with an unflinching gaze that made Kaeleigh want to curl up and hide under a rock. Finn grabbed her hand and pulled her along, silencing her with a deadly look that dared any further comments from making their way out of her mouth.

As they passed by the cell housing their fellow prisoner, Kaeleigh saw his fingers gripping the bars. She felt so drawn to the man that she couldn’t help when her hand reached out to touch his that held the bars. The contrast of her already white skin on top of his sun-deprived shriveled skin was fascinating and disturbing. At the moment of contact, her emotions latched onto his energy, catching bits of images that leaked out of his mind. They were slower as if passing through a veil. He must have erected some kind of mental barrier or wall protecting his thoughts, similar to Daegan. She let go as soon as she was conscious of the thought or feeling that she shouldn’t be there, almost like she was being watched—being deemed worthy enough to be there or not. But her release of the connection was a little too late. Some images had reached her. They didn’t make any sense to her except for one repeating factor that she had seen too many times to count... orchids.