Shadows of Fate (Shadow Born) Page 22

  She lost track of time as she explored. Each tunnel was identical to the one before it but eventually she sensed a change. Wiping her sweat drenched brow with the back of her hand, she listened. Off in the distance, she could hear running water. She quickened her pace and moved toward the sound.

  The tunnel abruptly ended, opening up into a cavern that seemed strangely out of place. Bursting with green, it resembled a meadow. Vines covered in blossoming yellow and pink flowers streamed down the walls and danced across the ceiling. Lush grass so thick it was spongy beneath her feet spread across the floor. But it was the waterfall in the very center that drew her attention. Spanning the height of the cavern, it poured crystal clear water into the seemingly sunlit pool beneath it. She ached to strip off her clothes and let the water stream down her body.

  Legs unsteady, she waded into the shallow pool. She knew it was an enchantment, but couldn’t find the strength to fight it. The water closed around her legs as she moved forward. Tilting back her head, she let the cool water flow down her face and body. It felt wonderful.

  Almost immediately a net wove around her body, trapping her. Magic twisted through the cords. The harder she fought, the more confining it became. She couldn’t sense Mira anymore. Shadows began to fill the room. Darkness stripped away the illusion until she stood in a barren grotto made of dirt. Then the shadows parted to reveal a figure.

  Orien.

  His face was a study in masculinity framed by an ebony mane, but madness glinted from the once revered general’s dark eyes.

  “It is hard to believe you are the same woman who destroyed hundreds of my men.” He stood so close she could feel his breath on her face. He trailed a finger down her cheek. “You’ve become weak. Adare was sure you would come alone once you felt the force of the defensive spell. You wouldn’t want the others to get hurt.”

  The confirmation of Adare’s betrayal bruised her already wounded heart. She had valued his friendship and respected his staunch grasp on morality. She had been a fool.

  “What do you want, Orien? I know it’s not world domination. That’s not your style.” Pulling her magic together, she struggled against the restraints of the spell, searching for a weak point.

  He laughed. “I could care less about this world. Bringing the demons over is how I got Adare to help me. Then you had to go and heal the Veil. Always meddling.” He shook his head. “I promised to spread the infection again, to bring him back on my side. It never occurred to him the Guardians now know how to fight it. Your people left him undercover too long. He believes his own propaganda now. He’s mad, with grand designs and global ambitions. The only thing I want out of this is you, broken, bloody and dead.”

  Brenna shook her head. “I don’t believe you. There was no reason to involve anyone else, I wasn’t hiding.”

  His eyes smoldered with hatred. “No? I wanted you to suffer. None of your friends died well. They begged for their lives.” He grabbed her chin with his hand. “I wonder if you will?”

  Scorn filled her gaze. “It would take a better man than you to kill me, let alone get me to beg.”

  His eyes narrowed and he struck her across the face. Licking the blood from her lips, she laughed. “Is that all you’ve got?” The spell tightened around her, choking the air from her lungs.

  “Your father’s biggest mistake was that he thought you were delicate. His breakable daughter who would not question his will.” Orien snorted. “If he had sent one of your sisters, we would be ruling our world and the Vires would be dead.”

  “You’re right. I should have let you murder the entire clan in cold blood.” She grimaced as he struck her again.

  A smirk turned Orien’s lips. “You and your siblings gave your father more than enough reason to hate you.” He paused, considering. “You should be grateful he let you live in his house. Most men aren’t that kind to their wife’s bastards.”

  She felt the familiar ache that came when someone called her a bastard. She wished it was true, had prayed for it some days. But the irony was she was indisputably her father’s daughter. The only one. Her brother and sisters were the result of affairs and strict planning on the part of her father to appear as though he had sired an heir. He had sacrificed his only true flesh and blood on the altar of his hatred.

  Orien grabbed Brenna and unceremoniously tossed her over one shoulder. He carried her through the tunnels, taking a path so convoluted she would never be able to find her way out.

  Eventually they arrived in a darkened corridor that housed a makeshift prison. The space was lined on either side with cells. Numerous eyes peered from behind the iron bars. Torture had left the missing deviants unrecognizable.

  The last cage was larger and set apart from the others.

  “I saved this one for you, my lady,” Orien spat. He took her inside, locking the door behind them. Tossing her to the ground, he grabbed a stool from beside the dirt wall. As soon as he placed it beside her, he changed his mind and kicked it across the room. Rubbing his hands together, he crouched in front of her. “Where shall we start?”

  She laughed, struggling to her knees as the spell released. “You’re not strong enough to kill me.” She grinned, swiping her hand across her bloody mouth.

  Orien slammed his fist against her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Pain radiated across her body, but still she pushed herself to her feet. “I’m not a scared little girl anymore.” Pushing her magic toward him, she knocked him onto his back.

  He hit the ground cursing, then wrapped his power around her like a blanket of fire. She fought the pain, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” She staggered, hands on her thighs to keep from toppling down to the dirt. “I thought my father taught you better, General.”

  Orien rose and took her by the throat. “I’m taking my time, pet.” He licked the blood from her face. “I’m considering drinking you dry.” He slammed her against the cage bars.

  Although it took most of her strength, she managed to stay on her feet. His net had weakened her, but now that it was gone she had another option. Rather than attack again, she connected with Mira. Brenna sent her an image of Orien, imbuing it with a sense of urgency. Relieved, she collapsed onto the wet dirt.

  Orien crouched next to her. His long fingers tangling in her hair, he tapped her temple and said, “No matter how strong you are here. There comes a point when your body will give out.” Grinning, he shoved her face into the dirt. “I want you to know what it feels like to lose everything. Your betrayal stripped me of my position, my army, of everything but my life. It was your lies that made me like this.” He kicked her in the ribs so hard she slammed against the wall.

  Blood poured from her nose and mouth. The pain was so intense that when he bent down to grab her hair, darkness clouded her vision. His fist slammed into her face and she lost consciousness.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Brenna swam back into consciousness. Her body throbbed with pain. She tried to roll to her belly, but something held her still.

  “Wake up, Brenna.” Orien’s voice penetrated the fog around her brain. “I brought you an old friend.” He lifted his steel-toed boot from her back and kicked her in the ribs. It all came rushing back.

  What had he done to her while she had been out? It felt like he had set her on fire, then pulled the flesh from her bones. She looked up at a second figure, just outside her cage.

  “Adare.” She spat, blood trickling down her chin. “Come to gloat?”

  He shook his head. “I did what needed to be done, Brenna.”

  “So you betrayed us all?”

  He shrugged. “It was a small price to pay. I’m sure the others had their suspicions, but I knew you wouldn’t believe them. For all your strength, you are naïve when it comes to those you care about. I don’t want to kill you, but, if you interfere again, I won’t have a choice.”

  Despite the pain, she managed to sit up. He was right.
Even after all she had been through, she still trusted too easily. As angry as she should be, she felt only pity. In his search for power, he had missed the whole point. Power wasn’t going to make him happy. Ultimately he would be off to find something else to fill the hole inside him. She might trust easily, but at least she had found joy in her life. It was worth the pain.

  The realization gave her hope as she watched Adare leave. He stopped at the cell next to them and pulled out two screaming deviants. She couldn’t let them be fodder for Adare’s demons, not if she had an ounce of strength left. Fueled by betrayal, anger and vengeance, her power swelled inside her.

  She rose, heating the air around her hand until she had a fireball. Mustering what strength she had left, she flung it at Adare. He fell back, allowing the prisoners to scatter and flee through the dirt tunnels.

  “I’m not going to fight you, Brenna.” Adare stood, looking oddly disappointed in her.

  She threw another ball of fire at him, once again knocking him to the floor. “Coward.”

  “Go ahead and kill him. I have no further use for him.” Orien leaned against the dirt wall, his arms folded across his chest. “You might as well be good for something.”

  So, Orien wasn’t going to intervene. If she could keep him distracted and kept moving forward, she would be free of the cell while he would still be inside. The tables could quickly turn.

  Adare stumbled to his feet. Blood ran from his nose. “I respect you too much to kill you, Brenna” His power whirled through the corridor, surrounding him. “But I will defend myself. It’s for the greater good.”

  His words were like daggers as she pulled together more power to attack again.

  “This had to happen eventually.” Adare motioned to Orien. “You can’t fault me for using him to further my cause.”

  Brenna tried to penetrate the shield surrounding Adare, but it was useless. Her magic bounced off. “None of this had to happen. You’ve always hated demons. Why help them invade? This world belongs to the humans.”

  He smiled, white teeth glinting in the candlelight. “Your naiveté amazes me.” He chuckled. “These people don’t care about this world. Your people don’t care about this world. But I do. More than you can imagine.”

  Brenna flung another bolt of energy. Again it crashed against his barrier and dissipated.

  Adare grinned again. “And when the humans are gone, I’ll get rid of the deviants that are left. My people need a new home world. This one.”

  The man who stood before her bore no resemblance to the friend she once knew. She had to stop him.

  Orien sighed and pushed Brenna aside. “I don’t have time for this.” He hurled a giant ball of ice at Adare, which he blocked with a wall of energy and shattered.

  “Hmph. Stronger than I thought.” Orien’s annoyance was palatable as he readied a more powerful attack. Seizing the opportunity, Brenna leapt across the cell, slamming it shut as she stepped free, trapping Orien inside.

  Her body screamed from exertion. Muscles quivering, she prayed for strength as she wove a wall of energy at the end of the tunnel leading to the cells. It would trap them all inside the prison until she released it by choice or by death.

  “Nice trick, Princess,” Orien said. “I’ll be with you in a moment.” He hurled another attack at Adare, but this time it passed right through him and shattered across the barrier like an ice storm.

  Adare shook his head. “This is pointless. You’ll never understand.” He gathered his power around him in a dark vortex. When it disappeared, he was gone.

  Brenna stepped back. He shouldn’t have been able to escape. The power needed to break through was indescribable—it only got denser as you used more force. Too late she realized Orien had turned his attention back to her. She sank to her knees as his power froze her blood. She prayed that in her weakened state she would still be able to overcome him. Either way, the barrier wouldn’t come down until one of them was dead.

  Gray knew something was wrong even before Mira returned to the cabin. He had been gearing up ever since Brenna had slammed shut their psychic link.

  “I couldn’t get through the spell. The entrance filled with energy as soon as she stepped inside.” Mira shifted from foot to foot, agitated. “I tried to go after her, but I’ve never seen that type of magic. It was like trying to run through razor wire. She touched my mind. Just for a moment, enough to see some man had her prisoner and sense she needed help.”

  Gray fought down panic. “How long was she gone?” he asked as he grabbed his coat.

  “An hour, I think,” she replied. “I lost track of time.” Her voice shook. “I couldn’t call you. The phone you gave me stopped working. Something was blocking the magic.”

  Seraph came into the room. “Go warm yourself. There’s nothing more you could have done. We’ll take it from here.”

  “I’m going with you,” Mira replied.

  “You’ve done enough,” Seraph said. “Keep the others here until we get back. Prepare the others for a possible attack. I’m trusting you on this.”

  Mira nodded reluctantly.

  Gray and Seraph hurried to the tunnel entrance. Although Gray wanted to blame Seraph, there was no way the other man could have known. It made no sense. There was no portal listed on the map here, Orien must have been using it for something else. A trap.

  In hindsight it was obvious. Orien had set a trap at the site they would consider the least threatening. The location he thought Brenna may explore undermanned, possibly alone. They had played right into his hands.

  When they arrived at the stone well, Gray tapped into the splintered spell. He could see a swirling mass of light around the crumbling structure cutting the air like a storm of swords. The two men joined their power to counter the dark magic. The chasm of light imploded, leaving only harmless sparks.

  With the passage clear, they shifted down into the tunnels, surrounded by an unnatural darkness. Gray closed his eyes, focusing on Brenna’s residual energy, causing the path she took to glow a deep violet hue. “This way.”

  Seraph conjured a ball of light, which would follow behind them a short distance. They hurried until they faced a waterfall in the middle of a meadow. Thick strands of magic blocked their way, and the darkness grew stronger.

  “Is it an illusion?” Seraph moved forward, palm outstretched. His skin hissed as it brushed against the boundary.

  “More complex than that.” Gray stepped through, ignoring the burning pain passing the edge of it inflicted. It might have been meant to lure people in before, but now everything was trying to keep them out. As he pressed forward his eyes caught on a splatter of blood lying on one of the rough stones, now glowing with the same shade of violet. Brenna.

  He used the blood to capture images from the time it had been spilt. He saw Orien, and Brenna on the ground, bound and injured. He cursed. He would find her. Then he would tear Orien apart.

  Seraph gripped his shoulder. “We’re wasting time.”

  They hurried through the tunnels, following the path of Brenna’s magic until they came to a larger cavern. Blackness spilled from it, pushing into the light like a cancer. It was then that he felt her. Slight, but there.

  “Brenna.” He called across their psychic link, willing her to answer. Her response was feather light across his mind. She was alive.

  He motioned for Seraph to follow. As they moved forward the sense of perverted magic became stronger. Twisted and dark within the gloom, Seraph’s light could barely illuminate a dozen feet ahead of them. At the end of the tunnel, he felt the power building, directed at them. Gray grabbed Seraph and took them both to the ground. An explosion full of rage barreled overtop of them, stripping away the darkness. Crawling forward, Gray could now see Brenna. Pale and drawn, she held a ball of golden fire above her palms.

  The rage was hers. It flowed around her like a cloak of fire. Time and again she struck at the man who stood in front of her. Cloaked in darkness, Orien radiated a mix of evil, insan
ity and single minded obsession.

  A strong magical barrier stopped Gray from moving forward. He motioned to Seraph, but the other man shook his head.

  “You’re not going to force your way through. That barrier isn’t coming down until Brenna wants it to.” They waited together by the barrier’s edge, while Gray cursed his callousness.

  Brenna slowed her breathing. The pain in her body could too easily be a distraction. She felt a familiar presence behind Orien, but it was hidden by the wall she had constructed.

  Power surged between her hands to form another fireball. It levitated above her palms, growing in size as she forced her pain and rage to it. Ignoring the blood that trickled between her eyes, she hurled it at Orien.

  It struck him square in the chest, knocking him against the barrier. He fell to his knees, his body trembling under the assault. He held up his hands and formed a wall of ice in front of him.

  Brenna destroyed the icy wall with a wave of her hand. “I hope that’s not all you’ve got, General.” Pushed beyond exhaustion, Brenna had somehow tapped into more strength than she ever thought possible. It might kill her later, but right now she didn’t care. She pulled her athame free from its sheath on her back, thankful that in his overconfidence he had not removed her weapons.

  The weapon shone in the darkness, a beacon of her vengeance. She imbued the blade with power. Fire danced across the silver.

  Orien unsteadily got to his feet. A splinter of ice shot from his other hand.

  She dropped to the ground with a scream. The shard had penetrated her thigh. For a moment she feared it had hit an artery, but, as she pulled it free, the wound began to close.

  Cursing, she got back up and retrieved her weapon. The urge to kill was overwhelming. Gray wasn’t likely to forgive her for killing the bastard. Although she could not see Gray, she knew it was him behind the barrier.

  Athame grasped tightly in her hand, she moved toward Orien.