Shadows of Fate (Shadow Born) Page 23
His hate-filled gaze turned to the blade in her hand. He fired another ice bolt. Brenna jerked to the left, avoiding the shard. She countered his next bolt with a rebound spell, causing it to turn back into him. He screamed and sank to his knees.
Brenna stood over her enemy. For years, she had dreamt of vengeance. But the dreams did not compare to the reality. All of the emotions she expected to feel were absent. She felt nothing. Nothing at all.
With one swift movement she sliced Orien’s exposed neck. The heat of the blade sealed the wound immediately, keeping it from being fatal. But it was enough to allow the spell enchanted into the metal to seep into his blood. His head lolled back before he collapsed at her feet, unconscious.
She released the barriers to allow Seraph and Gray inside, and dropped to her knees.
“I wanted to kill him,” she murmured. Swaying slightly, she cleaned the blade on her jeans before slipping it back into its restraint.
Gray knelt down and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I know, but this is better. He’ll suffer more.”
She looked to Gray. His eyes mirrored the pain she felt. Slowly shaking her head, she moved into his embrace. “Either he dies by your hand or the Council’s, if not, I will kill him. You’re the only reason I let him live.”
Gray pressed her trembling body against his chest as he helped her up to her feet. “After what he has done they will have no other choice,” he said.
“We’ll see.” Suddenly unable to be near him, she pushed out of Gray’s arms. “You better tie him up in case the spell wears off.”
She turned away, not watching as they bound Orien. Instead she hobbled to the cells lining the cavern wall. Those inside stared at her, terror in their gazes. Her magic drained, she walked from cell to cell to unlock the deadbolts. After a moment of hesitation, they stumbled away through the maze of tunnels.
Orien wouldn’t hurt anyone anymore.
She should be happy, but she still felt nothing. Exhaustion, maybe, but no sweet song of victory sang in her blood.
Gray caught up with her, his hands once again settling at her waist.
“Are you all right?” His lips brushed against her hair.
She sank into his warmth. She had wanted this for so long, but so much had changed. She had a life on this world. Shifting in Gray’s embrace, she met his violet gaze. She understood now. They would return home together. It was necessary to end this chapter. They could both begin again. She would ask the Council to sever their bond so they could go their separate ways.
She had no desire to live as a Shadow Bearer on her world. Her life was here now. Orien had started a war she was honor-bound to see finished.
But Gray had a home on their world, and a family that had hidden him from his betrayers and loved him back to health. His decision to marry her had brought nothing but pain. Now that they were free, how could she ask him to abandon them?
She wiped at her cheeks. Tears had no place here. She took a moment to pull herself together and walked toward the men. “The Council will want to be informed immediately. I will do the ritual once he is secured. We’ll need to reach the Council’s portal, convince the Guardians to let us through.”
“I doubt that will be a problem, they owe us,” said Gray.
“There won’t be a need.” Seraph sat crouched before Orien, dosing him with some kind of spell. “Orien chose these tunnels because they hold a portal into your world. It was left unmarked on the map on purpose. He has been bouncing back and forth for years.”
“Did you read his mind?” Gray asked, arms crossed.
Seraph said, “I didn’t rip it from him if that’s what you’re asking, although I was tempted.” He got to his feet. “He should stay unconscious until the Council wakes him. Take him home together and explain what happened.” He looked around at Orien’s lair. “I have to clean up his mess.”
In an instant, he was gone.
Brenna tried to ignore the pain radiating through her body. “We should take him before he wakes.”
“You aren’t in any condition to travel.” Gray brushed away at the blood caking her face. “I’m surprised you’re still standing.”
She shrugged, though the movement shot pain down her back. “I want to get this over with. The Council will give me a healer.”
“If you make it there.”
Ignoring him, she moved to Orien’s side. “Either you pick him up or I will.”
“Fine.” Gray tossed the general over his shoulder. “It would have been nice if Seraph had told us how to find the portal. This place is a maze.”
“I think it’s behind that wall. I could feel power pulsing there behind me.” She touched the dirt wall with her palm. “We have to find a way to get to it.”
“I’ll follow the energy signature.” Gray moved around her and took the nearest tunnel out, Orien’s body flopping hard against his back.
The adrenaline that had allowed her to survive the fight with Orien was fading. It was all she could do to follow along behind Gray. The situation felt surreal. Facing the Council again was something she did in her nightmares. Even though they were bringing Orien back, the Council could punish her for returning before her penance was served. They may even kill her. Of course, if they found out she captured Orien and hadn’t returned him they would order her killed. They weren’t the forgiving type.
Further down the tunnel they saw the shadow of the portal’s gate. She hoped she had enough power to make it through. Her strength was waning with each step.
“Are you ready?” Gray glanced back. She could tell he wasn’t sure she would follow him inside. “In your condition it’s going to hurt like hell.”
“I don’t have a choice. Let’s get it over with.” She took an unsteady breath.
Dropping Orien unceremoniously to the ground, Gray moved to her side. “You don’t have to do this.” He cradled her face in his hands. “I won’t let them punish you. They will have to kill me first.”
She believed him. It might bite her in the ass eventually, but right now she believed him. And that knowledge broke her heart.
She slipped her arms around his neck, ignoring the pain that shot through her. “Whatever happens, whatever anyone says, I never betrayed you.” Standing on her tip toes, she pressed a soft kiss against his lips, feeling his sharp intake of breath.
When she released him he nodded, but she saw his eyes were hazy with emotion. Bending down, he returned Orien to his shoulder. The general was a large man, but Gray lifted him as if he were a small child.
Once he had Orien secured, he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
“Let’s do this.” Turning from her, he reached one hand toward the glowing portal.
Gold and red waves of energy swirled together, pushing power into the room. As Gray walked inside, Brenna closed her eyes and willed herself to follow. Energy danced around her, pulled at her, stretching her body to what felt like unnatural lengths before placing her onto the dirt of her homeland.
She flipped onto her back with a groan, the taste of dirt in her mouth. For a few moments the world spun and darkness teased her vision. On a good day travelling through a portal felt like someone had ripped out your insides then stitched you back together. This was not a good day.
Breathless, her lungs struggling to adapt to an atmosphere they had not felt in almost a hundred years. She stilled, eyes closed against the pain. Without blood it would take several days to heal. She would have to face the Council as she was.
Struggling to her feet, she looked for Gray. He sat several feet away. Orien lay at his feet. The cavern was barren aside from a bed.
How many years had Orien lived in this cave, moving back and forth between the planes? How had he escaped execution in the first place?
Gray came beside her. “We need to get moving before we’re noticed.”
Nodding, Gray picked up the general and they headed for the entrance. They had too many enemies here to stay in one spot for long. They were at the mouth of the ca
ve when they first heard the voices. A crowd had gathered. Their voices were soft, but carried up to them, and one word kept rising up: Oracle.
The Oracle had foretold their arrival.
She looked to Gray. He had lost his glamour. Dunham stood at her side. She closed her eyes and did the same. It was freeing to finally be herself. Gray shifted Orien’s weight on his shoulder and led them out. There was no way to turn back now. They were expected. Stepping outside the mouth of the cave, Brenna faced her people for the first time in a century.
Chapter Twenty
Brenna was momentarily blinded by the harsh sunlight as she moved down the crumbling stone steps. The world from which she had been banished lay before her in blazing color. Once her eyes adjusted to the amber light, she eagerly looked around.
The tunnel emptied onto a barren plain. Broken tree branches covered in golden dust lay in the vast abyss of sand. Off in the distance, she made out a mountain range that seemed to reach to the tips of the sky. It was there they would meet their destiny. The wind around them was filled with the scent of sage and ash. Brenna brushed her hair away and shielded her eyes as she gazed upon the three suns off in the distance.
Home.
It was then she saw the crowd. At least a hundred people had gathered to greet them. The Council must have called a truce as members of both clans, many she recognized, stood before them side by side. The last time she had witnessed such a show of peace had been at their wedding. She had not imagined such a thing was possible after the last betrayal.
She moved into the crowd, her hand resting against the blade strapped to her thigh. The throng parted as she moved forward. Emotions swarmed through Brenna, stinging her heart and taking her breath. She pretended the dust had caused her tears as she swiped the back of her hand across her face. Gray followed, now dragging Orien behind him, which drew the attention of the crowd.
A man she didn’t recognize stepped into their path. The hue of his skin and the diamond shaped tattoo between his eyes marked him as a Sors. Brenna tensed as he moved forward, then past her without a sound until he towered over Orien. Cursing the former general with words never used outside a tavern, the man spat on him. His actions spurred the crowd into motion. Members of both clans swarmed Orien, kicking and cursing him until Gray was forced to intervene.
Their actions shocked Brenna. Orien had been held up as a paragon of virtue for as long as she remembered. His acts of valor had been recorded far and wide. Apparently some things had changed since she had been away.
Once Gray had pulled Orien from the crowd, they moved forward until they reached the end of the mass of people. A small solitary figure waited with outstretched hands, her crimson hair falling past her waist like a flame.
“Mother,” Brenna called out. Chills swept across her skin. It was a reunion she hadn’t had time to prepare for and one she wasn’t convinced would be pleasant.
The smaller woman smiled. Her arms fell to her sides. “The Council is waiting on you. They know you have Orien.”
Brenna nodded. “I figured as much.” She felt awkward just being near her.
Her mother moved forward, wrapping her arms around her daughter. “I missed you.” She squeezed harder, pushing the air from Brenna’s lungs. “The Council will sort everything out. They know you are coming.”
“How?” Brenna asked, puzzled.
Lillian released her. “The Oracle, of course. Your brother will help you get Orien to the Council. There is no need for Dunham to drag him there.”
Lillian stepped aside, allowing Brenna’s older brother Ian to greet them, his long black hair tied back into a ponytail. He wore the ceremonial dress of royalty, a long midnight blue robe wrapped around his lean body. He held the reins of three russet geldings. One of the horses neighed as they approached, tossing its head from side to side.
Gray called to Brenna. “We need to get to the Council before we’re attacked.” He glanced at the crowd. Things look peaceful, but I don’t want to take the chance. If the Council knows we’re coming, so does your father. He might send someone to ambush us.”
Brenna nodded. “Toss him across a horse. There’s no sense in burning energy carrying him.”
Orien fell across the wide leather saddle with a loud thump. With a nod, Gray mounted and took the reins from Ian and started down the path to the Council. With one last glance at her family and those that had come to greet her, Brenna did the same.
The Citadel where the Council lived sat atop a mountain in the center of an ancient battleground. The mountain itself was a burial mound for the dead from the legendary battle that had spawned the civil war. The sheer brutality of it had cemented the people’s belief in the need for a Council. The Oracle had chosen the location and directed the strongest men of each army to construct a stone fortress atop the battlefield as a reminder of the egregious loss of life.
Once the compound was complete, the Oracle chose seven men from each clan to join her inside. Each of their strongest mages siphoned a portion of their people’s magic to imbue the Council member with vast power and immortality far beyond those of the rest of their people. Once chosen, they were dedicated to enforcing the rules of warfare agreed upon between the clans. For a millennium they had ruled this world. Only the Oracle could contain and balance their strength.
A winding cobblestone path led up the mountain to the Citadel. Flowers peeked through the crumbling rock and sprouted through the crevices. It should have been beautiful, but Brenna found anything connected with the Council terrifying.
As they climbed, visions of her last encounter with them filled her mind. She had crawled this path on wounded hands and broken knees. She had cried to the Council for vengeance. Instead they had brutalized her mind in a supposed search for the truth. Unsatisfied by her answers, the leader of the Council, The Flame, had ordered her thrown through the dimensional gate, banished for a hundred years. Her father’s smiling face had been the last thing she had seen here. They had believed his lies and ignored her truth.
She glanced at Orien. Today there would be no denying that she spoke the truth. The proof was in the man beside her as well as the monster they brought with them. Even so, if the Council released her penance she would have other burdens to bear.
Gray glanced at her. “You’re too quiet. Talk to me.”
“If my father is in the Citadel, he will challenge me as soon as they lift my penance.”
“You won’t have to fight him. I’ll kill him first.” He narrowed his violet eyes. “Anyone can see your father was behind this. Orien is a pawn.”
“I don’t want you to kill him.” Brenna sighed. Gray would never understand her relationship with the man she called father. There was no way he could.
“He wouldn’t hesitate to kill you.” Gray cursed as she shook her head. “You won’t be safe until he’s dead.”
“He’s my father. Even if he hates me, he’s still my father.”
“I don’t understand you.” Gray stared at her for a moment. “If he tries to kill you, are you just going to let him?”
“No.” She overtook Gray, moving in front of him. “But I won’t commit patricide.”
Gray cursed again. “He’s evil.”
Brenna shrugged. How could she explain her feelings when she didn’t understand them herself?
“If I get the opportunity to kill him, I will.” Gray quickened his pace.
Brenna turned to face him. “If you kill him in cold blood, even at the Council’s request, I could never be with you, bond or no bond.”
“He ordered me to be butchered.” Gray’s eyes flashed.
Brenna brushed away a tear. “If the Council sentences him to death, please don’t be the one to do it.”
“You can’t ask me that.” Gray’s grip on the reins tightened. “I’ve been denied my revenge for a hundred years. You can’t ask me to let it go.”
“I’m asking you to make a choice. If you kill my father, I won’t be with you. I can’t.”
She shook her head. “My life is there. I told you I won’t come back here to perpetuate the war. The Council can sever our bond.” She fought past the pain of saying those words. The past hundred years she had yearned for a chance to begin again, but in her dreams it had been with Dunham, or Gray as he was now. Never alone.
Silent, Gray picked up the reins and quickened his pace. Brenna followed, her heart aching. The path narrowed into a dirt trail that wound to the very tip of the mountain. In time they reached the Citadel.
Made of glistening stone, it stretched across the top of the mountain, like Olympus in the myths of Earth. Only a quarter of the structure was visible. The rest disappeared into the cloud cover. Even here the immense power of the Council radiated from the building.
Soon they reached the great doors. A yard thick and four times as wide, the massive structures loomed over them. A knocker made of rose quartz graced the center of each. It stood an arm length higher than Brenna’s head. Gray grasped it with both hands and slammed it against the stone. A high-pitched chime rang across the mountains.
They stood silent for several moments before the doors silently parted to reveal a great hall dimly lit by sconces filed with globes of blue light. The light played across the walls, casting threatening shadows across the floor. Gray slid Orien off the horse, once again placing him over his shoulder. Brenna took the reins, tethering them to a tree next to the entrance before they stepped inside.
Brenna tried to gather her thoughts as they moved down the long corridor. The echo of their footsteps through the empty hall reminded her of prisoners marching to the guillotine. It was not in the nature of the Council to be forgiving, but hopefully they would escape with their lives.
As they walked the stretch of hall directly before the great gallery where they would meet the Council, Brenna felt a familiar presence touch her skin, heavy with the taint of rage and bitterness.