25. Chapter 25
Chapter 25
A urelia hurtled herself toward Ven under the veil of shadow.
With clumsy movements, she fitted the key into his shackles, hearing them fall to the stone floor through the panicked shouts around them.
Ven killed the nearest guard, taking his blade and fighting his way through the black mist in the direction of where Karro had been standing.
The heavy cloak of darkness distorted everything around them, but through the haze she saw him, a flash of silvery white beside him. And at their feet, the guards that had held Karro, dead.
The sharp point of Ven’s blade pressed into the milky white skin of Valea's throat, his eyes falling to where Karro rubbed at his wrists, now free from the cuffs.
Karro's fingers splayed, drawing the swirling shadows as he hissed out a defeated breath. "I can't cast myself."
"The walls are warded against it," Ven answered, cold leaching into his voice as he pressed the blade further into Valea's neck.
“I’m your only way out,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “so decide quickly if you trust me or if you wish to kill me.”
Scanning the turmoil around them, he exchanged a wary look with Karro before narrowing his eyes and giving Valea a single nod.
Shadows swirled in every direction, swallowing up anything beyond a foot in front of them as they silently followed the Captain.
Pandemonium raged around them, guards shouting to search the halls, all sense of order broken down. Two of the deadliest warriors from their enemy kingdom were loose—their magick unfettered and their vengeance abundant.
Valea’s silvery white hair glowed like a beacon as she led their way through dimly lit corridors, narrow and hidden from the main paths throughout the mountain.
It wasn’t until they were far enough away from searching eyes that Karro whirled on her, his thick forearm pressed into her pale throat. “Who are you?” he seethed.
Ven stepped beside him, crossing his arms over his chest as Valea narrowed her carnelian eyes at the Wraith. “My half-sister,” he answered.
“Your what?” Karro swiveled toward Ven, pressing harder.
Aurelia gestured to the pale female in front of them, “Valea—Ven’s half-sister.”
She couldn’t tell if the smirk on Karro’s face was the delight of realizing they had an ally or the thrill of sizing up a new enemy as he let out a disbelieving breath.
“So you’ll let us get far enough that once you drag us right back in front of daddy, you’ll look like the hero again,” he growled, fangs exposed. “I remember enough to know that it was you who brought us to this Fateforsaken place.”
Sizing up a new enemy, then.
“Then you should also remember it was me who stopped my father’s men from killing you,” Valea spat, her white sheet of hair swaying over her shoulder as she tilted her chin to meet Karro’s eyes. “Twice.”
Karro’s expression looked far more dangerous than Aurelia had ever seen it, but unfazed, the lean female pushed into his forearm, her blade-like nose only inches from his own as Karro finally released his hold on her.
She was tall, but she was still at least a foot shorter than him, and Aurelia had to respect the fact that she wasn’t cowering from the vengeful look on the Wraith’s face.
“So you know who I am?” Karro asked with a feral smirk.
“Of course I know who you are,” she spat. “The Reluctant Prince.”
Karro’s grin only widened at the female’s insult, ruby eyes sparkling with satisfaction. “But you’ve heard of me.”
“I watched you turn your father’s advisor to ash for his disloyalty,” Aurelia said impatiently, “why should we trust you?”
“Do you think you’re the only ones who have suffered in this place?” she hissed. “Who wish to be free from this damned mountain?” She turned to Karro, venom lacing her words. “Use that thick male skull for something other than fucking and fighting, and think —” she answered impatiently, fire burning in her bright red eyes. “What purpose would it serve for me to do any of this?”
“We don’t have time for fucking games,” Karro murmured, his large body still pinning her against the wall, "enlighten us."
“If I help you leave this place," she glanced between the Wraiths, "I want to come with you.”
Karro scoffed, his expression hardening as he studied her.
Unfazed, Valea carried on, her eyes meeting Ven’s over Karro’s shoulder. “Returning you to the Court of Shadow is my token of passage.”
Karro looked at Ven, their eyes carrying on some silent conversation, though he made no move to step away from his half-sister.
“The ring, then.” Ven held out a waiting hand. “As a show of good faith.”
“No,” Valea ground out. “You’ll get it when I am safely beyond these walls.”
Ven took a menacing step forward.
“I’ll die right beside you if we’re caught,” she pushed, “there will be no coming back for me—not anymore.”
Ven glanced toward Aurelia, his expression ripe with the unspoken question.
Can we trust her?
She met his stare, shoulders dropping. "She's our only option."
Ven gave Karro a nearly imperceptible nod, and he stepped away from the female, releasing her from where he’d caged her against the wall. But as she moved to take the lead once more, Ven’s hand lashed out, wrapping around her wrist.
Aurelia could have sworn she saw Karro tense, something like anger flashing in his eyes as they dropped to where Ven gripped Valea’s arm, gone just as quickly.
“Why—” Ven asked with quiet menace. He didn’t need to finish the question for each of them to understand what he was asking.
It was what all of them were wondering . . . Why was she helping them?
“He sired you as well,” Valea’s pale red eyes burned brighter as they clashed with the crimson of Ven’s, “I don’t need to tell you what he is.”
He held her gaze, seeming to search for any deception there before he finally released her.
And in the corner of her eye, Aurelia could have sworn she saw Karro’s shoulders drop just a fraction as they followed after the female.
Valea took them through back passages, clearly unused or forgotten with the amount of cobwebs that had gathered. But the footfalls and shouts of guards had grown quieter as she’d led them through the belly of the mountain.
“I thought there weren’t any other ways out of this place,” Karro uttered, looking toward the narrow tunnel ahead.
The Captain stopped abruptly, eyes searching the floor. “There aren’t.” Crouching, she lifted a bundle near her feet, throwing it to Karro. Reaching for another, she tossed it to Aurelia, and finally one to Ven.
Metal gleamed nearby. Blades, an assortment of daggers and swords piled up against the wall.
Aurelia unrolled the bundle, holding it out in front of her. Uniforms. White, with the red fist and dagger of the Nostari embroidered into the breast. A blood red cloak to match.
“You planned for this,” Ven uttered as he shook out the crumpled uniform, quickly pulling the jacket over his shirt.
“I was hoping for a quieter escape, but my sentries heard the ruckus you caused in the dungeons and there was nothing for it.” She looked to Aurelia, eyes narrowed. “How did you manage to kill the Fengul without a blade?”
“The ring,” she answered. It was a half-truth. But until Valea got them out of this place, she couldn't risk the female knowing about her magick.
She avoided the female's assessing stare, tugging the pants over her hips and shrugging the straps of her dress down her shoulders as she pulled the jacket on.
“You used it?” Valea whispered, voice breathless with disbelief.
Cold fear crept up the base of Aurelia's spine as she studiously ignored Valea’s question—as if somehow acknowledging what she did would bring back that skin-crawling sensation of someone creeping through her thoughts. And she did not want to invite him back.
But before she could think of a lie, Ven’s eyes lifted to where Karro stood, fury flashing across his face like a summer squall.
A growl ripped through the tunnel as he lunged at Karro, pushing him back against the rough stone wall, his teeth bared in a silent threat.
Aurelia gripped his arm, trying to pull him away from where he had Karro pinned. “What are you doing?”
But Ven didn’t seem to hear her as Karro struggled under his grasp. “She gave me her blood while I was unconscious,” he choked out. “I didn’t realize you claimed her until it was done—”
Ven’s forearm pressed harder, cutting off his words.
“Enough of this!” Aurelia hissed, grabbing Ven’s chin between her fingers and wrenching his face toward her.
A fire blazed behind his eyes that made him nearly unrecognizable. His pupils dilated, the black bleeding into the very edges of the dark red as his nostrils flared with rage.
“Look at me!” she ordered, but he made no move to ease up on Karro’s windpipe. “He was nearly dead—I gave him my blood."
His chest heaved, and for a moment she wondered if he would kill his closest friend—his blood, over something so trivial. He’d said himself that their claiming of each other meant nothing beyond these walls—beyond surviving this place. But it was as if some primal instinct had taken over, some urge she couldn’t begin to fathom.
"It meant nothing beyond survival," she murmured, watching as his breath slowed just a fraction.
Slowly, the color came back into his irises as he studied her face, and finally, he stepped away from his brother.
Karro coughed, hands braced on his knees as he sucked down a sharp breath. “Told you,” he choked out, throwing a look toward Aurelia. Another low growl tore through the space and Karro raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Valea shook her head, uttering something under her breath that sounded like fucking males as Karro got to his feet once more. “We need to leave. Now,” she ordered.
“Our weapons,” Ven barked, his voice ragged around the edges as if he still fought for control over himself.
Valea gestured impatiently to the blades piled against the wall. “We have enough.”
“I’m not leaving this place without Flamecleaver,” Karro interrupted, rubbing his throat.
“You named it?” Valea cocked a silver brow. “How adorable.”
Karro took a single step toward her, towering over the platinum braids along her head. “You would do well to know its name. It was the blade my forebear used to cut down legions of your people during the battle of Vindfell.”
Valea tilted her head up. “And I’m sure you’ve grown fond of it since it’s probably the only thing warming your bed at night.”
Karro offered a feral grin in return. “There’s plenty of room if you’re jealous,” he invited, voice low.
Ven cleared his throat, and the tension strung tight between his half-sister and Karro seemed to snap. “We’ll need ravenstone blades if we’re going to make it out of here.”
Valea peeled her eyes away from Karro, the expression of a female who didn’t have her orders questioned often. But in this fight of wills, Ven won as she gave a begrudging nod and split off to the right.
With the hoods of their red cloaks pulled low over their faces, Karro, Ven and Aurelia looked like any of the other sentries. They were easily lost in the shuffle of guards running to their posts and groups splitting off into search parties.
Only two males stood watch outside of the armory doors, and as the corridor emptied, Valea stalked forward, her steps purposeful.
With their eyes trained on their Captain, the guards didn’t notice anything was amiss until Karro’s shadows snaked around their mouths and struck so suddenly that neither one had the chance to shout for help.
Ven made short work of the first, slitting his throat and moving to the other.
“Wait—” Valea urged, as Ven brought the blade just below the male’s chin. “This one is loyal.” Ven’s mouth tightened into a thin line. “He does not deserve to die,” Valea added with more empathy than Aurelia had thought her capable of.
Ven dropped the blade and took a step closer. “You will not remember this night,” he whispered coldly, his compulsion taking hold.
Valea quickly retrieved their confiscated weapons. She selected a white wooden bow for herself, slinging it over her shoulder along with a clutch of arrows, veins of bronze and gold running through their sharpened tips.
Black tourmaline, Aurelia thought with a small amount of relief, palming the comforting weight of the jeweled dagger in her hand, relieved to see it once more as Valea handed its twin to Ven.
If they made it out of this place, they could very well be walking into something far worse.
“What’s your plan?” Ven asked, securing blades to his body, his fingers deft and practiced with the movements.
Valea gave him a saccharine smile, “We walk out the front door,” ignoring the look that the Wraiths exchanged.
So long as no one looked at their faces too closely—it wasn’t the worst idea. Patrols were leaving, sentries posted at the black gates. They would blend in with their white uniforms, and as long as their hair remained covered by the red cloaks, they might be able to slip past the Nostari unnoticed.
Valea tossed Karro his black-bladed broadsword, her eyes lingering as he sheathed it between his heavily muscled shoulders.
“The coin?” Karro asked.
Valea shook her head, silver braids swaying. “It was given to my father—trying to find it now is too risky.”
“Very well.” A wary expression was on Ven’s face as he glanced toward Aurelia.
They just had to hope they wouldn’t need it.