25. Tempest
25
TEMPEST
I tried to swallow, but my throat had clogged off with terror. Everything I’d dumped into my belly kept trying to come up. If I hurled all over Ivenrail, would he let us go?
The thought of going to Ivenrail’s suite gouged dread through me like a spear, but knowing that he’d drain Vexxion of his precious power instead of us made it even worse. How long could Vexxion keep feeding this evil fiend’s thirst before he had nothing left to give? It took time to refill a well. I worried one day soon Ivenrail would take it all, leaving nothing left of the man I loved.
Vexxion glanced toward me and Reyla. The desperation in his gaze was enough to make my heart come to a shuddering halt. He would not allow the king to harm me like he had his mother. He’d sacrifice himself rather than stand by and let it happen. “Tempest is mine . I claimed her. ”
I love you, he rasped . Take Reyla and run.
I tried to move but something kept me pinned in the chair. Not Ivenrail’s magic.
It was me. I refused to leave Vexxion here to deal with this alone.
Ivenrail’s gaze landed on Reyla. “You didn’t claim the other one.”
“Zayde did.”
“We’re family, which means they’re mine,” Ivenrail snarled, his hands forming fists on the table. “Do not defy me in this. I want power, and they don’t need it. As for your threads, you’re a fool to think something like that would slip past me.”
“What threads do you speak of?” Vexxion asked.
“You’ve been spying on me,” Ivenrail roared, shooting to his feet. “Your mother controlled the same threads. Did you think I wouldn’t watch for something like this with her son? She never used them to mask herself. It took me time to see that you could use them in that way.” Spittle flew from Ivenrail’s mouth, spattering the tablecloth.
“I do it when I must.”
“You never have the right to spy on me .” Ivenrail stormed around the table and grabbed both my and Reyla’s arms. “High Advisor Adwarin. Get in here.”
The robed fae man melted into the room as if he’d been hovering outside the door, listening.
“You need me, Your Highness?” His sly gaze landed on me, and his lips curled up.
“Take these Nullens to my room.” Ivenrail glared at Vexxion. “ My son and I will have a brief conversation and then, I will join you.”
Before I could rush to Vexxion’s side, the high advisor flitted us to the king’s living area.
As we left the dining room, I heard Drask caw, but I had no way of telling him to remain where he was. If he followed . . . I didn’t want to think about what might happen to him.
The high advisor dragged us across the room and slammed us into chairs placed in front of the unlit fireplace. Vines snaked up from the floor, binding us to the wooden frames before either of us could flinch.
Reyla sat in the chair without struggling, staring at the floor. If there was anything left of her, had she given up?
The Wraithweave game still sat on the table nearby, and someone must’ve been playing, because the game pieces had moved again. The opponent’s master had shifted toward the border between faerie and Nullen territory, bringing his entire team with him, a common strategy.
As for the high lady, she’d taken a new position farther south, standing on the border between Weldsbane and Lydel land with two of her defenders—the dark blue ones. The white one who’d flanked her remained at the starting point. I couldn’t determine how this strategy might work, though I hadn’t played the game often. I had little free time, and I wasn’t as competitive as others. Brodine, for example. He used to play a ruthless game of Wraithweave, to the point he got mad if he lost.
My heart sunk. Would he ever sit across from me at a board like this again, his eyes gleaming with excitement as the play got underway ?
With a frown, I looked for the high lady’s shield. It wasn’t beside her or at the starting point with the white defender.
Horror raked across my skin. Had her shield been eliminated already?
“You’re rather aware for a Nullen who was recently drained,” the high advisor said, glancing from the gameboard to me. “Do you enjoy Wraithweave? You recently gave our king the pleasure of a drain on your power. You either have a considerable amount to give, something rare in one of your kind, or . . . Hmm.” He latched onto my chin and shifted my head back, tilting it this way and that, studying my face. “You look different from the other one.”
“We’re not related.”
“It’s not that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’ll figure it out. No one keeps anything from me.”
This man was dangerous. He didn’t need to name it. I could smell the taint of it in the air. Selitta and Delaine had been sliced from a nightmare, but he was the whole.
He placed his thumb on the spot on my forehead where Vexxion had marked me and pulled.
Pain stabbed through me like I was being turned inside out and left lying on the floor to bleed. My gasp echoed in the room.
I thrashed in the chair, struggling to break free, the thorns slicing into my flesh. Hot blood trickled down my arms and legs from stinging wounds.
He tugged away his thumb and stepped backward, still studying my face. “ Very interesting. I’ll need more before I can figure you out.”
“I’m a rider from a border fortress,” I sputtered, struggling to catch my breath and maintain the guard on my mind. I felt him probing . “Nothing else.”
“You’re so much more than a—”
The king appeared behind the high advisor. “What are you doing?” he barked. “I told you to bring them to the room. I did not tell you to do anything else.”
“I was just toying with this one.” He started to turn. “She’s quite unusual, don’t you think?”
He was lifted and flung against the wall, smacking hard enough to jar his skull. His yelp rang out as he slid down the surface, knocking a painting off the wall as he passed. It hit the floor with a clatter, followed by the slump of the high advisor on top of it. He lay on his chest for a moment before groaning and bracing himself up on his forearms, lifting his head to peer around blankly.
“Don’t touch them again,” the king said pleasantly. A flick of his finger, and the high advisor was lifted and tossed toward the door. He hit hard and smacked onto the floor again, rising even slower this time. He didn’t flit from the room. Whatever power he’d taken from me would not serve him well now.
He staggered as he opened the door and limped from the room.
The king turned back to me and Reyla. “It’s hard to find decent advisors, don’t you think?”
“What did you do to Vexxion?” I asked with a lift of my chin.
“I don’t answer Nullen questions.” He stepped toward me. “ However, since I’m feeling jovial tonight, I’ll entertain you with a story. My son has reconsidered his impertinent behavior, though he’ll spend some time repenting.”
“Where is he?” I bellowed.
Ivenrail tsked. “You really are persistent, aren’t you? I’ll need to slice that from your hide. As for my son, he’s contemplating what he’s done and thinking of ways he can make amends.”
Where are you?
Vexxion did not reply. I couldn’t even tell if he heard me. Panic dragged its talons across my soul.
“What did you do to him?”
“I’m hungry. It’s time to feed.” He smacked his thumb against Reyla’s forehead, and she shuddered, her head jerking back to hit the chair with a snap. “Luscious,” he crooned, his body undulating as he tugged from the core of her energy. “This one’s quite tasty. I can see why Zayde still hesitates to share.” He closed his eyes as he drank, his throat quivering with the movement as if he actually sucked her power down into his belly, gorging himself to the point of explosion.
Finally, he drew in a breath and released it. He tugged away his thumb and opened his eyes. “There’s not much left in this one, I’m afraid.” His gaze snapped to meet mine. “Should I take it all?”
“What happens to her if you do?” Did I truly need to ask when I already knew? Tears trickled down my face. I was losing another friend, adding one more reason to gut this man, twist the knife, then slash it across his throat. Death was too good for him.
Rage boiled inside me, but I had no way to let it free .
“I doubt you truly want to know.” He stroked Reyla’s face. “This one was barely useful before I drained whatever she had left just now. I doubt I’ll get much more from her in the future.”
“You’re a bastard.”
“My father would disagree.”
“Can she be brought back?” There must be a way. He might know how. “Is there a spell?”
He frowned, his hand on his chin, his finger tapping his cheek. “I believe I heard about this at one time.”
“Tell me.”
His gaze flicked to the door leading to a room behind the throne no one had entered or exited from during any of my visits. His infamous bedroom?
“There must be a book with this information,” I said. “Someone wrote it all down.”
“There are many books about many topics. I’m a collector. Did you know that?”
Why would I?
“I’m always searching for new treasures, new books as well.”
“Have you found one that discusses collars?”
“Of course. I am the king.” Frowning, he looked from my face to my bound hands and legs. “You’re a lowly Nullen. Information such as that is only available to certain fae.”
Himself, he meant.
“Through the years, I’ve collected many books. Some reveal more than you could ever imagine. Others withhold information on purpose, nasty things that they are.”
I scanned this room, but found no bookcase, no ancient tomes lying around. I hadn’t found a library inside the castle, but it could be hidden.
Did he keep his collection inside the bedroom? If he had a book about collars there, I needed to steal it. Reyla wasn’t the only sneaky rider.
Vexxion told me to stay away from the king’s bedroom, but I’d do anything to help my friends, even search there.
“Your turn.” He eased away from Reyla to stand in front of me, giving me a smile that must charm the ladies of the court, as Vexxion once told me. I could see where my love got his gorgeous appearance, though Ivenrail’s nasty soul shone through, tainting everything about him. “I’d ask if you’re ready, but it hardly matters. Soon, you’ll forget everything, even this conversation.”
He placed his thumb on my forehead in an almost delicate manner. His eyes closed, and he sighed with bliss.
Like before, I felt nothing.
The shield appeared on the Wraithweave board, standing behind the high lady.
He wrapped his arms around her.
He guarded her as he had at all times.
He would do so until death came to claim him.