Chapter 13 #2
“Shh,” I hissed, the sound of the music suddenly falling quiet downstairs. “You need to hurry.” I led Meredith to the window and her two sisters tiptoed after us. I slid it open just as the sound of footsteps padded up the stairs, making the hairs rise on the back of my neck.
“Go,” I said forcefully under my breath, helping Meredith climb out onto the roof first.
I grabbed Gail’s arm to push her out too, but the door burst open and Casey let out a cry of fright.
Jacobin stood there, his eyes widening at the sight unveiled before him and a sick smile twisted his lips.
“Ransom’s caught some hideaways!” he bellowed and more footsteps came pounding up the stairs. It was all happening too fast. I was frozen.
My fingers tightened on Gail’s arm and Casey grabbed a lamp, swinging it right at my head and sending me stumbling aside. Meredith tried to drag Gail out of the window with her but Jacobin leapt at them while I recovered from the daze, seizing Gail by the elbow and knocking Casey to the floor.
Agatha appeared next, catching Meredith’s ankle and hauling her back inside, rousing a chorus of screams from her and her sisters.
“Wait,” I rasped, but they were already dragging them away, carrying them downstairs kicking and screaming.
One second past. Then two. A heavy thump in the base of my brain urging me to do something. But what?
I threw caution to the wind and chased after them, panic rearing in my chest as I lost control over the situation, taking the steps two at a time.
Father had risen to his feet and Everest was up too, staring at the girls who were being presented to the room.
I met my sister’s eye, a sense of disquiet passing between us that made her frown.
But I simply didn’t know what to do. Maybe nothing.
Just bury my head in the sand. The alternative was treason.
“Ransom found them in the attic room,” Jacobin said keenly and a few more of Father’s men slinked closer, eyeing up the girls like prey.
Agatha had a tight hold on Meredith and the young Flamebringer thrashed in her grip.
“My mother will have your guts for stepping into her tavern,” Gail spat at my father and his brows arched.
“Will she now? And where is this mother of yours?”
“Gone. Like the rest of them,” Casey answered bitterly.
“Ain’t that a pity,” Jacobin purred, caressing Gail’s neck and she cringed away from him.
My shoulders tensed and I took a step forward, unsure what I intended to do. My instincts were rioting. The pounding in my head was growing to a wild crescendo.
“They’re no threat to us,” Everest spoke, commanding all eyes in the room. “We’ll let them go.”
Father shot her a look, considering her for two eternal seconds. “Yes, that’s what we’ll do.” He nodded, looking to Agatha and Jacobin and a heavy breath fell from my lungs in a wave. “You two, take them to the woods. Up near that waterfall we passed. Release them there.”
“Of course, Commander,” Jacobin simpered, bowing his head a little, his fingers curling possessively around Gail’s arm. Tension stiffened my shoulders. This was not over yet.
“In fact, I’ll come with you to ensure the job is done properly.
” Father adjusted his belt, striding toward them and directing them to the door as his hand closed on Casey’s.
They dragged the girls from the tavern and blood pounded heavily in my ears.
I stared at the door as it swung shut, jaw tight, mind roaring.
Father’s men seemed a little disappointed as they returned to their seats, picking up their tankards of ale and falling back into easy conversation. But Everest and I remained on our feet, our gazes meeting once more.
“I think I’ll go too,” I muttered, making a move for the door and Everest shadowed me at once.
“You shouldn’t go out there, Void,” grunted a burly warrior as Everest passed him. “You should stay here where we can keep an eye on you.”
“Oh fuck off, Pidley,” Everest snapped, overtaking me and leading the way through the door so I had to jog to catch her.
The army had made camp surrounding the road, stretching out to the east and west and some of them glanced our way, calling out praises to their Kysharna.
There was no sign of Father and the others already and my gut tightened, a sense of foreboding falling over me.
I didn’t trust Father to release those girls.
At the very least, he would torture them first for information.
And that was bad enough, but if he left them alone with Agatha and Jacobin for any length of time, who knew what they would do to them?
I’d seen their violence firsthand. I knew the depravity they liked the taste of.
Flamebringers or not, I couldn’t see innocents brutalised.
Everest darted down an alleyway as soon as possible to leave the army behind and I fell into step beside her.
For a second I swore her dark curls moved around her neck, revealing something blue shifting within them.
But it must have been the way the moonlight was falling upon her, either that or my mind was cracking.
I pulled at my hair, feeling a few strands come away in my grip and swallowing the hard lump in my throat.
I’d been losing more and more ever since we’d entered Pyros.
And in truth, maybe before that too. Since the battle at Cinder Vale, I’d gained a small bald patch on the back of my head that was only covered because of the thickness of the hair around it.
“Are you going to admit what the hell you’re planning right now?” Everest hissed at me, quickening her pace as we rounded out of the alley and the woodland came into view ahead, rising up from the town toward a high waterfall.
“I’m helping Father,” I lied.
She cut me a look. “Helping the greatest warrior in Cascada with three girls who look young enough to be unAwakened?”
“Yeah,” I grunted.
“You always were a dumbass, Ransom,” she muttered. “I know exactly why you’re here.”
We darted across the final street and made it into the cover of the trees, the sound of the waterfall carrying to us from up ahead. I flicked a silencing shield around us to hide our approach and Everest glanced at me again.
“You don’t know shit about what I want,” I muttered.
She weaved through the narrow trees and I hurried to keep pace with her. For someone several inches shorter than me, she sure did know how to move. I’d always had trouble keeping up with her when it came to the hunt.
“I’m not fool enough to believe they’re just going to let those girls go,” she admitted tightly.
“You think Father will kill them,” I stated.
She fell quiet. “I don’t know. Yes, probably. Maybe not. Whatever he decides, I have to find out.”
“And then what?”
“Why are you here, Ransom?” she threw back, evading answering. “Hoping to pick up a few tips on interrogation? Perhaps try them out for yourself on innocents?”
“I’m here for the same reason you are,” I said.
“Which is what?” she demanded.
“You don’t want to see innocents get hurt. Neither do I.”
She gave me an assessing look. “And how do I know you’re not just here to try and get back into Father’s favour? That’s all you ever cared about before.”
“You can believe what you want to believe. I don’t give a fuck.” I tried to take the lead but she sped up, refusing to let me pass.
“You do give a fuck. Far too many fucks actually. I see how envious you are of my position beside Father. I see how much you miss being his number one.”
“And I see how much you relish it in return. It’s pathetic really. He snubbed you your whole life and now you’re just his lap dog, taking a few pats while you can get them and thinking they make you special.”
She pressed her lips together, saying nothing in answer to that but I was pretty sure I’d hit a nerve.
Everest suddenly turned and pressed her back to a tree. The waterfall was roaring close by, but it didn’t quite drown out the sound of voices ahead.
I slunk into the shadows, casting concealment spells around me while noticing Everest was struggling with hers, her left hand useless to command the extra movement she needed for the intricate spell. I tossed a few up around her and she offered me a scowl in thanks.
“Don’t do me any favours,” she hissed. “I was handling it.”
“Sure you were,” I drawled. “The loner doesn’t need anyone, does she?”
“Suck a dick.”
“Gladly.”
She rolled her eyes at me then shifted around the tree a little, falling quiet as she surveyed the group.
The three girls were on their knees between Father, Agatha and Jacobin and I noted Gail’s dress was torn at the front, nearly revealing one of her breasts. Rage rolled up my spine, my Merrow Order prickling to come out. This was wrong. Every bone in my body said so.
“I’ll ask you one more time kindly before I do so unkindly,” Father said dangerously. “Where are the people of Pyros hiding?”
“We don’t know,” Gail spat.
“We don’t know anything!” Meredith shrieked and Agatha back-handed her.
Everest’s shoulders tensed in time with mine.
“Agatha, release your Order,” Father commanded and she shifted, her hair turning to snakes as she let her Medusa form come out to play.
The serpents snapped and hissed as she kneeled down and Gail gasped as one of them bit her, injecting her with the venom of her kind.
It would act quick, paralysing her for a number of hours but at least it wouldn’t kill her.
Gail’s limbs drooped heavily and her sisters cried out to her as she crumpled to the ground. Agatha cast chains of ice to hold Casey and Meredith back, and a snarl curled my lips.
Jacobin kneeled down, gripping Gail’s throat. “Pretty, pretty,” he murmured. “Will your sisters sing like canaries when they watch us carve you up?”
“Fuck this,” Everest growled, reaching into her hair and pulling out a small blue lizard thing with wings.
“What the hell is that?” I hissed.