Chapter 14 #3
Fenrick leads me down the tunnel on the left, it is much more illuminated than the entrance tunnel with free floating flames flickering in stone cut outs, carved into the walls themselves.
I wonder if it is Oleander who is syphoning power into these little fires all the time and how tiring that must be for her just to give her fellow rebels light and warmth.
We walk on for a little while and I notice doorways leading to rooms with bunk beds, a room filled with books and comfier looking chairs and other rooms that are too dark to see what is inside. We turn down a tighter, less lit tunnel to the left and stop in front of a door made of iron bars.
“You guys have an actual jail in here?” I scoff, but am actually quite impressed at all the material they have managed to sneak through these caves.
“I’ll be just at the other end of the tunnel. Try to get him to tell you why Pyralis wanted to apprehend you. Call out if you need me,” Fenrick says, turning to leave.
“Wait, aren’t you going to open the door?” I call out and he tosses me the keys over his shoulder.
“Open at your own risk, like I said, I’ll be just at the other end of the hall,” he chuckles then disappears around the corner.
I turn to the dark cell. Why would this be risky?
Surely Embrys wouldn’t hurt me. Or perhaps I am thinking there is more to our bond then there actually is…
I swear I saw shock on his face when he sliced my arm during our fight…
“Nuria, thank The Mother! Get me out of here, they won’t listen to me,” Embrys says from the dark at the back of the cell. “I need to see Oleander, did she come with you?”
“No, I don’t think she wants to speak with you just yet. What did you do to her that made her hate you so much?” I ask and he stumbles forward, coming into the light.
His hands are still restrained behind his back and I can see through the hole in his shirt where the arrow struck, it doesn’t look like his wound has healed yet. I also see he has some bruising starting to form under his eye making me think that Fenrick wasn’t over here just asking him questions.
“Shit Embrys, what did he do to you?” I ask, quickly unlocking the door.
He wobbles on his feet as if he got up too fast. Our bodies collide as I lunge out to catch him, slowing him down as we both sink to the ground.
I immediately regret my choice as his massive weight lands on my lap.
Why am I helping this prick? I bristle at the memory of him stabbing me in the arm.
“What, this? It’s nothing,” he laughs, giving me his infuriating half grin as I try to push his weight off of me, which proves to be quite difficult with his hands tied back. He winces a bit when I grab his injured shoulder and give him a shove.
“I deserved it.” He looks over to me and I catch him studying my face for a reaction, but I give him none.
He sighs and nods his head. “I didn’t protect Oleander when we were younger.
She was only fifteen when The Wolf requested her to be married off to one of Gaelheart’s slimy sons…
Something about the correct breeding of fire and air making something even stronger for his army.
She was terrified and I just looked the other way, thinking it was the natural course of things which, I know now, it was anything but.
The rebels took her in and cared for her like I could not, I suppose. ” He slumps forward in his shame.
“I’ve been searching for her for years. Not for my father’s sake, but for us…
her and I. When Elora died we leaned on each other in our grief while my father pulled away from us completely.
She is my baby sister and I would do anything to have her in my life again.
I know I don’t deserve her but I will find a way to make up for it.
” He looks up to meet my eye, the ghost of a tear streaks down his cheek.
A strong surge of yearning bores into my heart causing me to wonder if the emotion is his or mine to claim. I have to mentally restrain myself from brushing that tear away. He looks away, perhaps noting my internal struggle.
“Why do you support your father Embrys? He’s not a good man. I sense some goodness in you… or at least remorse. Why not leave when Oleander did?” I ask, lifting his chin up so he meets my eyes, and don’t lie to me, I will know.
His eyes widen and he nods his head. The scratch of stubble on his chin makes me want to run my hand along his jaw but I resist the urge. My gaze slips down to his lips for the briefest of seconds before I release him.
“Unfair little trick,” he says as he blinks his eyes, trying to break the contact, giving me his half smile.
“He’s not all bad I swear. He spiraled after Oleander’s mother died and swore to do whatever it took to save our family.
Unfortunately, in saving us from The Wolf executing us, as he did to many other heads of the Elemental houses, our father pledged allegiance – at the cost of Oleander’s trust. He beat himself up about it for years but his heart break has just solidified into resentment over time.
He believes she should have married Gaelheart’s son for the good of the family,” he explains, holding my eye contact.
“But he isn’t like the other lords. He doesn’t keep slaves and he actively supports his subjects who have been suffering from the droughts.
I stick around to help the villages and farms in our lands.
I make sure the other lords don’t step out of their lands and enslave any of the creatures-of-fae that are within our care.
” I look at him, eyes narrowed and sucking on my teeth as I ponder his sincerity.
“He was parading me around in front of those lords though, wasn’t he? It was a show of status to have a fae slave,” I say, my disgust for Pyralis returning.
“Yes it was to show you off, but he had to make them believe that he is following suit. He would never take a slave, but he had his reasoning for keeping you with us. Giving you that brand also ensured the other houses wouldn’t be suspicious of the sudden new addition to our household.
” He looks down to my wrist where the brand is poking out of my blouse.
I follow his gaze and tug my sleeve down to hide it.
“Well, what were his reasons then?” I splay my hands out, lifting my brows in exasperation. He just shakes his head and averts his eyes.
Is he blushing? What his father could possibly want me for evades me and Embrys doesn’t seem like he will readily give up the information either
“I was not privy to his plotting. I only knew that in keeping you, we were protecting you from something. He knew your mother too Nuria, I would even say they were friends from what I remember, I was quite young when she disappeared. Perhaps in his own perverse way he thought to save you from whatever it was she ran from,” he says, keeping his eyes averted, definitely hiding something.
I grab his chin again and force his eyes to meet mine but he suddenly reaches both his hands around and grabs my wrists, fire erupts in his eyes.
“How did you get unshackled?” I try to yank my hands away.
“Little sleight of hand when you helped me down to the ground.” He winks, I grunt in exasperation at being bested by him once again as he clasps the shackles down on both my wrists and yanks me up to stand with him.
“Now stay quiet, or I will have to do something I really don’t want to.
” I feel the shackles heat and burn my wrists in his warning as he peers around the doorway but I scream out anyway and yank on the chains as I slide to the ground to sweep out his feet.
The metal burns even hotter and I scream again but this time in actual pain. Help! Help, fuck, help me!
Within moments Fenrick is there and deals a hard blow to Embrys’ temple that has him crumpling to the ground.
“Thanks,” I say as Fenrick grabs the keys from the floor and undoes the cuffs.
There are angry red blisters where the metal singed my skin.
If that was a warning then what was he prepared to do to me?
I give Embrys a kick with my boot with the intention to see if he is unconscious but I may have let my leg swing a little harder just for good measure and am met with a groan.
“Quick, shackle him again. He can sit in here and stew for all I care. Asshole.” I stick my tongue out at him as we close the metal door behind us. I catch Embrys with his eyes open giving me his half smile.
“Sorry, you caught me by surprise when you knocked me over.
It was just a scare tactic, I didn't mean to actually harm you Nuria. Can you blame me for trying to escape?” He winces as he sits himself back up, looking genuinely sorry.
I have no empathy for this brute. I scoff and turn around to walk back towards the main hall with Fenrick, leaving Embrys in the dark cell.
Our conversation runs through my mind and I am confused at his escape attempt.
It felt as though he was starting to open up to me.
If he wants to gain his sister’s trust then surely he would have just complied.
What is he hiding? I need to know more about Pyralis and my mother.
Why did he want to protect me? Did he know who my father was?
Is he still alive, or was he among those that were slayed by The King?
I’m lost in thought as I return to the communal fire, and don’t register my surroundings as I sit down in a huff.
I stare blankly into the flames whilst chewing my nails, trying to find some sort of connection between all I have learned of Pyralis and The King when I hear Marissa’s laugh sound from one of the tables at the far end of the cave.