61. Clash of Stone and Steel #2
She paused as she remembered the blank look on the man’s face. There’d been momentary surprise at her transformation, but there hadn’t been an ounce of recognition.
She’d convinced herself there was, though.
She’d been absolutely certain of it for the last ten years, but not anymore.
The look on Aidan’s face when he’d seen her, that had been recognition, and she hadn’t even been wearing her sister’s face at the time.
He’d simply recognized the similarities between her and Julia.
“The man I killed didn’t recognize me,” Talyn finished.
“You’d think he’d recognize a woman he tortured and murdered, but he didn’t.
There was only confusion in his eyes. I convinced myself I was mistaken and killed him anyway, but today, I saw that recognition in Aidan’s face.
The fucking bastard went so far as to tell me I looked like my sister. ”
She looked at the lord. He sat silently on the cot without moving, waiting for her to go on.
“I know you don’t owe me anything, Lord Bressen, that you’d happily kill me if given half a chance, and I fully expect you will someday,” she said, “but I’m almost certain Aidan killed my sister and at least half a dozen other women very brutally.
If that’s the case, then I plan to kill him, also rather brutally.
But I was wrong once before. I can’t be wrong again.
I need you to look into his mind and see if he’s really the one who murdered my sister.
That’s why I brought you here. I needed some way to convince Sandrian I was still loyal to him, and I needed to get someone with mind powers close to Aidan to confirm he’s the man I seek.
Once I kill him, I’ll get you out of here, and you can do with me whatever you feel is necessary.
Send me to Revenmyer, kill me if you must, but let me avenge my sister first, once and for all. ”
The lord still didn’t move, and Talyn felt the need to fill the silence.
“I didn’t mean for you to be hurt. I knew you likely would be, but I was counting on being able to keep you as safe as possible.
I failed you in that, and, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.
I shouldn’t have dragged you into my personal vendetta, but I didn’t know what else to do.
I’ve failed my sister for the last ten years.
” She swallowed. “And I gave up Samhail to make things right.”
Bressen’s back straightened at her words, and she went on, hoping that maybe if she laid herself bare, showed him all her vulnerabilities, he might agree to help. She had nothing left to lose.
“Whatever you may think of me, Lord Bressen,” she said, “I care for Samhail, and knowing I betrayed his trust for this will be the single greatest regret of my life.”
She swallowed hard as the enormity of her loss backhanded her like an iron gauntlet.
“If you won’t do it for me,” she said, fighting back the tears that threatened in her eyes, “do it for my sister. She was innocent of any wrongdoing, and I’ve seen enough of you and Cyra to know you’re not people who condone evil.”
She stopped talking then and looked at him. She’d said everything she possibly could to get him to help her. If he refused now, there was nothing else she could do.
Well, maybe there was one more thing.
Talyn reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out a small metal hair pin. She stepped toward Bressen, getting closer than she should’ve, and held it out to him. He took it and looked at her in confusion.
“Regardless of whether you agree to help me or not,” she said, “you can use that to open your caronium cuff. Stick the prongs into the keyhole, twist them counterclockwise, then jerk them to the left. That will open most cuffs. I suggest you practice on the one you’re wearing so you can get out of it if they take you out of your cell. ”
She stepped back and looked at him. He just stared at her, and she realized he wasn’t going to answer her one way or another right now.
“I’ll be back to treat your crossbow wound as well,” she added. “We have to be sure the tip didn’t break off inside, or the caronium cuff will be moot.”
Talyn turned to head for the door as she pulled the key to the cell from its hiding place in her cleavage.
“I can read his mind for you,” Bressen said, stopping her in her tracks, “but I can’t let you kill Aidan.”
Talyn jerked back around to look at him. “What? Why not?”
Bressen stood and took a couple steps toward her.
“That isn’t Aidan. An old enemy of ours, Morland, has taken over Aidan’s body, but I sensed Aidan’s consciousness still inside.
Cyra did too. Morland has pushed Aidan deep down and locked him out of his own mind, but he’s still there.
We have to find a way to pull Morland out of Aidan’s body and put him somewhere else before you can kill him.
Once we do that and help restore Aidan, you can do whatever you want to Morland. ”
She let her mind wrap around that as she recalled what Magdalene had told her. So Morland wasn’t an alias. He was an entirely different person who’d somehow…?
Talyn shook her head. “And what if you can’t? What if there’s no way to remove this Morland from Aidan’s body?” she asked, panicked now.
Bressen was quiet for a long moment. “There has to be a way.”
Talyn shook her head again. “I can’t let him live,” she said, her voice half a sob. “I thought I killed him a decade ago. I just…can’t.”
“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said. “I’ll read Morland’s mind as soon as I can and tell you for sure if he’s the one who murdered your sister.
If he is, then give me a month to try and figure out how to restore Aidan.
If it looks like there’s absolutely no way to do it, then I’ll let you kill Morland.
Just a month. That’s all I’ll ask, for Aidan’s sake. ”
Talyn considered the offer. It was reasonable enough. She’d waited ten years for justice already. What was another month?
The question was how she’d spend that month. If Bressen had his way, she’d probably spend it in Revenmyer. If she even lived long enough for him to put her there.
“I might not have a month to wait,” she said. “Samhail will kill me if he ever sees me again.”
He considered this. “I’ll handle Samhail,” he said finally. “For one month, you’ll have immunity from me and any of my people, and you have my word that we’ll all do our best to get Morland out of Aidan’s body. It’s something we’d do anyway.”
She nodded. Yes, now that she understood the situation, she knew they’d do whatever they could to free Aidan’s mind from its imprisonment. Moreover, the immunity offer was more than generous, considering what she’d done and how bad Bressen now looked.
It was only the fact Samhail wanted to kill her at all that made her gut clench. She’d almost gotten to the point where she’d been ready to consider his offer that they travel together, but that was impossible now.
“Very well, Lord Bressen. I accept your terms, if only because I don’t have any other choice.” She smiled sadly. “And I look forward to seeing you try to stop Samhail from killing me.”
Bressen held out his hand to shake hers and seal their deal. Talyn hesitated but then took it, and they shook. She tried to pull her hand back but winced when he squeezed it tighter and pulled her closer.
“It’s not Samhail you need to worry about,” he said as a faint smile curled his swollen, cut lips. “It’s Cyra. But I won’t let her kill you either.”