25. Chapter Twenty-five
“Viktor?” Linorra called. There was no answer. There were no guards anywhere. The cells were all empty. The sound of a door slamming at the top of the dungeon stairs sent a spike of dread into her heart and she nearly toppled over with fear. Then the bolt turned, and a muffled laugh floated down to her like poison gas from a troll spider’s bog.
Aaron moved Axel’s body while I retrieved my bag. He found the man’s golden dagger and strapped it to his own belt. Then he walked me up to the tiny bathroom, grabbing the lantern along the way for my weak eyes. He left Ellis to guard the front door while Shane and Fitch guarded the back. Spirit opted to follow Seleca’s spiritual stench back to her palace full of stolen heirlooms to make sure that she wasn’t headed our way.
Aaron stood guard at my bathroom door while I got cleaned up. He didn’t trust the Eboros brothers and wanted to make sure there weren’t any “misunderstandings” while I was in there.
When I finished, he bathed himself, then he drained the filthy water and refilled the tub with clean water for the other men, providing them with dry clothes from Terik’s and Jorin’s closets. None of the men had bathed during their captivity and were grateful.
I helped Aaron prepare a meal for everyone from an oardoo he’d killed and brought back from his walkabout. Over the last two months, he’d taught me the cooking techniques he’d learned from his aunt, Clare, and I was finally becoming semi-useful. I’d never learned to cook as my mother had always dominated the kitchen, but Aaron said I had a knack for it.
“I found the flock down at the southern edge of the property,” he said once we’d sat down to eat. “They’d been intentionally penned there. Jorin and Terik probably went to the Moore farm to help them in some way. He does that on rare occasion, and the flock follows him.”
“Where is that?” I asked.
“It’s just southeast of here, down the coast. He may have gone to Seagral as well, which is a village just on the other side of the farm. That’s the only explanation for why the flock would be down there. I would have gone to search, but I didn’t want to leave you here by yourself overnight.”
“Good choice,” I said.
“I didn’t think so at first, but now I’m glad,” Aaron said.
I didn’t respond to his jab. I focused on my food, pushing it around my plate. It was just after midnight, and I was too exhausted to be hungry. The fire crackled in the hearth behind me, and I wanted to curl up next to it on the thick braided rug and fall asleep.
“What did you do with Axel’s body?” I asked.
“It’s too cold and wet out for a pyre right now,” he said. “I hung him in the butcher shed. The body will freeze tonight, but it’ll be fine. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
“I’ve never known it to snow this early in the season,” Ellis said. “The Harvest Festival isn’t for another couple of days.”
Aaron shook his head. “It is strange.” He eyed the men as they ate. The oardoo tasted like turkey, except its body was roughly ten times the size and had to be cooked in filets within the hearth. The men would likely finish every bite of it. “You all like the meal, I see.”
“I had no idea food could taste this good,” Shane said with his mouth full. Wrapped in Terik’s hat and coat, he was like a new man. He was still skeletal, but with a clean face, he looked like a human instead of a zombie. They all did.
I noticed for the first time that none of the men had beards. I doubted they’d had access to a razor during their thralldom, revealing that Aaron was the only one who could grow one. That was odd.
“Yes, thank you for your hospitality, Aaron,” Fitch said. This was the first time I’d heard him speak, and his voice was rougher than a pack-a-day smoker. He sounded like he chewed up his words before he spit them out. “We won’t forget it. I’ve never eaten oardoo before.” He paused, then added, “And thank you for saving us.”
He hadn’t said it so much to me as near me. His words floated in the air like an unfinished sentence. Perhaps one that ended with “instead of killing us.”
“You’re welcome,” Aaron said. He turned to me and said quietly, “Oardoo is a delicacy here. We rarely butcher it for meat. The feathers are too valuable.”
Ellis knit his brows together as Aaron explained, glanced at me, then back down at his plate again. None of the other men met my eyes.
I reached over and rested my fingers on Aaron’s forearm to connect. He’d found his belongings and had donned his bracelet again, though a few of the stones were missing. I slid my hand underneath the bracelet, toying with it idly.
Are they allowed to talk to me? I asked. I was the one who released them from that awful trance, and no one has acknowledged my presence except Ellis.
They’re embarrassed, Aaron thought to me. Don’t you remember how I was when we first met? You healed them even more quickly than you did me.
I know, but it wasn’t the same as when I healed you. I don’t think it felt like sex to them, more like a massive dose of jarring weed.
That may be, but healing usually takes place in private. It’s—
Frowned upon, I know. I don’t suppose I can show them why it’s okay in exactly the same way I showed you.
Aaron snorted. I smiled at him, remembering that glorious event. Everyone looked up from their plates, then down at Aaron’s arm where I touched him, then at each other, then back down to their plates.
What’s going to happen when they see us heading toward the same bedroom?
Aaron glanced at me, sighed, then said aloud, “You’re right. We should address that.” The men all looked up expectantly.
“Okay,” Aaron said. “I’m sure you’ve all noticed that Lina is not from around here. She’s a greater connector and protector, and she has three other reservoirs as well.”
“Four,” I corrected him. They all glanced at me, their eyes narrowed, then back at Aaron. My Protection reservoir was actually ascendant, not greater, but it was probably best not to dwell on that. I supposed that the only other people they knew about with so many reservoirs were their dear leaders, Eve and Seleca. It wasn’t exactly a welcome comparison.
“Right. Four now.” Aaron paused, gazing down at me, then said, “She’s also my beloved. I will defend her from anyone who tries to harm her.”
I gaped at Aaron. I hadn’t known the men might need that kind of warning. He’d made a public declaration of his love for me, even though I hadn’t technically said it back to him.
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. We stared at each other for a moment.
Finally, Aaron’s eyes drifted back to the men. “I also warn you that she’s dangerous in her own right and could kill any one of you.” He sniffed, then said casually, “Ask your questions.”
After a short, awkward silence, Ellis asked, “Who are you?”
I took a deep, steadying breath and said, “My name is Avelina Silva. I’m from Earth.” The Eboros brothers finally looked at me, their eyes wide. Falondeitric dropped his fork on the floor. I raised one eyebrow at him. “Ever heard of it?”
“It’s real? How did you get here?” Falondeitric asked. Though he was slightly taller than the rest, he seemed young, maybe eighteen or nineteen. Markinius couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than that.
I glanced at Aaron. The Eboros brothers know about Earth, I thought to him. Aaron shrugged.
“Seleca picked me up and threw me onto a bridge like a fish at market,” I said. The Smite brothers nodded, clearly familiar with the concept.
“Where is Earth?” asked Ellis, who sat to my left.
“You mean, like, directionally speaking?” I asked, turning to him. “I have no idea. I don’t even know how far away it is. It’s another planet.”
The Smite brothers looked up with roughly the same expression the Eboros brothers had a moment ago.
“You mean metaphorically?” Shane asked with his mouth still full of oardoo.
I shook my head.
“It’s true,” Aaron said. “Bridges don’t just take you across the province. They can take you to other worlds.”
“Is that how your family escaped?” Falondeitric asked.
Aaron narrowed his eyes. That information was supposed to be a secret too. Falondeitric wilted before Aaron’s intense regard, dropping his gaze back down to his plate. “My father told me,” he said softly. Markinius glared at his brother, pinching one side of his mouth.
Falondeitric appeared as though he might say something else, but Markinius interrupted him. “Stop talking, Falon,” he said. “Aaron, we’re glad you set us free, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a criminal. We can’t help you. If you go to the dirt planet, we’ll keep our mouths shut, but that’s the most we can do.”
“They saved your life, Markus,” Ellis snapped, his top lip curling. Apparently, Ellis knew Markinius well enough to use his nickname, a detail I hadn’t previously recognized. “You owe them more than that.”
“I don’t owe them anything,” Markinius sneered. “Axel wouldn’t have killed us. He planned to trade us back in exchange for mining rights. We would’ve been back in two days at most. It will take longer than that for us to get back now. I doubt this healer can use the Teleportation fragment she absorbed.” He’d said the word “healer” as if it were a great insult.
Aaron’s chair made a sudden scraping sound as he stood to face Markinius, who sat across from me. Aaron had been sitting at the end of the table, between us. He glared as if he were about to make Markinius into our next meal.
I laughed. It was an odd reaction, I admit, but the whole thing was ridiculous. “Healer? Does that mean prostitute in this stupid world? Jesus, the misogyny here is even worse than on my planet. How could you have so much women-hating when you have a fake goddess in charge?”
Everyone stopped to stare at me. Markinius’s face turned bright red. I wondered if he had a fancy gold dagger like Axel’s that he might pull out and use to stab me.
“What did you say, girl?”
I didn’t flinch. I was at least five years older than this brat, and with Aaron right there, I felt pretty brave. I leaned forward and stared Markinius down.
“Fake. Goddess,” I said, pronouncing each word distinctly. “She’s fake. She’s phony. She’s false. She’s a liar. It’s not true. She is not a goddess. She’s nothing but an evil reservoir thief with a giant ego and a stupid daughter with stupid yellow pants. She’s fake! And I’m here to make sure everyone knows it. That’s who I am, boy,” I said and leaned back again. I turned to Ellis, mimicking Aaron’s casual tone. “Any more questions?”
Nobody said anything for a moment. Markinius’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head, and the only thing keeping him from climbing over the table to kill me was Aaron’s looming presence. Falondeitric seemed shocked, too, but not angry. It was more like he’d just had his worst fears realized.
“Her pants are stupid,” Fitch rasped. Shane chuckled in a higher, almost melodic voice. They had turned back to their food to eat as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening.
“I’m in,” Ellis said. He sat between me and Fitch. He stared at his plate like he’d forgotten it was there.
“Ellis!” Markinius sputtered, his eyes wide.
“Seleca murdered my mother, Markus!” Ellis shouted. His face turned red, and bits of spit flicked out of his mouth as he spoke. “She burned down my house and enslaved me and my brother. They made me . . .” Ellis’s voice broke. He heaved a breath, then continued. “Eve is no purified goddess. She’s a monster. I don’t care what you think. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I killed Axel, and I would do it again. The bastard deserved it, and so does she. If I can make that happen, I will. I’m in.”
The silence stretched out over us, and I shivered as I recognized that our situation had just fundamentally changed. I had openly declared war for the first time, and now I’d gained allies.
“That reminds me,” Aaron said, pulling Axel’s filigreed dagger out of his belt. “This is yours.” He pushed the dagger over to Ellis.
Ellis took the dagger, gripping the handle so tightly that his knuckles were white. Then he glanced up at Aaron and nodded. “Thanks,” he said and tucked the dagger into his own belt.
“No, thank you,” Aaron replied. “You saved Lina’s life.”
“Yes, thank you, Ellis,” I said.
Ellis met my eyes for a brief moment, then looked away again. “You saved Ward from me,” he said. “I won’t forget that.”
And through the rubble and debris, I thought. The men were all brothers, grouped into twos and threes. It was happening. Too late to back out now.
“I’m in too,” Fitch said.
“Me too,” said Shane.
We all turned to the Eboros brothers.
Falondeitric closed his eyes, his brow furrowed, then took a deep breath. “I’m in too,” he murmured.
“Falon!” Markinius stammered. “How could you? She gave our family everything we have.”
“Well, maybe she shouldn’t have, Markus,” he snapped. “And Seleca was the one who trapped us in a Projection trance. You don’t know that she would have let us out. Look at Shane!” Falondeitric pointed at the bony man. “They were gonna let him starve to death. He used to be your friend until you got too important for him. I guess now that you’re Father’s right hand, things like that don’t matter to you anymore.”
Markinius glanced at Shane, then back at his brother with an expression of outrage. “That could be me or you,” Falondeitric continued, heedless of his brother’s ire. “I’m in. With or without you.”
The two brothers stared each other down, and my opinion of Falondeitric, which had teetered on the edge of contempt, rose considerably. He still hadn’t thanked me for setting him free, but he’d come close. He was reasonable, at least, which was more than I could say for Markinius.
Markinius threw his fork on his plate and rose from his chair, sliding it back so hard that it tipped over onto the floor with a crack. He stalked around the table in the opposite direction of Aaron. He had some sense, at least. He stomped to the front door, pushed it open, then stopped in his tracks.
The scene outside had transformed from a cold, wet night, to a complete whiteout. Snow had begun to fall more heavily sometime in the last hour and had already stacked two inches deep against the indentation made by the opening of the door. Falondeitric followed his brother to the door with Aaron on his heels. The rest of us trailed behind Aaron.
Markinius cried out in surprise, then bolted out into the snow.
“Markus!” Falondeitric howled at the empty doorway.
Aaron jumped to catch Falondeitric, forcibly holding him back. I came up behind them to peer out of the door, but Aaron held me back too.
Out in the snowstorm, a few dozen yards from the door, stood Seleca. She didn’t move when she saw us. She just stared, the snow swirling around her in an unnatural funnel. The flakes collected in her black hair, but she hardly seemed to notice.
Axel’s corpse was draped stiffly over her shoulder, and her clothes were disheveled, like she had been awakened from sleep.
Markinius forged a path through the clean snow and threw himself down in front of Seleca. He knelt before her, his head bowed, his hair and tunic thrown out sideways by the strange wind. Seleca grasped the front of his head, I presumed, to connect to him and learn what our group had just discussed.
Her eyes narrowed, and her hand clenched Markinius’s head. He cried out in pain, struggled against her in vain, then fell limp into the snow. Markinius had literally thrown himself at her feet and she had used him, then disposed of him like garbage.
“Markus!” Falondeitric screamed. He flailed, trying to escape Aaron’s grip.
“I can go,” I said. “I’ll put my shield up.”
“No, Lee,” Aaron said. “You’re too tired. You could pass out in the snow and your shield would come down. It’s too dangerous.”
I wanted to argue, but he was right. It had happened before, and I was dead tired.
“Fine, what then?”
“Just wait,” he said.
Spirit!I called. Why hadn’t she warned us that Seleca was coming? Where was she?
“I’m here,” she said. She appeared behind us, within the house. I turned to her, but she wasn’t as solid as usual. It was like the image of her was pixelated, and some of the pixels were burned out. “I’m sorry, Lina, I couldn’t come.”
“What do you mean? Why not? What happened, Spirit?”
“Seleca has Conjuration, like you. She’s had another ghost helping her this whole time and knew that I spied on her. That’s also how she knew about your reservoirs to begin with, but she kept me from reading that in her thoughts. I don’t know how. And this time she bound me, keeping me from coming to warn you. I couldn’t come until you called me directly.”
“But . . .” I began, but I didn’t need to ask why. I knew. I spun back to see Seleca smiling.
Seleca must have seen what we were going to do with her newly acquired Precognition. She’d waited for me to mix reservoirs with Ward. While he gave some of his Transformation to me, I had probably given him a little of all my reservoirs as well.
A rare combination of reservoirs, I thought. That’s what Ward had said. And now he had that combination too. My stomach dropped and suddenly I thought I might throw up. She had beaten me.
Seleca’s smile widened as she watched me figure out what had happened. “I told you he was my most useful asset,” she said, her face alight with triumph. “I finally have everything I need, and I have you to thank for it. Unlike this one”—Seleca chuckled as she patted the corpse she carried—“a living body that’s empty but still spirit-linked is necessary to let in the possessing soul, but that only happens if the body’s original owner had Conjuration. We almost had your body that first week when you let yourself drift out, but alas, we’ll have to go with plan B.”
“If you hurt Ward, I’ll kill you,” I said softly, knowing she would hear me.
Seleca laughed. “You’ve never played Daggers and Dragons before, have you?” she asked. Her reflective monster eyes shone a bright blue green in the darkness. “Let me give you a little tip. It’s nothing like chess.” She laughed again at that, then turned away and stalked into the swirling snow, disappearing onto a bridge beyond the view of my weak Earth eyes.
I cried out as if I had been slapped. My vision narrowed and I dropped to my knees in the blackened entryway. Oh, Ward, my friend. I’m so sorry. I’ve killed you. I’ve killed another one.