Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Lira gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing.
Of all the reactions Vaskel had expected once he’d told her the entire story, stunned silence hadn't been one of them. After all, they’d encountered plenty of shocking situations when they ran together, and a soul bind hardly felt more startling than a horde of wraiths.
Finally, Lia grabbed his wrist and yanked his sleeve up to reveal the marks.
"I always knew you wanted to get me out of my clothes," he tried to tease, but his voice cracked.
She rolled her eyes at him, and his attempt at levity died on his lips as they both stared at the marks that were black as char and curling up his arm like infernal script. They pulsed faintly with each heartbeat, as if they were alive.
”Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" Hurt threaded through her soft words. "About a soul bind?"
The guilt that had been gnawing at him for days intensified. She deserved better from him. Every member of their crew who'd trusted him, fought beside him, and risked their lives for him deserved better.
"By the time we formed our crew, I'd forgotten all about it.
I convinced myself it was a silly promise made late one night after too much ale.
I convinced myself it wasn't real, or maybe I just didn't want to think it was.
" He paused, trying to find the right words. "I changed so much from those early days. When I was young and impulsive and believed what others told me a hellkin should be. By the time I met you all, that person felt like a stranger and that past didn’t feel like mine anymore.”
Lira nodded slowly, and he saw the understanding in her eyes. Of course, she understood. She'd left Wayside as one person and returned as another. They all carried past versions of themselves.
“But you could have told me about these marks sooner.”
“I’m not proud of parts of my past, but I’m proud of our quests, and I’m especially proud of who I’ve become in Wayside.
I don’t want anyone who knows me as Vaskel the friendly barkeep to see me differently.
That’s why I didn’t tell you right away, and that why I want to keep this from the rest of the village. ”
“They won’t see you differently,” Lira said.
Vaskel grunted. “They might if they knew everything, and I wouldn’t blame them.”
Lira looked like she was going to argue more, but she pulled his sleeve down with deliberate care, then gave a curt nod that was pure determination.
"Okay then. How do we break this bind?” Her tone shifted, and he remembered that this was the voice of the fearless rogue who'd once picked the lock on a lich's tomb while the undead sorcerer slept ten feet away.
"Or break the hellkin who put it on you. "
Blood and ashes, he loved her fierce loyalty and the way she immediately shifted into protective mode. But Marina wasn't some lock to be picked or corrupt guard they could outsmart.
"Marina isn't easy to defeat.” He shook his head. “She's had centuries to hone her skills, and she has a crew of young hellkins eager to prove themselves."
Lira bristled, and suddenly she looked less like a kindhearted tavernkeep who baked delicious scones and more like the dangerous rogue who’d fought by his side. "We still have most of our crew, plus Iris and—"
"No." He held up a hand, cutting her off. "I won't put the people I care about at risk. Not for my past mistakes."
“Vask.” Her husky voice snapped him back to the present moment, and he saw that her hand was resting on his arm. “We’re in this together. Just like always.”
Like most hellkins, he kept his emotions under tight control, but he couldn’t stop his throat from thickening as he smiled at her, nodding when he couldn’t manage words.
“Even after what you know about my past?” He finally rasped. “Even after knowing I wasn’t always so honorable?”
She squeezed his arm. “The mark of a great adventurer isn’t a flawless quest. It’s owning the wrong turns and still finding your way to the treasure.”
He laughed at this. “Is that dwarf wisdom, by chance?”
Lira shook her head. “It sounds like it, doesn’t it?” She took his sleeve and tugged. “Now come on, Vask.”
“Where are we going?”
“We both know that Erindil has more power than anyone in Wayside and has been around longer than any of us. If anyone knows about soul binds, it will be him. Besides, if my uncle expects to have his ostrich in my wedding, he owes me.” She took a steadying breath and met Vaskel’s widening eyes.
“Yes, I know about Glen and his outfit, and no, I’m not thrilled about it. ”
Vaskel walked briskly alongside her as Lira muttered about elves, deciding not to argue with his friend.