Chapter 39 #2
Erinna sprinted toward the source, feet pounding against earth as they carried her forward. She dodged battling mages and pirates, eyes darting in every angle for a sign of Damien. Or the newly appointed Chancellor Tyril.
She scurried beneath the crumbling stone archway, banking right, up the hill where she last heard Inez’s distressed cry.
The sound of battle was muffled by the trees as she continued to climb, legs burning with effort.
“You’re making this more difficult than it has to be. Take Chancellor Tyril’s deal, and your life will be spared.”
She knew that voice. Everything inside her went still. Damien was just beyond the clearing. He was the one who found Inez.
The ground beneath her feet seemed to tilt as her knees threatened to buckle. Erinna had no idea what to do next. She let her feet carry her forward, through the tree line, and came to a stop in the clearing. “You came.”
The world seemed to stop, paused in time as she watched Damien’s features shift from shock, confusion, before landing on concern.
Then his grip on Inez tightened. She whimpered but ceased her fight against his hold. Damien held her tight against him as he finished a bind, one hand wrapped around her wrists while her arms were clasped in an abjurative bind.
“Eri, what are you doing here?” He scanned her from head to toe, brows knit in a worried line. “Are you okay? What did they do to you? Did they hurt you?” His face darkened. She had never seen him so angry. So raw.
Erinna’s heart twisted. Maybe she could tell him the truth. Damien was her friend—had been for years. The academy would be the fastest, safest way off this island. He could help her.
Then Inez let out a small, broken whimper, and every hair on the back of Erinna’s neck stood on end.
Damien’s grip on Inez’s arm was firm but not cruel as he pulled her to her feet. He kept his hand steady on her shoulder—more like he was guiding a frightened animal than restraining a criminal.
He took a step forward.
Erinna stepped back.
Damien gave her a puzzled look, as if he didn’t understand her hesitance. Then his gaze dropped to the bulging satchel at her side, and his expression hardened. “What are you doing here, Eri?”
It wasn’t a question. It was a command.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her dagger. She could tell him—part of it, at least. Enough to make him understand without revealing everything. A shipwright kidnapped by pirates. Believable. Simple. He was her friend. He would believe her. Wouldn’t he?
“I—” She spoke faster than the lie could fully form. “They stole one of our boats and took me as collateral.”
The words tasted like sawdust. Wrong and cowardly. But what else could she say? Erinna was cursed and searching for answers in a dead mage’s library? That would earn her a cell next to Inez’s.
She let the dagger drop from her hand, the blade hitting dirt with a dull thud. Her palms opened in surrender, and she prayed the scrapes, the bruises, the blood smeared across her clothes would sell the story.
Damien’s eyes narrowed, studying her.
Erinna risked a glance at Inez. The diviner’s fear had intensified, her whole body trembling under Damien’s careful hold. She looked like she wanted to scream, to warn Erinna, that she was making a mistake.
Erinna’s stomach churned.
Finally, Damien’s features softened, and he took in a long breath. He believed her.
“Does your father know where you are? He never reported you missing.” Erinna winced at the topic, but a flutter of hope bloomed at the look of genuine surprise. It meant that they hadn’t found him, yet.
“No, he didn’t make it back home in time after the late Chancellor Hagan passed.”
The mage’s expression was unreadable, and Erinna could only hope she was more convincing than she sounded. Damien’s gaze dropped to the ground, his brows furrowed in thought.
Inez used the distraction to her advantage. With a grunt, she broke free of Damien’s hold, but the academy-trained mage was quick to recover focus.
He pulled on the arcanum that surrounded her. Froze her in place with his abjurative Talent. Beads of sweat dripped from his brow to his chin. He’d exerted more than she thought. Damien was on the precipice of Burnout. Once his magic waned enough, she would have to make a hard choice once again.
A vein bulged in Damien’s temple. The magic was taking more effort than he intended. He absentmindedly patted the academy pendant pinned above his heart. A witchstone focus given to every initiate.
“Be straight with me, Eri,” he finally said, and Erinna’s heart dropped. His tone was steel. Unforgiving.
“What are you going to do with her?” Tears burned behind her eyes, but Erinna blinked them away.
“She’s an escaped aberrant, a traitor. You know what that means. But Chancellor Tyril is willing to make a deal with her. Servitude in exchange for her life.”
Erinna couldn’t hide her disgust. Damien recoiled, as if her reaction was a physical slap in the face. “We’re not monsters, Eri.”
But they are, she finished the thought. We are.
“Is she to be the new King’s Eye?” she asked, pointedly, but didn’t need Damien to respond. She could see the confirmation flash across his eyes. They needed another dog to collar and chose the next best candidate.
“It is a mercy for her, Eri.” He said it with such conviction, Erinna went numb. What would he think of her then? She eyed the dagger on the ground.
“Listen, Eri. This will work out. You don’t have to tell me everything now.
We’ll get you back safely. I’ll corroborate your story, and we will go from there.
” He said it in a desperation that cut through Erinna’s heart like a knife.
It was clear there would be no changing his mind, and he trusted that things would work out in the end.
But Erinna knew better. Chancellor Tyril wouldn’t show her mercy, and Inez was guaranteed a fate worse than death.
He took another step closer, and Erinna held her ground. They were feet away from each other. Nearly arm’s length.
“What are you going to do with those who fell back at home?”
“They’ve all been taken to the infirmary and kept stable. We are doing all we can to break the curse.” It was slight, but the tell was unmistakable. He was lying to her.
Erinna moved on instinct, bolted to Inez with a hope that she would be able to wrest her from the bindings. Strong arms grabbed her shoulder and yanked her to the ground. She hit the hard soil with a bone-rattling thud.
“It will work out, Eri. I promise. I won’t let any harm come to you.” Damien stood above her, eyes begging her to surrender as he prepared for another set of arcanum bindings.
Before Erinna had time to react, Damien was launched to the side by a figure shrouded in smoke and shadow. Kane moved so fast, Erinna only saw the blur of movement as he rounded on the mage.
Damien’s head was thrust into the ground beneath his boot. A blade drenched in scarlet pointed at his throat.
Erinna’s heart constricted as she scurried to her feet. “Wait!” she cried.
Kane plunged a dagger through Damien’s hand, pinning him to the earth.
He roared in pain, and Erinna felt her resolve falter.
Her chest constricted so tight, she didn’t know if she’d be able to fill her lungs again.
Damien may be a product of the academy, but his kindness set him apart from the rest. Maybe not now, but someday she might be able to get through to him.
“Make up your mind, Yarrow.” Kane jerked his head to the horizon.
A fleet of Navy and Academy vessels dotted the waters, heading directly to the island.
The sigil of the Chancellor’s tower was unmistakable.
They had come to complete Chancellor Tyril’s initiation, and the pirates were running out of time.
“Eri, I guarantee Chancellor Tyril will grant you mercy,” Damien grit through the pain and squirmed beneath Kane’s weight.
“Keep her name out of your mouth,” Kane snarled and pressed Damien’s head deeper into the ground. The pirate’s shirt was coated with blood; a few streaks of scarlet decorated his cheek. None of it his own.
“Stop!” Erinna pleaded.
His gaze pinned her in place. “We’re leaving. Now. He’s the only one left. And if you let him live, there will be no corner of Sumora for you to hide in. They will know what you have done.” He said it like a promise. He was right.
“Please.” Her voice was nothing more than a whimper. Kane glowered but obliged, pulling his boot from Damien but leaving the dagger rooted in his hand.
Kane shot one more warning look at Erinna before moving to help Inez from the ground.
Erinna fought against tears and swallowed down misery. She looked at Damien with blurred vision. His last plea fell short when he saw the resignation on her face.
“You’re making a huge mistake, Eri.”
She could see the fear in his features. Not for himself, but for her. For what would happen to her if she left.
“No, I don’t think that I am.” She backed away in the direction of the Hellish Rebuke.
Damien pulled the knife from his hand with a hiss. “It will work out, Eri. I promise.”
Arcanum buzzed behind her, so soft she could barely feel the spell racing her way.
Her wrist grew warm where the bracelet sat against her skin.
He was using his Talent against her. Aimed the spell her way. Erinna didn’t have time to react before a bolt of fire raced over her shoulder.
The flames singed her cheeks. A sharp infernal arrow. By the time she turned, the spell had already landed, searing through Damien’s armor, piercing through his chest.
The air crackled with arcanum. Damien rose to his feet, blood dripped from his wounds, soaking into the ground below. He had used most of his power to save his life from the attack.
“You’ll pay for this, pirate. For what you’ve done here. To her.” Hatred and venom coated every word.
Energy thrummed as Damien prepared another spell; the static in the air grew suffocating. One look to her side, and she knew Kane could feel it too.