Chapter 34
Talear
The Ebony Fortress
Reyne exited the throne room and stormed into the dimly lit corridor, experiencing a surge of rage coupled with rising nausea.
“You lied,” Magnius spat as soon as the throne doors shut with a subtle click. “I don’t know how, but I know you did. I saw the way she pressed against you when you thought no one was watching.”
Reyne spun on him, glaring down at the obnoxious man, “I am unable to lie, and we both know it. Now, go be useful for once and have my water delivered to Isabella with haste.”
“Isabella?”
“Did I stutter? Yes. Isabella. Since Mordrick is aware of my enterprise, I no longer feel the need for pretense.”
Reyne continued down the corridor, desperate to reach the privacy of his chambers before his barely contained rage snapped and he grabbed his dagger and slit Magnius’s throat.
“One day you are going to screw up.” Magnius’s prediction rang out and bounced off the walls. “And Mordrick will kill you.”
“Perhaps. But not today.”
The moment Reyne entered his chambers, he slumped against his closed door and slid to the floor while he tried to rein in his burning fury. Bride. How had he not seen that coming? Fuck. He ran a shaky hand through his filthy hair.
It had taken every measure of fortitude he possessed to appear calm and collected as he departed the throne room, leaving Kendra with Mordrick’s grip around her throat. Mordrick was unpredictable. If Kendra didn’t heed his warning, she could further evoke Mordrick’s rage.
Bride. Over his dead body would he allow Mordrick to marry her. Kendra belonged to him, and only him.
He took a deep, calming breath.
There was only one option available to him.
He had to contact Armathea. Odin could help him.
Reyne wasn’t above begging, but he doubted it would come to that, assuming he could find a way to contact him of course.
Odin’s affection had been evident. But according to Kendra, Armathea could only be reached with a restricted access code while cloaked.
As luck would have it, Reyne knew how to get the code.
“Reyne,” Lena’s soft voice jarred him. “You look, um…terrible.”
“I am aware.”
She knelt at his side. “Are you still bleeding? Let me have a look.”
When she reached for his shirt, he halted her. “This is old blood. You can tend to my wounds later. Right now, I need you to gather your healing supplies while I bathe.”
She nodded, but her deep-brown gaze questioned him. “But you just said…”
“Your healing skills are not for me.” Reyne rose and headed towards the bathing alcove, leaving a trail of soiled clothing in his wake. He bathed in haste, then donned his military uniform, tugged on his boots and secured a wide silk belt.
Unlike his brethren, who loved to flaunt their superior rank, Reyne despised formal attire unless necessary, but today his rank could aid his mission.
“This isn’t like you,” Lena muttered as she helped him anchor the crimson mantle to his shoulders. “Has something happened?”
“Yes, but I'll explain later.” Once he had donned his Ramachii regalia, he allowed the chamber door to slide open. “Follow me.”
Clutching her healing kit to her breasts, Lena trailed him into the corridor. “Reyne, where are we going?”
“To the prison block.”
“The prison block?” Lena’s brows knotted in confusion as they descended into the bowels of the fortress. “This is certainly a first.”
“Yes, and hopefully the last.”
Several guards took one glance at Reyne as he approached and stepped out of his path. "Open it,'' he ordered the guard who stood next to an ancient wooden door, a ring of tarnished metal keys hanging from his belt.
Keys jingled as the guard opened the door, letting it swing open.
"Where are the prisoners that were brought in today?"
The ring dropped into Reyne’s outstretched open palm. "Fifth cell on the left."
As soon as the door closed tight, he slid the key into the lock and opened the cell door.
“Wait here,” he advised Lena, then entered the square, windowless chamber littered with dirty hay.
With a heavy collar chained to an anchor in the stone, his hands shackled in front, Garrett leaned against the wall for support, head lowered.
On the opposite side of the room Quinn lay in a heap, face down, his collar chained to a metal loop in the floor.
He appeared dead, but for Kendra's sake, Reyne hoped he still lived.
Garrett glanced up. His azure eyes widened in recognition and he began to fight his restraints. "You heartless bastard. If I ever get out of here, the first thing I'm going to do is kill you with my bare hands."
"I want information."
''And I want to kill you, so what?"
“I have to contact Odin, and I need the access code to Armathea to reach him.”
Garrett snorted. ''I would see you dead before I would supply information that would lure Odin into a convenient trap."
Reyne grabbed Garrett’s lapels, tugging him until they were nose to nose. "This. Isn’t. A. Game. I want the code, and I want it now." Kendra’s life depended on it.
"Go. To. Hell.”
Taking a deep breath to calm his rage, Reyne said, "I'll make a deal with you Garrett. I'll unchain you and give you one chance to kill me. If you fail, you will give me the code. Agreed?"
Garrett considered him through suspicious narrowed eyes. "Deal, release me."
Reyne unlocked one shackle and forced the key into Garrett’s freed palm. He stepped back, giving him ample room to unlock the other shackle and collar himself.
Once free of his heavy constraints, Garrett stalked Reyne, his raised fists clenching and unclenching in anticipation of a good brawl.
"I'm ready. Come on, Garrett. Take your best shot."
Garrett swung first. Reyne responded with quick reflexes, side-stepping to avoid the blow and immediately spinning around to deliver a powerful elbow strike to Garrett's back.
Garrett groaned and stumbled forward, almost pitching face-first into the wall. Garrett maintained his balance and turned back toward Reyne with a fierce snarl. "You got lucky, it won't happen again."
After circling each other several times, Garrett lunged with his body weight, his head crashing into Reyne’s injured shoulder. Reyne slipped on loose hay, causing his back to slam into the wall. He grunted as pain spread from his wounds.
Using the heel of his boot, he thrust Garrett away.
Garrett recovered from Reyne’s kick and stalked forward with a growl. He swung again.
Reyne took a hard uppercut to his jaw that almost dislodged a tooth.
He returned Garrett’s punch with one of his own.
As they grappled, Reyne jammed his knee into Garrett’s gut.
Before Garrett could even draw a breath, Reyne had him pinned to the floor, face down, one arm yanked behind his back.
''I'll take that information now," Reyne demanded.
"Forget it," Garrett gritted over his shoulder. "I won't give you a damn thing.''
"Listen to me," Reyne implored him as he pressed his knee into his lower back. "I am trying to free Kendra, and I need Odin's help to do it. Do you understand? I am trying to help Kendra.”
"Why?" Came a hoarse voice behind them, startling them both. Quinn’s one eye was swollen shut, the other barely open, purple and black darkened his cheeks, dried blood covered a good portion of his face.
Reyne felt a wave of relief.
"Why would you want to free Kendra now? After all, you are the reason she is here.”
"Why?" Reyne repeated with rapid blinks. "Because...” He ran his hand through his hair. “Because…”
Quinn chuckled, his one good eye peering up at Reyne. “Our Kendra has gotten you all tied up, hasn’t she?”
His heart thumped his chest because he knew it was true. “Yes. In knots. Many knots.”
"What makes you think we are stupid enough to believe you?" Garrett mumbled into the straw beneath his cheek.
Reyne exerted more pressure with his knee. "I don't really care if you believe me or not Garrett. All I require is the information you agreed to provide. The access code so I can contact Armathea without my transmission being intercepted."
Garrett remained silent.
“Give it to him.” Wincing, Quinn struggled to sit up. “Where is the risk? Odin will never believe him anyway. So, let him try.”
Garrett released a deep sigh. “Fine. Let me up.” A moment later he was leaning against the wall, rubbing his sore neck. “I can give you the code, but it won’t do you any good. It’s not secure and could be intercepted.”
Reyne scraped his palm against his bearded jaw. “Fuck.”
“There is another way,” Garrett admitted with a deep ragged breath, “but only if you have access to the hijacked ship. Odin programmed a secure channel into the on-board comm. system. The code is eight, five, eight, one, delta. Talear won’t be able to intercept your conversation.”
“Thank you, Garrett.” Reyne pointed at the metal collar hanging from the wall. "You understand I have to do this, right? If anyone suspects what I’m about, my chance to free Kendra will end before it even begins."
Garrett grumbled something under his breath while locking the heavy collar around his neck and tightened the shackle on his wrist. Reyne apologized as he took the key from his outstretched hand and secured the second shackle.
Reyne swung the door wide and leaned against the wall with his arm crossed. “Lena, here are your two charges.”
Lena entered the cell, glancing between the two men.
She flew to Quinn, dropped to her knees and inspected his facial cuts.
She opened her supplies and set about her task.
Quinn beamed up at the lovely woman washing the blood from his face with gentle ministrations.
His wide smile turned to a grimace when she applied a pungent astringent to the cuts on his temple, cheek and lips.
“Ouch. That stings.”
"Stop fussing," Lena chided in a soft gentle voice, cleaning his split lips. "I promise, I'm trying to tend your wounds, not torture you.”
"Could have fooled me," Quinn mumbled.