"There's gotta be another way."
"There is no other way," Rohana repeats to Garrison for the hundredth time.
"I refuse to believe that."
"Refuse all you like, that won't stop our feet from walking."
Not to mention that we're already on the castle grounds in the King's Garden heading toward the Guard House and well into our plan that is held together by nothing more than a few fraying strings. Whatever argument he has won't change the fact that we've made our decision, and we're here to carry it out.
It wasn't easy getting to this point. Everyone fought, argued, agreed, and pouted as we tried coming up with another plan to get back inside the castle walls to Clarice. Even if it did take the better part of the night to come to the conclusion, Willa and Rohana were right from the beginning.
There would be no surprising Xaxias. He's smart, willing to shed blood, and as of right now, he has the upper hand. The only way to get him to give us what we want is to just walk right in and take it. We don't go to the throne room, we go straight to the Guard House and down into the cells.
Of course, we couldn't have everyone coming along. Xaxias would simply take them and then we'd have more than one person to worry about. So we cut the number down to five. Me, Lance, Rohana, Garrison, and Svenja. Rohana argued against bringing the pirate, but I told her that having a representative from each gathered allied group would show a united front. When that didn't work, I gave her a stare that dared her to defy me, and she backed down with a bow of her head. Her attitude changed after that - in a better way.
It still amazes me how little I have to order the Ginerva around. They merely always do as I say, even if I didn't order them to do it. Though they are the biggest mother hens I've seen, and that's saying a lot with having been surrounded by the Bhaltayr. I think it's odd that they all push their powers through every crack in the building or street we're in whenever I stand up. When I told Lance about it though, he simply said that it was their job to do so, so I should just let them do it. The Bhaltayr, of course, are still trying to heal their fragile egos.
I already talked to Willa and the Ginerva privately, Lance at my side to support me should I have needed it. Thankfully, I didn't, but it was still nice to have him there when I told them that after saving Clarice, they would become her guard, and the Bhaltayr would be mine. Until such a time comes, they could surround me in whatever magical barrier they'd like, but it was excessive to have twenty-one of them around me all times.
I saw the argument in Rohana's eyes, but it went out like a light and she agreed. Willa kindly reminded me that though the Bhaltayr were skilled, they'd need help from them every now and then, and that's just if and when they'd need it. I haven't told Garrison or the others yet, as I didn't want their hopes to rise with the thought that this plan would actually work.
Even as we turn the eastern corner of the castle and find Xaxias, Visha, Willdred, Eleanor, and Charles, I still have many doubts about this plan.
Lance and I share a look when we both spot Eleanor and Charles alive and well. Rohana warned us that this would happen. Visha can kill and bring anyone back to life in which she wishes to, and that includes Eleanor and Charles, despite her clear hate for them. Henry and Al raged, but Lance's eyes crinkled into a smile beneath his balaclava. I still don't want to know what he was thinking, but knowing him, it was probably something sinister.
As we approach them, Rohana and Garrison flank me and Lance, Svenja guarding both of our backs. We're all armed and I can feel the wind and fire shooting through my veins like lightning, whispering songs in my ears. Willa somehow transferred some of her own energy into me, the same way she did with Tanith when they linked all of our minds. She didn't even look tired after that, but I felt like I had just taken another three-day nap.
"Back so soon?" Xaxias calls unenthusiastically as we stop a good distance away.
He stands between us and the Guard House door. We could very well go into the stables and enter that way, but Willa told us the only way to get down into Clarice's cell would be to confront him head-on. The tunnels would be compromised the second we took one step under the outer wall archway, which only gave us one entrance option. A fun option too.
"You're in my way," is all I respond with, my hands folded behind me and playing with a tendril of soft wind. An act of calmness and boredom.
"Do you honestly think that I'm going to let you pass?"
"I think you will if you want your hellhound back," I counter with a glance at Visha. She snarls at me, but I could care less about her pointed display.
He laughs darkly, amusement striking his eyes. "All of my hounds are accounted for."
"So, she's not one of yours?"
Just as we discussed, Nilsa and Makatza mist in beside us, a thrashing Morana held tightly by chains around her wrists, ankles, neck, and waist weighed down by three ship anchors in between them. I don't know where the Ginerva got the anchors, but their weight along with the wards Willa etched in the manacles are doing their job to keep her power and body at bay. I don't take more than a glance at her bruises and unclotted wounds, or the torn clothing.
Morana thrashes harder against the chains when she spots Xaxias and the others. Sadly, she doesn't stay long, as the second Visha takes one step toward her, all three of them are once again gone.
"Odd," I mutter, turning their attention back to me. "I thought she shared a resemblance to your other pup. I suppose she's useless now. Rohana?"
Rohana holds out her hand and a necklace with a bright blood-red ruby the size of an egg mists into her hand. I didn't know they could teleport objects, but I figured it'd come in handy when they mentioned it. Turns out I was right.
Rohana dangles the large jewel from its chain, swinging it back and forth in front of her. Willa said that the jewel is a soul stone, a kind of entrapment for Morana's soul. If we destroy the jewel, then Morana goes back to the underworld, and Sibella returns. Of course, with Morana having taken over her body for decades, Lance's aunt is likely to be long gone, so we'll only have her body to burn in the end.
"Did you know that it takes an excessive amount of heat to melt a ruby? I believe that they say the flame would have to be...this shade?" I hold out my hand and watch as a bright blue flame roars to life. Rohana dangles the necklace over the top licks of them, the implication clear. "I think that you're going to let us pass because you want your jewel back - oh, and because you don't want to be pinned to the wall."
"You don't have such powers to hold me, boy," he snarls. But he's considering it. You can tell by the way he talks through his teeth, his jaw clenched and his hands twitching.
"Perhaps not, but I did have quite the introduction two days ago to someone who can." He doesn't react, but I can feel how still the air around him goes. "I know that you know that she's standing on the other side of the wall, waiting to be summoned should we have need of her. You don't necessarily have a choice here, Eternal One. You will let us through, and you will allow us to see her."
"See? You don't mean to rescue her?" Eleanor asks, still looking like a spoiled brat who needs a beating.
"I'm not stupid. I know that even with the cards I've been dealt that I'll win the hand, but not the game." I turn back to Xaxias, glad to already feel that he's made his decision. "So? Do we have a deal?"
When he doesn't answer, I let the blue flame rise higher and begin to heat the bottom of the ruby. I can feel the sharp angles of the jewel begin to soften, and as they dull further, a high-pitched screaming as if made by a whistle begins to sound. Visha's hands clench as it continues, but still, he does nothing. He wants to make me think that he still hasn't made his decision, so I raise an eyebrow and rise the flames higher, making it look like I really am beginning to get nervous that he still hasn't said anything.
He finally nods his head ever so slightly that I nearly miss it. My flames don't snuff out, but they sustain their appearance despite me having pulled the heat out of them. The whistling scream stops, and Svenja takes out two thick glass bowls, each identical to the other with more of Willa's wards and even a few from Aracely that will keep Xaxias and his followers from touching it. She places one in my hand, not flinching as the fire touches her but does no harm. Rohana drops the necklace into the bowl, then Svenja puts the other glass bowl over the other, trapping both the necklace and flame inside. A single snake flame seals the two pieces of glass together, creating an orb that holds the red jewel surrounded by blue flames.
"In case you get any bad ideas."
His jaw shifts as I hand the orb to Svenja, who holds it in her hands for everyone to see. He steps aside, waving his arm in a gesture for me to take the lead in entering the Guard House.
"Age before beauty."
The corner of his lips falls, and then he's turning and walking through the double wooden doors. Eleanor and Charles follow after him, Willdred and Visha not making to do the same. I ignore Willdred, knowing that Lance has his scolding taken care of. Instead, I look at Visha whose eyes are locked on the orb.
My eyes slowly trail back up to her eyes, now glaring daggers at me. I know that she and Willdred are waiting for us to walk in so they can flank us and trap us within their own little trap, which is why I use the voice of the air element and shove them through the doors. They stumble at the force of it - which I deeply enjoy - but quickly stand back upright and walk forward with more glares over their shoulder.
I never noticed it before, but we all do glare quite a lot.
Once they're a few steps in front of us, we trail after them.
It feels weird to be back here and yet not hear the constant buzz of human activity. There used to be sounds of armor clanking while guards walked in and out, swords clashing in the training hall, voices everywhere, and commander's orders everywhere else. Now there's nothing but the echo of our footsteps to fill the hall's silence.
Garrison is never one to show his feelings, but I can feel his melancholy all tangled with the fear and adrenaline of everyone else. He never had a home before the castle. This guard house is his home, and he's clearly missed it.
The adrenaline rises in my chest as we reach the door at the back of the house, six water wolves lining the walls leading to it. There are several more of them on the winding stairs, and as we reach the first level of the three, I find at least two dozen of them filling it. The stairs continue with their presence, and the second level is flowing with them steadily. I make eye contact with the largest among them, his only gesture of reassurance is the bow of his head.
We continue down to the last floor where the smell of blood is getting stronger. A glance at Lance and I know I'm not the only one who notices the change within a few steps. The stairs end at the third level, and down here there's barely a path to walk through with all the wolf's bodies in the way. Xaxias mists to the only cell door that's open, his pets following. They all turn around to wait for us, and for a second I panic thinking that he could somehow spring an attack while Rohana's getting us there. Then an idea pops into my head.
I smirk at them all and slowly squat to the wolf closest to me. He raises his head, that way we're now at eye level as I pet his head between his ears as if ruffling his hair. He leans into my touch, making me smile wider as the elements within myself hum against him, happier than they've been in a long time. Reluctantly, I lower my hand and watch as he and all the other wolves stand and move to create a clear path to the cell door.
Eleanor's making the same face she did when Claire smoothly roasted Charles by telling him that he may be pretty on the outside, but he was downright hollow on the inside. It's good to see that we still have that effect on her.
Two wolves flank Svenja as we walk to the cell, and Kallisté sits by the door, looking at the back of Willdred's head like it's her lunch. She follows his movement as they all walk inside the cell, and I stop in front of her, too nervous to walk through the door after them.
The entire way down here I've been too busy keeping an eye on Visha and Willdred to really think about where it was they were leading us. Now, standing just outside the door, closer to Clarice than I've been in months...I don't know if I want to go in.
Kallisté looks at me, her purple eyes pinning me in place. I've never really been one to be great at reading eyes, especially ones that are hard to read. Hers look like they're raging yet calm at the same time. A storm above a stillwater ocean.
Taking a deep breath, I walk through the door and instantly regret it. Her arms are pulled wide by two chains to the wall, her feet hanging three feet off the ground. Her body is beaten and bloody, the muscles that once kicked mine and the Bhaltayr's asses are now gone, showing bones held together by the pale and sickly colored skin. Her face is hidden behind the curtain of her thankfully still long hair, though its color has darkened to black, leeched of its usual brown waves. If she was looking at me as we walked in, I might've blown the whole plan and set everything I saw to flames. Only Rohana's hand on my shoulder keeps me from doing so now. That, and the fact that Lance is wreaking enough rage for all five of us.
I glance over at him, his eyes staring at his sister, his body still save for his shaking hands. I've never seen his hands shake before. His voice rings in my head. The Jades are taught to put their emotions into the precision of their movements. If you have a boiling fire burning within you, then it cannot be put out.
"I suppose you'll want your prized jewel back now?" I ask, trying to focus my mind on anything but setting the world on fire. I don't look at Clarice, knowing that doing so will only make things worse, and I need to focus in order for all to go as planned.
"I haven't even had my fun yet." My stomach drops, but I keep my face neutral.
He smiles widely and wickedly, taking slow, malicious steps that I track so closely that my eyes start burning. Lance stiffens beside me, as do Garrison and Svenja behind us as he approaches Clarice. The only composed one here is Rohana, though I believe her calmness is scarier than when she's arguing against someone.
All he does is put one hand on her ribs and she's thrashing against her chains, screaming with a hundred pained souls. It cracks the earth and sky, shakes the whole world, and turns fragments into dust. Her scream is a plea. A beg for mercy he doesn't give as he keeps his hand on her. A touch. He breaks my world...with a single touch. He fractures her voice, over and over, with a single. Touch.
I don't know who moves first, but then Rohana is holding Lance back using a pressure point on his shoulder, I grab Garrison's wrist in a very tight grip to keep us both still, and Svenja is trapped behind all of us, though she pushes against our backs clawing to get to her.
I can't do this. I can't stand that I have to stand here and listen to her - to listen to the chains rattle and watch as her wrists bleed from their grip. I hate how her legs threaten to kick him but never get far, and I hate - more than anything - I hate seeing her blood. I can smell it pulsing through every breath, taste its tang on my tongue, and above all, I can feel every drop hit the ground. Her screams pin me in place, but her blood...
Garrison and Lance have to keep me from stepping forward.
He takes his hand away from her skin and her screams stop, her body sagging once again, leaving us to gather our wits and take deep breaths. He smiles like a content child playing with their favorite toy, all while her whole body shakes so uncontrollably that it makes the chains rattle.
I bite my tongue. Hard.
It does little when Eleanor and Charles start laughing, and Visha skips over to Clare and drags a finger across Clarice's stomach, drawing more blood. That's all it takes for me to spin around, grab the orb from Svenja's hands, and let the flame burn against the red rock. The glass heats, but it doesn't bother me, and neither does the scream coming along with it.
Visha's eyes go wide, Xaxias's smile turns to a frown, and Eleanor and Charles go silent. I don't care for Wildred, he's earned the ignorance.
"Not so fun, is it?" I growl, once again pulling the heat back into myself. The screaming stops, and they all scowl. My whole body shakes with the effort to run over there and get her body to stop shaking so helplessly. They broke her. "You're not the only one with cards to play. Always remember that."
"You may have cards, but I have the incentive." He looks to the corner of the room, and though I knew exactly where she was, I still look to see Hira being shoved out of the shadows by another guard. She sways slightly as she walks, and I have to use the air element to keep Garrison's breathing steady as she comes into the light, half her head covered in blood. I'm amazed she hasn't fallen unconscious, but she does well to avoid everyone's stare.
Hira stops right beside him, her eyes still downcast though they blink furiously. Visha takes her by the shoulder and turns her so that she faces us.
"I wonder," Visha croons to us, though her eyes are locked onto Rohana. "What would happen if the healer died, and there was no one left to take care of your precious Queen?" She pulls Hira's hair, forcing her head back while she uses her nails to slowly make three long cuts from Hira's neck, down over her collar bone, and lower. Hira's breath hitches several times, but it's Garrison's breath I'm still focusing on. It's getting harder to keep it even, especially with Hira now being the one tortured.
"Enough!" I yell, swallowing down the pain of keeping everyone next to me calm. "You want your jewel, then give us the healer."
"You'd willingly take away the only person who could keep your Waterlily alive?"
Blazing white-hot flames snake up my arms at that name.
"That wasn't the deal," Xaxias retorts, ignoring both Visha and my flames. I find the act harder to do with the nickname having been mentioned, but I keep my mind in order and the flames against my skin.
"Last I recall, the deal was your jewel for a glance. I never said that your jewel still had to be its original form, now did I?" I let the flames rage again, furthering them to their breaking point and letting my anger rage in the small globe and then the whole room.
I'm going to kill him.
Xaxias stares at it for a moment, listening and watching as almost half of the jewel now slowly turns to a liquid gathering at the bottom of the orb. Visha looks about ready to chuck Hira to us for the jewel, so she has no problem shoving her forward when Xaxias nods his agreement. I keep hold of Garrison, letting Rohana be the one to catch Hira before she falls to the ground. I wait until Hira's safely stuck to Svenja behind us before tossing the orb to the
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