Alliance (20 page)

“Yes, Your Highness.” Nysad stood and rested his hands on the table. “I’m sorry. I know she’s been with your family for a long while.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll inform you of the outcome as soon as possible.” He left, and Ryneq rested his head in his hands. The day had barely begun and had already taken a turn for the worse. Ryneq didn’t see it getting much better, either.

He sat there a few moments longer, collecting his thoughts. While Nysad and Lerran handled the situation with Kalis, he would check in on Glaevahl and see how they were progressing with the dragon’s blood. Those old books had been gathering dust in the library for generations. Ryneq had skimmed through some of them when he was younger, but they’d seemed so farfetched, and he’d never put much stock in them being true before.

He prayed to the Gods the elves were about to prove him wrong.

After washing and dressing in the clothes Thane had set out for him, Ryneq sat on the bed and reached down to pull on his boots.

“Hey.” Nykin’s sleep-filled voice sounded behind him, and Ryneq glanced back over his shoulder.

“You should still be asleep.” He leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to Nykin’s lips. “Sorry if I woke you.”

Nykin yawned and stretched, the sheets falling deliciously low as he raised his arms above his head, and Ryneq stared at the newly exposed skin on display. Nykin smiled when he caught Ryneq looking and took the opportunity to trail his fingers down over his flat stomach and under the sheet. “I was hoping you might have time this morning.”

Nykin looked so tempting lying in their bed all sleep-rumpled and warm-looking, but Ryneq sighed and shook his head. “I can’t.”

A look of disappointment flashed across Nykin’s face before he smiled a little and reached for Ryneq’s hand. “Yeah, I know. Sorry.”

“They found Kalis.” Ryneq squeezed Nykin’s fingers. “She’s outside the north gate, but the guards can’t tell whether she’s still alive or not. There’s a lot of blood, apparently.”

Nykin sat up quickly and wrapped his arms around Ryneq, resting his head on Ryneq’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said, more urgent this time. “I know how this must hurt.” He kissed the side of Ryneq’s throat, and for just a moment, Ryneq allowed the pain of Kalis’s betrayal to surface.

“I trusted her. Of all the people in the palace, she was one of the last I would have expected to betray us. And for what?” He felt ill when he thought of Kalis lying dead, or near to it, outside the palace gates. Used by Seran and then tossed aside. She may have brought it on herself, but it didn’t make the situation any easier to stomach.

Ryneq let Nykin’s hold soothe away some of the hurt before finally shrugging out of his embrace. “I need to go.” He tied his boots and turned back to give Nykin a kiss, pushing gently at Nykin’s chest until he acquiesced and lay down again. “And you need to get some more sleep,” he whispered as he pulled away and stood. “You can’t fly if you can’t stay awake.”

“Will I see you later?” Nykin already looked half-asleep, and Ryneq admired his ability to switch off so easily.

“I hope so. But I have no idea how today will go.” Ryneq was almost at the door when he heard Nykin’s muffled “stay safe,” and when he glanced back at the bed, Nykin’s eyes were closed.

He left the room as quietly as possible and made his way toward the library.

R
YNEQ
TOOK
it as a good sign when he heard voices coming out of the open doorway, but when he walked into the library itself, he saw Eldin, not Glaevahl, talking with Avelor. They stood with their backs to Ryneq, and both turned around when they heard him come in.

“Morning, Sire.” Eldin stepped forward, away from the table, affording Ryneq a glimpse of what they’d been doing.

“Your Highness.” Avelor inclined his head and gestured to the vials behind him. “We’ve just started preparations for the spell.” When he moved to the side, Ryneq saw a collection of jars arranged next to the vials, the writing on them clearly Elvish. Avelor smiled when he noticed Ryneq studying them. “Glaevahl brought supplies with him from Alel, just in case.”

“How fortunate for us that he did.” Ryneq stepped a little closer. The vials of dragon’s blood were all stoppered and held in two racks of five, the dark red looking almost alive as it appeared to swirl inside the glass. “Is it supposed to do that?”

Avelor picked up one of the elven jars. “This is
Elixir of Asgare
.” He gave it a gentle shake, and the blue liquid inside immediately began to move, tendrils of black appearing every so often and clinging to the glass. “It’s made from the petals of the
Asgare Del’athe
—a plant that grows deep in the Hervathian Forest and only flowers on the full moon. It’s quite hard to come by, as you can imagine.”

“What does it do?” Ryneq glanced back at the vials of blood, and as he watched the liquid move, the same black tendrils began to appear, just like in the jar.

Avelor put the jar back on the table and picked up a smaller one next to it. “The
Elixir of Asgare
is a binding agent. For the protection spell, we need to mix the dragon’s blood with this”—he gave the new jar a little shake, and the bright yellow powder inside it slid up the sides—“
Cahlera Agua’uil
.”

Ryneq raised an expectant eyebrow and waited for him to explain what it was in words he could understand, and Avelor grinned. With everything that had happened, Ryneq had forgotten how much elves liked to show off, and it annoyed him no end to realize he’d maybe missed this playful side of their nature.

“This is the crushed and dried petals from a water-sunflower. As you’re no doubt aware, they grow everywhere and are seemingly nothing special, but if you dry them out on bark from the Giant Velvet Oak tree, then they form the main ingredient for our strongest shield spells.”

Ryneq eyed the jar and its innocuous-looking contents. He’d witnessed the elves use magic a few times now, but not once had he seen any of them use anything other than either their hands or their words. “How does it work? I’ve never seen you, Faelon, or Glaevahl use anything like these before.” He gestured at the jars on the table, and Avelor smiled.

“As an elder, Glaevahl rarely has to use things like this anymore.” He set the jar down on the table. “And both Faelon and I are lucky enough that our innate magic is very strong. But even we had to use them for the shield around Torsere. The spell matrix connecting the palace, the walls, and the Eyrie is complex and requires far more power than we could produce on our own.”

Ryneq nodded. The elves obviously knew what they were doing, and Ryneq could only handle so much magical talk before it gave him a headache. Eldin had been silent while Avelor explained about the spells, and Ryneq wondered why he was in here and not the other elves. “Where are the others?” He met Eldin’s gaze. “And aren’t you needed in the Eyrie?”

Eldin moved back so he now leaned against the edge of the large table, and he reached out to finger the pages of the old book he and Avelor had obviously been studying. “Some of the references in here are hard to understand. Some words are written in the old language, and there are mentions of old magic and dragon-related elements that Avelor didn’t recognize. I’ve been asking Vakesh for help.”

“Glaevahl’s helping Faelon prepare the protection shield for Lerran,” Avelor added quietly. The mood quickly turned somber at the mention of Lerran, and Ryneq felt all the tension from earlier creep back into his shoulders.

“Of course.” Ryneq sighed and pointed at the dragon’s blood vials, now beginning to turn more of a plum color. “I imagine you two have plenty to do, so if you’ll excuse me.” Ryneq nodded as they both bowed their heads, and he left the room in search of Nysad.

By Ryneq’s reckoning, he’d been in the library long enough for Lerran to have made his decision on whether to retrieve Kalis or not. He turned right, then left down the passageways, heading to the outer door and the north side of the wall. As he rounded the corner, he almost barreled right into Thane hurrying the other way.

“Sire, I was just on my way to find you.” He paused to catch his breath, resting on his good leg, and Ryneq fought down the flare of irritation as he waited. “Nysad’s waiting for you in the cells—they have Kalis.”

“Is she alive?”

“I believe so, Sire.”

Ryneq was half expecting this outcome, but the feeling it evoked still took him by surprise. His chest ached a little at the thought of having to see Kalis in such a state, but underneath it, he felt the anger build at the thought of what she’d just done. “And Lerran? Is he safe?”

“Yes, he’s with them in the cells.”

“Thank you, Thane. You know where I am if anyone needs me.”

“Yes, Sire.” Thane bowed and moved to the side to allow Ryneq to pass.

T
HE
STAIRS
to the cells were partially hidden, about five feet to the left of the doors leading to the north wall. Ryneq hurried toward them, clenching his fists as he descended onto the darker steps below.

The air felt considerably cooler below the palace, and Ryneq shivered a little as his body adjusted. Muffled voices sounded from around the corner, too quiet for Ryneq to make out what they were saying but loud enough to recognize them as Nysad and Djilak.

When Ryneq reached them, Nysad paced in front of the open cell door, with two guards standing just inside, while Djilak knelt on the floor next to the narrow bed. Lerran stood back a little against one of the walls, eyes downcast and his hands and clothes a dirty dark red. When Djilak leaned down to retrieve something from his bag, Ryneq finally got a good look at Kalis, and his stomach dropped.

She looked far older than her years. Her thick hair, matted with blood and dirt and sweat, lay plastered against her face and neck. Dark bruises already shadowed her jaw, and those were definitely finger marks around her throat
—
both standing out against the paleness of her skin. Her gaze darted between Nysad and Djilak, wild and scared-looking, before she scrunched her eyes shut and bit her lip in obvious pain.

Ryneq’s gaze wandered lower to where Kalis’s arms wrapped protectively around her body. Her blood was everywhere. It seeped between her fingers where her hands splayed over her belly, and Ryneq immediately remembered what the kitchen maid had said.

She’s with child.

Ryneq felt sick. Despite what she’d done, the thought of Seran doing this to her made his blood boil.

He stepped farther into the room, and everyone turned to face him.

“Sire.” Nysad stepped forward and guided him off to one side. “We managed to get her inside the palace walls without incident, but….”

Ryneq glanced back over at the bed to find Kalis watching them. “There’s nothing to be done for her.” It was a statement more than a question. The blood began to pool on the floor and showed no signs of stopping.

“No.” Nysad sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he met Ryneq’s gaze again, he looked as conflicted as Ryneq felt. “I know what she did, Sire, and by rights she deserves to be put to death for treason. But what they did… the sword was still in her belly when we found her. She didn’t have the strength to pull it out. Djilak tried to stop the bleeding, but the wound won’t close no matter what he tries.”

“Not even dragon’s blood?” Ryneq offered. He knew some of its healing properties worked on those not bonded, but….

“No, Sire.” Djilak glanced back over his shoulder, his face drawn. “Injuries this severe cannot be aided by dragon’s blood, not even on a bonded rider, I fear.”

“It’s the witch’s magic.” Lerran’s soft voice carried across the room, and both Ryneq and Nysad turned to face him as he pushed off the wall and walked toward them. “I can feel it all over her, inside her. That’s why the wound won’t heal. There is no saving her, Your Highness.”

“
Gods
… I’d love to get my hands on that venomous, murdering….” Ryneq clutched the hilt of the dagger in his belt, the urge to bury it deep in the witch’s throat almost too much to contain. He looked over at Kalis again, now resting on her back and looking far more peaceful than before. “Have you questioned her?”

“We tried. She insisted on waiting for you.”

Ryneq took a deep breath to steady himself, pushing all his anger down and away. Whether he still cared about Kalis or not, she had fled to their enemy, and they needed to know what she’d revealed. He walked over to the bed and crouched down by Kalis’s head. Her eyes fluttered open, and when they focused on him, she gasped.

“Sire, please… forgive me… I—” She coughed, and bright specks of blood splattered over her hand as she tried to cover her mouth.

Ryneq ignored her pleas. “What did you tell them, Kalis?”

Her eyes were already full of tears, and they began to fall steadily down her cheeks as she blinked up at him. “I was… I was so angry. Didn’t mean to… go… but you killed… him, and I….” Her voice broke between choked sobs, and she struggled to draw in enough air.

“Kalis.”

Her eyes glazed over, as though she wasn’t really seeing him anymore. “Changed my… mind and tried to… to go back… couldn’t get in.” She reached out with one bloodied hand and clutched Ryneq’s arm. “Sire… didn’t want… to tell… but they
made
me….” She looked back down at her belly and let out an anguished cry. “They… k-killed… my baby.” Her eyes fell shut, and for a moment, Ryneq thought she’d died, but she tightened her other hand over her belly, and his heart clenched painfully at the sight.

“Get your answers quickly, Sire. She doesn’t have long.” Djilak wiped his hands on a cloth and stood. “There’s nothing I can do for her.”

“Kalis.” Ryneq kept his voice hard and firm, refusing to let his emotions show. “I need to know what you told them. If you truly had a change of heart, then it is your duty to tell me.” He grabbed the hand she still had on his arm and squeezed it. “Kalis?”

“
Everything.
” Her eyes opened, but it took her a few moments to focus her gaze on him, and Ryneq wanted to shake her to get the words out before it was too late. “Three times… for the… barrier. Not… protected… by Alel.” She coughed again, blood trickling out the corner of her mouth this time. “They asked… dragon bond….” Kalis’s grip loosened on Ryneq’s arm.