Citadel of Fire (The Ronin Saga Book 2) (66 page)

“I don’t know,” Ayva said.

“It was the
way
you asked her. There was power in your voice, a strange conviction I’ve never heard before except from one other person…” He didn’t need to say who. “And that’s not the half of it. The Sodden Tunnels, do you remember traversing those to get to Gray? Again, I
don’t
,” he said with emphasis. “So you might want to ask yourself, did we truly travel to Tir Re’ Dol to save Gray of our own will? Or were we pulled?”

There was a long silence and he wondered if what he said was just nonsense, partly wishing he could take it back, when Ayva whispered, “You’re right. I’m not sure how I didn’t see it until now, but you’re right.” She breathed a sigh as if a weight from her shoulders was sloughed free. “I knew something felt odd about that night and it’s been nagging me ever since, but until you voiced it…”

“It’s a tad frightening, isn’t it?” he chuckled.

“A bit. But then what’s pulling us?”

“Fate,” he answered. The single word bounded off the walls, reminding them and emphasizing the words that were emblazoned on the walls, but now were dark and silent, watching them. To soften the moment, Darius added, “And perhaps dumb luck in my case.”

Ayva laughed. “You know, you’re far smarter than you ever let anyone know.”

Part of him blushed, glad for the darkness hearing how sincere her voice was, but he couldn’t resist, “And a lot cuter?”

“Don’t push it,” she grumbled, but then smiled. “But I’m glad you’re still your normal self. Now,” she said, throwing the bone at the wall and hearing it clatter hollowly. “Have any infinite wisdom on how to get out of here?”

Darius eyed his hands, feeling their sting. “Running low,” he answered. “What do you have in your pockets?”

Ayva rifled around and came up with her translucent dagger. “I almost forgot I had this. I guess it’s not much help. How about you?”

He shook his head. “Not much.”

They talked out ideas, from trying to use their blades as stepping stones, to creating a makeshift ladder out of the bones, piling them as high as possible, and more… In the end, their efforts netted Darius only a few more scratches and a lot more frustration.

“It’s no use,” Ayva said at last, sitting in an exasperated heap.

He couldn’t agree more. Rage and frustration and exhaustion welled together but he forced himself to take a breath and replied, “It’s no use wearing ourselves out any longer. Get some more sleep, perhaps then we can approach it with a fresh mind and a few less bruises.”

As he turned around, he saw Ayva was already asleep. He smiled to himself and knelt at her side, unpinning his cloak and draping it over her body. As he did, she whispered softly, talking in her sleep.

“Papa…”

In the light of the bloodstones he watched a tear roll down her round cheek. He felt her pain, debated waking her, but instead moved to wipe the tear away. Before he could, Ayva’s body rolled towards him and she snuggled into the crook of his arm. Darius sat frozen. “Uh…” he whispered. She nestled deeper, making a soft sound.

With a breath he smiled and gripped her tighter, then let exhaustion take him, falling back into the darkness of the pit and the abyss of sleep. Hours passed, Darius passing in and out of sleep. Day and night all became one long blur in the darkness. It could have been one day or one week, Darius had no clue, when he awoke for what he thought was the second time. Or was it the third?

Ayva was playing with her power, gently tossing a sputtering orb of light from one hand back to the other.

“You’re getting good at that,” he remarked, still tired. It was impossible to get real sleep without ever seeing light.

The ball sputtered and died as Ayva startled in surprise. “I…” she began and then shrugged. “It’s nothing really.”

Confusion marked Ayva’s features as Darius gently unfurled her palm. Slowly, the orb of light grew once more, lighting their features. “That’s not nothing.”

She smiled as well, but the ball flickered. “I can only hold it for so long. I can feel it slowly draining me. But it’s worth it—worth fighting this awful darkness even for a second, for a glimmer of light…”

Darius felt the panic in her words. Looking closer in the light, he realized he wasn’t wrong about before. Ayva
did
look gaunter, paler, as if she was slowly being drained of life. “Ayva…”

“I know,” she said and groaned. “I must look awful.”

“What is happening?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” she answered. “Maybe I’m sick; you should probably stay away from me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, shuffling nearer. “Besides, what could you have caught? I’ve been at your side all this time. I think it’s just the darkness, playing with our minds. It’s easy to feel out of sorts in this wretched perpetual night.”

She nodded. “Maybe.”

His stomach grumbled again. “Dice, I’m starving.”

Ayva laughed, stomach growling in unison. “Me too…” she whispered, and her voiced turned from forlorn to hopeful. “You know what sounds good? I could really go for one of Mistress Hitomi’s hrofi dishes right now… Maybe some buttered bread still warm from the oven…”

“Or some of that duck in that strange brown sauce simmered in herbs…?”

“How about those roasted vegetables?”

“Exactly!” Darius exclaimed. “Carrots glazed in brown sugar, roasted yams…”

Ayva laughed softly. “You do have a good memory.”

Darius tapped his noggin and made a hollow sound with his mouth. “Like a steel trap.”

He got a small chuckle out of Ayva and felt a shred of hope, but then her sigh followed, long and tired. “I’d settle for anything at this point… ”

Suddenly, Darius remembered the cheese in his pocket.

Excitedly he grabbed it.

He broke the piece in two, and felt the two sizes. One was clearly bigger. His stomach growled again, eating away at itself like a ravenous creature. It was painful. He’d never felt so much pain from hunger, and a large part of him had trouble not wolfing down the whole meager slice of food.

Ayva’s stomach growled again.

He handed her the bigger of the two slices.

“Where did you get this?” she said in amazement.

“I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

Ayva wasted no time, putting out her light and eating the cheese hungrily. He followed suit. Suddenly Ayva launched into a fit of coughs, doubling over in pain.

Darius dropped the cheese, grabbing her. “Ayva!” He didn’t know what to do. At last the coughing ceased. “What is happening to you?”

“I… I think it’s the darkness.”

“The darkness?”

She nodded in the dim red light. “I can feel it pressing in around me, like fingers around my heart… I…” she coughed into her palm, it sounded frail and rattled. As she lifted her fingers to the bloodstone’s light, Darius saw blood. Ayva’s eyes widened in fear. “I’m afraid, Darius. I can’t stay here much longer…”

He heard her words but for once in his life he didn’t have an answer.

She was speaking again, but his mind was elsewhere.

There was a clatter as a
rock skittered into the pit. In his delirious state Darius wasn’t sure if it was real or a dream or if he’d already passed into another realm. A scuffle sounded above, feet against dirt, and his rattled mind finally put the pieces together.

Darkeye had returned.

* * *

Lucky grabbed Dared and closed his eyes, holding him to the unlit torch.

Please work,
he thought again.
Nothing
. Dared was silent, just like his name. But Lucky knew he was there somewhere. Maybe he was just sleeping? The statue did make funny noises sometimes like snoring. He squeezed his eyes harder.
Work!

Vfoof!

The torch roared to life, flames burning and banishing the darkness. He smiled in success, and pocketed the magical statue that he’d begun to call Dared. He thought the statue enjoyed having a name, and it seemed the right name too—Dared, the Ronin of moon, was always quiet but deadly like a shadow… or so the stories said. Naming the little figure of a man who gripped a too-big sword was the least he could do. After all, the statue had saved his life almost a dozen times already. Again, he thanked Zane, though still he felt guilty for thieving it.
I’ll give it back soon, I promise,
he thought again, but a part of him didn’t want to let Dared go.

Lucky squinted into the scary darkness, but saw nothing. He was sure he had heard someone! Hadn’t he? Dared promised they were down here! Just then, there was a scraping sound. Yes, someone
was
down there. But what if they were bad, like the others of Darkeye’s foul clan? His heart thumped inside his chest. Again, his legs itched to flee. He could take Dared and hide, find a small nook to call home and live in peace.

But Dared pulsed, urging him forward.

He took a big breath and leaned forward, “Anyone alive down there?”

A light from within bloomed to life, brightening the pit, revealing a young man, and girl, and a pile of bones. “Yes,” the young woman said. “Who are you?”

“Lucky,” he said with a smile.

“What are you doing down here, Lucky? It isn’t safe,” she said worriedly.

She sounds nice,
Lucky thought, smiling.

But could he trust them?

Inside his pocket, the statue grew warm, as if speaking to him again.
Yes. Trust these two,
it resonated, not in words but in feelings.
Lucky sighed again.
Well, the statue
had
led him this far.
Fine, but you better know what you’re talking about, Dared.

The young woman was speaking again. “I don’t know how you got here, but you have to leave! There are bad men down here, and if they find you, they’ll kill you.”

And Lucky smirked. “I know, and that’s why I’m here to save you.”

“You… what?”

Lucky wasted no time. He hopped to his feet and moved to grab the rope Dared had told him to bring, when he heard a voice in the distance. He stumbled towards it fearfully, only to see a familiar face in the darkness of a cell. Sandy brown hair, sun darkened skin and sharp, hard eyes. Just like Shade’s. It couldn’t be.
Hannah
. He rushed to the prison. “Hannah! Are you all right? Dared was right, you are here!”

“Lucky?” she voiced, baffled. “How in the…”

“Um, it’s a long story,” he said, scratching his head. “I promise I’ll tell you it all later. For now, I’m sure Shade is really worried about you, and I don’t want him mad at me for getting us caught.”

“Zane?” she questioned, gripping the jail’s bars suddenly.

“Yep! Now stand back, okay? I’m gonna free you, but I don’t want Dared to hurt you.”

Hannah scoffed, sounding like her brother. “Dared,
the Ronin?
And how exactly are you going to free me? Don’t get me wrong, this is the bravest thing anyone’s ever done for me, but that lock is bigger than your head.”

And Lucky simply grinned. Fishing Dared out, he held him against the lock. Pressing his eyes shut, he growled,
Work!
The fat little man with his sword began to glow red and another tiny burst of flame flew forth, exploding the lock.

Hannah threw open the door, rushed forward, and scooped him up. “Lucky, I’ve no idea what you just did, but I could kiss you!” His cheeks bloomed red and he squawked in protest, and thankfully, she set him down. “C’mon, let’s save the others!”

They rushed back to the edge of the pit.

The girl’s light shone still, beating back the darkness.

“Need a little help?” Hannah called.

“Thank Lokei…” the young man breathed.

“Hurry!” the girl called. “We don’t know how much time we have until Darkeye returns!”

Finding the nearby rope, they tossed it down and hauled them up.

They stood at the edge of the pit.

Lucky eyed the two and shivered. They had the look of heroes. The young woman was kind and pretty—with brown hair, bright blue eyes and freckles, but her eyes held a faint golden sheen. Her fist opened and another orb of light burst forth. It reminded him of the scary blue stone, but he knew she was good. The young man at her side didn’t seem as nice. He scratched his wild brown hair, looking confused. But sizing him up, he could tell he was strong, and… his jaw dropped.
That sword!
The young man held a sword that made Lucky’s hands sweat—a green blade that looked made for a king!

Hannah let out a breath of relief. “Thank the spirits you’re alive! I was so afraid.”

“Alive, sure,” Darius scoffed. “Yet for how long? We’re out of the pit, but how exactly are we getting out of here? If we leave the way we came, we’re surely doomed. We got through that mess barely with Faye’s help and, save for Adorry’s death, I think that whole thing was a lie—a grand, staged rehearsal to bring us into Darkeye’s clutches.” And he sneered in anger.