DarykRogue (28 page)

She could only hope he told the truth. Few people would
relish being left with more slavers, but she would do almost anything to escape
this man. “Where is this Austos Castle?”

The man who cradled her in his arms set her on her feet and
waited until she regained her balance. Her cheek still throbbed, but at least
Taris hadn’t broken her jaw.

She glanced at Bruiser when Taris didn’t answer.

“A day into the desert, my lady,” Bruiser said. “But the
caravan isn’t that far away.”

Taris threw a disgusted glance at the man. “Don’t talk to
her, Clada.”

The bruiser’s eyes turned cooler, as if he wanted to detach
from caring. How had this gentle giant become a minion to Taris so quickly?

They marched into the jungle. But though Clada walked along
by her right side, he didn’t release her entirely. His meaty hand circled her
upper arm.

Before long, she wished she’d allowed Clada to carry her.
Her first experience of a jungle threatened to overwhelm her senses. Strange
animal sounds she couldn’t identify echoed, screams that sent skitters of
apprehension over her skin. Terrain snarled with vines and creepers as thick as
her wrist threatened to trip her at every step. The heavy heat that came with a
moist environment sucked at her energy. Perspiration trickled down her scalp
and onto her face. Air felt heavy and hard to breathe. Her head started to
throb. Was it from heat or the drink Yoanda had given her?

I was a fool.

She shouldn’t have trusted the woman.

Rage surged as betrayal cut deep. Good. Anger would keep her
moving, keep her will to survive high.

Rayder will come for me.

She knew it in her gut. After he realized what had happened,
he would comb the continent for her. Strength returned to her legs at the
thought. A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind. She’d need all her wits
to survive what came next. She’d survived a shipwreck. Slavery. Marriage to a
man she didn’t know.

I do know him.

She knew him now, and the sweet pang of yearning tearing her
apart brought hot tears to the surface. She wanted him more than life itself
even though she knew he would eventually discard her.

She stumbled and Clada tightened his grip on her. She
straightened, determined to persevere without complaining. She refused to show
weakness.

A strange noise, the trill of an animal, echoed nearby.
Hints of desert showed through the vines and trees.

Another loud animal noise, this one closer, trumpeted to the
right. She’d never heard anything like the noise—it was a trill and a horn all
at once. A moment later she saw it.

Twenty tall, leggy animals plodded along the desert sands.
Their long necks ended in narrow, almost attractive faces. Whiskers dotted
their noses, and thick lashes surrounded their big eyes. The animals themselves
didn’t appear dangerous, but the men riding on them were another thing. Large
wraps surrounded their heads and tunics were belted at the waist. Long pants
and boots that rose to the knees protected their bodies against the heat and
sand. On Magonia, men donned similar attire. Several men walked alongside the
animals, guiding them with harnesses and leads.

Mangalor returned from the desert. “They are here.”

Taris laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “We
could have figured that out for ourselves. Where were you?”

The man looked sheepish. “Talking with their leader. He
wants the woman.”

The woman. Mangalor stared at her, so she couldn’t mistake
his meaning.

“Very well. How much will he give me for her?” Taris asked.

The man whispered an amount in Taris’ ear. Taris grinned.
“For sight unseen?”

Mangalor looked extremely pleased with himself. “For sight
unseen.”

Taris smiled. “How extraordinary.”

Xandra’s stomach tossed. Dizziness threatened to claim her.
She couldn’t fade now. She needed to stay alert and capable of fighting.

“There’s one problem,” Mangalor said.

Taris’s self-assured grin faded. “What?”

“He wants us to bring her into camp and then leave. A
courier will bring our money back here to us.”

“Bugger that!” Taris laughed. “Is he fuckin’ crazy?”

Mangalor’s stoic expression didn’t change. “Very possibly.”

Taris licked his lips. Xandra searched his eyes and saw one
thing she recognized. Uncertainty. She’d experienced his wrath, his
insincerity, his adherence to the strongest and most condemning Magonian laws
and religious beliefs. Yet despite his certainty, she recognized discomfort
when she viewed it.

“Let’s do it,” Taris said.

On the edge of a precipice, she tottered in fear and an
overwhelming desire to cry. She swallowed hard. One way or the other, she’d
find her way out of this mess and back to Rayder. She could never return to
Magonia. Never. A pang of deep regret tugged inside her. She wanted to see her
old home, yet she despised the idea. A vision of her last moments in her old
home kept her from moving.

Blood. Everywhere.

Her parents’ bodies.

The destruction caused by this man.

Nausea rose in her throat. Tears stung her eyes.

“Let’s move it.” Taris gestured forward. “With any luck,
when I sell you, Rayder Tyrus will never see you again.”

To her despair, she realized that she feared it too.

Chapter Twenty

“We have enough supplies, I think,” Rayder said to Marc.
“Enough to appease Aramus right before we kill him.”

Marc stood outside his fortress with Rayder. Rayder’s
contingent of men had backpacks filled with supplies and awaited orders as they
stood down the hill from the entrance to Marc’s compound. They’d considered
taking Marc’s dragon, but Marc decided he’d keep the dragon there to stay on
guard. The dragon was sleeping in his building, but they knew at the slightest
hint of danger to the complex, the dragon would come out with a vengeance.

“Good.” Marc planted his hands on his hips. “When do you
want to head back to the
Beast
?”

Urgency hummed inside of Rayder. “As soon as possible.”
Rayder felt Marc’s scrutiny and met the other man’s critical gaze. “I don’t
like leaving Xandra there alone.”

“Yet you did.”

Regret burned in his gut but it made no sense. “I should
have brought her with me.”

“Because you think you could protect her in the jungle?”

Rayder sniffed and shook his head. “I don’t know if I could
protect her any better than leaving her on the ship. But my instincts tell me
something is wrong.”

“You left her on a ship with slavers like me.”

“They aren’t like you.”

“I am flattered.”

“They are worse.”

Marc’s eyebrows popped up. “You are right. They are. You
wouldn’t have asked for my help if you knew otherwise.”

Rayder shoved a hand through his hair. “It is time to
destroy Aramus.”

Marc hefted his own backpack from the ground. “We never
discussed who gets his ship.”

Rayder had known, from the time he headed out on this
venture. “You and your men. But you must promise to give safe passage to the
women. Send them back to Magonia if they wish to go.”

Marc’s eyes sparkled with a form of amusement, but then
humor faded. “You really aren’t the man everyone thinks you are.”

Rayder didn’t care. “It doesn’t matter to me. I wanted to
return the women to their land. I won’t compromise on that.”

Marc nodded. “You have my word. And you know my word is my
honor.”

“Do slavers have honor?”

“This one does. Forgive yourself for what happened to
Aknada, Rayder. We both have to forgive ourselves or we’ll pay for it the rest
of our lives.”

Regret continued to torture Rayder, burning in his gut. “Why
would you need to forgive yourself?”

Marc shook his head. “Because…” He swallowed hard. “It
doesn’t matter now.”

Rayder wanted to ask more, but decided they didn’t have
time. “Let’s go.”

Marc nodded and headed down the hill. They came to a
complete stop, though, when Rayder saw a familiar figure stumbling out of the
jungle.

“By the god.” Rayder said.

“Who is it?”

“Phili from the ship.” Fear spiked high inside Rayder.
“Admiral Aramus’ concubine.” Rayder ran toward her.

Marc followed and when they reached Phili, Rayder saw her
condition more clearly. Her face was streaked with dirt and her clothes torn.
Phili’s long hair lay in lank dark strands against her body. She was breathing
hard and gazed at Marc as if he’d sprung from the earth as a monster. Yet she
looked strong and capable, carrying a pack and a sword.

“What are you doing here?” Rayder asked.

“I escaped the
Beast
.” Phili didn’t look confident
for once. She seemed suddenly fragile, her body quivering with exertion.

“You’ve been running. You must have left the ship not long
after me,” Rayder said.

Phili allowed her sword arm to drop. She glanced around at
the variety of people moving about the grounds outside Marc’s fortress. “It’s a
long story.”

“Explain.” Rayder wouldn’t take Phili’s shite. “And make it
quick. I do not have time for this.”

“I didn’t know if I’d make it. I thought man or beast might
kill me along the way.” She smiled and wiped her hand across her forehead. “I
am free.”

“How did you escape?” Rayder asked.

“I’ve been planning to escape since I knew we were coming
into this last port.” Phili lifted a water skin off the leather strap she’d
secured over her tunic in the form of a belt. She gulped a significant amount
of water. “I’m finding my own way from now on. You’ve always been respectful of
the slaves. Not me so much.” She gulped and took a shuddering breath. “But I
deserved that. I haven’t made it easy to respect me, but I knew you’d want to
know and I had to find you. Xandra’s been kidnapped by the man who was once
betrothed to her.”

Surprise and fear jolted Rayder with a punch to the stomach.
He sucked in a breath. “What?”

“Yoanda has been skulking today and seemed to be up to
something. I didn’t trust her.” Phili grunted. “As if I ever have. After you
left, I followed her and saw her go into your cabin. Not long after two men I’d
never seen before knocked on the cabin door and Yoanda let them in. I knew
something was terribly wrong.”

Rayder’s stomach tumbled. “What happened?”

“At first I didn’t do anything.”

“Why the hell not? Is because you don’t like her?”

Phili made a short, sharp laugh. “I do like her. That’s why
I am here. I was planning to leave the ship anyway while we were docked. I’m
tired of being that wanker Aramus’ concubine.”

“Get on with it.” Rayder practically hissed the words.

Phili scowled. She lifted one hand to her mussed hair. “The
men working around me weren’t paying any attention to strangers on the ship.
Several were grinning to themselves, as if they knew what was happening. Maybe
they were paid off. The men came out not long after, and this one fellow
carried her over his shoulder. No one said a damn thing. I got the idea really
fast that no one was going to help her. I grabbed the pack I’d stowed away and
ran after them. I stayed well back because I knew they might see me. They’re on
the edge of the jungle where the desert meets. I ran on. I didn’t know if I’d
even find you or how I’d find you.” Her eyes looked haunted. “Nearly got eaten
by this winged thing. I think it was a dragon.”

Rayder’s suspiciousness ate away at any trust. “And by shear
dumb luck you found us?”

“No. I ran across a husband and wife traveling to Imekland.
When I asked where I could purchase supplies, they told me this place and
Felican Castle farther west. Here I am.”

Rayder’s jaw clenched as he tried to shove aside any
sympathy he felt for the ragged woman. He always believed women should be
treated well, and she had come here to tell him about Xandra. “Did you hear
where Taris Elian plans to take Xandra?”

Phili shook her head. “No.”

Rayder turned to Marc. “Forget my plan. I must go after
Xandra.”

Marc nodded. His eyes grave. “I’ll come with you.”

Surprise kept Rayder silent for one moment. “No. You have to
take the
Beast
. Make it your ship.”

Phili’s eyes widened. “You’re taking the ship from Aramus?”

His gaze intent on Marc, Rayder continued. “I never intended
to make the ship mine. You know that.”

But Marc didn’t seem to care. He clamped a hand on Rayder’s
shoulder. “I think I know where she’s been taken. Pian Forma is a slaver in the
desert. He has a caravan of nomadic people.”

Rayder’s blood started to boil with anger, and he shook off
Marc’s touch. “Do you do business with him?”

Discomfort flickered over the man’s face. “Rarely. But he’s
done business with Drakus and Aramus in the past. That’s probably how this
Taris Elian found out about him.” Marc glanced at Phili. “Taris Elian is
Magonian?”

“That’s what I hear,” Phili said.

“He is.” Rayder hefted his pack higher on his back. “He’s
rich enough to pay for information and hire help to take Xandra. He must have
paid Yoanda handsomely.”

Phili snorted. “That woman would sell her own mother given
the motivation.”

Rayder ignored Phili’s comment and turned to Marc. “All
right. Help me get Xandra back.” His throat tightened as emotion slammed him.
“I’d do anything to get her back. Anything.”

Marc nodded. “I will help you.”

Before Phili could turn away, Rayder took out some coin and
held it out to Phili. “For your trouble.”

Phili took it and her eyes widened. Her mouth opened and
worked, as if she wanted to speak but simply couldn’t.

Rayder said, “Thank you for coming here. You didn’t have to.
I respect that.”

Phili looked shaken, as if her hard core had been breached
for one moment by a simple gesture of thanks.