Dragonfyre (17 page)

She was lost. She had not only forsaken the Order for her love for Aimery, but she had betrayed every Fae by turning to the black magic. There was no doubt the magic running through her now was powerful indeed. It was heady to feel the magic infuse her, pump through her very veins. She could do things that she had never been able to before. The knowledge that came with the power was disturbing and exhilarating.

With every breath she took she delved deeper into the dark side, learning the magic, controlling it. She could feel herself growing more powerful. Once she accepted what she had done, knowing it could save Aimery, she had given herself up to it wholly.

Kyndra walked around the spacious tower. It was the tallest of the castle and, once the ceremony was completed, the light that would shine from Isran would light the realm. Her new realm.

Isran had made it clear he wanted her, and she would let him think he could have her. She would even give him her body if it meant she could earn his trust. But one day, when he trusted her fully, she would kill him.

She stopped near the stone slab where a single dagger was placed. It was the weapon she would use to crack open the egg. It tore at her heart to kill a being she had spent her life helping and loving, but there was no way around it.

Kyndra lifted the dagger and inspected the blade. Near the hilt it was as wide as her palm and narrowed down to a point. It glistened in the candlelight. She lifted a hand and touched the pad of her finger on the blade. Blood welled from the spot and ran down her palm. There was no pain, and the wound healed almost immediately.

“It’s time.”

She looked up to find Isran standing on the other side of the altar. He had removed his tunic and boots and stood only in his black breeches. His flaxen hair hung loose about his bare shoulders, lifting in the soft wind.

“Where is the egg?”

Isran grinned. “In just a moment, my sweet. We have one more that we’re waiting for.” Kyndra’s heart accelerated. Surely he wasn’t talking about Aimery. She had taken steps to make sure Aimery would never see her overtaken by the dark side.

There was a sound at the door and, when she turned, her gaze locked with Aimery.

Nay!

* * * * *

Aimery kept his expression blank. He had known Kyndra would be with Isran. He just hadn’t expected to find that the woman he loved had sided with such a bastard. He hadn’t just failed the dragons and his realm, he had failed Kyndra and his vow to her.

He struggled to breathe as he gazed upon her beauty. The crimson gown was striking on her. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless.

But he would never have her again.

Isran stepped into his line of vision. Aimery raised a brow at him.

“You’re much haler than I expected you to be,” Isran said with a smirk. “Did you choose to run away instead of fighting my men?”

“Go have a look yourself.”

Isran’s swirling gaze narrowed. “You’ve had no sustenance, Aimery, and you’ve been battling for more than half the day. You should be crawling up those steps, not standing here arguing with me.”

Aimery couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at his lips. “I would apologize for disappointing you, Isran, but I really could give a shite. I’m stronger than you realized.”

“And your madness?”

“It’s amazing what a battle can do to clear your head.” Isran didn’t need to know that he had nearly fallen into his insanity several times when his body had begun to tire.

“For all your words, you are exhausted. I can see the light fading from your eyes, the way your fingers are barely holding onto your weapon, and how you need to lean against the door to keep your footing.”

Aimery shrugged. “I’m sick of hearing you talk. Get on with whatever you wanted me for.”

“Oh, you know why you’re here. It’s time to crack the egg.”

“What do you need me for? It looks as though you already have an assistant.” Isran put his hands behind his back and smiled. “She’s lovely, isn’t she? I knew the moment I saw her she was your weakness.”

“I know you plan to use her against me.”

“Do you now? And how do you think I’m going to do that?” Aimery shrugged. “You’ve turned her to your side obviously.”

“That was obvious, wasn’t it?”

“What I want to know is why? You could have used our realm, Theron, or any number of things to bend me to your will.”

Isran leaned close and whispered, “Because what I have in store for you called for something…special.”

Aimery’s blood turned to ice at Isran’s words. He dared not look at Kyndra. It was enough that she was standing with Isran. And not him. Isran was close enough for an attack, his defenses were down. Aimery didn’t hesitate as he stepped from the wall and thrust his sword at Isran.

The bastard threw back his head and laughed. “Come, come, Aimery. I anticipated you would do something this foolish.”

Aimery stared at his sword that had stopped inches from Isran’s stomach. He willed his arm to move, to kill Isran before it was too late. But Isran had outmaneuvered him. The last of his strength had gone into the attack, and it was by sheer will alone that he didn’t crumple on the floor.

“Now will you bend to me?”

Aimery glared at him. “Never.”

“Oh, you will. Never doubt that.”

The sword was yanked out of his hand by Isran’s magic and smashed against the wall, shattering into dust. The next instant Aimery was slammed against the stone wall, his arms stretched out at his sides.

“This will be a perfect place for you to watch,” Isran said.

Aimery jerked at the invisible bonds. He hung several feet off the floor, powerless to do anything other than watch, just as Isran wanted.

Unable to keep his gaze from her any longer, Aimery looked at Kyndra. She followed Isran with her eyes as if he were the only one in the world who mattered to her. It was like a dagger in his heart. Their nights together had meant more to him than to her. It had been a chance he’d taken and, even now, he didn’t regret a moment of it.

He loved her. It was something he had thought never to happen to him and, now that it had, he would be denied even that. He was touted as their realm’s finest warrior, but that didn’t grant him the love he had wanted above all else.

“Have you ever seen a dragon’s egg, Aimery?” Isran asked.

He didn’t bother to respond. Isran didn’t really want an answer. He just wanted to hear himself talk.

“Let me show you one.” Isran snapped his fingers and a large, pale blue egg appeared in front of him.

The egg stood nearly as tall as Isran, luminous in the light of the candles. Aimery was in awe. He had glimpsed the egg when he had looked through the male dragon’s eyes, but it was different than seeing it himself.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Isran murmured. He ran his hand over the egg as if caressing it. “I planned this moment for thousands of years. All my plans revolved around you, Aimery.” Aimery clenched his jaw. “Why was I the special one? I’m the one who befriended you.” Isran chuckled. “Why do you think I sought out your friendship? Everyone knows who Aimery is. Everyone reveres you, whispers about you as if you were a god instead of just a commander.”

“So you spent the next thousand years learning everything I could teach you.”

“It was easy. I became what you wanted me to be, and in return I got to see parts of the palace others never did.”

“Why kill the other Fae?”

Isran shrugged. “They had the misfortune of discovering me while I was practicing my magic, my…black magic. I couldn’t very well let them run off and tell you or Theron. I wasn’t prepared yet. They had to die.”

“You did all of this just to get me here. Why? Because you hate me so?”

“I don’t know that I would call it hate,” Isran said as he walked in front of the egg. “If not for a quirk of fate, your life could have been mine.”

“Because fate chose me, I get punished for it.”

“Not at all, brother. I’m going to reward you.”

Aimery laughed, the sound echoing around the tower. “You call this a reward?”

“Well, I admit, there will be some pain before the reward. But afterward, it is well and truly a reward. Just ask your lover, though she isn’t yours any longer.” Aimery clenched his jaw when Kyndra raised her gaze to his. There was something different about her. He had sensed it the night before, but now it was more pronounced, almost as if…

“Kyndra, nay,” he said with a groan. “Tell me you aren’t using black magic.” Isran clapped. “I wondered how long it would take you to realize it. Not even last night when you had your hands and mouth on her body did you realize it.”

“You watched, you sick son of a bitch?”

“Aye, I did. Too bad I won’t let you do the same when I claim her tonight.” Aimery yanked with all his might against the unseen chains, but he didn’t budge.

“Kyndra has a weakness as well,” Isran said.

“The dragons, I know.”

“Nay, not the dragons. Imagine my surprise when I learned you were her weakness.” Aimery stilled and looked at Kyndra. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She had turned for him. For
him
! She could never return to their realm, never know the dragons again.

Everything she had been was lost. Gone forever.

It was more than Aimery could take. He threw back his head and bellowed.

Chapter Twenty‐Three

Kyndra shivered at the roar that sounded from Aimery. She realized too late that Isran hadn’t wanted her, could have cared less if she had come to his side. He had done everything to put Aimery in this situation. Because he wanted
Aimery
to turn to the dark side.

It was so very clear, now that it was too late.

She had never felt like such a fool. She should have been able to see through Isran to realize what he was about. Aimery had even warned her and, though she knew Isran was using him against her, she had never dreamed he would go to these links.

“What are you going to do to him?” she asked.

Isran was smiling madly as he turned to her. “He’s going to be joining us, my sweet. He will do anything to keep you away from me.”

Kyndra clasped her hands behind her back to hide how they shook. Her soul was already damned, but Aimery’s wasn’t. She had to get to him, to talk to him before Isran converted him.

She licked her lips as she recalled the confusion then heartache in Aimery’s beautiful eyes as he realized what she had become. He hated her now, she realized that, but that didn’t stop her love for him.

“Is that a tear?”

She sniffed and arched a brow. “He’s hurting my ears. Besides, I wonder if he will be the warrior he was after all of this.”

“He’ll be better than before.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding when Isran turned his back to her. He had bought the lie, but she would have to be careful. Now that Isran had Aimery he didn’t need her.

He could kill her with just a thought, and she couldn’t let that happen until she had spoken to Aimery.

With a lick of her lips she walked to the egg. Aimery’s bellow ripped through her soul, his anger and frustration palpable. When he finally quieted, she glanced at him over her shoulder to find his head hanging between his shoulders as though he had passed out.“He’ll be fine,” Isran assured her.

“He better be.”

Isran wrapped his arm around her and brought her against him. “Do you want to touch the egg?”

She did, but she couldn’t, not knowing that she would be killing it in a few moments.

“Nay.”

“Are you ready to begin the ceremony?”

“What of Aimery?”

“I can wake him up quick enough.”

Kyndra walked to Aimery, wondering if Isran would let her get close enough. She was concerned about Aimery. He had held on to his sanity by a thin ribbon that could have unraveled.

“What if he’s fallen into madness?”

She stopped in front of him. “Aimery?” she whispered.

He didn’t respond.

“He’s safe enough,” Isran called. “Nothing can break those chains.”

“Aimery, please,” she hissed. “Tell me you are still with me.”

“So you can torment me more?” Aimery asked.

She let out a sigh. “Thank the gods.”

“Why?”

He had lifted his gaze to stare at her. She lost herself in his swirling blue eyes. “He wants you to turn to the dark side. Don’t do it. No matter what he says, please. My soul is damned.

Don’t condemn yours as well.”

“Is he awake?” Isran asked.

“Please,” she mouthed. “Aye, my lord. He’s awake.”

“And sane?”

Kyndra fisted her hands to keep from touching Aimery. His face was bruised, though not as she would have expected. It was almost as if he possessed some magic. Then she caught the glint off of sapphire eyes at the back of his head.

My cuff.

“Kyndra! Is he sane?” Isran demanded.

She took a step back. “Hard to say, my lord.”

Isran was by her side in a moment. “I need him sane.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have pushed him so.”

“I had to push him. He’s strong, too strong to give into the madness so easily.” Kyndra turned and started back to the altar. That’s when she spotted the missive Theron had written for them. She had forgotten about it, but why did Isran have it. For all he knew, it was simply a message.

While Isran was occupied with Aimery, Kyndra grabbed the rolled parchment and hurried around the altar. The dagger waited for her to pierce the egg, to begin Isran’s transformation into the most powerful being in the entire universe. No one, not the Fae or the Draconians, would be able to defeat him.

Kyndra closed her eyes and listened to the knowledge inside her, searching for an answer she feared wasn’t there.

* * * * *

Theron rubbed his tired eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He and Lugus had looked at the map of Thav for hours with no clues as to how to get in undetected. Everything had been shoved off his desk so the map could be spread out. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the parchment.