Flame Thrower (24 page)

“Nothing will prevent me from doing what I need to do, Father. I understand my place and think I have proven that to you countless times. I’ll bring Tillian home, at whatever cost it will take.”

“Why don’t you go mount a woman or something? It might get your mind off of the guilt. I won’t even tell your ‘lovely’ bride to be.” Irfan again taunted. Gareth was a cruel lover; played hard and left them used. Irfan knew since the betrothal papers were sighed, Gareth hadn’t had sex and the frustration from that denial showed. Irfan leaned back against the cushioned throne and added, “I have a better idea. Ryan has a sister, does he not? Why don’t you go find her instead? Trade one for the other.”

Now Gareth slowly turned and looked at his Father with a calculated gaze. For the first time, he accepted just how insane his Father was.
What did that make me?
Gareth thought.

He bowed by dipping his upper body, speaking smoothly to hide his revulsion. “As you wish, Father.”

Departing quickly from the great hall, Gareth set off in the direction of his private quarters to change for a long ride to Yorath. Along the way, he barked orders for his Captain to be brought in order to make preparations. He’s just been ordered to release his cruel side and part of Gareth cheered. Without Tillian here, the darker side of his personality took hold, making the good side wish for her safe return. He feared what he would become if she didn’t.

* * * *

Irfan couldn’t remember being this furious. Tillian cost him two thousand gold coins because he wasn’t paid up front, and Akland was nowhere to be found. Now this illegal wedding prevented him from earning more since his darling daughter was untouchable. He’d had grand plans to capitalize on the rampant desires men held for his daughter. When he’d realized they’d willingly pay large sums of coin for just one night with her to use however they willed, he saw a golden opportunity. She was young, healthy and that mean a long life of earning back the debt he owed. That was all gone now. “Damn her!” Shaking, he screamed at the ceiling absolutely enraged.
Damn her
.

His only consolation in all of this was he knew his son would not let him down. If a loop hole existed, Gareth would find it. If not, it meant another fire filled war with this Wizard King. He’d have help this time though. He’d not face the Flame Thrower alone. He’d appeal to the Mage Order and get his own fire power to fight back. Surely they would not allow such an injustice to be played out and surely they would not allow a fellow freak to behave with so little honor.

Irfan suddenly felt better about all of this. First, he’d let Gareth do what he did best-serve him. If he failed at reclaiming his sister, then he’d make his appeal to the Order.

Now
, he thought,
what is my reply going to be? Thank you? No, that didn’t seem appropriate. Congratulations? Definitely not. Bugger off? Now that seemed a little better!
Irfan laughed wickedly before he beckoned a cowering servant over, demanding his scribe be brought. It was time to write his note. Ryan had asked for word back acknowledging their union, but there was no bloody way he would give his blessing or support. There was just no way Irfan would do that, so he decided to send his own version of a congratulations instead.

* * * *

A fortnight after their wedding, Ryan and Tillian returned from a long ride in the plains to be greeted by their chamberlain. Ryan was beginning to get concerned that his sister had not yet arrived, for she was only three days from the capital city. A few days ago he’d received a message timing her arrival any day. Yet she still hadn’t arrived.

“Is my sister here?” Ryan asked even before he dismounted. His worry for his cherished sister blossomed when Kincaid shook his head. Crysin was so much younger than he and that made him feel somewhat overprotective of her wellbeing. Her absence didn’t sit well and the pit in his gut got heavier when he handed the reins over to the waiting groom.

Kincaid fidgeted. “There is no message from her either. There is, however a messenger from Folkyn in the reception chamber. He arrived shortly after you departed and has been waiting for your return.”

Tillian froze. He quickly touched her arm in an effort to remind her she was now the Queen of Yorath and untouchable. He knew her fears extended beyond her own well being so he urged her to trust him, to let her see that he protected all that he loved. Including the people of Yorath. Folkyn was not going to bring her any more harm, nor those of his country.

She followed him mutely to the reception chamber, but she knew what was coming. This was it. This was the one moment she dreaded.

Ryan leaned down to whisper in her ear, “It will be fine. You’ll see.” Yet Tillian didn’t respond.

As they entered, the messenger rose and stood at attention.

“What’s the message?” Ryan said curtly, holding out his hand impatiently.

“I have it here, your Highness.” The man presented an envelope that Tillian quickly saw had her brother’s seal, not her Father’s. Her quick intake of breath alerted Ryan that something was wrong and he looked at her instantly.

“That’s from my brother,” she said under her breath. Ryan barely heard but it was enough to pique his curiosity.

“Interesting.” His voice was cautious, because he saw she was close to panic.

Ryan accepted the note, broke the seal then read the contents. The temperature in the room jumped ten degrees hotter, and the mild fire that was always in the hearth flared to an inferno. That was just before the note in his hand ignited into a flash, where it fell to the floor, drifting as ash while the message smoldered. Ryan was enraged and his emotions quickly tumbled out of control.

The messenger cringed back for he was the very visage of his fear. The Flame Thrower stood before him, not a gentle King Ryan.

Wallace and Tillian shared a look of concern before she took charge. Fearlessly, she stepped before Ryan and chanced a touch to his cheek which burned hot to the touch. It was this moment that she should be terrified of his power. Ryan like this was the reason Folkyn stayed away, but the moment she looked into his glazed eyes and saw they danced with fire while he battled to control the inferno within, she didn’t care. This was Ryan, the man who loved her, the man who cherished her. It was her turn to save him.

She released the messenger so he wouldn’t witness anything else to tell Irfan. “Go, we’ll find you when a reply is ready.” She waited until the man nearly bolted from the room. Then she turned back to her husband, caressing his face again against better judgment. It seemed to have an effect for he leaned into her touch. “Ryan, please. What did the note say?”

“You will never go back to those people,” he roared and caused all to flinch. He spun away and stalked to the far side of the room boiling with anger.

“Ryan, please,” she tried again. Her dread at what the note contained or what her brother had said to get such a reaction increased.

“Your charming brother has kidnapped my innocent sister and is holding her for ransom.” He turned to Tillian and pointed an angry finger. “
You
are the ransom.”

Ryan pulled away from her caress and stood before the fire that raged like an inferno at the moment. “That bastard. That bloody bastard,” he kept saying to himself over and over. “He’s also demanding ten thousand gold coins to be sent along with you.” Ryan clenched his fists and unclenched them, trying to hold on to the last remnants of control. “He’ll get neither.” His voice held a certain level of finality to it that turned her soul over twice.

Tillian paled. She lost all feeling and suddenly felt like a bystander in her own body. She wasn’t even conscious of the words that flowed from her lips, even when she spoke them. Ryan was in the process of telling Wallace to ready the men to go find Crysin when she finally found her voice.

“You have to make the exchange. They will rape her, Ryan. They will torture her like they did me. You have to get her back. I’ve been there, and don’t want her to be. I would rather you save your innocent sister than turn her into the shell I am now. Save her. Hand me over. What are the instructions for the transfer? Is it here in Yorath or back in Folkyn?”

“No!” The fire in the hearth exploded again and the temperature in the room soared. Ryan spun around to face Tillian, and she swore she saw tiny flames dancing in his normally calm eyes.

Very calmly, Tillian approached her husband and laid her hand on his chest. “You have to, Ryan.”

This situation tormented him and he was out of control. With a pained expression, he looked down upon Tillian while his voice cracked. “I can’t lose you. I can’t send you back to these beasts. They will kill you and I won’t even get a chance to save you.”

Tillian moved quickly and grabbed his face in her tiny hands. She looked deeply into his eyes that were frantic and filled with the panic of having to make a decision to either forfeit his sister or his wife.

She recognized that battle. “Let me make the choice for you, Ryan. I’ll meet the instructions and you will get your sister back. I cannot and will not allow another innocent to be affected by their evil ministrations. Is that clear?”

He could barely talk when he pulled her to his chest and crushed her in his arms. He trembled with the conflicting emotion of fear and rage, both simmering to a boil just under the skin. “No. I c-can’t lo-o-ose y-y-you.”

“You’ll just have to come and get me back then,” she said against his chest.

“They will kill you.” He gulped a breath. “I’m afraid I won’t have time to get you back.”

“Send a message back with this man telling my brother we’ll meet him at the appointed day and time,” she whispered in response and made eye contact with Wallace. The man was smart and knew what he had to do. He slipped from the room to dispatch the messenger while she calmed Ryan down from his emotional cascade.

“We’ll figure something out before then. All right?”

He had not released her from his strong embrace yet.

“Now,” she looked up to see his face. “Ryan, you need to pull your magic back. You need to regain control.”

He returned her intense stare with his brown eyes boiling. Slowly he closed them and concentrated on capturing the power that flowed freely around the room and pulled it back into himself. Very slowly the temperature dropped and the fire died when the magic that fed it dissipated.

He rested his forehead to hers and exhaled. “Thank you, love,” he whispered. “You’re not going back to them. I’ll find a way to get her back without handing you over. I need you to understand something.” He paused while he collected his thoughts and prepared her for his next words. “I’m going to kill your brother. If you have objections to this we’d better argue about it now, because he dies for this offense. If your Father is also there, I’ll kill him too.”

The coldness in his voice startled Tillian, for up to this point he was so warm and gentle. This was a hard edge that she had not yet seen and she could fully understand the fear the Folkan’s had of him. He was utterly ruthless when angry.

She knew she had absolutely no course to ask him otherwise, so she just nodded and hugged him again to hide the distress on her face.

* * * *

Gareth received the message and grinned, then bellowed out a laugh with a hard edge to it and caused the mousy but beautiful woman in the corner to cringe.

“I’m sorry,” he said while wiping his eyes. “I can’t believe it worked.” Gareth turned to the woman who lay bound and gagged in the corner and resisted laughing again. Ryan caved for her?

“Aren’t you thrilled, Princess?”

Of course she couldn’t respond except to watch him carefully with wide, brown eyes.

Once he regained his composure and his mirth left, he approached her slowly and slid the gag out of her mouth, fingering her lips softly to ease the red marks left behind. “You should be happy to know your brother loves you more than my sister, Crysin.”

“At least he does love me, Gareth. You, I would question whether you love Tillian as much, you pig,” she spat, showering him in saliva that covered his face. The responding slap across her cheek was enough to daze her.

“Careful, Crysin. I love my sister, but have no love for the female gender in general. I find you all to be weak and breakable, so tread carefully.” Gareth’s snarl was feral and full of barely controlled rage.

“Or what, mighty Gareth?” It was her first mistake. She should have realized how unstable he was but ignored all the warning signs, being blinded by the raw anger boiling in her. She had a sick Aunt at home and was waylaid on the road, her guards killed and her brother probably frantic. Thinking about her own well being was the farthest thing from her mind.

When his fingers gripped her face and turned her head up towards his angry face, she read the warning signs clearly and gulped. Her throat worked reflexively while she tried to swallow but her mouth had gone bone dry.

“Tsk tsk. I see you were not taught manners like my sister. She at least never spoke back to any man and knew her place in our household. Don’t get me wrong, dear Princess Crysin, I love my sister above all others. She alone is the only worthy woman I know and I would gladly trade you for her any day. You are nothing to me. She is everything.”

Crysin made her second mistake when she engaged him. “Sounds a little disturbing, Gareth. Please tell me you didn’t enjoy her body while your Father’s men raped her.” She’d learned of Tillian’s situation through letters Ryan had sent along. He’d hoped Crysin’s gentle nature could help heal Tillian’s wounded soul. Crysin now stared at the source of Tillian’s pain and understood how powerless Tillian must have been.