Soul Relenter (Soul Saga #3) (30 page)

The pulse of her heart slowed as she progressed away from the dying man, knowing her soul and mind had changed irrevocably. The anger in her body consumed her entire composition
, and Accacia felt herself separate into two entities; a woman and a killer. She couldn’t even recognize herself for her actions but she was too far gone to think about it further. This was war; death was imminent.

Accacia advanced to other man who had surrendered. He was exactly where she le
ft him. His hands were still in the air and he remained on his knees. His eyes widened in surprise as she approached him. She wasn’t carrying any rope. “I—surrendered,” he said with a shaky voice, anticipating her next move. He could see the anger in her stretched lips and the lack of emotion in her eyes. He was so frightened he was shaking uncontrollably as he stared up at her. “I have not moved against you. I surrender.”

“
Mercy has never been granted to me! And you will see none either.” She raised her blade and severed his head cleanly from his shoulders, letting his body fall to the cobbled streets. His corpse released a river of blood in the road and it formed a pull of liquid at her feet. Accacia walked away without looking back. She entered the palace and crept through the dim hallways in the tower. It appeared to be deserted. The soldiers were sent to the battle front to oppose the attack on the city, leaving the keep unprotected. Accacia listened for voices as she advanced through the stone fortress. It was barren of any decoration and lacked furniture of any sort. It was more of a battle station than a palace of renowned quality. Accacia rose up the wooden stairs in the center of the room and reached the next landing, leading to a wide space that branched into three different directions. Wooden doors lined the walls, leading where, Accacia had no idea. The Asquithian Queen feared she may never find the Commander in this large keep. Accacia heard the sound of voices and she turned to the left, looking for the source of the sound. A door was slightly ajar and the light of the fire illuminated the cracks below the frame of the entryway. She pushed the door open and entered with her sword held at the ready.

Zyle felt his stomach rise into his chest when he saw the wall fall down. He was rooted to the spot, unable to look away as Accacia ran across the walkway on top of the wall, disappearing from his sight. Someone grabbed him by the hand and dragged him away, pulling him away from the collapse of the stones; they were about to crush him. Zyle was pushed up against the building in the square, out of the way of the crumbling building. The ground shook at the impact and clouds of dust filled the air. Zyle coughed the particles from his lungs and wiped the dirt from his eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Zyle looked at the person next to him. They were still holding his arm. When Zyle could see a few inches ahead of him, he recognized Roxian. Her hair had fallen loose from her clip, and her once beautiful face was smudged with dirt. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. She was concerned that he had lost his mind. He stood idle and did nothing as the wall fell on him.

Zyle jerked
his arm away, pulling her grip loose. He looked at the pile of rubble to the right of their location where the stone fortress and the house had fallen. It reached high into the sky and dust still floated into the air from the collision. The entire way was blocked. The path to the outside of the city was open, but the street into the heart of the city was closed, leaving only the path to the left, the opposite way of Accacia. Zyle didn’t respond to her question. He dashed to the mound of stone and rocks and tried to find a way across. He didn’t know what happened to Accacia. He prayed she wasn’t injured and unable to protect herself from more soldiers. He feared they would slaughter her before she could raise her sword, too weak from the fall. Zyle imagined the soldiers doing things far worse than killing her and his heart raced in alarm. He had to go after her.

Aleco was just as concerned. He studied the pile of rocks before h
im and could see no way to pass through the wreckage. Even if they could find a handhold, the rock could crumble beneath them and swallow them into a crevasse, suffocating them to death. He had seen Accacia jump on the house before the wall collapsed and move out of the way. Aleco would have chased after her but he knew he couldn’t cross the street without being crushed under the stone. He prayed she would survive whatever she faced. Aleco felt his body shake at the thought of her being killed. If she died, he didn’t know if he could continue this war. The only fuel left would be his desire to free her soul. The idea of never seeing her again—even arguing with her—made him tremble. Aleco turned away from the wall and looked at the slaughter before them. Most of the soldiers had been executed or crushed under the weight of the fallen structure and the remaining men were being killed by the Asquithians. Most of the guildsmen and the Asquithians had survived, but a large number of them had perished. Aleco looked for Laura, Accacia’s aunt, but couldn’t find her in the crowd, but he heard her voice directing orders to the Asquithians under her command. Aleco saw Zyle frantically look for a crossing in the rubble and Aleco grabbed him by the shoulder. “The way is blocked—we can’t cross.”

Zyle shook his hand
away. “I must reach her.”

“We have to find another way. We can navigat
e to the border of the city then cut through the middle, going back around to the other side.” Zyle ignored him and tried to find a handhold. He wasn’t listening. “It’ll be faster and we’ll have more men. This is our only option.”

“I’m not leaving Accacia.”

“And what do you think I’m doing? Abandoning her?” Aleco felt his anger rise to the surface. Zyle was too distressed to think clearly. Aleco grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against the wall. “Get your act together, Zyle. You are wasting our time by acting this way. More importantly, you are wasting Accacia’s time. We will travel around and meet her on the other side. I am just as concerned for her as you are. Now, let’s move.” Aleco released his hold and walked away. He entered the throng of people and addressed them. “Let’s move into the city. We will accept no prisoners nor grant any mercy. No one escapes Paso Robles alive.” Aleco led them away and down the path to their left.

Pragmatism fell upon Zyle’s shoulders and he realized Aleco was right. He followed Aleco into the crowd and they pressed further into the city. They would only be separated for a short time and then they would be reunited. He prayed that Accacia would survive whatever
she faced. He didn’t know what he would do if she didn’t.

Paso Robles

26

Accacia walked into the room and saw a man sitting in a chair, facing the open doorway. He looked away from the soldier he was addressing and stared at Accacia, who entered the chamber with her green warrior sword held aloft. The flames of the large hearth lit up the room and crept into the folds of Accacia’s hood, highlighting her features in the darkness.

The man d
idn’t stir when she entered. He didn’t reach for his sword or rise from his chair; he didn’t move at all. Only his eyes glanced to her face when she approached. The commander was surprised that the intruder was a woman, but he hid the look of shock from his features. “It seems that we are not alone.”

The soldier before him turned around and pulled his blade from his scabbard, prepared to engage her. Accacia gripped the hilt of her sword and tightened her bearing
s on the weightless blade that was given to her when she attained her status as a warrior. The commander hadn’t moved from his seated position but she knew how powerful he was just by looking at him. He was a large man, larger than any other she had seen. The lines between his muscles were stuffed with more muscles than she had thought possible. Even under his heavy armor she could see his massive size and girth. She estimated he was almost seven feet tall. A taller man she had never seen. Accacia felt her palm sweat under her grasp. She had to change her grip every few seconds so the sword wouldn’t slide from her greasy palm. The soldier stepped toward Accacia but the Commander held him back with his words. “Leave her be. We do not treat our guests that way.” The Commander leaned forward in his seat and Accacia felt frightened. He was getting bigger by the second. There was no possibility of Accacia defeating him in battle. If her speed wasn’t enough to move away from his powerful blow, he would kill her at the first landing of his sword—or even his fist. “Tell me who you are and what you want.”

Accacia knew she was being toyed with. The man wanted to play with
his food before he ate it, making it taste better. “My name is Accacia,” she said. There was no reason to hide her name since he wouldn’t live to convey her identity to someone else. Accacia was determined to kill him. “Surrender your resistance to me and my men. We want the slaves of Paso Robles. After that, we will leave you in peace.”

The man’s neck was twice the size of her head. He smiled at her words, clearly
amused by the ridiculous request, and he shook his head slightly. He placed his elbow on the arm rest of the chair and rested his fingers against his cheek as if he was fighting off boredom. “And If I grant your request, how will that benefit you? The king will commit every soldier in his army to your destruction. I suggest you surrender so that can be avoided.”

“You would tell him anyway.”

He smiled at her, and she was disturbed by the sight. “I could keep a secret—for
you
.” His grin widened at her irritated reaction. Her thin lips were pressed in a scowl and her eyes lit up in a blaze. “I am very understanding and—
gentle
. Step down now and no harm will befall you.”

“I’m not interested.” Accacia’s response had a double meaning.

“Then what do you expect, Accacia? Do you actually think you will
kill
me?”

“No
t if you surrender,” she said as she crept farther into the room. She needed to be certain she had enough room to slice his throat. “Tell your men to lower their weapons and no harm will befall you.”

The commander shook his head. “Now it is my turn not to be interested.”

Accacia stared at him but said nothing. She hoped he would back down but she knew it was unlikely. He could crush her with his bare hands alone. Accacia felt the fear course through her body. The thought of dying alone frightened her. Her aunt’s words came back into her mind and gave her courage.
Buck up, now!

The soldier addressed the commander without removing his gaze from Accacia. “What are your instructions, Mitan?”

The commander nodded to Accacia. His fingers were still pressed against his chin and he leaned farther back into his chair, ready to watch the entertainment. “Kill her.”

Accacia swirled her blade around in a flash and engaged him before Mitan finished his last word. The soldier parried the blow and slashed at Accacia but he missed his mark. Accacia moved out of the way and aimed her blade into his st
omach. The man darted away and charged her against the wall. She ducked out of his oncoming attack then shoved her blade into his thigh, up towards his torso. Accacia severed one of the largest arteries. The soldier fell back to the floor.

The commander didn’t move
as he glanced at the corpse. He returned his eyes to hers. “Well, that was boring. I was hoping it would have lasted longer.” Accacia didn’t lower her blade or shatter her concentration. She knew what was going to happen next. She gripped her sword and stilled her racing heart, forcing herself to remain calm and collected. She needed to maintain her focus. “I’m going to offer you one last chance, Accacia. Lower your weapon and save yourself the pain. If you’re confident because of the way you slaughtered my lackey don’t be too proud. He was always worthless. The truth is this: I wanted you to kill him. I studied your fighting technique and now I understand your strengths—as well as your weaknesses.” Accacia felt her heart pound again. She should have known that. She couldn’t change her fighting abilities now. She would need to utilize everything, every skill if she planned on surviving. “And I have to say, this may be even quicker. I hope it gives you comfort to know that I won’t kill you—not until I have my way with you. After that, I’ll end it quickly. You could save yourself the humiliation.”

His words angered her
beyond belief. Too many times has her virtue been threatened. Too many times has she been taken against her will. She had enough of it. The veins in her body carried the adrenaline to her muscles, feeding her body for the fight about to ensure. Rather than return her body to state of calm, she felt her body blaze in a fire of unbridled rage. Accacia was glad he said those words to her. They only feed her determination. His immaculate size surpassed her own weight by ten times but she wouldn’t give up without a fight. She raised her sword and stared at him, silently inviting him to engage her. The commander smiled. “So be it,” he said. “I was hoping you would choose this route. I may not kill you but I’ll definitely hurt you; inflict as much pain as possible. That’s worse than death, if you ask me.”

Accacia was growing a
nnoyed of his excessive chatter. The commander got off to the sound of his own voice. Accacia wanted to end this and save her people from the soldiers of the province. “Will you
shut up
and fight me already?” Accacia’s eyes were brighter than they had ever been. The anger was acting as a beacon in her eyes, lighting the room and the city below with the raging fires. This man was just like Drake, just another despicable fiend in this world that deserved to be killed.