Traveler (30 page)

                Rahim bit back a surprise, keeping himself quiet as Ghost had asked.  All he wanted to do was to find his wife, and to go home with her.  That’s all that he wanted.  The state of the prisoners down here was a mess.  They looked gaunt, like skeletons, with rags hanging off their bony shoulders.  The sight made him wanted to vomit.  It was a horrible thing to do to a human being.  His eyes, though, locked on the cells at the end of the row, the ones Ghost was leading them to.  Hopefully she would be here.  He touched the pendant at his throat softly.  She had to be here.

                As they got closer to the most isolated cell there was, Alex suddenly stopped, blue eyes darting about cautiously.  There were male voices coming from that last cell, one of which he was certain was the snake they were trying to avoid.  He grabbed Rahim by the arm, pulling him into the shadows and using tendrils of magic to hide the two of them.  This was just what they had needed to avoid...needed to remain unseen by the man to safely find her and escape.

                Rahim opened his mouth to say something then shut it with a click.  There was someone there.  Two someone’s.  He followed Ghost’s example, crouching down into the shadows.  

***

                Silvertongue had come down into the dungeons, wanting to see his caged little bird, after he had ensured Rahim was safe and locked up in the suite he had prepared.  That girl was the key to everything, and it was her that held the key to his heart.  She was the key to making him cooperate.  He had taken Cedric downstairs with him; he knew how much the man wanted to see his fiancee again.  

                “Good afternoon, Bird,” he murmured, stepping out of the shadows and into her view.  “I’m sure you remember your betrothed...Snake, right?”  Cedric stepped up, his eyes dark and heated.  “We wanted to come down and ensure that these accommodations are...to your liking.”

                Having spent the night sitting with her back against the corner as far from the door as possible, Brileia was shivering a bit in the cool air when her captor suddenly came into her cell.  Her cerulean eyes widened in shock, filling with obvious fear at the sight of not only Silvertongue, but Cedric as well.  She lifted her chin slightly, managing to appear dignified despite the lack of clothes and the faint blue tinge to her lips.  “They’re fine.” She replied simply, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.

                “Oh,” Silvertongue said, clicking his tongue.  “Are you cold?  I can have Snake warm you up, if you like,” he said, a cool smile gracing his lips.  “He has missed you dearly...and I’m sure he’d love to...reacquaint himself with you.”  Letting loose a tendril of energy, Silvertongue bound her in threads of air, keeping her still.  “There is much you need to catch up on.  And this will keep you occupied...making sure that he thinks you are dead.”

                A horrified look crossed her pretty face at the mere thought of Cedric touching her. Brileia struggled helplessly against the invisible bonds, her heart racing wildly.  “No! I would rather die than let
him
touch me! Why can’t you just leave me alone?!”

                “Because, bird....he was promised you, as part of our deal,” Silvertongue murmured.  “So you are his now, to do with what you will.”  Rahim’s fist trembled as it gripped the fabric of his pants.  “I’ll leave the two of you alone to get...reacquainted,” Silvertongue smiled, then with a flash of smoke disappeared from existence.

                Cedric had a slimy smile cross his face as he took a few steps into the cell.  “It’s been far too long, Bri,” he murmured.  “I’ve missed you...” Rahim couldn’t take it.  If that slimeball touched her he would die.

                “You are not allowed to call me that, Snake.  I don’t care what he says.  I don’t belong to you.  If you touch me, you will not live long enough to regret it.”  Brileia uttered much calmer than she felt, her hate-filled gaze resting solely upon Cedric.  No matter what Silvertongue had done said or done, she would fight him every step of the way.

                Hearing the exchange, Alex reached out and grabbed Rahim’s shoulder, his blue eyes cold and filled with rage.  “Calm yourself, Dragon.  He will die soon enough on our blades.  Right now we need to figure out a way to get him out of there so we can retrieve her and escape.  If you run off all half-cocked, it’ll just make things worse for her.”

                He let out a low growl as his eyes were locked on the cell.  “If he touches her...” he whispered, his voice calm and cold.  There was no emotion left in it.  

                “I don’t think you have a choice,” Cedric commented, kissing her harshly.  The bonds of air had dropped when Silvertongue had left, and he held her arms.  He pulled away after the brutal kiss, his eyes hard.  “I’ll come back for you tonight.”  With that, he turned on his heel and stalked away.

                As Cedric passed the shadows they were hiding in, Rahim wanted to reach out and strangle the life out of him.  The man deserved to die a horrible death.  Slow, and torturous.  He moved to take a step towards him, heedless of Alex’s warning.

                Wide frightened eyes followed Cedric as he left her cell, Brileia sinking to the floor limply.  Trembling fingers touched her lips, coming away with a hint of blood caused by such a rough kiss.  A soft whimper escaped her.  What was she going to do?  She couldn’t bear to be touched by that man...to be looked at like something to devour...and yet what choice did she have?

                Holding tightly to Rahim, Alex kept him back in the shadows, giving him a fierce glare.  “Now is not the time.  Let the bastard go.  She needs you to be thinking clearly.”

                Rahim let out his breath slowly.  “Fine,” he growled.  He waited until Cedric walked upstairs, out of the dungeons, before looking at Ghost.  “Can we get her out of here now?  Please?”  With a low growl, Rahim lost patience.  He threw Alex’s arms off of him, bolting towards Bri’s cell, skidding to a halt in front of it.  “Bri!” he whispered, his fingers reaching out to her.  “Gods, you’re alive.”

                The tall former assassin shook his head as the man gave in to his impulses yet again.  Hoping that he hadn’t accidentally triggered any alarms, he cautiously followed behind Rahim, glancing around carefully.  His eyes narrowed slightly when he caught sight of Brileia for the first time since he had retrieved her on that island.  Silvertongue had gone out of his way to make the girl uncomfortable, destroying her dress enough to practically leave her naked in a dungeon filled with male prisoners.

                The trembling girl lifted her head, tear-filled eyes catching sight of her beloved.  “You came for me...” she whispered softly, shakily getting to her feet.  She moved towards the bars, reaching out to grasp desperately at his fingers.  “You have to go...before they come back...please...th-they’ll hurt you...I can’t bear it...please...”

                Rahim shook his head.  “No.  You need to get out of here, Bri. You need to go with Ghost, he’ll get you out.”  Rahim tried to pull open the door, finding it locked.  “Ghost? Can you handle this thing?” he asked, his eyes dark.  “We don’t have a lot of time.”
                Feeling more than hearing the magical alarm that was suddenly triggered, Alex cursed softly under his breath before pushing him out of the way and deftly handling the old lock.  He opened the door and stepped aside in just enough time for the crying girl to throw herself at Rahim, her slight body shaking visibly.  “We need to hurry, you two.  The alarms are going off...and I don’t want to be here when the snake comes back.”

                Brileia clutched tightly to her beloved, crying softly.  “You’re coming with us, aren’t you?   You’re not going to do something reckless, are you? Please come with me...please...”  She was practically begging him, her eyes boring into his.

                Rahim took off the pendant he had given her, that time ages ago, and slipped it around her neck.  “Ghost will ensure you get out safely,” he murmured.  “It’s too dangerous for him to get all three of us out.  I know this castle better than anyone; I’ll be safer on my own...and then I’ll come and find you.  Okay?  Trust me.”  He kissed her softly, his eyes boring into hers.  “You need to trust me....Ghost, get her out of here.  I’ll take care of myself.  Please.”

                On the verge of hysterics, she could only stare at her beloved, trembling visibly.  She didn’t want to let him out of her sight, the whole ordeal having brought back memories she would rather not have.  Brileia barely noticed as the other man stepped behind her, slipping a worn shirt over her bare shoulders.

                Realizing that he was going to have a problem getting the frightened girl to leave her beloved’s side willingly, Alex sighed before whispering softly in her ear.  The small bit of magic made the girl pass out and start to fall, only to be caught by the much taller former assassin.  He gave Rahim a pointed look.  “Go now, Dragon...she’ll be safe, I promise.”

                Rahim looked for a moment tortured, his eyes pained as he looked at Ghost.  “I believe you,” Rahim whispered, and darted off, into the shadows and up the stairs.  Bri was in Ghost’s hands, now.  He had to trust the former assassin.  And Rahim...Rahim had to survive.

                Alex watched as the other man disappeared before shifting the unconscious girl in his arms.  First he had to get her out of this place, and then he would figure where to bring her.  He had an idea...but that would take some time to put into place.  Thin shadowy tendrils of magic wound slowly around the pair, swallowing them into the darkness and taking them from the dungeons.

Chapter 17

As the servants and guards of the mighty Silvertongue mindlessly went about their duties, they were entirely unaware of the two who were currently sneaking into the heavily guarded castle dungeons.  Leading the way through the shadow-filled corridors was a slender girl, covered from head to toe by a heavy cloak of black velvet.  Green eyes glanced around with a morbid curiosity, taking in the numerous examples of human suffering.  A disgusted look crossed her face at the sight of one before she looked away, quickly moving past the things she could not bear to see.  When she had coerced her brother into allowing her to practice her newly learned skills by sneaking into the dungeons, she had not quite expected to see such deplorable conditions.

                He followed his sister quietly, dressed head to toe in black, his bright green eyes scanning every inch of the dungeon walls for anything out of the ordinary.  He hadn’t wanted to let her come, but telling his sister no was just about as effective as trying to keep tabs on the assassin Ghost.  It just didn’t happen.  So, instead, she had gotten her way and had dragged her brother with her all the way to Silvertongue’s dungeon.  “Do be careful, sister,” he whispered.  “I’d really like to come out of this in one piece.  I would rather not have our tyrant of a father come tromping down here”

                “I am being careful, Darius...” She whispered softly as they crept down the hallway.  “Even if we do get caught, I doubt that father would be too mad at us.”  A few blonde locks slipped free from her hood as she tipped her head slightly, pausing to listen for a moment.  Then she looked up at her brother, frowning slightly.  “Do you hear those voices?”

                Darius frowned at her as she pretended to sneak.  Anyone worth their salt should be able to track her...but then again, he had taught her, so her chances were a bit better.  “Of course father’s not going to be mad at us,” Darius snapped a little tersely.  “It’s his castle, after all...he just hasn’t seen us in months.  Oh hello father, how do you do?  Long time no see, eh?  Yes, perfect.  By the way, we’re trying to undermine you at every turn”  His ramblings were drawn up short as he paused by her, a frown creasing his forehead.  “I do....that’s father’s voice.”

                At any other time, she might have had her feelings hurt by the way he snapped at her, but not at the moment.  “You say that as though I ever saw father more than once a year.  I doubt he misses me all that much,” she whispered softly, clearly distracted by the voices.  Still within the shadows, she moved a bit closer, wanting to hear what was being said.  

                It was when she drew closer that she got a much better look at the prisoner and the two men in the cell.  Her green eyes widened greatly in shock to see a naked young woman restrained, her father taunting her along with a man who was leering.  It was hard to believe what she was seeing...but there had to be an explanation for it...right?

                Darius frowned at his sister.  She was always so moody about their father..and he didn’t understand why.  The man was a bastard...a mean tyrant, who tortured people for fun.”Ari, you know he loves you,” he murmured softly.  “So please don’t be hard on yourself...” he trailed off again as he heard the voices too and moved closer with her, his green eyes narrowing.  What in the Gods’ names was going on?  His father seemed to be...coordinating this foolish goings-on.  And who was that other man with him?  “Hush, Ari, and listen,” he pleaded.  He wanted to know all that was going on, so he could pass fair judgement.

                Arielle barely heard her brother as she stared at the debacle in front of her, frozen in disbelief and horror.  Blindly she reached back to grab Darius’ hand, taking a step closer to him.  While there was no way that Darius would leave before hearing and seeing everything, she didn’t want to see this.  She didn’t want to see her father participating in something like this, especially after what had happened in that town months ago.

                Darius grabbed her offered hand, pulling her close against his chest so she could hide her face against it.  “Cover your ears,” he said gently.  “I won’t let anything happen to you.”  His father had left soon after, but the other man had stayed, bruising the young woman’s lips before he too stalked off.  Darius’s eyes narrowed.  He would kill his father...and this man, for what had just transpired.  Once they both were gone, he tilted Arielle’s face and lightly kissed her forehead.  “Ari, it’s safe now, pet,” he murmured.