Union (27 page)

Feeling as though someone had reached inside him and physically stopped his heart, which had gone from beating too fast to stuttering to a halt, Nykin clung to the saddle again as he suddenly felt light-headed.
“Ryneq’s down there somewhere. He went out with the elves to patrol the border.”
Nykin struggled to keep himself calm at the thought of Ryneq anywhere near the witch.
“Can you sense him?”

After an agonizing beat of silence, Fimor answered that both Cerylea and Ryneq were fine, but he could also sense a subtle shift in the magic of one of the elves with Ryneq. He didn’t mention a name, but when Nykin suddenly felt a flash of heat in his left side, he knew exactly who it was.
“It’s Faelon, isn’t?”

“I believe so. What do you feel, Nykin?”

“Something hot under my skin, not painful but not pleasant either.”
It had spread now, out across his stomach and his back, and Nykin felt an unnatural ache in his bones.
“Whatever’s happened to him, Fimor, I don’t think it was good.”

As relieved as he was that Ryneq was safe for now, the thought of Faelon being hurt made Nykin itch to get down there and help them. They’d all been together on patrol, and Nykin knew Ryneq would never run from a fight. He had no idea what had actually happened, or if it was still happening, and the not knowing was driving him crazy.

“There’s nothing we can do from up here, Nykin,”
Fimor said, obviously reading Nykin’s emotions far too easily. “
We need to get back to the city and send help, if it’s not already on its way.”

As much as Nykin hated not being able to help them right away, he knew Fimor was right. They couldn’t get to them from the air, and their only option was to return to Alel, unless….
“Fimor, Selene should be back at the city, she said she had plans this morning.”

“I will check with Kalesh while we fly.”

Nykin gripped the harness tightly and crouched low over Fimor’s neck as he turned sharply and headed back to the city.

“D
ID
YOU
feel that?” Avelor shifted in his saddle to look at Faelon behind him.

His voice had a hard edge to it, and Ryneq was instantly on alert. “Feel what?” He reined in his horse and waited for Faelon to catch up.

“There was a ripple in the protection border.” Faelon cast a worried glance at Avelor. “It was only faint, but it was definitely there.”

Ryneq looked between the two of them, raising his eyebrow expectantly when they didn’t say anything further. “And what does that mean exactly?”

“It means”—Faelon nudged his horse forward into a canter, and Ryneq did the same—“that someone, or something, is trying to get in. Come on.”

They rode out into the forest, the air cool where the overhead branches blocked out the sun’s heat. No one spoke for a while, until Ryneq couldn’t bear the silence any longer. He didn’t like not having all the facts, and at this point, he had no real idea of what was going on.

“So, do you know where they tried to get through?” He glanced over at Faelon as he spoke, but the elf had a look of concentration on his face and appeared not to hear him.

“He’s trying to locate it,” Avelor whispered, steering his horse to Ryneq’s other side. “Hopefully we can narrow it down to within a hundred-foot range.”

Faelon was muttering under his breath, and his eyes were now ringed with a deep purple, and Ryneq continued to stare as the purple slowly encompassed the whole of his eyes.

“It’s a witch.” Faelon hissed the words, his eyes snapping back to their normal blue color as he turned to face them. “About one hundred and fifty feet to our right.”

He pulled his horse up sharply, and Ryneq struggled to match him, having to circle back round before he was facing him.

Faelon rubbed his hand over a glowing silver cuff on his wrist. “I’ve called for help, just in case.”

“What do we do?” Ryneq was already drawing his sword, but Faelon shook his head quickly.

“You can’t fight magic with that, Your Highness.” He grinned a little and urged his horse closer to Ryneq’s. “At least not yet.” He laid both hands on the blade and closed his eyes, whispering words that made the metal vibrate and glow with a faint purple hue. “There,” he said, drawing his hands back. “Now you can.”

“What did you do to it?” Ryneq gave it a few experimental swings. It felt exactly the same in his hands, except… a slight tingle ran through his fingers, but the sensation passed almost as soon as it appeared.

Faelon shrugged. “It should get through her wards now, assuming you can get close enough. But her magic is strong. We need to be careful. The others will take a while to get here, so I suggest we just investigate for now, not engage.”

Ryneq nodded. The storm they’d sailed through was still a harsh and vivid memory, and he was well aware of what a witch could do.

“She’ll already know we’re here.” Avelor rolled his shoulders and tightened his grip on the reins. “There’s no need to hide our approach.”

He shared a look with Faelon, and Ryneq saw the flash of worry on both their faces. If it were Nykin riding next to him, he’d feel exactly the same. “Let’s go.”

The trees were too thick to see far ahead, and it made Ryneq uneasy to go in so blind. They had no idea if she was alone or not, but aside from waiting for help to arrive, they could do nothing but go and find out. Faelon and Avelor had insisted they could handle this. They were on patrol for a reason—Faelon’s magic was very strong—and while the witch was trying to get in, both Faelon and Avelor fully expected her to fail. The borders in the Hervathian Forest had been impenetrable for hundreds of years.

When they eventually approached the border itself, Ryneq wasn’t fully prepared for what was waiting for them.

But he should have been.

“Is the border still in place?” Ryneq kept his voice barely above a whisper as they dismounted. His eyes were glued to the witch as she stood with her arms raised, eyes closed, chanting in a language Ryneq didn’t recognize.

Faelon nodded. He was watching the witch closely as well, his gaze hardening as she looked up at them and smiled.

Her eyes were as black as coal, and Ryneq felt his blood run cold. He’d never seen anything like it before, and judging from their matching expressions of shock, neither had Faelon and Avelor. Ryneq raised his sword, an automatic response to danger, and Seran’s laughter rang out loud and clear, echoing through the trees as he approached, flanked by his men.

“I must say, Ryneq, you’re looking better than the last time I saw you.” Seran smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and Ryneq tightened his grip on his sword hilt. “I guess that boy of yours must be good for something after all.”

Ryneq refused to rise to the bait. He pushed all thoughts of Nykin from his mind and focused on Seran. He looked far too confident for Ryneq’s liking, as if he knew something they didn’t, and something heavy and dark settled in the pit of Ryneq’s stomach. “What do you want?” He kept his eyes on Seran and his men, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Faelon and Avelor staring at the witch as she continued to chant softly. “The union is complete, and you must know you can’t get through the barrier.”

Seran stepped closer, his newly shaved head and dark piercing eyes made him look more like a thief than a king, and he was a good few inches taller than Ryneq. But Ryneq didn’t even flinch, confident the barrier would protect him.

Seran halted only when the invisible force prevented him from going any farther. “Yes, I’m aware that your sister has married, more’s the pity.” He licked his lips and then smirked. Ryneq wanted to run his sword through Seran’s belly and watch him squirm on his blade. “I thought the storm might prevent that, but clearly I underestimated you.” He nodded in grudging respect, and Ryneq struggled not to react.

He’d suspected Seran’s involvement, but to have it confirmed still came as a surprise. He should have known Seran had been behind it all, but where had he managed to join forces with a witch? Ryneq had never met one before, but rumor had it they were solitary creatures who weren’t all that interested in allies. What could he possibly have offered her to make her help him?

“As for this?” Seran pushed his hand against the air, and it rippled under his fingers. Faelon cursed next to Ryneq, and Ryneq had the awful feeling that that wasn’t supposed to happen. “It’s only a matter of time.” Seran grinned at him and gestured to the witch.

She was small, slim, and younger than Ryneq would have expected, but he had no idea if that was natural or aided by magic. Her dark hair fell to her waist, and if she hadn’t looked like she wanted to gut them all and eat them as a snack, Ryneq would have called her beautiful. But her eyes were cold and hard, the black making her look like a demon from the books Ryneq had read as a child.

Seran ran his hand back and forth, and the barrier continuously changed color. Ryneq hoped he’d imagined it, but Seran’s hand seemed to be moving farther forward with each pass.

“The magical protection won’t work if Cerylea’s dead, and when I breach the barrier, I’m going to kill her and her prince. Then Torsere will be mine for the taking.” His eyes were a little glazed and unfocused as he spoke, and Ryneq took a step back. Seran looked slightly unhinged, and Ryneq wondered if maybe the witch had been the one who’d sought him out, and not the other way around.

Seran clearly didn’t know Torsere was still vulnerable, though, and Ryneq wanted to keep it that way. They just needed to stop him from attacking Alel. Ryneq eyed the men Seran had brought with him. Even with a witch, they would be sorely outnumbered, and Ryneq said as much to Seran, in an attempt to make him back off.

Seran just laughed. “You think these are all the men I brought with me?” he asked, waving his hand in their direction. “I have a whole army just waiting for my signal.” He looked almost smug at the wince Ryneq failed to hide, and Ryneq knew he was telling the truth.

“Ryneq.” Faelon’s urgent tone caught Ryneq’s immediate attention, and he turned quickly to look at him. He was standing in front of the witch, his hands outstretched and buried in the rippling colors of the barrier. “I don’t know how she’s doing it, but her magic is working. I can’t stop it.” Ryneq saw the magic leaking out of Faelon’s fingers as he tried to repair the damage she was doing. “Look.” Faelon nodded over at the tree behind him.

Avelor had his hands on the trunk, doing much the same as Faelon was doing to the barrier itself. Ryneq knew the elves used the trees to help protect Alel, but he’d never really understood how until that moment. The magic was woven into the bark, connecting the trees in a large circle surrounding the city. He could see it, a faint shimmering in the air, but clear enough that Ryneq could follow its path through the forest.

It looked strong and unforgiving as it passed from tree to tree, except for where Avelor had his hands. A wave of dread washed over Ryneq as he spotted the small gap in the barrier and heard the witch’s chanting growing louder—a definite edge of victory in her voice.

Avelor was desperately trying to force his magic into the bark, and Ryneq watched as the purple tendrils tried in vain to stitch the tear together. The tear wasn’t getting any bigger, but it wasn’t closing either. Ryneq gripped his sword tightly, readying himself for what was about to come.

“Where are the others?” he yelled to Faelon. The three of them alone would be powerless to do anything if the witch broke through. They would be overwhelmed in moments, if Seran were telling the truth.

“They’re on their way,” Faelon shot back, grimacing as he struggled to keep the barrier whole.

With the way the two elves strained against the witch’s magic, Ryneq feared they weren’t going to make it in time. He felt useless just standing by and watching. “How can I he—”

“Do it now!” Seran yelled at the witch and pointed at the tree where Avelor was standing.

Ryneq watched in horror as she smiled, big and wide, and unnatural. Her eyes glowed, and altogether she was one of the most terrifying things Ryneq had ever seen. She brought her arms out in front of her, pointed her fingers at the trunk—and Avelor—and screamed the words.

It all happened too fast for Ryneq to comprehend fully. Avelor closed his eyes and moved to shield the trunk with his body as streaks of red erupted from the witch’s hands. He was going to sacrifice himself to try to prevent the barrier being breached, and Ryneq ran forward to pull him out of the way.

Faelon got there first. He threw himself in front of Avelor, his hands outstretched, and a wall of purple covered them both. But the witch’s red magic slipped through the tear in the barrier and straight through Faelon’s hastily erected shield.

“Faelon! No!” Ryneq yelled.

Faelon clutched at his chest, his whole body convulsing as he collapsed back against Avelor.

Ryneq spun around to face the witch, fully expecting her and Seran to charge at them now they’d broken through. But Seran stood there, stock-still, as he stared at the witch’s crumpled body lying on the forest floor. Unfortunately, she still appeared to be breathing, but when Ryneq glanced back at the tree, he could still see the tear, but the barrier held. Whatever Faelon had done, it seemed to have worked. But at what cost?