A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 31

Thank Jussip she could think more clearly than him at the moment. "You have a point."

"Please, rest, and don't worry about me. I'll be fine in the morning."

Realization jolted through his body. She was pushing him away. Probably for the best, he told himself as he nodded, but it didn't dull the sting of her rejection. "If you need me, I'm right on the other side."

"I know."

He entered his empty room and stared at the perfectly made-up bed. He pulled back the covers and crawled under them fully clothed and armed. The hard metal of his concealed weapons dug into his ribs, making it difficult to find a comfortable position.

***

Sulaino drummed his fingers on the message box, waiting for the glow announcing a new message. Three hours had passed since he gave his terms to Gandor. The snotty little prince seemed all too happy to give him what he wanted. Greed did odd things to men's minds. Gandor seemed so focused on claiming his father's crown that he never realized the golden-haired witch's worth.

"Shame on him for being such a fool, but lucky me." He plucked a late-season grape off a plate. The first frost of the season crystallized the sugar inside, creating a sweet syrup when he popped it into his mouth. "What do you think, Yessling?"

The former lord answered with a blank stare.

He laughed. "Oh, I forgot. You're undead now. No more talking. I think I'm coming to enjoy it."

The message box began to glow like an oil lamp.

"Oh joy!"

The contents of the note met his expectations. The king refused to hand over the Soulbearer, but a mutiny was forming right under his nose because of it. He'd have her before the deadline he set.

Sulaino laid the paper aside with a grin. He could afford to be patient now. One more day, and everything would fall into place.

He stepped outside and began to cast. Thick fog rolled in from the river banks, shrouding his entire forces from the prying eyes of Heodis' forces. Tomorrow night, the people of Ranello would know the true meaning of fear.

***

Arden looked out the window, watching the fog cover the three moons. Was Sulaino leaving? The continued icy dread that filled her heart answered her question. He was still out there, waiting for her.

She'd managed to cry herself to sleep earlier and woke up alone her bed. Well, technically, not alone. Cinder's coarse fur remained within reach if she needed reassurance. She ran her fingers through it and savored the warm heat radiating from his body.

Dev's behavior tonight bothered her more than an inn full of rowdy drunkards. Whether he was angry or disgusted by her reaction to Kell's betrayal, he couldn't wait to get away from her. Of course, she didn't blame him one bit. All this time, he'd warned her to stay away from the prince, that he only meant to use her, but she'd blindly ignored him. The bitter truth was hard to swallow when she learned it.

Cinder's head popped up, and his ears perked forward. A low growl rumbled through his body.

"What is it, boy?" she whispered.

He crouched as still as a statue, staring at the portal.

She sat up and grabbed the switchblade Dev had given her. Something didn't feel right, but she couldn't place her finger on it. After slipping her feet into the suede slippers by her bed, she tiptoed closer to the portal. "Dev?"

Chaos erupted on the other side of the wall. The sounds of furniture creaking and muffled voices filtered through the portal. Cinder bolted past her, disappearing into Dev's room. A man cried out in pain.

Her heart beat faster than a hummingbird's wings. It was the only thing in her body that dared to move. Fear paralyzed the rest of it.

The struggle continued in the other room. Then Dev's voice shouted, "Trouble, run!"

The mortar holding her feet to the ground cracked. Dev was being attacked, and she was standing there like a coward instead of running in to help him. Sour disgust rose into her throat. She flicked the blade of her knife open and ran blindly into the next room.

A grunt greeted her as she buried the blade into the first body she collided with. Thank the Lady Moon it wasn't Dev. A pair of hands grabbed her from behind, but she slashed any piece of exposed flesh she could get to.

Three men struggled to restrain Dev to the bed. A pair of dull silver manacles circled his wrists with a chain between them, but that didn't stop him from punching one of his captors. "Trouble, get out of here."

"No." She punctuated the word with another stab into an attacker. Warm, sticky blood coated her hands, and the smell turned her stomach.

"Stop messing around and get the witch," Larenis commanded from the doorway. "And remember, she needs to be alive."

A crack, followed by a thud, came from the bed. Dev's limp body lay unmoving on the sheet. Her throat closed up. No, not Dev.

Now that they'd subdued him, they turned on her. Three of them pushed her toward the corner, cutting off her escape. The faint moonlight glittered off their weapons. The acid stench of sweat mingled with the metallic smell of blood in the small room. Their chests heaved, but they all stood still as if they waited for the signal to attack her.

Flames replaced the fear inside her, spreading through her limbs like a wildfire. They may have swords, but she had magic. She'd burn the palace to the ground if she needed to.

Another cry of pain pierced the silence. A soldier struggled to wrench free from Cinder's jaws, but the wolf held tight. Seeing his determination to keep fighting strengthened her resolve.

"Get the girl and kill the wolf," Larenis barked from a safe distance of the brawl.

Coward, her mind hissed.

One of the men lunged at her. She held her breath and twisted to avoid his hands, only to find herself face to face with another's blade. He slashed at her. A squeal escaped her lips as she jumped back.

Cinder released his victim at the sound and ran toward her.

"Look out," a voice warned just before the wolf sank his teeth into the thigh of one her attackers.

"Get it off me!" The man's sword clattered to the ground, and both hands gripped Cinder's head.

"Gladly," one of his comrades answered, plunging his blade into the wolf's chest.

Time stood still. Her vision blurred with tears. "Cinder!" her voice screamed, but it seemed to come from a distant place. Blood rushed in her ears, growing louder as her rage built inside her. Her magic begged for release. A string of curse words erupted from her mouth in sync with the bolts of blue lightning from her fingertips. The soldiers flew across the room when it hit them, leaving holes in the plaster walls from the impact before crumpling into unconscious heaps.

Arden sank to her knees. Everything around her faded from view except the bleeding wolf at her feet. Damn stupid, loyal wolf. Sobs choked her throat. She ran her hands through the blood-soaked fur, searching for the source of the red river flowing across his body. "I'm not going to let you die," she whispered.

Her fingers sank into the squishy flesh of the wound, and her stomach heaved. This was more serious than Ortono's wound. Cinder's chest still moved up and down but grew fainter with each breath. Time was running out. She focused on the wound and saw the layers of torn tissue in her mind. Her magic took hold of her, flowed into Cinder.

She managed to staunch the heaviest bleeding before someone grabbed her from behind. A cloth doused in something that stank like overly fermented fruit covered her mouth and nose. The interruption ripped her from the healing spell, draining her energy with it. She tried to struggle, but with each inhalation of the sickening smell, her eyes grew heavier.

"Grab the chains before she casts another spell."

I can't give up. Need to keep fighting. Won't surrender. Her thoughts became slurred, and her muscles refused to obey her mind. Blackness closed in around her as the cold metal circled her wrists.