Inheritance - The Dark Sorcerers: Book 1

Chapter 36: To the Rescue

"Don't lie to me, Rowan," Elijah said, his voice dangerously low. "Last night, two guards arrested those Dwarfs who accompany you and Kenna all the time after they had caused some trouble near the storage room, the exact same place where I spotted two barrels with potion rolling across the hallway by themselves. To top it all off, someone strangled me from behind only seconds later." His eyes narrowed, flicking back and forth between Rowan and me.

Images of Ellie and Larry languishing deep in the dungeons of the Tower of the Honored plagued my mind while I rushed forward and grabbed the sleeve of Elijah's long, black cloak. "What have you done to the Dwarfs?"

"Nothing," Elijah spat, yanking himself free from my grip. "Yet."

"And Cain—"

"Knows nothing," he finished my sentence. "I used my authority as a lieutenant to command the guards to remain silent for now. I wanted to give you both the benefit of the doubt before taking the matter to Cain."

I frowned, confused. "Why would you do that?"

"So you admit that it really was you who broke into our storage room?"

Clenching my teeth, I turned away from him before my face would betray the whole truth. Rowan sighed and took a step forward, putting a hand on Elijah's arm. To my surprise, the Sorcerer didn't pull away. "If you want to arrest us, you may as well go ahead and do so now," Rowan said softly. "Kenna and I won't tell you anything. However, since you came to us first, something tells me that you're not very eager to hand us over to Cain."

My eyes glided to Rowan's back, to the scars that ran over his skin, now concealed by his tunic. For Elijah's sake, I hoped that he didn't actually plan on arresting us, because I would rather kill him than subject Rowan to another round of merciless torture.

Silence descended onto the three of us like a blanket that blocked out the world and trapped us underneath, connecting our fates to each other. We were all in this together now and everything depended on Elijah's decision. If he decided to turn us over to Cain, that would seriously complicate my position with the Dark Sorcerers as well as every chance for Rowan and his mother to get out of this city in one piece. Yet, if he chose to help us or to turn a blind eye to the crime we had committed, he would betray his people. He didn't owe us anything; we were as good as strangers to him aside from his daily training sessions with Rowan. Still, something about his appearance gave me hope.

He turned to me, searching my face, although I had no idea what for. His eyes softened and he admitted in a quiet voice, "Not every Dark Sorcerer in these towers is loyal to Cain and his extreme methods of ruling over others. Some of us still fight the Darkness. Like you do."

Sucking the back of my teeth, I stared back at him, unable to avert my gaze. My lips curled up into a hesitant smile. "Does that mean that you're on our side?"

He shook his head, but the gesture wasn't one of denial. The doubt on his face was the same one that had stirred my own thoughts for almost two months now: the question whether there was really something like good and bad people. "I don't know what you and your Dwarf friends are up to and I'm not sure whether I want to have anything to do with it. But I know who you are, Kenna, and what decision lies in your hands. My gut tells me to trust you, which is why I'll help you get your friends out of the dungeons. But that's it," he quickly added upon seeing the hope and gratitude on my face. "If either of you get in more serious trouble later on, I won't come to your rescue again."

Both Rowan and I nodded, understanding what he was offering and what sacrifice it implied for him. He risked his position, possibly even his life, for ... for what exactly? For me? For Rowan? For the irrational hope that the world could be different, better? Anyway, his resistance to the established order, though so small, changed my impression about him from potential enemy to potential ally.