"Put him on the table," Nyx yells as he pushes books, paper, maps and ink off the table in one swipe. Caspian and Axel carry the man in and haul him onto the table.
"Grab his shoulder. Hold him down," Nyx growls as he rushes around his and Indigo's room.
I grab Rye's shoulder and push down. The man howls, thrashing in my grip. It's a workout to keep Rye pinned to the table. Caspian holds Rye's legs down while Kerra pins Rye's other shoulder.
Nyx growls to himself. He rummages through his pack. What is he looking for? Nyx brings back herbs. He muddles them between his palms. What is he doing? Echinacea? What is he doing with Echinacea?
Is Nyx going to heal this man? I didn't realize necromancers could heal. I have never heard of such a thing. Nor did I think it was possible.
Nyx leans over Rye. "This will hurt,"
Way to be sentimental. You could have lied. It wouldn't do much harm. It's not like the poor man can respond. He can nearly groan, let alone tell you to stop. All I get in response is Rye thrashing even harder when Nyx begins healing.
Spirits Nyx. You couldn't be gentle.
Across the room, Morgan snorts.
Great, she's listening in.
"You know it," She mutters. I look back at her; sure enough, she's wearing a grin. Rye shifts under my grip. This earns me a scolding from Nyx.
Yeah, yeah, I got it.
I push harder on Rye's shoulder.
Nyx starts chanting. His chatting gets faster with every verse he spits out. His hands glow...no. Scratch that. The skin under his hands glows. I listen to the light. Holy fae. Ryes's skill is mending itself.
Kerra looks up at me. We make eye contact. "Never seen a necromancer heal?"
"Never."
_____
18 Lepus, 13077
Hours later, when Rye can speak complete sentences, he asks to be brought to the Phantom guild. A place I shouldn't go. Can't. But Rye has seen me, and Uriel said he'd handle it. But can I trust that he did?
Not really. But I have to go. It would be suspicious if I didn't.
"Up you go," Caspian mutters as he and Axel lift Rye off the bed. Together they help Rye walk.
I roll my eyes as they pass me. How can a grown male say that in such a babyish way? Rather why? It's almost like he didn't have a childhood...come to think of it, I didn't have a childhood. But Caspian isn't royal. I am.
Caspian must have caught my eye roll as he rolls his. Axel shakes his head. That's likely meant for both of us. Thank you for that. It's not like Axel's not childish. He has his moments. I can tell that Morgan is the youngest, and Indigo is the oldest.
"Stop that," Morgan growls.
Caspian bow's his head.
Ha, the great Caspian LaVane backs down from a younger female. Morgan is scary at times. I completely get it. But it's still funny.
Getting Rye from Nyx and Indigo's room to the bottom floor takes several agonizing minutes. At one point, they almost dropped the man. Hasn't he been through enough? His body's just been healed. It needs time to adjust.
Outside the inn, Indigo helps Caspian put Rye on Caspian's horse. I asked Morgan about it, and Caspian is a better rider than Indigo. It would make more sense for Indigo to take Rye due to being the tallest.
Rye matches Caspian in height, but it looks like he weighs less, which is suitable for Caspian but not for Rye's recovery.
"Lead the way, Rye," Indigo tells Rye, who gestures to the way we should head.
At the Phantom Guild, we dismount and head inside. Two males take Rye from Indio and Axel while a third greets us. After he does, he turns to me. "I do not know you. What is your name?"
"Bree,"
"No last name?"
"No,"
The male squints. As if assessing if I'm lying. Too bad for him. I'm a fantastic liar.
_____
3rd Pov
Glyn Erickson growls at the messenger standing in front of his desk. He stands up, hands planted on the desk surface. "What do you mean Bree DeMarion wears an Ivory Fox crest,"
"She's a member of Uriel's guild,"
"For fuck's sake," Glyn slaps his hands on his desk. Books fall from the table, and trinkets jiggle. "Uriel can't keep his meaty paws off people he can't have,"
"Glyn, she's downstairs with Eli,"
"Good, good," Glyn smiles and takes a seat. He leans back in his chair, an arm on each armrest. "Tell Eli to make Ms. DeMarion comfortable,"
"Yes, sir."
Glyn opens his desk drawer and pulls out a sheet of paper. Thoughtfully he composes his letter to Uriel. Once satisfied, he folds it up. He grabs a small crystal and smashes it on the ground. A miniature portal appears. Glyn tosses the letter through.
Glyn leans back in his chair and thinks about Uriel's choice. Whether or not Uriel will respond is entirely up to the nearly 40-year-old male.
Back in Thavisea, a letter lands on Uriel Erickson's desk.
_____
On one side of Amrynn, Uriel passes his hand over his crystal on the floor. A life-size image of Glyn appears in the room. Neither male speaks for a short time.
"Uriel, nice to speak with you so soon after King Tarryen gave his speech,"
"I could say the same of you, Glyn,"
Glyn moves from one side of his study to his desk. Gracefully he sits on his chair and crosses his legs. Carefully he studies Uriel. "Formalities aside, why did you think it was a good idea to keep Bree DeMarion?"
Uriel smirks at his long-time friend.
"I never thought it was a good idea. I knew it was a gamble, but I assume it's paid off. Or will shortly. Bree DeMarion is an asset, not someone who should be put to death,"
"Your mission was to capture DeMarion and bring her to Alcottian for the Brotherhood to decide her fate. Not sign her up for the Ivory Fox. I will only ask this once, hand over DeMarion, Uriel,"
"I cannot,"
"Uriel,"
"Don't use my name against me, Alvin,"
Glyn sneers at his real name being used. Like every member of the Brotherhood, he has a fake name. One-handed down from the previous guild master. An illusion brought on when the original guild masters started to age.
Glyn and Uriel are the 19th and 13th guild masters, respectively. "If I have to, I will,"
"You will not have Bree DeMarion killed. That is final,"
"She is not yours to have, Ryker. The Brotherhood has laws for a reason. Her crime cannot go unpunished,"
"Don't you think I know that?" Uriel growls. "I am as much a part of the Brotherhood as you. You may have one day more experience, but I've had more hardship. So don't you dare think for a second that you can sway me with elder bullshit,"
"I can damn well try, old friend,"
"You're not getting Bree DeMarion. She is under the protection of the Ivory Fox. I will advise you not to start a war, brother,"
"Then do not force mine nor the brotherhood's hands,"
"The Brotherhood wants an answer. If you do not comply, we will march on the Ivory Fox and shred Bree DeMarion's contract." Glyn states before shutting off the connection between the two crystals.
On his side of Amrynn, Uriel hurls the crystal at his study's wall. It smashes the instant it hits the layered stone. Downstairs in the Ivory Fox, guild members sit in silence.
Glyn, on the other hand, growls to himself and paces. That is until one of his assassins calls for him. Then and only then does he take a second to calm himself.
_____
Lyra's Pov
"Wake up," A voice yells, accompanied by a swift kick to the ribs.
I roll over and clutch my side. A groan escapes my mouth. Not what I was expecting to wake up to. Not at all. Spirits and fucking souls. That hurt.
I look up at who kicked me.
I have to squint to attempt to see in the dimly lit room. From the person's outline in the harsh light streaming through a small window 20 feet up, I think it's a man. Height, build, close-cropped hair and the way he stands. It's almost a given that he's a man. He could be a buff woman but not likely.
The man wears a crest looped through a green sash around his waist. Like the one, Rye has on him. Like the one I wear... rather should be wearing. The man must have taken it off me when I was knocked out.
I raise a fist to throw a blast of ice, but a weight on my wrist catches my attention. What the hell is this? Why am I wearing shackles? This is like Morgan's powers all over again. Only way worse. Who made these? I'd like to know how it's done.
"Get up," The man growls, his face still in shadow. I catch a glimpse as he walks over to what looks like a table.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"You should mind your mouth,"
"Fuck off," I growl at the man.
He smiles wickedly. Before I know it, my arms have been yanked up, and I'm grunting from my back, hitting the cool wall. How the hell did he do that from across the room?
The man glides towards me. A stone in hand. What is that for?
"Hello, Bree DeMarion. I'm Eli,"
"I don't care," I sneer. This man is willing to keep me captive. I do not care who he is. All I care about is why I am here. "Care to tell me why I am here?"
"Glyn Erickson commands it," The male wickedly grins. Flames spark up around the room. Heat rises. The stone in his hand glows with a rune. A flame rune.
Fuck.
The male shoves the rune in my face. And the heat rises again.
Double fuck.
_____
"Let her go," Caspian? No, it can't be. He hates my guts. Why would Caspian come for me? Morgan or Kerra, maybe Axel even, but not Caspian LaVane. Never in a million years.
"Back off LaVane,"
Whoa.
"Do you think me someone who does things on accident?"
"No,"
"Then I mean, let her go," Caspian growls.
The man lets go of my body. And now I'm standing on my own.
Fuck.
The ground underneath me sways. Or rather I sway. It takes all I have not to bash my face off the ground. Vaguely Caspian's voice yells something at me. Something about being okay or something along those lines: I can't tell. He could be yelling at Eli, for all I know.
The last moment I'm aware of is someone holding me.