Kell crouched in the darkness. Bynn's heavy breaths throbbed in his ear. He jostled him.
"What?" Bynn whispered.
"I said I wanted silence, not the sound of an old man's dying wheezes."
"You know how much I hate the dark."
"Hate" would be an understatement. Kell could almost smell the ripe stench of his fear. "Pull yourself together."
"Do you have any idea what you've put me through today? First, you force me to be nice to Gandor and follow him around. Then, how long were we hanging on to that narrow ledge outside his window when he almost caught us going through his things?"
Kell rolled his eyes. "You whine more than a baby. Besides, we weren't hanging on to a ledge. We crept along it until we came to my window. And it gave us the perfect opportunity to overhear his plans."
A wave of nausea rolled through his stomach as he remembered the conversation between his brother and the captain of the guard. He wished he could blame it on his overconsumption of wine last night, but treason packed a stronger wallop than alcohol. At least they learned what they were planning on doing with Arden, even if they couldn't discover her location.
"Do you really think this is going to work? What if they have more men with them than expected?"
Annoyance prickled his skin. "Do you want to lose the element of surprise?"
Gandor had stressed the importance of secrecy. There would only be the two conspirators and their hostage in the tunnel tonight, and Kell had Ortono and Bynn with him.
He closed his eyes and mentally mapped out the cavernous room. Four tunnels all met here under the palace. One led to the dungeons and traditionally served as a way to dispose of the bodies of those who perished there. One led up to the west wing of the palace. The other two served as escape routes in a time of siege. He didn't know which one Gandor would be coming from, but he knew which tunnel he'd take—the one leading to the outermost wall of the city. From there, he'd hand over Arden.
He tightened his jaw until his teeth ached. Part of him wished he'd told his father of Gandor's plans, but the king would've sent a score of men down into the tunnels to intercept them. His brother would catch wind of the ambush and probably abort his plan. No, the smaller group that waited with him was much better. They all knew of Gandor's plot and agreed recovering Arden was their first priority.
Voices echoed from the tunnel leading from the dungeon. Kell coiled his muscles, ready to spring as soon as they came into view. Torchlight flickered off the walls. He turned to his left. Bynn seemed to be holding his breath. To his right, Ortono slid his hand over the hilt of his sword. He braced his feet against the stone, feeling for a dry spot so he wouldn't slip. They were more than ready.
As the other group neared them, sobs mingled with the angry male voices, and his heart wrenched.
"Larenis, shut her up. We're coming to the main cavern, and I don't want anyone to hear us."
Something muffled Arden's cries, and he moved forward to rescue her. A hand grabbed him, pulled his back. In the dim shadows, Bynn shook his head. Not yet. Damn it, his feelings for her almost made him run head first into battle without thinking. He turned to his friend and nodded in thanks.
Fire illuminated the group when they stopped at the entrance of the cavern. Gandor stood in front with a torch in his hand. Behind him, Larenis held Arden, his hand clamped tightly over her mouth. A set of dull grey manacles with a chain stretched between them bound her wrists. She writhed against her captor.
Kell sunk deeper in the shadows, waiting until they came closer.
Gandor studied the three remaining tunnels. "This is the one that leads to the outer wall," he said as he pointed his torch toward them.
Now was as good a time as ever. Kell motioned for the other two to remain hidden and drew his sword. "Going somewhere, Gandor?"
Larenis howled in pain and shook the hand away from Arden's mouth. Two lines of teeth marks dented the flesh of his fingers.
"Kell." Fear twisted the way she said his name, but relief eased some of the tight lines of her face.
Gandor fumbled for his sword. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
As if on cue, Larenis drew a knife and pressed it against Arden's throat.
"Step aside, or she dies." Gandor's eyes glittered in the firelight.
"If I remember correctly, she's no use to Sulaino dead."
"We have you outnumbered, little brother."
"Oh, is that so?" Boots of his comrades thudded against the rock behind him, and he smiled when his brother's jaw dropped and the captain's knife wavered.
Arden took advantage of the distraction and jabbed her elbow into Larenis's ribs. A whoosh of air escaped him. She lunged forward, only to cry out in pain. A line of red appeared on her upper arm, spreading along the fabric of her tunic like spilled ink on paper.
Kell tightened his grip on his sword and hissed through his teeth. He'd have Larenis' head after everything he'd done to hurt Arden. "Let her go, and I'll plead your case to Father. Maybe he'll show you mercy, too."
"If I take her to Sulaino, I'll never have to worry about Father's mercy."
Arden frantically clawed at something, although he couldn't see what. Larenis repositioned the knife against her throat. She held her gaze with Kell's when he met it. Her lips trembled, but the determined set of her jaw told him she wasn't ready to surrender.
"Why are you doing this? Are you trying to become some kind of hero?"
"He's plotting to take the crown, Kell," she answered, despite the blade pressed against the place where her pulse throbbed. "He's trading me in exchange for the king's death."
"That's quite enough from you," Larenis growled, and a new line of red appeared on the side of her cheek.
Anger seared his veins. His baser instincts wanted to tear Gandor and Larenis into shreds and feed them to the dogs, but he had to be careful not to hurt Arden in the process. "This is your last warning, Gandor. Let her go. Don't become a pawn in Sulaino's game."
"Like you've become a pawn in your little witch's? I think not." He swung his sword at him, following it with a counter-swing of the torch.
Kell jumped to the side. Two breezes tickled his skin from where they fanned the air, first cool from the blade and then warm from the flames. He lunged toward his brother, not caring if he killed him.
Gandor caught his blade between his sword and the torch and tossed him to the side. Kell hit a wet patch and slid into the cavern wall. Stars bloomed on the fringes of his vision. The clang of metal behind let him know one of the others had stepped into his place, buying him enough time to get to his feet before attacking again.
Larenis used Arden as a shield against Ortono. "I'll have you executed for failure to obey orders," he told Ortono.
"I answer to the prince, not you." The young soldier's eyes darted from side to side, looking for a weak point without harming her. His sword remained poised as he slowly forced his captain against the wall.
Bynn's grunt pulled Kell away from Arden and back to the other fight. His friend grimaced as he strained to keep his face from being singed by the torch. Bloodlust clouded his vision. He sprang toward his brother. Gravel crunched under his feet. Gandor turned just in time to avoid his strike. Kell swerved to the side to prevent hitting Bynn. Frustration knotted his shoulders, and he cursed his lack of sleep for slowing his reflexes.
The clank of metal and an ear-piercing scream halted them. His blood turned to ice, and he shivered when he turned in its direction. Steam rose from Larenis' face where Arden pressed her hands against it. The thick hum of magic pulsed through the cavern, seeping into his soul. The scent of burning flesh made Kell gag.
"It's time you knew the fury of a witch," Arden said in a low, cold voice. When she released him, two blackened handprints marred his cheeks. Larenis stumbled to the ground and continued to wail in agony.
Then she spun around and faced him, kicking away the chains that once bound her wrists. For a brief second, he understood why people feared witches. The green halo in her eyes flashed, and her expression hardened, making her appear like she was something other than human. She became a goddess of vengeance. An ominous feeling hung in the air around them as they all waited for her strike. White light glowed from her fingertips. "You'll pay for what you did to Dev."
A bolt of magic ripped through the room and connected with Gandor's chest. He flew across the room and hit the stone wall of the cavern with a crunch. His eyes widened, and a strangled cry escaped his lips before he slumped to the floor.
A gust of wind blew away the remnants of the magic, leaving a panting Arden in its wake. Her eyes widened when she surveyed the damage. Her hands trembled. Blood trickled down her cheek and dripped on her shoulder, but she made no effort to staunch the bleeding. Was she even aware of what she did?
Kell took a step toward her, but she backed away. "Arden, it's all right," he said as he coaxed her toward him. "You're safe now."
Something small clattered to the floor near where she stood. A sob choked her words. She whirled around and ran into the tunnel leading back to the dungeon.
He started after her, but his feet remained planted to the ground. As much as he loathed his brother, he didn't want him dead from a witch's spell, especially when he wanted to get Arden out of Trivinus alive. "Is he breathing?"
An ashen-faced Bynn knelt next to Gandor, checking for a pulse. "Yes, but I'm sure he's got a few broken bones."
He didn't need to ask if Larenis was still alive. The incomprehensible blubbers that came from the opposite side of the cavern told him the captain of the guard still lived, although he'd probably be scarred for the rest of his life. "Ortono, Bynn, take them up to my father and explain what happened."
Bynn jumped to his feet. "If we tell him the whole truth, she'll burn."
A lump formed in his throat. Up until this moment, she'd only used her magic to help others. Now, she'd unleashed her wrath against the captain of the guard and the First Prince of Ranello. To pardon her could lead to a major upheaval in the order of things. He swallowed past the lump and pushed it down until it sank into his stomach like a brick. "They both deserved what they got."
The hardness in his voice frightened him almost as much as his intense fear for her. A dull ache formed in his chest when he realized the only way she was going to survive this was if he let her go. He had to sneak her out now before his father changed his mind and before Sulaino's undead army swarmed the city. He picked up the small key that she'd dropped. "I'm going after Arden. I'll be back in a few hours."
"A few hours?" Bynn let the unconscious Gandor flop back to the floor in an undignified heap. "What the hell are you planning now?"
The corners of his mouth twitched. "I'm going to rescue the damsel in distress." He grabbed a torch and ran down the tunnel to the dungeon.