Alliance (21 page)

“Kalis!” Ryneq grabbed both her arms and shook her. “What did you tell them about the dragon bond?” Her head lolled to the side, eyes unfocused and blank. “Kalis!”

“Sire.” Djilak laid his hand on Ryneq’s shoulder, and Ryneq stood abruptly, shaking him off. He’d suspected she knew about the barrier, but
Gods help them
, he’d hoped he was wrong. The glimmer of hope they’d been given had been thoroughly quashed with Kalis’s confession.

“Nysad.” Ryneq turned to face him. “Take care of her”—he cast a last glance back at Kalis over his shoulder—“and meet me in the war room. Lerran?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Can you gather the others?” He looked down at the dried blood on Lerran’s clothes and hands—a stark reminder that Ryneq didn’t particularly want to be faced with for the rest of the day. “You may want to get cleaned up a little first.”

“Of course.” He bowed his head and stepped back. “We will join you shortly.”

Ryneq nodded in response and marched back out of the cells. He took the stairs two at a time in the rush to get back to his quarters. He had Kalis’s blood on him where he’d held her hand, and it was as though it burned his skin. He wanted it off. The passageway echoed with the ringing sound of his footsteps and his harsh breathing, and it seemed to take forever to make it back to his door. He detoured past Thane’s room on the way and ducked inside.

“Sire?” Thane looked up in surprise, obviously not expecting to see Ryneq so soon.

“Bring me fresh water to wash with and find Eldin. Tell him to join us in the war room.” He was out the door and hurrying along the passageway again as Thane scrambled to follow his orders.

Ryneq felt immediate relief as he finally reached his door. He pushed it open, letting it bang on the wall before slamming it shut behind him, forgetting that Nykin was still asleep inside. Ryneq slumped back against the door and banged his head against it. He wanted to yell at the unfairness of it all. Just when they had a chance of getting out of this alive, it had all turned to horse shit again. His chest ached after seeing Kalis die, but he was so angry at her for what she’d done. It simmered below the surface, and it was all he could do to rein it in. She may have been sorry for it, but the fact remained that Kalis’s actions had cost them everything. He had this awful feeling that they didn’t know the full extent of her betrayal, either. Who knew if she’d even remembered it all herself? She could have—

“Ryneq?”

Ryneq looked over at the bed, startled to see a bleary-eyed Nykin staring back at him.

“What’s wrong?” His gaze dropped lower, and Ryneq knew the exact moment Nykin noticed the blood on his hands. “Are you hurt?” All signs of tiredness disappeared, and Nykin was out of bed and at his side before Ryneq had time to answer him. Nykin reached out to see for himself, but Ryneq snatched his hands out of the way, not wanting to taint Nykin with any of it.

“It’s not mine.”

“Then whose?”

Ryneq sighed. “It’s Kalis’s. She’s dead.”

Nykin was silent for a moment as he studied Ryneq’s face. Ryneq had no idea what he saw there, but the next minute, Nykin’s hands were on either side of Ryneq’s jaw, pulling him closer until their lips met.

Ryneq hesitated, unsure whether to push Nykin away or tug him closer. He didn’t want Nykin touching him while he still had her blood on him, but Nykin was insistent, his mouth warm and firm, and Ryneq melted into it. He lost himself to the heat of Nykin’s body pressed up against him. He kept his hands out of the way, but Nykin held on enough for both of them.

Nykin’s thumbs soothed over the stubble of Ryneq’s cheeks, each stroke wiping away some of the anger and frustration. He didn’t ask what had happened, which Ryneq was extremely grateful for, he just began to unbutton Ryneq’s shirt and jacket and tossed them into a pile on the floor.

He led Ryneq over to the chair beside their bed.

“I don’t need to be coddled.” Ryneq let Nykin push him down onto the bed, despite his words, and caught the smirk on Nykin’s lips.

“I know that.”

Thane knocked, and when he entered carrying a bucket of steaming-hot water, Nykin took it from him and ushered him back out.

Ryneq watched as Nykin wet the cloth Thane had left with the bucket and began to wash the blood from Ryneq’s hands. “I don’t really have time for this.”

“I know.” Nykin slid the cloth down between Ryneq’s fingers, and Ryneq closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the hot water. “But you need to calm down before you meet with the others.”

Ryneq scoffed. “Calm down? She told them about the barrier.” Nykin’s hands faltered in their task, and Ryneq guessed he hadn’t known how bad it was. “Seran knows we aren’t protected by Alel and that two more attacks by his witch will bring it down. How in the name of the Gods am I supposed to be calm?”

“I understand why you’re angry, but going into that room and shouting at everyone will accomplish nothing.” Nykin moved to wash Ryneq’s other hand, with Ryneq barely noticing, then sat back with a small smile. “Done.”

Ryneq looked down at this hands—the blood now gone, leaving the skin a little pink from the hot water. He immediately felt better with all trace of it erased, and despite their harsh words, Nykin had calmed him down considerably. He was right too. Ryneq couldn’t afford to lose his temper and make rash decisions now; everyone needed a clear head for what was to come.

“Thank you.” He leaned forward and kissed Nykin quickly before standing. “As Eldin’s second-in-command, you should come to the meeting.” He paused, unable to quell the burst of pride he felt saying that, and smiled. It chased away some of the remaining anger, and Ryneq felt lighter again as he pulled on a new shirt from his wardrobe and crossed the room toward the door. “Eldin will no doubt be expecting you.”

“Yes, Sire.” Nykin smirked as he said it, but then his expression turned serious. “I’ll be as quick as I can.” He began to strip off the clothes he’d slept in, and Ryneq left him to get dressed.

As he approached the war room, Ryneq felt his resolve harden. His kingdom depended on him to get them through this, and he refused to let them down. No matter what.

N
YKIN
GRABBED
a clean shirt from the wardrobe and pulled it on as fast as he could manage without getting tangled up in it. His rider’s uniform lay over the back of the chair from earlier, and he hastily put it on before searching for his boots. His fingers shook a little as he laced them up, Ryneq’s words stuck in his mind.

They know about the barrier.

Dear Gods, if Seran knew it would only take the witch two more attempts to break through their shield, then Nykin was surprised she wasn’t attacking it right now. She didn’t need to wait for the dragon’s blood to be ready since her own magic would be powerful enough.

He walked down the passageways, listening for the shouts from the wall, warning them of an attack, but none came. By the time Nykin made it to the war room, his nerves had settled enough for his hands to stop shaking. He arrived just after Eldin and followed him round the other side of the table to take the seat beside him.

Glaevahl, Lerran, Faelon, and Avelor sat opposite them, with Nysad next to Eldin. Ryneq stood by the fire, looking up at the painting and seemingly lost in thought, but as soon as Nykin sat down, Ryneq turned to face the table.

“Kalis was found outside the north gate earlier this morning. She’d been interrogated by Seran and the witch and died as a result.” He paused, meeting Nykin’s gaze for a moment, his expression a mixture of pain and anger before he schooled it into something calmer. Nykin pushed back the urge to get up and pull Ryneq into his arms. “For those not aware, Kalis was my maid, and as such was privy to certain information. Seran now knows that Torsere is not yet protected by the magic of Alel and the magical barrier we have in place will fail after the third attempt to break through it.”

From the lack of reaction around the table, Nykin assumed that everyone knew about Kalis before they arrived. He wondered if the other riders knew yet, or if the information had been kept to only the people in this room. He thought of Selene and Jaken. They were on shift in the Eyrie, but no one was expecting another attack for a few days at least. That was probably about to change, though.

Nysad sighed. He looked tired. Ryneq didn’t seem to be the only one affected by Kalis’s death. Nykin imagined it hadn’t been pleasant for anyone involved. “I have a constant watch on the lowland camp, Sire. As yet they report no unusual activity, but who knows with a witch in their camp.”

“I believe the safest course of action is to assume they will not wait seven days for the witch’s dragon blood to be ready, and prepare for that.” Ryneq finally pulled the chair at the head of the table and sat down.

“I agree,” Glaevahl added, getting nods from the other elves. “They seem eager to break through the barrier. I doubt they would wait now they know it’s no longer necessary.” He looked as though he wanted to add more but gestured for Avelor to continue instead.

“Although we still believe the barrier will withstand another two attempts, judging from the witch’s recovery after her first try, we do not believe her magic will be drained when she finally manages to bring it down.”

Silence filled the room.

“And that means what exactly?” Ryneq clasped his hands tightly, and Nykin could almost feel the tension pouring out of him.

“When the barrier fails, the witch will more than likely still have enough power to attack the dragons if they are not shielded. And even then….” Avelor glanced at Nykin and Eldin, waiting for one of them to cut in.

Nykin shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“The dragons are unable to keep their shield in place when they attack. As soon as they break formation, they will be vulnerable to the witch’s spells.” Eldin spoke matter-of-factly, as though the prospect of a magical attack wasn’t terrifying.

Nykin shivered as he remembered the icy curl of the witch’s spell rendering his arm useless, and he couldn’t help but smooth a hand over his thigh where the scar remained from that attack. He met Ryneq’s intense stare when he looked up, and Nykin knew he wasn’t subtle. Ryneq could read him well enough by now.

“Eldin, when the witch drains her power on the second attack, your riders will need to cause as much damage as possible. That will be our last chance to take out the catapults.” Ryneq waited for him to respond.

“Yes, Sire. Shall I use all the riders to attack? The dragons will be vulnerable to arrows, but under the circumstances….”

If they didn’t take them out now, then Seran would use them to break Torsere. With his combined army and a witch by his side, it would be easy for Seran to get inside the palace walls. From the length of the arms on those catapults, they would easily reach the lower town. Nykin tried not to think about all the people who would suffer.

Ryneq’s gaze landed on Nykin again as he answered, his voice as calm as before, but his eyes were full of regret. “Yes, use them all.” He sat back in his chair and looked around the table before addressing the elves. “I know you offered to stay and fight, and we are beyond grateful for your offer. But if Seran gets through the walls and into the palace, their army will outnumber ours greatly and no amount of magic will protect us. If we can’t keep them out, you need to leave for Alel before it’s too late.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but our offer still stands.” Lerran glanced at his fellow elves, clearly speaking for all of them. “We are aware of the risks involved, and besides, there’s no guarantee we’d make it out to the ships anyway.”

Nykin felt his stomach drop. As soon as Lerran uttered the words, he knew. Ryneq had no intention of sending them by ship. Eldin tensed beside him, obviously coming to the same conclusion.

“You would not be going by sea this time,” Ryneq said, confirming it. Nykin tried to catch his eye, but Ryneq refused to look his way. “The dragons and their riders cannot remain in Torsere if it falls to Seran’s army. I ask that you allow them to seek safety in Alel.”

Nykin had to bite his tongue to stop from protesting. It wasn’t his place as a dragon rider to question the king’s decisions, but he would be voicing his objections later. To leave Torsere without its riders was… was… well they might as well give in right now.

“If I may, Sire?” Nykin had to say something, and he fought to keep his voice steady when Ryneq motioned for him to continue. “Would it not be to our advantage to have the riders stay and fight? We are part of the Torserian Army.”

“Ordinarily I would agree with you, Nykin, but not his time. The dragons came to Torsere to seek refuge from persecution. If the palace is overrun and the witch has access to the Eyrie, there will be no refuge for them here. I know the dragons can shield themselves in their mountain lair, but while bonded they are vulnerable through their riders, and you can’t survive up on the mountain. They have to leave.”

You have to leave
, is all Nykin heard, and he forced himself to nod and reply. “Yes, Sire.”

“Dragons are what they’ve come for. Seran and his witch cannot be allowed to succeed.”