Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) (17 page)

"Kei has been…irritable for over a
week. He kept telling me something was wrong. Yesterday, he suddenly fell into
a full fury, so I have come."

His words distracted her from the anger.
Kei…why couldn't she feel him now? "Am I still with the Elves?"

He shook his head. "No, another has
you now." He gestured toward her. "You are in no danger, I do not
think."

She looked down, surprised to find her
own clothes gone and only a very large shirt covering her. It barely went to
mid-thigh. She grasped the hem, trying to pull it down. She stopped suddenly,
and raised her hands, the rolled up sleeves sliding down. Bandages covered
them, all the way down past her wrists and across her forearms. Only her
fingertips and thumbs showed. What held her attention was the absence of the
chains. She pressed a thumb against the bandage on one wrist. Yes, even the
strange cuffs were gone.

"I don't understand," she
whispered. What did he mean that another had her now?

"You must wake up, or you will be
trapped here until your body fails and you die."

She blinked up at him. "But…it
doesn't hurt here."

His face softened. "The pain will
make you stronger."

Shaking her head, she grimaced. "I
don't want to be stronger."

"Kei needs you."

"You took him from me," she
snapped, the anger returning. "I need him, have needed him."

"The prophecy is important. I
needed–"

"The rotting prophecy means
nothing! I was supposed to be safe. We were supposed to be safe. So the
prophecy promised, and we weren't!"

Once again, she saw surprise on his
face, this time from her sudden outburst. "Sometimes paths change. The seers
speak only of the most likely events."

She threw her hands in the air and
turned away. There was no arguing with him. "When will you bring him
back?" Silence met her question and she turned. "When?"

"It has been more difficult than I
thought," the Dragos admitted. "You will have him by spring."

"When we are to return to the
forest," she said darkly.

He nodded.

"And how broken will he be?"

"He will be well enough. I am not a
monster, Arowyn. He is well cared for."

She held in an angry reply.

"You must wake up, and I must
return."

Even the rainbows couldn't keep a scowl
from her face. He turned and began walking away.

"Tell him I love him, and I'm with
him, even if he can't feel me. Tell him what happened, please, so he
understands."

He glanced back and nodded. "You
know I dislike it when you tell me what to do. However, you did say please, and
it is in my best interests not to cause a rift between the two of you."

"Thank you," she choked out. She
really hated the rotting Dragos. If she didn't need him to bring Kei back to
her, she'd have tried to wring his neck with her bare hands.

He disappeared into the light. Another
dream came and a smile returned to her face.

She forgot about her anger and the Dragos…and
waking up.

∞ ∞ ∞

When her dreams were once again
interrupted by the empty light she frowned, remembered Damon, and then huffed
out a sigh. Had he come back?

She moved forward and waited. Glancing
down, she saw she still wore the same large shirt with rolled up sleeves. This
time, however, the bandages were gone from her hands and only remained around
her wrists. She contemplated that change for a moment and then gave up trying
to figure out what it meant. At least her hands were clean, even under her
fingernails. Faint pink marks and a few scabs on her knuckles showed she had
indeed been in a fight. Multiple fights.

When the light finally turned into
something more her eyes widened in wonder. She stood before a huge arched
window, set impossibly high. Outside, a moon cast its glow on a never-ending forest.

Once again, confusion returned. She had
no idea where she was. She'd never been so high or seen such a forest. Hope
rose within her. Was this where Damon had taken Kei? Would she see him?

Turning quickly, she froze, taken in by
the surreal beauty of the room. She'd never seen such splendor, so much gold
and cloth, the wood all carved in delicate designs. A huge four-poster bed
across the room sat empty, yet a light on the table next to it cast the room in
a lovely golden glow.

The light caught her attention. Not a
candle or a lamp, but a glowing golden ball. She knew where she was. In the
palace of Rivenward. How did she get here? The wardwall kept out all living things
and had even blocked her from speaking with Prince. Even if it was a dream, her
thoughts should not have been able to pass. There was no possible way she could
be here.

Yet she was.

Her eyes darted about the room,
searching. When she found him, her feet moved a few steps on their own before she
forced herself to stop.

He sat sideways on a window seat, one
knee up, an arm resting loosely on it. His head rested on the glass as he
stared out onto the moonlit landscape.

Her smile faltered. He looked healthy,
so breathtakingly beautiful, yet his shoulders slumped, and the sadness on his
face broke her heart.

She took a few more steps toward him,
her bare feet silent on the covered floor. "What's wrong?"

Strangely, he didn't react to her words,
merely closed his eyes. "I must stop falling asleep here," he murmured.

Standing quietly, she struggled for
something to say.

"Why must I always dream of you?
Every time I close my eyes, there you are."

Her heart stopped in shock, and then
started again, beating furiously in her chest. "I thought you'd forgotten
me," she finally said.

He let out a short, dark laugh. "We
never forget."

"Why…" She hesitated, but the
need to know drove her to continue. "Why have I not heard from you? It's
been months…and I… I thought…" Words failed her. She sounded so pathetic she
wanted to smack herself.

Opening his eyes, he lifted his head a little
but continued to look out the window. "Has it been so long? Strangely, it
feels longer." His eyes closed and he let out a mournful sigh. "I
miss your voice," he whispered.

That he missed her, thought of her so
often, set her lips to trembling. "I miss you, too. Everything…" She
moved closer, stopping almost in reach of him. How she wanted to fling herself
down into his arms and have him hold her forever.

But this was only a dream, and she
didn't know how much time they had. "When will I see you again? Or hear
from you?"

He shook his head. "I have tried. I
am not permitted to contact you. I am not allowed to leave Rivenward." His
brows drew together in anger as her heart fell. "They would not allow it
even after–" He stopped abruptly, and his head whipped around to look at
her. His alarmed face shifted to one of horror.

Springing from the window seat, he
bridged the space between them so quickly she took a step back in surprise. His
hands caught her face, gently cupping it as his eyes roamed the cuts and
bruises she knew must be there.

"Did he do this?"

His hands trembled against her skin. She
tried to lower her head, but instead his fingers caressed her face like little
butterflies and held her in place. Still, she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Lord Vesrin and his men. Did they
do this?"

She nodded slightly and risked a look at
him. The fury on his beautiful face didn't surprise her. He pulled her into
him, her face against his chest and a hand cradling her head.

"I am so sorry, so sorry," he
said softly. His body stiffened under her. "They will pay dearly for this.
None can deny me retribution. Taking you bent our laws, but this, this has
clearly broken them." He pulled back and took her face in his hands once
more, eyes fierce and angry as they stared into hers. "They will not go
unpunished."

She understood then, that Lord Vesrin had
sent someone to Prince already, likely of her in chains, and the other Elf
hadn't yet arrived.

"I will send someone…I…" His
brows drew together once more as he looked away and then back to her, confusion
written across his face. "This is a dream."

How could she explain to him something she
didn't even understand? "It is," she said finally. "But…I think,
somehow, we are sharing it."

"That is not possible," he
said flatly. "I should say, it is not for us. The wardwall prevents–"

"I know. Yet I am here."

Emotions flitted across his face as she
stared up at him. Reaching up, she rested a hand on his cheek. "I am
here."

"Perhaps you are even stronger than
I thought." When she tilted her head to the side and looked at him in
confusion, he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "Here."

She smiled at the gesture. "Not
strong enough."

"Tell me what has happened,"
he said suddenly, changing the subject. "You were supposed to be safe in
the city."

The reminder brought forth the misery
and anger she'd pushed deep inside and she turned away. "The prophecy is
rotting nonsense," she snapped angrily. "Damon took Kei. The Elves
took me. They killed–" she choked on the words.

Arms wrapped around her from behind.
"No. That was not supposed to happen."

"But it did!" She whirled
around in his arms. "And I am alone!"

"Do they still have you,
Arowyn?"

The question surprised her. For a moment
she couldn't remember, but then she recalled Damon's dream visit. "I don't
think so. I'm somewhere else now."

"How can you not–" He huffed
in frustration and then froze for a moment before his grip tightened around
her. "How are you here?"

She blinked up at him. "I'm
dreaming?" She'd told him that already. "I've been having such lovely
dreams, and somehow I came here."

His eyes closed. "Is there
anything…strange about your dreams?"

A small smile crossed her lips, thinking
of them. "They are beautiful. Happy. Is that strange? And surrounded by
such lovely colors, like a rainbow."

He physically jerked at her words.
"They drugged you," he muttered.

"Mmm, yes."

His forehead suddenly rested against
hers. "You must wake up."

"I don't want to wake up. I want to
stay here with you."

He laughed weakly and pulled back.
"Please, Arowyn. Wake up. For me."

She frowned. "If I do, I don't know
if I'll dream of you again."

"I hope you do not." At her
shocked look, he continued quickly. "What they gave you, it is addictive.
It is deadly. You must wake up and not let them give it to you again. Do you
understand?"

She nodded unhappily. "Will you
come?"

"I…cannot. I do not know if I ever
will."

His answer didn't surprise her, but
still brought forth enough anger and pain she straightened and lifted her chin.
"You promised me you would. One day."

His face hardened. "I did, and I am
sorry for that."

He might as well have slapped her. "Just
answer me this, do you love me?"

"Does it matter what I say? Either
way, I will break your heart."

"It does," she answered
quietly.

"I wish things could be different,
but they are not," he said finally. "It would be best if I let you
go."

His words made her so angry she couldn't
speak for a moment, only clench her fists and struggle to find the right words.

She stabbed a finger into his chest. "You
need to learn to find hope, Shael. Somewhere, along the way, you've lost
it."

He laughed, quietly, weakly. "What
good is hope?" His sad eyes met her angry ones. "I had it once. You
gave it to me, and I allowed myself to fall." He looked away. "And then
I returned home, and the obstacles between us were greater than I had
feared."

"What did they do?"

"What did they not? I will not
waste our time speaking of it."

She shook her head. Something, or
someone, had broken him. Though he'd healed physically, life had still defeated
him. She didn't know how to bring him back to life, how to make him hope and
fight once more.

"Hope gives you strength. It gives
you the courage to fight. Hope makes the impossible possible."

"Not always."

"Not always," she agreed
grudgingly. "I would fight for you," she continued earnestly,
offering him everything. "Just give me a reason to do so."

"It would not be fair to you–"

"I don't care about
fair
,"
she snapped, flinging her arms wide. "Life is not fair. If nothing else,
I've learned that. Answer me truthfully. Do you love me? Do you truly love
me?"