Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) (19 page)

Though still wobbly and more
disorientated than she liked, her vision had at least cleared.

Unable to stop herself, she looked into
the mirror…and winced. The left side of her face was a mess of bruises and
scabs. Both eyes were blackened. The left one startled her with half of the
white now red from a burst blood vessel.

No wonder Prince had been so furious.
Or…had that even been real? Anger rose within her and she clenched her jaw,
resisting the urge to punch the mirror. Some of the wounds were bad enough to
scar. Rot it all, she had enough scars already. Pulling on a bit of power, she
healed the wounds on her face and the blood in her eye. The bruises she left. They'd
heal eventually on their own, and she didn't want to waste more power. She
considered healing her ribs and changed her mind, having no idea when the
pirate would return. Those could wait until she knew she had time alone.

Opening the door, she paused, surprised
to see Roan already returned and sitting at the desk. He'd lit more lamps, making
the room considerably brighter.

He noticed her, scowled, and gestured to
a chair before the desk. She stared at it for a moment, not remembering it
being there before. A deeper glance into the room showed a sitting area, more
tables and desks, and she assumed he must have taken one from there.

She got to eat with him, how wonderful.
Trying to walk without showing how weak she felt proved too much effort. By the
time she reached the chair, she collapsed into it, panting.

"Tea?" Ignoring her obvious
weakness, he held up a porcelain teapot.

Her eyes narrowed. "What's in
it?"

"Just tea."

With a shiver, she nodded, too weak to
argue or worry about being drugged again. While he poured, she tried to pull
the shirt down lower on her legs and then rubbed her arms vigorously. The room was
too cold to be wearing almost nothing.

"Honey?"

She nodded again and accepted the dainty
cup with shaking hands. Luckily he hadn't filled it too high, or she'd likely
have spilled it over her lap as she cradled it.

He regarded her for a moment and then
stood. "I forget sometimes how humans feel the cold more than us."
After walking to the sitting area, he grabbed a blanket and then returned, dropping
it around her shoulders.

While he sat again, she set down her tea
and adjusted it to cover her legs. Sneaking a look up at him, she worried her
bottom lip between her teeth. She couldn't tell if he was angry, irritated, or
both.

The tray before him contained a variety
of plates with different foods. He selected a few items, put them on another
plate, and set it before her.

"You need to eat, Arowyn." His
voice, deep and husky, still sent a chill through her. It had a cold
disinterest to it, reminding her he wasn't just some random rescuer, but the
pirate who ruled the lower city.

"You know my name?"

He tipped his head in agreement. "Arowyn
Mason."

"How?"

"Eat," he commanded, doing so
himself. After a few bites, he continued, "Humans go missing often,
however, when I heard of a Were searching for one, that piqued my interest. So
I looked into it."

Had Garen…no. "Hale?"

He nodded. "How do you know
him?"

She hesitated but couldn't think of any
harm in telling the truth. "He's a blacksmith near where I live. We were
supposed to meet the day I…" Her voice trailed off and she shoved more
food into her mouth.

"And I see you knew he was Were. Did
he tell you?"

"No, I just knew." Telling
Roan about Garen would be a bad idea, if he didn't already know. She didn't
want to take that chance.

His eyebrows rose, but he didn't comment
on her response. "We have many things to discuss. I believe we'll begin
with your health. How do you feel?" When she didn't answer right away, he
frowned. "It would be in your best interest to be honest on this. I need
to know how badly you were hurt and how the drug affected you."

She picked up her cooling tea and sipped
it slowly. "Weak, stiff," she finally said quietly. "Everything
is…foggy."

He nodded. "Do you understand what was
done to you?"

"The beating part or the drugging
part?"

"The drug."

She shrugged. "It made me sleep…and
dream."

"That's all you know?" He
rubbed his forehead, clearly annoyed. "You were given riath." When she
stared at him blankly he let out an irritated breath. "Very well, a lesson
it shall be. The plant it is made from, and its uses, were discovered thousands
of years ago. Fey, Were, and Elves have used it since then to help them sleep,
or older ones to help them remember. Did you notice they weren't really dreams,
but memories?"

"I did," she answered.

"A decade or so ago, riath was
traded to humans. Initially, the effects on your kind weren't known. I like to think
that when they were, the trade stopped. Either way, the humans had begun
growing their own plants and extracting the drug. Not an easy task, thankfully.
It is not a cheap drug to buy."

"What effects," she demanded.

"It is highly addictive, and it
kills. The more you take, the longer you take it, your body begins to shut
down. Eventually it does completely, or you take enough you just don't wake
up." He gestured at her. "Quite honestly, I am surprised you woke, considering
the amount they gave you that night."

She set down a half-eaten slice of
toast, no longer hungry. "How do you–?"

"I saw them give it to you, as I
saw you fight back at the end. We will get back to that. Did they give you riath
the whole time you were with them?"

She nodded. "I don't remember much
at all. Waking up a few times for a little bit." Her brows scrunched
together. "How long has it been?"

"I believe they had you about ten
days. You've been here three."

Her mouth opened and closed. That long?
Thoughts turning to Kei, her chest tightened in worry. He was all she had left.
What must he think with her disappearing for so long?

Roan leaned forward, his eyes flickering
over her face. "I suppose the answer to one question is before me."
He sat back when she didn't answer, her mind too foggy to understand what he
meant. "You have power within you, and the knowledge to heal."

They stared at each other in silence,
until once again the stern frown crossed his face and she finally realized he
meant her to confirm or deny his comment. "Yes."

"Where did you get the power,
Arowyn?" When she hesitated, he banged a fist on the desk. "And do
not lie to me."

The loud noise startled her, but she
shook her head, returning his hard gaze with one of her own. "I wasn't
going to. I'm just not thinking too quickly right now." She straightened,
her back cracking, and then leaned back in the chair, making him wait. "Do
you know who I am? And I don't mean my name."

He chuckled and sat back as well,
fingers drumming the table. "I've heard you are the one the Fey
prophesized about. The one to heal them of their madness."

"I am," she answered quietly.
"I can take their power and their fury, and for some reason when I do,
they are then well again. I've…learned to hold some of that power, and to use
it to heal myself. It isn't my own."

"That is rather remarkable, don't
you think?"

She shrugged and looked away. "It's
not a life I'd have chosen. But I do want to help them if I can."

"This power you have, and your
knowledge to use it to heal, is what saved your life. The power would have
healed any damage done by the drug." He frowned. "Though I saw no
change in you for days, which is strange."

"It got loose," she muttered
to herself, remembering how she'd woken and found it not tucked safely within.

His chair screeched on the floor as he
jerked up and leaned toward her. "How do you mean?"

She raised a hand to her chest. "I…
I've always held it tight within me when I didn't need it."

"And there is the answer. Hold it
gently, let some flow within you."

"I don't want to waste it," she
argued. "I'm not like you, I can't make more."

He let out an irritated huff.
"You've much to learn. Leaving it to settle within you will allow you to
heal more quickly, but not take nearly as much power as it would if you directed
it." He waved a hand, dismissing her worries. "Let it out. I imagine
it will help with your weakness and to clear your head."

Nodding slightly, she did as he
suggested. If the power waned, she'd just hold it tight within her once more.
"Why are you doing this?"

His lips curved up in a small frightening
smile that didn't reach his eyes. She stared into them, such a pale blue they
reminded her of ice, which fitted him rather perfectly.

"I could tell you it was for noble
reasons, rescuing the lady in peril, yet I think you are smart enough not to
believe that. Interestingly enough, an Elf sent out a plea on your behalf,
which I happened to hear."

She straightened at that. So the Elf had
actually done as he said and tried to find help for her? She hadn't really
expected it.

"Being close by, I came to investigate.
Clearly Lord Vesrin broke Elven Law, and in my city."

"He what?"

"We are not to hold humans against
their will, or cause them physical harm unless we are attacked ourselves."
Before she could comment on that, he continued, "It is a good thing I
arrived, for you'd left quite a mess in the street. Had it been discovered by
humans, there would certainly have been dire consequences."

She didn't care about the consequences.
"What happened to the Elves?"

"Lord Vesrin fled. Nylian is dead,
and I have disposed of the body. You wounded Garsin quite badly. My men put him
in the yard. When we checked yesterday he was gone, whether he healed, or if
the body was disposed of I don't know."

"I hope he's dead," she whispered.

"I hope he is not," Roan
replied briskly. He shook his head. "You have killed at least one Elf. Do
you not see the danger you are now in?"

She didn't. As far as she was concerned,
they deserved it after what they'd done to her. Setting her jaw, she stared off
into the corner.

"What am I to do with you?"

She looked back at him. "If you
could get me some clothes, I will–"

"Have you listened to a word I
said?"

Opening her mouth, she closed it quickly
at his fierce glare.

"You are now addicted to riath. The
power within you might keep you alive, though even of this I cannot be sure.
You will soon go through withdrawals that will either stop your heart or drive
you mad. On top of this, you will most assuredly have at least Lord Vesrin
hunting you, and this time he will seek your death." His hand slapped the
desk as he leaned toward her. "Do you understand, Arowyn?"

"I'm dead either way?" The
words came out surprisingly calm. The idea of death didn't bother her very much
anymore.

Her lack of response certainly surprised
the pirate. He stared at her a long moment, eyes searching hers in confusion.
"What am I to do with you?"

"You're repeating yourself," she
said with a small smile.

"I can help you with the addiction.
I can keep you safe from Lord Vesrin. I'm just not sure why I should."

His coldness, his constant frowns,
reminded her so much of Prince, even if he didn't physically resemble him at
all. "You shouldn't," she answered. "I hear I'm quite
troublesome."

Her reply shocked him all the more. It
amused her to see him thrown off by her response yet again.

He roughly cleared his throat. "Yet
you are the hope of the Fey. Only you could bring them back to what they once
were." He paused a moment. "The Vor are rising. The Fey will be
needed."

"So you will help me?"

"Yes. Though not for nothing."

"You
are
a pirate."

"So I am. What will you give me in
return?"

His words quickly stole away her mirth. She
had nothing. Bo and Garen were dead, the house destroyed. "What do you
want?"

Apparently he expected the question, for
he answered quickly. "For starters, you will tell no one I am anything
other than human." She nodded. She could do that. It wasn't like she had
anyone to tell. Twinning his fingers over his chest, he leaned back again, now
in his element. "Information is as important to me as goods. You will
answer any question I ask, and you will tell me the truth."

She wrinkled her nose at that but nodded
anyway.

"And lastly…" He pursed his
lips and then frowned again. "I suppose you will just have to owe me a favor."

Rolling her eyes, she nodded again. What
was with everyone wanting favors?

Standing, he leaned over the desk, hand
out. "It is agreed, then?"