Dragonvein - Book Three (13 page)

Dren sealed the flask and tossed it on the ground beside him. “Yes. The cabin. Burned to the ground I hear.”

“Are you saying
we
did that?” asked Kat, shock suddenly appearing on her face.

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Not at all. I just find it curious. Jeb’s death has upset quite a few people. He was well loved among us. I just hoped you might give us a clue as to his fate.”

He stretched out on his side, leaning casually on one arm. “You know, I would swear you were younger. Jeb did mention you to me before. And the way he described you… well, I’ve never known him to be so utterly misleading. Gangly little whelp, that's what he said. And the most talented thief he’d ever met. Hard to imagine he was talking about the beauty I see before me.”

Kat spread her hands. “Maybe there was another Kat.”

Dren chuckled. “Another Kat, eh?” He shot a quick glance over to the bowmen.

The next thing Ethan heard was a thin whistle shooting through the air. Keira leapt to her feet, clutching at a black dart protruding from her right arm. At the same time, Ethan’s hand flew to his sword. But when he tried to stand, his legs refused to obey his wishes. Keira’s eyes flared for a moment, then she collapsed, unconscious.

Kat was also unable to raise herself up. “What the hell?” she demanded.

“Keira!” cried Ethan.

The creak of bows being drawn echoed ominously.

“Don't worry about the elf. She’ll be fine in a few hours,” Dren assured him. “It's just a drug. Like I said, we can’t have her blood on our hands.”

He pushed himself to his feet. “In a moment the stuff in the whiskey will finish its work on you two. Try any of your magic and my companions will put arrows in each of your throats.” He could see the fear in their eyes and smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s not deadly. It’s only meant to keep you docile.”

Ethan could feel his tongue beginning to swell. “W...why?” was all he could manage to say as his eyes blurred.

Dren smiled. “Aside from the fact I'm almost certain you know more about Jeb’s death than you're telling me, I also happened to catch sight of the young lady playing with those green balls of light.” He clicked his tongue. “Naughty girl. That's magic. And the Emperor pays well for people like you.”

“But you’re Corvali,” mumbled Kat. “Not bounty…”

Her voice trailed off as she lost the battle to stay conscious.

Ethan could see only shadows, and was no longer able to speak. He felt himself keel over. Fear gripped him. If they knew who he was they would take him to the Emperor. All of this – all of the struggles – will have been for nothing.

I can help you
.

It was the voice of Martok, pushing its way in through the veil.

Please. Before it’s too late,
the voice urged.

But it was already too late. Had he wanted Martok’s help, he was now unable to hold any kind of proper thought. The blackness was upon him.

Time was a blur. On the occasions he stirred, Ethan had caught only snippets of conversation when the drug would wear off. Before he could fully regain his senses, a flask was pressed to his lips and once again there was the bitter taste of whiskey burning its way down his throat. Then nothingness returned. He'd lost track of how many times this had happened. Now, as hard as he tried, there was no way of knowing how long he'd been held a prisoner. For all he knew, many days might have passed.

During his previous brief moments of consciousness, he'd had the sensation of being carried in a wagon. Not any longer though. Although still flat on his back and unable to see anything, he knew he was now definitely stationary. And this time there was no more whiskey being forced into his mouth. Was that a good sign, or a bad one?

His mind quickly turned to Kat. They needed her alive for the bounty they meant to collect, so  cold logic told him she had not yet been harmed. That’s what he had to keep believing. To think otherwise would tear him apart. But why they were bothering to keep
him
alive was a mystery. Perhaps they thought he might be a mage as well.

“Are they secure?”

It was the voice of Dren that first came to him, though it was muffled, as if coming from the other side of a closed door.

“Lady Umbra says that the collars will keep them from using their magic,” replied a second voice.

“We’re not even sure that the boy is a mage,” said a third.

“Lady Umbra seems to think he is,” Dren told them. “And seeing as how she is paying a bounty for both of them, I don’t care either way.”

“What about Kayno?” asked the third voice. “He's not going to be happy that you did this on your own.”

“He’ll get his share,” Dren growled. “It was too risky to wait.”

There was a short pause before the second man spoke. “Did you see the way Lady Umbra looked at the girl? I wouldn’t want to be in her place right now.”

“I hear tell the woman's killed more than fifty people, just because she
suspected
they could use magic,” said the third man.  “No trial. No test. She just had their heads lopped off.”

“Not my business,” said Dren. “Though I do wish I could find out what the girl knows about Jeb's death.”

The sensation in Ethan’s limbs was slowly returning. He now realized that his hands were shackled. He could also feel something fastened around his neck – the collar the Corvali man spoke of, he supposed.

A door opened and the three men fell silent.

“You can go now,” said a female voice. “Your presence is no longer required.”

“We’ll leave when we’re paid,” said Dren.

“You’ll leave when you are dismissed.”

Though the woman's voice was soft, it held an air of authority…and a hint of danger.

There was a long silence before Dren responded. “I should have known better than to trust you,” he eventually grumbled. “Come on men. Let’s go.”

Ethan heard boots shuffling and the slam of a door. A few seconds later, the door reopened. By now a little light was creeping into his eyes, though he could still make out only vague shapes.

“See that they are paid,” ordered the woman. “The Corvali may be scum. But they are useful scum.”

“Yes, My Lady,” answered a man, obviously a servant.

The door closed and Ethan could hear her light footfalls approaching him.

“What a prize,” she said. “What a prize indeed. The Emperor will be most pleased.”

He tried to speak, but was only able to groan weakly.

“Don’t worry,” said the woman. “The drug will wear off in a while. I am Lady Umbra, and I will be your host for a time. Do not attempt to escape. And do not try to remove your collar. If you do, you will find it a most unpleasant experience. Only I can unlock it. ”

Ethan swallowed hard. “K…Kat.”

“You needn’t concern yourself with her any longer,” Umbra told him. “She is being tended quite well, I assure you.”

He felt slender fingers touching his cheek before she added: “I will have food and drink brought to you once you have recovered.”

Ethan’s heart pounded. He tried not to think about what she meant by Kat being:
'tended quite well'
. For now, he must stay level-headed and concentrate on finding a way of saving her.

A few moments later he heard Umbra leave. A thought then suddenly occurred.

Martok!

He called to him inside his mind. But no answer was forthcoming. He reached out again, and then for a third time.
Please, I need you
, he continued to beg. But no matter how many times he tried, his pleas went unheard.

* * * * *

Though Kat’s head was still swimming, she could feel the effects of the drug wearing off. She blinked several times, straining to see her surroundings, but shades of pink and yellow light was all that filtered in. She was lying on a bed, and the touch of cold steel on her wrists told her that she was shackled. Something had also been fastened around her neck.

After a few minutes, her vision improved just enough to get the impression that she was in a spacious bed chamber. Beside her, something she could not yet focus on clearly had been placed atop a nightstand.

She whispered Ethan’s name in the vague hope that he might be somewhere nearby. But there was no reply. She fought back the fear. By now he could be anywhere. If their captors had discovered who he was, then he may very well already be on his way to the Emperor. She pushed this terrible thought from her mind. First she must free herself. Then she would save him.

But before any of that, she needed to know where the hell she was.

Her vision cleared a bit more. And though any movement was made uncomfortable by the collar around her neck, she was now able to turn her head and shift her arms a little.

The object on the nightstand caught her attention again. What was at first a blue blob was gradually turning into the figure of a tiny person. As the seconds ticked by and her sight continued to improve, she came to realize that it was a doll. But why would someone place it there? It was clearly meant for her to see.

Then, as her eyesight cleared completely, a cold stab of terror sank into her chest. Gasping, she began to struggle wildly against her bonds.

“No need for that…cousin.”

Kat lifted her head and scanned the room. Sitting in a high backed chair was Umbra. She was dressed in an elegant purple gown embroidered with silver and lace. As for her blond curls, they were tied back with purple satin ribbons and adorned with tiny white flowers. The rosy glow to her cheeks and lips was the result of expensive cosmetics, and in stark contrast to her otherwise ivory complexion. Though thinner in the waist and legs than Kat, her womanly attributes were enormous by comparison – so much so that her breasts were threatening to burst from her bodice.

“It
is
you, isn’t it?” she asked, her eyes unblinking and her mouth twisted into a sinister smile. “As impossible as it seems, it is you, Katyana.”

At first Kat was too shocked and afraid to speak. Umbra was just as she remembered – albeit a few years older; though they were now much closer in age.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me, dear cousin?” Umbra continued. She stood and crossed over to the bedside. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. After all, we are family.”

Her gloating manner was just too much for Kat to bear. Any lingering effects of the drug disappeared – banished by the sheer adrenaline of the moment. “I have
plenty
to say to you, you bitch,” she snarled. She tried to sit up suddenly, but a sharp searing pain instantly shot through her skull. She let out a scream.

Laughing at her distress, Umbra pulled out a key attached to a chain around her neck. “You can’t hurt me, Katyana. Not as long as I have this. And don’t bother trying to use your foul magic.” She spat out the word
magic
like she was issuing a curse.

“Where is Ethan?” Kat demanded.

Umbra ignored the question. Instead, she stood gazing down at Kat and shaking her head. “I know it’s you. But how did you do it?  You could not be more than thirteen years old, yet here you are, a grown woman for all accounts.” She sneered and flicked her wrist. “It's your filthy magic, I presume. Meddling with it must have aged you. But I knew you the moment I saw you.”

“I said, where is Ethan?”

“Oh, you mean Lord Dragonvein?” Umbra smiled. “Don't worry. He is quite safe.”

Kat’s eyes popped wide at hearing her use Ethan's true identity.

Umbra covered her mouth demurely and laughed. “Could it be that little Katyana is in love? And with Lord Dragonvein no less. I wonder what your father will say about that.”

“My father…where is he?”

“He should be along shortly,” Umbra informed her. “He's currently in a meeting with the commander at the Imperial garrison. Lord Dragonvein’s arrival in Lumnia has apparently got the dwarves and the elves in such a state that they've been foolish enough to rebel. But this is nothing you should think about. You will have plenty to occupy yourself with once Shinzan has you at his palace.”

She turned and walked over to the door. “I hear he is not exactly the kindest of men. Particularly when it comes to his treatment of women. The violations and degradations they suffer are well known. I’ve seen the women who have returned alive. Broken - completely broken. A pity. It will break your father’s heart to know what will happen to you.”

Having dispensed this final thought, she left the room.

Even with Umbra gone, the collar continued to hold Kat fast to the bed. She tried to summon a spell, but found that she was cut off from magic entirely. Briefly, she considered trying to remove it, but rejected the idea. Umbra would certainly not have been lying about its effects.

The doll's jeweled eyes stared at her constantly, it’s masterfully crafted features a taunting reminder of how helpless she was. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Only the knowledge that Ethan still lived kept her from falling into utter despair. There must be a way out, she kept telling herself. There simply had to be.

She lay there for what felt like hours, hearing only occasional footsteps outside. Her thoughts turned to her father. She was a child the last time she'd seen him. She had heard through the Corvali in Miltino that he had scoured the land searching for her after her flight from home. But the fact that he'd not been arrested and executed by the Emperor's men almost certainly confirmed that he had disowned her. Her mother had died only a year later. Try as she might, Kat had been unable to find out how this had come about.

The room she was in was unfamiliar, though there were many rooms in her father’s huge palace she had never seen before. Not that it mattered. Wherever she was being held, she was sure she would know her way around well enough if only she could find a means of escaping. The thought drew a sigh. As long as this cursed collar was around her neck, any possibility of breaking free seemed a remote hope.

The light in the window on the far side of the room told her that the day was waning. Her anxiety grew each time she heard people outside the door. If Umbra was telling the truth about her father being at the garrison, would he simply bring soldiers to take her away without even bothering to see her? Of course, she wasn’t really sure that she
wanted
him to see her. Especially like this.

The next series of footsteps she heard approaching were made by a group of heavily booted feet. Their pace was urgent and purposeful. Even before they arrived, she knew who it was. The door flew open, and there stood her father. His jaw tightened the moment their eyes met.

Kat was shocked by his appearance. His once ruddy complexion was now pale, and his eyes were dull and sunken. His raven hair, so loved by her mother, had become gray and thin. Even his broad shoulders and thick powerful arms now seemed withered and frail.

He took a step inside. Behind him lurked Umbra, a smug little smile on her face. Three guards followed, but the king dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

“As you can see,” Umbra said. “I was telling the truth.”

King Yularian glared at her accusingly. “All I see is a grown woman bound to a bed. My daughter is but thirteen. What is this nonsense?”

“Just check the back of her knee,” Umbra said quickly. “The truth will then be plain.”

The king sniffed, but crossed over to Kat anyway. She averted her eyes, unable to look at him as he gripped her ankle and lifted her leg. She knew he would now have no choice but to accept what Umbra was telling him. The teardrop birthmark was unmistakable.

Yularian dropped her leg as if it had burned his fingers and staggered back.

“It can’t be,” he whispered, tears instantly welling in his eyes. “Katyana? Is it really you?”

Kat still couldn’t force herself to look at him.

“Of course it’s her,” insisted Umbra.

A tear fell down the king's cheek. “But how?”

“Obviously magic has somehow aged her.”

Kat glared at her cousin. “Magic did not age me, you bitch. So just shut your goddamn mouth.”