Honor's Price (23 page)

Averel stopped a short time later to take a deep breath. He muttered something vicious under his breath,
and the gargoyle growled softly. She didn't know what made them so angry, but she was glad their tempers weren't aimed at her.

The young troubadour looked back at her, his eyes glittering in the half-light. “This place reeks of blood magic and death. Duke Keirthan has much to answer for.”

When he started forward again, his long legs moved at a pace that was nearly impossible for her to match. The floor beneath their feet sloped steadily downward with no railing at the side to offer her support. She reluctantly put her hand on the wall as she walked, holding up her skirts with the other. Still she fell further behind.

“Averel, please. I cannot keep up.”

He immediately stopped and looked back apologetically. “My pardon, Lady Theda. It is only concern for my friend that drives me so hard.”

She hurried the last few steps to where he stood studying the way in front of them. “It flattens out shortly, which should make it easier for us both.”

She squinted, trying to see ahead but with no luck. How could he know that from where they stood? But then, Kane had also seemed to be able to see in the darkness far better than she did.

Rather than waste her breath on responding, she put her hand on Hob's shoulder and concentrated on keeping up. Just as Averel promised, their path soon leveled out. Hob left her side to range out in front of them, his nose to the ground as he tasted the scents with his tongue.

Her fear about what lay ahead worsened. What if the combination of her potion and the pain medication from the doctor hadn't kept Ifre abed tonight?

“Can you hear anything?” she whispered when Averel stopped for a second time.

“One heartbeat, but there's something else.” He stared toward a dim glow in the distance. “Something dire and dangerous lies in wait.”

He glanced in her direction. “It is not too late for you to turn back, my lady.”

It was tempting, but she would not act the coward when Kane's life might depend on the two of them. “Kane may need my help. I will not abandon him now.”

She must have convinced Averel because he started forward again. Before they reached the room at the end, he handed her the torch. “Hold this. I may need both hands free to fight.”

The passageway they'd followed had been dank and cold, but as they crossed into the enormous chamber at its end, they were hit with a wave of heat that rivaled the hottest summer day. The air was heavy and difficult to breathe. The stench of drying blood and death left her gagging.

“Breathing through your mouth may help with the smell.” Averel looked a little queasy himself as he glanced around the room. The ceiling vaulted high overhead. The fire pit in the center of the room accounted for the heat, but the most prominent feature in the place was the altar sitting on a dais at the far end of the room.

The bloody body displayed there belonged to Kane. He was naked, his arms and legs hanging limply from chains attached to four pillars at the corners of the altar. From where she stood, it didn't appear there was a single inch of his body that hadn't been sliced with a knife. He wasn't moving, perhaps not even breathing.

“Kane!” she called and started forward.

Averel caught her arm and pointed toward the ceiling above Kane. “By the gods, what horror is that?”

Theda followed his line of sight and gasped. A black cloud about as wide as her arm span hovered high in the air directly over Kane's body. Although it looked to be the consistency of oily smoke, her instincts told her there was far more to it than that.

“It's either the source or the product of Ifre's blood magic.” She had no gift herself, but her late husband had taught her enough that she knew she was right. “Whatever it is, we are in the same grave danger as Kane.”

She took a tentative step forward. “Do you believe Kane to be alive?”

Looking even more grim, Averel nodded and rubbed his chest. “I would know if he wasn't.”

The conviction in his words gave her the courage to continue forward. When they were but a few feet from the steps leading up to the dais, the black cloud moved, drifting downward. Averel shoved Theda behind him, planting himself firmly between her and any danger the darkness might represent.

Averel called out, “Kane, can you hear me?”

A soft moan was their only answer, but it was enough to send Theda bolting past Averel toward the altar.

“Lady Theda, stop where you are!”

Averel charged after her. She wanted to ignore him, but then she realized that the heavy cloud was slowly spinning faster now and had dropped several inches closer to Kane. She slowed her approach, but nothing was going to keep her away from her warrior lover.

“Let me distract that thing before you get closer.”

Theda didn't want to delay another instant, but Kane would not be well served if she were to run afoul of Ifre's dark magic before she could set him free.

As soon as Averel plucked a burning torch from the wall and brandished it and his sword at the hovering darkness, the dark cloud spun around and drifted back away from him. Two red orbs appeared in its center. What kind of horror was it?

“Come on, you!” Averel taunted. “I'm guessing you're only brave when your victim is chained down.”

Hob joined Averel's efforts, his muzzle pointed toward the cloud as he spit venom and snarled his own brand of insults. He leapt off the ground and succeeded in hitting his target with a heavy spray of venom. The cloud shuddered and faded in color as it retreated farther from the altar. When they'd driven Ifre's monster to the far end of the dais, Theda climbed the few steps, keeping a wary eye on the hovering mass. The young knight and Hob
drove the cloud toward the fire pit, its movements growing more sluggish.

Despite the heat near the fire in the center of the room, the air around the dais was cold enough to make her breath visible. If she was chilled fully dressed and wearing a heavy cloak, how cold must Kane be?

She pulled out the pin that held her cloak fastened and took it off. Sidling along the front edge of the platform, she reached the altar. Her first close-up look at Kane broke her heart. What skin wasn't cut and crusted with dried blood was nearly blue with cold. She ignored the pain it caused her, but at that moment, she couldn't imagine hating anyone as much as she hated her brother-in-law.

Having lured the cloud away for the moment, Averel joined her on the dais while Hob kept watch, ready to sound the alarm if the cloud moved back toward them. The young warrior stood beside her, staring down at his friend in absolute fury.

After covering Kane's body with her cloak, she said, “Promise me Ifre will pay for this.”

Averel began working on releasing the chains from Kane's wrists, still keeping a wary eye on the cloud. “Upon my oath, Keirthan will die.”

She believed him and drew comfort from the knowledge.

B
y the Lady, Kane hurt. His skin was on fire, and his bones ached. He'd been passing in and out of consciousness for hours, maybe even days by now. Trapped down here in Keirthan's private torture chamber, time was meaningless. Only the precious respites from the bastard's games mattered.

Something had woken him up, but what? Ah, yes, someone was moving around nearby, which meant the bloody games would soon begin again. Kane had always been grateful for the gift of healing from the Lord and Lady of the River. But here, in the eternal darkness of Ifre Keirthan's chambers, it only made the torture that much worse.

In Kane's few lucid moments, he knew that death would have already claimed a normal man, but there was nothing normal about any of the Damned. That was especially true for him. The strength of his forsworn legacy combined with the gifts from the Lady ensured that Kane would suffer a long, long time before he'd be granted the sweet release of death.

“Kane, can you hear me?”

His mind was playing with him because that sounded more like Averel than Keirthan. He tried to answer, but a moan was the best he could manage with his throat nearly ruined from screaming.

Footsteps that couldn't belong to Averel grew closer. Too light. Too quick. Feminine. The air above him stirred as a soft blanket settled over his body. He moaned again,
soaking in its soothing warmth. It smelled of roses, a nice change from the stench of his own blood, vomit, and sweat. Who would do such a thing? Then his pain-fogged mind recognized the scent.

Please, Lord and Lady, tell me it isn't Lady Theda standing over me!

The touch of her soft hand cupping his face confirmed his suspicions. Gathering up the tattered remains of his strength, he strained against his chains. He'd long ago given up trying to break free of them, but he had to protect her. If Keirthan caught Theda here, he'd feed her to Damijan.

“Kane, stop fighting us! We're here to get you out of here, but you need to hold still.”

We? Who was with her? There was no one in the keep that he would trust with his life, much less hers. Finally, a male voice entered the discussion.

“Stop thrashing around, Kane. You're opening your wounds again. I'll get the chains off if you'll hold still.”

“Averel?” he managed to whisper.

“Yes. Hob's here, too.”

He had to warn them. “Monster. Death.”

“We know. Hob weakened it with his venom. He will warn us if it comes closer.”

While he spoke, Averel pulled on the chain attached to Kane's right arm, unleashing an agonizing fresh wave of pain. Kane bit back a curse and fought off the dark oblivion that had provided his only relief when Keirthan had been the one standing beside the altar.

He forced his eyes to open, staring up at Theda and drinking in her gentle beauty. She shouldn't be there, but a selfish part of him was glad she was. He hadn't thought he'd live to see her again. As Averel struggled to break open Kane's shackles, Theda poured water from a flask onto a cloth and sponged Kane's face. It felt wonderful, especially on his cracked, dry lips.

“I'm going to lift your head so you can sip some water. Go slowly so you don't choke. Understand?”

He managed a small nod. She eased her hand under the back of his neck and raised his head up a few inches. The water trickled into his mouth with almost as much spilling down his chin. He swallowed once, the cool liquid stinging his throat. The second sip felt better, the third better yet.

She lowered his head. “We'll give it a minute and try some more.”

Averel was muttering something about hunting down the smith who'd made the shackles for Keirthan and gutting him. Hearing his normally cheerful friend talking that way made Kane laugh, a big mistake considering how much he hurt.

“You think this funny, Kane? If I'd known you were enjoying yourself down here, I wouldn't have risked my own hide trying to rescue you.”

Theda interceded. “That's enough, both of you. Nothing about this is funny.”

The fear in her voice silenced both men quickly. She held out a long pin. “Perhaps this will work better than your knife to open the lock.”

Averel went to work with the pin. His efforts were rewarded a few seconds later with a soft click. Kane's arm hit the table with a thump. It had been numb from hanging over his head for so long, but now feeling came rushing back with a vengeance. Fine. He needed to regain full use of it and the sooner, the better.

When Averel unfastened the second lock, Theda caught Kane's arm and lowered it to the marble surface of the altar. They unlocked his ankles next. Free at last, he tried to sit up, but failed miserably. Could he appear any weaker in front of his woman? His mind argued it didn't matter; he had no right to lay claim to her that way. His heart felt differently.

“Catch your breath, Kane, and we'll help you up.”

The rough sympathy in Averel's voice was only slightly easier to take than the sheen of tears in Theda's eyes. He closed his eyes briefly, hating their pity and
wondering how bad off he must be to have both of them looking that way.

“Get me up. He'll be back.”

“Not tonight,” Theda said, shaking her head. “I added a potion to his spiced wine to give him a headache. His physician came and gave him something to help him sleep through it. That doesn't mean we can afford to linger. The servants will be stirring soon, and we can't risk being seen in the great hall.”

Finally, something he could do to help himself. “Another way out. Comes out beyond the city walls.”

Averel looked relieved. “Good. We'll all go that way.”

Theda started to protest, but Averel stopped her. “No, we can't go back the way we came. If anyone has discovered the guard, there could be swarms of guards prowling the hall now.”

She quit arguing. “Very well, but the longer I'm gone, the greater the chance of discovery.”

That alone gave Kane the strength to sit up. He managed the feat on his own, which went a long way toward restoring his pride. As soon as he did, the cloud spun around and headed straight for them.

“Get down!” he croaked. “Get Theda out of here! I'll follow when I can.”

“But—,” she protested even as Averel dragged her down off the dais.

Kane trusted his friend to keep Theda out of harm's way. Meanwhile, his mage mark was throbbing. If he wasn't careful, Keirthan's creature would latch on to him like a leech to feed on the magic he'd been gifted with at birth. The choice was simple: He could use the magic or it would use him.

He brought his hands up and began chanting, the words dragged up from the farthest reaches of his memories. By now his mark burned as if a hot branding iron had been laid against his cheek. He ignored the pain even as he ignored every wound that Keirthan had left upon his body.

Nothing mattered as long as Theda and his friends made it to safety. At first the flow of the magic was but a small trickle, barely enough to do more than make his fingertips tingle. But he repeated the words over and over, taking pleasure in speaking in his native tongue.

Then, as if a dam burst, the power poured through him to mend his body, banishing his pain and exhaustion. When he was back to full strength, he turned the wave of power against the whirling blackness. Revenge tasted sweet. At first the pool of darkness overhead resisted his attack, but slowly Kane forced it to retreat.

He jumped down off the dais, following after his nemesis. The cloud no longer spun; the pair of red eyes were blinking in and out, as if it was having a hard time holding on to its consciousness. One more little push and even the color was fading. No longer black, it rapidly faded through all the shades of gray.

But the pool of magic Kane had called upon was not limitless, and already the stream of power he channeled grew weaker. He could sense his friends were waiting for him only a short distance down the passageway. They wouldn't leave until he joined them, so he held back enough of his strength to follow after them.

He took little comfort in knowing he'd badly weakened Keirthan's spells. The bastard would only rekindle their power when next he returned to the labyrinth. Kane picked up Theda's cloak and retrieved his weapons from the corner where Markus had dumped them. They'd cut off Kane's jerkin in pieces, but his trews were more or less intact, making them better than nothing. He strapped his sword at his waist and retreated toward the passageway. About halfway there, he stopped. Maybe there was one more thing he could do, but only if he hurried.

Turning his attention to the altar, where so many innocents had died, he began chanting again. He'd probably regret expending the energy necessary to accomplish
his goal, but he wasn't going to stop now. When he said the last word of the spell, he brought his fist down on the marble with all the fury he could muster.

A crackling sound echoed through the room as first the columns that held the chains and then the altar itself crumbled into pieces. He raised his voice in one final shout, and the entire structure burst apart.

He wished he could be there when Keirthan returned, to witness the fool's reaction firsthand. Instead he'd have to be satisfied with the knowledge that he'd struck the first blow at bringing Keirthan's reign to an end.

*   *   *

The passageway seemed much longer going out than it had when Kane had followed Markus to Keirthan's chamber. He sent Hob ahead to scout for them. Taking Theda's hand in his, Kane followed after his avatar, holding his sword at the ready. It was doubtful they'd run into anyone, but he didn't want to walk into a trap unprepared.

Averel brought up the rear, still keeping a wary eye on the path leading back to Keirthan's chambers. “Kane, what was that noise at the end?”

He really didn't want to explain about his newfound abilities with his magic, but he wouldn't lie to his friend. “I shattered Keirthan's altar.”

“Wasn't it solid marble?”

Kane didn't bother to deny it. “Yes, it was. I'll tell you more later, but right now lengthy explanations will only slow us down.”

He picked up the pace. He knew he was pushing them all hard, but it was necessary they put as much distance as possible between them and the center of Keirthan's power. Once they were out in the clean, fresh air, he'd feel better. They all would.

Hob was waiting for them at the door. Kane pressed his ear against the rough surface but could hear nothing at all through the thick wood. He released Theda's hand.

“Wait until I check outside.”

Averel shoved himself between Kane and the door. “I'll go. You've made a remarkable recovery for someone who was more dead than alive a few minutes ago, but we can't risk you collapsing again.”

Averel was right. The magic had restored some of Kane's strength, but it wouldn't last for long. Besides, he'd rather be the one to stay with Theda. At the same time, he wished he could protect her from what he needed to tell Averel next.

“Outside of this door is a narrow trail that leads around to the far side of this small hill. From there, it heads straight toward a deep canyon where Sergeant Markus has been dumping the bodies Keirthan was done with.”

He wrapped his arm around Theda's waist and pulled her close. “I doubt Markus is out there right now, but there's no way to know for sure. He's a good swordsman, Averel, but not as good as you are. Before I learned that he was in league with the duke, I wouldn't have wanted him killed. Now I don't care.”

Theda shuddered but made no protest. Good, but then he shouldn't be surprised. Markus had certainly done nothing to ingratiate himself with her or her friends.

Averel opened the door just far enough to squeeze outside. While he was scouting the area, Kane took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the time alone with Theda. The press of her face against his bare chest soothed his weary soul.

“Kiss me, Kane.”

He didn't need to be asked twice. She tasted so very sweet, but she demanded as much as she gave. He fought to keep his driving need for her under control. This was neither the time nor the place to fan the flames of his desire for her.

If he hadn't recognized that fact for himself, Averel's return would have reminded him.

The young knight immediate backed away and started to close the door again. “Oh, sorry. Maybe I should go take another look around.”

Theda buried her face against Kane again, her shoulders shaking. No doubt Averel thought she was embarrassed at having been caught, but Kane knew his lady better than that. Right now, she was laughing and didn't want the young knight to know she found his reaction amusing.

“We'll be right behind you.”

Averel immediately retreated, leaving Kane with Theda. She finally looked up at him. “Were you ever that young?”

He chuckled. “Not that I can remember. We are all constantly amazed that he has held on to his ability to blush despite spending centuries with the rest of us. Don't tell Averel, but in some ways I've always envied him.”

He briefly touched the mark on his cheek. “I was born knowing there was great darkness in the world.”

Theda's fingertips followed after his. “Awareness of that darkness does not mean you are part of it, Kane, only that you are better prepared than most to fight it.”

He had no words to express his gratitude, so he let another kiss do his talking for him. Her faith in him was an amazing gift, if a bit misplaced. Giving in to using magic after centuries of forswearing his grandfather's teachings had left him badly shaken, even if the circumstances had warranted its use. What if on some level he'd only been waiting for the right excuse? Would he give in to it more easily next time?

And what would the Lord and Lady think of his actions? If they disapproved, he wasn't the only one who would suffer for his poor choices. Yet now wasn't the time to worry about it. He released Theda and stepped back. “We need to go.”