Journey 'The Chosen One Trilogy: Book Two' (8 page)

My eyes widened as a scream filled the
inside of my head. It split through me and my own scream joined
into the chorus. I tried to push it out of my mind, but couldn’t.
Whatever this magic was, it was stronger than even
Ternach.

I felt the energy reach deep inside of
me before projecting itself outward. I heard my screams being
echoed by the six tied to the posts. I looked around wildly until I
focused on Brice, expecting him to be one of the screamers. He was
staring at me, his eyes wide. Sonia had a smile on her face.
Another spasm shook me and I tried to keep the energy from leaving
me. I jerked as it broke through my barriers and I heard a wet
ripping noise. A look at the posts showed me six animals, cats and
dogs, all of them falling to the ground. An instant later, their
human halves joined them.

Braw pulled the staff away from me, the
magic sucked away from me and the screaming stopped. I lay on the
ground whimpering. I couldn’t catch my breath and my head as about
to explode. My escort grabbed me roughly by the hair and hauled me
to my feet.

When I tried to get my feet under me
but couldn’t he pulled again, then decided it would be easier to
drag me back.

“Let go of her!”

I heard Brice’s fist connect with
something that crunched in the other guard’s face. Brice’s arms
cradled me and lift me up. “Shush, Hayden. I’ve got
you.”

I leaned my head against his chest, my
eyes closed against the pain in my head. “Why, Brice?”

“I’m not sure anymore.” He started
walking back toward the castle.

I started to sob. “Oh, god. They’re all
dead. I killed them all!” My whole body shook with shock. “I felt
it in my head, and I tried to push it out. But I couldn’t! And then
I felt it projecting out of me, so I tried to hold it in. And I
couldn’t do that! And now they’re gone.”

Brice opened the door to my cell and
stood in the middle of the room for a moment. He turned back to the
door, closed it, and sat with his back against the far wall with me
still in his arms.

I opened one eye so I could see his
face. He was frowning, staring at the door. He glanced down at me,
gave me a sad smile, and tucked my hair behind my ear.

“I was thirteen the last time I saw him
do that. It made sense at the time.”

“How could you have thought that? You
saw them die! And how are you still alive? That thing, it projected
everywhere. Why didn’t it get you?”

“I’m not Namael, Hayden. I’m
human.”

I frowned. “But I’ve seen you shift.
You’re a jaguar.”

He shook his head. “Sometimes, when a
Namael or a Maj gets separated, Braw is able to capture the animal
spirit. He traps it in a stone. Whoever carries the stone can use
it to shift at will.” He pulled a stone out of his pocket to show
me. “I got this when I was thirteen. Braw said my orders were to
get into the Namael’s guard, find you, and get you back. He said
you could help us rid the world of demons.”

The door opened and William looked in.
“Hayden?” He glanced at Brice and turned his attention back to me.
“Are you alright?”

I tried to look better than I felt.
“I’m ok, William.”

“Captain?” The tone wasn’t sarcastic
this time. Obviously, Brice had scored some points with him after
punching the other guard.

“Close the door and lock it,” Brice
ordered. “Go stand guard at the top of the stairs. If anyone comes
down, I want to know who it is before this door opens.”

William nodded and did as he was
told.

Brice looked back down to me. “I’ve
lived among the Namaels for almost seven years. They aren’t evil.
But how am I supposed to convince them all of that?”

“You’ve been one of them. Won’t they
believe you just because of that?”

He shook his head. “I’m not the first
to pretend to be a shifter. The others come back feeling the same
as when they left. That all shifters are possessed.”

“So why is it different with
you?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s
because I was so young. I grew up with them and didn’t have quite
as many years of being told otherwise.” He gazed into my eyes and
blinked. “No. It’s you. I don’t have bonds to Braw like Jasper has
to Melana, or Luke has to Damian, but I can still feel a pull to
you.”

His eyes saddened and he wiped a fresh
tear off of my cheek. “I’m sorry, Hayden.”

He sounded so sincere that I started to
cry again.

“Shush, now. I’ll figure something
out.” He kissed me softly and hugged me tightly to his chest. “I
made a promise to you, do you remember? The only reason I brought
you here was because I was told you wouldn’t be hurt.” He frowned.
“I promised to fight for you. Die for you if I must. I’ll get you
out of here, Hayden, if it’s the last thing I do.”

I completely broke down.

There was a commotion at the top of the
stairs and Brice tensed, but stayed where he was. The lock slid
back and the door burst opened. Sonia stood in the doorway, her
face flushed with anger. Behind her, William looked in. His eye was
already starting to swell shut.

“I’m sorry, sir. She took me by
surprise.”

Brice waved him away. “What do you
want, Sonia.”

She glared at me. “What did you do to
him?”

“She didn’t do anything to me.” Brice’s
voice was soft. “Love, this is my decision. I promised to keep her
safe. Whether she is out in Sageden or in a cell here, I will keep
that promise.”

“She’s a sorceress! She put a spell on
you!” She took a step toward us. “Get away from him you evil
whore!”

Brice growled low in his throat. He set
me gently on the ground and stood. He didn’t raise his voice, but
the tone of it made both of our eyes widen. “That’s
enough.”

Sonia seemed to shrink back into
herself. “I told you this would happen.”

He nodded. “You did.”

“You can still change it. Come home.
Forget about her.” A tear slid down her face.

He walked to her and pulled her to his
chest. “I can’t. Sonia, look at me.” He put his finger under her
chin and tilted her head up. “I can’t.”

“I can’t lose you, Brice.”

He tried to smile down at her. “Would
it actually make a difference if I was around or not? I’m only home
three or four times a year and it’s never for more than two weeks
at a time.”

“But once this is done, you would get
to stay home. You wouldn’t have to leave anymore.”

He swallowed hard. “I know.” He kissed
her softly. “I love you.”

“Then come home.”

He kissed her harder this time. “I
can’t.”

She leaned her head against his chest
and started to cry. “You promised me you would love me
forever.”

Brice cleared his throat. “And I will,”
he whispered. He wiped the tears from her face and tucked long
blond strands of hair behind her ears. “Go home, Sonia.”

She stood on her tip toes and kissed
him softly. “I love you.” She glanced around him to me and I was
shocked by the hate in her eyes. Without another word, she
left.

I heard the lock slide back into place.
Brice leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

“Don’t pick her over me, Brice.” Sonia
sounded as if she had called it down from the top of the
stairs.

A growl exploded out of his throat and
he turned, punching the wall with all of his strength. I heard the
bones in his hand break against the stone and I cringed. He stood
with his head against the wall, his hand against his chest. I got
to my feet and made my way over to him, leaning against the wall
for support. When I reached him, I simply lay my head on his
arm.

We stood like that for a moment, each
of us lost in our thoughts.

“Let me fix your hand.” I looked up at
him.

Without a word, he took his dagger and
cut the ropes from my wrists. I rolled my shoulders and groaned
then took his other hand and pulled him into a kneeling position.
The greens moved in front of me. I wrapped his hand in a wave and
held on to it. I expected him to gasp, even jerk, but all I heard
was a sob. I looked up. His eyes were closed, the tears flowing
freely from them, his shoulders shaking with his sobs.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled
him into my lap then brushed his hair back out of his eyes. My lips
found his forehead.

“Dying for you, that’s not what’s
bothering me. It’s the fact that I’ll never be able to give her
what she always wanted.” His voice was just a whisper.

“What are you talking
about?”

“Sonia, she sees things like you do.
She dreams about them. She saw me bringing you back here. That’s
why Braw picked me.” He took a deep breath. “The next time Braw
takes you out, I will interfere and I will be killed while trying
to save you.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean, you’re not allowed to
interfere. Too many beings have died because of me. I won’t lose
you too.”

“I promised to keep you safe and I
will.”

Suddenly, I wanted Sonia to be back
here. I wanted to hear her dream in detail. “Do you know what she
saw?”

“She saw Braw taking you to the
courtyard. When he touches you with the staff, I try to stop him.
When he turns to fight me off, you get away.”

“Go back to Sonia, Brice.” I gently
pushed him away so I could look at him. “Braw won’t use me to wipe
out the shifters. I won’t let it happen.”

“If you don’t help him, he’ll make you
and then he’ll kill you.”

I shivered at the memory I was having;
the power that had been in my head, the feel of it flowing through
me, out of me. I shook my head. “It’s not going to happen. I have
to be alive for him to use me.”

His eyes widened.

I thought about my statement and rolled
the idea through my head. It wasn’t that I wanted to die. But I was
tired of the killing. So many beings had died because of me. “Maybe
it’s time I die for me.”

“You sound serious.” He stood and
pulled me up with him.

“I am. If anyone can end this nonsense,
it’s me.” I looked into his eyes and smiled. “You can do me a
favor, if you like.”

“What’s that?”

“When things blow over, could you find
Jasper?” My voice caught in my throat. “Tell him I loved him. Tell
Dodge he was the best friend a girl could have asked for. And tell
the rest of them thank you.” I tried to blink back the tears. “Tell
them I’m sorry.”

“No.”

“Please. Brice. I have to do
this.”

“No.” He turned me toward the door.
“William.”

Footsteps came down the stairs and
stopped at the door. “Sir?”

“Unlock the door.”

The door opened and Brice guided me
through.

“Hayden?” William looked worriedly at
me.

“I’m alright.”

He glanced down at my unbound hands and
back to Brice.

“You were pretty brave when it came to
putting me in my place, William.”

“Sir?”

“I need to know if you can be that
strong when Braw comes to question you.”

William looked down at me, back to
Brice, and nodded.

“Tell them I took Hayden to my father’s
old house to let her recover. When they ask why you let me take
her, tell them I cut you.”

“Um, sir? You’d better do it if the
story will work.” He held his arm out to Brice. The latter pulled
his dagger and made a quick gash on the former’s bicep. William
sucked in a breath and put pressure on the cut.

“Why can’t William come with
us?”

William shook his head. “If there’s no
one here to tell them where you went, they’ll automatically assume
he took you out of the city and start the search. This will slow
them down and give you a head start.”

I gave him a hug. “If I ever see you
again, we’ll try to get you home.”

He hugged me back. “Take care,
Hayden.”

I walked up the stairs and into the
fresh air. We made our way through the dark city, crossed the
courtyard, and came to stop at some bushes by the stone
fence.

Brice glanced back and stiffened. A
couple was walking hand in hand through the courtyard, both of them
giggling. He pushed me up against the wall and bent so that his
forehead was against mine.

“Come on, Chum! You can do better than
that!” the man called to him. His partner laughed and told him to
be quiet.

Brice waved backward to him, hesitated
and placed his lips softly on mine. He had one hand up against the
wall by my head and the other one moved to my shoulder. If ever
there was a brotherly kiss, this was it. I wanted to laugh and cry
at the same time. Even after all of this, I still thought of him
that way. My overprotective little brother.

I could still hear the other couple
sitting on a bench. My heart felt heavy in my chest. I didn’t care
what Sonia saw. I wasn’t going to lose him anytime soon.