Release (The Protector Book 3) (33 page)

“Glad to see you’re in good health,” he said, grinning, his green toothy smile full of jagged teeth that fit together like a puzzle. A square tongue slipped between his plump blue lips and flickered in the air. I fought not to cringe as the smell of seafood rolled over me from his breath.

“Glad to see you’re the hospitable type,” I said, turning my head to the side for fresh air.

The man straightened and looked at the group behind him. “I don’t understand your meaning. I think we’ve been quite welcoming. It is forbidden to travel our roads or to walk on our land. Normally you’d have been killed on sight.”

“Wonderful,” I said under my breath. “And he said you’d be more than welcoming.”

“Who said?” The man furrowed his thin, nearly nonexistent eyebrows. “Who would tell you such a thing? Our lands are forbidden. That is common knowledge and has been since the time of the gods.”

“Your god told me—Athaniel.”

The man gasped and his three-fingered hand covered his lips. His hands were unique: unusually long with two extra knuckles on each finger. They tapped over his lips and he made a noise that I thought was laughter. It started as a deep, low gagging, and then grew higher. His shoulders began to move, and a similar sound came from behind me, but I couldn’t see anyone else.

“Oh, oh, oh,” the man gasped, his square tongue flickering between his lips. “You are an entertainer!”

“I…no, I’m not. I’m telling you the truth.”

The man returned his hand to his lips and the laughter hushed. “Oh my…you are…serious, then?”

I nodded. “Now untie me and let me explain myself.”

“Oh, I will do no such thing. Who knows what kind of diseases you bring with you? Or perhaps you are all assassins. I dare not release you until you state your business and I’ve confirmed it with the Influences of Yore.”

“He’s the Protector.” Karissa had managed to slide the gag down from her mouth. “He’s the one you need to stop Ithreal!”

“Silence!” the man’s voice boomed. It echoed off the trees and was nearly a growl. His gigantic gray eyes were cartoonish as they panned over Karissa and then back to me. He made a motion with his hand, and two smaller creatures slid her gag back in place. “Is this true? Have you been sent to guide us?” His head canted to the side as he stepped closer.

“I…” I let my voice fade, trying to regain my thoughts, but more and more creatures began to appear in my field of vision. They were all shapes and sizes with the same orange skin, and oversized, gray eyes, but with different colored hair. Clear eyelids fell over their eyes simultaneously, in an action that looked like blinking, and they all crept closer.

“Yes?” the man whispered, hovering over me. “Tell us what you’ve come for.”

I tried to lean back but the table wouldn’t allow it. The stench of fish overpowered my thoughts and I couldn’t stop myself from cringing.

“Athaniel came to me,” I said, trying not to breathe through my nose. “He told me to find you. He said you would have felt the disruption in the balance of the worlds, and because of this, you would welcome us.”

“Welcome you for what? What else did he say?”

“Can you give me some space here?” I asked.

The man’s thin eyebrows raised and he stood up, but he didn’t back away.

“Karissa was right,” I said, “I
am
the Protector. Someone is trying to break Ithreal out of his dimensional prison and bring him back.”

“We are well aware of the events that are occurring. We are the Dunopai, the people of the forest. We help keep the balance in all the worlds.”

“Well you guys are doing a bang-up job.”

“Is that a saying? I do not understand it. Please explain.”

“It’s nothing…”

His head tilted to the side and fingers tapped along his chin. “I am Alaric, Warden of the Dunopai.”

“Am I supposed to know what that is?”

“Are you unfamiliar with our ways?” He sounded astonished but didn’t let me respond. “The Warden is the oldest and wisest member of our people. The more youthful come to me for wisdom and advice. I guide them on their path, so they too may one day reach the ability of Caller—one who can speak to the Influences of Yore.”

“Gotcha,” I said, trying to avoid more of an explanation. “So can you let me go now?”

“I’m afraid not. I have very little information from you. To accept such a wild claim as truth would be ill-advised and unwise of me. You look like those horrible abominations to come out of the Unholy War. You must first show proof that you are indeed who you say you are.”

“You mean my elements? I can’t…”

“What is this you speak of? Elements? Not a skill of the Protector, I assure you. Perhaps you are still learning. Something simple then. Call the Goddess’s spirit to your side.”

“Elyas?”

Alaric took a step back and looked to his peers. “He speaks her name.”

“He speaks her name?” another voice asked.

“He speaks her name!” More voices joined in and the words repeated themselves through the crowd.

The others whispered among themselves, but I couldn’t decipher what they were saying.

“Yes, I know her name. I can’t call her though, she…just sort of shows up whenever she wants.”

“Of course you can!” His laughter came again, and it reminded me of a donkey. “This is the foundation of your power as Protector.”

“I don’t know what you think the Protector can do, but I can’t do that. I don’t know what I can do yet.”

The laughter stopped immediately. “If you cannot do this, you cannot be the Protector.”

Fire throbbed inside me as frustration built. “Have you seen the Mark? Since you know so much about the Protector, you know the giant tattoo represents exactly that.”

“Mark? What Mark? Does he bear the Mark?” He looked across the table to the crowd.

A short man stepped forward, his skin a darker orange and his voice almost a squeak. “There was a drawing on his back.”

Anger flooded into my veins as I saw a small silver rope attached to his wrist. Rai fluttered around him, trying to break free, but he jerked the rope down, forcing her back to his shoulder. She unleashed an ear-shattering screech and the silver rope began to glow. Rai squawked as though in pain.

“What are you doing to her?”

“This is a Golden Torrent. They are thought to be extinct, but they once flourished in our lands,” Alaric said. “She has come home to us and now must be trained.”

“She’s mine!”

Alaric ignored me and waved the man over. “Untie him, let me see this Mark.”

The small man moved beside me and unlatched a circular chakram blade from his hip. He swung it once with ease and the ropes around me loosened.

I sat up and the ropes dropped from my bare chest, leaving red marks running across my body

“Fascinating,” Alaric said, and I could feel his slimy fingertips sliding over my back.

I shuddered at the touch and stepped away, jumping down from the table. “So you see, I am the Protector. Now will you please release my friends and help us like Athaniel said you would?”

Alaric shook his head. “I’m afraid a simple drawing on your back does not help you pass the test. If you cannot summon the goddess, well…that does not say much for your ability as Protector. You will remain in our custody, as our guests of course, until the moon rises. Once I speak with the Influencers of Yore and confirm your story, we will determine your fate.”

“Wait, what?”

“Take them to the barracks,” Alaric said, and multiple men moved towards me.

“No!” I screamed, calling fire and water together at once.

The magic rocked through my body, and pain instantly carved into my palms, smoke rising from my hands. I muffled a scream as slimy hands gripped my biceps with demonic strength. I fought against them, but I couldn’t break free.

The men began to drag me through the woods until we arrived at a small wooden cabin with a single Dunopai standing guard. He wasn’t as muscled as the others, and he was shorter too. He looked nervous as we approached and he pulled open the door.

Inside, the walls were lined with wooden cages. The men threw me into one and secured the door with a locking contraption I’d never seen before.

Not long after, the door opened and one by one my friends were thrown into the cells around me.

“Is this how you treat all your
guests
?” I asked.

The man smiled, his jagged teeth covered in black chunks. His donkey laugh sputtered between his lips. “Only the ones stupid enough to come here uninvited.”

Chapter 28

“Only you, our fearless leader, the Protector of the worlds, could manage to screw this up,” Vincent said.

“You’re lucky you’re in a different cage than me.”

“Is that so? Would you stab me? Oh right, they took your daggers. Maybe you could light me on fire. Wait…oh that’s right, that would only cause you to hurt yourself.”

My heart raced and I reached behind me. I hadn’t even thought about my blades. The sheath wasn’t empty; it was completely gone.

“And now he catches on,” Vincent said.

“Do everyone a favor and shut up, will you?”

My cell was tall and narrow, not leaving enough room for me to extend my legs, and I kicked my feet forward, assaulting the gate. The wooden bars rattled and the lock banged against the edge.

Bright light burst into the room as the Dunopai guard ran inside. “Stop that,” he said, but it was quiet and unconvincing.

I kicked harder and he poked the spear through the bars, hesitantly stabbing the air. I grabbed the shaft and pulled it inside.

The creature fell forward but he didn’t let go. His face smacked the bars of the cage and he yanked back on the spear. I didn’t have any room to work, but I jiggled the blade, trying to break his grip, but he didn’t let go.

I jumped to my feet and reached through the bars with my free hand. I jerked him to the side and pulled his back against the cage. His hand released the weapon as I twisted his body and gripped his throat.

“Give me the keys,” I said.

“I…I don’t have the keys,” he whispered. I could feel him trembling beneath my grip and I squeezed tighter.

“Where are they and where is my Torrent?”

“I am just a young Warrior. I am not granted access to the keys. Only the higher ranked members and the Warden have them. The Golden Torrent is caged in the Warden’s tent. Please let me go. You don’t know what they’ll do to me if they find out I was disarmed.”

“And why should I care? We were told you would welcome us, and instead, we’re prisoners.”

“If you truly are the Protector, the Influencers will tell him so. He is only trying to keep us safe from outsiders.” The man huffed and blue tears trailed over his orange skin. “Please…”

I looked into the cage next to me to find Willy’s brown eyes staring up at me. He looked sad, and in that moment, the fear on this creature’s face reminded me of the day I’d met Willy.

“Just kill him. Use the spear to break the lock and let’s get out of here,” Vincent said. He stood in his cage, gripping the bars.

The man’s trembling turned to shaking, and the tears came in a heavy flow.

“Pass me the damn spear and I’ll do it.” Vincent stuck his hand through the bars.

I remembered how bad I felt for Willy earlier. How I wished I’d never met him in that alley. That thought conjured the memory, and it flashed in my mind.

Willy was crouched against the brick wall while rain poured over him. His eyes were glassy and he sat in a puddle. His thick stutter made it almost impossible to understand him. He looked up at me and I pushed the blade against his throat. I recalled the blood that ran down the silver as it broke his skin, and he trembled just like this.

Wishing I’d never met him made me feel even worse, but he was better off without me and away from all this.

My mother’s face flashed in my mind. She was watching me from a distance, and the smile I wanted to be on her face was not. “You are the Protector, Chase. Of all creatures who cannot protect themselves.” Her voice was soft, warm, and every bit as lovely as I remembered.

I looked up at the wooden bars separating me from the rest of Silas. I loosened my grip on the man’s neck and released him.

“You cannot be serious.” Vincent dropped his hand from its extended position and let it fall limp against the bars. “Wonderful. Our get out of jail card has a conscience. Can you do anything right, hunter? That’s not rhetorical, I’m seriously inquiring.”

The man fell to his knees and scrambled away, turning his back to the wall and facing me. Blue tears splashed his orange skin, and he wiped them along the back of his knuckles. He sniffed and his small nose slid against his fingers. Wide strands of dark red hair had fallen from his ponytail and hung around his face like a thick piece of rope.

“You okay?” I asked, and the man nodded quickly.

“Who cares,” Veronica said. “We’re all going to die in here because you’re an idiot.” I glared back at her but it was ineffective. Her angry blue eyes were focused and her fangs dropped from her mouth. “And I’m hungry.”