Release (The Protector Book 3) (34 page)

“Since when is having mercy a bad thing?” Karissa asked. “Oh right, you’re the exception. The cold-hearted bitch who has nothing to offer except a violent hickey.”

Veronica’s fangs receded and she didn’t respond. She pursed her lips and Vincent smiled with amusement. “Come on now. Don’t be shy, ladies. Let it all out.”

“Shut up,” Karissa snapped.

I looked back to the man who was watching us carefully. “What’s your name?”

“Grayson,” he whispered. “Grayson Habrick.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry about what happened there.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be, it’s my fault. And it’s not like I blame you.” He got to his feet and brushed himself off. “You’re the Protector—the savior of all living things against darkness. You shouldn’t be locked up like an animal.”

“Then let us out!” Vincent shouted.

“I…I can’t. They’ll do horrible things to me. You don’t understand our ways so you can’t possibly know. I shouldn’t be in here…I shouldn’t be here at all. I’m no Warrior.”

“What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “Can I have my spear back?”

I looked down at the spear leaning against the wall of my cage then back to Grayson. He sighed. “If they find out you disarmed me, they’ll punish me. If you weren’t going to give it back, why’d you even let me go?”

“Punish you for being disarmed?”

“That’s the way of the Dunopai Warriors. There are Healers, there are Callers, and there are Warriors. If you don’t become a Healer or a Caller, you have no other choice.”

“What if you don’t want to fight?” Willy leaned against his prison, his brown eyes focused on Grayson.

“Didn’t you hear the man?” Vincent asked. “You’re either A, B, or C. He’s not A or B, so he doesn’t get a choice, does he?”

“Nobody asked you.” Willy turned to Vincent and glared at him. “Why don’t you let him answer the question?”

I tried not to let the shock show as Willy turned back to Grayson. “Go on.”

“He’s right, you don’t get that option. If you choose not to fight, you are a deserter.”

“What do they do to deserters?” Willy asked.

Grayson didn’t reply, but he gave Willy a knowing look.

Willy hunched over and lowered his eyes. “Oh…”

I reached into my cage and grabbed the spear, sliding it between the bars towards him when the door burst open. I jumped, dropping the weapon and Grayson’s eyes lit up with fear.

A large Dunopai walked in and turned to Grayson. “What are you doing in here? Why are you not at your post?” His eyes lowered to the spear rolling between the cage bars. “Why does he have your weapon?” The man’s glare was fierce and his brown teeth ground against one another.

“I…it slipped and—“

“You were disarmed by a prisoner? By a half-breed?” The man locked eyes with me. He stepped closer, his breath reeking of the same fishy smell as Alaric’s. He reached down and picked up the spear, never breaking eye contact.

He stepped away and grabbed Grayson by the back of the neck.

“Hey!” I shouted, and in a blur of speed the spear’s point was at my throat.

“You shut your mouth,” he demanded.

I stepped back cautiously and the man gripped Grayson violently and shoved him out the door. Shouting came from the other side, but in moments it had faded in the distance.

“What do you think they’re going to do to him?” Willy turned to me.

“If he’s lucky, they’ll kill him,” Vincent said. “If he’s not, they’ll torture him first, and then kill him. Serves him right for being careless.”

“What about your little blood sucker over there?” I asked. “If I remember correctly, she was careless and it nearly got you killed.”

Vincent smirked. “Almost,” he said. “Just another failure to add to your list, right, Chase?”

I clenched my jaw and gripped the bars on the cage. “For someone who has
changed
, and was practically begging for my help, you’re being awfully arrogant.”

“Well, if we make it out of here alive and an opportunity comes where you might actually be of some assistance, I’ll start being nice again.” Vincent dropped himself in the cage and threw his arms on his knees.

“What do you think, Tiki? Can you get us out of here?”

Tiki shook his head. “There are unseen wards drawn all over this place. Nobody is teleporting out of here.”

“Perhaps waiting this out will be the intelligent decision,” Garrett said. “If this…Alaric will indeed speak to the Influencers, they will surely tell him who you are.”

“If we’re lucky,” Karissa said.

“The gods came down and spoke to Chase through Rayna. I doubt very much they would steer him wrong.” Garrett said.

“We’ve also heard time and time again that the gods haven’t walked the earth…or any of the dimensions for thousands of years. Maybe they don’t know their people as well as they think.”

“The gods are always watching,” Tiki said. “Athaniel is watching us, right now, as is Serephina and the others. They will not steer us wrong.”

Cracks echoed outside the cabin, and although they sounded distant, it reminded me of the
snap
Rayna’s whip would make. I’d only been gone a day and I missed her. I missed having her beside me, fighting the good fight. I missed her hands and the way they felt on my skin. I missed her levelheadedness keeping me grounded.

Kissing her in the bedroom replayed through my mind and it made me smile. Her lips had been soft, tasting of whatever flavor lip gloss she’d applied earlier that day. Her eyes had made me feel safe and at home, no matter where I was. Rayna had gotten me through all of this. The darkest of days had light thanks to her. I needed her here with me.

My eyes opened as voices echoed from outside. I was on the bottom of my cage, leaning against the bars. I must have fallen asleep.

The door slammed against the inside wall and the large man that had been here before entered. “Throw him in with this one.”

A tall and slender female Dunopai unlatched the gate and threw someone in. He hit the ground and rolled to his back, revealing it was Grayson. Blue tears stained his face and both of his eyes were swollen and white around the edges.

“There,” said the guard. “Now you two can get as close as you like.” He turned and walked away, mumbling something about another Warrior wasted to temptation.

Grayson struggled to sit up, his arms still bound behind his back.

“Here,” I said, reaching towards him, but Grayson cowered away immediately, his eyes welling with tears. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Grayson hesitated before turning his back to me, exposing his wrists. His back was split in over a dozen places, from what looked to be whip lacerations. Purple blood stained his back, and fresh drops slid from some of the wounds. He quivered as I pulled his arm back to loosen the ropes, and he gasped in relief as they fell and freed him.

He rotated his odd, three-fingered hand and his wrists cracked. He wiped his eyes and sniffed, pushing himself back against the wall. The moment his back touched it he cried out in pain and fell forward.

“It’s okay,” I said in a hushed voiced. “Just move forward a bit.”

Unable to lean back, he sat perfectly straight with his legs crossed. Clasping his hands in his lap, he stared at his fingers, refusing to meet my gaze.

“Are you alright?” Willy asked.

Grayson shook his head. “They’ll do this to me every day now, until one of the lashings finally kills me. I wish they had caught me when you had your hand on my throat. At least then the punishment would have been death.”

“They did this just because you dropped your weapon?”

“And because he heard me talking to you.” He was quiet and it exaggerated the shaking in his voice.

“Why don’t they just kill you either way?” Tiki asked, sounding confused.

“The Dunopai believe that if you are taken hostage, you are contaminated, and therefore must be cleansed. The only way to truly be cleansed is by death. If you are disarmed, you have dishonored your people, and for that, you must be shamed.”

“That seems a little extreme,” Karissa said, reaching through the cage beside us and touching his shoulder.

Grayson jumped and whimpered. Karissa pulled her hand back and cringed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“But your kind heals quickly, right, like all Underworlders? You’ll be better by morning,” I said.

“Afraid not. We are one of but a few breeds that do not heal like the rest. It is one of the reasons our place as keepers of the balance exists. We are not built for fighting. If they do not get worse, my wounds will begin to heal in ten to fourteen day cycles. But I’ll be shamed daily, so they will not be given a true chance.”

“Why do you have Warriors if you are not built for fighting?” Garrett asked.

Grayson laughed and winced with each donkey-like chuckle. “I’ve asked myself the same question for years. I think it’s a pride thing, so those who do not move up to Healer or Caller feel like they have a higher purpose. Don’t get me wrong, most Dunopai are excellent with a bow or blade. They are very strong and fast, and can deliver intense damage, but taking damage in return is not our strong suit.”

“And who exactly are the…Influencers of Yore?” I asked.

Grayson looked somewhat appalled. “They are you, and they are me. They are everything that is not here. The Influencers are everything that once was, and everything that will be. They are the Fade.”

The door slammed opened and Grayson and I both jumped. Grayson cried out and more blood ran from his wounds. The woman who had unlocked my cage stood in the doorway, holding the door open. With her chin raised, she looked up at the ceiling. “The Warden enters. Blessed be Athaniel.”

A few moments later, Alaric and his round belly stepped over the threshold. Two guards accompanied him and took a post on either side.

“The Callers have asked, and the Influences of Yore have answered.” He smiled as his deep voice reverberated off the walls.

“So you can let us go now?” I pressed my face between the bamboo-like bars.

Alaric frowned, his thick purple lips creasing at the sides. “I’m afraid I cannot.”

“Didn’t they tell you who I was?”

“Oh, indeed they did,” he said, stepping up to the cage. “Unfortunately, I fear you play a much larger role in this than you understand, my dear boy.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that without you, the end does not come. We are keepers of the balance, and I feel it is our duty to keep you here.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Balance has already been lost. I’m trying to stop all this from happening.”

Alaric nodded and paced in front of the cage. “It appears that even my understanding of the Protector’s role was misconstrued. You’ll forgive me, for legends this old are often mistaken based on one’s interpretation of the stories. As they are passed down, embellishments are made, and the story arcs in a manner that was not intended.”

“Can you please tell me something that at least makes sense? What exactly is my role?”

“I can, but I will not. I fear sharing this knowledge will only lead you on the path towards its fate. For now, you will remain here as our guests. You will be fed well and given plenty to drink; however, I cannot allow you to leave the barracks. I do apologize for this. I had always hoped the days of the Protector would be filled with glory and celebration. Sadly this is not a time for either.”

Fire stirred inside me, and as it rose, pain sliced through my leg. I closed my eyes and focused on calming myself. I took a long, deep breath, and as the element faded and I opened my eyes, the door to the barracks closed—Alaric was gone.

Chapter 29

I rubbed my calf where a massive blood blister had formed. It was hot to the touch and I was careful not to tear it open, but rubbing soothed the muscles. My hands were raw from my previous magical outbursts and my body ached in places I didn’t know could hurt. I was falling apart.

“So tell us, fearless leader, what’s the plan now?” Vincent’s voice made me shudder, and I considered risking the pain to set a fire in his cell. Instead, I opted for silence and closed my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts.

“What did he mean, Chase Williams, when he said
 
‘without you, the end does not come?’
” Tiki asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, he expected you to demonstrate your power and call the goddess. Can you not do this? She could help us now.”

“Have you ever seen me do that?” Tiki’s eyes rolled up in his head and he looked lost in thought. “No, Tiki, I can’t do that.”

“Have you tried?”

I glared at Tiki, and Karissa moved in her cage to block my view. “I’m sure he has, Tiki,” Karissa said. “I think he just needs a few minutes to think.”

Grayson groaned, shifting his position and trying to get comfortable. “Ouch,” he whispered. He was lying on his stomach and adjusting himself constantly on the planks of wood that made up the floor.

“Here, let me help you.” I reached towards him and my magic ignited.