Shield of Fire (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (31 page)

Chapter Twenty-six

Ravyn shivered and moaned. Why was she so cold? A crippling agony tore through her. Pain shot through her head and down her entire body as she rolled over. Her arms and chest were on fire, burning her from the inside out. Whispers chased around her, but she couldn’t understand what they said. She opened her eyes and stared up. Something moved above her. She squinted and then recoiled. Small hunchbacked creatures stared down at her from jutting rocks. They looked like misshapen monkeys but their brown skin was furless. Blue flames danced in their black, egg-shaped eyes. Demons.

“They’re imps,” said a voice to her left.

Shards of pain raced through her as she turned to see a large, blue-winged demon. His massive, blue-marbled body reclined against the back of a throne. Her eyes widened as the slow revelation of who held her captive sunk in—Vile, the Demon King.

Ravyn turned her head to the right and gasped. Hundreds of Bane demons stood mere yards away, their yellow eyes peering at her with a frightening hunger. She looked back at the ceiling, preferring the imps to the horrid creatures encircling her.

“It’s rather shocking, isn’t it? Waking to find yourself sur-rounded by the Bane, with no chance of escape?” Vile’s voice sounded almost bored. Almost. “There isn’t, you know. In case you were wondering. There is no possible chance of escape.”

Ravyn closed her eyes and reminded herself to breathe. Her heart beat so hard it made her nauseous. Tiny shivers, which had nothing to do with cold and everything to do with terror, rippled through her body. She sifted through everything she’d learned over the past few weeks, but no solution came to mind. A sigh escaped her as she struggled to find her calm but failed. She turned to her side and sat up. Her head pounded and her fire pushed against her. Now she understood the agony rushing through her body. How could her power
not
rage when she was practically drowning in demons? She strengthened her shields and focused on the king.

She feigned calm. “Vile, I presume?”

“Yes,” he purred. “King of the Demon Bane, ruler of the Shadow World, and slayer of Bringers.”

She eased to her feet and dusted off her pants, letting her gaze wander around the chamber. She coughed against the assortment of putrid smells, too numerous and foul to identify. Blue flames burned from pits in the ground but appeared to give off no heat. Rough walls soared to a jagged ceiling. Her perusal tracked downward and settled on the king. She squinted and stilled herself from recoiling as she realized he sat upon a throne made of bones.

“Very”—she coughed again—“impressive.”

“You’re not impressed?” Vile asked.

Scared, yes. Impressed, no. “Should I be?”

“Oh yes, my lady. You should be in awe of my very presence. I am the demon that decimated the entire Bringer population.” Titters of excitement rang through the dark cavern.

She crossed her arms and arched a brow. “Really? Then what am I?”

“Yes, indeed,” he drawled. “What are you?”

He rose and spread his wings as he descended the steps of his dais. She wanted to back up as far as possible, but she didn’t move. His heavy footfalls crushed the debris of bones and rock beneath his feet as he prowled toward her. Vile stopped and towered, peering at her for several seconds with his snakelike eyes.

The fire moved and churned under her skin, beating against her barriers. She shifted as the pressure nearly buckled her knees. Her neck ached from looking up at the demon, but she held his gaze. She might not get out of here alive, but she’d not die a coward.

“You look very much like your mother,” Vile said.

The breath froze in her body. Of all the things she had expected him to say, that was not one of them. Logic told her not to respond, not to fall for his ploy, but cursed curiosity won out. “What do you know of my mother?”

The king smiled triumphantly and stepped away from her. He held his arms out wide in a grand gesture. “My lady, I know everything about your mother. And your father.”

Her chest tightened and dread washed through her. Fire hovered below the skin in the palms of her hand. She readied herself for his lies and his attack.

“Would you like me to tell you about them?” he asked.

She didn’t respond.

“I will,” he said, smiling. “I’ll tell you everything I know. It will be my gift to you before I take your powers and join with you.”

She glanced away, not wanting him to see the effect his words had on her. She scanned the great hall, panning across the demons’ faces. Her gaze stopped, riveted on Icarus across the chamber. His black, muscular body stood framed by the doorway. He watched her, unmoving. She held his gaze as something foreign passed between them. Could she call it comfort? Surely not.

“Icarus is my second-in-command, and my son.” Ravyn didn’t miss Vile’s mocking tone. “After many failed attempts, he has at last succeeded in bringing you to the belly of the Shadow World. I didn’t think he would.”

She noticed he said
would
, not could. What was Icarus playing at? He could have taken her the night on the ship, but he hadn’t. “Yes, he’s very efficient,” she said flatly.

“Icarus, take the rest of the day off.” Vile threw back his head and laughed at his own joke.

Bowing, Icarus backed out of the arched doorway, his eyes never leaving her until the shadows swallowed him. For whatever reason, his departure did not make her feel better.

She dragged her gaze from the empty entrance and turned to Vile. “Yes, I would like to know about my parents.”

“Splendid,” he bellowed. He strode up the stairs and onto the dais. In true showmanship fashion, he stood in the center so all could see and hear him. “Before I tell you about your parents, let me tell you about yourself.”

Ravyn kept her expression passive, but inside confusion, mistrust, and even hope rioted. There was no sorting through the feelings, not this late in the story. Her posture was stiff and unyielding as she waited for the king of the demons to reveal another unknown chapter of her life. Sadly, the knowledge would come too late.

“You are a Bringer,” he said. “That is to say, my lady, you’re a full-blooded Bringer.”

She struggled to keep her voice even. “Not possible. The last full-bloods were killed over three hundred years ago.”

“They have me to thank for their near-extinction. But you are not from those Bringers.” He stopped, as if she knew what he was talking about. “You are a product of the new Bringers.”

“I don’t understand.”

He paced along the dais, his steps rumbling under the mass of his body. “They thought they were clever, but they weren’t clever enough. You see, I knew.” He paused and pinned her with a stare. “I knew they had come back, searching for their comrades, but I’d already killed them.”

Ravyn couldn’t move, couldn’t swallow, couldn’t look away from the fiery yellow eyes boring into her. What was he saying? Were her parents dead? Had she truly lost them before she got the chance to know them? Or were they still alive? Hope flared.

“You, Lady Ravyn,” he said. “You are the daughter of King Janus and his bitch queen.”

Ravyn stared at him and then burst into laughter. After a second, she wiped her eyes and sighed. “Nobody told me you had a sense of humor.”

“You think I am joking?” he shouted.

She sobered. “I think you’re lying. Why would I believe anything you have to tell me?”

He jumped from the dais, his weight cracking the stone of the floor. He stopped inches from her. “I know, because I watched them come through the archway. I know because I’m the one who led the attack on your father’s retinue. I know because
I’m
the one who killed your mother and father.”

She fisted her hands, wanting nothing more than to silence his lying mouth but unable to control her need to know more. “If you killed my parents, then how am I alive? Why didn’t you kill me?”

Vile stroked his chin and took a step back. “Yes indeed, why
didn’t
I kill you?”

Not a demon stirred as she stared him, struggling to temper the fire flaring in her chest.

He tilted his head and gazed at her, then turned and sauntered to his throne. With a flourish of his wings, he folded them behind his back and sat. “I didn’t kill you because I didn’t know you existed. But wasn’t I pleasantly surprised when the monk informed Icarus about the odd girl in the abbey, especially since I thought I’d killed all the full-blooded Bringers. But now I needed some for the Ritual of Taking. A little shortsighted on my part. But here you are, and here I am. It all worked out for the best.”

Growls of laughter sounded behind her. Tears burned at the back of her eyes. She wouldn’t cry. He could be lying. Probably was lying. Sainted Ones, she prayed he was lying. Not that it mattered. She was about to die. “Well, you’ve told me. Now what?”

The chamber fell deadly silent.

“Well, Lady Ravyn, I thought we’d have a little fun.”

“Is this before, during, or after you kill me?” she asked warily.

“Kill you?” He looked genuinely surprised. “No, no, I need you alive for what I have planned.” His expression melted into a cunning gaze. “Besides, I’d need an immortal weapon if I were going to kill you.” He stared. “Wouldn’t I?”

She didn’t reply.

“No, Lady Ravyn, this is simply a little entertainment before more important matters.” He stood and clapped his hands. The loud scrape of a metal bolt sliding free sounded from the back of the cavern. “I have something very special planned for you. We’ve been told what a great warrior you are, and I thought I’d give you the chance to show off a bit. I’m dying to see what you’re made of.”

Heavy hinges protested, the high-pitched grind of metal-on-metal screeching through the cavern. Ravyn turned and followed the sound. Blood pounded in her ears and her heart raced. She would fight. She could do that, and had done it several times already. The hair on the back of her neck pricked with a sense of something familiar. Had Vile chosen his largest demon? She looked at the horde and knew she wouldn’t win in a physical fight.

The crowd of Bane in front of her fanned out to make a path for whatever headed her way. She rubbed her hands against her pants, her fire burning against her palms. Fear choked her as she tried to catch a breath.

She could fight. She was a Bringer.

Her thoughts flittered to Rhys. The last memory she’d have of him would be their argument. How she wished she’d told him that she loved him. Regrets weighed heavier than an anchor on a drowning man. She squared her shoulders and faced the crowd.

“I thought a little Bringer versus Bane challenge was in order,” Vile said.

The last of the crowd parted to reveal a leather-clad demon. Her light green skin covered hard, toned muscle, sleek and honed. Ravyn looked into the face of the demon and gasped.

“Angela?”

Chapter Twenty-seven

“Have you seen Ravyn?” Rhys asked Lady Tobin, one of the Council members.

“Is she missing?”

He smiled. “She probably just stepped outside for some fresh air. I’ll look for her in the garden.”

Luc met him at the terrace doors. “Did you find her?”

Rhys shook his head, and they walked outside for privacy. “Nobody has seen her.”

Where is she?
The beast inside stirred. Rhys opened his mind to scan the area. The taint of Bane mingled with the night air. The beast lifted its head, coming fully awake.

“Bane,” Rhys said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Get Siban and meet me at the entrance. Maybe he can tell us something.”

Luc left without question, his pace quick and purposeful. Rhys’s anxiety heightened as the animal’s agitation grew. He filtered through the crowd, the people parting like water around a rock. He would find her. He
had
to find her. Fear, pure and cold, ran through him. What if the demons had taken her? He punched a wooden door as he passed, sending people scattering. All his lectures on duty and responsibility faded into the ridiculous. He should have insisted on being with Ravyn in the Council chamber, supporting her. But mostly he should have never pushed her away. He jogged along the path to the entrance of Illuma Grand. The demon stain was stronger here. He scanned the area again but felt nothing. No demons, and no Ravyn.

Siban and Luc came around the corner and joined him on the top step. Siban closed his eyes and stood motionless for several seconds, reading the night. None of the men spoke. Rhys clenched and unclenched his jaw, waiting as precious seconds ticked by.

“She’s been taken.” Siban opened his eyes and patted the stone railing. “From here. It was quick.”

“Damn!” Rhys kicked the stone railing.

Siban held his finger over his lips. “She didn’t have a chance to fight.”

“Can you tell which way they took her?” Questions swirled through Rhys’s mind. His voice sounded deceptively calm but inside the beast roared for release. This time, instead of subduing the creature, Rhys promised it freedom.

Siban turned several times like a compass needle before stopping to point. “That way.”

He took the lead and guided them along the path, stopping every hundred feet to get his bearings. They left the grounds of Illuma Grand and crossed a vast meadow before heading into a thick grove of trees. Siban picked his way through the dense foliage and finally broke free of the trees. They stepped into a small clearing.

“Uh-oh,” Siban said.

Rhys and Luc stopped beside him.

“Who’s that?” Luc asked.

Hope drained from Rhys. “Brother Powell. He’s one of Icarus’s minions and the monk who tried to kidnap Ravyn.”

“Looks like he got more than he bargained for,” Luc said.

Rhys paced beside the dead monk, barely able to contain his rage and the helplessness tearing through him. Why had he let her run? Why hadn’t he gone after her? Desperation clawed at him. “Siban?”

Siban pointed to the sky. “She went up.”

“Damn,” Rhys bellowed. He turned and slammed his fist into the closest tree. The pain felt good. Agony was no more than he deserved. How many times had he promised to protect Ravyn? How many times had he failed? “Icarus.”

Luc voiced the despair of the situation. “How are we going to find her? We don’t know where the doorway to the Shadow World is.”

A voice drifted across the clearing. “I will take you.”

The three men turned and froze as Icarus stepped out of the shadows.

“You.” The beast roared and pushed against Rhys’s already-weakened restraints. He crouched, preparing to attack.

The demon held up a black hand, his talons curling toward them. “If you kill me, you’ll never see your woman again.”

Rhys’s body remained tense and ready to strike. “Explain.”

The demon stared, unblinking, as he paced along the opposite edge of the clearing. “Vile has your woman. He plans to join with her and take her powers. Once he has them, he will open The Abyss of Souls and release every demon sent there by the Bringers. If he succeeds he will command an army so powerful none will be able to defeat them.”

Luc stepped forward. “Why would you help us? Isn’t this what the Bane want?”

Icarus’s gaze slid over him. “The Bane are sheep who follow the strongest leader. I am not. You wish to stop my father and get your woman back. I wish for you to stop my father.”

“Why?” Rhys asked.

“Because he wants to rule,” Siban answered.

“Siban,” Icarus purred. “Nice to see you again.”

“Can’t say the same.” Siban held the demon’s gaze. “What he says is true.”

Icarus stopped pacing and faced the three men. “I will show you where Vile is keeping the Bringer woman. You will rescue her. It shouldn’t be that difficult.”

Luc crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the demon. “Then why don’t you do it? Why risk Rhys knowing the location of the Shadow World?”

“I cannot openly oppose my father in case you fail. Knowing the location is one concession I am willing to make.”

Rhys rose and turned to Siban. “Is it a trick?”

The Tell stared at Icarus, his green eyes glowing in the dark. “He speaks the truth.”

Rhys faced the demon. “I’ll accept your help, but know this, Bane—when Ravyn is safe I will hunt you down.”

“Well then, it seems we have two things in common, Bringer.” He gave Rhys a condescending grin. “Shall I carry you or can you manage on your own?”

How did the demon know?
Luc and Siban stared at him with slightly confused expressions, waiting for him to respond. It seemed the time for secrets was at an end.

“I can manage, demon.” He turned to his friends. “Step back.”

Luc lifted his eyebrows in question, but took a big step back.

“Farther,” Rhys said.

Both men eased backed into the trees. Rhys swallowed his apprehension. It was too late to worry about his friends’ reactions. Ravyn’s life was in peril and he’d do anything, risk anything, to get her back, even if that meant alienating the people he cared for.

He walked to the center of the clearing and closed his eyes, releasing the barriers caging the beast. His creature roared and broke through the human bond that kept it restrained and compliant. His body shuddered violently as he fell to his knees and let the change take him, glorifying in the feel of freedom. Nothing ever felt so right as when he and the beast became one—except when he was with Ravyn.

Desperation to save Ravyn fueled his change, pushing his body to elongate and expand. Muscles rippled under his skin as scales pushed out and flattened along his flanks and back. Huge, black wings sprang from his sides. Red webbing arched and connected cartilage thick enough to create fans massive and lift the creature’s body. His vision shifted and the auras of all living things glowed around him. Clawed feet gouged deep holes in the earth as his body morphed into the massive form of a dragon.

He swung his spiked head toward Luc and Siban.

The men fell back several yards as Rhys’s tail thrashed and beat the ground.

Luc turned to Siban. “What in all saints’ creation is that?

“I believe that’s a dragon.”

They both stared at him for moment, Luc’s mouth hanging open. “Did you know?” he asked.

Siban shook his head. “I knew he was different, but”—he pointed in a helpless gesture—“not this different.”

Rhys finished his transformation and grinned, his lips pulling across his fangs. His forked tongue darted from his mouth, tasting his friends’ fear. He took a step toward them.

Luc held his hands in front of him. “Whoa, nice dragon.”

Rhys snorted and a spiral of smoke emitted from his nostrils.

“You’re my best friend, Rhys,” Luc said. “But I would appreciate you pointing that in another direction.”

Rhys turned to Siban.

The Tell stepped forward and stared into his eyes. “We’re to wait here until he returns with Ravyn.”

Luc’s gaze rebounded between Siban and Rhys. “You speak dragon?”

“Not exactly, but I know what he wants,” Siban said.

Rhys gave an impatient snort.

“All right,” Luc said. He took a few steps forward and, although hesitant, placed his hand on Rhys’s massive, scaled shoulder. “Bring her home, Rhys. Whatever you have to do, whatever it takes, bring Ravyn home to us.”

He gave Rhys a single pat and stepped out of the path of his unfolding wings. Rhys turned to Icarus and snarled. The demon cast him a wicked, satisfied grin and launched himself into the sky. The dragon watched for a few seconds before spreading his wings and propelling his huge black body into the air.