Songbird (24 page)

Jesse took her hand, surprising her. “You could have let me die today. With things the way they are maybe you should have.” He stopped her protest with a finger to her lips. “It’s all right. I’m glad you didn’t. Just... forgive me if I’m not sure about things.”

She nodded and swallowed, unable to say the words since she still didn’t trust him.

“I won’t betray you. Not after what you did. I promise. I’ll prove it to you, if you’ll just give me a chance. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe and away from Korban.”

Teya couldn’t help the leap of hope that rose in her heart. Her gaze locked with his and she found sincerity and desperation in his eyes. He meant what he said. “Thank you.”

He let out a breath and smiled. “I’ll help you get out of here. Don’t worry.”

She smiled back at him and he leaned toward her, lowering his head to catch her lips in a kiss. Her breath caught and she ducked her head. He hesitated, but kissed her forehead instead and sighed deeply, then pulled away. “I’ll be back.”

He left the room and she flopped back against the pillows with a huge sigh. What was that all about? Did he think she’d just fall into his arms in gratitude? Could she even trust him in the first place? He seemed sincere enough, but that didn’t mean anything right now, and she wasn’t going to throw herself in his arms anyway.

She loved Bran. Jesse had probably saved Bran’s life, but she had saved Jesse. They were even. Except now he knew about the
kundar
. Did he have a price for his trust? She hoped not, because she would never stop loving Bran. Thinking of Bran, she opened the link, not knowing if the distance was too great, but needing him all the same.

Only a hint of awareness came to her, but nothing solid. She tried again, with the same result, and wondered if the distance was to blame. It didn’t help that she was tired, but the faint link with Bran unsettled her, and she worried that something was wrong.

Using her magic against the king and healing Jesse had laid her flat. She was surprised she could even get out of bed. The force of her anger had given her more power than she thought possible, but it seemed different from the power of the grove.

The grove was filled with the miracle of life, but she had used her power to destroy and kill. She shivered. There was a world of difference between them, and she suddenly understood how her powers could be considered monstrous, especially when used in anger.

If Korban regained his full powers, she had little doubt that he would use them to kill and control everyone he could. He was no different from the king, and perhaps even worse. Now, the king was dying. Unbidden, the moment she unleashed her magic on King Thesald flashed into her mind.

She remembered with startling clarity the agonized contortions of his face. At the time, the red haze of rage and anger didn’t make it seem so terrible. Thinking about it now disturbed her, and she quickly banished that train of thought with another. The king had killed and hurt many people. He deserved what he got, and those he hurt deserved justice.

She took a few unsteady steps to the window. The sun was setting and darkness stole across the sky in ever lengthening shadows. The same dark shadows fell across her heart and threatened to pull her into them with chains of hate and anger. It was wrong to kill with her power, but given the circumstances, what choice did she have?

Using her power in the grove was so different from using her power here. Going back would cleanse her soul from what she had done, but it wasn’t over. She still had to face Korban.

Needing Bran, she tried to reach him again. This time, she felt his presence like he was beside her, but before she knew what to make of it, a sudden shock of pain washed over her. Like a broken dam, pain and despair flooded the link, withering to a steady throb of helplessness. Her heart raced. Bran was in serious trouble.

In response, a protective surge of power rippled through her. Bran had to be somewhere close, maybe even in the palace. Korban must have brought him here after all. She swallowed her nausea and closed her eyes to concentrate on Bran. The murky darkness of semi-consciousness slithered through the link. Desperate to find him, she followed the bond to the door before hesitating.

If Korban had Bran here, why was he hurting him now? The king was dying. There was no reason for it. What if Jesse had decided to get rid of Bran? This was the perfect time to do it, before she knew he was here, before she could stop him. 

She opened the door, half expecting to see a guard, but the dimly lit hall was empty. In careful silence, she crept into the hallway toward the stairs. Her heart beat furiously and a shiver of foreboding ran up her back.

Nothing in this hallway looked familiar, and she had no idea where she was. Concentrating on the link, she felt Bran’s presence above her. The staircase led upward to a landing that opened up into another hallway. This area seemed more familiar and, as she ascended the stairs, she was certain that this floor contained the king’s rooms.

Bran was close, but was Korban or Jesse with him? Approaching footsteps sent her to the first door she came to, and she slid inside. The room was dark except for a single light on the bedside table. The man lying on the bed could have been asleep, but his eyes were open and staring. With awful lucidity, she realized it was the king, and he was dead.

A chill ran down her spine, and she stifled a small scream. The footsteps stopped outside the door, and she froze in place until they continued on. Relief surged through her, and she slumped against the door, wanting more than anything to be out of there.

She focused on Bran and peered into the hallway. He was close. She had to find him. Korban couldn’t find out about the bond they shared, or that she knew Bran was here. Now was her chance to rescue Bran and put an end to Korban.

With that thought bolstering her resolve, she stepped into the hallway and followed it until she felt Bran on the other side of a closed door. Gathering her power to her, she quickly pushed it open. Bran sat, lashed to a chair with his head lolling to the side, his face bruised, and blood dripping from a cut over his eye.

Korban sat beside him with a gun to his head. “I thought you might come looking for me, so I brought some insurance.”

Teya froze. “Don’t.”

“I won’t as long as you do something for me.”

“What?” Dread tightened her stomach and her heart lurched.

“See that
kundar
on the desk? I want you to put it on.”

“But…”

“I know the one around your neck isn’t real.” He pushed the gun against Bran’s head. “Put it on or he’s dead.”

Bran moaned and opened his eyes. Recognizing her, his eyes widened. “Teya...no…don’t…”

“Stop it,” she said. “I’ll do what you want, but let me heal him first.”

Korban’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “Do it now. I won’t ask you again.”

He cocked the gun and she flinched, knowing she couldn’t stop him with her magic before he pulled the trigger. With her heart squeezing in pain, she crossed to the desk. She touched the
kundar
and revulsion closed her throat. Tears flooded her eyes. Swallowing bile, she picked it up and put it around her neck.

“Push it closed.”

She sucked in her breath and looked at Bran. His eyes held deep pain and remorse. He struggled to speak, but could barely stay conscious. Bran was the only reason she could lock away all that she was. She couldn’t let him die. The latch clicked on her choked sob, and Korban finally withdrew the gun.

She almost gave in to her grief, but managed to hold it back, unwilling to give Korban that satisfaction. Still, her legs buckled and she sat down hard on the floor. Korban opened a drawer and set the gun inside before turning his attention to her.

“Thanks to you, the king is dead. I wasn’t about to make that same mistake.”

“How did you know?” she asked. Her heart broke a little to think Jesse had betrayed her after all.

“When you showed up at the outpost, I knew it wasn’t real. The
kundar
is a work of dark power that only I possess. I let you think I was fooled because it served my purposes. I thought that if things went wrong, you would take care of the king. It worked, but once you did that, I couldn’t take any chances. I knew you’d come after me next, and even with your
sym
in my blood, I am no match against your power.”

An overwhelming wave of hopelessness wrapped around Teya’s heart. It was over. He had won. She stared at him with cold hostility. “I would rather die than take you to the grove.” The truth of her words rang free, even if she wasn’t.

“I’m sure you would, but what about him? What about your brother and the rest of the Kalorians?”

At this moment of defeat, she couldn’t manage to care. “What difference does it make? With you in power they might as well be dead.”

He studied her and his eyes narrowed with concern, then turned to worry. Grimacing with disgust, he left the room and called for one of his men. The guard appeared a moment later and hurried to obey Korban’s orders to untie Bran.

Teya made no move to stand, so Korban grabbed her arms and pulled her up. He led her out of the room with the guard and Bran following behind. Bran could hardly walk, and shuffled in pain to keep up. Teya pulled away from Korban, and rushed to Bran’s side, taking his arm to help steady him.

To her surprise Korban made no move to stop her. He led them up the stairs to her old rooms in the north tower and said nothing as she eased Bran onto her bed. With a harsh scowl directed at Teya, Korban left, barring the door behind him. As the lock clicked into place, Teya let go of her control, and with anguished bitterness, finally wept.

Chapter 10

Bran softly touched the top of Teya’s head and lightly stroked her hair. The silken threads fell through his fingers like soft feathers and her sobs quieted. She glanced up at him with eyes that burned with sorrow and pain. His heart constricted and regret slammed into him. He was supposed to protect her, and he had failed.

She rubbed away her tears and concentrated on untying his hands. As the ropes fell away, he slid over on the bed and she came into his arms. He held her close, stroking her back, and made soothing noises until she quieted and relaxed.

After a moment, she rose up on her elbow and lightly touched his swollen face. Then with tenderness, she leaned over and kissed him, careful of his sore and bruised face. She pulled away with sadness shining in her eyes.

A bowl of water and a towel lay on the table, and she gently began to wash the blood from the cut over his eye. As she worked he caught a glimpse of the
kundar
and his heart nearly broke, knowing she had put it on to save him.

As she continued to clean his face, he closed his eyes under her soothing ministrations, and tried to think of a way out of this mess.

“I recognize this room,” he said. His voice rasped and his head still hurt. “Did anyone fix the bars on the window, or are they still apart?”

“It looks like someone tried to pull them back together, but they weren’t quite successful. There’s still a space between them, but I don’t think it’s big enough to fit through.”

“That’s all right.” He took hold of her hands. “Listen, we’ll find a way out of here. We can still make this work. You may not be able to use your magic on him, but he’s still flesh and blood. He’s not impervious to a gun or a knife. There are other ways to stop him. Don’t forget, we got the
kundar
off of you once, we can do it again.”

She bent over, covering her face with her hands, fighting to hold back tears. “You don’t think it’s over? That he’s won?”

“No, of course not. Has he got his powers back? Is he in the grove? There’s still time to stop him. You can’t give up now.”

“If I were dead, he wouldn’t be able to enter the grove. You and everyone else would be safe.”

“No! That’s not true. He’d figure something out. Besides, this world will wither up and die if the Destroyer remains unbound. Don’t give up. We need you…I need you. More than you know.”

“All I’ve done is caused you grief and pain. You’d be better off without me.”

“That’s not true either. Even with the pain, my life is better because of you.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her. “We have something beautiful together, and it’s just the beginning. I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to lose you. You’re worth fighting for.”

She let out her breath and caught his gaze. “It’s so hard to have hope. Everything we’ve been through—now only to end up in the same place we started. I should have killed Korban the first chance I got. Now, look at what he’s done!”

Anger lit up her eyes, and Bran took heart, knowing it was better than the emptiness it replaced. “That’s right. We can’t let him get away with this. We need to fight back.”

“But how?”

Bran eased back on the pillows. His whole body ached, and his head pounded so hard that even his hair hurt. “First, tell me what happened and how Korban knew the
kundar
wasn’t real. I sort of missed that part.”

Teya explained what Korban had done, and how he’d known all along that it wasn’t real. She told him how the fight broke out and how she played right into Korban’s schemes by killing the king herself.

“He’s dead?”

“Yes, and I killed him, but he shot Jesse.” She continued to tell him about Jesse and how he had agreed to leave Bran at the monastery in return for her trust, then later, how she had healed him after he’d been shot.

“I wondered why he didn’t bring me with you to the palace, especially when it was part of the deal Korban made with the king,” Bran said. “But do you really think you can trust him?” Bran didn’t like the thought of Jesse helping Teya, especially after ordering Bran’s death. He also didn’t believe that Jesse’s desire to find the grove was the only reason he helped Teya.

“At first I thought it was Jesse who told Korban about the
kundar
, but now I know it wasn’t. Maybe Jesse will help us.”

Bran fell silent. Jesse was not someone Bran wanted either of them indebted to. He’d rather figure a way out of this without Jesse. Bran swallowed against the pain in his head and tried to think. Noticing his discomfort, Teya placed the wet cloth on his forehead. “Thanks,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not in the best shape right now, and my head is pounding like it’s on fire.”

“I wish there was something I could do to help. I hate to see you like this.” Teya gently pushed his hair away from his eyes. “I can still use some of my magic. Maybe if I try sending it through the bond it will make a difference.”

“Sure, I’m willing to try anything.”

As she opened the bond, he felt her swirling emotions—despair, tenderness, and underneath them all, a solid wall of rage. He wondered if she was aware of this darkness locked deep inside. Soon, all of these emotions faded as a tendril of warmth flooded into him.

He took a deep breath, immediately consumed in a blanket of well-being. The heat spread into him and he relaxed under the ministrations of her magic. Then coming from a distance, he heard the sweet, healing tones of peace.

“It’s all right,” she whispered. “Sleep. We’ll talk when you wake up.” He fought against abandoning her again, but finally gave in. He only needed a few minutes to rest, then he’d be in better shape to help her, and if he was lucky, he might even know how.

****

He woke to the sun shining through the window, and dismay tightened his stomach that he had slept the whole night away. He sat up, amazed that the pain had left, in fact, his headache was gone, along with all the injuries he had suffered at Korban’s hands. Somehow, Teya had healed him with her magic through the bond. Had it taken her all night?

His wonder turned to panic when he found no trace of her in the room. Where was she? He tried to reach for her through the bond, but felt only a vague impression of irritation. It irked him that she would block him out like that, and it was something he wanted to discuss. This bond was useful, but so far, it didn’t seem like they had mastered how it worked.

Another idea popped into his head, and the ramifications boggled his mind. If she had healed him with her power through the bond, could he use her magic in the same way? Could she send her power through the bond and let him use it? It would take both of them working together, but what if it worked? Maybe it wouldn’t be strong enough to do him much good, but it was worth a try, and he couldn’t wait for her to return so they could find out.

A key jangled in the lock, and he let out a relieved breath that Teya had returned, but his hopes were dashed to find two palace guards standing in the door frame. “You’re to come with us,” one said. They came inside and clapped manacles on his wrists.

“Where?” he asked.

“Korban wants you locked up where he can keep an eye on you.” They prodded him out of the door and into the hall.

“But I was already locked up in there,” he protested.

The guards ignored him, and he knew that was all the explanation he was going to get. With a heavy heart he followed them through the palace. They took the servants’ staircase, and although Bran watched carefully, he never caught a glimpse of Teya. She probably didn’t know and his teeth clenched with frustration.

Far below the main floor of the palace, they came upon a stone staircase with torches lighting the walls. The dank smell of wet stone and rotting wood filled his nostrils. At the bottom, prison cells lined the corridor. Reaching the nearest one, they unlocked the wooden door and pushed him inside.

It was dark, with the only light coming from under the door. It took some time before his eyes adjusted. When they did, he recoiled slightly, realizing he was not alone. Someone sat in the far corner. The person stood, and with uneven steps, shuffled toward him. Bran strained to see his face, then his eyes widened in shock.

“Jax?” Bran asked.

“Bran?”

“Shit! What happened to you?”

Jax shook his head, his voice full of irony. “I got caught. Can you believe it? I watched you leave the outpost in the motorcars and followed at a safe distance. When you didn’t come out of the monastery, I decided to find Rasmussen and tell him everything. I didn’t get very far before Porter’s soldiers caught up with me. They brought me here, and I’ve been here ever since. Why would Colonel Porter do this?”

“You’re not going to like it.” Bran heaved a huge sigh and sat down on the wooden bench.

“I figured that much.”

Bran explained everything, including the events of the night before when the king died and told him that Porter was really Korban.

“What the hell?” Jax exclaimed. “How did that happen?”

“I don’t know...probably influenced the right people with his magic. Now he’s got a unit of Braemarian soldiers on his side, and with the king dead, he’ll finally have what he wants.”

“What’s that?”

“Power. If he gets back to the grove, his magic will be restored, then what’s to stop him from turning on Braemar?”

“Nothing,” Jax said. “Nothing at all.”

****

Teya fidgeted with the
kundar
, watching with disinterest as yet another dignitary pledged his loyalty to Chancellor Turner. Sitting on the dais with Turner, she had a clear view of the proceedings. The captain of the Palace Guard along with the military commanders smiled with pleasure at this turn of events. 

She glanced at Korban, who sat beside Turner. Korban deferring rule to Turner came as a surprise, but since he was known as Colonel Porter of Braemar it made sense. He must need Braemar for something or he would have declared himself. It was easy to see that Korban and Turner had reached an understanding of some sort, but she could only guess at the details.

Korban’s demand this morning that she attend and witness these formal events still irritated her, and she wondered if Bran had woken up yet. She’d hated leaving him there, but after helping him with her magic through the bond, she was hopeful that he’d healed.

She smiled to herself, pleased that she had defied Korban and undermined the
kundar
. Hope blossomed to know there was a chance Bran could use her magic through the bond. This possibility was something she needed to talk to him about and sitting here was trying her patience.

She hadn’t seen Jesse since he’d left her room the day before. She thought about asking where he was, but didn’t want to make anyone suspicious. It was clear he was gone, and she wondered if Korban had sent him away. Did he suspect Jesse of anything?

She knew Bran disliked the thought of asking Jesse for help, but she didn’t care. If he could help them, she would ask. But how far was Jesse willing to go against Korban? Even if he did, she didn’t know if Jesse had the desire, or the strength of character to stand up to Korban. So when it came right down to it, she had no idea who Jesse would choose.

His desire for the grove was real. She knew that, but what about anything else? What about proving that he meant what he said and actually help her and their people? What about his feelings for her? Would he go against Korban to win her trust, hoping to earn her love at the same time?

Finally, the proceedings ended and Turner stood, making a grand speech of peace and prosperity. He spoke of a new alliance with Braemar and ‘Colonel Porter,’ then made a startling announcement that he wished for the wall between their countries to come down. The audience seemed stunned at first, but then most began to nod as the idea took root. It meant change was coming.

Korban addressed the group and talked of bringing trade and commerce between the countries. This was readily accepted, and she could see the speculation of riches in the eyes of several prominent men. The changes this would bring to the Old Country were apparent, but no one seemed to mind.

At the end of his speech, Korban surprised her by making a request that Teya sing. Then Turner followed with his own request, asking with such civility, that she would have appeared mean-spirited to refuse.

She gathered her scattered thoughts together and wondered what to sing that would hurt Korban the most. His direct stare and the tightening around his eyes changed her mind. He had control of Bran’s fate, and she must not forget that.

She sang instead of loneliness and captivity. When she finished, a hushed reverence came over the hall, but Korban’s cold glare surprised her. Apparently that was not what he wanted. Turner graciously thanked her and dismissed the assembly.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Korban’s fingers dug into her arm. “What we need are feelings of goodwill, not guilt.”

“Then don’t ask me to sing without telling me what you want first.”

“I want a change of attitude. Or do you want Bran dead?”

“Of course not,” she said.

“Then next time, sing something that will have them more willing to do my bidding.” He waited until she nodded before continuing. “You may go to your room.”