Souls of Aredyrah 3 - The Taking of the Dawn (44 page)

A horse and rider suddenly tore into the
clearing. Dayn’s heart raced—it was Falyn, flying like a tempest
toward him, her skirts and long, dark hair billowing at her back.
Dayn stepped into the clearing, his hopes riding high. But they
dropped like a stone when he saw the distress lining her face.

Falyn leapt off the horse and ran toward him,
her eyes swollen with tears. Dayn gathered her into his arms. “What
is it?” he asked, praying she had not come to say goodbye.

“Please, Dayn,” she sobbed. “You have to help
me. Father cast him into the pit and—”

“Who? What are you talking about?”

Falyn wiped the tears from her face. “Father
was angry at Sheireadan. He hit him and threw him into the
pit.”

“What do you mean, pit?”

“A chasm, in the woods near our house.”

Dayn’s eyes widened. “A chasm?”

“Yes. It opened up a few months ago and—”

“But why would your father throw Sheireadan
into it?”

“Father says it will purge Sheireadan’s
sins.” Falyn grabbed Dayn’s arms. “Please. You have to help me get
him out!”

Dayn gulped, realizing the repercussions if
they attempted rescue and were caught by Lorcan. He had every
intention of telling her no, that it was too dangerous, but then
the voice in his head reminded him that he couldn’t just leave
Sheireadan to die. Falyn would never forgive him, and he would
never forgive himself.

“All right,” he said reluctantly. “But we
leave for the valley right after. Agreed?”

“The valley? I thought we were going to your
aunt’s and uncle’s first.”

Dayn frowned. “They told me I’m not allowed
to see you. If I bring you there, they’ll probably take you and
Sheireadan back to your father. Are you willing to risk that?”

Falyn shook her head. “No.”

“Then we get Sheireadan and head out of
Kirador. No turning back. All right?”

“All right.”

Thunder exploded overhead, followed by a
flash of lightning. Raindrops began to pelt the ground. Dayn
grabbed Falyn’s hand in his. “Come on then,” he said. “Let’s go
save your brother.”

Back to ToC

Chapter 34:
Betrayal

D
ayn and Falyn
dismounted their horses and tethered them far enough from the chasm
so as not to be seen. Dayn grabbed the rope that was draped across
the pommel of his saddle. He always carried it when he hunted;
today would be no different. With caution he and Falyn worked their
way through the woods and toward the rocks, careful not to snap a
branch or make any noise that might announce their presence.

Falyn stopped and put a commanding hand on
Dayn’s arm, nodding her head toward the rocky hillside nearby. A
billow of steam could be seen rising from the ground, dissipating
into the cool, damp air.

Dayn shivered, realizing how cold he was. He
was soaked to the bone from the recent downpour, but at least the
storm had moved on toward the east. Falyn was equally wet, her
dress plastered against her body, her long hair coiled in wet
tendrils down her back. Dayn could not help but run his eyes over
her. Even wet as a fish she still looked beautiful.

He turned his attention toward the chasm.
“How deep do you think it is?” he whispered.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I have a rope
hidden in the rocks; I used it the last time to lower him food and
water.”

“You mean he’s been down there
before
?”

“Yes. But the rope barely reached the bottom,
and the pit looked so much deeper this time.”

“We can tie it to this,” Dayn said,
indicating the rope in his hand. “Hopefully that will give us the
length we need.”

Falyn nodded and guided him toward the rocks,
the two of them ducking behind trees and bushes as they worked
their way toward their destination. At last they reached a tumble
of boulders. Falyn crouched down, then pulled a coil of rope from
between them. Dayn squatted and tied the ropes together while Falyn
kept watch.

Dayn eased his gaze over the boulder. The pit
was on the other side of the rocks, not far, but far enough that
they would have to step into the open to rescue Sheireadan. No one
else appeared to be in the area, but that didn’t mean someone
wouldn’t show up.

He ducked back down, pulling Falyn with him.
“All right. When we get there, I’ll lower the rope and you stand
behind me. It’ll take both of us to pull him up.”

They slid from behind the rocks and crept
toward the crevice, keeping their eyes and ears attuned. When they
reached the pit, they stared into its depths, but could see nothing
more than a dark, roiling haze of steam.

“Are you sure he’s down there?” Dayn
asked.

“Yes. I saw Father push him in and I saw him
lying on the bottom.”

“Was he…” Dayn hesitated. “Was he
conscious?”

“No.” Falyn’s voice faltered. “He fell
hard.”

Dayn felt anger well in his breast. What sort
of monster would do such a thing to his own son? It was then that
Dayn realized how fortunate he had been to have a father like
Gorman, regardless of the man’s lies. But Dayn also realized how
fortunate Eyan was to have Haskel. Even though Haskel had hidden
Eyan away all these years, at least it had been to protect him from
monsters like Lorcan.

“If Sheireadan is too injured to tie the rope
around himself, we’ll have to secure it to something so I can climb
down and help him,” Dayn said.

“What? No, you can’t go down there. It’s too
dangerous!”

“Well, I’m sure not letting
you
go
down there.”

“And just how do you expect me to pull you
both out?” Falyn asked.

Dayn glanced toward the trees. “Listen, we
could tie one end of the rope around me and the other to one of the
horses. Then the horse could pull us both out.”

Falyn bit her lip. “All right,” she said.

“Let’s see if we can see him first,” Dayn
said. “I’d hate to climb down only to discover he’s already made it
out.” He got down on his knees and leaned over the edge, squinting
his eyes to see through the steam. Falyn knelt beside him, her long
hair dangling.

“Come away, Falyn,” an unexpected voice
commanded at their backs.

Dayn and Falyn swiveled their heads,
horrified to realize Lorcan was standing but steps away. Behind him
stood a group of at least two dozen men. Some were dressed in dark
brown robes and caps, members of the Vestry. But others were
dressed in everyday attire, burly sorts, there to lend their muscle
to whatever dirty work Lorcan had in mind.

Dayn scrambled to his feet, pulling Falyn up
with him. He wrapped a protective arm around her.

Lorcan eyed Dayn’s hand upon his daughter
with distain. “Get your hands off of her,” he ordered.

Before Dayn could utter a word, Falyn was
yanked from his hold. Hands grabbed him from both sides, catching
him off guard. He had been so focused on Lorcan, he hadn’t noticed
the goons approaching from the side. Dayn struggled to get free of
them, but it was no use. The men were strong, and he was
outnumbered.

Lorcan’s lip curled into a snarl. “You see,
citizens?” he said. “The demon was about to take my daughter into
the fiery depths with him!”

The men uttered their disgust.

“That’s not true!” Dayn cried. “I was only
trying to rescue Sheireadan from the pit that you threw him
into!”

Lorcan’s eyes widened with feigned surprise.
“Surely you do not expect anyone here to believe such a tale,” he
said. He turned to address the Vestry. “Do not be fooled by the
trickery of his words, gentlemen. A demon wouldn’t know the truth
if it reached out and bit him on the hand.”

“Dayn’s not lying!” Falyn shouted. She tried
to release her arm from the man who had pulled her from Dayn’s
side, but his hands gripped her like a vise.

Lorcan stepped toward Falyn. She stopped her
struggles, but did not quail. She lifted her chin defiantly. “It is
you who is the liar, Father.”

Lorcan ran his fingers lightly down her
cheek. “My poor dear girl,” he said sympathetically. “But do not
worry. You are safe now.”

Falyn jerked from his touch. “I will never be
safe as long as I’m with you,” she spat.

Her father sighed. “I forgive you, child.
After all, none of this was your doing. You have clearly been
ensorcelled, but we will soon see you purged of the demon. Once the
fires consume him, you will be free of his taint, as will the rest
of us.”

“No!” Falyn screamed. She turned her eyes to
the Vestry. “My brother is down there!” Suddenly Sheireadan emerged
from the crowd.

“You’re—you’re all right?” Falyn cried. Her
eyes darted to her father, then back to her brother. “Tell them,
Sheireadan! Tell them what happened.”

Sheireadan tightened his jaw and said not a
word.

Dayn strained against the arms still holding
him. “Sheireadan, tell them!” he said.

Sheireadan glanced at his father, then back
to Dayn. “I fell from my horse because of the spell
you
conjured to keep me from protecting my sister.”

“
What?
” Dayn couldn’t believe his
ears. Was Sheireadan actually throwing him to the wolves? But then
Dayn realized it should have come as no surprise. The boy had hated
him for as long as he could remember. Why should it be any
different now?

“Take him to Vestry Hall,” Lorcan instructed
the men surrounding Dayn. “He must be tried before he can work any
more mischief.”

“Tried?” Dayn shouted. “For what?”

“For black magic, of course,” Lorcan
said.

“No!” Falyn screamed, writhing to escape the
man still holding her.

Lorcan snapped his fingers, and a second man
went to the other’s aid. “Escort her home,” Lorcan ordered them.
“And lock her in the cellar until I arrive.” The men grinned as
they dragged Falyn, kicking and screaming, away from the crowd.

Dayn was yanked off his feet and half
carried, half shoved through the throng. Shouts of “demon” and
threats of execution sounded in his ears. He searched the faces
that surrounded him—surely there was someone who didn’t believe him
a demon! Then his eyes met Sheireadan’s, and he realized the
earlier hostility in the boy’s expression had somehow melted away.
Instead of hatred, there was shock, but there was also something
else: fear.

Dayn scrabbled for the right words to say in
his own defense. Perhaps there was still time to persuade
Sheireadan to tell the truth about Lorcan. As Dayn was dragged past
him, he twisted his head, desperate to keep Sheireadan in his
sights for a moment longer. But all he could say was, “Don’t let
him hurt her, Sheireadan. Please.”

Sheireadan held Dayn in his stare until the
mob folded around him. Then he turned and disappeared into the
crowd.

Back to ToC

Chapter 35: Across the
Divide

I
t had been seven
days since Reiv had left the valley, and he was beginning to doubt
his ability to find that which he was seeking: a cure for Brina. He
had yet to come across a single Frusensia. Chances were, they did
not grow on this side of the mountains. But Alicine had mentioned a
similar herb that thrived in the higher meadows of Kirador, so he
hoped to at least find some of those. Of course, that still did not
solve the problem of how to concoct the remedy. For that he would
need Alicine.

He glanced at the sky. Dark clouds had rolled
in from the northwest, threatening to cut his day’s travel short.
“Just what I need,” he grumbled.

He wrapped his fox cape more securely around
him. The fur was soft and warm, but the leather was stiff and cold.
It had not been treated well enough to be pliant, but no matter; at
least he had a cloak around his shoulders, boots on his feet, and
pants on his legs, thanks to the generosity of the Jecta. Reiv
squirmed in the saddle, a necessity for such a long ride. He was
not used to having so much material pressed against his skin, but
neither was he used to being so cold. In hindsight, he couldn’t
even remember the last time he had been warm. Perhaps it had been
in The Black, but then he realized, no; it had been that night with
Jensa. He sighed, resolved to the fact that he would just have to
endure until he was in her arms again.

The wind picked up, followed by the
plop
plop
of raindrops falling on the forest's leafy canopy. Reiv
scrutinized the surrounding landscape, searching for any sign of
shelter, but all he saw was a shallow overhang of rock fronted by a
few scruffy cedars. He steered Gitta toward it, then dismounted,
grabbing his bedroll and satchel from her back. He tossed his
belongings beneath the overhang, then tied the horse’s reins to the
nearest tree.

“Sorry, girl,” he said. “But I do not think
you will fit.”

He turned and climbed beneath the overhang
and sat, instantly banging his head against the rock. “Gods,” he
groused, rubbing his skull. He rolled out the bedroll and lay upon
it, curling himself beneath the cloak.

Reiv stared out at the soggy landscape, his
teeth chattering. A fire would be nice, but considering the deluge,
and the shallowness of his shelter, it wasn’t possible. He closed
his eyes, listening to the pounding of the rain, and turned his
thoughts to Dayn and Alicine. The moment could not come soon enough
when he would see their smiling faces again.

Back to ToC

Chapter 36: Trials and
Tribulations

D
ayn’s trial was
swift. Lorcan had seen to it. Time was of the essence, he’d
insisted; they could not risk the demon working any more mischief.
Lorcan had ordered that Dayn be locked in a storage room during the
proceedings. The Vestry had to be protected from the threat of any
spell work. Some members suggested that normal protocol should be
followed, at least somewhat. Could the demon not have
some
semblance of a say in his own behalf? But Lorcan was swift in his
rebuttal: “Have not enough wells dried up and crops withered? Have
not enough innocent children died from the poisons hanging in the
air?” With those words, most readily agreed to Dayn’s absence. As
for the rest, Lorcan snuffed any remaining doubts by reminding them
that Dayn had tried to spirit Falyn into the fiery depths—and every
man there had been a witness to it.