Splintered Fate (34 page)

After half the
day of riding in silence and alone Lana opened her mind to Ardin,
unable to continue facing the inner demons that haunted her.
How is it out there?

Quiet.
Ardin replied.
How are
you?

I don’t
know.
But Lana did know. She was
struggling, and even though her Aorra knew that, she did not want
to give away just how much. Lana turned her head to see the party
that tailed her; Kaiden, Clyte, Zorin, Bredin, Kirill, and Tor.
They were following her, willing to fight for her, to possibly die
for her. She shuddered.

When I saw The
Shade she said I had a splintered fate and that it could somehow
influence those fates around me. Do you think I am cursing these
people? To follow me? To possibly die for me.
Lana winced, at the thought, she could not stomach the
possibility of being the reason for the loss of the lives that
currently followed her. Even Bredin and Kirill, neither who she was
fond of. Yet both were taking a risk to come
along.

Y
ou are doing what you must to
protect your people. It is our duty. These friends that follow you
were not forced to but they chose to go. If any lives are lost it
is not on you, it was a choice they freely and willingly made.
Besides, this group has skills, do not underestimate
them.

That was true. She didn’t force
any of them to come with her, they chose this on their own. Once
again, she looked back over those who followed her.

Lana called out to Bredin. “Has your Aorra
caught up to the Rami? How far of a lead do they have?”

“
They are about a day ahead of
us.” Bredin answered.

She turned back
to her riding. If only she could get ahead of the Rami somehow and
stop them before they got to the City of Gorthyn. She willed her
horse to go faster.
The rest of the ride
remained silent until the sun began setting.

“
We should break.” Lana yelled out
to the others as she slowed her stride. Ardin walked the perimeter
before joining her. There was a small creek running through the
mountain making it a good place to rest the horses. “At dark, by
the light of the moon we ride again” She said as the others came
closer.

“
Bredin, can your Aorra see
anything in Gorthyn?”

Bredin gave a nod. “The Rami are there but
they aren’t doing anything.” Lana’s eyes grew larger. The Rami had
already made it to the city. She wondered how they managed to get
there so quickly. Assuming that they must have not stopped for long
breaks.

“
What do you mean they aren’t
doing anything?” Kirill asked.

“
They seem to have taken the large
stone house, the citizens of Gorthyn seem to be staying inside. The
little city is silent.”

“
What do you think Garin is
doing?” Lana asked Kaiden, hoping that they still had enough time
to stop him.

“
What is the stone house?” Kaiden
answered her with a question of his own. His eyes seemed weary and
troubled. The cheerful energy that normally came from him was no
more. Instead he was uneasy, alert, and somewhat cold.

“
After my mother’s death it was
built, a stone fortress so if anything were to happen again in
Gorthyn the people and council members were to take cover inside. I
have never been inside but they say it is impenetrable, for its
small size.” Lana responded.

“
If Garin is there then he
probably snuck in the town rather quietly and took the building,
where he now plots and waits for us. He will most likely not do
anything crazy until we arrive but we should get there as soon as
possible. If he thinks no one is coming he may just go ahead and
set the town ablaze.” Kaiden turned away, taking his horse to the
water. Lana watched him walk away. She had never seen him this
troubled before. More than anything she wanted to go to him, be
with him. But he had hardly looked at her since they left the brown
room. As much as she wanted to be near him, that’s not what he
needed, not right now.

With a frown she sat down on the
ground and leaned against a tree. Letting her eyes close she
allowed herself to attempt to rest before they began riding
again.

Chapter

Seventeen

L
ana squinted at the small town of
Gorthyn from the brush, trying to see more than what could be seen
by moonlight.

“
So, what’s the plan?” Kirill
asked, unable to hide the excitement from his voice. This was the
type of thing he had been bred to do, what he loved.

“
Knock on the closest door. Unless
Bredin doesn't mind telling me where the stone safe house is.” Lana
replied.

“
You serious?” Both Kirill and
Bredin asked in unison.

“
I do not know where the safe
house is.” Lana confirmed, blushing, embarrassed to not know her
own town.

“
How?” Kirill asked.

“
Last time I was here I was a
little girl, the town was in ruins and I never retuned.”

“
I know where it is.” A voice
grumbled from behind Lana.

Eyes turned to Tor.

“
You?” Lana was genuinely
surprised that Tor would know where to go. “How?”

“
I have been here before, long
ago.” Tor said, Zorin placed a heavy hand on Tor’s shoulder. Lana
observed the act of sympathy between the two. Perhaps she was not
the only one with sadness tied to this place.

“
Okay. Where is it?” Lana
asked.

“
We want to enter from here, we
will have to walk through some of the streets but it will provide
for a better cover than coming from the other side which would put
us out in the open.”

“
What about the bakery?” Lana
asked, biting her lip in thought.

“
The bakery?” Tor looked at Lana
with judging eyes, as if she was crazy.

“
There is a secret entrance to the
safe house from the bakery. Only the Casteel family, the baker, and
those who built it know about it.”

“
There are two bakeries in
town.”

“
Pick the one farther from the
stone house.”

Tor grumbled to himself a moment,
scratching his graying head with thick fingers, before telling
everyone to follow him. He guided them around the edge of town
before turning down one of the allies and heading towards the
center.

“
Psssst.” A sound came from a near
ally.

Everyone stopped in their tracks
and turned to see an old hunched over man standing alone in the
shadows. He gestured with long thin fingers for them to follow,
before disappearing into the darkness. They all stood, for a moment
frozen, then Lana took a step towards the dark ally as a large hand
went up in front of her. She turned her hard gaze to Tor without a
word, waiting for an explanation.

“
Is it wise to follow a stranger
into a trap? Cuz that sounds stupid to me.” Tor snapped.

“
How do you know it is a
trap?”

“
It could be.”

“
Or it could be help. These are my
people. I may not have come to Gorthyn since I was a child but I
know my people, especially the ones here. They are tough. Most
would die before working with a Rami to harm their own. I am going
in there.” She shifted, turning her full body to face Tor. Her
hands balled into fists at her side, he was going to drive her mad.
“And for that matter, who do you think you are? I am grateful that
you chose to come here with me and to help these people but you are
not my keeper. Why are you constantly against me on
everything?”

“
I owe it to someone.” Tor
replied.

“
Owe somewhat what?” She snapped,
he hadn’t given her a real answer. “To try and stop me from coming
here? To protect me? My Aorra can protect me if I need-” The rest
of what she was going to say got caught in her throat as the
realization hit her, taking the breath right out of her.

Lana’s wide green eyes stared
intently into Tor’s unexpectedly familiar hazel eyes. The man
backed a step away from her, looking away, as if he knew something
had clicked in her mind. She stared at him, shocked to not have
seen it before. He wasn’t a stranger, she knew him, from when she
was but a girl. He was the same, older and hidden under facial
scruff, but the same, tall, strong, quiet, stubborn,
protective.

“
Victor?” The name came from Lana
in almost a ghostly whisper.

It made sense now, why Tor had
spoken to Lana the way he did, why he was so against her coming to
Gorthyn yet willing to go with her. This was the place that
Eveline, Lana’s mother, had been killed and Victor was the man who
was sworn to protect her. Lana knew this man. There was a time he
would have watched over her, when she was young, watching over her
and her mother.

Tor turned his
hazel eyes back to Lana as her face twisted at the recognition.
Tears swelled inside, tears that she pushed away. “I thought you
were dead.” She spoke in disbelief.

It was Zorin who replied. “He
nearly was, he should have died, but I did what I could and against
the odds he pulled through.” Zorin spoke as he put a hand on Tor’s
shoulder.

Lana looked at the silver scare on
Tor’s neck. Silver, like most things that a Madonian makes.
Sometimes, though rare, a Madonian could use their gifts to heal,
however it usually left a mark, a silver tint in the
scar.

“
You’re a healer?” Lana spoke to
Zorin.

“
In a way, I suppose that I
am.”

“
But I thought you never left
Alogrin?” Lana asked, remembering her first conversation with Zorin
and Aria. They had laughed when she asked if they ever left
Alogrin. They answered no.

“
The one time I had, I found him.
It isn’t a pleasant world out here.”

“
My mother?” Lana couldn’t say
more for fear of breaking down. She wanted to know of her mother,
was she alive when he came? Could she have been saved?

Heavily shaking his head, Zorin understood
what she was asking.

“
There was nothing I could have
done. She was already gone. As was Tor’s Aorra. He was the only one
left who I was able to attempt to help.”

Lana turned away, placing a hand
on the wall for balance. Inhaling deeply through her nose she held
her breath, closing her eyes. This was too much, and it had nothing
to do with what now needed to be done. She forced the thoughts
roaring through her mind away.

“
What’s going on?” Kaiden asked,
worried.

“
Nothing that needs to be
discussed at this time. We need to keep on with our purpose here.”
Lana replied, however the words were just as much for herself as
anyone else.

Ardin.
She called out to her Aorra.

In a second Ardin was at her side,
pulling her emotions, sharing her burden. Lana exhaled slowly and
opened her eyes. She gained control over her self, pushing
everything but the mission at hand out of her mind. Nothing
mattered in that moment but regaining control of her town and
protecting her people. That came first and in that moment its all
the truly mattered.

“
I am going after that man.” When
no one voiced another objection she walked down the ally where she
saw the old man moments ago, the others following. A light coming
from one of the cracked doors seeped into the ally. The crack was
enough for sound to drift through, there were voices coming from
inside. With a gentle push with the toe of her boot the door swung
open. Several men stood around a table in a small poorly lit room,
armed with bows, swords, and knives. Everyone hushed and turned to
her.

“
Well I’ll be… please come in Mrs.
Casteel of the Council.” One of the men said. They recognized
her.

Lana entered the room with Ardin
by her side, followed by the others. Before she could speak to the
men, swords were drawn and arrows knocked, all of them pointed to
either Clyte or Kaiden.

Those who came with Lana reacted
as they too drew their weapons and the room froze, thick with
tension. They didn’t have time for this. Lana Casteel boldly
stepped in front of one of the knocked arrows.

“
Put your weapons down.” She said
in a steady and stern voice, surprising herself with how calm and
confidant she sounded. Ardin released a low growl. She did not know
if it was for her action or as a warning to the Gorthynian
people.

“
They are Rami.” One of the men
said.

“
You think I don’t know?” Lana
said looking directly into the man’s brown eyes. “I am Lana Casteel
of your Council and I am giving you an order.” She peered over her
shoulder at the Alogrinians behind her, adding
“Everyone.”

Reluctantly the men lowered their weapons, but
the thickness in the room remained.

“
I trust these two Rami with my
life. One saved me from the man who has lead the current Rami
threat here.” Lana said, hoping that the Gorthynians could find
comfort in her words.