The Swarm Trilogy (21 page)

“Let’s get out of here, then. Once we get Trevin we can come back and get on a ship out of here.”

“Sounds great,” Sebrina ran ahead to find us a boat while I waited for Bryden to get up the stairs. He moved faster than he had earlier and I raised one eyebrow.

“What’s going on with your leg?” I asked.

“It’s strange, it feels better somehow. Less weak than before.”

“So today you blasted about fifteen guards, rescued me, escaped out of the dungeon, rode down a hill on a mule, sped here on a ship, and climbed a rope ladder and your leg is feeling better? That doesn’t make sense,” I said.

He shrugged. “It doesn’t. I’m not used to this much physical activity. I’m surprised I’m able to move.”

“Maybe a little exercise would do you good, scribe,” I said, winking.

“Ha, ha,” he said as we emerged topside.

Men rushed around the deck, shouting orders to others. A man, older than just about any I’d ever seen, sitting in the center of the deck. His hands moved around in an intricate dance and his eyes concentrated on the hill. It seemed as if he didn’t even notice the men scrambling around him, instead he focused all of his energy on the enemy.

I nudged Bryden with my elbow. “He must be one of the sorcerers.”

He nodded. “I kind of expected him to be wearing something unique, something different. But he looks just like us.”

He wore simple pants and a white shirt, very similar to the outfit I was wearing. Had I seen him anywhere else I wouldn’t have looked twice. But sitting so still in the midst of the chaos made him stick out like a large rock in rushing water.

Sebrina waved to us from the side of the boat. We ran over to her, Bryden was stronger but he still couldn’t keep up with me. She pointed over the edge to another rope ladder leading to a small rowboat very similar to the one we’d used before.

I climbed over the edge and shimmied down the rope ladder as fast as I could without losing my footing. Bryden followed me and Sebrina brought up the end.

“Can you do that thing again where you make the boat go fast?” Sebrina asked. “That was very cool. If only I had magic, I’d be the best sailor in the fleet.”

Bryden held up his hands. The boat began moving and I held on tight to the sides.

“I’m going to go faster, Lianne, you might want to close your eyes.”

I trusted Bryden’s warning and held them closed. The cold water sprayed my face and the shouts of the fighting turned from a loud rumble into a soft murmur. The battle was behind us and Trevin lay ahead. My heart pounded with excitement. I’d be able to save him, to rectify some of the mistakes I’d made.

The boat slowed and I opened my eyes. We were closer to the land, south of the castle. The town appeared in the distance and I knew I wasn’t far from Trevin. I’d never come from this direction into town, but I knew my home well enough to get my bearings.

I jumped out of the boat as soon as we pulled up to the land. “Let’s go,” I said. Trevin was so close and I couldn’t contain my excitement. That little baby with his sweet dark hair. I missed him so much, even his little habit of spitting up on everything.

“I think I’d better stay here,” Bryden said. “My leg is hurting again. I don’t understand why, but I don’t think I can keep up. Go get Trevin and bring him back.”

“Your leg feels worse because you’re away from the healers,” Sebrina said. “They cast a spell over our boats to allow people to heal faster.”

I saw the hope spring to life in Bryden’s eyes and so did Sebrina. “I’m sorry, Bryden. It can’t heal your leg permanently, but it can make you feel better.”

Bryden tried to hold his face steady, but I knew him well enough to know he was disappointed. For a moment he wondered if he could be whole again, like us. It didn’t matter to me, but I knew it mattered to him. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to live life like he did. He was stronger than he knew.

I hugged him and kissed him full on the lips. “We’ll be back as soon as we can. You’re comfortable with protecting yourself, right?”

“Are you kidding me?” he asked. “I may not be able to run but I can blast anyone who’s running at me.”

I reached out to Sebrina, helping her climb out of the boat. “Are you ready, sister?”

“Just point the way!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

We ran on the shore and looked to the north. The battle still waged, but we weren’t a part of it. No one was down shore this far and no one seemed to care about a little boat with three passengers. We were nothing to the battle when the king was in the castle. I didn’t think anyone else mattered in this fight.

Sebrina and I raced into the outskirts of town. The chaos overwhelmed us. People ran down the streets, screaming about the fires in the castle. I looked up at the ramparts and flames flickered out the windows. Relieved Mags and Trevin were free, I urged Sebrina to keep up with me. I only hoped the midwife didn’t leave with Trevin already.

Packing up an infant wouldn’t be easy. She’d need supplies and I banked on that fact that she was still in the town.

We ran through the maze of the town. It had been laid out in a horseshoe originally, flanking the castle. But as the population grew, small pockets built off the horseshoe until it was a mess of streets, some leading nowhere and others leading directly to the castle.

I knew my way to the midwife’s house. I had been the one charged with getting her when Mags was in labor. After three children, I think I could have found my way to her cottage blindfolded. We ran past the forge and around the corner from the baker. Next came the Hiding Hound pub, usually overflowing with music and good-hearted cheers. Not today. No one hung around outside chatting. No one went in for a mug of mead.

Rounding the corner I saw the midwife’s cottage. I stopped in front to catch my breath and Sebrina paused beside me. I pointed to the door and then peeked around the side of the cottage to make sure no one was lying in wait for me.

Sebrina knocked on the door. It swung open, and then she doubled over, groaning.

A dagger protruded from her chest and blood poured down the front of her shirt.

“Sebrina!” I screamed and caught her in my arms as she fell.

“Lianne, I dreamed my whole life of meeting you. There were so many times I didn’t believe you were real, that you were a fairy tale told to us by our elders to give us hope for our future.”

“Hang on,” I said. “I won’t let you die. Not now. Not this way.”

“It’s okay,” she gasped, struggling for every breath. “I came to battle knowing death might await me. My only dream was that I’d get to meet you too.”

My tears spilled on her cheeks, mingling with her own tears.

“Don’t talk like that,” I begged her. I looked at the dagger, so neatly positioned in her heart. We’d just found each other and I didn’t want to let her go.

Sebrina’s smile didn’t fade, but her breathing turned raspy and each breath became farther apart.

“It was a solid hit,” she gasped. “It doesn’t hurt.”

Her white shirt continued to fill with blood, turning her clothes a dark maroon. I ripped the bottom of my shirt off, wadded it up and placed it near the wound. I didn’t dare pull the dagger out, it would mean a quicker death.

“I can get you back to the ship. Your healers can help you.” I was desperate for a solution, any way to keep my sister alive. I couldn’t bear the thought of another loved one dying because of my mistakes.

She shook her head, breaking my heart more with every tiny movement of her chin. “It’s too late. The dagger was meant to kill. He knew what he was doing.”

Her breath rattled one last time as her eyes went blank.

“No!” I screamed at the sky, hugging my sister’s head to my chest. Dead. I’d only had a few hours with her. A lifetime of love and companionship stolen from me first by the king and now by a killer hiding in the cottage.

I laid Sebrina down carefully and closed her eyelids with my palm. I looked through the doorway and a stunned Kellan stood just inside the threshold.

“Lianne?” he asked, confused. “Who is that?” His eyes darted between Sebrina and me, obviously confused. But I realized quickly that I’d been his target. He’d been waiting here for me, ready to kill me when I came for Trevin, as he knew I would. He saw Sebrina and mistook her for me.

“My sister. My twin sister Kellan, and you’ve killed her. Why? Why do you want me dead?”

“Twin sister? Then the attack? It’s true? Our people have come?”

“It’s true, Kellan. They don’t know you’re the one who betrayed them by turning in their people to the king. They don’t know you’ve killed my sister and tried to kill me,” I said, rising up to my feet. “Yet.”

I stepped back with my right foot, assuming a fighting stance. My arms bent at the elbows and my left fist took the front position, protecting my face.

“Is Trevin still here? Renee, are you in there?” I called out.

Kellan’s eyes flashed to the side. I didn’t need any confirmation from Renee to know she still hid inside with Trevin, Kellan’s slip up told me everything I needed to know. He used them as bait for me. If I’d talked to anyone and heard she’d left, I wouldn’t have come to the cottage. He was clever, but I could read him as well now as I could a few months ago, before his Awakening. He may have changed. I may have changed. But our instincts remained the same.

“We don’t have to do this,” he said. “Maybe we can work something out.” Kellan held his hands up, palms facing me. I didn’t believe for a second that he wouldn’t attack.

“What I want to know is why you’re so bent on destroying me. First you wanted me to kill the king, now you tried to kill me. Instead you killed my sister.”

“Our people? Those poor innocent victims? You don’t know what I know. If you did, maybe you’d be on my side instead of Bryden’s. I know the lies he’s been feeding you and you gobbled them up like a baby bird reaching for a worm. Do you think I took anything I’ve done lightly?”

“What was it all for?” I asked. I wouldn’t attack first, but if I could keep him talking then maybe I could understand what had been going on in his head. “You were using me, too much of a coward to do these things yourself. If you wanted the king dead, why didn’t you kill him yourself? Why me?”

“I can’t use the magic,” he insisted. “I had my Awakening, but I’m still blocked and I know why. Our people kept me shielded while allowing you and Bryden to run around setting off explosions. I’m twice the warrior of both of you put together and I deserve access to my magic more than either of you.”

“Blocking you? How?”

“Those three idiots, the ones I turned in and had executed last week, they realized I’d discovered the truth. Everything Bryden’s been told and everything he’s told you is a lie. Once they knew, they refused to allow me access to the magic.”

“Then what’s the truth? What did you figure out that we didn’t?”

“We weren’t the only ones who were asleep. Everyone,” he waved his hand around at the town, “was asleep. The Dalagans kept everyone in the dark, letting the Fithians think they were great conquerors, when really all they were doing was farming the land for the Dalagan's eventual invasion. All this fertile land? That’s what they wanted. They were waiting for us to take down the king so they could attack.”

Conflicting thoughts swam through my mind slamming into each other at every pass. I’d been told so many things, had so many things revealed to me. I’d changed my beliefs more than once and now I was being presented with another theory.

“If they wanted the king dead and you knew why they were coming then why did you encourage me to kill him?”

“So he could be out of the way and I could finally marry the woman I loved.” Kellan threw his head back and laughed, but it wasn’t the laugh I’d loved so much my whole life, instead it was infused with bitterness and anger. “But you killed her, didn’t you? You were always jealous of Albree, even when we were together. Did you know that she wasn’t jealous of you? Not once. She trusted me. She loved me. I seduced you. She seduced the king. Then we used you to get rid of the king and Mags. Except you had to take it too far. You killed my love.”

I gasped. Why hadn’t I seen it? The manipulations had nothing to do with our people, but everything to do with Kellan’s drive to have it all.

Then he attacked.

Instead of beginning with a punch, like normal, he tried sweeping my legs. I jumped over his kick and I punched, but I missed, barely feeling the skin on his cheek as my fist flew past his face.

He twisted around and I landed where he had been standing.

“We don’t have to do this,” I said, holding my ground in fighting stance. I held my hands in the air, palms facing him. “This can end now. We can figure something out.”

“There’s no turning back,” Kellan said, double-punching me in the gut. The force of the hit sent me flying backward. I’d left myself open, let my guard down. I couldn’t do it again.

I sprang off the ground, landing solidly on my feet. I spun to the side, clipping him on the hip with a roundhouse kick. He stumbled and I attacked with another solid kick to his stomach. Kellan grunted and doubled over.

My elbow flew out and connected with his chin, sending him sprawling on his back on the ground, next to my dead twin sister.