Alora_The Wander-Jewel Read online

  This time Alora could not stop a cry of distress. Raelene knelt to wrap her in her arms, whispering words of comfort that didn’t reach Alora’s ears. Her heart was breaking. She fought an urge to throw herself over the cliff. Better for Kaevin to die than to be made into a flesh-eating monster.

  Nordamen’s lips were white as he pressed them together, the muscles of his jaw flexing.

  Abaddon wore a benign smile as he turned his horse to leave. He halted his horse and spoke over his shoulder. “Oh. And Lena must come alone. Should anyone else come or make any attempt to free the boy... his life is forfeit.”

  When Alora cried out in pain for the third time, she asked Morvaen, “Why are they hurting him? I don’t understand—they’ve already captured him.”

  “I’m sorry to say, child, they are probably questioning him, trying to find out more about you.” Morvaen sat with his head in his hands, as still as Alora had ever seen him.

  “At least they don’t seem to know your real name. If only Kaevin can withhold that information, we have a fighting chance,” Nordamen said.

  “What happens if they know my name?”

  “Abaddon’s dark magick is more powerful when he uses your name. Perhaps he might even be able to take your power away,” said Nordamen. “I don’t believe he can accomplish that without the knowledge of your name.”

  Arista stomped over to stand looking down at Morvaen, her hands firmly on her hips. “We should have taken out those men! Wesley and I could have prevented this. My brother wouldn’t be injured, and Kaevin wouldn’t have been captured.”

  Morvaen rose to his full height, and Arista stepped back. “You will never be a warrior, Arista, if you second-guess your commander. From that distance, a quick movement by one of those men would cause your arrow to hit our own men. You were right to obey your orders, and I hope you are not prone to change in that regard.”

  She swiped angrily at her wet face and stalked to the side.

  “What can we do?” asked Wesley. “Can we climb a tree outside the camp and pick them off at a distance?”

  Morvaen shook his head as he once again returned to his pacing. In the confined area, people had to constantly shift their positions to allow the hulking man to pass back and forth. “No, we cannot. Abaddon will have their camp warded just as Nordamen warded our position. And at the first sign of attack, they have promised to kill Kaevin.”

  “I’ll just have to go to him,” declared Alora.

  “And then what?” asked Raelene. “If he actually kept his word and let Kaevin go, the two of you would die within a week.”

  “I could explain we’re soulmates,” she suggested.

  “And then he will use that information to make both of you do his bidding,” said Nordamen.

  Charles spoke over Nordamen’s shoulder. “Does someone have a plan? Because I, for one, will do whatever it takes to save Alora’s life.”

  “Why can’t we just sneak into the camp and rescue him? Or maybe Alora could just flash us in there,” Wesley said.

  “We can’t go in without being noticed,” said Raelene. “We’re too easily recognized. And Alora is far from mastering the art of sending someone away from her.”

  “They wouldn’t recognize Wesley and me,” Charles reasoned. “They’ve never seen us before, and our eyes are blue.”

  “What if we were wearing some of their clothes? It’s kind of creepy, but there are a few dead guys down there,” said Wesley.

  “Even if you weren’t immediately recognizable, their numbers are small enough they would notice extras,” Morvaen said.

  “Not if I took a few out,” suggested Alora. “I’m pretty sure I could repeat that snatch and throw thing I did before. I’m just not good with the landing. But in this case it wouldn’t matter.”

  “I could be a distraction,” said Beth. “They don’t know what Alora looks like. If I showed up, they would all think I was Alora.”

  “I could do that, too,” declared Arista, coming out of her sulking.

  “Vindrake has seen me,” argued Alora.

  “But obviously, his men haven’t,” reasoned Beth. “They kidnapped Arista by mistake, and she looks nothing like you.”

  “If we want confusion on our side, we need to move quickly,” said Nordamen. “Some of the men seemed to be masked somehow, while the others had clearly detectable bondmarks. It may well be we have a short window where some of Vindrake’s men still have no bondmarks.”

  “How will you get Kaevin out?” asked Morvaen. “They must have him in irons, lest Alora transport him.”

  “We just need some bolt cutters,” said Charles.

  “I can open the lock,” said Arista, bouncing on her toes. “It’s one of my minor gifts.”

  “I was unaware you had the gift of gresses, Arista. I’ve given you no training.” Nordamen pursed his lips.

  “Yes, but I’ve practiced on a great many locks. I promise, I can open any lock.” She flashed a smug grin. “I’ve seen the inside of your supply chest. What was that thing that looks like a wendt skull?”

  Nordamen paled and his eyebrows drew together. “It’s... never mind about that—I believe you can open the lock.”

  “We need a plan,” said Morvaen. “And we need to move quickly and quietly. Can Alora transport us a few at a time?”

  “No, she mustn’t,” said Raelene. “If she does that, she’ll draw too much from the soulmate bond. We need to save her gift to take both of them to safety when he’s freed of the iron.”

  “Can’t you just make us invisible or something?” Wesley asked Nordamen. “Don’t you have a spell or a cloak? Or can’t you just mumble something that will confuse them, and they won’t notice us?”

  “Wesley, this isn’t a movie,” said Beth. “Although I have to admit, it’s even more bizarre.”

  “Perhaps there is something I could do to help. I have everything I need... except for the skull of a wendt.” Nordamen shot a meaningful look at Arista, whose face split into a grin.

  “I’ll be right back.” She grabbed a sword and scrambled down the canyon wall toward the dead wendt.

  “In case it’s helpful, I have some non-metal knives.” Charles reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved six ceramic knives in leather sheaths. “I stuffed these in my coat, hoping they would make the trip over here, and it worked. I wanted to bring my guns, but Raelene nixed the idea because of the metal.”

  Morvaen examined them with fascination. “Amazing! Yes, we can find a way to use these.” He turned to Raelene. “What can Alora do that will cause the least amount of draw from her bond?”

  “Short distances. Less weight.” Raelene caught Alora’s eyes. “You must be careful not to exhaust yourself before you get Kaevin away from Vindrake. How is your head?”

  “It only hurts a little. Nothing like it hurt before I passed out.” Alora was sure her heart hurt more than her head. A pain shot through her and she screamed in agony. “Kaevin!” she cried. “Please! We’ve got to hurry!”

  “At this rate, Vindrake may soon learn her true name, if he hasn’t already.” Nordamen’s face was grave.

  “Don’t fret, Sweetie. We’ll save him.” Uncle Charles wrapped her in his arms, and she clung to him and cried. She almost wished she could go back to the time before she’d met Kaevin. When her biggest worry was whether to go to the school dance, and a hug from her uncle took care of all her problems.

  “Aren’t you mad at me?” she murmured into his chest.

  “All I care about is keeping you safe, Alora. This would be a poor time to hang onto my anger. I love you, and I’ll do anything I can to protect you. And right now, that means we’ve got to rescue Kaevin.” He tightened his arms around her.

  Somehow, despite her fears, Alora believed her uncle would make it happen. Maybe his hugs can still fix everything.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kaevin tried to stay on guard through a haze of pain. The sharp stones poked into his side as he lay on the ground in the mid
dle of a clearing, his hands still bound behind his back. How long have I been here? Time blurred in his mind. It seemed as if Vindrake had been questioning him forever. So far, he’d avoided giving Vindrake any new information about Alora. He hadn’t revealed her true name or where she lived or the fact they were soulmates. He had to be truthful with every answer, because Vindrake could detect any lie. Although Kaevin hadn’t repeated his error after his first failed attempt at lying, Vindrake had broken two more fingers. How much can I bear before I break and tell him what he wishes to know?

  “Let me ask a few questions, Sire.” The man Vindrake had called Abaddon, approached as Vindrake strode back and forth before Kaevin’s crumpled figure, spitting out loud curses. “Perhaps a different tactic would help.”

  “Yes, ask your questions. I will observe to be certain he tells the truth.”

  Abaddon loomed over Kaevin, smiling with satisfaction. Kaevin didn’t have the strength to flinch away from a swift kick in the shin. A cry escaped his lips before he could stop it.

  “You don’t know where she’s been hiding all these years?”

  “No,” Kaevin panted. “I don’t know where it is.”

  “But have you been there?”

  “Yes, but I don’t know how to find it. It’s a long way from here, and I really don’t know where it is. She simply transported me.”

  “What is the name of the place where she lives?”

  “She lives at a ranch.”

  “Aranch? I’ve never heard of this place.” Abaddon glanced at Vindrake.

  “Yes, his words are true,” Vindrake confirmed. “But we need to find this place.”

  “Why does it matter?” asked Kaevin. “She’s going to come to you, right? And you’re going to let me go in exchange?” In his heart, he knew the exchange would never take place. They would kill him as soon as they could secure Alora. At least if that happened, Alora would die with him, and Vindrake wouldn’t be able to use her.

  “Of course, you’re right. But if she should decide you’re not worth her effort, we wish to have knowledge of her location.” Abaddon stroked his beard. “Tell me about her gift. How much has she mastered? What is she able to do? And who’s been training her?”

  Kaevin was slow to answer. It would be best if they underestimated her abilities. “I’m not certain what she can do. She only came into her gift a few weeks ago,” he replied truthfully. “She had one or two short lessons with Raelene.”

  “What have you seen her do?”

  “Well, I saw her make some mistakes. She accidentally took me somewhere. And then she managed to bring us back.”

  Abaddon nodded. “Yes, that is to be expected. A new bearer will make many errors.”

  “Has she done anything extraordinary?” Vindrake’s voice quivered with excitement. “I think she must be quite powerful, being my daughter.”

  He pondered the question while the pain throbbed in his hand. What could he say without revealing anything of import? “She transported some kittens. Well... one of them transported, but the other one she gave up on and ran after it. But I’m sure she’ll get better soon.”

  “Let me be specific,” Abaddon said, evenly. “Can she transport someone away from herself?”

  “The first two times she transported me to her, I went directly back. But Raelene said it was some kind of automatic reversal.”

  “That is to be expected,” said Abaddon. “But why were you spending time with Vindrake’s daughter?”

  He prayed his face would not betray him as he skirted around the truth. “She... she transported me by accident, and she didn’t know how to send me back.”

  “Is he telling the truth?” Abaddon asked Vindrake.

  He nodded in response. “I detect no lie. Why do you ask? Is there a problem?”

  Abaddon’s eyebrows knit close together as he glared at Kaevin. “Graely was obviously looking for the girl, and we had reports she rode her horse to meet him. Yet Kaevin has been to her hiding place, and says he doesn’t know where it is. Someone isn’t telling the truth. He must know where her home is located.”

  Vindrake rose up, glaring at Kaevin menacingly. “Are you lying to me somehow?” Kaevin screamed as he felt someone squeezing the already broken bones in his throbbing hand. “Ahhh! I’m not lying! I swear. I have no idea where she lives. I even tried looking on a map. Glare it! I’ve only transported to and from there. Please! I swear!”

  He felt the pressure release and screamed relief, panting from the pain, his head swimming.

  “Why did the girl transport you? When did you meet for the first time?” Abaddon asked.

  He tried to catch his breath, moaning as he waited for the pain to subside. He knew he had to be careful now, and not reveal the soulmate bond. Since no one had believed them at first, it was easy to tell the truth. He didn’t try to sit up, but spoke slowly, gritting his teeth against his agony, “We only just met. Perhaps seven or eight days ago. Raelene said her mother must have imprinted Laegenshire on her as a baby. She said most likely, I was simply the first person she saw in Laegenshire.”

  “So Graely didn’t know of her existence until then.”

  Kaevin couldn’t think of a reason not to admit the truth. “No. None of us knew about her.”

  “Excellent!” Vindrake beamed. “They have not had a great deal of time to influence her against me. I may still be able to sway the girl. Perhaps she will prefer living in luxury with me to living in poverty with Stone Clan.”

  Kaevin decided to keep his opinion on that matter to himself. Vindrake wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if he thought he had no chance to control her. He wondered how Alora was faring. Was she frightened? Had her head started hurting from drain on their soulmate bond? The pain in his hand made it impossible for him to determine whether his head was aching. And what about his father and Jireo? He’d seen both of them badly wounded. Were they still alive? He felt his mind drifting toward sleep, but he knew he needed to stay alert, in case there was a rescue attempt.

  “Lena!” Vindrake’s exclamation jarred him awake. Vindrake’s gaze focused somewhere over Kaevin’s prone body. “Lena,” he said, smiling sweetly. “I’m so pleased you contacted me.”

  Kaevin twisted to look behind him but saw no one.

  Alora tried to look calm, but her hands were shaking. Raelene had assured her he could only see her head. She hoped it was true, or he would know how frightened she was. As Nordamen had predicted, Vindrake must have been warded with iron, and thus an attempt to transport him would only allow a face-to-face conversation. Morvaen had been ready with his sword in case he had transported to Alora.

  “Hello, Father. I was told you wanted to speak to me.” Alora’s job was to buy time for the rest of the group to travel to the camp with Nordamen. She would then transport to them with Raelene and Morvaen. Her Uncle Charles was currently wearing an iron belt taken from one of the fallen enemies, so she could have a conversation with him without moving him.

  “Yes. I would like to see you, daughter. When we last spoke, I invited you to come to me. To see all the advantages I have to offer you. But you have avoided me. Why are you shunning your own father?”

  “Father,” she spoke slowly, remembering Nordamen’s warning that Vindrake could detect lies, even though the conversation was not in person. “You seem like a very powerful man. I assume you didn’t become such a man by acting impulsively. I may be young, but I hope I’ve inherited enough of your wisdom to carefully consider my options before making decisions.”

  “Yet you have been consorting with Graely and his son.” Despite his accusing words, he seemed to puff up at her indirect praise.

  “I’ve spent very little time with Graely, and my time with his son was largely out of my control. I met him by accident in much the same way I met you, Father. But to be honest, my uncle would prefer I stay with him until I am much older. And, I have no doubt my uncle has my best interest at heart.”

  “But your uncle cannot train you in usin
g your gift,” Vindrake argued. “Can he?”

  “Are you offering to come to my home and train me?”

  His eyes narrowed for a moment, but he made his expression pleasant again. “I cannot come to you. I have a kingdom to rule. You must come to me and take your place as my heir. I long to spend time with my only daughter.”

  “What is this I’ve heard about you holding someone prisoner? You told me I could come and see your kingdom for myself and then decide if I want to stay. How can I trust you not to hold me prisoner when you are currently holding another person prisoner?”

  “I think you’re aware the person I’m holding prisoner is Graely’s son. You may not realize Graely and his son have committed many grievous acts against me. It is well within my right to execute him. But I’ve offered to let him go free in return for Graely’s cooperation in returning my daughter to me.”

  “In my home, it’s illegal to execute someone without a fair trial and a jury of peers.” She fought to keep her voice from quavering at the thought of Kaevin’s execution.

  “Your home? At Aranch? Yes, perhaps I should come to visit you at your home sometime. Would you care to advise me about the most direct route?”

  She was quiet, attempting to decipher the meaning of his words. He must be fishing for information. Why was he asking about their ranch? Had Kaevin revealed where they lived? “I actually can’t invite you to my house without my uncle’s permission. But I’ll ask him, and let you know what he says.” She frowned. “But you’re trying to distract me. I was telling you I don’t think you should execute anyone without a fair trial. You once told me I’d been fed lies about you. This is your chance to prove you’re not a monster who murders young boys.”

  His smile transformed into a sneer before her eyes. “I will not be lectured by my daughter of fifteen years. I am a judge and the king of this realm, and I have deemed him guilty and worthy of execution. You have the ability to prevent that from happening, simply by coming to me. If you feel so strongly he should not die, then come. If you choose not to come, his blood will be on your hands.”