AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anaria, look at me.” Then Tavion was there, hand stroking down my back, gently taking the keys from my shaking hand. A wide-eyed Adele was on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees, staring up at me. “Let me do this. You don’t need to see what’s inside this room.”
No…Yes…yes, I did.
Ididneed to see that room. To face what happened there. To know that I did not break—that Ineverbroke. Not for Solok. Not for the king. Not for the Oracle.
And no matter what was behind that door, that wouldn’t break me either.
I sucked in a breath, praying I was right about that. “Unlock the door.”
“Anaria. What if…”
I shook my head. “Unlock the door, Tavion, and let me see him.” My eyes flicked up to his, and for one brief second, his changed back to forest green, raging and vicious and piercing, as if they saw straight into my very soul.
Just like they had the last time we were down here.
“I need to see what is in there. I’m ready, Tavion.”
The mob of prisoners stretched back as far as I could see, impatient, furious, hungry for vengeance.
I stepped forward and they retreated. I pointed to Adele. “This is my mother. You will guard her with your lives and give us time to free our friend.” I jerked my head toward the last door that stood between them and freedom.
“Five minutes and we all leave. That is the deal.” Magic whipped the air and they all shrunk back, fear in their eyes, but they gave Adele a healthy berth.
“I’m ready,” I repeated quietly as Tavion unlocked the door. “Let’s get Raz out of there.”
Everything inside the awful room was the same.
The stained table with the iron cuffs, the blood-splattered stone walls and ceiling.
Raziel was cuffed to the wall with heavy chains, slumped on the floor, broken arrows sticking out of him crusted with dried blood where they were imbedded into his body. Tavion got to him first, unlocking the cuffs from his wrists, while I knelt beside him, tipping his head back and checking for a pulse.
“He’s alive.” I eyed the broken off arrows, the shoulder that was certainly dislocated, the scrape that abraded off most of his cheek, probably from when his horse went down. “Fuck. They just dragged him in here and left him.”
“Not a surprise, given they’re a bunch of ruthless savages.” Tavion set his hand on my shoulder, and I took a breath. “Be glad they forgot him, Anaria. This is good news compared to what they might have done.”
I cocked my ear, half listening to the angry hum of the prisoners outside. “They won’t wait forever. We’ll be lucky if we have five minutes to get the bleeding to stop.” Until we did, moving Raz would be too dangerous.
“Stand back and don’t look,” Tavion growled, and before I could turn my head, he slid one of the arrows out with a grotesque, wet sluicing sound. Raz didn’t even flinch. I gagged but kept my hands pressed against his chest, feeling his heart speed up, forcing the bile back down my throat.
I’d healed him before.Once.
Under the guidance of an actual skilled healer.
Tavion frowned then bent Raz forward to where the second arrow had punched out through his back, just above his shoulder blade, the point covered in dried blood. “Hold him steady, Anaria. Don’t let him move.” Tavion grasped the arrowhead and yanked hard while I gritted my teeth against that awful slithering sound.
“One more.” His eyes met mine. “The iron point is still inside him—that’s why he’s not healing on his own. Hold him steady, but you’ll want to look away.” He flipped out his knife, and this time I did turn away, my breaths erratic until he finally muttered, “Okay, it’s out. You can turn around, Anaria.”
Fresh blood soaked Raziel’s left side, his pale face clammy.
“Can you use your magic on him? Like before?” Tavion asked cautiously.
“I don’t know. Even if I did…I would have to take my time, feel my way through the healing, since I don’t know what I’m doing.” Magic danced all around us, but fear gripped me in icy fingers as I contemplated everything that might go wrong if I tried. Outside, the murmur of voices grew louder, and I climbed to my feet.
“I’m changing the plan,” I murmured. “Come with me and get Adele, I’m giving them the keys.”
“And if we get trapped down here?”
“I have my magic. You can shift into the scary wolf.” I shrugged. “If you have a better plan, I’m all ears.”
