I froze, suspended in that terrifying moment for what felt like an eternity.
I did not yell again, for Erik likely could hear what was spoken. They were treacherous words, but to save the lives of those I loved, I would become whatever I needed to be. I would be a traitor to the Bavadrin laws.
“Spare him, and I will give you Fraser.” Another tremble moved through me as I found myself completely at his mercy. “Please. I beg you.”
The fire dancing over Erik’s fingers receded, and he turned his attention to me fully then, his eyes a dark, threatening storm. An icy touch traveled down my spine as he pinned me so completely with a look that I found it difficult to draw in air. This was his true predatory form. A lion dropped into a pasture of sheep. Never had I seen the Bavadrins as sheep, but he made them seem as such. We stood no chance, especially if Edda’s warnings were true and I was not to use my own powers or risk a much worse outcome. The Lysians were to take control. That was inevitable, and the sooner it was to happen, the quicker innocent lives could be spared.
On the ground, Landin followed Erik’s gaze till it led to me. Fear crossed his features, and he jumped to his feet, preparing to protect me from the animal who now watched me. A raise of my hand and a slight shake of my head was enough to still Landin before he did something that would give Erik no choice but to take his life.
Relief flooded through me when Landin did not move another muscle towards the Lysian with the power to command fire.
I then spoke to Erik. The only other hearing my words wasEdda, who still held me in an iron grip. “Enter the building to your left through the red door. Go left, take the first right, third door on the right. Fraser will likely be there.” And just like that, by our Bavadrin laws, I became a traitor to my people and the things we held sacred.
Erik gave a command to those around him and was gone in moments, leaving Landin freely staring at me. An expression of shock at being spared splayed across his handsome face. He turned, glancing at Erik, who was heading in the direction I had set him on. Landin was likely putting together what I had just done, connecting the dots. Whether he judged me or not did not matter, for he would at least live to make that decision for himself.
I fell to my knees then, struggling to breathe, my chest aching.
The Bavadrins, including myself, followed a set of rules, one of which was to never stand against our Leader Superior in a way that might bring them harm. Our words and that sacred promise were something that breathed life into the Bavadrin ways. Never did anyone act against that rule. Until now. Generations of leaders and never had they been betrayed in such a way.
Edda always said that I was the next to lead the Bavadrin people, that she saw it to be true. But how could the Spirit choose me after what I had done? I broke a promise to shield the Superior until the end. It was an unforgivable act.
“You did what you must to protect them,” Edda said, and I realized I had no idea when she released her hold on me.
I nodded numbly while the sounds of screams died down. Either the battle was slowing, Bavadrins realizing their loss, or so many had been slaughtered that there were simply fewer people to cry out. Fear wrapped its talons around my neck as I tried to look back over the balcony. With great effort and dread, I forced my head to turn, to view the world below. Some were throwing down their swords, and the Lysians were shoving them against walls, but not killing them. I couldn’t find Landin.
Edda left me on the balcony floor while going to retrieve something from within. When she re-emerged, she wrapped a hooded cloak around me and handed me a burlap sack. Thin fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to turn away from the destruction.
“You will be leaving us for some time,” she said, touching the sack. She had packed me a bag to take on my trip into a prison of my own.Wrinkled hands took mine, and I met Edda’s dark eyes. “I am certain that you will be fine. You will soon return here. You will free the Bavadrins of so much more than your father’s horrid rule.”
When I nodded, she stood, pulling me with her and taking me inside.
“Someone is coming for you now. It is a Lysian, but he will not harm you.” She brought an icy hand to my cheek, and I welcomed the cooling touch. “I must go.” Edda glanced over her shoulder at the door. “Collect as much information as you can while you are there and then return home to me. Get them to bring you back to perform the ceremony that seals your fate as the leader of our people. We will figure out a way to free you after you take control. I will call upon the Sparrow Archers when the time is right. They will return to the city and help you.”
“You should take the passage,” I mumbled. There was a way through the wall of my room, which led to another empty room. She could have gone unseen if she took it.
“No, I will be fine.” Edda offered a quick hug. She released me and turned towards the exit to my bedroom, but she never got the chance to make her escape before the door opened.
A Lysian stood on the other side.
6
ARIANA
The Lysian looked like he was part man, part yellow bear. His shaggy blond hair was unkempt, making him appear wild. His arms and chest were enormous, in a terrifyingly brutal way. A scar carved the side of his face, spanning from eyebrow to jaw. Chilling ice-blue eyes pinned me. He looked everything that the Bavadrin stories had warned about Lysians.
As soon as the beast of a Lysian stood on the threshold, I halted in my tracks, all my focus going to him. Like a deer who had caught the sight of a hunter, I froze, waiting for him to make his move before I acted in response.
He must have seen the alarm written all over my face, for when he spoke, his voice was gentle, not harsh as I would have expected coming from someone who looked like him.
“I’m not here to harm you,” he assured, sheathing his blade, and opening his hands out before him as if to show he was unarmed. “But it will be easier if you come with me willingly.”
Armed or not, he was a threat. Every muscle in his gigantic body was primed to kill, and that was not even considering histeeth or claws. Someone like him needed no weapons to be deadly.
I did not move or make a sound in response.
“I have come here to escort you to the Lysian territory under orders to protect you. No harm will come to you.” There was an almost effortless kindness to him whenever he spoke, which was a stark contrast to the way he looked.
When I still did not move, Edda acted. She came over and hugged me, wrapping her thin yet powerful arms around me.
