She asked about William and got an answer and a jab about how she was never going to see him again. Christin was getting used to the jabs. She was getting used to all of it. After almost a decade with the man, it all just sort of blended in together.
He left after a while and Christin was alone again. Phillip had decided that light was a waste on her, so she had to sit in the darkness most of the day. It gave her a funny feeling of always being in a state of sleep-like trance. It was like one big dream and a lot of the time was spent thinking about the bright spots in her life. William was a constant companion, as was Broch, the new addition that had come out of nowhere. It was all just enough to keep her going.
***
Another week went by, and Phillip had not come to visit, neither had the food that he would send obligatorily. He didn’t want her to die or get emaciated, so she was given food once a day. That hadn’t come in days and Phillip’s torture hadn’t either. Christin was starting to wonder if she had finally pissed him off and he was just going to let her slowly die in her cage. While Christin had said that it would be merciful, it certainly didn’t feel that way.
Christin wished for it to all be over. She needed sleep, real sleep that was different from wakefulness. She was trying to keep her mind straight, but it was harder than she imagined. The longer she was in there, the further from reality she came, until one day, a light came on from the ceiling, blinding her and making her eyes hurt so much she slammed them closed. It just hurt and Christin was sure that it was the adaptation that Phillip had been talking about. It was different, she would give him that.
Chapter 26
Broch
Richard was true to his word and Broch got to see a dragon in person. He’d heard stories, everyone had. He had even seen a few far away, but never had he seen one or so many, up close and personal. There were twenty dragon warriors there by morning. It was clear that Richard was a beloved king and though it was all up in the air where he stood in the clan, it wasn’t hard to see where he stood with his men. To Broch, it said more about Richard than anything else would.
It was also becoming clear by morning that Christin had taken off and she had likely been taken. Broch had people watching Phillip’s dwelling, as well as some of the other villages. Richard knew where they were. He was the perfect inside man, even though he hadn’t been there in years. He knew the place well. The king’s mansion was his own, built to his own specifications. There were ways into the place that even Phillip probably didn’t know about. Broch was going to use all of that insider information to his advantage. He was going to do what was necessary.
By dawn, not only were there over two dozen dragon warriors, but his own people were starting to arrive. They were leery of the newcomers, as they had no idea what sort of collaboration was about to go on. Broch was sure that it would work, but he knew that it was going to be a big pill to swallow. He thought of his own culpability in what was happening. It was his fault that he had brought Christin. He shouldn’t have. He should have done what he was supposed to do, get Dennis and Brody out, and that was it.
As people started to congregate around him, Broch was ready to get started. Leonard had been briefed on what was about to go down. There was going to be an attack and Broch knew that it was best while everyone was still in their emotions about what had happened. It would make them fight harder, give them courage, in the face of something so frightening. Broch wanted to make sure that they were all ready and standing beside dragons. It was going to revive them and give them courage, but also keep them on edge.
“Everyone, thank you for coming. I know that we have some new faces in the crowd, and I would like to introduce you to the former king of the legendary Sinclair dragons in our area. Richard.”
There was a murmuring of voices, angry ones that sounded a lot like accusations. They knew that dragons had killed their elders. Richard was being brought in front of them and it was going to turn into a stoning very quickly, if he didn’t get it out.
“Silence!”
“These are not our enemies. His dragon warriors have been banished, his son-in-law has put his own people into play. Phillip is the one that has attacked us, multiple times, and he isn’t going to stop until all of us are gone. I know that we have never had this sort of enemy before. Dragons are fearsome and strong, but so are we.”
More mumbles and questions were shouted toward him.
“Richard is here to help. He has brought some of his own dragon warriors, loyal to him, to fight alongside us. We are going to take the fight to them. We will destroy their homes, burn their people until they give up or are all dead. Either way, this will end today.”
Broch was clear that he meant it too. One way or another, there was going to be a resolution. His people took to the plan surprisingly well, though it was the loyalty to him that made it so. Broch worried about what he was about to embark on. He didn’t want to lose his people. They were all family to him, and he was asking them to go up against a stronger opponent. There was also talk of them using potions and magic from witches. It was going to be perilous, but the need for revenge was ripe in everyone’s hearts and Broch used that to his advantage. He needed the anger and rage to be burning hot, like it was right then.
He turned to Richard and asked him if he was ready to get his title and crown back.
“It was never about that. My daughter will be queen.”
Broch just shook his head. He couldn’t think about any of it right then. He had to keep his head in the game. It was going to be a day of focus.
***
The attack was done in the middle of the day. While Phillip wasn’t as far away from prying human eyes as he was, Broch used all of the information that Richard had given him. While he was in the front, attacking and demanding to talk to the king, Richard and half of his men were going through the back. The other half were going to do aerial attacks when it all kicked off. It was a simple, aggressive attack that was meant to overwhelm and overtake.
There were a few hiccups, like when some of the dragon warriors were seen ahead of time. It put them on red alert, but the ones coming in the back were ignored, until it was too late. Once Richard had the crown back and shifted, his form was bigger than all the rest and he personally burned Phillip in his human form. He was turned to ash and half of the mansion was left burning when it was all said and done.
Broch searched the grounds and the mansion as well as he could in his wolf form, but he found no trace of Christin. He found her son, who was taken out the back way when it first began. He was reunited with his grandparents, but he was unable to be reunited with Christin. She was nowhere to be seen and Broch was starting to believe that he wasn’t going to find her. That she was already dead.
He refused the last bit. She wasn’t dead. He would know, he would feel it somehow. Broch was convinced that all he had to do was look a little harder.
Most called it after the action was over. They were done, it was plain to see, but not Broch. He sent everyone away and walked the burning rubble for hours, never finding her. The place was big, but it wasn’t that big. She just wasn’t there.
He left in defeat, a piece of his heart left behind in the fire. Broch wanted to hope that she was somewhere else, never caught, but he knew better. Phillip had said as much that he would never see her again. He had taken care of her. Even when his own death was imminent, he had seemed more obsessed with Christin’s fate than his own. He really hated her.
Broch went back to his own people and there was a celebration. Drinks were flowing and there was music and dancing. It was a big deal. He should have been up there, congratulating everyone on their victory of revenge, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He instead walked through the crowd in a daze, not sure what he was even doing there. What was the point? He kept asking himself that, what was the point?
Richard tried to stop and talk to him, but Broch didn’t want to hear any of it. He went outside, went to the woods and ran. He ran on four legs for miles upon miles. It was only there, when he was moving fast and the world was a blur, that he was able to see Christin unencumbered in his mind. It wasn’t at all what he wanted, but it was what he needed. He wanted Christin back, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
