They shoved her into the arms of a man on a horse, and he urged the horse into a gallop in the direction of Hakvere.

  “No!” Allia cried. “I can’t go back there.”

  The man ignored her. His grip was tight enough to bruise. Any scrap of sympathy he felt was buried deep under his determination to serve Haldreth.

  Callonen

  CALLONEN STRAINED HIS EYES, staring into the last of the fading light. At this distance, all he could see was a tiny flash of lavender, the exact shade Allia had been wearing that day in the garden. It had to be her.

  At first, he could see her in the window. Then she climbed slowly down the wall. Her hold seemed precarious, with the height of the fortress wall and only a narrow ledge above the sheer depths of the canyon.

  Allia was trying to escape. She wouldn’t try to cross the heavily guarded bridge, would she? She’d know that course was futile.

  Callonen held his breath as he watched her descend, his eyes following her progress. There must be some way to help her. He scanned the canyon walls desperately. How could they get across? His eyes found no other way but the bridge.

  Would she try to go north or south? Going south would mean crossing more populated areas of Ara and many miles until the canyon opened into a wide valley. North?

  The lands north of Hakvere were rocky and barren, but sparsely inhabited. Many miles to the north, the deep canyon walls grew lower and lower until it was possible to cross the river without much trouble. If Allia was going to run, she’d run north.

  Callonen and his friends gathered their things and slipped quietly into the darkness.

  They walked north along the rim of the canyon all night. In the first light of dawn, Callonen hoped and dreaded to catch a glimpse of her. She would do everything she could to stay out of sight.

  The morning light illuminated a rocky landscape dotted with riders in blue Aran uniforms. Callonen felt his stomach clench into a knot. How were there so many? He glanced at Talon, who stood beside him staring in disbelief at the endless patrols searching.

  “I’m sorry, Cal.”

  “We have to find a way across. There must be something we can do to help her!”

  Talon’s eyes scanned the east rim of the canyon. “We could scale the cliffs. Not quickly, but it’s possible. But if we reach the other side, there won’t be anything we can do. There’s too many of them.”

  Callonen clenched his hands into fists. “I’ll bring all of Sarine’s army and burn Hakvere to the ground!”

  “Our soldiers are several days away.” Talon’s voice was grim. “And many lives would be lost if we try to attack that bridge.”

  Callonen knew he was right.

  It was agonizing to watch the patrols combing the landscape, searching every inch. Even across the distance, Callonen could see a group of horsemen galloping back toward the castle. One horse carried two people. He could just see a bit of lavender. Unable to stop it, his hand reached out toward her. It was futile. There was no way to help her from here. Allia…

  They were taking her back to Hakvere. On weary feet, his heart breaking, Callonen started back toward their camp.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Year of Warding 21, Hakvere, Ara

  Allia

  THEY RODE FOR WHAT SEEMED HOURS, but it wasn’t nearly long enough. In the light of day, she had a view of all the surrounding land. In all directions, she saw men searching on horseback. It seemed like a thousand of them. All hunting for her?

  A familiar figure rode to meet them. Her captor passed her into Haldreth’s arms, and he pulled her across his lap, gripping her tightly. They turned back toward the fortress.

  Allia was glad she couldn’t see his face, but she could sense him. He was painful to be near. The ring let her into his heart, and that was not somewhere she wanted to be.

  He was relieved they had found her. Haldreth considered Allia a possession, and he cared nothing for her as a person, only about how she could further his ambitions. Any worry for her well-being was absent, but she remained essential, and the thought of her escaping terrified him.

  Maybe there would be another chance for Allia to get away. There had to be some way to stop Haldreth. His schemes must be larger than just his desire to destroy Callonen.

  Panic and despair rolled through her stomach.

  “If you do anything like that again, I will make you regret it.” His voice was icy.

  Allia shivered. Not only from his words, but because she could feel his determination to bend her to his will. No, he wouldn’t mind if she suffered. He would enjoy it.

  They reached the back gate of the fortress and rode inside. Haldreth escorted her to the same room he had locked her in before. Nothing had changed except for the addition of a heavy iron grate bolted to the wall to cover the window opening.

  Haldreth dragged her into the room and shut the door behind them. The sound echoed in the sudden silence, and Allia realized they were alone. Her eyes darted around the room, seeking some means of escape.

  Observing her distress, Haldreth smiled. “It’s good to be home again.” He took off his coat and threw it over the back of a chair.

  Allia stared at him; her limbs frozen.

  “You don’t need to be afraid of me,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you. All I ask is a little cooperation.” He spread his hands to indicate the room. “I’ve already made Hakvere much more than it was. I’m going to do the same for the entire land of Ara. It will become the most powerful nation of all. I have undertaken a great work. All I ask is a little help from you. Is that so bad?”

  He sat down in a chair beside the empty fireplace and removed his boots. Standing up, he met her gaze, then pulled off his shirt. Allia dropped her eyes at once, heat rushing to her cheeks.

  “You enjoy looking at me,” he said. “Why do you fight it so hard? You don’t have to. And it won’t change anything. You can’t get away, and now you need to make the best of the situation. Am I really so different from my brother? You wanted nothing more than to share his bed. Stories about you were everywhere in the palace. You were caught sneaking into his room in the middle of the night. I guess you wanted him so badly you forgot the guards might see you.”

  He laughed derisively, and Allia felt the color in her cheeks deepen. “Don’t be embarrassed. I understand. I can help you get what you want, and you don’t have to fight me. If you accept me, I’ll make sure you enjoy it.”

  Allia raised her eyes to trace the smooth skin and hard muscles of his chest and shoulders. There was nothing wrong with his appearance. She’d never gotten the chance to see Callonen undressed, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he looked the same. But even though Haldreth was every bit as attractive as Callonen on the outside, the ring lent her the ability to see inside, and Callonen’s mind and heart were even more appealing than his appearance. He was kind and cared for his people, even strangers he didn’t know. He was a good man. It wasn’t necessary for him to keep secrets or lie or deceive anyone. He simply was who he was.

  In contrast, Haldreth was a well of secrets and lies. Somehow, he had prevented his father from seeing how dark his ambitions were or how little he cared for anyone except himself. His pride, cruelty and lust for power grated on Allia any time she was near him. He never cared about her, except for how he might use her power. All the people around him existed for him to use in order to reach his goals. More power, more control.

  Though it had been hidden from her too, back in Sarine, Allia could feel it now, and she shrank from the evil she felt. His plans would mean suffering for everyone around him. She needed to stop him. Her eyes flicked to the dagger on his belt. There might be just one chance. But she needed to distract him. She took a calming breath and peered up at him through her lashes. “Will you take care of me if I help you?”

  He took a step nearer. “Of course I will.” His expression became so much kinder as he said it. She couldn’t help but think of Callonen.

  She met his gaze, trying to appear bold. “You understand what an advantageous position I would have had in Sarine, with your brother.”

  He smiled slightly and nodded. “I knew that was important to you. Why else would you like Callonen so much?”

  It went against everything inside her, but Allia took a step toward him. “Perhaps it is time to reconsider my options.”

  Haldreth closed the distance between them and softly touched her shoulders. Everything inside Allia demanded that she shrink from his touch, but she forced herself to remain still, not even breathing. Her hands brushed his waist, and he drew in a breath as he felt her touch. He caressed her neck and slid the neckline of her gown down off her shoulders.

  She only had a moment. Her hands found the dagger he wore at his waist, and her heart pounded wildly in her chest. This was the only way out.

  Allia slid the knife from his belt and raised it. As Haldreth saw the stroke falling, he twisted to one side, and the blow intended to pierce his heart slipped between his ribs, too low to be immediately lethal. For a long terrible moment, they stared at each other, Haldreth’s eyes wide with shock.

  Horror swept over Allia. She could see blood welling and sense the terrible wound. With her own hands, she had inflicted this pain.

  Haldreth sank to his knees, dragging her down with him, clutching her arm in an iron grip. “Heal me,” he commanded. “Or you’ll die with me.” With his other hand, he wrenched the knife out of his flesh, his teeth clenched, his skin unnaturally white.

  Allia stared into his terrible eyes and clawed at his hand, trying to escape his grasp. He took the knife, already dripping with his own blood, and held it to her throat.

  The blade bit into her neck and she felt a searing pain, blood running down her skin. He would kill her. There was no uncertainty. He had already stabbed his own brother in the heart. The blade cut deeper.

  “Don’t!” Allia cried. She put her hand over his. Before, she had sensed his pain. Now she claimed it for her own, a shaft of burning agony. Then the familiar darkness closed in around her.

  Allia woke in the dark, lying on the cold floor where she had fallen, and felt the familiar aching weakness that followed a healing. She was alone, still a prisoner, and she couldn’t rise.

  Haldreth undoubtedly felt whole again. And she wouldn’t get another chance to kill him. She’d failed. After a while, she drifted back to sleep.

  By the next night, she could move her arms and legs, but she remained dreadfully weak. They had brought her a little food and water, but the door remained locked, and she had seen no one. When she could get up again, she crawled to the window.

  A heavy iron grate now covered the opening, and it didn’t yield at all when she pushed at it. She could see guards at the gates and patrols of blue-uniformed men crossing the bridge.

  Was Callonen still out there somewhere? Maybe the Aran soldiers were hunting him. Maybe they’d killed him. She crawled back to the bed and fell asleep.

  Allia awoke to the light of a candle shining in her eyes. She wasn’t alone. Someone slid beneath the covers beside her. In the candlelight, she recognized Haldreth. She could sense his lust and desire to control her. She shrank away from him, longing for the strength to get up and run.

  He laughed at her fear and pulled her close. Haldreth was strong, and his bare skin bore no trace of his wound except for a white scar on his ribs.

  Allia pushed him away, but the healing had left her weak. “I saved your life, and this is how you repay me? Get away from me,” she demanded.

  “You don’t mean that,” he said, kissing her.

  She bit his lip, and he pulled back for a moment. A few drops of blood stained his mouth, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

  “Don’t try to convince me you hate me. You couldn’t stand to kill me,” he sneered. “I think you’re relieved that you don’t have to pretend to like Callonen anymore. He’s so pompous and full of himself. He’s like my father. I understand that it’s a relief to get away.”

  “No,” she said. “Leave me alone.” She struggled, but so soon after healing, she lacked the strength to fight him. “You would take advantage of my weakness?”

  He laughed again. “I will do whatever I want.” His hands slid beneath her skirt.

  She cried silently as Haldreth took her, and she thought of Callonen and all the hopes they had shared. Haldreth was destroying them all. If only she had been strong enough to die with him after she had stabbed him. “I should have let you die,” she whispered.

  “But you didn’t,” he replied, his lips against her neck. “You saved my life, and I saved yours. We belong to each other now.”

  “No!” she cried, trying again to shove him away, cursing the weakness in her limbs. “I will never belong to you. Someday you’ll lose your power. And then, I’ll kill you.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “I promise you I will!”

  He laughed again. “Sweet Allia, a killer? What would your precious Callonen think of that?”

  It hurt, and Haldreth knew it. She was a healer, and it went against her very nature to cause harm. Maybe he was right. Maybe Callonen would hate her for what she had done. But something had changed within her. She would not fail again if she had another opportunity.

  She didn’t know how long Haldreth stayed with her. Allia loathed the feel of his hands on her body and every touch of his skin, and she hated him for taking her freedom. At last, he got up to leave.

  “I will come back whenever I choose,” he said, kissing her. “Allia,” he whispered her name almost gently, “our fates are bound together, and we will never be free of each other.”

  Allia dreaded the nights. She could not predict when Haldreth would come, and she hated being startled out of sleep by the sound of the key turning in the lock.

  Her strength returned in a few days, and sometimes she fought him. She could sense that he enjoyed her attempts to hurt him. Still, he had not worn a blade again after that first night and was careful to prevent her from seizing any potential weapons. With her bare hands, she couldn’t inflict much damage on him.

  As he had repeatedly reminded her, he had the advantage of size, strength and fighting ability.

  One night when she heard the sound of the door, she jumped out of bed and stood with her back to the wall. Haldreth came in with a candle and smiled when he saw her.

  When he put his hands on her, she tried to drive her knee into his groin. He twisted his hips to avoid her blow and encircled her throat with his fingers, cutting off her wind. She twisted and clawed at his hands, trying to break his grip. As she saw spots of light, he hissed into her ear, “This is a reminder to cooperate.”

  Her struggles weakened until, just as everything began to fade, he released her.

  Callonen

  CALLONEN LAY FULL LENGTH on the rocks where he could monitor the gates of Hakvere without being seen. He and his men had been watching for three weeks. Low in the sky, the fading autumn sun did little to warm him.

  He watched companies of soldiers coming and going. How did the Arans have so many troops? He hadn’t realized that Ara had grown into such a powerful nation. Haldreth had been the one who wanted to establish relations with them.

  Callonen shook his head. How had he and his father been so blind? He tried to swallow the guilt that rose in his throat. Allia had warned him. Your brother is trying to kill you… And he hadn’t truly believed it until Haldreth drove a knife into his heart. Now Allia was paying the price.

  “Cal!” Talon hissed. “Trouble! There are soldiers riding toward the bridge, and we’re in the way. Forty men, at least.”

  Callonen slipped from his hiding place to see for himself. The men approaching the bridge were well-armed and greatly outnumbered them.

  “Prince Callonen.” Harrow pointed to the fortress in the east. The gates were open and another column of soldiers was crossing the chasm.

  “They’re coming this way,” Talon said.

  If they stayed where they were, the two groups would converge on their hiding place.

  “We have to go. Now.” Talon gripped Callonen’s shoulder. “I know you love her, but none of us can help her if we’re dead.”

  Hastily, they gathered their men and mounted, riding away from the approaching soldiers. The Arans shouted when they spotted them and raced in pursuit.

  Callonen and his companions galloped through the bare, stony hills. Haldreth’s men couldn’t catch up, but didn’t stop trying. A chill night fell, and Callonen could no longer see them. Had their pursuers gone back? Made camp for the night?

  His company dismounted to rest their horses for a few moments. Small patches of trees dotted the hills, and at Talon’s orders, they gathered fallen wood into three piles.

  “We’re turning south,” Talon said. “Ride where the ground is rocky, so you won’t leave tracks.”

  Lighting the three large fires to attract the attention of their enemies, they slipped away into the dark. They followed the course of a little river, and before dawn, gathered their horses and turned to one side, climbing up into a narrow draw above the flowing water. If they stayed behind the rocks, they were out of sight.

  “I need two men on guard with me,” Talon said. “The rest of you, take care of the horses, eat and then get some sleep. Keep your weapons close in case they find us here.”

  Callonen caught a few hours of restless slumber. When he woke, he saw Talon asleep, wrapped in a gray cloak, his hand still on the hilt of his sword.

  Harrow and two others guarded the entrance to the gully. They had positioned themselves in the rocks where they could look down toward the river without being seen. Callonen slipped down beside Harrow. Several mounted men in black armor were riding along the water.

  “They’ve been riding past all day,” Harrow said. “It looks like there are more than we thought.”

  Callonen’s heart sank. There had to be a way to save Allia. Maybe his brother had killed her, but he hoped not. If she was alive, she was a prisoner, alone and miserable. There was no way to know what Haldreth had already done to her, but the thought of it made acid rise in Callonen’s stomach. He wanted to gather every man in Sarine to ride back and take that fortress apart stone by stone.

 

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