The Gate, page 23
“Go,” she whispered, pleading. “She’s gone with the child. Find them and leave me.” She was shivering, the cold, healing magic of her immortality unrelenting as the spelled dagger spun and twirled around her, nearly missing Jael’s face in its merciless path. Without Regealth, Amarynn knew there was nothing he could do. Venalise’s magic was simply too powerful.
Jael’s eyes left Amarynn’s only for a moment. He looked down at his hands as he lifted them, moving in slow motion. He looked back to her and pushed his palms forward toward the spinning fury of the spelled dagger. It widened its orbit around Amarynn’s shoulders, moving toward Jael. She strained against her chains, trying to block its path, but it tumbled just out of reach. As it arced closer to him, she pleaded, “You can’t stop it! Leave me! Go!”
Jael stood still, arms held out in front of him, eyes closed, the muscles in his jaw working as he inhaled and drew himself up. Something was changing — Amarynn could feel it in the charged air around them. Just as the dagger whirled into his outstretched hand, there was a hiss; the knife vibrated as if it struck stone. Amarynn’s eyes widened as the air around her rippled and her mouth and nose filled with a metallic tang. Confusion flooded her mind as the realization hit her full force. Jael, untried on the battlefield and untested in the world, was wielding magic the likes of which she had never seen. It was impossible, yet he was doing it right in front of her.
What he had said that night in the stables flashed through her mind. I remember your crossing. Pieces slammed together. Everyone knew Regealth never brought the Travelers across on his own, so why had she been fooling herself all these years? He always used the King as an anchor to draw out the magic of the Gate — common knowledge. But the little boy — the stormy eyes that had been there the moment she opened her own. Everything slipped into place and became clear. He had used Jael when he brought her to their world.
The dagger, its spell broken, clattered to the ground. Amarynn slumped forward against the chains, her breath coming in great heaves. Jael dropped to his knees in front of her and gripped her shoulders. Their foreheads pressed together.
His hands moved to her face.
“I would never leave you,” he whispered.
Amarynn was trembling as she looked up and saw the storm-grey, the intensity, the new blue lines of electricity that now danced in his eyes. Never in her wildest dreams would someone care enough to risk everything to save her. Even Bent would know better. He would have left her if it meant getting Regealth safely away.
Jael’s thumbs brushed her cheeks, wiping away the blood and water. Her chest rose and fell rapidly while the Prince searched her face, his eyes full of concern. She did her best to hide her pain. She was Amarynn, the Immortal, but there was too much hurt to hide now that Venalise had opened the floodgates of her mind. But now, even as she was chained to the floor, she knew she was willing to risk everything, even her eternity, for him.
“Leave me. Find Sia and the Gate.” Her stomach turned at the weakness of her voice.
“You saved me in the forest. Now it’s my turn.” He reached down to her wrists and placed his hands on the thick metal bands. Amarynn felt another surge in the air around her as the shackles fell away. She fell forward into him, released from the tension of the chains.
Jael’s arms wrapped around her, supporting her. It was over –– she was free. Amarynn pulled back and looked into his eyes. All her fear and every ounce of her pain tumbled through her. Her heart shattered open, and she leaned into him, her lips seeking his. Jael’s hand curled around her head, pulling her to him as they found one another, his energy consuming her, completing her.
An undeniable need overtook her. She could taste her tears and blood on his lips, but it didn’t matter now. Nothing mattered now except that she was free and Jael was here. He pulled away to look at her and smooth her hair away from her face, tucking the short strands behind her ear. The atranoch screamed in the distance.
“We don’t have much time.” He stood and reached to pull her up. Amarynn stumbled, her legs shaking from their time on the cold, stone floor, but she steadied herself on his arm. Her movements were slow and deliberate, shock replacing the adrenaline trickling away. Jael grasped her by the shoulders. “We have to run.”
Jael’s request did not register.
Jael gripped one of her hands and pulled her toward the doorway. Amarynn’s whole body screamed in agony, but she pushed on, gaining strength from his warm grip. They raced up the staircase, but once they arrived at the top, instead of turning toward the broad hallway leading to the outside, they immediately changed direction when they heard shouts and footsteps running toward them.
They turned to the left and sprinted into one of the dark corridors near the bottom. Soldiers passed by their hiding place rather than returning to the stairs. The pair kept to the shadowy passageway. With every step, Amarynn felt the wounds from the spinning dagger closing and her physical strength returning, but the thoughts and memories that had flooded her brain under Venalise’s hand threatened to drop her in her tracks. She heard strange whispers and saw faces in the shadows that weren’t there. Occasionally, she glanced behind them, a new paranoia pervading her thoughts. Jael held her hand tightly, her arm tucked under his own. They took one last turn before exiting the narrow side passage and entering a wide corridor, where they heard, again, the atranoch wailing in the distance. Jael stopped for a moment, unsure which direction to go, but Amarynn pulled on his hand in the opposite direction of the beasts’ cries.
“We’re getting out of here, now.”
Chapter 32
Jael could feel the pull of Amarynn’s hand wane the farther they ran. She was struggling, though she wouldn’t admit it. When he spied a dark alcove, he ducked into it, pulling her to him.
“Will you be all right?” he whispered into her hair.
She breathed in and out, then pushed away from him.
Jael looked down and grimaced when he noticed her entire left side was covered in dried blood. He reached out, but she caught his hand before he could touch her.
“I’m fine,” she said sharply but regretted her tone, noticing the hurt in his eyes. “Venalise had to weaken me, to get into my head,” she added in a gentler tone. “She used my dagger to bleed me out.”
Jael studied her in the dimly flickering light of the torches. Even immortality required rest and sustenance, neither of which she’d had. Her face was gaunt under the streaks of blood and dirt, and dark circles had formed beneath her eyes. Her skin was dull, and her lips cracked and bruised.
She had been the model of strength and bravery when they’d entered the Keep, but she seemed much different now. Her wild look of dread and desperation had unnerved him when he found her in the chamber.
Sudden footsteps from around the corner made both of them jump.
Jael instinctively reached for Amarynn to pull her back toward him, and, surprisingly, she complied. He positioned himself in front of her and turned his back to the corridor, pressing them both as far into the shadows as he could. His magic hummed in response to the danger. Moments later, three Darklands soldiers ran past the alcove.
“Move,” she growled, working her hands up between them. She grunted and tried to push him away, her breaths coming faster, sounding almost panicked.
“Easy,” Jael whispered, his lips near her ear. “I’ve got you.”
Even as he said the words, they seemed out of place. She was one of the most feared warriors their world had ever known, but at this moment, she appeared as fragile as a child.
“I know.” She stilled and exhaled. “I know.”
Amarynn looked up at Jael, and he grasped the back of her head, pressing his forehead to hers. “You are safe now.”
He leaned down and let his lips briefly brush her forehead. “I don’t know what she did to you, but know this,” he locked eyes with her, “there is no one — no magic, no beast, no mage in this world who will hurt you again.” He pulled his other long dagger from its scabbard and pressed it into her hand. “Right now, though, I need the fiercest Traveler in the Legion. I need you, Amarynn.”
She lowered her chin to look at her hand, wrapped around the blade’s grip. Amarynn lifted her head again, with a tiny spark of fire flickering in her hazel eyes. It wasn’t much, but he saw a hint of her old self. She nodded.
“Now, let’s get out of here, shall we?”
Sia tried to keep up with Venalise, but her tiny legs were no match for the mage’s long stride, and the bear cub was wiggling in her other arm. She struggled to keep from dropping Thera at such a hurried pace. They wound through the Keep, following passageways she was unfamiliar with — dank, narrow, and unused for some time. At last, they climbed the staircase to the throne room. That much, she could tell.
Panting as she climbed, she couldn’t help but think about Amarynn. They had left her chained to the floor in that chamber. No matter what Venalise said, it didn’t feel right to leave her like that in the dark. She’d tried to help her, but she didn’t know what to do except help make Amarynn forget. She wasn’t sure she even knew what she was doing but reaching for the warrior’s head had been an impulse, and she let her instincts guide her through the rest, imagining cool water and quiet peace. Sia didn’t even know who Amarynn was. She knew that Regealth had talked about her on the ship, and he seemed to care for her very much.
They rounded the last corner, and Sia saw the doors to the throne room looming ahead. Soldiers were running in all directions while a handful of men stood around the entry. When they saw Venalise, they stiffened and parted for her to pass. But Sia saw the dais steps before Venalise; her breath caught in her throat. The King lay sprawled out on the dais steps at the foot of the throne, surrounded by a pool of blood. A tug on her hand broke her shock, and Venalise pulled her through the throng of soldiers.
Venalise was unaffected by the sight. She let go of Sia’s hand and delicately picked her way around the gruesome scene, lifting her skirts to avoid the blood. Sia clutched Thera and lowered her eyes, burying her face in the cub’s soft fur. Venalise leaned down to tug the silver circlet from Lors’ waxen brow. She paused as she clutched the crown and looked up at Sia, peering at her through Thera’s fur, her brows furrowed.
“Honestly, this saves me the trouble,” she said, straightening. Stepping carefully back around to the floor, she added, “I assume this is the work of Jael, who is most likely looking for the Traveler as we speak.”
Tucking the circlet into a pouch tied to her belt, she knelt in front of Sia. “My dear,” she said, “we are leaving this place. If the Prince finds Amarynn and we are still here, I fear what they might do to you.” She frowned.
Sia lifted her head, eyes widened. “Me?”
“Oh yes, my love. The Prince told me he thinks you are very, very dangerous.”
Venalise stood and straightened her skirts. “And I am sure the Traveler would cut out my heart, given a chance,” she muttered.
“But Regealth told me Amarynn is good. She’s special,” Sia said, confused.
“Well, she’s good to him, my love,” Venalise purred. “And after spending time with us, I’m sure she’s none too pleased. Especially if the Prince has had a chance to whisper in her ear.”
Sia tried to imagine why the Prince might think she was dangerous. Venalise, she could understand, but Sia hadn’t done anything to make him think she was terrible. He had seemed so kind when she smiled at him on the hill. It didn’t make any sense.
“Where are we going?” Sia asked, her voice sounding small.
“I know a place where no one will find us, not until we want them to.” Venalise smiled down at the child. She held out her hand. Sia looked up at the mage, then took it, following her as they exited the room, leaving the King’s body behind.
Corridor after corridor took Jael and Amarynn through parts of the Keep they hadn’t known existed. In their frantic search for an exit, they had pushed themselves further into the mountain and closer to the atranoch, despite their efforts to find an exit. Each room they found was smaller than the last, and an oppressive feeling of being buried alive began to snake its way into Amarynn’s thoughts.
Where are you going?
She caught her breath and reached out to the wall to steady herself. “Did you hear that?” she breathed.
Ahead, one pathetic torch sputtered, and she flinched when an angry face formed within the flickering light. It scowled furiously at her, then melted back into the flames. Amarynn shook her head forcefully to keep her mind focused on the present — she needed to rid herself of these unwelcome, intrusive thoughts.
Her heart raced, and sudden pain shot up her spine. The hallway in front of her vanished, and she was in a room built from wood and stone. The sound of footsteps forced her into the corner, and she made herself as small as possible. They were getting closer. She could taste the bile in her mouth. She had vomited so many times from the pain that nothing was left in her stomach.
“Useless bitch.”
Her hands trembled over her eyes.
“Amarynn!”
Her eyes shot open wide at the sound of her name. Her name was not the name she had heard in her head.
Jael knelt in front of her.
“What is it? What frightened you?”
Disoriented, she cast about and realized they were still in the dim corridor; only she was curled into a ball against the darkened floor.
Jael took her hands in his and squeezed. “We have to keep moving.”
She couldn’t speak, her mind still wracked with fear. But fear of what?
She nodded absently at Jael as he pulled her up to her feet. They heard more cries from the atranoch ahead but had no choice but to move in their direction. The light brightened as they neared the passageway’s end. Jael cautiously peered past the end of the hallway, then beckoned for Amarynn to follow.
They stepped out into a chamber, an intersection of several corridors. Amarynn saw etchings on the floor like the lines in Venalise’s aethertorium and sucked in a breath, sidestepping the center. “We need to get out of here.”
Jael followed her eyes to the floor. “These look like—”
“Yes, I know.” Amarynn’s mouth was set in a firm line. Her next sharp intake of breath alerted Jael to danger. He glanced across the chamber and recognized the two silhouettes rushing out from one of the passageways. Venalise bolted from the shadows, followed by Sia, who awkwardly scrambled to keep up while clutching Thera to her chest. They stopped when they saw the Traveler and the Prince already in the chamber. Venalise grabbed Sia’s hand.
Amarynn broke the silence. “Sia!” The warrior stepped toward the little girl and held out her hand.
“Rynn! What are you doing?” Jael hissed.
She turned back to Jael. “Regealth wants the girl!”
Amarynn took another step toward the center of the room while Sia swung her head to look at Venalise, then back to Amarynn. The little animal she held began to mewl and wriggle in the child’s arms as she stood frozen, clutching the mage’s hand. She put one hesitant foot in front of the other, but Venalise squeezed her hand, pulling her gaze back.
“My dear girl, go if you want.” Her smile dripped with sweetness as she dropped the little girl’s hand. Then she changed her expression to appear regretful. “But I won’t be here to help you if you regret your choice.”
“Let her go, witch,” Amarynn hissed.
“She’s free to go, Traveler.” Venalise’s eyes glittered with malevolence.
Sia took another step.
“We need to leave, Rynn.” Jael’s voice was low, but the urgency unmistakable.
Amarynn stepped into the circle of the room, her hand still outstretched. Sia looked back at Venalise.
“Well?” Venalise looked down at Sia and arched her eyebrow.
Jael moved to Amarynn’s side. “Come or not, Sia, but we are leaving.” His voice was clipped, agitated. Amarynn could feel prickles of energy radiating from him.
When she did not move, Venalise laughed. “That’s what I thought.”
Venalise stepped forward and gripped Sia by the elbow, dragging her into one of the many passageways. She pushed her ahead, then let go of her arm and turned back toward Jael and Amarynn, almost as if they were an afterthought. Then, raising both of her hands, she began to murmur.
Directly above their heads, the stone began to quiver and shake. Amarynn looked up as gravel and pieces of rock began to fall.
The room reverberated with the cracking and groaning of stone. All around them, fissures appeared, and large cracks began to form across the chamber walls. A massive ceiling piece shuddered and shifted, causing the floor to heave. Amarynn instinctively dropped to a crouch just as part of the stone overhead gave way.
Jael was on top of her just as her knees touched the floor. The magic inside him surged, and he threw his hands out. Bolts of blue and white energy radiated from him, shattering rock into dust, but the most significant pieces had yet to fall. Another loud crack followed, and two enormous slabs shifted and dropped, halting unexpectedly when they started to drop to the floor below. Just before Amarynn was entirely covered by Jael, she raised her head to look through the dust across the chamber.
Sia had fallen to her knees, the strange little bear cub scrambling to get back to her. Her hands were planted firmly on the chamber floor, and her body shook from strain. Eyes closed, she panted heavily. Amarynn could only assume she was drawing magic from the stone beneath her feet. In the pouch around Venalise’s neck, the Gate Stone pulsed and began to glow. A loud snap made Amarynn duck her head back to the floor, abandoning her observation.
Amarynn and Jael braced for the crash of the slabs, the floor quaking as massive pieces of stone made impact. Jael held his breath, waiting for the crushing blow, but it never came. Amarynn strained to lift her head from beneath Jael’s defensive position when the room quieted.
