Born of Courage, page 24
Merrick looked at her for a long time, searching her face. “Why do I get the impression that this isn’t a good thing?”
Lil fidgeted unconsciously, she knew exactly why…because it wasn’t the normal way of things. Making someone subjugated through magic was nasty business that she learned far too long ago to stay away from.
“There are very few of us that have enough power to do this and probably for good reason. So I don’t advertise it, because it’s not something I want to ever do, and I know the thought of that ability terrifies people. I mean, who wants someone walking around that can essentially enslave people? I would take a hard look at them myself.”
“But you can do it?” Merrick persisted. He had only ever heard scattered rumors of someone being able to do this and had chalked it up to bedtime stories meant to scare children. This was exactly the reason the hunters were created in the first place, and he knew a few that would have loved to have gotten their hands on her. A wielder that was so powerful that they could control others. She was right, she would be a target for a lot of people.
Lil nodded once again. “If we can get to Rourke, then I should be able to force his allegiance and terminate his link to whomever is trying to control him. Hopefully,” she sighed, “he doesn’t fight us too much.”
“And if he does?” Merrick asked, wondering how far she was willing to go.
“Then I think Rourke would rather us save everyone in his house, then let them suffer this fate.” She looked him squarely in the eye. “I know I would.”
Merrick nodded in understanding, his eyes roving over her face as he speculated on how many times she had made the hard decision for someone else. She certainly seemed to have the scars that came along with a life of taking responsibility for others. Maybe that was all he had witnessed with the dragon, he mused, her taking some kind of personal responsibility for him, since she rescued him from the dark witch’s clutches?
“Well,” he said, his voice husky, “may I suggest we stick together?” his dark brow arching as he enticed a subtle smile from her with his slightly curled lips. Lil couldn’t help but bat her eyelashes at him before turning away with a playful smirk. Merrick turned to follow her down the hill and watched her long legs eat up the ground. If they never made it out, at least the view beforehand wasn’t too bad.
The fortress was even more intimidating as they walked alongside its massive walls which cast dim shadows, instilling unease as they went to face the darkness inside. Merrick freed a torch from the stone arch they passed under, his chin lifting in the direction of the other for Lil to follow suit. He figured any light was better than nothing, as he patted his coat for the flint he kept there. Lil winked in his direction as the torches sprung to life themselves in a merry crackle. Damn FireStarters, he thought, showoffs every one of them. At least her mood was lightening up though.
The courtyard was vast, likely used for regular training and tournaments to keep the men sharp. Merrick gazed around, but it was completely deserted, no men, women, or animals for that matter. The desolation was plain eerie. His skin crawled with the chill that seemed to settle over the place even in close proximity to the fire he carried. By the gods, he had thought those times were gone forever. The constant sensation of a world without life, without hope, knowing it was just a matter of time until you would be next. He secretly prayed Lil could save this place, if only for his own piece of mind to know she was as invincible as she seemed.
They pushed against the heavy oak doors of the main hall, which swung open effortlessly, but it was just as abandoned as the rest of the place. Merrick couldn’t understand it. Where was everyone? He looked at Lil, hoping she might have an answer, but her gaze was pinned to the floor as she stopped looking for the people they were searching for and felt for them instead.
Lillanya could feel it in her bones, something was very wrong with the world around them, at least the bits that they could see. It had started in the courtyard, but the feeling kept growing stronger that things weren’t as they appeared. This place should have been filled with agonizing souls. She could feel them reaching out, sense their presence, even if she couldn’t see them with her eyes. They were here, all around them, but somehow magic was disguising them, hiding them from sight.
Lillanya looked up to tell Merrick; maybe his abilities could find a way through the magic, but there wasn’t anyone there save the flickering shadows her torch threw against the walls. Damn!
Merrick lifted his torch high as he took two steps towards a side hallway to see if he could detect any movement from that quarter, but just like the rest of this place, it was empty. No sounds emanated from its depths, not even a scream of a tortured man. This wasn’t like any place he had seen during the war. Submission or death followed quickly when the darkness came for you. This emptiness was something new.
He turned to tell Lil so that they could rethink their strategy, but she wasn’t anywhere in the hall. Merrick moved swiftly in a wide arc, peering down side halls for any signs of her, knowing that she would not have just walked away from him willingly. He paused, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. There was magic behind this, he was sure of it. He closed his eyes and breathed deep. It was subtle, but it was there. Merrick cursed himself silently. This wasn’t just the darkness. The sweet smell of magic toying with his senses was there, just around the edges. Someone was behind this and very purposefully keeping them apart, but he knew how to break magic, even powerful magic, if he could only find its source.
Merrick turned in a circle one last time, his face grim. There wasn’t much he could do for Lillanya if he couldn’t see her, but he could carry out the mission. His grip tightened on the torch. Her magic had lit it and was tied to her. As long as it stayed on, he knew she was all right. He hoped with all his being that it would stay that way long enough for him to find Rourke and put an end to this. Merrick knelt on the cold floor, his long fingers drawing ancient symbols in the thick dust that covered the large pavers entrenched before him. Symbols that started to glow as they reacted to the magic around him.
Lillanya couldn’t believe that magic had worked on Merrick. What the hell? her brain fumed. Wasn’t he supposed to be some super antithesis to every type of power? She rolled her eyes. Clearly not. A movement at the top of the stairs caught her attention. Her hope rose before her brain kicked in to remind her that it couldn’t possibly be Merrick. She felt the link between her magic and that which lit his torch and knew that he was someplace further ahead, even if she couldn’t quite determine where. But it was the first sign of anything she had seen move, so why not? She bit the inside of her lip and headed up the stairs, knowing without a doubt that she was headed for a trap. One she was hoping would at least tell her something about what was going on.
Lillanya kept one hand gripped tight on the torch and one hand on a knife. Either way, she was going in ready for a fight. She crept up the stairs, craning her neck to peek above the landing, but it was just as it was before, empty except for a small whimpering noise coming from the far corner. Lil swallowed hard and advanced. The faint light from her torch revealed enough for her to see what she thought was a man’s huddled position. The cut of his coat was vaguely familiar, but she had met so many people here, she just couldn’t place it. She shifted closer, illuminating a man rocking slowly as he plucked out little pieces of his hair, softly whispering to himself. Lil’s feet stopped just the same time as her heart did. How in the world did her brother get into the middle of this mess? her brain buzzed distractedly as her gaze roamed over him. It was like looking at Adryen just as she found him before, trapped in that dismal cell, all hope lost. Her torch flickered and danced dimming against unseen forces, catching her attention. Her eyes darted back, narrowing. Whatever was in front of her was watching her intently, diverting her from her goal. This wasn’t real, she realized. Tricks and games meant to draw her in. Lil turned away sharply, racing back down the stairs she had come from.
She let her magic run free, calling to the men around her, bidding them to come to her if they could. She could sense Rourke nearby and the hall just in front of her. He must be there!
Lil jumped the last two steps, but her feet landed in soft earth instead of the great hall, surrounded by kneehigh grass swaying in the breeze. Velvety heads brushed up against her skin, tickling her hand as the suns blared overhead. Lil looked around the field which sat just outside a small village with quaint thatched roofs. The laughter of little kids playing nearby echoed around. Well this was a new development, her mind whispered, torturing people with happiness.
Her fingers skimmed along the top of the grass as she walked slowly to the village. She knew this was an illusion - it had to be, she was still carrying her torch - but she wasn’t going to get out of it by standing there.
The huts stood in orderly rows. Folks meandered about talking about the day to come. The village seemed like an ordinary place, with ordinary people going about their day to day lives. Was Rourke here somewhere?
Screaming started at the rear of the village, high pitched terrified cries that, from the sound of it, had started moving in her direction. Feet pounding against dirt, scuffling as bodies fell, trying to escape from whatever was coming. Lil shifted so that she could see down the rows of buildings and caught sight of the acrid smoke rolling off the furthest huts. This is an illusion, she reminded herself over and over again. Her heart fighting with her head as she itched to react. Don’t get sucked into this fantasy, she commanded herself.
Men were moving down the tidy rows, laughing roughly as they shoved old men out of the way that were attempting to resist, giving the others time to escape. The men were dressed all the same. Black coats etched with silver insignia stitched over their chests. They way they moved through the crowds, they were hunting for something or someone particular. A little girl ran past her, her blonde hair streaming free as she ran, tears streaking down her face in fear. Lil’s eyes followed the child as she disappeared into the field of gold. At least one was going to get away, she thought to some relief.
A woman standing no more than a stone’s throw away smirked in her direction. She wasn’t dressed like the others. Her shoulders were slim and straight, her dress flowing around her as if surrounded by her own personal wind. Raven hair ran in rivets down her back, highlighting her features that were so like Aurelia’s that it was eerie. The same sharp mouth, the same pixie face, but where Aurelia was animated in her annoyance of the world, this woman looked more like a decaying shadow of the enchanting beauty she once was. There was a malice about her as she smiled at Lil, predatory. A smile which broadened expectantly as Moira turned her head to stare down the row and watch a man stalk towards the child who had disappeared. His gait wide as he moved with purpose and by the look on his face, not one he cherished.
Lil’s breath caught in her throat, her head shaking in disbelief, it couldn’t be. But even as her heart said no, she knew from the twisted smile on the face of the woman before her, that it was Merrick. His chestnut hair waved about his face as he searched the fields, looking for signs of movement.
“Not quite what you thought, is he?” a sickening sweet voice asked from all around and nowhere in particular, Moira never moving as she watched Lil with shrewd eyes.
“You think these people are good? That they deserve your help? I thought that once, but they’re not worthy of mercy.”
She smiled wickedly as Merrick spotted his prey, moving into the field with swift efficiency.
A blond man stood to her right watching the chaos, his face distorting with rage. He knew what was coming, what was next to happen. Rourke let out a roar as he charged forward towards the shadow of what Merrick used to be. The illusion blended with reality as the hall appeared and Merrick stood holding his torch. His face bewildered as Rourke materialized and grappled him to the ground, pummeling Merrick’s face and chest with every swing of his stout hands. His eyes were wild, lost in the magic that wove around them all, drawing them down a dark path of hate and vengeance.
Lil pivoted towards the frenzy intent on helping Merrick, but as quickly as he had appeared, the hall vanished and she once again stood in a pretty little field, with a woman only too familiar, to taunt her.
“Why don’t you just leave these people to me and go home?” the honeyed voice tempted. “Surely, you miss your time? Your family?” Red lips curled at the corners sarcastically, her eyes discreetly flickering to where Rourke and Merrick had disappeared. The sounds of other enraged shouts breaking through the artificial calm.
“Having some problems maintaining your control?” Lil asked mockingly, her face the picture of polite inquiry. “Maybe you shouldn’t have pissed off a Ranjor who can take people’s powers,” Lil suggested helpfully, batting her eyelashes as she smiled broadly at the darkness that had taken control of Moira. The sky darkened to a putrid red as fury overwhelmed the woman, her eyes flaring as they promised the deepest suffering.
Lillanya’s torch sputtered wildly as the darkness gathered around her, hell bent on sucking her in. A grim awareness formed like a lump in Lil’s throat that playing games with a woman who seemed neither alive nor truly dead, was a dangerous thing. She prayed that she was giving Merrick enough time to take on Rourke and thin his ties to the clan magic.
The sound of scraping metal against stone faintly broke into the fantasy. Lil’s eyes narrowed as she tried to understand what was happening outside the illusion. Was Merrick hurt? Did someone lose their weapon? She shifted her toe microscopically, never breaking eye contact with the demon before her and connected with something solid. Something that hummed with the vibrancy of years of loyalty and dedication, service and sacrifice, and she knew exactly what that was.
Lil summoned her power, calling to those she knew were near, drawing them into the mirage that enshrined her, looking for just one that could break the barrier.
Moira smiled devilishly, letting the little girl try her tricks to defend herself. The darkness knowing, with a sadistic glee, that the only ones Lil summoned, were already hers to control.
A man emerged from the field, his eyes black as pitch, the dark veins stretching along his arm, crawling from the tattoo that resided there. His movement wooden as he fought for control from the dark mistress who held him captive to her whims. Lil eyed him with the certain calm that settled over her before every battle, every fight, and smiled.
The man stopped rigidly, his lack of movement a reflection of the woman’s confusion at Lil’s behavior. That moment of uncertainty though, was just enough. Lil flung the torch at him, his fingers reflexively catching it as her body dove to grab for the sword laying at her feet. Her knuckles scraped hard stone as prim fingers wrapped around cold steel, pulling the sword from its sheath in one fell swoop, the ring of ages of oaths singing out.
“You think this means anything, little girl?” the voice snarled scathingly. “Rourke is mine!”
Lil gripped the blade with her palm and ripped the sword across her hand. Blood pooled in her tightly coupled fist and shimmered down the sword that had started to gleam with an ethereal light. The little beads fell one by one, pooling into tiny ruby drops on the floor, washing away the lies and deceit, breaking through the apparition that tried to claim what didn’t belong to the darkness. Lil’s eyes turned bright as she felt the rise of power, the sword pulsing with a rhythm that few could hear, drawing the others to it as the hall once again started to appear and the men of Sorum with it.
“This house is mine,” Lillanya boomed out, challenging the claim. She swept the sword of Sorum hilt first high about her head, grasping it with both hands, the blade turning molten white harnessing her power.
“Stop her!” the voices screamed. Out of the corner of Lil’s eye, she could see the men around her moving their mouths in unison, controlled by the one who wasn’t here. Strangled whispers giving life to the fallen woman of a once noble house.
Men rushed to restrain her while Merrick grappled with Rourke. Merrick’s sinewy form gave him the upper hand against his larger opponent as Merrick wrestled him to the ground, allowing Lillanya the time she needed to enact whatever plan she had.
Lil’s muscles hummed as they poised to strike, her powers sucking the heat from the blade in an instant. She brought the great sword whistling down, shattering it into millions of brilliant glittering shards against the hard floor that skittered in every direction like ice.
The family bonds gathered to her in a rush. Lil inhaled sharply as the fate of so many rolled over and into her. Her hands gripping the shattered sword as she knelt before it, the ancient powers binding this house to her. To serve. To protect. Hers and hers alone.
Lil stood, summoning the house, calling it to order. The illusion that was cast through the magic of the dark mistress vanished before the strength of Lil’s dominance. Her will reinforcing the power that protected the keep and her house, pushing all else from within its walls. Only an army could hurt them now, one she prayed silently wasn’t set to pounce.
Befuddled men stared at her, shaking the cobwebs of the nightmare that had trapped them.
Lillanya moved to Merrick’s side, his body pinning Rourke to the ground. Rourke’s face was pinched and ashen as his life drained away, still ensnared by the darkness that consumed him. His eyes snapped open revealing a dark abyss.
“I told you he was mine,” Rourke whispered, a twisted smile on his otherwise perfect lips.
Lil nodded swiftly at Merrick, his body rolling away as she took his place, her knee landing heavily on Rourke’s chest to keep him restrained, but he had other ideas. Rourke grabbed Lillanya by the neck and forced her closer, her hands shoving against his chest.
“You lose, little girl.” He snarled into her face, their lips almost touching. Ebony eyes glared menacingly at her, confident in their victory.
“Not today,” she whispered as bright light flared out of her calloused palms and straight into his heart. Lil pumped wave after wave of searing light that illuminated the hall in a blinding radiance, driving the darkness from his soul, leaving no place for it to hide any longer.
