Songbird (22 page)

None of them said anything, but a wary hope sprang in their eyes. “I want you to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. It won’t be tomorrow, but it will be soon.” She wanted to heal them too, but didn’t think she was strong enough. “I will try to visit with each of you personally. In the meantime, get your things together.”

One by one, they stood and quietly bowed to her before leaving the hall. As sorrow lanced through her heart, tears pricked the back of her eyes. Her once proud people had been reduced to slaves, all for the greed of one man.

“You’ve given them hope, but you don’t seem to have any,” Hewson said, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Was it all a lie?”

“No, Hewson. It’s true,” she said, glancing to make sure no one could hear them. “You heard Korban say he is planning to take everyone back to the grove, but I have plans of my own and they don’t include him. I don’t want to tell you more, because it would put you in danger. Can you trust me?”

“Of course, but I don’t want to see you get hurt. You must let me help if I can,” he said.

“I will.” She couldn’t tell him her true feelings. That she would rather die than become a slave again.

“All right. Now tell me how you got away from the king.”

In soft whispered tones she told Hewson how Bran rescued her, and their return to the grove. Hewson didn’t know about the Destroyer and was astonished that Leona had released it. “It has kept Korban away from the grove and now he wants me to take him back. We cannot let Korban return and restore his power.”

“No,” Hewson agreed. “There must be a way to stop him.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that her
kundar
wasn’t real, but after all her ruined plans, she didn’t want to put him in danger.

“How did he catch you?”

She told him how they met Jesse and his final trap that led them straight to Korban. “I haven’t seen Bran since, do you know where he is?”

“Yes. He’s locked up in the cells below the building. I don’t know if the guards will let us down there, but we can try.”

“Thank you. And Hewson…we will be free. I promise.” He smiled, but she could see the uncertainty in his gaze. “Now... take me to Bran.” She needed to see Bran almost as much as she needed air to breathe.

She followed Hewson outside, and tried not to cringe as she caught the attention of every soldier she passed. She kept her gaze on Hewson and followed him down a dirty staircase at the back of the building. Inside were several rows of tiny cells that were locked and barred.

In the small space it was hard to see in the dark, and Teya fought against the suffocating feeling that closed in around her. A shadowy figure rose from inside, and Bran came forward. Her heart leapt, and she started toward him, but a sturdy guard blocked her way.

“I’m here to see the prisoner,” she said. The guard was so big that she had to crane her neck to see his face, but she wasn’t going to let him stop her. Not when she was this close.

“Only you,” he answered, then put a hand to Hewson’s chest. “You will wait.”

She hastily agreed and darted past him to Bran’s cell a few feet away. She reached through the bars, clasping his hands and searching his face for signs of abuse. He pulled her to him with a gentle kiss, releasing her when the bars got in the way.

His eyes shone with all that was in his heart and she caught her breath in the warmth of his love. Hiding nothing, she returned it without thought of consequence or reason. The intensity shook her, and she fought to hold back tears.

“Are you all right?” Bran asked. “Did he hurt you?”

“He took some of my blood. That’s how he makes
sym
. He made my blood into
sym
for himself. The Kalorians are sick and dying because he’s taken so much of it from them.” She couldn’t hide the anger in her tone, especially when she sensed Bran was in terrible pain. A bruise along his jaw was the least of it, but she focused on that anyway, not wanting Bran to know how angry she was. “What happened?”

“I tried to get past that big lug out there.”

She shook her head, her heart pounding with anger. “How did this happen? I thought we were safe with Porter, and he led us straight into this trap.”

“It’s my fault. I trusted him. I never would have guessed he was really Korban. How did he get where he is? Here, in my own country?”

“Magic. He has magic, and he’s used it to betray us all.”

Bran glanced at the
kundar.
“Please tell me that’s yours.” When she nodded he let out a breath of relief. “Good. Do you know what his plans are?”

“Yes. Tomorrow, he’s taking me back to the king, but it’s all a sham. Now that he commands a large group of soldiers from Braemar, he’s determined to kill the king and take over the Old Country using me to get into the palace.

“He’s leaving the Kalorians here to insure my cooperation. Then he plans to take all of us back to the grove and regain his magic. He had the audacity to say that he was the rightful heir to the grove, and that Leona plotted his banishment.” She couldn’t control her anger and knew Bran felt it through the bond.

“Of course he would say something like that. But you can’t let anger cloud your judgment.”

“I could have killed him by now.” She pulled away, suddenly cold. “But when he took my blood it weakened me, and I can’t use my magic until I get stronger. I can’t free you or the Kalorians. I can’t get us out of here.” Teya felt Bran’s dismay along with the pain he tried not to show. “What am I going to do?”

“How long? When will your strength return?”

“I don’t know, maybe tomorrow.” She knew that was pushing it.

“Then you need to rest. You can’t do anything until you have your full strength. Just don’t let him take any more of your blood.”

“I overheard him say that he took enough to last until he makes it to the grove, so I don’t think we have to worry about that.”

“Good,” Bran sighed. “I guess you’ll have to go to the palace without me. Just don’t let him goad you into using your magic until you’re ready. You can’t take the chance of being collared again.”

Teya took hold of his hands. “He threatened to take you with us and offer you to the king for execution unless I cooperate.”

“If that happens…”

“No. I won’t let it!”

Bran rubbed her hands through the bars. “I hate being so helpless. If there was a way out of here I could help you.”

Teya sent a small tone toward the lock, but it died on her lips in a wave of dizziness. “I can’t open it,” she gasped.

“Don’t try. It’s all right,” Bran said in a soothing voice. “Maybe you can come back later, when you’re stronger, and try again.”

“Yes. I’ll come back as soon as I’m strong enough to open the lock.”

“Time’s up,” the guard yelled, coming toward them.

“Be careful,” Bran cautioned.

Teya nodded, but couldn’t leave him yet. All at once, the guard clamped his hand around her bandaged arm and pulled her away. “What did I say?”

“Let go of me or you’ll regret it,” she said, her tone low and threatening.

With indrawn breath, he released her arm and waited to follow behind. She swallowed her anger and glanced at Bran, trying to show some control. “I’ll be back later.” The guard prodded her out before she could say anything else.

She reached the top of the stairs in a foul mood. Hewson was gone and a soldier stood in his place. “Where’s my brother?”

“He had other things to do, and you are to return to your room.”

“But I need to talk to him.”

“Korban wants you back in your room,” the guard said.

She masked her anger with a blank stare and sullenly allowed him to lead her to her room. By the time she got there, she was too tired to do more than flop on her bed and close her eyes. As she puzzled out her next move, sleep drifted over her, and she reluctantly gave in, hoping the next time she woke, her magic would be strong again. At this point, it was all she had to cling to.

****

Bran slumped on the bench in his cell and held his side. It had taken all his control to hide his pain from Teya. She had enough to worry about without him adding to it. At least his ribs were only bruised this time and not broken.

He’d never seen Teya so pale, and his blood boiled at what Korban had done, not only to her and her people, but to Braemar as well. He was sure that no one in Braemar knew who ‘Colonel Porter’ really was. It humiliated him that he’d been charged to find out where
sym
came from, and it was right here in his own country all along.

Now it looked like Korban had the use of the Braemarian soldiers at his disposal. Someone had to stop him. At least Jax left when he did. He didn’t know Porter was Korban, but at least he could talk to Rasmussen. 

Knowing that Teya wore her own
kundar
was the only thing that kept him sane. That, and the bond they shared. He had no words to describe his relief when he felt her through the bond. He didn’t know what they had done with her, or where she was, until she opened the bond.

He’d been so relieved that he didn’t try to hide his feelings, and sent his relief and love spiraling toward her. The depth of his feelings surprised him, and he hoped he hadn’t gone too far. When those same feelings came back, mirroring his own, it left him hopeful. He knew it wasn’t a dream when she came to him and he finally saw it in her eyes.

But it was her parting glance that made him nervous. Her eyes held more than anger, and he shifted with sudden unease to recognize fear as well. She was afraid of what Korban would do to him, and he knew Korban would use him to insure Teya’s cooperation.

Anger and frustration surged through him. Teya was strong, but he worried that a confrontation might push her over the edge, and that the anger she’d been trying to control would get away from her. What would happen then? Would she become the monster everyone feared? If so, then how many people would she kill before it was over?

Chapter 9

Teya watched the activity in the courtyard from her bedroom window. Two motorcars drove away leaving the last one to wait for the occupant who had not yet arrived. When Korban finally appeared, she stepped forward to witness his departure. As if sensing her interest, he turned and caught her gaze, holding it until she pulled away, breathless and shaken.

Not until the sound of his motorcar abated in the distance, could she look again into the empty yard. Korban was gone, but even now another motorcar moved to take its place. This one was meant for her. It seemed she was poised on the edge of a cliff and the only way down was to jump.

She smoothed the silken folds of her shimmering dress. Korban made sure she would be returned to the king dressed in the finery he would expect. The blue-black color was the king’s favorite and suited her feeling of doom.

To his credit, Korban dazzled her with his efforts. Tiny black feathers were incorporated subtly into the material of the cloth, giving the effect of an exotic bird. More feathers adorned the neckline and wrists of the dress and an intricate pattern of feathers and jeweled silver twined through her hair.

If her face was a little pale, it would only serve to reinforce how the king would expect her to look. Facing his rage would make anyone cower with fear. She stared at her reflection with cool appraisal. With her feelings locked up tight, she caught a glimpse of what others might call ‘cold and unfeeling,’ or ‘not quite human.’

Dressed like this, she could certainly play the part, even though deep inside she trembled with fear. She had not recovered her full strength. Even though she was stronger than yesterday, she didn’t think it was enough to win a confrontation with Korban. Besides him, she still had to face the king. She might have enough power for one of them, but not both.

The Kalorians were to remain here as leverage for her cooperation, but where did that leave Bran? Korban hadn’t allowed her to see him again, and her stomach clenched with fear. She knew the king wanted Bran almost as much as he wanted her. Did Korban plan to give Bran to the king like he’d threatened earlier?

The soft knock at her door signaled the end of her time alone. Jesse entered, then halted in mid-stride with an expression of awe and appreciation. He swallowed to regain his composure, and she was grateful for all her finery if it threw him off-balance.

“You look…breathtaking,” Jesse said. “Are you ready to leave?”

She couldn’t contain her smile of irony. “I don’t have much choice, do I?”

Annoyance crossed his features. “No, but I won’t let anyone hurt you. That includes my father. No more blood, I promise.”

“And are you using
sym
from my blood?” With a shake of his head, he opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “Please don’t lie to me. I may not be able to use much of my own magic, but we share the same Kalorian blood. I’ll know.”

He approached her with an earnestness that surprised her. His blue eyes shone with regret and sobriety while his tall, lithe frame spoke of grace and poise. “I have
sym
from your blood with me, but I haven’t wanted to use it. I don’t know how things are going to happen at the palace today, and it might come in handy, but I don’t want to betray your trust.”

“How can you, when you don’t have it in the first place?”

He huffed in vexation. “True, but I’m trying to remedy that. I’m hoping that after today, you’ll see we’re on the same side. Come.”

He took her hand and led her out of the room in regal fashion. They swept down the stairs and through the outer rooms to the courtyard. Two guards waited at the motorcar, but it was their prisoner that brought Teya up short. They held Bran between them, disheveled and dirty, bound in chains.

“Where do you want him?” a guard asked.

“Put him in the next motorcar with you, and follow behind us,” Jesse answered. They pulled Bran toward the car.

“No. Wait!” Teya cried. “Jesse, you can’t take him with us. The king will kill him.”

“I have to. It’s part of the deal my father made with the king.”

“No! Please... don’t do this!”

Jesse pulled Teya back into the building, out of hearing distance from the others. “He has to come with us, or our plans won’t work. You want to see King Thesald defeated don’t you? Nothing will happen to Bran. The king will lock him up. After that, we’ll take over. Bran will be safe in a cell until then.”

“You can’t guarantee that,” she argued. “If the king wants him executed, your father would go along with him, and you would be powerless to stop them.” Teya couldn’t seem to breathe. Jesse didn’t care if Bran died. In fact, he probably wanted him out of the way. She tried a different tactic.

“You said you wanted me to trust you. Leave Bran here. Tell the king that Bran’s government wouldn’t approve, or make something up. But leave him here. If you do this for me, I know I’ll be able to trust you.”

“But you don’t understand…my father…” Jesse broke off and paced a few steps away, his shoulders hunched and his face clouded with indecision. An anguished moment passed and Teya hardly dared to move. Jesse turned back to her, and his eyes held bitter disdain.

“You don’t know what you ask of me. What this will cost me.” He paused, looking deep into her eyes. “You told me that I wasn’t a true Kalorian, remember? In fact, you said Bran was a better man than I’d ever be and that you despised me.” He shook his head and turned away.

“Your words affected me deeply. I don’t want to be like my father... I’m not like him at all. But you look at me with the same hate and abhorrence.” He sighed heavily, then came to her side and caught her gaze. “Even though he might kill me for this, I’ll do it. For you, Teya. I’ll do it for you.”

Before Teya could thank him, he was out the door, ordering the guards to take Bran back to the cells. She followed him out and caught a questioning glance from Bran before he was hauled away. A trickle of confusion and alarm came from him through the link.

She sought to reassure him, but her own feelings were too far from that to be convincing. Instead, she sent what was in her heart and hoped he didn’t pick up on her fear. She knew she failed when he responded with a wave of anxious helplessness. Not knowing what else to do, she closed the link on a whisper of love. He would hate it, but it was the only way she could face what she had to do.

Jesse opened the car door for her and helped settle her inside, then went around climbing in beside her. As the car pulled away, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He shook his head before answering with a sarcastic twist of his lips. “For all the good it will do me, I may need that
sym
after all, especially since we can’t take any guns into the city.”

“Then you should use it,” she answered. She could sense his turmoil over what he had done and wished there was a way to appease him. “What will happen now?”

“We’re meeting Korban in front of the wall to the city. He’s planned a grand entrance with you in an open carriage, flanked by the king’s guard. Hopefully, he won’t notice Bran’s absence until we’re in the city. By then it will be too late to go back and get him.”

“You’ll stay by me?” she asked, suddenly nervous, realizing the king would be furious with her.

“As much as I can. Just try to keep your distance from the king.”

“Right... as if that will happen. Once I’m in his hands, he won’t let me out of his sight. I’ll probably have to find a way to kill him myself.”

“No you won’t.” His lips twitched in annoyance. “At the palace, I’m not Korban’s son, I’m the king’s hunter. I won’t be sitting with him at the high table, but I will be there. I’ll look after you as much as I can, and I promise if there’s a way, I’ll not leave you alone with the bastard.”

Her brows rose. The fact that he didn’t like the king shouldn’t have been a surprise, but she didn’t expect it, and it helped quiet her nerves.

As much as she feared the king, she feared Korban more, and she didn’t know how far she could depend on Jesse. If her full strength were back, it wouldn’t matter.

“Are you riding in the carriage with me?”

“No, you’ll be alone, but don’t worry, whatever happens, I won’t be far away.”

The motorcar passed the outpost where she first met ‘Colonel Porter’ and climbed to the top of the ridge. Here, they pulled off the road behind the other motorcars in the wide ‘no-man’s land’ that separated the two kingdoms.

Jesse helped her out and ushered her into a beautiful open carriage. Painted white, the velvet blue cushioned seats complemented Teya’s dress perfectly. As she sat, Jesse took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “For luck,” he said. His blue eyes held her gaze for a moment, then he shut the door and told the driver to move out. She clenched her hand into a fist, not sure she liked his kiss.

The soldiers closed in and Jesse disappeared into the crowd. Teya swallowed her fear and straightened her spine. With an ease that came from years of practice, she closed off her feelings, locking them away in the small box where nothing could touch her.

The huge gateway in the wall to the city stood open. As her company moved forward, she caught sight of Korban in all his military finery, standing beside Chancellor Turner in a beautiful carriage of their own.

It disconcerted her to see Korban in a Braemarian uniform when she knew he was Kalorian, and she wondered how many people knew who he really was. As Chancellor Turner caught sight of Teya, he visibly relaxed before nodding to Korban in satisfaction. When her carriage drew up behind theirs, they began the parade into the city.

Soldiers from the Old Country lined the road, while hundreds of people gathered behind to catch a glimpse of the returning Songbird. Some clapped and cheered as she passed, but most pointed with curious stares and whispered conjectures. She bore their discourteousness with feigned indifference and fleetingly wondered what they would do if she smiled and waved.

She glanced toward the palace and realized somewhere along the way her carriage had slowed, creating a considerable distance between hers and Korbans. As she wondered about this, a rock flew past her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie. Another went wild and hit the side of the carriage. Before she knew what was happening, the horse pulling the carriage reared from being struck.

As her driver worked to settle the horses, King Thesald’s soldiers drew their swords and bellowed at the surging crowd, chasing the miscreants away. Unprotected, Teya’s alarm grew to see several burly men advancing toward the disabled carriage.

Before she could gather her wits, Braemarian soldiers on horseback rushed to her aid. They rapidly surrounded her carriage and beat the attackers back with disciplined efficiency. It happened so fast that Teya could hardly believe it had happened, especially since she’d never seen anything like it before.

Jesse appeared on horseback at her side and winked. Then it all fell into place. The whole thing had been staged to get the Braemarian soldiers into the palace as her escort. It was all part of Korban’s grand scheme and her breath caught. What else did he plan?

Her stomach clenched with apprehension for the rest of the journey, and her muscles tensed the moment they passed through the palace gates. Before she knew it, the carriage stopped in the plaza outside the palace.

She glanced at the crowd and realized most of the people were dignitaries and nobles whose ranks spilled up the stairs. Beyond them, marble pillars held up the rounded towers of the palace. Her gaze followed the line of people toward the top of the stairs, and her heart lurched at the sight of King Thesald.

He towered above them, a formidable figure in his regal robes. At her arrival, he began the long descent toward her. His lips a tight line and his eyes narrowed into little pinpricks of anger and zealous anticipation.

Her breath caught and she searched the crowd for Jesse, only to see him in arduous conversation with Korban. A quick cutting movement from Korban’s hand brought an end to their words, and Korban hastily came around the carriage to open the door.

He reached in for Teya with lips pursed in dissatisfaction and anger rippling about him in waves. This close, she could feel the
sym
hovering around him like a second glove. She wondered how much he had taken to gather such power, and reflexively shrank back from his touch. His cold eyes locked with hers and she swallowed her fear and revulsion before taking his proffered hand.

As he led her out of the carriage, his countenance changed into cordial civility, and he mounted the stairs toward the king. With a sweeping gesture of magnanimity, Korban bowed deeply before King Thesald and presented Teya to him. “Your Majesty, your prize is returned, unharmed and collared.”

“I thank you Colonel Porter, and all of Braemar, for returning her to me.” The king searched the entourage and asked. “Where is the man who took her?”

“He was delayed by our governor for a brief questioning before I hand him over to you. I assure you he will be here shortly.”

Teya knew from the set of his jaw that the king was furious. He turned his gaze on her and she flinched. With narrowed eyes he took a step toward her and she backed into Korban’s chest. The backhanded blow that hit her face might have snapped her neck if not for the cushion of
sym
that diffused much of the power. She knew she had Korban to thank for that. Still, she tasted blood in her mouth, and suffered from a slight ringing in her ears.