He tried to turn his head and failed. Cursing the dark krystal he scanned as much of the cave as he could. When he didn't find her he forced himself to take several deep, calming breaths. The entrance to the cave was directly across from him. He knew she hadn't gone through it and he was determined to stay awake and watch for her.
Many units later she hadn't appeared but Merykh and Arlyn returned and they weren't alone. Five Zarronian warriors carried two Edyn warriors into the chamber and laid them down by the wall.
Twenty of Merykh's raiders guarded them while Frakyn and Derrit chained them. They stood still and let them while they smiled.
One of the guards took offense. "What are you smiling about?"
Rolf leaned down. "I’m picturing my axe buried in your skull."
The guard snapped the collar closed and jumped back. As one all of the guards backed away. They took up a place by the entrance where two workers were busy installing a thick wooden door.
Arlyn walked around Soren and the three brothers then waved her hands and the krystal around their heads disappeared. Standing in front of Soren she ran her hand down his face from his forehead to his chin. "Such a handsome face."
"I can't say the same for you," Soren said.
Eyes blazing with anger she scored his cheek with her fingernail then tasted his blood. "I'm going to enjoy torturing you."
Merykh laughed and pulled her to his side. "Release them from the krystal."
Arlyn removed it and Soren's legs began to give out. He stiffened them and remained standing while he watched the enemy.
The enchantress smiled. "Perhaps four cycles in the dark and lack of food and water will make you more cooperative." She laughed as she walked away with Merykh and his raiders behind her. The last raider out the door locked it.
Soren stomped his feet and swung his arms, forcing the feeling back into his extremities. When the painful tingling ended he asked, "Does anyone have a way to make fire?"
"Why bother?" Rolf asked. "Just use your po—."
"Let's check this place out first," Soren said. "I saw blankets and wood scattered around. Gather what you can reach and let's get a fire going."
It took a few micro-units and several curses while they ran into each other in the dark but eventually he saw a spark. A small fire grew from it and lit up the chamber.
"How bad are their injuries?" Soren nodded to the wounded warriors.
One of the other warriors described the injuries to him.
"See if you can put pressure on the wounds and stop the bleeding," Soren said.
Soren leaned forward and made eye contact with Rolf. "Where is your conjurer?"
He grinned. "Hidden. They'll sense Raina's presence but never find her and Jerret."
Soren grinned and nodded before he moved his attention to Pelyn.
"We have no way of knowing for sure if there are listening or viewing devices but I don't think they'd work here anyway," Pelyn said.
"We'll wait a while anyway. For now let's see if these warriors have learned their lesson about always relying on technology." He moved forward as far as the chain would let him before he turned to face them. "What did the raiders miss when they searched you?"
They grinned and each held up an item. Most held up knives but a few held up snares and fire starters. All held up food capsules.
"We still need water." Soren sat down next to Pelyn. "Did you see Skye?"
"Yes" Pelyn said.
"I saw her disappear into the shadows but I lost her after that. Did you see where she went?"
"No. Once she entered the shadows I lost her," Pelyn said. "How is it possible she's managed to stay hidden so long?"
Soren shook his head. "I'm just thankful I've finally found her. She told me that Arlyn and Merykh have the babies."
"Hell."
For the first time in a long time Skye woke feeling rested. She washed her face with cold water then wiggled through the tunnel to the end and lay in the dark listening to the warriors talking.
She peeked out and smiled when she saw them facing the wall with their backs to the entrance. They'd placed the mats between them and the back wall of the cave and laid the injured warriors on them. Small fires burned in several places reflecting the heat back onto the warriors. Every now and then one of the injured warriors moaned with pain.
She stood up in the tiny area behind the boulder. Nine pairs of eyes moved her way and suddenly smiles broke out across rugged faces. Some greeted her and others chuckled and continued to smile at her.
Soren extended his hand toward her as he stood. "Skye, come to me."
She stared at him while she slid out from behind the boulder. "I want you to agree to my plan to get Rilyn and Abrianna back first."
"I already have a plan. Now, come here. I've missed you."
Skye slid along the wall and he and the warriors turned and tracked each step she took. When she was sure they couldn't reach her she laid the stones down and rolled them toward Rolf. He caught them and thanked her.
She smiled. "How did they catch so many of you?"
Rolf laughed. "We saw that they had Soren so we pretended to fight them off then surrendered." He shrugged. "We need the rest. Ronin and his unit are keeping watch nearby."
"I'm glad you're here. We're going to need all of you to get my babies back." Skye moved toward the wounded warrior farthest from Soren. She kneeled down beside him, examined his wounds and held her hands over him. Slowly, small shards of white krystal appeared then rose out of his body and fell to the ground. When she was sure she'd removed all of them she stopped the bleeding and healed the wound.
She moved to the second warrior, removed the blood soaked bandage from his head and recognized Davyn. There was a large knot on his head with a deep cut across it but she didn't see or sense any krystal in the wound. "What made this wound?"
"He was clubbed," Rolf said.
She nodded and began healing the wound from the inside out. It took most of her remaining energy to knit together the fracture before she dealt with the cut. By the time she finished she had to brace her hands on the ground to hold herself up.
"Pass her to me," Soren said.
The nearest warrior picked her up and passed her down the line until Pelyn, who was chained next to Soren, handed her to him. Soren wrapped her up in his arms and held her tight.
She burrowed beneath his cape and nuzzled his neck. "I was afraid I'd never see you again." Her voice broke on the last word. She gulped in a deep breath and began to cry.
He tightened his arms around her. "It's okay, little heart. We're together again and we'll get our babies back."
She nodded as her tears ran down his neck. "I need them, Soren. I need my babies."
Soren conjured a large metal cutter and handed it to Pelyn. "Get this collar off me."
Pelyn cut it away and Soren held her a long time before he conjured a hairbrush, loosened her braid and began brushing her hair. He made long, slow strokes from the crown of her head to the tips of her hair. Eventually her weeping stopped and she rested against him. He laid the brush down, braided her hair and tied a decorative ribbon at the end. "You need to eat. What would you like? Bread? Meat? Vegetables? Fruit?"
Her stomach rumbled. "All of it."
"Stew it is."
"And, bread with honey." She looked around.
"Someone needs to check the door in case there's a guard posted outside," Soren said.
Davyn sent two warriors to check it and stand guard.
One of them returned and reported, "The door is locked from the outside. We didn't hear a guard or see one through the cracks and there doesn't seem to be any kind of alarm on it."
"Do they think the chains will hold us?" Rolf asked.
"That doesn't make sense," Soren said.
"It does if you know Merykh," Skye said. "His worst enemy is his arrogance."
"I'm going to create a wall across the back of the cave," Soren said. "Call your other warrior back."
Davyn nodded and sent the warrior to bring back his companion.
When they returned Soren created a wall that was a duplicate of the back wall of the cave complete with chains and collars that appeared to have been picked open. He left just enough room for the ten of them to move around.
Skye poked him. "Food."
He chuckled and conjured a large pot of stew and a dozen loaves of bread along with a basket of fruit and pitchers of juice and water. The warriors closest to the pot ladled food into bowls and passed them out with large chunks of bread. Pelyn poured a tankard of juice for Skye and set it down in front of her along with a pot of honey.
"It's good to have you back with us," Pelyn said.
Skye grasped his arm. "I'm so happy to be back." She released him and reached for the spoon but Soren stopped her.
He lifted a spoonful of stew and touched her bottom lip. "Open up."
She accepted it, chewed, swallowed and opened her mouth again.
He took a bite then gave her another one. When the bowl was half empty he pointed toward the boulder. "Tell me what's behind that."
"A tunnel about forty-two meters long with a small chamber at the end and another tunnel that leads to a ledge with a deep drop off. I threw a stone into it and never heard it hit the bottom. There's also a water seep on the ledge."
"I can conjure some rope and we can check out the drop off."
Skye bit off a piece of bread, drizzled honey on it and ate it before she shook her head. "The tunnel is too narrow. Most of you won't fit through it." She chewed the bread. "Merykh's camp is a kilometer from here on a ridge to the south. That's where we need to go."
Soren smiled. "We'll watch them, locate our children, and get them back. Then we'll attack the camp."
"We need to move as soon as possible. I'm afraid they'll take them to Crimeryn."
He slid her cloak away and touched the band on her arm. "Did the other band divide into two?"
"Yes. I put them on the babies."
"Good. There's a tracking device in them. If they take them to Crimeryn we can track them. Here on the peninsula our scanners are blocked but we're working on a way to get through it. Thorn will let me know as soon as he figures it out."
"Your brother is here?" Skye asked.
"Yes, along with Daria and my parents."
Skye took the piece of fruit Soren offered her and ate part of it then set it down. "The Kouncil will deal with Arlyn when we inform them about her behavior."
"My blood thirsty little mate. I've missed you." He conjured a wall at one end of the narrow room and carried her behind it then undressed her and examined her injures. "Do you feel strong enough to try to heal yourself now?"
She closed her eyes and concentrated on her leg. A feeling of warmth began to radiate through it and she felt the broken ends of the bone move and join together. Gradually the constant ache disappeared. She opened her eyes and smiled. "It's done."
"I'm so sorry, little heart." Soren ran his hand over her back. "I failed you. I failed our babies." He held her close needing the comfort she provided.
"No, Soren. You didn't fail us. I should have told you what I'd done. This is all my fault for keeping the truth from you."
"We're both to blame. I sensed you were holding something back and I should have pressed you on it." He kissed her. "Let's just promise to never keep secrets from each other ever again."
"Agreed."
Soren created a steaming tub of water, undressed both of them then lowered himself into it with Skye on his lap.
He propped her across his legs and rested her head on a folded up drying cloth while he built up a thick lather of cleansing gel and began washing her. He handled her carefully, stroking his hands over her body and feeling her ribs beneath his fingers. He ran his hands over her legs then lifted her feet and examined them. "Your feet are torn up."
Skye kept her eyes closed and hummed an acknowledgement. "I didn't have shoes when they sent me here. I had to make do."
"You've done something very few warriors could have done. I'm proud of you."
He washed her feet, making sure to clean the cuts he found on the soles. "When you feel stronger you can heal them." He lifted her left hand and examined it. "Can you tell me who did this to you?"
"Arlyn. She came after me and ordered one of the guards to beat me while she took our babies."
Soren rumbled with anger. "The one who was present at your judgement? The one who stood behind me and Berit?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to kill him."
Skye comforted him by stroking her hand over his head and threading her fingers through his hair. "We'll work it out."
They held each other until Skye shivered. Soren conjured clean water and gently washed her hair. He worked the lather into it from her scalp to the ends and she tipped her head back and hummed with pleasure. He kissed the tip of her nose then lowered her and swirled the water around her head until the strands shone golden. He raised her up and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "I wonder why Arlyn didn't recognize me."
"Or why she didn't sense that you're an enchanter and I was nearby." Skye sat up. "Only the Kouncil can remove a female's powers."
Soren rung the water from her hair. "Do you think she's being punished for sending the children with you instead of giving them to me?"
"Yes. The Kouncil doesn't like even one of their own tampering with their judgement." Skye rested her head on his shoulder.
Soren noticed the more he touched her the more color appeared in her cheeks. She was thinner but her breasts were larger. He covered them and she slid her hands beneath his and pushed them away.
Soren smiled. "Are you shy about your breasts?"
"A little." She cracked her eyes open. "Mostly they just hurt so no touching."
Soren wiggled a fingertip beneath one of her hands and very gently traced the bottom curve of her breast. "You still have milk?"
Her cheeks blushed with color and she nodded. "I want to be able to nurse the babies when we get them back so I've been taking care of it. I just haven't had time this cycle."