Duck, Duck, Noose Read online

  “And you trusted what Estus told you, why?” I asked tiredly.

  Sivi glared at me, then marched forward until she was within touching distance.

  I resisted the urge to step back out of reach.

  “I will take you to the entrance,” she stated coldly, “and I will help you kill him.”

  “We have a plan for defeating him,” I explained, “but our first priority is rescuing Alaric and Sophie.”

  “They do not matter!” she hissed.

  I did step back then. She was teetering on a fine edge, and I really didn’t want to experience those teeth first hand. She was also an ancient water elemental. I had no idea what she was truly capable of.

  “You cannot simply kill Estus,” I explained. “The charm will protect him. If you don’t follow our plan. You will fail.”

  “I don’t care,” she spat.

  “You should,” I said instantly. “For Kira’s sake. His people ambushed us shortly after our plane landed. We haven’t heard from anyone. Estus may have your sister and the rest of our friends hidden away somewhere. If they have indeed been taken prisoner, I want them back too.”

  Sivi let out a small, frustrated scream as she tugged at her long hair, panting heavily. She clenched her eyes shut for several seconds, as if trying to calm herself.

  When her eyes finally opened, she seemed like a different person. “Fine,” she replied calmly. “We will rescue Alaric and Sophie, but so help me, if you do not return Kira to me, I will dance on your grave.”

  I nodded. “And if you betray us, you won’t even get a grave. I’ll keep your soul trapped in your dead body forever.”

  Alejandro let out a low whistle. “You really do have the best threats,” he mused.

  Sivi glared at me, then stormed off into the woods.

  We all followed.

  Recruiting Sivi to our cause could either be very good, or very, very bad. She was a scary little loose cannon. What her final aim might be was anyone’s guess.

  Alaric offered his sister a hand up as she scaled the cliffside above the lake. The climb fortunately had not been difficult, and there’d been no sign of tentacles since the forest beast had met its end.

  Now that they were out of the water and could speak freely, Alaric found he had little to say. While they were still in danger, he’d wanted to curse Mara for summoning the dangerous creatures into the forest, but now he was wet, tired, and had lost most of his ire. Plus, Mara appeared incredibly dejected as she sat on top of the cliffside, her legs dangling over the edge, draped in the heavy wet velvet of her dress.

  “Not happy to be alive?” he quipped, his eyes on Mara as Sophie wrung her clothing out behind him.

  She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Not happy to be so powerless,” she explained, surprising him with her honesty. From what he’d learned thus far, the Morrigan was not one to easily admit defeat.

  He sat on the cliff’s edge beside her, wanting to continue their journey as soon as possible, but also able to admit his body needed a small break after all the excitement.

  “I’d say anyone who could summon such fearsome creatures is far from powerless,” he consoled.

  He wrung the water from his long hair, then flipped it behind his back. The sun had emerged fully now, and felt nice on his sore, cold limbs.

  “I couldn’t summon a bunny rabbit now,” she replied with a bitter laugh. “I let my jealousy destroy who I truly was, back in this time. Now I am merely a shadow, nothing more.”

  He sighed. How had he ended up in the position of being the one to comfort the Morrigan? “Madeline would beg to differ,” he argued. “She thinks quite highly of you.”

  Mara shook her head. Wet clumps of her red hair slithered forward over her shoulders. “I may have aided her with the banshees, but it was because of my actions that she ended up tied to a chair. The necromancer stole the key from her, and it was all my fault. Now the mission before her is more difficult than ever.”

  “You should stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Sophie chided. She’d dried herself off as best she could without a towel, and now moved to sit on Mara’s other side. “Madeline is a big girl, and it is no one’s job to save her. In fact, I’d say she’s quite a bit more capable than any of us.”

  Alaric glanced past Mara at his sister in surprise. “Are you actually complementing Madeline?”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “What I’m trying to say, is that we all have our own battles to fight. It is not our place to fight those belonging to others.” She leaned forward to stare directly at Alaric. “This is a lesson we should all learn,” she added.

  He smiled ruefully. “Just because we should learn lessons, doesn’t mean we will.”

  “I agree with Alaric,” Mara stated, once again surprising him. “I’d much rather fight for others, than for myself. I spent an entire lifetime fighting for myself, making warriors bow before me in an attempt to soothe the rejections of my past. Striving for power to make myself feel safe. When I lost my mortal form, I wandered the other realms without purpose. I still had an identity, but it didn’t matter. When Madeline accidentally summoned me, it was like I’d been awoken from some long, dark, dream. She might have feared me at first, but after we’d spent some time together . . . ” she trailed off.

  “She cared for you,” Alaric finished for her.

  Mara nodded, her face pinched as she held back the tears shining in her eyes. “She became my friend. She cared about how I felt, and cared when I died. No one cared when I died the first time.” She turned to Sophie, giving Alaric her back. “If that isn’t a reason to take part in someone else’s fight, I don’t know what is.”

  “You know,” he began with a smile as Mara turned back to him, “I never thought you and I would actually have something in common.”

  She smirked. “Trust me, no one is as surprised as I.”

  Alaric stood and offered her a hand up. “We should get moving.”

  Mara nodded, then took his hand and stood. Pulling away from him, she offered a hand to Sophie, which she took after a moment’s hesitation.

  “We have much to discuss on our way to the castle,” Mara explained as Sophie rose to her feet. “It will be difficult to convince the current Morrigan that you are telling the truth, and even more difficult still to convince her to help you.”

  “Then why don’t you explain it all to her yourself?” Sophie questioned. “Surely seeing you would be all the proof she needs.”

  Mara shook her head. “She’d likely kill me on the spot. The first thing you need to know, my dear, is that the Morrigan hates no one more than she hates herself.”

  16

  As we followed Sivi deeper into the woods, I began to realize my directional instincts were way off. We probably would have wandered through the woods for hours looking for the entrance.

  “Can we trust her?” Frode whispered to me as we walked a few yards behind Sivi.

  “No,” I whispered back, “but having her on our side is useful enough to take the risk.”

  He raised a pale eyebrow at me, but didn’t comment further.

  The last few rays of sun slowly disappeared.

  By the time Sivi stopped, it was full dark. We all approached where she stood near an expansive patch of vines. They were so thick you couldn’t see any of the ground beneath. Suddenly my memories came rushing back to me. I’d been placed on the ground. Arms held me down while the vines encased me. I’d passed out from the shock of it all. Hopefully I wouldn’t pass out this time.

  “What part of the Salr does it lead to?” I asked, staring down at the vines, faintly illuminated by the moonlight.

  “Is this not where you first entered the Salr?” she asked, confused.

  “I lost consciousness that night,” I explained. “When I woke up, I was already in my room.”

  Alejandro chuckled. “Couldn’t handle your first trip underground?”

  I glared at him. “You try living among humans for your entire life, only t
o be kidnapped and shoved through the ground.”

  He laughed. “Sorry, that experience is for executioners only. The rest of us never get the chance to live in ignorance.”

  Sivi sighed. “It leads into the dungeons.”

  Of course it did. “Not really the first place I was hoping to visit.”

  “Are you through stalling?” Maya asked.

  Sivi was giving Maya a strange look, as if she’d only just noticed her.

  I didn’t bother asking what it was about. Instead I asked, “Who’s going first?”

  “I will,” Frode volunteered instantly. “If Mikael is still alive, there’s no way I’m risking him finding out that I let you dive into the enemy’s Salr first.”

  “Then let’s go,” I replied, gesturing down at the vines. “And remember, our goal is to remain unseen for as long as possible. Conflict may be inevitable, but we need to find Alaric and Sophie first.”

  “They are not in the dungeon,” Sivi explained, “but that is all that I know. I’ve seen neither of them since word spread of them being taken. Estus has been extremely guarded about their whereabouts. Most question whether or not they have truly been taken prisoner, but I heard it straight from Estus’ lips.”

  “He told you?” I asked suspiciously.

  She glared at me, the cool moonlight reflecting in her pale eyes. “It is easy to see and hear things, when most do not even notice you exist.”

  Ah, so she’d been spying. I would like to have said that I knew the feeling of being invisible, but my time among the Vaettir had been quite the opposite. I would have gladly given Sivi some of the extra attention placed on me.

  Knowing that any other consolation I might give would probably just make her angrier, I moved on and asked, “Will anyone be guarding the dungeon?”

  “Of course,” she replied like I’d asked an incredibly stupid question.

  I turned to Frode. “Take them out as silently as possible?”

  He flipped his hand palm side up and emitted a little gust of ice, like a tiny snow flurry. “Not a problem.”

  I nodded. “Then let’s go.”

  Sivi knelt down in the vines, and they slowly began to consume her.

  “Hey, I wanted to go first!” Frode argued, then knelt down beside her.

  Soon they both disappeared within the vines.

  Maya and Alejandro went next, followed by Faas and Marcos.

  Suddenly it was just Tallie and I above ground.

  I turned to her. “Be careful, and don’t do anything risky. If it looks like we’re in trouble, search for Mikael, or anyone else who might be sympathetic to our cause. Don’t risk your life for no reason.”

  Her dark eyes widened in surprise. “You make it sound as if you truly care whether I live or die.”

  I smiled softly as I knelt down in the vines. “I do.”

  The vines slowly consumed me, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in a dark dungeon, way too close to Marcos’ thin form for my comfort.

  A small flame flared to life, illuminating Maya’s face eerily as she held a lighter up between us. “I forgot how damn dark it was down here,” she whispered.

  Everyone froze at the sound of footsteps. The light of a torch could be seen as it moved down a nearby hall. We were in one of the cell-lined corridors that branched off from a central path on either side.

  As soon as the torchlight passed, Frode crept away silently. A few seconds later, the crackling of ice could be heard, followed by a harsh gasp, then nothing. Maya lit her lighter again as Frode returned to us.

  “I didn’t see anyone else,” he whispered, “but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more guards down here than one.”

  “Let’s make for the main stairs,” I whispered, low enough that my voice was barely audible. “We need to make this fast.”

  “Where are we going to check first?” Maya asked.

  Sivi had claimed Alaric and Sophie weren’t in the dungeon, which left only one logical place to try next. I swallowed the painful lump in my throat. “The torture rooms.”

  The thought of Alaric or Sophie strung up in one of those rooms made me sick, but it was a logical first place to check. Fortunately the rooms weren’t far from the dungeons. We could check there, then move on.

  Cupping a hand around the flame of her lighter, Maya led the way.

  Within a few minutes, we passed the guard Frode had encountered. His head was frozen entirely in ice, and he was quite dead. I knelt quickly and released his soul, or life force, or whatever you wanted to call it. I felt the usual rush of energy. I could use that energy to harm or heal. Here was hoping I wouldn’t need either.

  We moved on, slowly approaching the massive steps that led out of the dungeon. Frode and Marcos had no trouble with the steps, while anyone under six foot had to reach their knees up higher than was comfortable, Maya and Sivi especially. Not for the first time, I was glad to be tall.

  After the first few steps, the gentle illumination of the Salr encompassed us. Since it was nighttime, the lights were dim, but not dim enough. Anyone who spotted us would likely realize we were intruders, unless they were some of Estus’ new recruits, who might not know anyone yet. Worse still, many others might recognize me on sight from my previous time spent in the Salr.

  Alejandro and Frode reached the top of the stairs first, peeking out of the hall to look both ways. Alejandro gave the thumbs up. The coast was clear.

  “I will leave you here,” Sivi whispered. “I will try to find who you seek, and I will be ready to fight, but I will not be caught with you if I can avoid it.”

  I frowned, but she was right. She was only looking out for her own well being, but if she was captured, she’d do us much more good on the other side of the cell.

  “This way,” I whispered to the others as Sivi left us.

  Stepping as lightly as possible, I led the way toward the torture rooms. My skin itched with the feeling that someone was going to jump out at us at any moment. I had the blades Mikael had given me on my hips, and a fresh helping of energy ready to blast someone away, but I still felt vulnerable. If someone alerted Estus to the intrusion, we wouldn’t just be fighting a few opponents. We’d be fighting an entire clan. Our only hope would be to escape the Salr and use the banshees.

  Sweat beaded at my brow as I forced myself forward. It wasn’t particularly warm in the Salr. I was just that nervous. Risking my own life was one thing. Knowing the lives of Alaric, Sophie, and my unborn child were hanging in the balance was quite another. I couldn’t just leave Alaric in Estus’ care though. I couldn’t wait around to find Mikael, even if he was still alive. I had to do this myself.

  I froze as someone stepped out of a room further down the hall. I didn’t recognize her. She had short, blonde hair, cut into a stylish bob, and large blue eyes. Noticing us instantly, she stared at us, her body only halfway out into the hall.

  She opened her mouth to speak, scream, or something. I saw everything like it was happening in slow motion. Frode darted ahead of me and shot a stream of ice at her, but some sort of invisible shield went up, spewing the ice to either side seconds before it would have hit her. He tried again, and the shield went up again.

  Faas pushed past me, raising both hands into the air, and the woman suddenly dropped to the stone floor, unconscious.

  I looked at him in shock.

  “Her shield was made of pure energy,” he whispered.

  I nodded, feeling shaky.

  Frode dragged the woman across the floor, back into her room, and shut the door.

  We moved on.

  The torture rooms were now only a few yards away. Luckily, we continued on unseen, likely because all but the guards were sleeping. My thoughts darted off to what else might roam the halls at night.

  James used to have a pet, a lindworm named Stella. The creature had a body shaped like a giant lizard, the face of a Rottweiler, and the fur and paws of a grizzly bear. I wasn’t sure if the creature still lived, but I had no desir
e to encounter her. If she didn’t slice us to bits on sight, she might sound an ear-splitting warning call.

  We reached the first of the torture rooms. I placed my hand on the door and gently opened it, then gasped and reeled away at what I saw.

  Faas put a calming hand on my shoulder, and I shook my head. It wasn’t Alaric or Sophie. I just hadn’t expected the room to be so . . . bloody.

  I took a deep breath, then forced myself to walk into the room for a closer look. There were manacles on the wall, and a wheeled operating table, like you’d see in a hospital. Everything was blood soaked. The walls, the ceiling, everything. The room reeked of coppery blood and hints of other fluids, with an undertone of burnt flesh, like some sort of macabre perfume.

  A severed foot lay on the operating table, still twitching with life. Apparently Estus hadn’t found himself a new executioner to release the energy from his mangled corpses, else he just didn’t care. I stepped forward and released the life from the foot with a gentle stroke of my fingers, accepting the extra portion of energy willingly. I was probably going to need it.

  Without another word, I left the room. Everyone followed me further down the hall to the other torture chamber. I was even more nervous about this room. It was where Estus had kept the hearts of his victims, all in individual drawers in the wall. I’d released each and every one right before I escaped the Salr with James, but I was betting Estus had refilled quite a few.

  Reaching the room, the others waited as I opened the door, not taking the time to prepare myself for what horrors might lurk on the other side. I peeked in and scanned the area, then let out a sigh of relief. The room was empty. No tortured corpse of Alaric or Sophie.

  Of course, that led to a whole new problem. I had no idea where to look next.

  I stepped back and gently shut the door. Deciding to follow my gut, I guided the others in the direction we’d been heading. Where else might Estus be keeping them?

  During my previous time in the Salr, I’d done my share of exploring, but I knew there were many areas I hadn’t seen. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of where else Estus might keep prisoners.