Chapter Seventeen
I was standing on the balcony that was off of our bedroom chambers as I waited for Ryder to come to bed. Guilt washed through me as I considered what I had agreed to. I’d left Ciara in the care of Ryder’s enemies, and I hated it, but I understood where she was coming from. She wanted to prove her worth, but at what cost?
She wanted to stop a war, but what if she gave her life to do it, and we still ended up at war with the Dragons? I rested my arms on the wall of the balcony and looked over the magnificent view as I tried to make sense of everything that had happened over the past year, and especially the last few weeks. I was burning up with secrets that I hated keeping from Ryder. I hated lying to him, even if it was to protect him from those who might try and hurt him.
“You’re thinking too hard.” The deep timbre of his voice made me jump. I turned around and gave him a small look of annoyance. I hated when he sifted in without warning. “Worried about the wedding?” His hands captured mine and pulled me close.
I swallowed and shook my head. “There’s something I need to tell you and I need you to not freak out. I need you to trust me,” I murmured, then nibbled my lower lip and peered nervously into his golden eyes.
“Synthia, we have no secrets,” he growled. “I keep nothing from you.”
“I know we don’t, which is why I have to tell you something. I need you to not freak out or go caveman on me, okay? I made some promises, and I don’t want to start our marriage with any secrets between us.”
“What are you hiding?” he demanded sharply. “What secrets?”
“Do you trust me?” I murmured softly, fighting the tightening of my throat as I watched the war of mistrust play across his features.
“Synthia,” he warned.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes, of course,” he snapped.
“There is an Original Witch beneath the Guild. That is why the Seattle Guild isn’t backing down, and if other creatures knew she was there, they’d come to try and take her from us.”
He nodded. “I knew that,” he replied and I blinked. “Synthia, I’m not stupid. I know my enemies and I make it my business to try and figure out what they hide from me. The Seattle Guild sent Enforcers to take me out the first week I entered Tèrra in the guise of the Dark Prince. So, I took them out before they became a problem. I also made a move for the Elders at the Guild who gave the order, and they sang before Ristan used the first blade on them. He has been following Elders around the Seattle and Spokane Guilds for years and found out about her existence quite a while ago.” His fingers lightly traced my lips as he tried to gauge how shocked or angry I might be at his tactics. “You know who I am, what I am, so don’t get mad that I will retaliate against my enemies; otherwise, some might think I am weak.”
“I found her,” I blurted after I’d digested the news that he’d murdered not only those who had been sent to kill him, but the ones who gave the orders as well. I couldn’t blame him for that. I would have done the same, since the Guild standards are kill or be killed, and that some of the Elders had called some pretty self-serving hits mixed in with legitimate Guild hits over the last century.
“The Original Witch; you just said that,” he prompted with an easy smile when he was sure I hadn’t been upset that he’d killed Guild members.
“Ryder, I need you to promise me you will trust her, and that you will trust in her. I need for you to not ask me where she is.”
He was still for a moment, then he stepped away from me. “You found Ciara,” he said stiffly.
“I did.” I nodded. “She’s alive, and she’s safe.”
“Where is she?” he growled and when I stepped closer, he took another step away from me. I stopped and snorted as I looked up at him. “You will tell me where my sister is, now.”
“No, I won’t. Because you will charge in there like some fucking maniac and try to save her, but if you do that, you will watch her die. So no, Ryder, I won’t tell you where she is. You can call off the wedding if it’s what you want, but I can’t tell you where she is just yet. I’m sorry, I love you too much to do that.” I turned and left the balcony, listening to his heavy breathing as he struggled with what I’d told him.
I wasn’t starting our lives together with other people’s lies. I also wasn’t sending him into that trap, nor could I bear for him to watch his sister be torn apart by some magic chain the moment he entered that tent, because I wasn’t sure he’d come back from something like that as the same man I loved. I had also promised Ciara, and for some reason, I trusted her abilities.
I sifted out our bedroom and into the main hall, and was heading towards the garden when he grabbed my arm and spun me around as Ristan and Zahruk entered the room.
“You will tell me where my sister is!” he demanded. “It’s not your fight, and you have no right to keep it from me; I am your King!”
“No, you’re not,” I mumbled as I struggled with my anger. “I was raised human, and while I admit you are King here, you don’t get to order me around, Fairy. I am not telling you where she is!”
“Flower…” Ristan hesitated as Ryder interrupted him.
“Ask her where Ciara is,” Ryder growled, his tone raised in anger.
“Yes, ask me where she is, Demon, and I will tell you nothing. Not a word more about her whereabouts than I have already told him! Tell that pompous asshole brother of yours that she’s bait. They have her rigged as a fucking trap for him and the rest of you overprotective cavemen; they are hoping you will all march in there like Rambo so they can get all of you. So no, I won’t tell him shit until I figure out how to get that belt off of her.”
“What belt?” Zahruk interrupted, his calm and calculating demeanor slipping at the mention of Ciara.
“The one that will rip her apart should anyone from the Horde touch her or try to move her. The room where she’s being held is warded for the Horde, not just as an alarm, but to immobilize anyone from the Horde as well.” I took a deep, calming breath and shook my head slightly, trying to sort my thoughts. “I know where she is, but I don’t know how to get her out of there without getting her killed. Until I do, no one is going in. She is surrounded by an army, Fairy. I won’t lose you and if you hate me for it, fine. You can hate me, but you will at least be around to do so.” I poked at his chest angrily. “They might not be able to kill you, but I am sure there are other things they can do to you that would be equally as awful. I still have nightmares of the Mages stuffing you full of iron. I’ll be in the garden keeping my promise to the tree if you need me, because promises are something I try my hardest to keep. I danced on the line of breaking two today,” I said with a gentle resolve to my tone. “That’s more than I have broken in my entire life. So hate me or don’t, hell, cancel the wedding—that’s your choice, but I won’t lose you to them. That is something I just won’t do. So I’m going to figure out how to free her, and when I do, I will tell you where she is. Until then, you all need to have a little faith in her because she pretty much ordered me to leave her there. You raised her, all of you. She isn’t defenseless, and she’s a lot stronger than you all think she is. Give yourselves and her a little credit, because you trained a warrior while raising her to be a lady. I’m not sorry that I can’t tell you where she is right now, because I know she’s going to show you what she is made of. She’s just like you: stubborn, pigheaded, but loyal and brilliant.”
I started walking away as Zahruk turned and followed Ryder as he headed to the war room. I knew instinctively that Ristan trailed behind me as I pushed through the gates that led to the gardens and rushed through the main greenhouse, out into the open night air. I exhaled a shaky breath as I sat on one of the main benches that overlooked the Elder tree saplings.
“Flower, you left her behind,” he accused with a hint of frustrated anger lacing his tone. “So explain the rest of it to me.”
“You think I wanted to leave her there? If I’d had a choice I would have knocked her stubborn ass out and brought her back with me. I can’t get the chain off of her, and if she moves in any way it perceives as a threat, it tears her skin. But, she never flinched or showed an ounce of pain. Ciara thinks it’s one of the fucking relics you guys are looking for. I think she’s probably right, but I won’t know for sure until I hit the libraries and look that thing up. I hated leaving her, but she’s stronger than any of us give her credit for; she told me to go so she could stop us from going to war.”
“Who has her?” He motioned for me to scoot over and sat on the bench next to me. If anyone understood what I was doing right now, the Demon did, even if it was his sister who was at risk right now.
“The King of the Dragons,” I whispered as I closed my eyes. “Ryder’s going to leave me, isn’t he?”
“No; he’s upset, but he’s not stupid.”
“I can’t lose him,” I replied as I looked at Ristan and found him observing me as he waited patiently for me to spill the rest of what was running through my mind. I leaned my head against his shoulder and exhaled a long breath. “They blame him, unfairly, but I get it. I understand Blane’s reasons. Blane is the Dragon King, and I guess he watched Ryder slaughter his family. I know that need to avenge those who were unjustly killed.” I swallowed and looked at him. “He’s me, but with a dick.”
Ristan laughed, but his smile faltered and he shook his head. “Then you also know we have to kill him before he moves against Ryder.”
“I know,” I sighed sadly. “I can get back to where she is. The wards surrounding the camp and Ciara didn’t detect me, probably because he’s only trying to catch Horde Fae, but I don’t think his revenge will end with him. I think that if we have to kill them all, history will repeat itself yet again.”
“Sometimes I think we are stuck on an endless loop, one we don’t have the power to stop,” he said thoughtfully, and nodded his head to the side as if listening to something. “Ryder’s waiting for you in your room, Flower. Be gentle with him; he isn’t used to being one step behind, and you finding her first bent his ego a little, considering you weren’t even looking for her as far as he was concerned.”
“She’s not just your sister anymore, Demon, she’s my soon-to-be sister-in-law, and do you really think I wouldn’t go looking?” I stood and turned to look at him.
“No, I just figured you’d have tried sooner, but we’ve had something flying at our heads from every which way for weeks, and you’ve had to send your own children away to keep them safe.” He made a little noise as he stood and took a few steps towards the greenhouse. “You pick your battles, Synthia, you always have. If you say she can’t be rescued until we figure out how this chain works, I believe you. I say we, because you aren’t alone in this. Dristan and I know the libraries pretty well, and we can help you find what this thing on her is and how to disable it. The question is how long do you think it will be before this Blane figures out we aren’t coming and he kills her and sends her home in pieces?”
“She’s not who he blames,” I shrugged. “He blames Ryder. I don’t think he’ll harm her. Scare her, yes. But she’s smarter than even I thought she was, and I think he and the rest of you have all underestimated her. He left her filthy and in rags, yet she knew if she used her magic you’d find her. She is waging war with her brain; you all should be proud. It’s more than I would have figured out, had I been in her place.”
“Your would-be King grows impatient,” he smirked and nodded when I grinned. “Synthia, you told him he wasn’t your King in the main hall with the servants present.” He laughed when I frowned. “Go to him, tell him how you really feel; the truth this time, eh?”
“Thanks, Demon,” I groaned as I watched his image blur as he sifted out.
I sifted into the bedroom and discovered an angry Ryder pacing the floor. Each stride was painful to watch, knowing that I could put a quick end to this, and yet Ciara deserved a chance at trying to prevent bloodshed her way. She knew how much the demise of the Dragons bothered Ryder, and if she could find a way to make peace between the Dragons and her brothers, I was willing to give her that chance, even if they weren’t.
I moved towards the bed and paused, considered what I should say, what I could say, and found myself at a loss for the right words.
“I made a vow too. A vow to protect her from anyone and anything the moment she was born, Witch. She’s my responsibility.”
“I respect that.” I nodded slightly and turned to look at him. “She’s with the Dragon King.”
“What?” he snapped and I frowned as the color drained from his face. “He’s long dead…you saw, there was nothing left of the Dragons.”
“Yeah, well, the Dragons I saw earlier today were pretty convincing, and I’m not talking about shifters that can hold the form for a few minutes. I saw one transform and take to the sky. They survived. The Dragon King’s son escaped the day you guys attacked. And let me tell you, he’s waited a very long time to pay you back for it.” He grabbed my shoulders and I could tell it was taking everything he had not to shake me.
“Synthia, where the hell is he holding her? He will kill her!” The wild look in his eyes was pure fear for his sister.
“No, he won’t kill her, because he needs her alive to lure you to her. He won’t hurt her if he thinks she’s serving a purpose, which gives us time to figure out how to get that belt off of her. She’s fed, and she told me to leave. She’s not hurt, but she could be if we run in there without a plan. The place she is being held is warded; if you go, you will be caught. Worse than that, you’d get there in time to watch her die. I am not completely sure, but I think that belt is some kind of relic, and if anyone tries to take that thing off, she will be torn in two. So there. Now you know, Fairy. You can’t save her by charging in there like you want to, so I need you to trust me, and we will figure this out together. You and your brothers can stop searching, but I would recommend you continue to send out patrols every day that look like they are still searching. I also know that the Dragons had nothing to do with the portals, which puts us right back at where we were.”
“Synthia, what if he hurts her because I didn’t come?” He struggled against the instincts he’d fine-tuned over the past millennia. He wanted to rush in and save the day, but he couldn’t.
“He looked like it hurt him when she moved the wrong way and the belt drew blood.” I cringed inside as he stiffened. Oh, yeah, he did not like his baby sister being hurt in any way. “He doesn’t enjoy causing her pain, but he would if he thought it would hurt you. She thinks she can reach him and prevent him from seeking revenge against you. I don’t buy it, but it is possible. People who survive horrible things can forgive the ones who caused them pain,” I murmured as I moved closer and stood in front of him. “I blamed you for what happened to my parents. I also forgave you for being Fae. I fell in love with the one creature I hated most in any world.”
“You didn’t forgive Faolán,” he argued.
“I actually had to. Not for him, but for me and also for you. Hate is dark, and it was strangling me. I had to forgive him to love you. I chose you, Ryder, and I’d do it every time. Madisyn also needed me to forgive him. So I did, but I know he has to die; it’s about self-defense and survival now. He has to die so that my children are safe.”
“You never told me you forgave him.” I caught a thoughtful look of wonder on his face as he pulled me close and kissed the top of my head.
“I couldn’t; I couldn’t admit that I’d forgiven a monster. Not out loud, but for Madisyn I had to try and show her that I did. The moment I actually did, though, I felt like a weight had been lifted from me; like the light was turned back on and that it no longer could touch me. So I have to think that if I can stop hating someone who has done me so much wrong, there is hope for Blane.”
“You know his name?” His voice was tight as he loosened his hold and looked down at me.
“Well, I didn’t sit down to tea with him, Fairy,” I snickered as I slapped his arm playfully. “I observed him because if I had thought he’d hurt her, I wouldn’t be here without her, belt or no belt. So I watched him and the way he was interacting with her, and I think if anyone can reach him, it’s Ciara.”
“You think she will be okay until we figure out how to save her?” He glanced at me, almost fearing to hope that she would be all right without his intervening.
“I do, because she’s Ciara, and she’s got the stubbornness of you plus your cool head, the quick wit of Ristan, and the fierceness of Zahruk running through her veins. She’s a part of all of you because you raised her. Trust her, and I promise to keep an eye on the situation but only if I can be sure that you will stay out of it—just until we can figure out how to get her out alive.”
“I trust you, Witch,” he muttered as he turned me around and kissed the back of my neck softly. “But I’m still spanking you for being reckless.”
“You think you can?” I taunted and backed away from him, the wicked grin playing at the corners of my mouth enough to show him I’d fight to save the pain he intended to inflict on my hind end.
“Indeed, Synthia. I think I can,” he grinned.
“Ryder, if you spank me, so help me Gods!” I warned as he began to stalk me slowly, as if I was his prey.
“You kept secrets from me, Pet, there has to be a consequence,” he explained calmly. “Now, I had planned to take you slowly for hours, but now I think a little torture is in order, a little pain mixed with pleasure…or a lot,” he grinned as he reached for me and I sifted across the room to keep away from him.
“Game on, Fairy,” I smiled and sifted again before he could catch me.