Jireo rounded the corner just in time to spy his sister making a stealthy entrance into Vindrake’s interrogation chamber. Arista’s alive! She may be able to free Alora and Kaevin if they are in irons. Who is the man in her company?
After a few moments, Jireo crossed the smoky corridor, pressing his ear to the door. I know from Daegreth’s map, there’s a rear entrance. Should I go through this door or the other? Footsteps sounded in the corridor behind him. He couldn’t delay any longer. Creeping low under the cover of smoke, Jireo slipped inside the room and ducked behind some barrels to survey the situation.
To his left, Arista’s burly companion battled Vindrake in a surreal dancing scene, with their feet shrouded in smoke. A quick assessment told Jireo the mysterious warrior had victory in hand if no one interfered.
To the right was a strange foggy dome. Inside the semi-transparent dome, a motionless woman stood with arms upraised, her downturned face shrouded with long blond hair. Where are Kaevin and Alora? And where is Arista? Are there any guards? He crawled along the back wall, behind a table, searching for his sister and friends.
Arista came into view, circling around to hack at the enigmatic dome with a knife. Rising to his feet for a better view, Jireo spied Kaevin and Alora within the magick dome, shackled to platforms on either side of the eerie shaman.
Before Jireo could move to aid his sister, she cried out, gesturing toward the rear door behind her companion. “Alleraen. Look out behind you!”
Four Water Clan warriors had entered the room under cover of smoke. Arista’s friend is outnumbered five to one. Jireo readied his sword to even the fight.
The main door burst open, and three more sentries hurtled inside, running toward Alora. The first guard dodged the knife Arista threw, rolling to his feet and bounding toward his sister, blade in hand.
Arista’s companion will have to fend for himself. Springing from his hiding place, Jireo intercepted the nimble guard. His sword slashed the guard’s neck before the warrior could reach Arista. Spinning in a circle, Jireo sliced at the two sentries who followed behind. One fell, holding his side, but the other side-stepped, escaping with only a nick in his tunic. Before Jireo could bring his blade back around, the guard fell, taken out from behind.
“Thanks, Naegle!” Jireo’s spirit lightened at the unexpected aid from a fellow warrior of Laegenshire. “How did you come to be here? And how did you arrive so quickly?”
Worster stepped beside him, moving to finish off Jireo’s wounded sentry. “We traveled with Morvaen and Kaevin’s father on a pre-arranged rescue mission, waiting only two hands away in case we were needed.” Worster gestured across the room, where Morvaen and Graely stood with the man who’d been battling Vindrake.
The four Water Clan warriors were nowhere to be seen.
Nei
ther was Vindrake.
Jireo jumped as a weight slammed into him. Arista’s arms encircled him as she embraced him with fervor. “I don’t know where all of you came from, but I’m glad you’re here. Now you simply need to kill that fiendish blond woman so I can open the cuffs and free Kaevin and Alora. I can’t move past her barrier.”
“Did you try throwing a knife?” Jireo peeled Arista’s arms off, frowning at the frozen woman who stood in a dome of fog denser than the wispy smoke in the rest of the room. She even looks like ice with that white-blond hair.
“My knife bounced off when I threw it. She hasn’t moved a bit. It’s as if she’s in some kind of trance.”
“I hear more guards coming.” Naegle moved toward the door.
Arista ran past him, slamming it shut. She turned to Naegle with a grin. “That should slow them down. No one else can open it without a key.” She hurried across the chamber to seal the rear entry.
“I don’t know how to get past this.” Jireo’s heart raced as he stood beside the foggy circle that blocked him from reaching Kaevin. He kicked at it, to no avail.
“Alleraen will know what to do.” Arista returned with Vindrake’s brother in tow, though he protested the entire way.
“It’s over! I’ve lost my chance to kill Drakeon… and all because I craved my own revenge. I forgot my promise to help you, so focused was I on retribution.” Alleraen jerked his arm from her grasp, turning away. “Your friends have plenty of rescuers now. Leave me to my misery.”
Arista grabbed his arm, jolting him back. “Now who’s being a recalcitrant child? Are you really such a coward?”
“Coward? I’m no coward.”
“You can’t even face your own fallibility. You made a mistake. One mistake, and you’ve given up. You’re more a coward than I was when I had but five years. I’ve never let a mistake prevent me from trying again.”
“I believe that about you.” One corner of his mouth lifted. “But truthfully, I’ve no idea how to circumvent Empusa’s protection. At least no further harm is coming to them.”
“No! We must get them out. I must reach Kaevin.” With his head pounding, Jireo flailed with his sword at the impervious cloud.
Graely lifted his lone, undamaged eyebrow. “So the defender bond exists, after all. I assume this is why you’ve come here, Jireo, directly disobeying our orders.”
“I’m sorry, Graely. Truly, I had no choice.” Jireo ducked his face as heat rose in his cheeks.
“The fact you’re compelled to be here by your bond is more terrifying than seeing them chained on either side of this evil shaman.” Graely’s voice trembled as he spoke. “You feel Kaevin’s death approaching?”