Unbound (24 page)

Karn struggled, looking at the wall out of the corner of his eye. He tried to pull his gaze away, tried to do anything to stop the horror from capturing him. He felt a scaly hand reach out and grasp his face. The thick nails tipping the fingers pierced his skin.

He whimpered, unable to stop the creature from turning his head. The faded edge of the cloak came into view and he closed his eyes. A thin finger peeled them open. It sliced a line down his cheek with its nail, hit him with a punch that sent his world spinning.

His arms thickened as the length of his face reformed. He took in the grey palate of the room and knew he was half formed, lying helpless on the floor, caught by something he didn’t understand and didn’t know how to fight. He just hoped that Roo got free in time to stop the creature, because he was trapped.

Trapped and powerless.

His mind reverted to a wild animal. He snapped and gnashed his teeth at the creature. It only laughed. There was the sound of clicking nails, the heavy growl of a wolf, and then the hand was gone. The weight on his limbs returned for a second, and then he was free.

Karn stood over the reaper. A gaping gash across its throat told the story. He reached out and touched the other wolf on his shoulder. “Thanks, Damien.” The rebel had claimed last night that he and Roo had no place at the head of the pack, yet here he was helping them both when it mattered.

He reached out and helped Roo up. They stood there for a second, catching their breath, then moved out into the hall, a large golden-red dog and a brown and white wolf at the heels of Karn in battle form. He grinned as they came, the little monsters Covington kept as pets. He reveled in the blood as he sliced his claws across their chests, guts, and throats—whatever came into contact with his fists.

Things calmed for a moment. Creeping along the hall, they found several Mages in cells along the corridor, some black collar bound, and others being tortured. He couldn’t decide if this was Covington’s sickness, or if he let others in to play his games. Whatever the case, it angered him that these creatures could get away with this, while his kind remained shunned for their inability to control their tempers. “Damien, deal with this,” he said to their third. “I want the rest of the pack in here, freeing these people. Then take them outside and we’ll meet up there.”

He turned and started down the hall. Before moving two steps, he heard a small, high-pitched scream, a child’s scream. He followed the sound of her voice, the child he’d sworn to protect and then failed. He didn’t think when he entered the chamber, forgot all about the form he wore, and growled her name. She didn’t come. Sobs came from a corner of the room, but he saw only the broken body of Gannon’s daughter. He cocked his head “Come here, honey. I’ll take care of you.” The child’s sobs grew louder. He looked down and realized why.

He took a breath and stepped back out into the hall, “Roo, is there any way you think you can get her to show herself?”

Sure. I can try. I wish one of the women were here
,
though
.

Roo brushed past Karn and padded into the room. He lay down and waited. Karn took a breath, and went further down the hall.

Karn, I have her.

He heard the girl sobbing next to Roo. He gathered Catrine in his arms. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, the words coming from his mouth crude and hard to understand.

Karn took his party and headed to the meeting place. When he got there, he heard high-pitched squeals coming from the trees. Jubi burst out and hovered in front of him. “Karn, send a team of wolves to tend to the wounded and take them back to the entrance of the T’ween. We need to hurry. Things aren’t going well at the Council chambers,” Jubi said.

It didn’t take them long to arrive at the heavily warded stone building deep in the Drifts. The layers of camouflage spells made it invisible if you didn’t know it was there. There was a thick wooded area around it and beautiful manicured lawn. They took out the guard at the side entrance. They kept out of sight as much as possible and snuck through the building. They found the door leading into the Main Council room. Heated voices spoke inside. “You all need to attend to what I’ve been saying!” Gannon screamed inside the room.

Karn pushed open the door a crack and peered inside.

Three fully robed and hooded Council members lined the room on one side. Gannon knelt before them with Kayla standing on one side and a tall muscular man on the other.

It looked like some kind of trial.

“I’m going to go in there and see what’s going on. I’ll come back out in a minute and let you know,” Jubi said.

Jubi flew in the small crack and alighted on Kayla’s shoulder, hiding in the neckline of her shirt. Kayla reached down and kneaded Gannon’s shoulder.

“No touching the prisoner!” A sharp rebuff from the thin pinched faced woman at the front of the room. “Why isn’t this woman in chains?” She demanded.

A coldly beautiful woman drifted forward. “We could not chain her, ma’am. She is here of her own free will. When we tried to chain her, she just broke them.” Covington bent over in front of them and whispered something in an older man’s ear.

He nodded, scowled and looked at Gannon.

“Is it true that you’ve kept a new Mage, with wild magic, a secret from this Council?”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that you didn’t tell us when you came up with a solution to the collars”?

“Yes. No. It’s complicated.” Karn watched Jubi take off Gannon’s cuffs. He held completely still, not moving or giving away the fact he was free.

The room shook. Debris from the ceiling crashed to the floor.

“What is going on here?” one of the Council demanded as they were pushed under the bench.

The shaking subsided and a dark haired, olive skinned man stood in a hole in the side of the room.

* * *

“
Mikhail.
”
Kayla choked out, sliding to her knees, watching as the man she thought was dead morphed his face into the one she despised above all others.

“Keaton.” She whispered the name.

He looked at her and grinned, his face melting, dripping off in large chunks.

He cackled. “I go by that name, yes. But I prefer Master to you, wife.” He bounded into the room. Grabbing her around the throat, he chucked her across the room with a single swipe of his hand. She landed near the door and lay there, still for a moment.

She lay stunned, then felt a tiny hand clench hers. She looked to where the owner of the hand should be but saw nothing. She remembered that smell, and the voice coming from the void. Her gut clenched.
Sasha.

“Stay still, Mama. Grandma Rosen taught me the words to say before the bad men took her away." Kayla clung to the small hand as she listened to her tiny, haunting voice.

“I banish thee, father, back whence thou came. I banish you to the depths from which thou sprung. I banish you, father, to the lands of your birth. Never grace this path again!”

He screamed and howled.

Kayla pulled out her blade, giving the tiny hand a squeeze, then pushed the invisible girl back behind her. She stood, stalking toward the howling creature that had once been her husband. Tormund squared off on the other side of Keaton. He nodded to her, their animosity set aside for the moment. A few creatures sprung from the hole Keaton had made in the wall and attacked the Mages who’d been standing around watching one of their own go down. They scampered over its back in a futile charge.

She sliced a thick slab of skin away from Keaton’s arm. He howled and raked her with his claws. She growled and bit down. Focusing on Keaton, she put herself between him and Sasha. She only had one goal in mind: protecting her child. She realized now that the small child was hers. The puzzle fell into place. Keaton and
Mikhail
were the same person.

He would pay. She hit him again, hacking on one side while Tormund tore into the other. They settled into a rhythm. She blocked and thrust again, striking the beast that had once been Mikhail under the ribs, destroying the body she’d once held in her arms, the beast she’d been cornered by for the last few years. She screamed inside until she felt a small tug on her arm, so small she almost didn’t feel it. She stopped. The almost invisible form of her daughter stepped in front of her, solidified and sent a glowing orb of fire into the chest of her father. “I said, I banish you,” she shrieked.

He fell to the ground. Then Kayla noticed the magic melting a crater in the chest of the creature. It spread like a cancer from within, and the chest cavity caved. He dissolved, holding her eye the whole time.

The little girl clung to her leg, and the fighting momentarily came to a standstill. The Council leader pointed at Kayla and the girl. “Kill the abomination before she spreads her poison.”

Kayla whispered, “Hide for me, baby.”

“I can’t, mama.”

Tor turned on her and raised his sword. The man she’d just stood shoulder to shoulder with became her enemy. “I have no choice. I am sorry.”

“You will never take her! I will not lose her again.” She felt Roo press against her leg. Growling.

Nyx flickered into view between Tormund and Sasha and transformed into the man from her dream. He looked Covington in the eye. “This woman is the daughter of a man you do not want to anger. This child is meant for a purpose, and you have no more control over her life.”

“She is a Mage. We have every right to decide her fate.”

Kayla watched from the corner of her eye as Nyx turned on Tormund and told him to look at the Council.

“These men and women before you are not what they appear to be. They are not what they once were, and they will never be that again. The Mage Covington has corrupted their minds. The bands of dark magic ring their necks. Think before you act.”

Tormund’s sword dropped half an inch. He turned his head and looked at the Council.

Kayla gripped her sword tighter, seeing the glimmer of a slave ring beneath the woman Council member’s collar. The woman’s eyes rolled back and spittle dripped out of her mouth.

Kayla’s eyes shifted to Covington, whose hand rested on the woman’s neck.

“Take your hand off her.” Tormund shouted, on his way towards the dais before he finished speaking.

“Why should I?” he cackled, kicking over the woman’s body. It hit the floor and didn’t move. The other Council members sat stone still, didn’t even stir to look around them.

“You see, I’ve nothing to fear from these husks.” He gripped another one around the neck and she saw something curious forming behind him. The space began to dip in on itself and bow backward, like a seam ripping in slow motion.

“No! Covington, stop! You don’t know what you’re doing!” Gannon screamed, racing after Tormund.

“Oh but I do, Gannon. I do, and this time you’re not going to stop me.” He gripped the final Mage around his neck and the fabric of space tore open. The swirling maelstrom tugged at Kayla’s clothing. She shoved Sasha towards Karn. “Take care of her!” she screamed, watching the scene unfold before her. She ran towards Gannon, throwing a bolt of blue flame at Covington’s chest.

It missed. She gathered her strength for another attempt. Gannon stepped into her line of fire and she dodged to the left for another shot. Her feet pounded up the steps, seconds behind him.

“Stop or he’s dead.”

She froze. Covington’s palm was planted directly over Gannon’s heart and she could see the power emanating around his fingers.