By Vengeance Guided (The Lost Shrines Book 1) (21 page)

"Gui Enriev, you have been Judged once and found guilty. Now, you have been marked for Vengeance again."

"Kill him!" Gui's scream was primal, spittle flying when he pushed one of the guards forward to meet a quick end at the edge of Caerwyn's sword.

The other guard took several steps backward, eyes wide in a bloodless face while he frantically looked for an escape route.

"Gui Enriev. Stand and be Judged."

The shadows swirled around the edges of his vision. Then the knife appeared in Gui's hand. Vengeance shifted to intercept the new threat but the bastard grabbed his own man by the collar, jerked the soldier’s head back and slit his throat before dropping him to the ground.

The blood drained out, pooling on the stone. Dark mist, visible only with the eyes of Caer's magic, poured upward in a sickening stream of death. Gui tipped his head back, let the mist flow through him, wrap around him in a tightly woven shield that blocked Vengeance from seeing his soul.

"C'mon, then, Milesan. Judge me if you can. Or die trying. My master has already bested you once. He'll reward me handsomely for making sure you never bother him again."

Caer wanted to howl, to use his bare hands to force Gui's words back down his own throat. But the implacable, icy calm of his Attribute was fully in charge. He could only go along for the ride as his arm raised his sword and his feet stepped toward his foe.

Lightning sizzled around him, sparking and snapping. Caer wanted to push Lia out of the way, wanted to shove her back into the stairwell. Instead, Vengeance moved forward, into the calm space around the dark sorcerer. It reached for Gui but the darkened air was solid where the shield covered him.

Caer growled in the silence of his mind and the Attribute echoed it with a low rumbling. The noise didn't stop, however. It pulsed and grew as he wrapped the sound waves in lines of power. Pushing the power until it became a crashing surge that rocked the stone under Gui's feet.

The energy charged air evaporated while Gui fought to keep himself on his feet and back away a dozen steps.

Another swirl of mist rose from the pool of blood, a dark cloud that hummed and expanded and became thousands of tiny insects. They swarmed and stung and blinded Caer's body. His throat choked when they invaded his nose, his mouth, the buzzing nearly driving him insane. Vengeance tried to move, to push through, but the creatures clung to him.

"Wyn!"

He heard delicate footsteps charging across the rooftop. He wanted to shout, to tell Lia to get back. Stay safe. But that was a silent scream inside his own mind.

Then a warm hand settled on his back and the golden glow of safety and love enveloped him again. What warmed and comforted him, though, became an inferno to the sorcerer's malevolent creatures. The air stank with the smell of burning bugs when the cloud evaporated in a sizzling burst of white-gold flame around him.

In his human form, he couldn't touch the tendrils of magic Lia wrapped around him in a layer of protection. His Attribute, however, had no such limitation.

It grabbed at the power like a greedy child, pulling it into his hands. Caer shouted inside when she slumped against him. He had no idea what this would do to her. No idea how much was too much.

Her hand remained firm on his body and, though she leaned heavily into him, she stayed upright.

Vengeance twisted the power into a glowing fireball until he could feed no more into it.

Instead of throwing it, however, the Attribute strode the half-dozen long steps toward Gui and thrust his hand, fireball and all, into the center of the dark shield.

Heatless flames once again erupted and blood-soaked magic fueled the bonfire until everything was used up and burnt out. Gui slumped back against the low-walled edge of the roof. Pale, drawn and panting, he cringed away pleading for mercy.

"Stand and be Judged," was Vengeance's only reply.

The shadows, which had hung on the edges of his vision, boiled up in a feverish swirl, plunging the day lit roof into darkness. Blackness wrapped tight around Gui and he struggled to his feet, trying to fight the inexorable vapor holding him for Judgment.

The sorcerer's soul was a blackened spider web of evil. Dark, unforgivable deeds trapped like desiccated husks within the malicious weave. The strands stretched out for years, and thick, grotesque threads tied Gui to another with death and pain and blood. Another that Caer knew all too well though they'd never met.

Every one of his crimes against Lia and the valley stood out like a glowing beacon to his Attribute.

"You have been Judged, Gui Enriev. You have been found guilty. Again."

The shadows churned around him, a rolling dark cloud blocking him from view. But it did not block the screams. High, drawn out squeals, more animal than human.

When the shadows finally dissipated, Gui was still screaming, frantically clawing at his chest and stomach, blood already seeping from the self-inflicted wounds.

Then, without warning, Gui turned and ran for the edge of the roof, flinging himself over the side. The agonized shrieks continued until silenced by the heavy thud of his landing. Caer's body moved away from Lia, who had crumpled behind him at some point, and peered down at the broken man below.

Vengeance satisfied, the shadows withdrew and the icy presence of his Attribute receded until it once again hibernated in a walled corner of Caer's soul.

Lia struggled to get up, moving toward the edge. Wyn caught her and pulled her back against his chest.

"Don't. You don't want to see that. You don't want to remember."

"He's dead, right?"

"Very."

"What did you…what did Vengeance do to him?"

"Gui saw himself as a spider, pulling strings, luring the weak and unsuspecting into his snare to feast on their vitality. Vengeance unleashed a spider of madness in his mind."

Lia glanced at the edge again, lips tightened into a thin line.

Caer's gut twisted, he worried she'd blame him. That she'd believe him a monster to do that to someone else. Until she spoke.

"He should have suffered more." Fierce anger pinched her face until she took a deep, ragged breath. "At least he can't hurt anyone ever again."

*****

Lia tucked her head against Wyn's shoulder and let herself lean into him. Lean on him while the rush of fear and anger faded. His arms wrapped tight around her waist and he leaned into her, too. They held each other up in the aftermath, an equal need to sooth and be soothed.

Mental, physical and emotional exhaustion shuddered through both of them and they clung to each other with clasping hands and a swelling moon-bond. The thudding terror and fury replaced with relief and comfort when they took shelter in each other.

The ringing sound of horse's hooves and the clatter of carriage wheels shook them from their safe cocoon. They raced to the front of the roof, but, already, the retreating form of the fleeing carriage and its horse guard were obscured by distance and dust.

"Hafgan." A primal growl filled the air around Wyn with anger and rage. "He's getting away."

Wyn dashed to the other side, stopping and looking back at Lia only when he reached the stairs and realized she wasn't following.

"Tanis is still here. I can't… You go after Hafgan. I have to find my niece."

Wyn stilled, his posture rigid and his jaw flexed. Lia could see, could
feel
the hammering need for vengeance. There was also a flicker of something else, though.

"You're sure?" His eyes shifted from Lia to the wall where the sounds of fleeing had all but faded. "That's she's here and not with him?"

"Yes." There was no doubt. The magic beneath Lia was still divided, straining in two directions. If Tanis had left or was… gone, all of the energy would have fixated back on her.

"All right."

His teeth ground against each other while he wiped his sword clean and re-sheathed it. "Let's go find Tanis.”

Lia stared, surprise making her catch her breath and rooting her to the spot. "You don't have to stay. Leave one of your Hounds behind to help me, if you must. We'll be fine. I'm pretty sure all the guards are dead or gone."

"I'm not leaving you, or your niece, behind. Hafgan has waited seven years." Wyn's grimace turned into a half-hearted grin. "Besides, I still don't actually have the Council's permission to kill him. Or proof that would satisfy them."

He moved aside and gestured toward the stairs. "Lead the way. Let's find Tanis and get you both home."

Something broke open inside of Lia. Something she'd tried to keep banked and contained from the moment she'd first met the gorgeous stranger. Something she'd tried her damnedest to ice over after discovering his deception.

Now, that something spread warmth and hope through her veins.

She couldn't help smiling when she moved into the dim stairwell. Couldn't help running her fingers across Wyn's arm when she brushed past him. Couldn't help hoping that maybe not everything between them was a lie.

For now, though, she had to focus on the faint magic of the ruins and concentrate on finding Tanis.

There would be time to sort out her feelings and their relationship once they returned to the safety of the valley.

*****

Caer followed Lia down the stairs, still straining to hear any last hints of the fleeing carriage.

For years, his sole purpose in life had been to kill Hafgan. It twisted sharp and deep that he'd been so close to the murderer and hadn't even laid eye on the bastard. Every fiber of his being vibrated with the need to give chase, to hunt down his prey and end the pursuit for good.

There was no way he could leave Lia, or Tanis, without knowing every threat had been neutralized, though.

Lia continued down, past the entrance to the third floor. Caer let go of the futile attempt to follow Hafgan with his ears and focused instead on checking the surroundings. He heard the Hounds moving on the first floor from room to room.

At the second floor landing, Lia paused and closed her eyes.

"I think Tanis is at the end of the hall." Her body swayed forward, and she started to take a step out into the corridor.

"Wait," Caer curled his fingers around her arm in a loose grip and held her steady.

"Maddyn," he called down the stairwell. His kept his voice soft knowing his foster brother would have no trouble hearing it. "Is the first floor empty?"

"All clear and secured. We're on our way up to check the second floor."

Lia, still next to him, strained to move, to go to find her niece. He held her until his brothers met them, however.

"Ranulf, Phelan, check the third floor and the roof to make sure no one doubled-back after we came down."

They headed up the stairs and Caer stepped in front of Lia before jerking his chin toward the eldest Hound. "I'll lead, Madd, you watch Lia's back. Let's go find Tanis."

They moved methodically along the hall, checking every room thoroughly before moving on to the next. Caer felt Lia's growing impatience at the slow pace. Her need to get to the chamber at the end of the hall itched across their bond. As much as he wanted to ease her, there was no way he'd risk her safety by allowing an enemy to get behind them.

When they reached the last room, he listened carefully but not hearing anything didn't mean there weren't a half-dozen guards around the little girl. He opened the door slowly but barely had time to glance inside before Lia pushed past him. She dashed to the wide-backed chair where her niece curled up on the seat, sound asleep.

Caer and Madd rushed in behind her, instinctively splitting up to cover the space quickly. There were no enemies inside, though, and nowhere for anyone to hide. He wasn't sure if the room was supposed to be a library or a war room. Bookcases lined the walls, floor to ceiling and held books, scrolls, weapons, jars and implements Caerwyn didn't even want to guess the nature of. A large table dominated the center of the room, covered in maps and more scrolls. It reminded him of the place in his uncle's keep where he and the Hounds had trained as warriors.

Maddyn took up position by the door and Caerwyn crossed to kneel next to Lia. The child looked tiny in the overstuffed leather chair. She slept peacefully, though her mouth drew down into an annoyed frown, little hands curled into tight fists under her head. Caer had no doubt she'd grow up to be as fierce and stubborn as her aunt one day.

Lia checked the girl over from head to toe with delicate touches.

"Is she all right?" Caer asked.

"I think. He drugged her with a sleeping draught. She'll sleep for the next day or two and have a headache when she does wake up. She won't remember any of this, thankfully."

Lia sat back on her heels, head bowed, face pale with exhaustion. "Gui was a bastard and a complete failure as a father but he was her parent. How am I supposed to tell her he's dead? That she's an orphan?"

She kept her face cast toward the floor but a tear slipped past her lashes and left a track along her cheek. Caerwyn's stomach tightened with a helpless twist. He slid his hand into her hair and leaned forward to brush the tear away with his lips before resting his forehead against hers.