Rise of the Phoenix (Return To Avalore #2) (4 page)

Nothing but rage flowed in the enemy’s veins. Vengeance would drive them to unthinkable cruelty. Death would be more merciful, but they would keep Evan alive until his usefulness was gone. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. She swallowed hard, shoving the persistent thoughts trying to rob her of reason aside. She couldn’t let the knowledge of what would happen to her mate if he had not gotten away put her at risk. She wouldn’t be able to help him if she was dead before she got there.

The tiny hairs at the back of her neck stood again. She scanned the energies around her. Confident the enemy wasn’t near, she grinned and quickened her step. She would not be dissuaded or taken off course, but she couldn’t keep from putting the men to their paces. Veering left, she took to thicker brush. Petite as she was, slipping around the brambles and ducking beneath low tree limbs was easy, but her pursuers wouldn’t be so lucky. She wasn’t crazy, she wouldn’t hinder them to the point of being unable to defend themselves or even her if need be, but they would know she was on to them.

Moments later, a low growl rumbled a short distance behind her. They were closer than she had thought. Shaking her head, she took off again. The encampment was over the next rise, so they could catch up there.

Each step she took closer to the enemy camp added weight to the dread pressing on her. The area before her was quiet—too quiet. Swallowing her fears, she plowed forward. The large camp would have taken hours to disassemble and move, even in the state they had left it. There was no way they could be gone already. A soft wisp of smoke rose above the knoll, curling in the breeze, carrying the scent of charred wood and her hope of removing Evan from their clutches with it.

“We’re too late. They’re gone.” She didn’t have to look behind her to know her packmates had caught up.

Wesken stepped up next to her. “What’s your plan?” When she couldn’t respond right away, he continued, “I’m taking the lead from here. You’re too invested.” He gave her a moment to argue, but she was no fool. He was right. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

In all the years of suffering after his mother’s demise, Evan had never wished for death more. Pain ravaged his body with every single breath. Dark shadows, his silent tormentors, danced around him, mocking him as they breathed down his neck.

He hadn’t been able to see much of anything in the days since his capture. Part of him wished the swelling on his face hadn’t receded to allow his sight. A single lantern, hanging on a wire above, cast the room in an eerie glow. It swung back and forth as though the shack shifted in the howling wind.

At the opposite end of the room, one of their own hung on a large metal hook by the wrists just as he was. The Erritrol didn’t move. Was it even alive? Were they keeping it for food, or just to torture for their enjoyment? Crates, stacked tall, kept Evan from seeing the rest of the room and the only exit.

Somewhere behind him, on the other side of the makeshift wall, a door slammed open. He shuddered as the rancid stench of Erritrol wafted to him, shaking him to his bones.

A low growl reverberated in the air, and then Evan’s legs flew out from beneath him, kicked out by one of the beasts who strode past. Without warning, the larger of the two reared its meaty fist and slammed it into the hanging beast’s chest. “Wake up,
traitor
.”

The soft snarl coming from the injured animal should have been warning enough, but the beast stepped closer. The creature on the hook moved in a blur of motion, snapping its razor-sharp teeth, and tearing a mouthful of flesh and fur before its assailant could retreat to safety.

Vicious blows rained down on the animal unable to do anything more than accept the punishment given. The furious roars of their captors shook the tin walls. Evan wasn’t foolish enough to hope they would spend all their aggression on the beast. His muscles clenched and he took a steadying breath, a vain attempt to center himself enough for the beating to come. The phoenix struggled for freedom, and Evan welcomed the strong, coppery taste in his mouth as its fury rose, yet nothing happened.

“You think to attack?” Pain exploded from Evan’s back.

So focused on what was happening before him, Evan hadn’t realized another had come with them and lain in wait. The beast walked around him, a metal pipe with a wicked looking hook at the end gripped in its hand.

Violent shudders tore through him at the sight. Heart pounding, he tried in vain to free himself, to move further from the wicked instrument.

With the sharp tip, the Erritrol poked at Evan’s chest. He expected the blade to stab, or at least cut into his flesh, but instead of blood and pain, a soft ticking sound rose from where the beast tapped on his chest. An opalescent stone hung from his neck on a length of rough twine, the smooth rock resting against his breastbone.

“What’s wrong? Can’t move?” A sneer twisted the beast’s face as it brought the hook to Evan’s cheek, pushing his face back up to look at him with the sharp point.

Holding his breath, Evan pulled his head back as far as he could. His heart hammered as the hook edged up closer and closer to his eye.

“Stop fucking around and get what you came for.” The shortest of the three rubbed his hands together, the anticipation too much for it to contain.

The hook hovered for a moment before the Erritrol pulled it sharply away, gouging him just below his eye. Blood, warm and sticky, flowed down Evan’s cheek and neck. The phoenix helplessly flapped its fiery wings, fanning the embers higher and higher with no way of releasing the energy it built.

“I’m going to give you one chance.” The Erritrol trailed the hook down Evan’s naked chest, leaving an angry red welt in its wake before stopping just below his navel. “Do as I say and I won’t rip your balls from your body.” The hook slid lower to his groin.

Closing his eyes, Evan tried to breathe, but his lungs wouldn’t work.
Fuck!

“When I pull the stone from your skin, you’re going to call your sister to you.”

Holding himself as still as he could, Evan struggled not to react.

“You have ten seconds to call her.” The blade sliced deeper.

He would not give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream.
Sick fucking bastards
.

One filthy claw came out to pull the twine away from his chest, lifting the stone from his skin. An invisible albatross lifted from his chest. He dragged the foul air into his lungs, coughing through the pain exploding in his body. His power trickled in, making the phoenix snap its beak, eager for battle.

“Ten seconds. Call her to you now.”

A loud crash somewhere outside had the ground shaking beneath his feet and debris hitting the exterior tin walls. The two Erritrols tormenting his fellow prisoner took off running for the door, while the one with the hook embedded in Evan’s upper thigh snarled and shoved the point in deeper. His face contorted into a sinister smile just before he tore it from Evan’s leg, spraying blood across the room, and then stormed out of the shack.

Evan finally let out the air burning in his lungs. He’d gotten lucky. His thigh burned and throbbed, but as far as he could tell, everything else was intact. They would be back and the torture would resume, but it didn’t matter. For now, he was whole. He would die a million times over. Take any punishment they could think of, even fucking castration, but he’d never put his sister in the hands of these creatures.

The ever-silent beast across from him raised its head, instantly alert, and began a series of coughs and grunts.

The walls shook with blasts all around them. Behind him, the door crashed open again. A ferocious roar rattled his bones, followed by utter silence. Heart pounding, he braced himself. He only prayed death would be swift and merciful. He wasn’t usually so lucky.

Grunts and growls erupted behind him as heavy feet pounded on the ground. “Argram.”

Eyes fixed to the beast rushing toward it, his beaten companion sagged on the hook for a moment. More guttural coughs exchanged between the two before the intruder swung its head and looked straight at him. He didn’t understand the Erritrol language, but the vicious glares and snarls they sent his way spoke louder than any words could.

No energy forewarned him of another’s approach, yet a small sob sounded from the behind the crates. A familiar figure rushed to the hanging beast, and he had to blink twice to convince himself he wasn’t hallucinating.

A long, thick braid hung down her back, her auburn hair secured with a leather thong. He didn’t need to see her face to know who she was. Her utilitarian dark green pants were standard Coalition issue and blended well with the foliage in the Dark Lands, as did the T-shirt she wore.

What the hell was she doing there? He had put himself in harm’s way to allow her to get away. The only thing getting him through each pain-filled moment was the thought that she was safe, yet here she was at the center of the enemy camp—again. To Evan’s complete horror, rather than cloaking herself or running from the beasts, she threw herself at the wounded animal, hugging him fiercely.

“Argram, we thought you were dead.” Her softly spoken words drifted to his ears. Tears flowed down her flushed cheeks as she gave the beast a wobbly smile. “We don’t have much time.”

Evan did not utter a word. The pain of treachery cut him deeper than any of his wounds. His own mate conspired against the people of Avalore—against him.

The creature slumped to the floor as his bindings loosened, allowing him to slip his wrists free. Brienne lifted a necklace from her neck and handed it to the beast beside her. In an instant, her colors shone bright. Pressing her hands to the fallen creature’s chest, she flooded it with energy.

How dare she use her energy on that beast, knowing that it would bring more Erritrols to the shack? Her light was like a beacon in the dark of night. Did she really hate him so much that she would watch him killed? Did she not care for her own life?

The creature she had called Argram stood on shaking legs and tilted its head toward Evan. “What of him?”

Brienne’s gaze, for the first time, swung toward his corner of the room. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, her strangled cry barely audible over the sounds of battle outside.

Reaching toward the beast she had come with, she grabbed her necklace, stuffed it into the pocket on her right thigh, and hurried toward Evan. “Take Argram and go.”

Evan could not tear his gaze from hers. What slight had caused her to despise him like this? He couldn’t remember, could not think straight. Too many days without food or water, and more injuries than he had the strength to heal, left his brain fogged and confused.

“No, we leave together.” Argram’s hoarse words cemented her treachery further.

“I said go. Wesken, take him to Herla for healing, and then home to Miga. That’s an order.” She didn’t as much as glance back at them.

One small hand came up to hover over Evan’s cheek before she pulled it down again and reached in her pocket. The trembling in her fingers and the tear that slid down her cheek didn’t fool him. If anything, it was remnant from finding the one they called Argram in such a state.

A sharp pang pierced his heart that the vile creature would get a warmer welcome from his mate than he had. When she pulled her hand from her pocket again, a small blade glinted in her hand. It could have been a foot long and the impact would have been the same.

“Do you think you can stand?” Even as she spoke, the glint of her blade came nearer and nearer. When the cool tip touched his neck, Evan closed his eyes and braced himself. After all he had been through, his own mate would be the one to take his life.

Soft energy poured into him, easing his pain, baffling his already confused mind. He opened his eyes again to find her hovering by his side, using the sharp little blade to cut through the thick ropes above his wrists. His stone necklace dangled from where she held it between her teeth.

“We’re going to have to move as soon as you’re free.”
Her gaze darted to the door.
“We don’t have much time.”
Her voice slid into his mind with ease, as though the path was well worn. A loud roar, followed by another, and again one more shook the walls.
“They’re coming. Can you use your phoenix yet?”
She worked the blade furiously at the rope.

His muddled thoughts spun in circles. Was she trying to save him? A minute ago, he had been so certain she wanted him dead. The burn of power sizzled in his core. His phoenix wasn’t strong, but in its fury, it would be able to move. The hair at the back of his neck stood on end as the metallic taste of the enemy coated his tongue. They were out of time.
“Go.”
His order was clear.

“I’m not one of your men to order about.”
The little blade cut through one of the ropes.

Had he not been in so much pain, and the danger so near, he might have smiled at her impatience.
“Stay and we’ll both be strung to the rafters. My injuries are too severe for travel.”
It wasn’t a total lie. He would be able to move, but not for long.

Her gaze went to the door again before she faced him shoulders squared and chin held high.
“I said no. Now you can help me and we both get out alive, or you can be stubborn and we both die. You choose,
mate
.”