A Soul For Atonement (The Soulbearer Series Book 4) (17 page)

“But they’re mine.” Green lightning forked through the sky, and the wind picked up, all matching the anger in his words as he stared at the urn.

Dev reached for Arden to pull her back, but she slipped out of his reach and dashed toward Loku. “If you take them, our agreement will be voided.”

“I don’t care.”

The second Dev took a step toward her to pull her back, a wall of sharp rocks erupted from the ground in front of him. His heart jumped in his throat. He called out her name, but she didn’t turn around.

Callix, on the other hand, stood rigid in defiance as he stared down the chaos god. “You want your urn? Then you can have it once you promise to let us all return to the other side of the portal.”

“I don’t have to promise you anything,” Loku growled, the winds rising in response.

“No, but you made a promise to me,” Arden said, inching closer to the irate god. “And if you break it, I refuse to keep my end of our agreement.”

Dev tried moving around the wall of rock that kept him from Arden, but the ridge kept widening with every step he took. His fingers curled into his palms while his magic churned inside his gut. He held out his hand and released it, shattering an opening through them. “Let her go, or you get nothing.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Dev.” He snatched Arden’s wrist and pulled her against him like a shield. “I have her.”

“Then you’ll get nothing,” Callix replied.

The word
no
lodged in the middle of Dev’s throat as Callix smashed the urn against the ground. The ashes scattered in the gale force wind, and Loku released her with a howl of anger to chase after them.

It was just the distraction they needed. Dev grabbed Arden and pulled her toward the shimmering green portal, Callix following close behind with a shield of magic cast over them. This time, when he found himself hurtling through space, he didn’t feel the same sense of nauseating dread. They’d rescued Arden, and he didn’t care what he had to endure, so long as her hand was entwined with his.

When they landed, he wrapped his body around hers to bear the brunt of the impact and rolled out of the way before Callix landed on them.

“Close the portal,” he ordered once everyone was back.

Varrik shook his head. “There are no instructions on how to do that. We have to wait for the spell to run out.”

Dev cursed under his breath, but Arden laid a calming hand on his shoulder. “I can close it.”

She stood and closed her eyes, extended one arm toward the portal. An incantation in the same ancient language rolled off her tongue, but the words were different. The glowing green circle started to recede, slowly shrinking into a tiny spark that fizzled out.

Dev released the breath he’d been holding. It was finally over. The relic had been returned, and he and Arden were both safe.

She turned around, her smile mirroring the same sense of relief. Then the ring in her eyes flashed, her mouth forming a perfect circle. “You tricked him.”

Callix laughed, and Dev pulled her into his arms. “What’s he saying?”

“The urn contained the ashes of a half-eaten Ornathian and a cow.”

Callix laughed even harder. “Serves him right.”

Dozens of questions filled Dev’s mind as he held her. What had Loku done to her? Was she hurt? Would she show any signs of madness from this? And what kind of bargain did she strike with the chaos god? And would she still keep it based on his behavior?

But all that could wait. Right now, he wanted to get her as far away from the portal as he could. He looked to Varrik. “Should we take her to Lothmore or the Conclave?”

“The Conclave,” her father replied. “She’ll be safer there, and we’ll have more resources at our disposal.”

Varrik didn’t have to say what sort of resources. As soon as Arden passed through the gates, she’d be examined for any injuries, any harmful spells, any traces of taints or madness. Dev only hoped it would be over with quickly because once the Mages Council was done, he was going to keep her by his side until their wedding day.

Chapter 20

Callix tapped his feet to the unaccustomed quick beat of uncertainty despite the fatigue that weighed down the rest of his body. When they arrived at the Conclave, Sazi led him up to her chambers in the tower and cast a brief set of spells on him before instructing him to wait there for her return. Hours had passed, and the first rays of the sun appeared through the clouds. He shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around him, wondering if he should catch a few hours of sleep before she returned.

As soon as he allowed himself to drift off, the door to her chambers opened, followed by a jumble of voices. He jerked to attention and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Am I free to go to a warm bed now?”

“Not quite, Lore Keeper,” Sazi replied, offering him a mug of steaming tea. “We need to discuss a few things with you about the Soulbearer.”

And by
we
, she meant the most influential people in the empire—Marist, Arano, and Varrik. They gathered their chairs around him and watched him with a mix of wariness and curiosity, as though they half-expected Loku to take over his body.

“Ask away.”

Sazi waited for permission from the empress before speaking. “First off, I have removed the spell binding your soul, so take care. Second, I wanted to let you know that it bore no trace of chaos.”

“That’s good to know.” He shivered again and took a sip of the tea. A calming sensation flowed through his veins as the hot liquid reached his stomach.
Great. They’re drugging me
. But he had little willpower left to fight it.

“I find that quite strange,” Sazi continued, “considering everything that has come from Chaos bears that taint. Even Dev’s soul bore faint traces of it from his brief visit.”

“Maybe the binding spell had something to do with it?”

“Perhaps,” the empress replied, “but there may be more to it than that. There was a reason the Jaquoix family was chosen to be the original Soulbearers. They could resist Loku’s corruption longer than those that followed.”

“Yes, elvan blood and all that.”

“No, I don’t think that is the case.” Varrik cupped his chin in his hand and studied Callix. “But the fact that your soul resisted chaos’s influence is quite interesting.”

“Yes, well, if you don’t mind, can we test your hypotheses at a later time?” he asked, the tea loosening his tongue far more than he’d normally allow. “After my adventures in Chaos, I’m overdue for a nice warm bed and a long sleep.”

The empress arched a haughty brow, and the Mage Primus covered his mouth to conceal a chuckle.

Marist silenced him with a sharp glare before asking, “The matter we wish to discuss with you involves this so-called bargain the Soulbearer made with Loku.”

“I know nothing of it, so it must’ve either happened after I was expelled from Chaos or in her mind. What did she say it entailed?”

“So you have no idea how she came by the mark on her wrist?” Empress Marist asked, ignoring his question.

“Didn’t notice it.” His tongue grew thick and heavy, slurring his words. “Why don’t you ask her instead?”

“He is speaking the truth, Your Majesty,” Sazi said.

“Of course I am. After all, you’ve drugged me.”

All four of them looked away. A sure sign of guilt, even if none of them came forth and confirmed it.

“Then we will deal with this matter as best we can.” The empress rose and motioned for the others to follow her out of the room.

Callix stood and stumbled after them, but Sazi stopped him. A wave of magic rippled through him, and the effects of the drug eased.

“I am sorry I had to do that to you.” She gave him an apologetic smile.

He straightened his clothes and nodded. “If the empress commands it, I suppose you have little choice in the matter.”

She nodded. “But you have no idea what terms Arden may have agreed to?”

“No, but if she made a bargain, then she must’ve put a few fail-safes in place.”

“Meaning?”

He rolled back on his heels. The drug might’ve been out of his system, but the interrogation continued. “Arden may be a good number of things, but one thing is certain. She has inherited her father’s sharp mind. When she negotiated for my freedom, she made sure I had the Blood of Lireal on me so it would make it back to this realm, and her terms with Loku were quite precise. She knows how to deal with him, and if she agreed to anything, she worded it very carefully.”

“That is good to know.” She turned and moved toward the large opening that led to a balcony.

Part of him wanted to leave and go find a bed, but something that was said earlier continued to nag at the back of his mind. “What is this about the mark on her wrist?”

“She returned with a black bracelet bearing his insignia tattooed on her wrist, but the lines seem to be in constant motion.”

Much like the lines on Loku’s skin
. “And you think there’s some significance to it?”

“Yes, Lore Keeper, I do. But she refuses to tell us anything, and I fear our troubles with Loku are far from over. Her Protector will have much to deal with.”

“Poor Dev.”

“I would echo your sentiments, but he has resigned his position because he feared his feelings for her would cloud his judgment. She is currently without a Protector.”

The last sentence was directed pointedly toward him, and that tiny flare of guilt burned inside his chest again. As much as he tried to suppress it, he couldn’t douse it completely. “Then I pity the fool who accepts that position.”

He trudged off to the room he’d been given at the Conclave, ignoring the little voice in the back of his mind that plagued him. The last time he listened to it, he ended up in Chaos and was almost killed in the process.

Lesson learned
.

Chapter 21

Arden looked up at Dev’s face and beamed as they were finally declared husband and wife.

“
Go on and kiss him, you silly girl
,” Loku whispered. “
And make it one that will cause your cousin to squirm uncomfortably on her throne
.”

She mentally rolled her eyes and kissed Dev. It may not have been squirm-inducing, but it bore every ounce of passion she dared to display outside of the bedroom. After so many heartbreaks and setbacks, her wedding day had finally arrived, and she was looking forward to spending the rest of her life with him.

When the kiss ended, she murmured, “It’s official. You’re stuck with me.”

“Until I draw my last breath.” He lowered his head until their noses touched. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way, Trouble.”

She fought the urge to stick out her tongue like a petulant child. “I hate being called that.”

“But it fits you so well,” he teased before stepping back to receive the well-wishers.

As she shook hands and thanked their guests for coming to her wedding, almost none of them noticed the ribbon tied around her right wrist. She glanced down at it every once in a while, wondering if some of the lines had escaped out from under it.

“
Worried our little secret will be revealed?
” Loku asked.

“
Yes and no. I just don’t want to endure any more questions about it
.”

“
Oh, but there will be more questions, my dear little Soulbearer, especially once you start to assert yourself as my high priestess
.”

A storm of chaotic magic bloomed inside her, and she quickly cast a few containment spells to keep Loku from ruining her wedding day. “
Remember our agreement
.”

“
Fine, but I was just trying to mark this memorable occasion by making it a little more memorable.
”

“
Please, don’t. They are already see me as a freak as it is
.” She was the Soulbearer, but unlike her predecessors, she still hadn’t shown any signs of descending into madness. Between the empress and Mages Council, she’d been poked, prodded, and studied so much over the last few days, she wanted to act mad just so they’d leave her alone.

Dev nudged her, his brow creased with concern. “Is someone bothering you?”

“
Yes, is someone bothering you?
” Loku echoed. “
I’ll gladly dispose of Marist for you
.”

“
Don’t you dare
,” she silently replied before giving Dev a reassuring smile. “Just the same old nuisance.”

“
Nuisance? Well, I like that
!” the chaos god huffed.

“
Shut up and let me enjoy the day
.”

“
Fine.
” He retreated to the back of her mind, but his displeasure never truly faded.

Dev cocked his head to the side for a moment before guiding her to the table where an extensive feast was laid out. “You handle him better than the others.”

“Yes, well, it’s because we have an understanding with each other.”