Beloved (38 page)

“Kira, are you all right?” Cade, always her hero, was at her side in an instant.

“Yeah.” Though she felt like she’d been kicked by a horse and the tips of her fingers were numb.

“Octavion,” Luka groaned.

Cade and Nestor lifted Luka and helped him to the sofa. He wasn’t quite conscious yet, but Kira hoped he’d wake enough to shed some light on what had happened. But before they had him settled, he came up swinging, hitting Cade in the chest and his father in the gut. They both let go and stepped back, letting Luka have some space until he regained his bearings.

Luka shot to his feet, then reconsidered when his balance made him stumble to one side. He grabbed the arm of the sofa and plopped down on the cushion. He looked around the room, stopping to look at each person as if his vision was blurred and he had to concentrate to recognize their faces. When he got to Kira, tears filled his eyes.

“I could not save him.” Luka lowered his face into his hands, his next words coming out between sobs of sorrow. “There were . . . too many. Two hybrids.”

The pain that still lingered in Kira’s heart from healing, was nothing compared to what his next words caused. They landed like blows to her heart, eradicating the healing pain that lingered there.

“They took him. In chains. Hollowed chains.”

“What?” King Belesgar was on his knees in front of Luka, pulling his hands from his face and forcing him to say the words again. “What about the chains?”

“They were the chains of hollowing. The second they put him in them, he sank to the ground and he had no fight left. I tried to save him. I fought with everything I had . . . but it wasn’t enough.” He fell into Belesgar's arms, no longer a king, but a grieving father and uncle. “I am so sorry.”

“King Tyrius will never let him go,” Nestor blurted. “He is a collector and will strip him of all his gifts then keep him captive as a pet. There will be no reasoning with the man. Not even his own brothers find favor with him.”

Altaria sat next to Luka and put her hand on his. “What if we get help from Morganstar and Finvarra? Their people were injured and killed on that battlefield too; surely they’ll want to avenge them.”

Belesgar released Luka and took a seat across from him. He leaned his elbows on his knees. “Today is a day of mourning. No one will join us and we are too weak to fight them on our own. There would be more death and I will not have it.”

“But father,” Altaria started.

“No. I forbid it. He is my son. I will decide what needs to be done and how to proceed.”

Kira was barely aware of the conversation. She sat on the floor near the fireplace, her fingers not the only part of her body that had grown numb. They’d put him in chains. Both times she’d seen him bound he’d been fighting with everything he had to get free. The image she imagined now was of a broken, weak, ghost of a man.

Kira slowly stood. With all the attention on Luka, no one noticed when she walked to the table and folded the map. There was only one thing for her to do. She was going to get her husband back.

Kira’s first thought was to go straight to the stable, get on Althros and ride like a mad woman to Lairdor. She knew they would help her. But then she caught a glimpse of her black hair in the mirror hanging near the door. She was tired of hiding—tired of pretending to be someone she wasn’t. If her plan was to ride into Kazedon on the back of her mighty stead, she wanted to make an impression. How better to do that than to show off her red hair?

She changed directions and ran up the grand staircase and into her room. She passed through the dressing chambers and into the bathing room where she spotted the bottle of shampoo Octavion had made to strip the dye from her hair. She grabbed a small leather pouch that hung from a hook and slipped the bottle and map inside. She added a sponge and some clean linens, then a comb she knew she’d need later to get out the tangles.

“What are you doing?” Ussay’s voice startled her, not to mention her bright white gown. Coming from the darkness of the dressing room, she looked like a ghost.

“Going to Lairdor. I need to be there when they lay Nigel to rest. I hope you won’t mind if I miss being here for you and your mom.”

“It is already done. My uncle and I found a place for her this morning. We wanted it to be family only. Forgive me for not inviting you.”

Kira wanted to hug her, but knew it would bring her to tears and she didn’t want to cry. Not now. “There’s nothing to forgive, but I’m in a bit of a hurry and really do need to go.”

“Of course.” She presented Kira with two quivers—her old one and the prize she’d won. “You left these at my home. I thought you might want them with you here.”

“Thanks, though I have no bow, so they’ll be of little use to me.”

The corners of Ussay’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “I found this in Octavion’s lair. I thought you could use it until you get one of your own.” She pulled a long bow from behind her back, though Kira couldn’t figure out how she’d kept it hidden. It was longer than she was tall.

Kira took the bow and tested the balance in her hand. She let the quivers drop to the floor and pulled back the string, finding it held a lot more tension than her last bow. It would take some getting used to, but she was sure she could master it. “Thanks. This will work just fine.”

“One more thing.” Ussay stepped into the dressing chambers and returned with a mourning robe much like the one she’d presented to Kira earlier. “You may want this for later.”

Kira quickly strapped her new quiver around her waist and transferred all the arrows she had left into it. She threw the bow over her head to hang across her shoulder, then stuffed the robe into the leather pouch. “Thanks again for your help, Ussay.”

Without another word, Kira walked past her, out the door and down the staircase. Once in the courtyard, she regretted not sending Ussay out first to see if it was clear. Waiting for her near the fountain were Altaria and Cade.

“Where are you going?” Altaria asked, her arms folded over her chest.

“Lairdor. They’ll be laying Nigel to rest today and I don’t want to miss it.” She walked past them and into the stable where Althros and Mahli waited. She was happy to see the stable door open and the horse munching away on a fresh clump of hay. She walked over to him and stroked his neck.

“You should not travel alone,” Cade said from behind her.

Althros’ head shot up and he snorted, blowing snot all over the wall and Mahli. The cub growled, pushing Cade aside so she could move to the other side of the stable.

“I’m not going alone. I’ll have Althros and Mahli with me. Besides, I rather doubt I’ll be in danger. Kazedon is probably licking their wounds and burying their dead like everyone else.” She grabbed a brush off a nearby shelf and began the process of healing the rest of her horse’s wounds. After healing each spot, she’d brush out the scab and dried blood before moving on to the next. Althros didn’t seem to mind the process as he continued eating.

Altaria stepped up to the rail and leaned her arms over the edge. “He was not talking about going alone to Lairdor. We are not stupid. We saw you take the map and know what you have planned. You cannot do it our help.”

Kira stopped brushing Althros and turned to face them. “I have no plan. The only thing I want to do right now is heal my horse and bury my friend. If you’d like to tag along, fine. Otherwise, leave me alone.” She returned to her grooming, knowing full well both of them could probably tell she’d lied.

A long moment passed before Cade finally spoke. “Come on, Altaria. Give her some space.”

Kira didn’t watch them leave the stable, but she listened to their footsteps fade in the distance. She let the tension out of her shoulders, not realizing until then that she’d been so worked up by their presence. Thing was, there had been enough killing because of her and the last thing she wanted was anyone else getting hurt. If King Tyrius wanted Kira bad enough to kidnap a prince, then she’d give herself to him, but not until he agreed to return Octavion to his family, unscathed. In theory, the plan would work, but reality in this world was far from predictable, especially in Kazedon.

She finished brushing the trail dust from Althros’ coat and replaced the brush on the shelf. “You ready to meet my family, buddy?” She scrubbed her fingers through his mane and patted him on the withers. “Should we try it without a saddle today?” She had much better balance now, thanks to Blayde’s training sessions on the swing.

She led Althros to the courtyard, close enough to the fountain that she could use it as a stool. With her bow and quiver securely in position along with her leather pouch, she hopped up on the stone edge and mounted with ease. She grabbed a handful of mane and gave the horse a nudge with her heels.

“You coming, Mahli?” The cub squeaked out a pitiful excuse for a growl then fell in step beside Althros.

Riding through the village with everyone dressed in white was like stepping into Heaven. The celestial site calmed her spirit. Even Althros seemed to have a certain reverence about the way he planted each hoof on the cobblestone streets. Dressed for war in her black leather pants and weapons, Kira felt like her very presence caused a rift in the people’s mourning ritual.

As they exited the main gate, the atmosphere changed significantly, like a heavy blanket had been drawn over them. Even the sky seemed darker somehow, though there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Not wanting to face her newfound family and the fact that their leader had died saving her life, she should have set a pace meant for an afternoon stroll in the meadow. But her heart ached to be with them again, even if the deepest of sorrows would be impossible to avoid. She was sure Jaya would have little control over her gift while mourning a man she saw as a father figure and it would rub off on anyone close to her.

Kira gave Althros another nudge with her heels and leaned forward, grabbing a bigger chunk of his mane. “Come on guys.”

The last time she’d taken this journey, she’d been on her way to kill Shandira. Though she wasn’t afraid for her life now, she was just as nervous. She had no idea how everyone would react when they saw here. For weeks they’d accepted her as their own—accepted her generous offer to live on her land—but now that she’d made the decision to make the castle her home she felt like an outsider again. And after only one day.

As they entered the meadow, Kira pulled back on Althros’ mane to slow him to a walk. She patted his neck and straightened, scanning the trees for any sign of activity. It was eerily quiet. Even the sounds of the forest seemed hushed.

“Whoa, buddy.” Althros took a few more steps then came to a stop, allowing Kira to swing her leg over his neck and drop to the ground. She stroked the horse’s withers and spoke softly. “Don’t go too far. I might need you later.” She turned to Mahli who stood on her other side. She buried her fist in the cub’s fur. “That goes for you too.”

Kira proceeded forward. The further she went, the heavier her heart got. She could hear voices not far off, so she turned toward them and continued walking until she saw Blayde leaning against a tree. She’d never seen him more handsome. In addition to his white trousers and tunic, he was clean shaven and his hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nap of his neck.

“Blayde?”

His head slowly turned until their eyes met. “We have been waiting for you.”

She closed the distance between them, stopping within arm’s reach. “I’m sorry. I would have been here earlier, but Octavion and Luka—”

“Altaria told me.” He pushed away from the tree and for the first time since they’d met, embraced her lovingly—not an easy task with her bow in the way. He whispered in her ear. “Give us this day to mourn our friend . . .” He released her, his eyes brimming with moisture he didn’t bother to wipe away. His hands moved to rest on her shoulders. “And first thing on the morrow . . . we get your beloved back.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Of course. We are family. Nothing comes that we do not face together. Why do you think Lairdor exists? We refuse to let adversity come between us and our loved ones. Even the curse of Panthera cannot deter us. If nothing else, I thought you had learned this much from us.”