Birthright (The Stone Legacy Series Book 5) (15 page)

Chapter Twenty-six

Zanya

Inside her home, with a cup of herbal tea in her hands, Zanya couldn’t let her mind rest.

Arwan was in the underworld, and it was her job to get him out. They were bonded, and her soul wouldn’t be whole until he was back where he belonged.

“How’s the tea?” Her mother poured a steaming mug of herbal brew while the rest of the group was outside in their camp. She’d prefer almost anyone else to be there…

“Fine.” Zanya sipped the hot drink. Hints of sage, mint, and ginger rose with the steam and infused her senses.

“Good. You’ll need your strength for the baby.”

Zanya frowned, refusing to linger on the subject. She wanted to be comfortable talking to her mother about it, but the mother-daughter bond wasn’t there anymore—not like the first time they met. And not when Zanya was ashamed of her own contempt over the pregnancy.

So for now, until things changed, they’d talk business and keep it at that. “I need to figure a way to get Arwan out of there.”

Balam lay in the corner, dozing. His presence was barely detectable, except when he twitched or flinched in his sleep.

Her mother turned on the electric stovetop and put the water to boil. “I don’t think you’re in much condition to go anywhere—let alone the underworld.”

“My
condition
has nothing to do with it. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when, and how.”

Her mother walked into the living space and sat on the chair across from her. “Zanya…” She laced her fingers and leaned forward.

“Please, don’t.” Zanya sipped her tea. “I really don’t want to hear it.”

“Sometimes what we want and what we need are two different things.”

“I doubt you’re the person who should be telling me that.”

Her mother leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Do you think he would ever forgive you if you went to get him, and something happened to the baby?”

Zanya cringed, a spike of annoyance stiffening her muscles. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“That’s my grandchild.”

Zanya snorted. “Says the woman who tried to kill the father of
your grandchild
—twice. Why do you care so much about this? Just leave it alone. Please.”

Her mother examined her for a long, silent moment. “Okay, then what happens when you go there, and your abilities fail you at the wrong time?”

“They won’t.”

“Because you have so much control over it, right? Like outside when we trained—you chose to collapse on the ground and scare everyone half to death.”

“That’s different.”

“You’re right. Because in the underworld, if your abilities fail, you’ll die. Do you think he’ll forgive you then?”

Zanya stayed quiet. Her life was one of the only things Arwan would sacrifice himself to save. If she was at risk, he would do whatever he could to save her—no matter the cost.

“And what about the stone?”

Zanya glanced at the leather bracelet with her stone hidden inside.

“What will happen to it if you’re gone, and you have no heir to pass it to?”

“You’re here.”

“But I passed the stone to you. There’s no
takesies-backsies
. You’re the Stone Guardian now, and it’s your job to protect it.”

“So what are you suggesting, exactly? Not make any effort to get him back?”

Her mother shrugged. “That’s home to him, Zanya. If he wants to leave, I’m sure he could. Maybe he’s choosing not to. Ever consider that?”

“No.” Zanya clenched her jaw. “And I won’t. He belongs here, with me.” She was never so sure about anything in her life.

***

The next morning Zanya got dressed and met the others outside.

Jayden was the first to notice her. He tapped Peter’s arm while staring, the gesture catching everyone’s attention. “Wow.” Jayden raised is eyebrows. “You’re uh…” He froze and glanced at Hawa, then cleared his throat. “You’re finally ready. About time.”

Hawa rolled her eyes. “Smooth.”

Her mother nodded in approval. “The gear fits you perfectly.” She flexed her arm. “You’ve filled out.”

“Yeah. I guess that’s from all the raw foods, hikes, and training.”

“Good. You’ll need the strength for the baby.”

Zanya frowned, unwilling to linger on the subject. “I’ve been thinking about this all night, and I have a plan.” Everyone gathered in a tighter circle in silence. “We’ll go to the opening where Arwan was pulled under. I’ll give a blood offering, and the tree will give us access to the underworld. We go in, we get out. That’s it. It’s the four of us, and only us.” She gestured to Jayden, Renato, and Beigarth. “Hawa, you can escort us there and back since you can sprint back once we’re in. You’ll be the safest one to travel alone. Everyone else stays here and waits for us.”

“What about me?” her mother said.

Peter raised his hand. “And me. What if someone gets hurt? I should be there.”

“We don’t know if your powers will work in the underworld, Peter. And even if they do, I need you to take care of everyone here. While I’m gone, you’re in charge.”

“Damn right, he is,” her mother said. “Because I’m coming with you.”

Zanya ignored the comment and continued to address Peter. “If anything happens while we’re gone that you can’t handle, you have to get them out. Do you understand?”

Peter nodded without a hint of protest.

Marzena and Drina stood together, watching from a distance. It was typical for Marzena to be short-worded, if she spoke at all, but not Drina. It was strange she hadn’t protested or rooted them on. Nothing except sadness showed in the deep creases around her mouth.

Marzena narrowed her eyes, focused on Zanya.
If you should meet the witch and have the chance to kill her
, she transmitted with her mind,
take it. Do not hesitate to steal the life from her body, because she will surely not hesitate to steal yours.

Zanya nodded, knowing she was the only one who heard Marzena’s words.

“How do you know this’ll work?” Tara said. “I mean, the tree could let
you
in, but what if it doesn’t let the rest of them through?”

“Arwan and I had no problem when we traveled through to get Jayden back. And
then
I didn’t have underworld blood coursing through me.”

“There is one rather large problem with this plan,” Renato said. “The tree was designed to sense underworld blood. It is not like the lake. It is not an inanimate object or a placid body of water. It is very much alive, and if it senses anything but underworlders in its grasp, it will reject them—with extreme prejudice.”

The group fell silent.

“If I end up going alone, so be it.” Memories of her last visit to the underworld flashed through her mind, sending her nerves on edge. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. “I get that you guys are scared. I’m not exactly excited about being dragged back down there either. But I can’t leave him. He wouldn’t leave me.”

Renato nodded. “Then it’s settled. We go as far as we can, together.”

Zanya mirrored Renato’s nod, thankful for his resilience where others faltered. He would be the one to stand strong. He had raised Arwan, and no matter their bloodlines, they were family.

When the group dispersed, Eleuia grabbed her arm and stepped close, speaking in a low tone. “What the hell is going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t want me to go? How dare you treat me like that—especially in front of all of these people?
My brother
. They’ll think you don’t respect me.”

Zanya silently stared into her mother’s face.

She let go of Zanya’s arm and pulled back, her eyes slightly widened.

Besides raw anger and contempt, it was the first genuine reaction she’d seen from her in a long time.

“I don’t want you to go because you wouldn’t sacrifice for him.” Zanya squared her stance and faced her mother—a little like looking into her own reflection. “You want him gone, so if things get bad, you wouldn’t even try to save him.”

Eleuia paused, as if considering Zanya’s words. “You’re right. I wouldn’t try to save him. But I’d do anything to save you.”

A stretch of silence lingered between them, and before Zanya could find words to respond, Eleuia joined the group who would brave the deadly journey alongside her.

Her mother leaned in to Hawa and whispered. Hawa nodded.

Zanya sighed.

She knew her mother meant well, but it was too little, too late.

Once they’d said their goodbyes, it didn’t take long for the small group to arrive at the tear in the earth. Stench continued to saturate the air, suffocating the plants until they turned a murky brown. Zanya covered her nose, doing her best to ignore the funk that coated her throat and scalded her lungs.

“What now?” Jayden asked.

“Now…” She slid a knife out of its sheath attached to her belt. “I bleed.” She extended her wrist over the hole and poised the blade over the flickering pulse in her vein.

“Wait.” Her mother grabbed her hand. “Are you sure about this? I know I couldn’t stop you even if I wanted to, but there’s more at risk than just me or you.”

“I know what you’re worried about, but it’s not real to me. Not yet. You can’t put something in danger that doesn’t even exist.” They both knew she was talking about the baby.

Her mother stepped back in compliance.

“Now hold on,” Zanya said. “When the tree comes, it’ll come fast and it won’t be gentle. If you’re not holding on, you’ll be left behind. Jayden, you stand in the back. With underworld blood in the front and rear, the tree may have less chance of denying us access.” Renato coiled his arms around her waist, and the others clung to him in a too-close-for-comfort hug train.

She looked at Hawa, who willingly gave Eleuia her spot in the mission. “We won’t be long.”

Hawa nodded. “Be careful.”

Zanya drew in a breath and ran the blade across the blue shadow under her skin, splitting it open.

Blood poured from the vein, pumping scarlet down the curve of her wrist, and into the gaping hole.

After a few moments, the wound began to heal.

“Where is it?” Jayden said from behind her.

“I don’t know.” It should have come for her the moment it sensed her blood. Maybe Contessa had somehow ordered it not to come, but nothing could completely ignore the purpose of its existence. Maybe if she just got the tree’s attention. Zanya stomped on the ground. “Hey.” Her shout echoed through the air. “Come on. Where are you?” Her wrist had healed completely, so she sliced it again, flinching under the burn of the air licking her raw, open wound. She pumped her fingers, calling on more life to flow out of her. “I have every right to enter. I have underworld blood in me, and this is my sacrifi—”

Roots exploded out of the hole and seized Zanya’s legs. The rest of the group clung to her when it yanked her under.

Renato had his arms coiled around her torso, her mother behind him, then Beigarth, and then Jayden.

The tree yanked them down through layers of soil. The back of Zanya’s head smacked into what felt like a rock. Her teeth rattled in her mouth and impact rang in her ears. She shouted and held her head as tight as she could to protect it until it healed—if it healed. There was no telling how the underworld had changed.

One last yank pulled them into the dark realm. With the vines still tight around her legs, she flailed her arms back and slammed against the ground. She wheezed and clawed at her heart that rattled and skipped before beating again.

Groans from the others filled the air. Zanya kicked at the tree until it released her and retreated back where it came from. She sat up and took a headcount.

Renato. Jayden. Her mother. Beigarth.

Everyone was alive. For now.

“Everybody okay?”

The petrifier stood and dusted off his clothes while squinting under the relentless sun. “A true Viking never sits aside like a maiden when there’s a battle to be fought.”

“I’m wishing I stayed put right about now.” Her mother gagged on the air and then covered her nose with her hand.

Beigarth’s eyes widened. “No time to worry on such matters now, lass.” He pointed in the distance. “There’s a true good fight with yer lad and that witch, and I have a gut feeling we should take cover.”

A hideous scream tore through the air. Zanya followed Beigarth’s prompt and turned around. Arwan stood in the distance, clutching a handful of Contessa’s hair. He dragged her back, throwing the witch off balance. She kicked at the soil while holding onto his forearm, desperately trying to break free.