Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Levi gestured toward Loren. “Any idiot with half a fucking brain can see she’s lying through her teeth.”

Ruth regarded Loren carefully. She didn’t blink as she studied the younger woman. “No. She’s not lying. She’s telling the truth.” Her head canted to one side. “At least, in part. You are frightened, aren’t you dear?”

Loren wasn’t lying. She wanted to go to Kahsh if for nothing more than to destroy the stone from the other side and prevent Mal from returning. She was making a sacrifice, but she was doing something important with it. It wouldn’t be in vain. The others would have to see that.

And Ruth was right. She was terrified. She nodded.

“Oh, I can’t believe this.” Levi threw his hands above his head.

“Be quiet.” Ruth sent a glare in his direction. Levi scowled and crossed his arms, but he remained silent. Her attention returned to Loren.

Beneath her assessing stare, Loren fidgeted. Her hands came to her sides, rubbing down her dress. Ruth lifted her head. “Tell me the truth, Loren. Why are you here?”

If she balked now, it was all over. Loren took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. “I told you the truth.”

“And the others? Do they know of your change of heart?”

“No, they uh they don’t. They know I’m here.” She tucked hair back behind her ear. “They had a plan. To get back the stones. They sent me. I’m the distraction.”

“Wait a minute.” Levi pointed at her. “You’re the betrayer now? Yeah. This is
definitely
a lie. You would never betray your precious Avery. Or Callum.” Levi aimed a self-satisfied smirk in her direction. “Yeah, I know about the little crush.”

No one knew just how complex everything was, not even Levi, not even herself. She briefly thought of Callum’s confession. She pushed her thoughts away and focused solely on Levi. “You don’t know anything.”

“
Please
.” He rolled his eyes. “I know
everything
.”

“Quiet,” Ruth demanded again. “So the others sent you here?” She lifted an eyebrow at Loren.

“Yeah.”

“And where are they now?”   

She gnawed briefly on the inside of her lip. “There’s a car, two streets over. They’re waiting.”

Ruth gave a small flick of her head toward the door. Two of her masked goons stepped out.

“We’ll see if you’re right about that. Until then…” Ruth took hold of Loren’s arm. Her grip was tight and cold. Her free hand drew the inhibitor device from her pocket. With a quick movement and a slight pinprick of pain, she injected Loren. “Come with me.”

Loren didn’t protest or resist. Levi glared at her as she passed.

“Do you think this will work?” he asked.

She was risking so much. Betraying the others. Sacrificing herself. It had to work. She said nothing.

“You’ll die, you know.”

“I’m nothing, right?” She glanced back at him as they reached the door. “It doesn’t matter if I live or die.”

And whether that was the truth or a lie, Loren couldn’t be sure, but saying it felt right. It silenced Levi and left him chewing on his lip ring, puzzled for once.

Her focus turned ahead of her as Ruth led her from the room and down a hallway. Instead of the room she’d occupied before, Ruth paused at another door and brought out a key from her pocket. Swiftly, she unlocked it and ushered Loren inside.

The room was dark, morning light blocked by thick, heavy curtains. The meager lighting came from a few lamps on an ornate table strewn with books. The box of stones rested before an open book. Seated at the table, in a high-backed chair, was Mal.

Ruth drew her closer. As they neared, Loren immediately noticed the change. While still appearing frail and sickly, Mal had become more robust. His fingers were thin, but less bony now as they ran along a line of text in his page. His hair remained white, but now thicker, and his once gaunt face was fuller.

“Remarkable, isn’t it?” Ruth sounded pleased. “The moment I presented him with the stones for the tablet, his strength began to return. It’s incredible.”

Mal regaining any measure of strength couldn’t be good.

At the sound of Ruth’s voice, Mal looked up from his book. His finger paused on the page. “You found her.”

“No, Father. She found us.”

“How so?”

Ruth brought Loren to the table. She gestured for her to sit. Loren did and folded her hands on her lap. Ruth chose a seat next to her father. “It was as we concluded earlier.”

“A foolish endeavor, but no less expected.” Mal fixed his gaze on Loren. “This coup will not succeed.”

His stare made her uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat.

“Loren has been so kind to tell us their plan. The men are looking into it. If she’s telling the truth, she has defected.”

Goosebumps popped up along her flesh. She rubbed her arm.

“Have you truly?” Mal questioned.

She nodded once.

Carefully, Mal sat back in his seat. Though his appearance was improved, his cautious actions suggested he hadn’t regained enough strength yet. “So you agree to come to Kahsh with us? To stand before your people and allow the hammer to strike in my favor?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Beneath both of their imposing stares, Loren couldn’t keep still. Again, she fidgeted. Her gaze fell on the box. She allowed it to become her focal point as she explained. “I’m not a leader. I can’t rule. It’s not my place. It’s too much responsibility, too much power.”

“It is your birthright.”

“I was born here, not in Kahsh. I don’t know anything about that world, or the people in it. I just—” She sniffled. Her eyes dampened. “I don’t want it. I don’t want any of this.” She looked back up at Mal. “I can’t do it.”

“You’re willing to readily accept yourself as sacrifice?”

“I don’t want to die,” she admitted. She saw Ruth’s lips purse. “No one wants to die. No one is ever
ready
to die.” Were they? Loren could only imagine. “But I’m nothing. I won’t mean anything. I’ve never meant anything. My powers, my heritage—all of that might be a part of me, but it’s not me.” She paused and brought her hand up to brush the wetness at her eyes. “If I’m to die, it might as well be for something. It shouldn’t be uh in vain.”

She weaved an intricate web of lies. Even she couldn’t tell which words were true and which were fabrications.

Mal lifted his head. Time passed as he sat there, as still as a statue, staring at Loren. When he spoke finally, his voice was soft. “It is an honorable death. My first impressions of you seemed to have been misplaced. You’ve shown great wisdom. I’m surprised.”

Loren didn’t say a word to disagree. This was the right thing to do. It had to be done. She reminded herself of that.

“It appears we have no need to delay any longer. We can proceed.” Ruth flashed a smile.

“I have waited for so long,” Mal said wearily. “Another hour or so won’t make a difference.”

“Shall I begin the preparations?”

“Soon. We shall see what your men turn up in regards to the others. We will have to deal with them appropriately before we travel.”

Ruth nodded. “Agreed. I will check their progress. Would it be necessary to bind her to the chair? The last time I allowed her an ounce of freedom, she was less than appreciative.”

“Have you used the device?”

“Yes.”

“Then leave her unbound. Post sentries outside the doors and the one currently present may stay as my guard.”

“Very well, Father.” Ruth gave Loren a tight-lipped smile and slipped from her seat. The door closed behind her and the masked man shifted his stance to block the door. The windows were always an option. Loren shook her head and dismissed the idea. She wouldn’t escape. She would see this through to the end.

Mal stared at her from across the table. He edged forward in his seat, groaning with the effort to pull himself to a straighter posture. He closed the book before him and placed his skeletal hands upon it.

The coughing began. He grabbed a handkerchief. He spat into it and Loren caught glimpse of red before he folded it. Despite her distrust, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It will pass. A few more hours and I will be restored to my true and former glory.”

If she had anything to do with it, he wouldn’t be restored at all. She had no way of knowing how he would regain his power. Was it as simple as just going through the portal and it all automatically came back? Or was there something more mystical and magical required for it? Her eyebrows knit together.

Mal continued to watch her. “You’ve betrayed your allies, you realize this?”

That was the worst part of this. Her betrayal. They’d all hate her.

Again, Loren nodded.

The old man shifted and eased back once more. “Your first betrayal is always the most difficult and, in my opinion, the most rewarding.”

Her puzzlement must’ve shown on her face, because Mal’s lips spread. “When things turn in your favor, you will see.”

“I… don’t think that’s the same. Not with me. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Hurt is inevitable.”

Loren fell silent and glanced away from him. Now wasn’t the time for having second thoughts. She had to be firm. Strong. Confident. Even so, she couldn’t help the anxiety from creeping in.

Ruth returned, sparing Loren from another awkward minute alone with Mal. “They’ve found the others. There was a fight but they’ve been secured.” She lifted her head proudly. “The inhibitors have been used. What should we do with them, Father?”

His eyes stayed on Loren. “Keep them out of the way. See to that then our preparations are begun.”

Ruth bowed her head and disappeared through the doorway once again.

Mal regarded Loren coolly. “Do you believe they will forgive you for this?”

She hesitated. “I uh would like them to forgive me.”

“Forgiveness is useless.” He stood slowly and leaned heavily leaned on his cane. “You will understand in the end.”

“I don’t think it’s useless,” she said in a small voice.

“Forgiveness achieves nothing.” Mal took a few small steps around the table. He neared her. “I never once asked for forgiveness. It never would’ve been offered to me.”

“But your brother offered you redemption and forgiveness.”

“He offered me imprisonment and servitude.” When he reached Loren, he stood as tall as he could. His lip curled in disdain. “A far cry from forgiveness. I couldn’t accept.”

She considered as she licked her lips. “If he had, would you have accepted?”

“No.”

He said it with such conviction that Loren didn’t dispute it. She lapsed into another silence and cast her attention away from him.

“You remind me of your mother. I only met her once. She was young then. You may look like her, but that is where the similarities stop.”

Her mother. Had she been a good woman? “What uh what was she like?”

“Quiet. Thoughtful. She was wise for her years.” Mal stared at Loren. “She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. First impressions are always the most important. The first impression I got of her was of a young woman who could stand tall in the face of whatever came her way. She was proud, brave. Unafraid. She faced me without as much as a tremble. She would’ve been a strong, firm leader.”

Loren bit the skin inside her lip.

“Had circumstances been different, she would’ve been the one returning to Kahsh in your stead.” His gaze dropped to look her over. “But you will do. You have a certain strength and wisdom about you. Only a small amount is needed to stand before the people of Kahsh and declare your relinquish of power.”

He leaned on his cane and reached for the box of stones. It slid across the table beneath his touch. He lifted the lid.

She saw the yellow stone first, her stone. It was nestled in the center of the box, it its own separate section surrounded by blue felt. All of the stones were roughly the same size as hers, with similarly broken edges. They were green, blue, and red. Her breath caught as she stared at them.

“They are beautiful, don’t you agree?”

The stones were breathtaking. She could feel something emanating from them. A heavy energy. “They feel so…” She trailed off, unable to find a word to describe them.

“Powerful,” Mal supplied. “The stones have been apart for some time. They’re power diminished when divided. Now that they are so close together, their energies are once more combining. This is nothing compared to what we will feel when the Akasha tablet is restored.”

She couldn’t take her eyes from the stones. “How—how will it be restored?”

“You will see.” The lid abruptly closed and Loren blinked, drawn out of her near trance. Her gaze lifted to Mal.

He smiled at her. “You have some important tasks to come, Loren. For now, I need your assistance. Escort me to the couch. I must rest.”

She stood slowly. She didn’t want to touch him in any possible way, but she took his arm and led him toward the small couch by the window. He took each step gingerly, painfully. Once he reached the couch, he eased down onto it with a sigh of relief. As she drew back, his hand came up and closed onto her arm. His grip was a lot stronger than she expected. His fingers dug into her skin.