Page 37 of Galadon
Turning more pages, I found her with friends at various places, appearing like she didn’t have a care in the world. Perhaps she hadn’t back then, with no dragons to trigger her instincts. It was shocking to see the innocence in her hazel eyes. Her coppery-brown hair was longer as a teenager, too, going most of the way down her back in gentle waves, compared to how she kept it near shoulder-length now. It was likely easier to take care of while traveling if she kept it shorter. She was also thinner back then with far less muscle and curves. I liked that she had filled out some since then.
Continuing to use the cloth, I kept turning the pages. One had me growling as Rayna gazed adoringly at a boy close to herage at the time. He had short, blond hair and a look in his green eyes as he smiled at her that said he knew her in intimate ways. I couldn’t miss that expression. Would it be possible to track him down and kill him after I rescued her?
I rubbed my face as if I had any right to such thoughts after she came to me and poured out all her feelings while I rejected her. I’d told her to find someone else. Though I knew that was still the best decision because trying to make it work between us would only end in heartache or death, I didn’t like that it had to be that way.
In all the long centuries I’d lived, she was the only one who tugged at my soul and truly made me feel. I glanced down at my favorite photo of her in the book on a brown mare with a carefree smile on her face—so innocent it killed me to see her that way. The thought of her out there writhing in torturous pain twisted me inside. She didn’t deserve this, even as a slayer.
I sat on her cot, thankfully covered in a camrium blanket the Kandoran didn’t steal, and forced myself to rest while staring at her photo book. It occurred to me how little I knew about Rayna. Of course, I’d avoided asking because the more details I had would only endear her to me more. It was easier to envision her as someone who’d slayed dragons since she was old enough to hold a sword. With her, it could have been as early as three, which made me chuckle at the image that formed in my head. Such a formidable force.
When my break was up, I sent the book to shiggara and checked my injuries. The bleeding had stopped soon after the battle, but the wounds hadn’t closed until the last ten minutes, though they remained tender and pink. I’d also drunk the full contents of my canteen. That helped with my dehydration, which had been exacerbated by blood loss.
I found renewed strength as I stood and headed for the exit. Checking my surroundings when I stepped outside, I found the sun was low in the sky. Nothing stirred or set off my senses. I found tracks where several sets of human footprints must have carried Rayna.
Without hesitation, I followed them. They led away from the lake and down the hill, along a well-worn dirt path. The terrain in this area was quite rugged and sloped with many rises and falls. If not for the recent spring rain, it might have been difficult to follow the boot impressions that the Kandoran left in the red clay.
Half an hour passed before I lost the tracks, and the sun had just vanished behind the next hill. No matter how hard I looked, I could not find where they may have continued, which led me to believe they had changed their mode of travel. I sniffed carefully through the wild brush, faintly catching traces of several infected dragons.
Right after that, the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I could not see my own future, but my senses often gave me a few seconds of warning for impending danger. That had saved my life more than once. I drew my sword and crouched low as I scanned the area.
Nothing moved or looked out of place. Then a bright flash of light directly to my front blinded me, so I lifted my blade to protect my face. All that I could make out was several figures covered in robes with hoods and red-rimmed eyes. That was enough for me. I stood and charged them, swinging my sword with the intent to behead them.
When I was a mere six feet away, the one in the middle threw something at me. A cold splash of liquid hit my face. Having witnessed what happened to Rayna, I knew what it mustbe. I stumbled and tried to strike anyway, but my strength had left me.
As I landed at their feet, the one who threw the potion at me laughed. “Foolish, shifter. It would have been wiser to keep your distance from me, but I suspected you weren’t smart enough for that. I almost hate that I’m always proven right about people.”
Everything went black at his last words.
It was nearly eight hours later when I awoke. If not for my internal clock, which rarely failed me, I wouldn’t have guessed since it was still dark outside. I knew they had a potion to knock me out, but I didn’t think it lasted that long. Had they dosed me again or used something else? The unusual grogginess told me they’d kept me in a deep sleep for some time.
Awareness finally kicked in, and I growled as I took in my situation.
I was chained between two tall poles so that I was fully upright, with my arms and legs splayed wide. They left me in my pants, but my tunic was gone, so I was bare from the waist up and lacked my boots. I tested the chains, finding no give whatsoever. Next, I tested my magic and couldn’t feel a trace of it. In all my life, I couldn’t remember being more vulnerable, but then my gaze caught on a figure twenty feet away that was splayed across the ground.
Even in the darkness, I could make out her blood-covered skin and countless wounds. Since my last vision, they’d tortured Rayna even more. She lay with her eyes closed, drawing in ragged breaths. The knife protruding from the left side of her chest likely explained her discomfort, yet she appeared to be in a deep sleep. Had they used the potion to keep her from wakingwhen they brought me? I couldn’t begin to imagine her pain despite being unconscious.
Once more, I tried tugging at the chains, but they’d been pulled taught and didn’t budge. It was another kind of torture to see her lying there, horribly injured and unable to do anything about it. Using all my concentration, I tried shifting to my dragon form, but nothing happened. They had found a way to stop that, too?
Footsteps scraping across the dirt drew my attention. I turned my head as far to my left as I could, catching a glimpse of the Kandoran sorcerer coming my way with several robed figures behind him. What had he called himself in the vision? Astaroth?
“Ah, good. My timing was accurate as usual, and you’re awake. I love it when plans come together nicely.”
I scowled at him. “What do you want?”
“Oh, my desires are simple now that those other three sorcerers are out of the way,” he replied with a smile that could have been mistaken for friendly if not for the malice in his eyes. “I’m no conqueror like them and only want a bit of territory for myself, loyal followers, and peace.”
I knitted my brows. “Are you referring to the trio we killed last fall?”
“Yes, perhaps shifters aren’t so dense after all.” He gave me a patronizing look. “I was willing to follow them until their plans grew too grand, and I knew they’d fail. When the right time came, I may have fibbed a little on how to defeat your side and left out a detail or two. They should have respected me more.”
I wanted to tell him he was just as much of a fool, but that wouldn’t help matters. He had Rayna. For her, I would keep calm and look for an opportunity to save her. Despite my reputation as fierce and frightening, I could remain cold and calculated when necessary. It was the only way to survive when one lived alone.
“What do you want with us?” I asked.
He reached out a hand, and one of his followers handed him a whip with metal barbs at the end. I ground my teeth, understanding the pleasantries were just part of this man’s performance. He enjoyed playing with his victims.
“I meant it when I said I want peace. While there are many Kandoran still roaming other areas, my people and dragons stay within the territory I’ve claimed. We don’t cause any trouble outside those borders, but anyone who comes within them is fair game. The magic inside me that you believe is an infection requires me to feed on pain, fear, and death, but I’ve found the more I drag those out, the more it satisfies my needs. I can then share bits of that with my followers.”
Until now, I hadn’t realized that was part of what the infection did, but it made sense. It was why the Kandoran never stopped conquering for long. They would take land, assimilate some of the people on it, and kill the rest to sate their need for death—especially those not susceptible to the infection.
