Page 12 of Oaths & Vengeance
Darrow studied me for a moment and then shook his head. “The answer is no. I’m not risking my aunt’s health and safety for your cousin.”
Faina moved from the table and stopped a few feet from him. “Dare, come on, brother. Think of the possibilities.”
He eased his hold a little more so I could fully breathe again.
“There’s no way we can trust her,” he said, shooting me a dark look. “Anyone that lovely and powerful must be treacherous, especially from Therress. She’ll turn on us.”
I wanted to shout at him that he didn’t know me at all. It was infuriating to listen to his insinuations when he had no idea of the abuse I took from my uncle. I would never do more than absolutely necessary for that man, and even then, my motives lent more toward helping my people and keeping them safe.
“So you want to kill her now?” his sister asked, gray eyes lighting up. Despite her taking my side a moment before, she suddenly seemed to relish the idea of my death.
I’d had enough. Pulling my power tight into my body, I twitched one finger and sent a rush of air at Darrow. He slammed into the opposite wall with a shout. I kept the wind going, amused as his hair came loose and swirled across his face. Maybe I couldn’t break his hold, but he wouldn’t be able to break mine, either.
“I’ve kept portals open for an hour using twice as much power as I am now,” I said, staring hard at him. “If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it already. That’s only my wind magic. If I draw light, you’ll start losing pieces of yourself.”
That was always a weapon of last resort because it was deadly, and the risk of hurting anyone nearby—friend or foe—was high. I still hadn’t quite mastered the art of pinpointing it the way I could with wind or keeping it from cutting through things beyond my target.
Faina pulled a dagger and moved toward me. “Let my brother go!”
According to everything I’d heard, she didn’t make idle threats. It wasn’t a good idea to let her get too close. I sent her flying against the wall beside Darrow, barely breaking a sweat to hold them both. All the loose objects in the room flew in a swirl now. Even the table rattled as if it might launch into the air soon.
While Darrow watched the maelstrom with narrow-eyed curiosity, his sister glared at me.
“Can we please discuss this without the theatrics?” I asked, shouting to be heard over the wind.
Faina struggled against the wall as her waist-length hair swirled everywhere. “How about you stop first? Show us you didn’t come here to cause trouble, and maybe we’ll believe you.”
I debated it and decided to make a goodwill gesture, as I was the one who had sought their assistance. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t start the wind back up again if necessary. I reeled in my powers slowly, and all the loose objects dropped to the floor withthumpsandclangs. The pressure I had against the twins was the last to ease.
A moment later, Darrow released my body. Relief filled me as I regained control of my limbs and scratched that annoying itch on my arm. His lips twitched as he watched. Oh, good, I could amuse him.
“Tell me.” He stalked closer. “What makes your cousin so special that you’d come here askingmeto help save her life?”
That was a fair question and one I’d prepared myself to answer. “Rynn is only twelve and became an orphan five years ago when her parents died after a sea creature attacked their ship. They worked in trade and were never soldiers, so your side never faced them on the battlefield. She’s sweet, innocent, and the kind of person you’d want to keep in this world. Maybe some of us are bad, but not her.”
Faina rolled her eyes. “Plenty of us were innocent at that age. We don’t know what magic she might gain if she lives, and with our luck, it would be used against us a few years from now.”
“My sister has a point,” Darrow said, rubbing his chin. “The smart move would be to kill you and let her die. Two fewer Therressians to cause us trouble.”
Faina played with the dagger still in her hand, a gleam in her eyes. “I’d be happy to take care of her.”
They looked ready to reject my offer. I thought of Rynn, lying on that bed and becoming weaker by the day while in so much pain. Soon, I’d be tied to a monster, but I wanted to do one good thing before I became a prisoner to a horrible, demented man. It could very well come down to proving to them how important this was to me. Was there anything I wouldn’t do for my cousin?
Letting go of my pride, I dropped to my knees. Hopelessness and despair filled me until I didn’t care what they thought anymore. Saving Rynn was everything. If they had a scrap of decency, I had to appeal to that part of them. “Please. Just save my cousin, and I’ll do what you want if it’s within my power. Don’t let her die because you hate me and my family.”
The twins exchanged looks that told me they’d begun another silent conversation. I hung my head and prayed to the nameless ones that this trip wasn’t in vain. Briauna had assured me there must be some good in Darrow. Could she have been wrong?
“How far can you open a portal?” he asked in an even tone.
I stared at the floor so he couldn’t see my despair. “In the last few years, I haven’t found one in Paxia that I couldn’t open. The only exception is Darynia because I don’t know its rune sequence.”
That was their capital and most protected location. No outsiders were allowed inside except the king and queen when they came on official visits. Rumor had it that the city was beautiful and unique. I’d been disappointed that I couldn’t find a way to get there despite searching every book in the royal libraries and pulling favors from those who worked there. I couldn’t say why I wanted to visit Darynia so much, other than to see it for myself—and the challenge of reaching it.
Footsteps sounded against the wood floor. Black boots came into view, and then Faina kneeled next to me, pressing her dagger under my chin and forcing my head up. “You can access all our cities except that one?”
“Yes,” I admitted, blinking as I met her gaze.
She frowned. “Then why have you only attacked our border towns?”
