Page 76 of Oaths & Vengeance
“No,” I said in a pained whisper.
Ulmar came around so I could see him with his whip coiled in his hand. “Why are you protecting your lover? It can’t be worth it.”
I pressed my lips shut, refusing to respond.
“Very well.” He moved back to his previous position. “Don’t say we didn’t give you a chance to end this sooner.”
My cousin began to whip me in earnest. The lashes came so hard and fast that I was screaming before long. He only paused his strikes to use his powers to send blinding pain into my head. Back and forth, he switched until all I knew was pure agony. By the time my uncle called it off, I was sagging in the manacles with my blood pooling on the floor at my feet and badly blurred vision.
Ulmar grabbed hold of my waist while his father released me from the bindings. I whimpered from the pain of his arm pressing against the lash wounds. My cousin carried me roughly, eliciting more pained moans from me as he climbed a different set of steps to the inner castle. In a journey that seemed to take forever, he finally brought me to my room and dropped me on my bed.
I quickly rolled onto my side and caught Lord Morgunn standing at the doorway as a blurry figure. There was nothing except coldness in his voice, “I’ll send Briauna in shortly to clean and bandage you, but for now, you’re confined to this room until I decide otherwise. Ulmar will bring you one meal a day unless you decide you remember your lover's name and the location where you met.”
With that, they left me bleeding with an iron cuff that would slow down my ability to heal. The outer lock to my door slid into place, ensuring I wouldn’t escape that way. Tears filled my eyes. I wondered if it would bother Darrow to know what he cost me for tonight’s visit and the pleasure I gave him. Probably not, since I was little more than a tool to him—the same as my uncle.
Chapter 33
Darrow
My head ached fiercely. I sat hunched over on the couch in my loft, maintaining a connection to the sebeska currently flying around Lord Morgunn’s castle. For the last few days, I’d been searching for Aella with no sign of her. The day after I last saw her, my spies reported that she never returned to Tradain and that her uncle was furious when she wasn’t there to transport his soldiers for a surprise attack on Veronna.
I hadn’t known he planned one, but I couldn’t say it didn’t please me to discover I had thwarted him by absconding with his niece. My only fear was what he might have done to her as punishment. The fact that I couldn’t find her with the sebeska and my spies couldn’t locate her didn’t bode well. Her uncle must have confined her somewhere, but my locator spell only revealed she was somewhere inside or near the castle.
Flying over her courtyard garden and using the bird’s vision, I noticed the plants appeared parched. Their colors weren’t as vibrant, and many sagged in the afternoon heat. It hadn’t rained for the last two weeks. With summer at its height, they needed regular watering.
Since marrying Aella, I’d used my birds to monitor her from a distance regularly, and she had never neglected her plants before, even while at Tradain. The fact that she did now indicated that something had prevented her from reaching the garden. I wished I could see inside her bedroom window, but they’d spelled it shut and darkened the glass. Until this week, it had been clear. Was she inside, or was something else going on? I didn’t like not knowing.
Aella had no idea I could mind-link with sebeskas, so she wouldn’t worry about that for privacy. It was a rare gift that I kept secret from all except afew closest to me, as it gave me an advantage in spying. I’d never used the ability as much as I had recently. The protective urge I had over my wife drove me to find out what happened to her, and I hated that none of my usual avenues for information worked. She was mine to keep safe, yet I was failing her.
Resigned that she was nowhere easily accessible, I let my control of the bird go and returned to myself. I rubbed my head. The migraine would pass in an hour or two, but I was too worried to rest. I needed to find a way to draw out Aella so I could be certain Lord Morgunn hadn’t hurt her. There had to be a way without storming the castle.
An idea struck me.
I stood abruptly, wincing as a stab of pain hit my temple. Once it eased, I hurried to wash and change. I’d begun the search shortly after breakfast and only took a break once to relieve myself, never bothering to change out of my nightclothes. Searching every nook and cranny of Ivory Castle grounds and listening to hushed conversations took hours, and I’d lost track of time.
After I’d groomed myself and put on a midnight blue tunic and black pants, I hurried from the loft and headed toward Siggaya’s portal ring. A channeler would be there in twenty minutes to open it, and luckily, the destination at this time of day was the Court of Porrine. The king was the one person I knew who could force Lord Morgunn to bring out his niece. It was in his best interest to assist me on this matter.
My migraine had finally eased by the time I arrived at the palace. I spotted the king’s eldest son passing through the formal reception area with a determined stride. He appeared to be heading outside.
Armin was nearly as tall as me, though slightly leaner. His ears were the same as all light elves, pointed and matching his beige skin. He kept his dark blonde hair slicked back and trimmed at the nape. Most would consider him handsome, but he rarely smiled or laughed anymore.
Since he was only two years older, the king often asked my sister and me to visit when we were growing up, as well as other highborn children our age, so that we might form long-lasting bonds. There was a time when Armin and I were quite close, but he’d become withdrawn after his wife died in childbirth four years ago, the baby passing with her.
It was a common problem since the Naforya Fountain was lost and had worsened over time. Armin had taken it particularly hard since he’d loved her dearly. Now, his only focus was on serving his father and the realm. I hated watching him live a half-life, but he’d resisted all my efforts to socialize and bring him out of his melancholy.
“Prince,” I said, giving him a short bow. “How are you?”
Armin stopped, surprise on his features. “I’m well, thank you. What are you doing here?”
“I came to speak to your father about a personal matter,” I replied.
He frowned. “Come with me.”
The prince led me out of the reception area and through an ornately decorated corridor to a small sitting room. After we entered, he closed the door firmly behind him and whispered a privacy spell. I was surprised he went to such lengths without knowing why I visited. He was known to have some foresight, though. Could he have guessed?
“Tell me your troubles,” Armin commanded.
I clasped my hands behind my back. “It’s a complicated matter.”
