Page 131 of Oaths & Vengeance
Stars danced in my vision from the latest blow to my head, and I was unable to breathe.
“If that’s how you truly feel, then I’ll end you now!” he shouted, mottled rage worse than I’d ever seen before written on his face.
This was it—my time to die. I only wished I could have retrieved the fountain first. Lord Morgunn jerked me forward and slammed me hard into the stone a second time, and agonizing pain exploded as my skull cracked. My vision darkened. Something sticky ran down the back of my neck. I thought for sure one more blow would finish me, and I waited for it with no energy left to resist.
The room suddenly went quiet.
“You are going to gently lower Aella to the floor and let go of her,” a familiar voice I hadn’t heard in months said. It was so omnipotent and deep that it almost hurt my ears.
“Of course,” Lord Morgunn replied.
I wished I could see, but the blows to my head had been too hard. In the next moment, I was carefully deposited on the stone floor. As soon as my uncle let go of my neck, I tried to suck in a breath, but barely any air made it to my lungs. He’d squeezed my throat so hard that it had swelled.
“Now, you are going to leave your niece alone and harm her no more. If anyone asks, you will tell them you’re giving her quiet and solitude to consider her choices.”
Lord Morgunn didn’t reply to that, but I listened to his footsteps as he retreated and shut the cell door behind him. I lay there, unable to rise and barely able to suck in a tiny thread of air.
“Oh, sweet Aella.” The nameless god pressed his hand to my cheek. “I’d truly hoped you’d be sensible and string him along with unimportant information until your husband rescued you, but you’ve really been letting that defiant streak out lately.”
Warmth and magic came from his touch. First, the pain in my throat eased, then the back of my head. It only took the powerful being momentsto repair the damage. Finally, I could breathe and see again. He stopped after that, though, not touching the rest of my injuries. The swelling around my eyes meant I still had narrower vision than normal, but I would take what I could get. A flask appeared next, which he opened and pressed to my lips. I took small sips for the next few minutes until he removed it from my reach.
“My apologies, but to do more would violate the rules and get me into trouble,” he said, pulling away. “I could only help you enough to keep you alive.”
Using my good arm, I slowly sat up and leaned against the wall. My numerous broken ribs protested, making me wince and whimper. The nameless god hadn’t healed my other injuries, but at least I could think more clearly. That was something.
“How did you make my uncle leave?” I asked.
His silver eyes showed amusement. “I ordered him. He won’t remember me or what I said, but he will comply.”
“Have you ever done that to me?”
The nameless god cocked his head, and I noted he’d shaven off his black hair since I last saw him. His shiny scalp was the same almond color as the rest of him, contrasting with his pearly-white robe.
“You wouldn’t know if I had tampered with your mind, would you?”
I sighed. “Why save me at all?”
“You are important and necessary to the future,” he replied as if that wouldn’t spark my curiosity. “The rules normally state I can’t save any fae’s life, but you are an exception.”
His vague answers were annoying. “How so?”
“I’ve told you all I can.” He rose to his full height, which had to be several inches more than anyone I knew. “Stay strong, Aella. Your husband will be on his way soon, so your time in this place won’t be for much longer.”
“Darrow is alive?” I asked, hope filling me for the first time in days.
The god nodded. “With all his parts intact—in case you were worried. He only needed some time to heal before his first thought was of you. I told you he was the better choice.”
Then he disappeared, his light vanishing with him. I hadn’t realized he’d emitted a glow until he left. My uncle must have taken his lantern with him as well. Now, I was left broken and alone in the dark, but at least my future didn’t look quite as grim.
Chapter 53
Darrow
We made it through the mountain pass toward Palbour without incident shortly after sunset. The same tactic we used months ago to nullify the border sentries worked again this time. I’d sent a sebeska to drop a heavy sleeping potion on the two men up there and then had it land nearby while I watched through the bird’s eyes to be sure it worked.
No one ever suspected they might be used for such a purpose. It would have been nice if my sister could have done it instead, but she needed to be close, and the guards would see her well before she could reach them. I repeated the drop process with the tower watch near the village.
With my older brother joining us, we took advantage of his ability to create a thick fog that would be impenetrable to the villagers’ eyes but thin enough around our forces that we could still see our path. He could spread it far enough to appear natural along the rugged landscape. That allowed us to make it to the ring, located far enough from any homes that the residents wouldn’t hear our horses and foot soldiers as they approached.
