Page 56 of Bear Protector
20
Kiera
The sound of voices and heavy footsteps outside the bedroom door sent Kiera into high alert from her spot near the bedroom window. She shivered as though she had a fever. It was bad enough the Chancellor had just stormed into her room, accused her of treason, and then left, locking her door from the outside with some spell she couldn’t yet undo. He had even found the lockbox and taken it with him, yet he completely ignored her warning that she had sensed the destroyers on approach. Now his guards were here, and one heavy fist pounded four loud knocks on the wooden door.
“The Chancellor is ready for you!” the guard shouted gruffly.
Kiera’s blood ran cold with the dread of the coming conflict. She could not quite see how this turmoil would resolve itself, but knew it would not end well. One thing was for sure. She would refuse to perform the transformation spell at all costs. Besides, with the destroyers on their way, everyone in the region had more important things to worry about. Stepping away from the window, she hugging herself, rubbing down her arms to warm up.
The guard opened the door sharply, revealing three more men from the Chancellor’s detail. “Get over here now,” he barked.
“I’ll be right there. Please, allow me to get my cloak on.” Hoping she could stall long enough for Coco to find the seven shifters, she took her time going to her wardrobe, moving items around as though she had all the time in the world, even though the cloak was actually laying on the bed.
The guard at the front lost his patience after a few minutes. He came in and took her by the arm. Thankfully, she was able to grab the cloak before he shoved her out of the room. They dragged her down the hallway, but not in the direction that she expected.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“Be quiet.”
They got to the stairs that led up to the north battlements, close to the only open-air turret of the fortress. This wasn’t good at all. She was about to ask the guard why was she being treated so roughly, but they made it to the battlement access door and reality set in. No, she was not being mistreated at all, compared to the nine or ten people out there in the turret. Two torches were lit up on either side of the large square stone structure about the size of two of her bedrooms side by side. Up there in the flickering gold dimness, they were surrounded by twice as many guards. Except for one woman in a heavy flannel overcoat, they were dressed in ragged, worn out clothes that were surely too thin to keep them warm up here where the icy winds swirled around.
“I demand to speak to the Chancellor,” she shouted. “Where is Minassus?”
The guards did not answer, but the truth was she did not need their response. Chancellor Minassus was downstairs in his study.
The guards pushed her along the battlement to join the rest of the people in custody, and the sentry with his hand still on her arm shouted an order for all prisoners to sit. She could probably have resisted, but did not want to risk using up her energy to fight these men at a time like this. There were higher priority items on tonight’s to-do list. Crossing her legs at the ankle, Kiera crouched down and sat on the ice cold stone floor to wait with everyone else.
She looked over at the group, studying as much as she could of their faces. Who were these people? She had not seen any of them before.
“Are you all right?” she asked them.
“Shut up!” said the guard who had brought her outside.
“Can’t you see these people are freezing?” she replied, glaring up at him.
“Do not address the prisoners. In fact, do not say another word.”
So they were prisoners. But charged with what? Only one of them stood out from the group. She was a cleaner-looking, warmly dressed woman, sitting the furthest away from Kiera. What set her apart was her clothes, for starters, but also her posture. The woman sat with her back against the cold wall, body straight and head held high. It was a sharp contrast to the shivering, underdressed men and women who slumped forward, doing what they could to keep warm. Their legs were pulled up to their chests, arms wrapped around their knees, making their bodies as small as possible.
Two more guards arrived. One of them was carrying a torch. He passed by Kiera without incident, so she leaned forward and stared over at the woman again under the light. Recognition hit her. It had to be Xander’s mother. She had the same dark hair, pale skin and a softer, more rounded out version of his facial features.
What on earth was the Chancellor planning? She focused her thoughts on him again, hoping to read him and get some answers. This time, nothing came to her. Which was not really a surprise. Minassus had probably warded himself against her telepathy by now. At the moment, she could only sense his location.
The hair on Kiera’s neck stood on end a few minutes later. The Chancellor was on the move. She sensed him leaving his study, walking toward the staircase that led this way. Stiffening up, she tilted her head, ready for his arrival, but noticed her guard was still staring at her carefully. Not wanting to draw too much attention, she returned her gaze forward and waited, honed in somehow on the rustling of the Chancellor’s long, thick winter cape as the fabric hit the front of his leg with every stair he climbed.
Another minute passed before the flame of another torch appeared at the doorway. The Chancellor stepped outside and approached the group. He stopped in front of Kiera, and her eyes glanced up the length of his dark blue, floor-length outer coat, all the way up until their eyes locked. Why could she not read him this time? She did not get the chance to answer that question.
“Get her to her feet,” the Chancellor ordered the guards beside him.
“I am fine to stand on my own,” Kiera answered, quickly pulling herself up before they could drag her up. “Who are these people, Chancellor? Why are we here?”
“Your familiar may have evaded me earlier, Kiera, but perhaps it was for the best.”
“Why are we talking about the whereabouts of my companion when we should be making preparations for the destroyers?” she shouted for not only the Chancellor’s benefit. She paused, looking around to observe the guards’ reaction. Only blank stares looked back at her, and several of them ignored her completely. Usually, the mere mention of these creatures’ names elicited a visceral reaction of terror, or at least alarm. Not with these men. Either the Chancellor had warned them not to listen to a word she said, or they were somehow under his control.
“Your little games will not work today, young lady,” Chancellor Minassus replied.
“I am telling you the truth!” she insisted. “I was right nine years ago, and I am right tonight. They will be here in less than a day. We need to be ready!”
