Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) Read online

  Nothing struck her fancy, and in a sour mood, she headed back out to the market.

  She paused outside. Looking right and left and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she turned her attention to the throng of people before her. It didn't take her long to spot Bo in the distance, standing with Elaina by the meat stalls as he'd said

  If you can hear me, run! Run now!

  The unfamiliar voice in her mind startled her, but she'd had enough experience to instinctively listen and react.

  Her feet exploded her forward, but she barely made her second step before being jerked back by her cloak. The force of her sudden stop and the cloak tightening around her neck left her gasping for breath. She kicked back with one foot as she went for her daggers.

  Someone grabbed her wrist and wrenched her forcefully to the side, pulling her off balance. Another hand snaked around her, grabbing her chin roughly.

  "Careful now." Her attacker stepped back, pulling her with him. "I wouldn't do that," he whispered in her ear. His grip relaxed, his hand sliding down to her throat and then around to painfully grasp the back of her neck.

  She had to admit he was good, his hand hidden in her hair. To onlookers they likely appeared a couple.

  "What do you want?"

  She was about to call for Bo when the mystery voice spoke again. Can you get away?

  "For you to come with us. Just to talk."

  Not easily. "Why? Who are you?" The double conversation made it hard to concentrate on a plan of escape.

  What does he want?

  Her frustration grew. I have no idea! To go with him. Who are you?

  "I would suggest you come quietly. We have need of you for a time. Do not look to your friend."

  Look, by the woman who sells eggs.

  She turned her head very slightly, searching for the stall. At least it wasn't near Bo. When she found it, she blinked in surprise. A man stood there, a crate held on his shoulder. He turned slightly, so she could better see his face and then hid once more.

  "That's a good girl. Now listen carefully…"

  Hale?

  I didn't know you could mind speak.

  Yes, well... She was wasting time, and her captor was still talking.

  "Your friend will receive a letter, from you, stating you have taken a ship west."

  "What?"

  "He is not to search for you. You should be thankful we are being so considerate. If he interferes, he will die." His fingers bit into her neck as he forced her to turn her head to the left. "Look up. Two shops over. See the window?"

  She did…and the arrow pointing out. Her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't directed at her, but into the market. At Bo. Struggling against him, the fury began to rise within her.

  His grip tightened more and pain shot down her neck. "You see the archer," he whispered. "Trained on your friend? There are others as well. Do you understand?"

  Gasping for breath, she nodded. Hale, he has archers. Don't…don't do anything.

  Don't go with them. You can avoid the arrows–

  They're not aimed at me. She looked out and found Bo again. Her heart twisted, watching him talk and laugh with Elaina.

  "Let's go for a walk, shall we?" The man turned her, heading along the edge of the market, keeping a tight hold on her wrist and hand.

  She didn't fight him. Keep Bo safe for me, please.

  Aro, don't do this!

  I don't have a choice.

  They… He paused. They aren't human.

  Yes, she should have known that. What am I dealing with?

  "Down this way."

  Elves.

  "Wither me," she whispered. They headed down a side street, her heart began beating faster in her chest. Taking a slow breath, she tried to calm herself. She would have to wait. Wait until Bo was safe, and keep her mind closely guarded.

  She stumbled once, when the direness of her situation suddenly overcame her. Elves, archers, threats on Bo's life, the letter effectively making her disappear. They didn't want to simply talk. Quite likely, she was about to die.

  Bo, Garen don't react. Get out of the market.

  What are you–

  There are archers trained on you. Get home. Be safe.

  Aro!

  Bo, they will send you a letter. Pretend you believe it. If you come after me, they will kill you.

  "Stop here."

  She did as instructed.

  What do you want me to do? The panic in Hale's voice didn't help.

  I don't know, she admitted.

  Her attacker released her neck and turned her around. Chin held high, she regarded him calmly, but didn't try to hide her anger.

  I'll talk to you when I can, she sent to them all. I love you.

  It didn't surprise her to see the man wore a glamor and appeared to be a handsome young human. His blond hair hung down to his well-dressed shoulders. Sharp green eyes regarded her with amusement.

  Where are you?

  What has happened?

  She struggled to ignore both Bo and Garen. Talk to Hale. Please, go home!

  "You are certainly different than most human girls. Yet you are human and that is the problem, is it not?"

  "I have no idea what you're talking about," she snapped.

  His eyes darkened as his lips pressed together angrily. Pulling something from his pocket, he fiddled with it for a moment. "Not too smart though. Open your mouth."

  Brows drawing together in confusion, she did as he asked when he glared at her, clearly losing patience.

  He stuck a finger in her mouth, pressing it for a moment on her tongue before pulling it out and wiping it on his pants.

  Bitterness filled her mouth, making her eyes water. "What was that?"

  The Elf smiled. His beauty filled her vision as rainbows suddenly danced around the edges.

  "You'll have some lovely dreams, mortal girl. Enjoy them while you can."

  She tried to spit, to get whatever he'd given her out of her mouth. Had it been magic? A drug?

  Swaying, she stumbled backward until she hit a wall. The rainbows grew brighter. Her hands scrambled on the stone behind her, trying to keep herself upright as her legs gave way.

  The boys' frantic cries continued to fill her mind.

  I'll be fine, she lied. I…rot… What did they give–

  Chapter 15

  Chains and Dreams

  The rainbow colors swirling around the edges of everything she saw were beautiful. A part of her knew she dreamed, but that was fine. They were, as the Elf said, such lovely dreams.

  She saw her brothers again, all seven of them, and her father. They sat around the table, joking and laughing. She sat with Prince under the stars and talked about nothing important at all. Her boys were all together again, and they sat around while Cain read to them.

  There was no pain or sadness or loss. No death.

  She ran, through forests lit with sunshine, with Kei at her side. She grinned over at him but then stopped.

  The rainbows were fading…and so was Kei.

  Her eyes snapped opened. "Kei," she whispered. Darkness filled her vision now, and even Fey sight did nothing to break through it.

  She couldn't move, her body too stiff and weak to obey her. On her side, curled into a ball, she had no strength. Somewhere near, she heard the faint sound of water slowing dripping. Panic seized her, until she felt the cold stone beneath her. Stone. Not wood. She wasn't on a ship.

  A shiver ran through her body and she winced. Cold seeped into her, leaving her numb. Wherever she was smelled wet and damp. Perhaps a basement?

  The wet brought forth a sudden thirst, and she licked dry lips. A bitter aftertaste remained in her mouth.

  Bo? Garen?

  Her heart sped up as she closed her eyes. She knew that feeling…the emptiness of her words. Frantically diving into her mind, she spun around.

  Instead of her fortress and a sky of dark clouds, swirling white fog surrounded her. She pushed through, one way… another. No m
atter which way she went, she couldn't find the links to her boys.

  Cursing loudly, she spun around again. What had they done to her? Did whatever make her dream still affect her? Finding no answers, she left and opened her eyes. She needed to escape, to find a way out. At least she wasn't hurt. She felt no pain…

  Her breath caught in her throat. Kei… Searching frantically, a sob escaped her when she finally did find it. Their bond remained, yet felt strangely distant, as if it were cloaked in fog.

  Together or apart, always I will be with you, the words of their bindings said.

  Apparently nothing came between it.

  Very faintly, she felt his pain like she did when he slept. It must be night then. How long had she been dreaming?

  Feeling slowly started to return to her body, and she shifted, stretching her legs. Her arms felt like dead weights at her side.

  A light appeared above her so suddenly she winced, closing her eyes tightly for a moment before opening them and raising her head slightly.

  The faint light didn't show much, creating a circle around her but not much farther. Glancing around, she saw darkness ahead and to her right. To the left, the stone blocks of a wall.

  Shifting again, she pulled her legs up and forced her arms to move, pushing her up into a sitting position. They felt so heavy, so wrong, she–

  Glancing down, every thought left her as she stared. Lips trembling, heart suddenly pounding in her chest, she raised her hands.

  A scream erupted out of her as she scrambled back until she smashed into the wall. Shaking fingers fumbled and slipped as she tried to push the bands of metal off her wrists.

  The chain between them rattled, but she barely heard it over her frantic screams. Her body shaking uncontrollably, no amount of pushing or pulling or tearing would remove the horrible things from her.

  This wasn't happening.

  She wasn't in chains. She wasn't! Not again. Not again.

  "No, no, no! Get them off! Take them off!"

  Unnatural sounds of terror echoed in the room. Her fingers violently tore at her skin, the shackles, and the chain. Blood seeped and then flowed, staining her hands, arms and shirt sleeves red.

  Tears blinded her as she screamed and cursed and sobbed. Rational thought left her. Chains. She was in chains. They wouldn't come off. She found no keyholes. No latches… nothing. The metal seemed to have welded together around her wrists. Another chain attached to the one between them with a lock and snaked out into the darkness, but that didn't matter to her. She wanted them off. "Off, take them…off…"

  Blood dripped to the floor. Eventually she slumped back, staring up at the light, hands still weakly trying to push the metal off her wrists.

  The light dimmed.

  Faint sounds she couldn't identify whispered in the near dark.

  Something met her lips.

  "Drink."

  Eyes filled with tears, she couldn't see who crouched in the dark before her. "Take…them off."

  "Drink."

  She did, the bitter water at least easing the burn in her throat. Whoever had come left, but she didn't care. The rainbows had returned.

  She welcomed them.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  The dreams flowed around her and she savored the sweet beauty of them. Pleasant scenes from the past surrounded her, one after another, and she watched, mesmerized and content. Vaguely, it occurred to her how strange it was, that she saw them from a distance, watching herself, instead of being an active part of them.

  Hazy memories of waking up drifted in her mind. Being fed, being led to a bucket to use, and then drinking more bitter water and dreaming again. Her mind remained in a cloudy fog each time and the return of the rainbow edged dreams brought an addictive comfort. Here she was safe, happy.

  When the rainbows began to fade, unease settled over her. She tried to hold on to the dreams, wanting to stay in the memories of her family and lost friends, with those she loved.

  Wet and cold struck her suddenly. She gasped in shock, her body jerking and hands going instinctively to cover her head as her eyes flew open.

  "Time to wake up."

  Freezing water dripped into her eyes and down her face. Curling in on herself, the chains between her hands slapped against her head as she peeked up. The room, her prison, faded in and out for a moment. Blinking rapidly, she cringed back and squeezed her eyes closed as another bucket of cold water was thrown over her.

  "Wake up!"

  "I'm…I'm awake."

  Silence met her comment. Shivering and drenched, she wiped water from her eyes. When she opened them again and looked up, she was just in time to see a bucket swing and then its contents thrown at her once more.

  With a shriek, she covered her head, struggling to move away. As she reached the stone wall, she heard a faint chuckle, the sound of footsteps, and then nothing.

  Turning, she placed her back against the wall and wiped water from her face again. A faint light lit the area around her once more. Looking up, she found not a lantern, but a simple golden ball.

  Magic.

  Her memories came back to her. Elves. Chains.

  Hair dripping into her face, she bowed her head and lifted her hands. They were swollen. Pink water dripped as the dried blood covering them and her shirt washed away. Scrapes and cuts covered her hands and what part of her wrists she could see. Some of them were quite deep and scabbed. Her stomach turned. She'd done this to herself. The horror and panic of being in chains left her mouth dry, yet at the same time resignation also set in.

  She pushed at one swollen scab and puss oozed out. How long had she been here?

  Looking around, she saw nothing new. The faint light showed only the now wet stone floor around her and the wall she leaned against.

  Bo? Garen?

  Her words felt empty, yet she had to try again to contact them. Closing her eyes, she fled to her mind and was met with the same foggy landscape as before. She searched everywhere for her link to them, but like before found nothing but more fog.

  The shock of another bucket of cold water jerked her from her mind with a loud gasp. Sucking in water, she choked, raising her hands as a futile defense once more.

  "No going back to sleep now," an irritated voice said. "It is time for you to be of use."

  Brushing soaked tendrils of hair from her face, she looked up. An Elf stood before her, easily identified by his pointed ears. Yet, even if she hadn't been able to see them, his fine featured beauty would have established his race. Pale hair, even lighter than the Elf who had first taken her, hung long down his back. Thin braids pulled it away from his face, revealing his ears. Vivid green eyes stared down at her, contempt clearly written on his face.

  "Who…" She cleared her dry throat, once again tasting a bitter aftertaste. "Who are you? What do you want?"

  A smile twisted his lips. "What do we want," he mocked. His laugh was not pleasant. He stared at her intently. "Your mind is more guarded than the Rift. What sort of human freak are you?"

  She didn't reply, though relief flooded her. At least the protections on her mind seemed to be holding despite the fogginess.

  "Stupid human," he muttered, glancing past her. After a long moment, he tossed the bucket to the side and walked around her into the darkness.

  She heard footsteps on wood, a creak, a slam, and then nothing.

  Stairs. He'd gone up stairs. So she was in a basement, and at least now knew which way was out. Shifting uncomfortably in the water puddled around her, she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered again.

  Her bond with Kei had faded once more as she slept. She didn't dare try to make it stronger, not with the current range of emotions flying through her. Hopefully her feelings were muted for him as well. He wouldn't understand. She didn't want him to worry and feared what might happen if she died.

  Time passed. Eventually the door above creaked open again, and then she heard the sound of many light footsteps on the wooden stairs. Her eyes strained agains
t the dark, but even using her Fey sight she couldn't see beyond the light.

  It brightened suddenly, and she winced, instinctively pulling her legs up and jerking back against the wall. The increased light showed the bottom of the stairs. Elves came into view, one after another, descending and walking along the edge of darkness as they passed her. Four of them in total disappeared into the dark in front of her. She recognized two, the Elf who'd taken her and the one who'd woken her.

  Body tense, she stared into the dark, wondering what they were doing, thinking. What they planned.

  Nothing good, of that she was certain.

  Finally, one came forward, the first she'd met, and he stopped in front of her, crossing his arms to regard her thoughtfully.

  Shivers still wracking her body, she watched him back, body tensing, not knowing what would come next.

  The Elf crouched. "Such filthy creatures, humans. Five decades with you." He shook his head. "No wonder he is not the same prince."

  She blinked up at him in surprise. This was about Prince? Of course it was. "What has he done?"

  The whispered question was more for herself than the Elf, but he answered anyway. "He has changed much, and not for the better. It is obvious to all that you are part of the problem. So we will amend that, and use you to do so. Brilliant, yes?"

  A faint sigh of relief left her.

  The loud sound of him slapping his thighs startled her. "I spoke too soon! You wondered perhaps, if your beloved prince had sent us to kill you?" He shook his head in disappointment, and a small dark smile formed on his lips. "That would have made a bitter sweet show for him, would it not? To watch his human die, believing he had betrayed her and ordered it."

  Her breath caught in her throat as her hands clenched into fists. So there it was. "You'll kill me then."

  He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "Perhaps. We will see. Not today though, mortal."

  Mind whirling, she turned her gaze to the stone floor. Pushing away the thoughts of her impending death, she concentrated on what else he'd said. Prince watching. Would they take her to him? No, they didn't need to.

  "Wither me."