The woman, who’d been working across the room with her back to Alora and Kaevin, dusted off her hands and flipped back her hood, turning to face them. Alora almost gasped aloud. She was beautiful. She glided across the room like a runway model. High cheekbones accented smooth coffee-with-cream skin. Ice blond hair hung in board-straight glossy sheathes, framing her deep blue eyes. Her features were flawless. Too flawless. Her beauty was enticing, and Alora wondered if she was projecting some kind of illusion.
The enticement ended when she drew close. She wore wickedness like a cloud of heavy perfume, and Alora felt the familiar saliva flow that preceded a dry heave. Empusa took her place beside Vindrake, a cold emotionless statue, a stark contrast to his Jekkyl-and-Hyde demeanor.
“Empusa has been very busy, preparing for this day. I’d hoped you might some day travel through the portal and into my lair, but I didn’t expect you so soon. I’m astonished a daughter of mine would actually be so foolish. Did you truly believe you had a chance to succeed?”
“We’ve already succeeded.” Alora tried to steady her voice. “Even if you kill Kaevin and me, we’ve won.”
“I see you believe your words are truth, but I wouldn’t be so smug, my dear. Your friend will not escape with my property or his life. You didn’t think I’d discover your third party or his vain attempt at thievery?” Only the tell-tale twitching of his left eye told her how agitated he was. “Tell me, Alora, how did you know about the scroll?”
What scroll? What’s he talking about? The words were on her lips when Kaevin replied, “Father knows many of your secrets.”
The veins bulged on the side of Vindrake’s face as he snarled, “How does he know my secrets?”
Kaevin turned his head away, pressing his lips together.
“Tell me how he knows!” Vindrake’s entire body quivered as he stretched out his hand toward Kaevin and clenched his fist.
Kaevin screamed in pain, as did Alora.
Vindrake’s fury vanished as his fist relaxed, moving to stroke his beard. He cocked his head and spoke in a calm, clinical voice. “Interesting… I’ve learned much about soulmates since I discovered your bond. But I haven’t heard of a bonded pair who shared their pain sensations. I must say your unique problem is a bonus for me.” He pulled the corners of his mouth back, displaying his teeth in a sadistic smile. “Simultaneous torture.”
“Just knock another thing off your bucket list,” Alora muttered under her breath. Don’t the people who get tortured in the movies ignore the pain by joking about it?
“There’s no need to worry; I don’t intend to mutilate your soulmate. I want him in prime condition when I send him to kill his father.”
“I’ll never swear fealty to you, though you break every bone in my body.” Kaevin forced the words between his tight lips.
“Oh, but you will. Trust me, you will. Pain is a great motivator. Anyway, I don’t intend to torture you, I’ll torture Alora.”
“No!” Kaevin jerked against his chains, eliciting a snort of mirth from Vindrake. His expression was so full of arrogance Alora’s temper took over her mouth.
“It doesn’t matter what you do, I still won’t use my gift for you. And I won’t let Kaevin live with your bloodbond. I’m not afraid to die. I’ll just kill myself and we’ll both die.”
Vindrake’s expression didn’t change at her outburst. “Perhaps you’ll be interested in another little nugget of information I’ve gleaned concerning soulmates. Your bond prevents you from doing just that.” His eyebrows lifted. “Oh, I see I’ve surprised you again. How amusing.”
“My father will destroy you. He knows we’ve been captured, and he’ll come for us.”
“Yes, I believe he’ll come.” Vindrake leaned over Kaevin. “I’ll enjoy nothing more than to draw Graely BarManasae to battle in my own territory. When he arrives from Laegenshire, three days from now at the earliest, his forces will be meager. Few will volunteer to leave their homes and crops to die in a fight against Water Clan. They will weigh their options and choose the easier one… to accept my rule and escape with their lives.”
Despair descended, blanketing Alora’s consciousness. His words had a ring of truth to them, sucking the hope from her body. Her shoulders and hips ached fr
om lying with her arms and legs wrenched to the corners. Tugging against her bonds, the iron cuffs bit into her flesh. A fresh wave of nausea swept through her gut, and she dry-heaved yet again.
Her action caught Vindrake’s attention and brought a smile to his lips. He’s so vile. How could I have ever hoped he would change?
“It’s time to begin.” Vindrake straightened, whipping around and pulling his outer cloak over his head to toss it against the wall. “Empusa, do you have the iron ready?”
“Yes, Sire.” She glided to the table at the back of the room, returning with a foot-long iron rod with a flat disc at the end slightly larger than a silver dollar. Vindrake took the rod and held the disk before Kaevin’s eyes so he could inspect it. Then he showed the disc to Alora. On the flat metal surface was a carved image of a demonic creature with six horns, the same monster painted on the three-story wall in his chamber.
“So you’ve become a demon-worshipper?” Kaevin’s voice held more pity than fear. “You’ve traded your soul and abandoned the faith of your father?”
Vindrake threw the rod on the floor with such force it clanged and bounced across the room. “I’m no demon-worshipper! He obeys me! I use my God-given gifts to control him, to bend him to my will!” His hand quaked as he pointed a bony finger across the room. “Empusa! Retrieve the iron!”
As Empusa moved to fetch the demon-rod, Vindrake turned his back to Alora and Kaevin, stomping a few steps away to let out a frustrated scream and running agitated fingers through his jet-black hair.
Alora stole a glance at Kaevin. His gaze locked with hers, a penetrating stare, heightened by glistening tears.
“I love you,” he mouthed.