Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

WREN

Wren ran to where Elodie lay, dropping to her knees beside her.

When she touched her face, and whispered her name, Elodie flinched back and her eyes opened, bright and bloodshot with agony.

‘Wren?' Her voice grated along her throat like sandpaper.

‘Yes, I'm here. We're here. We're going to get you out.'

‘You can't, love. You—' She looked up to see Anselm and a look of pure loathing passed over her face. It quickly crumpled as another wave of pain lanced through her. ‘You can't be here. You have to leave. Now. They'll be back soon. And the spells…'

Wren was too busy examining the chains and the collar, trying to find a catch. The metal was icy cold against her touch and as she ran her fingertips over it, she felt it hum. When she had released Elodie at the Seven Sisters, she had pulled the shadows from the steel, but this time it was too deeply ingrained and slipped through her grasp.

Elodie sobbed again, and she grabbed Wren's wrists in shaking hands. ‘You have to stop, love. You're…you're making it worse. It hurts…Please…go.' Her voice rose, ragged and pained.

‘But I?—'

‘Worse, Wren. The power in you… It's… it's feeding on it… growing… please…'

Wren withdrew, desperate now. If she couldn't free Elodie, if she was making it worse by being here…

‘What do I do? You broke free of manacles like those before, Elodie. You have to be able to do it again.'

‘I'm too weak and this place…too dark…with you here…no time…' Suddenly she stopped, listening intently, pain still playing out on her face but pushed back for a moment. ‘They're coming back,' Elodie hissed. ‘Get out, all of you. Tell Roland…tell him…'

Whatever it was she couldn't say it. Another wave of agony swamped her and she arched her back, trying to fight through it.

Footsteps outside told them their time was up. Olivier stood in the doorway. ‘I can carry her,' he began but Elodie shook her head. Even though she had to bite out the words, there was no doubting the tone of command.

‘…slow you down…get out.'

But Wren wasn't giving up. ‘Elodie, please, we can make it. You and I?—'

‘Why won't you listen to me? You've never listened.' She fixed Wren with her manic eyes, wild with pain. ‘I did it all for you and you never listen. You aren't even my child. You're nothing to me. We owe each other nothing. Do you understand? Now leave me. Get away from me. You…you're nothing but a monster. You always have been.'

Wren staggered back, stunned at the cruel words. Anselm pulled her into his arms, clearly as surprised as she was by Elodie's rage.

Noises from above made them all freeze, the sound of footsteps coming down the stone stairs.

Ignoring the horror on their faces, Elodie struggled to her feet. ‘Get her out of here, knight,' she hissed to Anselm. ‘I charge you on your vows. Both of you, protect her.'

Anselm dragged Wren back into the shadows which she instinctively pulled around them as armed men flooded the dungeon. Olivier folded in beside them and the darkness hid the three of them, for once acting in her favour. Just as it had promised, she thought, and felt like a traitor. Anselm's whole body went tense with loathing at the sight of his father, but he didn't release her. Perhaps he didn't dare to. His queen had given him a command. Even Wren couldn't counter that, no matter how much she might want to.

Sassone looked no further than a defeated queen and his own triumph.

Elodie looked up at him, pain and contempt dripping from her voice. ‘I'll say what you want,' she spat out each word. ‘Whatever you want. Let's get this over with.'

‘Bring her,' Sassone barked at his men. He didn't question her change of mind or the reasons for it. Perhaps he thought the enchanted chains had done his work for him. Perhaps he was that arrogant. Or perhaps, Wren realised, his position was too dire for hesitation. The knights were at the gates. ‘There isn't much time. We need that confession in public, now, where everyone can hear her. Her knights need to hear it. As does all of Pelias.'

Wren stifled a sob and the shadows surged around them again, angry now, upset with her. They teetered on the edge of her control and she felt it too, the wild magic in the air, exacerbating everything and sending the balance of light and dark off its axis, spinning recklessly as a drunk.

The moment Sassone and his men had dragged the still chained Elodie from the cell, Wren turned on Anselm.

And lost the last grip on her powers.

Shadows coiled around him like ropes. She flung him back against the wall, pinning him there, and felt the dark power that was her birthright erupt inside her.

‘Why did you do that? Why didn't you help me free her? Do you want your father to kill her?'

She hardly recognised the man there, smothered in darkness, his eyes wide in abject terror.

‘Wren please,' Anselm managed to heave out, before shadows surged into his mouth until he choked on them.

Elodie had called her a monster. Had said Wren was nothing to her. Not her child, not really. And now…now…what was she doing? What would Anselm call her right now?

Please…

Who was begging her? The man or the shadows? It almost sounded like the voice of the Nox. It was so strong down here. Now it all rebounded on Wren, drowning her in its power. And she was ready to surrender to it.

‘Let him go,' Olivier snapped. His sword touched her back, Aurum-forged and icy cold. But even seeing the evidence of what she was and what she could do, he didn't panic, not entirely.

What was she doing?

The shadows recoiled, dumping Anselm unceremoniously on the cold slabs of the floor. He gasped for air, trying to pull himself up.

Olivier stepped back and she turned to see the ghost of fear on his handsome features. It didn't make him back down though. He was a knight. He took his vows seriously. ‘What…what are you? We fight the Nox, with flame and sword.'

And there it was, the reaction she expected. Every time.

But to her surprise, Anselm pushed by her, and with one hand swatted Olivier's sword aside, standing between them defiant. ‘She's our princess and we are sworn to protect her.'

Olivier frowned at him as if he was mad and then he exhaled slowly. ‘It's magic and that is no concern of ours. Men give it up to serve the Aurum and we don't need to have anything to do with it. It is necessary, I understand that. But this…'

‘Olivier,' said Anselm softly. Just his name. An admonition. And a warning. Olivier stared at him, frowned but then, slowly, he nodded.

‘Very well, I trust you .' The word was pointed and only for Anselm, Wren knew that. ‘Don't get us killed.' Then he gave Wren a curt nod. ‘Princess.'

The glow of flickering lanterns reflected off his sword and armour, a brief glimmer of light. But it was light , here in this dark and terrible place. Wren found the breath she hadn't been able to draw into her lungs. It came with a surge of relief as she pulled herself up to her full height and fixed him with a look of gratitude and desperation.

‘I'm Wren,' she told him. ‘Not princess, not lady, not…not anything else and we are running out of time. I don't care what Elodie said. We have to help her.'