26. Gwyneira

26

GWYNEIRA

M y vampire side and I were in wholehearted agreement that something needed to be done about that man who called himself King of Erenelle.

We only differed slightly on what.

“And what exactly would this method of escape be?” Casimir replied to the man’s claim of a way out.

Deter smiled. “Ignatius.”

Nearby, I heard Byron’s breath catch.

I couldn’t risk turning around, not without drawing attention. I didn’t recognize the name from the memory Byron had inadvertently shared with me. But from that reaction, I had to assume he knew the man.

The elderly giant who approached didn’t have the sneering look of the duke’s henchmen, though. Like many of the giants who didn’t seem to be in the duke’s inner circle, he appeared tense—and on the verge of starvation. Mining had done just as much damage as age, leaving his wrinkled skin with an ashen, desiccated look, like dust and grime had become a part of him.

“Yes?” he replied.

The duke’s eyes narrowed, and I suspected I knew why. No honorific accompanied the short response. His tone was utterly neutral, not offensive but not obsequious in the slightest.

No matter what the duke called himself, clearly some of the Erenlians weren’t as comfortable with appointing him as their king as he would have liked.

But the duke also didn’t force the issue, which was intriguing. Whoever the older giant was, Deter seemed to need him enough to allow the transgression to pass. “Can you use their power?”

Ignatius nodded. “Potentially.”

“Good.”

Deter started to turn away as if that settled the matter.

“I would note,” Casimir spoke up, “you have yet to answer my question. And we have agreed to nothing.”

The duke turned back with a cruel and poisonous smile, and my vampire side surged again. I already distrusted the man, considering he reminded me of some of the lords from my father’s court, the ones more interested in power than in helping their people.

But learning that he’d hurt Clay and Lars when they were children…

My vampire side made my lip spasm with the urge to pull back from my fangs. That part of me whispered about swift justice that would be well deserved.

It was difficult to disagree.

The duke never even looked my way. “It would be easier to show you than to explain. If you and your Zeniryan citizens will come this way?” There was so much condescension in the word, it made my blood boil. With an ingratiating smile, he gestured toward the far end of the cavern.

Thanks to years of training, I managed to get my reactions under control while Dex and the rest of my men shared a wary look. In the space of minutes, this man had gone from threatening to kill us all to suddenly wanting our assistance and expecting us to wander deeper into the cavern on his word alone.

I didn’t trust it for a second.

But on the other hand, we were trapped. Or as good as trapped, considering I refused to abandon them down here.

Dex glanced at me, and whatever he saw in my eyes, it only made him sigh. With a twitch of his chin, he motioned the others to go on ahead. “The previous plan is still on the table,” he murmured to me. I opened my mouth to argue, but he continued before I could. “You’re getting out of here. That’s not up for debate.”

Irritation rose in me, but then I noticed the look in his eyes. There was an edge to his gaze I hadn’t seen before. A determined sort of desperation that gave me pause.

He looked like he needed this. Needed to hang onto the idea that, no matter what happened, I would escape. My men were surrounded by people who, even if they hadn't personally tried it, were from the nation that had attempted to kill them when they were younger. Moreover, some of them would almost certainly try to kill me now.

He had to believe I would survive. Otherwise, he’d never be able to focus on getting us out of here.

I exhaled, my breath shallow from how drained I was, and nodded.

Relief flickered through his eyes, and it made me want to reach out to him. But we were still surrounded by potential enemies, and so I settled for a tiny smile that hopefully conveyed my support. Together, we trailed the other giants deeper into the cavern.

The duke strode ahead, his head lifted like he really was a king.

But I refused to call him that. Not unless his people proved they actually wanted him to rule. But wherever the duke went, a space cleared around him like the other prisoners were frightened of coming too close.

My teeth ground. People shouldn’t be afraid of rulers. Not like this. Rulers should earn their people’s trust and respect because they made choices for the good of the nation and its citizens.

Admittedly, not every ruler succeeded at that. I highly doubted my stepmother had much interest in anything besides instilling fear. But from all I could see, this man thought the position of king was meant to serve him , not that leadership was about serving anyone else.

I knew he wasn’t the original Erenlian king, the one the country had possessed when my people started the war. King Archerias was dead, as far as I knew. So how the hell this man had gotten the position, I didn’t know. But I could already tell it wasn’t going to be easy convincing him to work with me in restoring peaceful relations between our countries, if I succeeded in reclaiming my throne.

If anything, I suspected he’d just want to restart the war.

And if I failed, if my stepmother kept the throne…

I shuddered at the thought. Between Deter and Melisandre, I suspected they’d each burn the world down just so the other couldn’t have it.

Picking up on my worry, Ozias cast a sharp look at me, concern in his eyes.

Suppressing the urge to grimace, I tried to send him reassurance instead. “I’m fine. Just… thinking.”

His eyes slid to the duke, and he gave a low grunt of understanding.

At the back of the cavern, Brock and several others were crouched around a collection of rocks, doing something that I couldn’t see.

For a heartbeat, I studied the sandy-haired giant. Clay and Lars had never said a word about having a brother. But given that he seemed to be in league with Duke Deter and that bully Norbert, I supposed I could imagine why.

“What’s that?” Clay asked, eyeing Brock and the others cautiously.

“Is it the way out of here?” Niko asked, directing the question at Ignatius rather than the duke.

But it was the duke who spoke first, ignoring Niko and Clay entirely as he turned to Casimir. “Our people have planned their escape for decades, Your Highness. I think you’ll find yourself grateful for the charity of Erenelle when we let you leave with us.”

I kept my face still, but inside, I was incredulous. He needed our help, yet he presented it as a gift to us ?

This man truly would have fit right in among the worst of my father’s lords.

Casimir regarded him neutrally. “And where is this escape route that you cannot access without our assistance?”

I suppressed a smile. His nation may have been destroyed, his people gone, but Casimir was still an excellent politician.

And worlds better than this bastard at being a good king.

The duke’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He hadn’t missed the implied insult in the vampire’s response, but he couldn’t say anything about it. Not considering the fact he needed us.

For some reason.

My eyes slid back to the pile of rocks. There was something strange about them, though I couldn’t see anything to explain that impression. They just seemed… wrong, somehow. Like they were shells more than stones. Like they wouldn’t actually be there if I reached out to touch them.

A chill crept over me the longer I stared at them. I wanted to retreat, but to do so would only draw attention to myself.

“It is a gateway spell,” Ignatius said, walking toward Brock and the others, motioning them aside.

Byron gave a startled cough like he’d just choked on his own tongue. “A gateway ?”

When Ignatius glanced at him, the scholar blanched. He looked away like he suddenly realized he’d drawn the man’s notice and wanted to disappear.

“That is complex magic,” Casimir added, clearly incredulous, “and it requires a great deal of power. How did you accomplish crafting such a thing with your abilities suppressed?”

It was a good question. One that made me suspicious and worried, all at the same time.

The duke’s expression turned mildly condescending. “Through the strength of Erenlians.”

Behind him, Norbert and several others grinned. But from the expressions on Casimir, Byron, and Niko’s faces, I suspected that couldn’t really be the answer.

“Our people’s magic is suppressed, yes,” Ignatius said as if trying to ameliorate the mounting tension. “But the Aneirans still require the use of it, and as such, they can reduce the controlling force of these manacles.” He held up the band on his wrist. “Some months into our incarceration, we realized that after they finished forcing us to use our magic and returned the manacles to their standard suppressive settings, a small trace of our powers would linger for a short while. And if we returned here quickly enough, I could?—”

“I ordered the scholar to harness this magic and direct it for the good of Erenelle,” the duke interrupted.

Oh for pity’s sake. Any fool could see that Ignatius was the power behind this, not the duke. For goodness sakes, I’d even wager that Ignatius was the one who came up with the plan in the first place. But the duke still wanted to claim credit.

Gods, that was weak.

A real ruler celebrated the skills of their people. They were proud of their subjects’ accomplishments and honored them for what they added to the kingdom.

Overall, Ignatius’s face remained neutral at the duke’s words, but I thought I saw a hint of tension around his eyes as he said, “My ability to manipulate the magic has been limited to the narrow span of time following our return to this place after mining. But over the years, I’ve built the beginnings of a gateway spell. It passes through the earth for several miles, beyond the reach of the suppressing spells above us, and then onward to the border of Erenelle. The opposite end rests as close to the Erenlian Wall as possible, roughly seven miles from the temple of Syloria where I served decades ago as a young initiate. In another few years, we likely would have?—”

“No need to confuse these Zeniryans with your details, scholar,” the duke interrupted.

“We are not confused, I assure you,” Casimir said mildly.

The duke sniffed. “We have an escape route. That is what you need to know. To utilize it, we only require the removal of these pathetic Aneiran devices and the application of whatever magic your citizens might possess. As the Aneirans are now dead, whatever key master may have existed among their number is not available to us. Thus, it falls to Zenirya to liberate us. And as a sign of gratitude for their service to the crown, I will grant the honorary Zeniryans and their king—” I could hear the sneer in his voice. “—the right to escape with us through our Erenlian gateway.”

“Gateways belong to no one,” Byron said quietly. “And the beings within them do not take kindly to anyone who believes otherwise.”

The duke leveled a look on him that bordered upon contemptuous before turning back to Casimir as if Byron hadn’t spoken. “We would have the answer of the Zeniryan king and his entourage now.”

Casimir’s eyebrow arched. “And I would confer with my advisors.”

“The king can’t just make a decision by himself?” Norbert sneered.

Clay made an angry noise, and I bit back one of my own. People were starving while he and his father clearly weren’t, and yet he still had the audacity to think Casimir was the weak ruler?

“A good king listens to his people,” Casimir replied calmly. “He takes their needs into account and makes decisions that benefit more than just himself.”

He never looked at the duke while he spoke, and his tone was neutral with no trace of threat.

But the message was more than clear.

Anger flashed through Duke Ensid’s eyes.

Calmly, Casimir turned back to me and my other men. “With me, my advisors.” He walked past us, head held high.

“So we’re Zeniryan,” Dex said without preamble when we reached a space away from the other giants.

Casimir bobbed his head in tacit apology. “Forgive me, my friend. It seemed the best way to protect you all.”

“Oh, I’m good with it,” Clay replied. “I’m going to need a title, though. Preferably several.”

The vampire chuckled. “Consider it done.” His humor faded as murmurs came from the duke and his loyal followers. I couldn’t make out all the words—they must know something of vampires, since they kept their voices that low—and they were speaking Erenlian, regardless. But from the few words I could pick out, it sounded like they were planning how to force us to help.

“Thoughts?” Casimir continued in a more serious tone.

Grim looks passed over the others’ faces while I bit my lip nervously. “If we let them out…” I started.

Byron frowned. “With those wristbands in place, there’s every chance they would never make it through the gateway, regardless. The deadening power of those devices would likely infuriate the gateway demons.”

“Hold on,” Clay said. “ Gateway demons ? What the fuck are gateway demons?” He glanced at Roan. “No offense.”

Worry hovering in his eyes, Roan didn’t respond.

“They are the beings who live within the energy of the gateways,” Casimir explained. “Or so many scholars suspect,” he added with a nod to Byron.

“They’re not like the Voidborn, right?” Niko asked with a worried glance at me.

Anxiety tangled in my gut. We all knew what the Voidborn could do to vampires, and it wasn’t good.

My nervousness lessened only slightly when Casimir shook his head. “Little is known about those creatures, but based on every book I’ve read… no.”

“But is it safe for the princess?” Roan pressed. “Or… any of us?” A slightly nauseated look flickered through his eyes.

“Are you feeling something from that?” I asked him with a nod toward where the strange stones waited near the duke and his bullies.

Roan made a grunt that could mean anything. “I’m fine.”

That wasn’t what I’d asked.

“We should leave,” Ozias stated flatly. “Or get her out, if nothing else.” He jerked his head toward me.

“And what?” Niko countered. “We can’t just abandon these people here.”

Clay and Lars looked like they definitely were considering that option, and Byron just looked like someone had died. Meanwhile, I could feel the distrust seething beneath Ozias’s reserved exterior. Nearby, Roan was watching the giants with a mixture of worry and threat, like the demon wanted to come back and deal with them while the man dreaded what would happen if things turned into a real fight.

Dex sighed. “We won’t abandon them.” Clay straightened a bit like he wanted to protest, but Dex spoke before he could. “Do you want to live the rest of your life knowing you left children to die? That you’re no better than the humans who imprisoned them and their parents?”

Clay looked away, scowling. Lars put a hand to his arm in support.

I could only imagine how they felt, given what the duke had done to them. Norbert and Brock too, most likely. I’d never heard the details—not many anyway—but what I had heard was bad enough.

Not to mention, how would I feel if it was my stepmother down here?

Discomfort gnawed at me as I tried to push the thought aside. My stepmother was actively trying to kill us.

And the duke wouldn’t do the same when he got his abilities back?

Gods, there was no winning here.

I let out a slow breath. No, there was only what Dex had said. The choice of what kind of people we wanted to be. “Niko is right. We can’t leave them. But can we power the gateway ourselves?”

“I will try,” Casimir said before Byron could respond.

Byron looked a bit pasty, but he nodded. “I can help you?—”

“No,” Casimir interrupted swiftly. “I will do it. You should remain separate from the spell, just in case anything goes wrong and the others need protecting.”

“But the magic is Erenlian,” Byron pointed out. “If anything, I should try and you should stay to protect the?—”

“I will not negotiate this, my friend.”

The others and I exchanged wary looks. “What’s wrong, Casimir?” I asked.

He hesitated and then lowered his voice. “I do not wish to risk you.”

I was confused. “But?—”

“Please.” Insistent urgency threaded through his tone. “Do not argue with me. Not where others may hear.”

I bit my lip. Dammit, I hated it, but he had a point.

A small, grateful smile crossed his face. “Allow me to protect you. All of you. My tutors were Erenlian. I have experience with their kind of magic and with complex spellwork. Please trust me when I say it…” His eyes didn’t quite flick to Byron. “It would simply be better if we did things this way.”

“Okay, but—” Clay shifted his weight uncomfortably. “—are you sure you can trust this Ignatius guy?”

At that, Casimir glanced at Byron again, questioning.

The scholar was silent.

“Byron?” I pressed.

He didn’t quite look at me, a strange sort of reluctance flashing over his face.

Clay made an incredulous sound. “Out with it, man.”

“It’s only that…” Byron frowned. “Ignatius despises dwarves. He was one of the most outspoken opponents of allowing me to join the Order. He believes we aren’t capable of strength or integrity.” His eyes twitched in my direction without ever meeting my own. “Or of keeping our vows.”

My mouth opened but words failed me. Oh… oh gods.

Everything I’d seen in Byron’s memories played back. Of course Ignatius hadn’t been there when he took his vows. Why would he be, when Byron joining the Order was an affront to everything he believed?

And now our lives depended on this man.

“But…” Niko sounded surprised. “He’s been helping me. And he knows what I am. He hasn’t treated me that way at all.”

Byron didn’t appear reassured.

“Maybe he’s changed?” I offered.

Niko nodded like that must be the answer.

“Whatever he may think now,” Dex said, “we need a way out of here, and they need our help to do it. Casimir, you think you can tell if he tries anything with the spell?”

The vampire nodded.

“Good. Ozias, if anything goes wrong, you get?—”

“No,” I interrupted firmly. “I’m not leaving you down here.”

Dex turned a frustrated look on me. I glared right back.

“Okay, uh, well,” Lars began. “I don’t think the big folks back there are going to wait much longer, so maybe we should just get on with it?”

Dex nodded. “We break the manacles off Ignatius and any others we need for the gateway spell, and we take that route out of here.” His jaw tightened briefly. “No matter what that duke tries to say.”