Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

It turned out Minotaurs were very good at cooking, or well, Sorren was. The stuffy tent smelled of roasted boar, but he had been kind enough to make her a separate pot of pottage stew. Dyna stirred her bowl, savoring the diced carrots, onions, parsnips, mushrooms, leeks, and barley. The aromatic herbs or rosemary and thyme balanced out the rich flavors perfectly. But Yavi had taken one sniff of the food and turned a tad green. She excused herself and hadn’t returned. Novo left her in Geon’s care, not that he was guarding her when he was busy obeying Sorren’s barking orders as they served the men.

Dyna kept to her corner as she ate, secretly taking an account of the steady stream of Raiders passing in and out of Sorren’s tent. There were nearly two hundred men, all varying ages and races. And they had their own form of hierarchy. The Raiders riddled with weapons were the fighting force. Rarely did she glimpse the spies and only when they wanted to be seen. And then there were the mages who provided the magic and healing. Each group had their own leader and Von oversaw them all for his master.

When Dyna spotted Dalton at the end of the line, she sent him a timid smile and he returned a surprised one. As the line shortened, she sent him two more lingering glances. It paid off when the mage made his way to her after he was served.

“Evening. Eating alone?”

“I’m short on company,” Dyna said, maybe too suggestively.

Dalton grinned. He took a seat next to her, setting down the tray holding three steaming plates and tankards of ale. “Then I will join you for a moment. My brother can eat his meat cold.”

She forced herself to giggle at his joke.

He cut into his food. “You seem in better spirits.”

“A meal will do that to you.”

“Aye, that’s true. Sorren’s a grump, but he knows how to feed us.”

She swallowed another spoonful. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the royalrods. It’s amazing that you could grow so many and in mere minutes.”

“It’s nothing.” Dalton shrugged, though she could tell he was pleased.

“I wouldn’t call that nothing. Your brother likes to boast, but you were the one who filled the field. How did you do that?”

He traced a finger over the wood grain patterns on the table “The earth has music for those who listen.”

She smiled, liking how that sounded. “Did you tell your father?”

“He would care nothing about that. To him, Clay is the most powerful out of us both simply because he can communicate with the trees and move the earth.”

“Why should plant life be less important? They are the source of medicine and food. Benton is wrong about you, Dal.” She called him by his nickname for more familiarity. “I think you might be more powerful than your brother. If you set your mind to it, I bet you could split open the earth and move the trees themselves.”

Dalton hummed, amusement playing on his mouth. “Why all the compliments, Dyna? I’m astonished you lured me over here after our encounter in Landcaster.”

Clearly, manipulating others wasn’t her strong suit.

“You were an arse.”

“I was,” he agreed. “That doesn’t explain what you want with me.”

Dyna ducked her head shily. “Could…you teach me?”

“Ah, was that your plan, win my favor in hopes I will teach you magic?”

Or so he thought.

Dyna nodded, hunching in her seat with visible embarrassment.

Dalton smirked and soaked up the leftover meat broth with some bread. “Allow me a moment to think.” He pretended to frown at the roof thoughtfully as he chewed. “Mmm—no.”

She pouted. “Why?”

“Several reasons. Your bangles have your Essence locked away, for one. Not to mention Tarn might murder me if my father doesn’t first. You’re a girl, and you cannot wield earth magic.”

Dyna glowered. What is it with mages and their misogynistic ideals? “I can wield magic and it has nothing to do with my gender. You can teach me other spells that don’t pertain to one element.”

“Is there one in particular you’re referring to?”

“I…have trouble making a shield.” Dyna winced because it was true. She hadn’t mastered that spell yet since it was the last one she had been trying to learn. Possibly because she at last sounded genuine, Dalton bought her excuse.

“You don’t know how to make a shield?” He chuckled. “That is a preliminary spell. I learned that when I was six summers old.”

“Well, since you’re so advanced, I thought perhaps I could learn from you.”

Truths within lies.

At Dalton’s attention, it proved that was how real manipulation worked. The perfect balance of sympathy and suggestion to misdirect while truly getting what she wanted. Information. Dyna felt guilty about it, but squashed it. She needed to learn everything she could about the veil and quickly. Tonight was her only chance to escape.

But Dalton hesitated to answer her so she heavily sighed. “I knew I should have asked Clayton instead.”

He scowled. “I won’t teach you magic, Dyna. But I can show you how it’s done by a true mage.”

So she spent the evening outside, oohing and aahing as group of Raiders took turns throwing knives at Dalton or trying to land a punch. He deflected them all with a simple shield and it rippled gold on impact.

Even if Dalton didn’t intend to teach her, she also learned by watching. Dyna studied his stance, and the way his Essence moved. She was miffed that his bangles allowed him to use magic, unlike hers. He only couldn’t use attack spells. But finally, she understood how to form a shield.

Now all she had to do was to get him to show her how the veil worked.

Geon slipped out of the cook’s tent, drawing her attention. He sat beside her on the grass with two mugs with warm cider and offered her one. “Here, this will warm you up.”

“Thank you.” Dyna graciously accepted. The hot mug felt good against her stiff fingers.

When she first met Geon in Landcaster, he seemed older. Up close, she saw he was a year or two younger than her.

“You’re welcome.” He nudged her shoulder. “How is your head?”

She grimaced and rubbed the knot on the back of her skull. “It’s fine.”

“Len can be a bit defensive of Tarn, but she did it for your sake as well as his.”

She frowned at that. How was that for her sake?

Geon sighed. “Back in Corron, I didn’t need to warn you. I could have stalled until Elon arrived, but when you healed me I saw your kindness. There is little of that left in this world.” A small smile tugged at one end of his mouth as he watched Dalton cast out a flashy spell that had the Raider’s cheering. “Dal can be a prick sometimes, but he’s my best mate. And because of it, I know how easily he’s led by a bonnie face.”

His worried copper-colored eyes met hers and she realized then, Geon had been listening to their conversation at dinner. And he was warning her again.

“I know you want to reunite with your friends, but don’t use mine to do it. You will only get them killed. That is what happens here if you cross Tarn. Either you fight with him or die by him. There is no other option. So please, I beg you to leave Dal out of whatever you’re planning.”

Tricking and lying. It wasn’t who she was. Be smarter than them and you will win, Lucenna had said. That didn’t mean be cruel. Because she would be lying to herself to believe that Dalton or others wouldn’t have been punished if she managed to escape because of them. Knowing now that they could be killed made the guilt she’d been ignoring come flooding back.

Dyna wrapped her arms around her knees and laid her head over them. She let the brisk wind blow in her face and dry her wet eyes. All she wanted was to go home and hug her grandmother and Lyra. She missed North Star, the beautiful rolling hills, and the calmness of it all. She closed her eyes and pictured herself laying in the meadow surrounded by colorful wildflowers, inhaling the sweet floral scent of spring. Cassiel was there with her as they picked out shapes in the sky. He would have liked her village.

But none of that would ever happen if she was stuck here. Winter was coming. She had to reunite with him and Rawn and cross Troll Bridge before the snow came or they would be stuck in Azure for another three months. Her one year before the Shadow’s return was trickling away and she was no closer to getting the Sōl Medallion. It seemed whatever she did, something was always in the way of reaching Mount Ida.

Tarn was merely another obstacle.

“Where are you from, Geon?” she asked.

He leaned back on his palms. “I’m from Tipton. It’s a tiny town north of the Three Rivers. Have you been thereabouts?”

“I don’t know much of Urn.”

“Nor did I until I joined.”

“You joined them?” It astounded her that someone would willingly relinquish their freedom.

Geon gave her an awkward shrug. “Aye. I was a starving waif with nowhere else to go. Von brought me to Master Tarn, and I entered into his services as a Raider, but I wasn’t very good at it. It happens that I’m better off using a knife to cook. I may be a slave, but I have a family now.”

He meant Yavi, Von, and Dalton. Perhaps even Sorren. They were his family. But the difference between his and hers, was that they were together.

“They mean a lot to you,” she said.

“They do.”

“Because they are your home, and you would do anything to protect them. Even if that meant letting others suffer. I think you and I are the same in that regard.”

Geon wore an expression that was a mixture of unease and new understanding. In that moment, she recognized they would both do what they had to for their family.

“I don’t want anyone to die,” Dyna murmured. “I will find a way out without implementing anyone, all right?”

They shared a long look. Before he could reply, Dalton trudged over to join them.

He rolled to the ground and laid his head on Geon’s lap, wearing a tired grin. “Ugh, my power is nearly drained. I’ve even sprouted a sweat. Whose idea was this?”

Geon shoved him off. “Yours when you chose to flaunt your powers for a girl’s attention.”

“Did it work?”

“You were incredible,” Dyna said brightly. “I could never hope to reach your caliber.”

Dalton laughed and dragged an arm across his sweaty forehead. “I know she’s inflating my ego, but I rather enjoy it anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Geon flicked his nose. “Because your head isn’t big enough, eh?”

At the crunch of gravel approaching, they looked up to see Von. His gaze briefly met hers. “Is the Master’s meal ready, lad?” he asked Geon.

“Aye, Commander. It should be now.” He got up, and Von followed him into the cook’s tent.

“Think you can manage a shield now?” Dalton wiggled his brows. “I saw you studying me.”

She shrugged. “Perhaps. What kind of shield did you use?”

“A standard one. It defends against physical attacks.”

“Ohhh,” she emphasized her awe, pretending this was new to her. “There are different kinds?”

“Of course. There is an enchanted shield which is stronger and used as defense against spells. Containment domes are fifty times stronger and they work well to contain enemies or to protect yourself from them. They also conceal the presence of magic.”

“Like the veil,” she mentioned casually.

Dalton’s smile tensed, and he brushed the dark hair from his forehead as he sat up. “No…veils are cloaking spells.”

“I haven’t seen one like that before.” She looked up at the twilight sky where it rippled iridescently. Its magic constantly prickled against her senses. “It feels different.”

“Well, that’s due to the fact that it’s created from the Spatial Gate.”

Dyna’s eyes widened again and it was a genuine reaction. That meant the veil didn’t simply stand over whatever area they chose, it created a pocket of space in which they hid the camp. It separated them from everything in the Mortal Realm. Which explained why they couldn’t be found. That sounded very much like a shield to her. But it had to be portable to move with them.

The warding spell placed on her village was stationary and it hid them from outsiders, but it could be found if someone stumbled upon it.

“Is it a complicated spell?” she asked.

“They are very powerful and difficult to maintain,” Dalton said. “For most.”

“Not for your father?”

Dalton snorted. “He was Grand Magus.”

“But after so many years, it must cost him to maintain such a spell. Forgive me if I speak plainly,” she lowered her voice. “But how does he maintain it and continue to cast magic? I imagine doing both must hurt.”

Dalton’s brow tightened which told her she was right. It must have cost Benton to fight them at the grove while cloaking the camp at the same time. Unless he had to release it to be able to use his magic.

“To hold the veil while performing spells, that is incredibly impressive,” she pressed.

He gave her a tight smile, neither agreeing nor denying. It only helped to support her suspicion. “I told you, he’s very powerful.”

But using too much Essence could kill even the greatest mage. So how did Benton manage it on his own for so long?

“Could your brother cast one, too?” she asked.

“Clay can hardly cast a veil let alone sustain it.” He blanched at the slip of his tongue, but she pretended not to catch it, even if her mind was reeling.

That was how Benton did it.

He used his sons.

It made sense. A spell of that magnitude must need a powerful source. Like their lifeforce. And now that she looked at him, Dalton looked very tired. He hadn’t used enough magic to be spent. It was because his Essence was being used elsewhere.

“I think I have done enough dallying for one day.” He stood. “I must head back.”

“Must you? I wanted to see you make another shield.”

Dalton chuckled uneasily. “It’s probably best I don’t.”

“Why would it be so wrong to properly teach me magic?” She crossed her arms.

“There is an order to things. And allowing women any power will destroy our way of life.”

It sounded as if he was repeating something that had been told to him.

“How did your mother feel about that?” she asked.

Shadows crossed Dalton’s face as his gaze dropped to the ground. “I didn’t know my mother.”

“Because you were taken young?” Dyna couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. She had lost her mother young, too.

“Even before then…She was desolate.”

Dyna frowned. “What is—”

They were interrupted by Geon and Von’s return. Geon carried a silver tray loaded with covered plates. It was a fine setting unlike the wooden bowls and mugs the Raider’s used.

“Go ahead and take it to the Master, lad. He’s waiting.”

Geon nodded and marched away, carefully balancing the tray.

“Any improvement on the Captain’s condition?” Von asked Dalton.

“Aye, Commander. Dyna’s potion is working. And I believe they finished harvesting what they could of the flowers.”

She nodded her confirmation. They had three barrels loaded in a wagon right besides Benton’s tent, which was completely unnecessary. Good thing there were no other Herb Masters here. The mages served as Tarn’s healers because of their magic, but they didn’t have a vast knowledge of medicine.

“As you were. I want a full report on Elon’s status within the hour.”

“Aye, Commander.” Dalton gave her a wink and sauntered off.

Von turned to her next. “Come. You will join Tarn for dinner. It isn’t a request,” he added at her expression. “He wishes to hear about your endeavors today.”

Von continued and Dyna followed without complaint. She had been waiting for this. The camp was buzzing as the men broke down the tents and loaded the wagons. They were moving tonight, and Azulo was waiting. Her chest tensed and sweat beaded on her forehead. Get the keys, she chanted to herself.

They entered Tarn’s tent as the Forewarning Crystal’s light faded. Per usual, he was seated at the head of his table, idly flipping through a small book.

“Have a seat,” he said without looking up.

Dyna skirted the table and chose the end again, the furthest seat away from him. Von took his post by the entrance. Soft clink of utensils was the only sound as Geon plated the food and served wine in Tarn’s goblet.

“You’ve eaten.” It wasn’t a question. At her silence, his frosted gaze flickered to hers. They reminded her of polished celestine, clear blue and hard as stone.

“Yes,” she said when it was clear he expected her to answer him.

“Wine?”

“No, thank you.”

“Pour her a drink.” Tarn’s eerie eyes remained locked on hers, intense and unwavering. “She’s thirsty.”

Dyna’s heart sped under his stare that seemed to dissect her. She forced herself to look away. Geon approached with a silver flagon and poured water into the equally fancy goblet already set for her, as if they had expected her to sit there.

“I hear the healing was a success, and Elon is on his way to recovery. That deserves a toast.” Tarn lifted his goblet. His sleeve lowered enough to reveal his cuff with three amber beads, each one containing clovers. There was no need for them anymore. “To the Maiden and her invaluable expertise.”

He waited for her compliance again. If he wanted her to play the obedient little lady, then she could put up with it a few more minutes until she had her freedom. Dyna lifted her cup in a mock toast before taking a quick sip. Her mouth curled at the bitter taste. The storage barrels were probably full of sediment and growing moss.

“How long did you study to become an Herb Master?”

“All my life, it seems.” She looked away from him, pretending to be bored as she let her gaze wander to his desk. It was cluttered with scrolls and ancient artifacts. The slaver’s keys had to be there, buried beneath the missives somewhere. Was the arrowhead there too?

“A family trade, I assume,” he said.

“Yes.” She yawned and leaned back in her chair, moving her sluggish gaze to the charms and spells dangling from the roof.

The Crystal Core shone blood red in the candlelight. Once she found the keys, she would set everyone free. Yavi, the mages—Sorren. The Minotaur would probably rampage through the camp. It would make for a good distraction.

Next was the veil.

That was going to take some stealthy maneuvering, but she may not need the arrowhead now that she knew how it worked. If only one of the mages lost their hold on the spell, it would fall. She could probably take down all three with the royalrods, once she got near enough to set the barrels on fire. The toxic smoke would quickly fill the camp trapped in a dome of their own making, leaving everyone desperate for air. Then they wouldn’t have a choice but to drop the veil. But pulling it off without being caught, the thought only made her feel exhausted. She yawned again, and her eyes grew heavy.

“Tired?” The candlelight made Tarn’s features sharper in the tent, highlighting the jagged scar on his face.

“It was a long day.”

“I’m sure it was. You spent the better part of the afternoon picking royalrods.” Tarn set his elbows on the table and linked his fingers. “Which was an interesting choice given goldenrods would have been equally effective without the toxic properties. Not to mention, you insisted they harvest a year’s worth when you truly only needed a few petals. Care to explain?”

Dyna stilled. Unease washed through her mind and it tripled when she couldn’t sit up. She felt weak and tired. Her head went cloudy, blurring her sight.

“What…did you…do?” she garbled. Jerking up, she knocked over her goblet and the foul tasting water spilled across the table.

The water.

He drugged her.

Leoake’s voice whispered in her ear as if he stood over her shoulder. Wine is preferable to water, clever mortal.

She internally cursed that dastardly Druid and his vague warning.

Tarn closed the book in front of him, revealing her notebook. The one where she had filled the pages with notes on plants with their medicinal use as well as their poisonous properties.

“Hard as it may be to believe, I do, in fact, read.” He stood and came to sit on the edge of the table again as he watched her struggle to stay awake. “Whatever you planned to do with the royalrods, I suppose it had something to do with the veil. Geon tells me you’re quite interested in it.”

Geon couldn’t even look at her as he ducked his head and slipped out of the tent. She should have known he would report her. She’d practically forced him to when she made it clear where her priorities lied.

Von merely watched her with a grim expression.

“You were very meticulous in your notes, Maiden. I learned all sorts of things. Like how the oil from Dreamshade leaves can induce heavy sleep. In the right doses, of course. Too much and one may never wake again.” Tarn lifted her chin. “Did you think escaping me would be that easy?”

Dyna let out a choked whimper as her head lolled. Feeling was quickly leaving her body. All she kept doing was make mistake after mistake. There was nothing smart about this.

“It’s unfortunate, but I can’t risk leaving you awake when we move tonight.”

The news only made her want to scream in frustration. Only too late did she realize they traveled at night under the cover of darkness because they wouldn’t have the protection of the veil. Even if she never had gotten the items she needed, with the spell removed, she could have run to Azulo and been taken to Cassiel.

Now her only opportunity for freedom was lost.

“I think you forgot one important thing,” Tarn told her as her vision darkened. “It matters not whether the veil comes down. You were separately veiled the moment we took you. Because of it, you will never be found.”

They cannot smell you, hear you, let alone touch you. Not even if you stood right in front of them.

All of her scheming was for nothing. Azulo had tried to tell her. The only way to remove the veil was to remove the one who placed it.

She keeled over and soft numbness cradled her body with only Tarn’s ice blue eyes following her into her dreams.

They were moving. At the steady stride and beat of hooves, she must be on a horse. The drug was keeping her immobile. Her cheeks were cold but the rest of her was warm. Heat pressed into her back from whatever she leaned up against. Strong arms on either side of her kept her in the saddle.

She pried her heavy eyes open a mere slit but couldn’t make out much through her blurry vision. Only the darkness and still trees. The moonlight hardly reached them. Her eyes refused to stay open, and it was probably for the best.

“It’s…dark,” she whimpered, not caring who heard. “I need the light. Please.”

Because when the darkness found her, so did the Shadow. Its misty claws would sink into her bones and sometimes all she could do was lie there and scream until she couldn’t anymore.

“Sleep, Maiden,” Tarn’s cool voice drifted above her head. “The only thing to fear within these woods is me.”

That was supposed to comfort her? Strangely, it did.

There was something in his words. Not arrogance, but the simple fact that he was dangerous and anything that confronted them would be quickly dealt with. She felt the strength of his body pressed against her back and a conduct that asserted lethal power. Even without having seen him fight, she could sense he was a predator.

Not that Tarn could possibly defeat a demon, but at the moment, his presence seemed to diminish the Shadow’s. Whether it was the thought or the gait of the horse, she sank back into a fitful sleep.