Bound by Blood and Sand
Page 46
Elan reached the main hall and hesitated, looking back at Shirrad and Tal. But as Elan started forward, another presence came into her view: Elthis, heading toward them.
She didn’t know what they were doing, but it was clearly meant to be stealthy, and there was no one else on the estate they’d need to hide from. She ran for the door to her chamber, but it was locked. She could see them moving again, and Elthis getting closer. She grabbed for the energy she’d used during the quake and shoved it at the door.
It rattled, shook, and fell. It wasn’t quiet or subtle, and everyone she could see in other-vision froze, startled, but that was fine. It gave her more time. She ran toward her brother, down the halls she knew so well. Elthis finally caught up to them in a large, domed atrium where several halls converged. He came to a stop on one side as they were about to exit out the other and demanded, “Shirrad, Elan—what are you doing?”
Jae stopped just shy of the atrium, in the hallway that Elan, Tal, and Shirrad would have turned down if they’d continued. Instead, the three of them all turned back toward Elthis.
Jae crept closer to them, staying in the shadows. She could just make out their backs and Elthis’s face, but he didn’t seem to notice her.
“Nothing,” Elan said. “Just taking a walk around the grounds.”
“Why? There’s nothing worth seeing,” Elthis said, and snorted. Then he looked back and forth between Elan and Shirrad. His eyebrows climbed his forehead. “Unless—you and this girl?”
Shirrad clenched a fist but said nothing, despite the sneer in Elthis’s voice. Elan answered, “What? No, of course not. Lady Shirrad and I were only chatting.”
“About what?” Elthis demanded.
“About…” Elan squared his shoulders. “About this estate and what’s to become of it. Will it truly turn to sand in time? Or will it still be here, abandoned?”
“What does that matter?”
“There’s so much history here,” Elan said. “So many secrets. I hope it stands up to the desert and someone will rediscover it, someday.”
Elthis frowned. Elan’s voice had been hard and heavy. Not meek, like yesterday, when he’d heard the truth from Elthis’s own lips.
Elthis peered at him, and then at Tal, and said, “What are you doing with him?”
“You ordered him to stay with me,” Elan said. “I went for a walk. He had to follow.”
“I ordered you to deal with him,” Elthis said. “Not take him for a stroll. Do not lie to me, Elan. Closest, what is going on?”
“I…” Tal cast a helpless look at them, then said, “They were taking me to Jae, Highest.”
Jae swallowed heavily. Taking him to her. Elthis asked the question for her: “Why?”
“I asked them to—”
“To say goodbye,” Elan interrupted. “A kindness—because Tal hasn’t done anything to deserve his treatment. Not any more than his ancestors did—because they didn’t, either, did they, Father?”
“How dare you?” Elthis spat, and Jae grabbed for the wall, needing something solid to cling to as the world shifted around her. Elan knew the truth—and it mattered to him. She’d thought he was as much a liar as his father, when Elan had said he would save Aredann and that he wanted to help, but maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe he really just hadn’t known.
“Elan.” Elthis stood like he was built out of the bricks they’d used to patch the wall. He nodded toward Tal, but when he spoke, it was to Elan. “Stop this nonsense, and send him over to me immediately.”
Tal didn’t move, looking back and forth between them. No order had been given to him. Jae clutched the wall harder, realizing. It wasn’t about Tal at that moment—it was about Elan, and whether or not he’d obey his father. She didn’t dare hope, but—
“I can’t do that,” Elan said.
“Elan—”
“He’s done nothing wrong. I won’t,” Elan repeated.
His father stared at him for a long moment, and so did Jae. “Is that your final decision?” Elthis asked.
Elan’s shoulders heaved with a single deep breath, and he said, “Yes.”
“Then you are no son of mine any longer,” Elthis said. Shirrad gasped, hand going to her mouth, but Elthis continued. “And you have broken your vows.”
Elan fell back, letting out a strangled shout as he staggered. His hands both went to his heart, and he winced, falling against the wall. Jae’s skin tingled as the energy around her changed. Something snapped, like it had when she’d freed herself. Elthis was still shining, bright and steady, tendrils of magic connecting him and Shirrad, but the glow around Elan pulsated and rippled, while Elan’s features twisted with pain.
Jae’s head swam as she pulled herself off the wall. Elan believed her. He’d stood up to his father. And now he’d lost everything for it. Jae’s skin tingled, magic building, energy glowing all around her.
“You, Closest,” Elthis barked. “Come here.”
“No!” Jae screamed, years of silence falling away from her in a heartbeat. Tal couldn’t stop, but everyone else turned toward her. As she broke into the atrium, she grasped for all the magical energy she could. “Let Tal go. Let him go!”
“I will not,” Elthis said, reaching out to grab Tal’s arm as soon as he was near enough. “And you will be silent.”
Jae clenched her jaw, teeth shutting with a snap, but she didn’t need to speak. Instead she poured the energy she’d gathered into the floor and walls until they shook. This time it was no slow, confused build, and no accident. She flung her arms out for balance as she stared at the spot under Elthis’s feet, willing the stones to slide apart. They rumbled, and Shirrad screamed. Even Elthis looked scared, staring around with wild eyes, but he didn’t relinquish his grip on Tal.
“Stop this! Stop it now!” he shouted.
Jae sent a brick that had been knocked loose skittering across the room toward him. Elthis jumped, avoiding it easily, but he had to shove Tal away to do it—and as Elthis danced backward to avoid more debris, he yelled, “Closest, the knife. Cut your throat!”
Jae screamed again, and so did Shirrad, as Tal reached for the knife in his belt, his arm jerking and shaking. Jae let all her fury and rage loose, hurled it at the ceiling above Elthis—
She didn’t know what they were doing, but it was clearly meant to be stealthy, and there was no one else on the estate they’d need to hide from. She ran for the door to her chamber, but it was locked. She could see them moving again, and Elthis getting closer. She grabbed for the energy she’d used during the quake and shoved it at the door.
It rattled, shook, and fell. It wasn’t quiet or subtle, and everyone she could see in other-vision froze, startled, but that was fine. It gave her more time. She ran toward her brother, down the halls she knew so well. Elthis finally caught up to them in a large, domed atrium where several halls converged. He came to a stop on one side as they were about to exit out the other and demanded, “Shirrad, Elan—what are you doing?”
Jae stopped just shy of the atrium, in the hallway that Elan, Tal, and Shirrad would have turned down if they’d continued. Instead, the three of them all turned back toward Elthis.
Jae crept closer to them, staying in the shadows. She could just make out their backs and Elthis’s face, but he didn’t seem to notice her.
“Nothing,” Elan said. “Just taking a walk around the grounds.”
“Why? There’s nothing worth seeing,” Elthis said, and snorted. Then he looked back and forth between Elan and Shirrad. His eyebrows climbed his forehead. “Unless—you and this girl?”
Shirrad clenched a fist but said nothing, despite the sneer in Elthis’s voice. Elan answered, “What? No, of course not. Lady Shirrad and I were only chatting.”
“About what?” Elthis demanded.
“About…” Elan squared his shoulders. “About this estate and what’s to become of it. Will it truly turn to sand in time? Or will it still be here, abandoned?”
“What does that matter?”
“There’s so much history here,” Elan said. “So many secrets. I hope it stands up to the desert and someone will rediscover it, someday.”
Elthis frowned. Elan’s voice had been hard and heavy. Not meek, like yesterday, when he’d heard the truth from Elthis’s own lips.
Elthis peered at him, and then at Tal, and said, “What are you doing with him?”
“You ordered him to stay with me,” Elan said. “I went for a walk. He had to follow.”
“I ordered you to deal with him,” Elthis said. “Not take him for a stroll. Do not lie to me, Elan. Closest, what is going on?”
“I…” Tal cast a helpless look at them, then said, “They were taking me to Jae, Highest.”
Jae swallowed heavily. Taking him to her. Elthis asked the question for her: “Why?”
“I asked them to—”
“To say goodbye,” Elan interrupted. “A kindness—because Tal hasn’t done anything to deserve his treatment. Not any more than his ancestors did—because they didn’t, either, did they, Father?”
“How dare you?” Elthis spat, and Jae grabbed for the wall, needing something solid to cling to as the world shifted around her. Elan knew the truth—and it mattered to him. She’d thought he was as much a liar as his father, when Elan had said he would save Aredann and that he wanted to help, but maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe he really just hadn’t known.
“Elan.” Elthis stood like he was built out of the bricks they’d used to patch the wall. He nodded toward Tal, but when he spoke, it was to Elan. “Stop this nonsense, and send him over to me immediately.”
Tal didn’t move, looking back and forth between them. No order had been given to him. Jae clutched the wall harder, realizing. It wasn’t about Tal at that moment—it was about Elan, and whether or not he’d obey his father. She didn’t dare hope, but—
“I can’t do that,” Elan said.
“Elan—”
“He’s done nothing wrong. I won’t,” Elan repeated.
His father stared at him for a long moment, and so did Jae. “Is that your final decision?” Elthis asked.
Elan’s shoulders heaved with a single deep breath, and he said, “Yes.”
“Then you are no son of mine any longer,” Elthis said. Shirrad gasped, hand going to her mouth, but Elthis continued. “And you have broken your vows.”
Elan fell back, letting out a strangled shout as he staggered. His hands both went to his heart, and he winced, falling against the wall. Jae’s skin tingled as the energy around her changed. Something snapped, like it had when she’d freed herself. Elthis was still shining, bright and steady, tendrils of magic connecting him and Shirrad, but the glow around Elan pulsated and rippled, while Elan’s features twisted with pain.
Jae’s head swam as she pulled herself off the wall. Elan believed her. He’d stood up to his father. And now he’d lost everything for it. Jae’s skin tingled, magic building, energy glowing all around her.
“You, Closest,” Elthis barked. “Come here.”
“No!” Jae screamed, years of silence falling away from her in a heartbeat. Tal couldn’t stop, but everyone else turned toward her. As she broke into the atrium, she grasped for all the magical energy she could. “Let Tal go. Let him go!”
“I will not,” Elthis said, reaching out to grab Tal’s arm as soon as he was near enough. “And you will be silent.”
Jae clenched her jaw, teeth shutting with a snap, but she didn’t need to speak. Instead she poured the energy she’d gathered into the floor and walls until they shook. This time it was no slow, confused build, and no accident. She flung her arms out for balance as she stared at the spot under Elthis’s feet, willing the stones to slide apart. They rumbled, and Shirrad screamed. Even Elthis looked scared, staring around with wild eyes, but he didn’t relinquish his grip on Tal.
“Stop this! Stop it now!” he shouted.
Jae sent a brick that had been knocked loose skittering across the room toward him. Elthis jumped, avoiding it easily, but he had to shove Tal away to do it—and as Elthis danced backward to avoid more debris, he yelled, “Closest, the knife. Cut your throat!”
Jae screamed again, and so did Shirrad, as Tal reached for the knife in his belt, his arm jerking and shaking. Jae let all her fury and rage loose, hurled it at the ceiling above Elthis—
