Page 80 of Oaths & Vengeance (Realm of Zadrya #1)

The sound of voices nearby drew my bird’s attention.

I instructed Tullar to fly to a nearby tree and settle on a low branch.

Lord Morgunn and Ulmar came into view. The father and son walked side by side, with the younger wearing a large bandage over his left eye.

I idly wondered what had happened to him that the healer couldn’t have repaired the damage by now.

The two stopped at the archway to view the massacre within, disgust on their faces.

“You know I only let her have this place so she’d stay out of the way and not get suspicious of our activities. It was an excellent distraction, but we should destroy all of this except for the snapper berry bushes since I do love the fruit they provide,” Aella’s uncle said.

Ulmar scowled. “Not all the dangerous plants are dead, and we’ll likely lose lives going in there again.

I tried tossing poison in there yesterday, but it appears she has a plant in there that can neutralize it.

Since she warded against my fire and your ice, the best course of action is to deprive the garden of water and nutrients.

Everything will eventually die a slow death without her being able to tend to it. ”

“She still won’t tell us anything, no matter how we torture her, but even if she finally confesses, she’ll never be allowed back in here again.

” Lord Morgunn shook his head. “I lost far too many soldiers, and plenty more are still recovering from their injuries to reach her. Not to mention you losing an eye to those damn vines. I cannot forgive such betrayal, especially after catching her speaking with Lord Gannon’s son openly during our battle at Radoumar. ”

The sebeska and I stilled at those words.

He’d seen us together, which would only make the situation worse for Aella.

That cold, calculating man would see it as nothing short of treason.

I wished I hadn’t had to step in to save her from the dark elf, but she would have died if I hadn't intervened. Lord Morgunn must have been hiding somewhere nearby where we couldn’t see him.

If I’d known, I would have done something differently, though I couldn’t say what.

I’d tried attacking him near the portal—the one place I could count on him showing up near the end—but that had gone terribly wrong. For a madman, he was powerful and cunning. If I could have killed him then, Aella would have been safe now.

“It’s going to be at least a few hours before she wakes again after her last beating,” Ulmar said, rubbing his chin. “The lack of water and food must be wearing on her, along with all the broken bones. Perhaps this evening, she’ll rethink her silence if we taunt her about her garden.”

As my anger grew, the sebeska shifted nervously in response to my roiling emotions. I had to get a grip on myself, or I’d lose focus. I wished I could kill the two elves now for what they were doing to my wife. They would pay dearly…soon .

“Yes,” Aella’s uncle agreed. “But I will go to the dungeon to do the questioning. You cannot miss the meeting tonight.”

“No, of course not, considering it’s my…”

“Shh, we must assume there are ears everywhere. Just be there and make certain the contract is in order beforehand,” Lord Morgunn said.

They walked away, voices fading. My fury was so great that I could feel the tension coiling my body in my true form.

They’d locked Aella in the dungeon and had been torturing her for all this time.

The nameless ones only knew how much she had suffered so far, but the mention of broken bones alone had me seething.

I’d known they must have been punishing her while I recovered from my injuries, but hearing the details made it worse.

How could they do that to their own family?

I drew a deep breath and concentrated on carefully extracting my mind from Tullar. It was time to speak with my father and form a plan to save Aella before it was too late.

Barging into Lord Gannon’s office, I found him surrounded by a servant, several military captains, and my older brother, Hagon. They stood at a table covered with maps. My father looked up, gaze softening a degree. “Good to see you up and around, son.”

Though it wasn’t easy, I did my best to stand straight and hide the weakness in my muscles.

According to the healer who saw me right before I came to the office, I’d had frostbite damage deep in my tissues.

He’d promised that if I rested for the next twenty-four hours, I’d return to nearly full strength.

I was tired, but I had to speak with my father, and then I would consign myself to my bed.

Whatever it took to save Aella, that’s what I would do.

“I request a force to take Ivory Castle tomorrow night,” I said, not bothering with pleasantries .

He gestured at the map on the table. “We are making plans for retaliation, but it will be at least two weeks before we can carry them out. Are you even in any shape to enter a battle right now?”

“I will be in another day, and I can’t wait weeks. My wife will be dead by then,” I said.

Shock filled everyone's features, aside from my father, because they hadn’t known about Aella or our marriage. The time for secrecy was gone. I might not love her, but nameless ones be damned. She was mine, and no one was allowed to hurt her, especially not my enemies.

Hagon frowned. “What wife? Since when have you been married, and why haven’t I heard of it?”

He’d been away during the few days Aella spent here unconscious.

As the heir to Veronna, I understood his frustration about being kept in the dark, though.

One only had to look at him to understand he was born for the role of leading our people.

Like me, he could not feel love, but he was wise and sensible, with a rare air of confidence that people followed easily.

He had our father’s medium build and warm ivory skin.

His brown hair was cut short and styled perfectly neat.

Hagon always dressed impeccably as well, currently wearing a golden doublet tailored to fit precisely to his body, a pair of crisp, black pants, and shiny onyx boots.

While he wasn’t classically handsome, he presented such a strong figure that his presence still drew eyes.

I’d always envied him for his clean looks, while everyone saw me as more of a monster than an elf.

Then again, I did have more fun playing my darker role.

“I’ve been married since mid-spring,” I said brusquely, stepping farther into the room. “We've kept it a secret due to her identity and other complications.”

Strain lined his eyes briefly before he collected himself and put on a stoic mask. “Who?”

“Lady Aella of Therress.” I turned to my father.

“Her uncle put her in the dungeon soon after they returned from the battle at Radoumar. She fought back, but ultimately, they took her and have been torturing her ever since. Her uncle doesn’t know about our marriage yet since she’s refusing to talk, but he does know she helped us.

” I went on to relay all I’d heard from Loden and from spying through my sebeska.

My father moved to the window near his desk, staring out of it in deep thought.

“You’ll have to kill the Lord of Therress to free her, and without enough justification, the king will have no choice except to imprison you.

If you could have managed it at Radoumar, it would have been better, but he is a wily bastard.

It doesn’t help that he seems to disappear for most of the battle.

I suspect he uses some sort of invisibility—the coward. ”

That was my suspicion as well.

“If we begin spreading the word of my marriage, then I’d have justification to storm Ivory Castle and take Aella from her uncle. If she’s harmed, the law will allow me the right to execute him,” I replied.

Hagon gave me a quizzical look. “What if Lord Morgunn has that guard with the shields near him?”

I’d already considered that. “I plan to send a couple of men in advance to take that one out while he’s not with the lord and wouldn’t expect it.”

Since one of my closest friends could turn invisible, he’d be able to handle it quietly. Jax could also handle hiding one other person simultaneously. I’d insist on his taking another fae with useful powers, so he wouldn’t be alone in enemy territory until I got there.

“Why should any of our people risk their lives for our enemy's niece, even if she’s your wife?” my brother asked incredulously.

I understood why he was asking, even if it irritated me that he couldn’t simply support me, so I gave him the best reason to motivate him.

“She is the first channeler in centuries who is strong enough to open the portal to where the Naforya Fountain is located. If you ever want to feel love for your wife in your lifetime, you want mine alive and well.”

His eyes widened, and he looked at our father. “Is this true?”

“She’s passed every test your brother and others have given her with little difficulty.

Not even the most heavily warded and distant rings have stopped her,” he replied, then his lips twitched.

“If that weren’t enough, I’ve never seen anyone with power strong enough to throw a whole fleet of dark elves back the way she did the other night.

I heard more than a hundred drowned, and they lost quite a few boats.

That should keep them away for a while.”

“She did that?” Hagon asked, surprise in his features. It was rare for him to show emotion, but we’d managed to catch him off guard this time.

“It was her,” I answered. “You may have also heard the villagers refer to her as the ‘lady in gray’ who single-handedly saved many of them despite her being identified as Therressian.”

Our people might not have known who she was if the soldiers she targeted hadn’t kept screaming that they were on her side and begging her not to attack. At least, that was what my sister had told me. I noted my father’s captains in the room appeared impressed.

Hagon mulled that over for a moment. “It would be ludicrous to do such things because her uncle would surely find out and consider it treason.”

“While that night was the most she’s ever pushed her luck, it wasn’t the first time she’s tried protecting innocents during battle. He has punished her for defending our people before. The numerous whip scars I found on her back prove as much,” I replied.

His expression turned stricken. Unlike me, he’d never felt the pain of a lash and couldn’t imagine how it felt, but he understood the extremity of it.

“Then, based on everything you’ve said, we have little time to save her,” he surmised, casting a look at our father. “A man like Lord Morgunn will realize he can never trust her again, even for the sake of her powers. It won’t be long before he kills her.”

Once my brother had all the basic facts, he often came to the wisest conclusion.

Lord Gannon nodded. “I agree. Darrow may take three hundred soldiers with him to storm Ivory Castle, but we must keep the battle contained to that location, so I will lend our most powerful channeler. Take the mountain pass into Therress quietly, and from there, he’ll be able to portal you into the keep.

Indescribable relief filled me. “Thank you, Father. That’s exactly what I’d hoped you'd say. ”

“I’m going as well,” Hagon announced.

I turned to him, stunned. “Why?”

“We don’t always see eye to eye, brother.

I recognize that, but my marriage has been cold these past three years since my wife learned of our curse.

It isn’t even possible to get an heir from her under the current strain.

If Aella is the greatest hope we have to end our family’s suffering, then my highest priority is to see her safe. ”

His words surprised me, even if he had ulterior motives. I was more than happy to have him, considering he had two powerful abilities that would increase our chances of success. “Then you are welcome to join.”

Hagon nodded. “Good.”

“We will plan the battle for tomorrow at dusk and will make certain that by the end of the night, Therress won’t trouble us any longer,” my father announced.

I joined them at the table as we began to formulate a new battle plan.