Page 28 of Shadows of Ruin (The Broken Prophecy #2)

Chapter 27

Ian

A s I lay on the cold stone floor, I counted my breaths.

One —breathe in. Two —breathe out .

Maria left me not long ago. Sent here by Andras, despite his empty threats of withholding her healing, mending me enough so he could continue his games. The torture, a never-ending loop of pain and healing.

With the guards present, Maria worked in silence, offering nothing. She managed to heal the superficial wounds and close the stab wound on my side, but a dark substance seeped from the closure. The scar resembled Lana’s.

The assholes accompanying Maria down here dumped a pile of stale bread on the ground as they laughed their way out of my cell.

“Pathetic” they called me. Their once fearless leader now a lump on the floor.

“Lucien, if there was ever a time you could help with an escape, now would be it, buddy,” I whispered into the abyss.

He didn’t appear.

But someone else did.

“Ian?”

I groaned. The voice in my head had returned. Raya .

I’m busy. Go away.

She snorted. “Trust me, if I could find a way not to enter your mind so easily, I would. Lana won’t leave it alone now that she has access to checking on you.”

I’ll work on keeping you out.

“Unlikely.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Fucking Fates ?—”

No wonder Lan likes you. You swear as much as she does. I smiled thinking of Lana finding another friend. Which was my first sign my mind needed rest to recover my logic—Lana didn’t make friends often, and I was sure those who captured her would not make the short list. I take that back .

“Why aren’t you healing? Anyone is going to be able to get into your mind if you don’t heal. You must hurry.” Raya’s panic didn’t help things. At all.

Apologies that the mind shield I didn’t know how to use is failing. I’ve been busy trying to stay alive.

In the distance a stone skittered across the floor, interrupting the unending silence while footsteps scuffled closer.

“Now, Ian,” Raya practically screamed. “If someone is coming, shield now. We’re ? —”

As quickly as she’d appeared, she left. Or maybe I forced her to leave and blocked her out. I didn’t need her around to see what was about to happen. Especially if she told Lana.

I didn’t doubt my strength, but readying myself for another round of torture so soon would test even my limits.

“Psst,” a voice called. “Ian?”

A second set of footsteps followed less quietly, and rapidly approached my cell.

“Who’s there?” I asked as I rolled onto my side and stood. I steadied myself, taking a moment to allow the dizziness to clear.

“Ian.”

I knew that voice but couldn’t place it. No matter, the figure came into my dimly lit view, and I instantly stepped back.

Hale Bardot. Joined moments later by Kalliah.

My heart soared. Maybe they knew how I could escape this Fates-forsaken cell.

“Kalliah? What are you doing here?” I asked. “With Hale?”

“It’s time,” Kalliah whispered. “We’ve come to break you free. We don’t have a lot of time, but Hale has been helping us. He managed to finally steal a set of keys from a guard. We don’t know how long we have till he notices they’re missing, so we must be quick.”

Hale fucking Bardot was part of my escape plan. I’d never pegged him for someone brave enough to go against anyone, let alone someone as evil as Andras. Always such a rule follower.

“Come on, Ian,” Hale urged, “let’s get you out of here before the guards notice. We have five minutes before their next pass.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” I gestured to the lock on the cell. “Let’s get me the fuck out of here!”

Hale fumbled but removed a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock. A small click sounded, and the door creaked open. Relief engulfed me.

I grabbed Kalliah into an embrace. “Thank you.”

“Nonsense, this was all Hale.” She let go, touching my face. “We’ll make him pay,” she said. “Now let’s go before we get caught.”

“Leif is in the kitchen staging a distraction. We’ll grab him and then head to the stables, where Corbin is waiting for us.” Hale handed me a dagger from his pocket. “It’s not much, but it’s the best I could get without raising suspicion.”

I grasped the hilt of the small dagger and nodded. “Perhaps I was wrong about you all these years.”

Hale rolled his eyes. “I never took you for a sap, Captain. ”

We rushed up the first stairwell and away from the dungeon door. Sure enough, the hall remained empty. Perfect timing. I never should have doubted my friends and their planning skills.

Kalliah ran through the palace in a way I’d never seen before. The confidence she’d gained during however long I’d been trapped appeared in every measured stride and the way she focused so assuredly on our goal. She’d gone from training because Lana forced her, to being truly in her element. I didn’t want to think about what she went through to force such a change, but damn I was proud of her.

We snuck through the corridors, ducking at noises but successfully avoiding the wandering guards. The dungeon lay far below the main palace floor, requiring us to make our way up several more flights of stairs and cross to the southern wing to get to our destination.

Clearing the second staircase, we rounded the corner, heading to the next set of steps, but a guard was coming through the door just as we opened it. Before he drew his weapon, Hale jumped forward and slit his throat. I almost tripped over my own feet reaching for the guard before he fell to the ground. When the hell had Hale become a damn killer?

Kalliah and I advanced, catching his body and gently placing it on the floor. Trying to make as little noise as possible.

When we lived through this, I would have to absolutely eat many of my annoyed words to Lana about Hale.

Fortunately for us, the route through the southern wing of the palace was less traveled, as it held mostly the staff and off-duty guards.

As we continued our escape, my strength slowly started to return. Maria’s powers had taken care of the large concerns, kick-starting my healing, but my magic flared since being freed from the warded dungeon, eager to escape. It continued to heal me, and I felt confident enough to take the lead, guiding my companions down the last hall.

Two guards spoke in low voices from the other side of the last remaining door we needed to breach before the kitchen hall.

I eyed Hale’s blade. He bowed his head at me. Glancing at Kalliah, I noticed she, too, had pulled a small dagger.

“You’re brilliant,” I mouthed to her. She rolled her eyes and set her focus on the door.

I mouthed the words one, two . On three, I thrust the door back, opening it as Hale swung his blade forward, catching one guard. I’d slit the throat of the second guard before he had time to fight back.

I heaved. These men had been mine. Now I’d been forced to take their lives.

I closed my eyes tightly, only for a moment. I couldn’t think about them right now. We had to get ourselves out of Ellevail so we could find Lana.

That was all that mattered.

We exited the doorway, all three of us running toward the kitchen through the empty hallway.

We skittered to a halt outside the kitchen and Kalliah took over, brushing by us. “Be ready to run out the side door.”

The second she called Leif’s name, chaos erupted.

Hale pushed open the door to find Leif in a cloud of flour, once again on Lucinda, with a false clumsiness mimicking his past transgressions. She screamed at him, raising a silver eggbeater above her head right as he ducked.

“Every time, Leif Ivans,” she screamed. “You’ll be fired now, mark my words.”

Kalliah grabbed my hand. “You’ll ruin the distraction if you stay to watch the show.”

The bedlam in the kitchen grew as others scurried around in the wake of Lucinda’s outrage. People tripped over each other, and I couldn’t stop laughing at Leif’s absolute success .

He shoved into us from behind as we exited out the side door of the kitchens. “Good to see you alive, now hurry up and run.”

Hale held the door, only shutting it once Leif passed through. He slid his sword from his waist and glided it through the handles. “Should buy us a few more minutes.”

We turned, fleeing across the gardens in the moonlight before a figure jumped in front of us. Hale held out his dagger, but I lunged in front of him when I recognized who approached.

“Your Majesty,” I said, my heart stopping. What the hell was she doing out here? Alone?

A gruff bark sounded around us, and Lucien appeared from behind the queen’s dress.

“He hasn’t given me a moment’s peace.” She ran a finger along the head of the pugron before she looked at me. “I knew you’d succeed,” she said watching Kalliah. Kalliah kneeled before her queen. “None of that now, you need to hurry.”

“Come with us,” I said, not bothering to hide the plea in my voice. If I could ensure her safety, everyone Lana truly loved would be together. Free.

The queen bowed her head. “I could never leave my people. I must stay here and fight for their justice. You are meant for bigger things, my dear. You must help Lana succeed so she is able to return home to her people.”

I swallowed audibly. The pressure of the journey to come settled into my bones. “I will not fail you, my queen.”

“We shouldn’t linger,” Hale said, glancing nervously around the garden, searching.

“I’ll stay long enough to see you off,” the queen gave me an encouraging nod.

Then I said the words I never thought I’d speak to someone else in this palace, let alone Hale. This wasn’t my plan though, so I yielded despite the desire to take over. “Lead the way.”

Without hesitation, Hale lead our group through the remaining gardens and toward the stables. I knew these paths well, knew the schedule of the guards, at least from when I had been charged with them.

No one stood at any of the usual posts. As if the garden had been deserted altogether.

“Something isn’t right,” I whispered.

Hale glanced over his shoulder. “Things have changed here in the time you’ve been locked away, Ian. I’m not going to spit in the Fates’ faces now that they are with us again.”

I frowned, hating that the palace had fallen into such disarray, and instead of protecting my home, I’d been trapped beneath it.

As we rounded the final corner, crossing the small bridge to take us to the stables, the wooden planks shook beneath us. I jumped off the bridge to the other side, extending my hand for the queen and Kalliah. They stepped off the bridge just as a handful of guards appeared out of nowhere before us.

Dread settled into the pit of my stomach. We were so close to escaping, our path to the stables clear. So much so that I stared at the saddled group, Corbin already mounted on one of the steeds. Only a short distance more and we would have succeeded.

I shoved the queen behind me, while holding firm in my footing. Whatever happened, she had to be protected at all costs. As of now, she remained the last hope for Brookmere until Lana returned to exact her revenge.

Leif and Kalliah also placed themselves in front of the queen while Hale doubled back so we formed a circle surrounding her.

“You dare attack your own queen?” I shouted at the group of guards who stood before us, weapons raised. Ten in total .

Not one of them appeared to hold a shred of doubt in their mind about their actions.

“Answer me!” I shouted, losing my patience. Lucien growled from my feet, his spiked tail swishing.

A sinister laugh echoed in the air around us. “Did you really think you could get away from me, Captain?”

Andras.

Andras was here.

He sauntered down the hill toward us, robes flowing behind him, as his wicked smile brightened the longer his gaze lingered on us. His teeth glistened in the full moon’s light.

The guards in front of us shifted in formation, matching our circle with one of their own. Two held torches, the rest stood ready, blades in hands.

“The band of misfits reunited, so it seems?” Andras sneered. “Short one wayward princess. But then you’ve gained another one of her lackeys, I see?”

I narrowed my gaze on the man, refusing to allow anything else to distract me.

Andras glanced between each of us until he finally looked past me, eyes widening only slightly seeing the queen in our midst.

Queen Roxana pushed by me, fists forming at her sides. “Andras, this is enough. The time has come to end this ridiculous hunt. I am your queen and command you to cease your pursuit of Captain Stronholm.” Her voice carried such firm authority, I wanted to get on my knees before her. Even after seeing how fiercely she battled Andras’s mind magic, she still retained unwavering strength. “You are a traitor to Brookmere. Guards, arrest him immediately.”

A pregnant pause filled the air before Andras cackled uncontrollably. “You think they answer to you? Roxana, how the mighty have fallen.” Spit flew from his mouth as his rabid excitement grew. “You are the epitome of weakness, especially since your husband’s death. You are not worth the ground you walk on.”

“How dare you speak to your queen in such a manner,” I seethed, stepping closer to Andras. “You will not win this war, Andras. I will make sure of that. Now bow before your queen.”

Andras’s eyes gleamed in a maniacal way. “There is no one to stop me.”

Hale and Leif drew their swords. The beat of horses’ hooves sounded for a few seconds before Corbin leapt from his animal and ran toward us, sword drawn.

For the first time since daring to position themselves against us, the guards appeared hesitant. Perhaps seeing the queen standing by me, with no intention of backing down despite Andras’s taunts, jarred them out of his trance.

“Enough.” The queen’s voice echoed in the air around us as if she’d amplified it. Before I could stop her, Queen Roxana stepped forward, moving in front of me to come face-to-face with Andras. Andras held up a hand, and the hesitation I’d seen on my soldiers’ faces moments before disappeared as they regripped their weapons and inched forward.

Queen Roxana merely lifted her chin and ignored the threat. “If you think for one moment I will surrender to you,” she said, voice steady, “you are sorely mistaken. You will have to kill me before I hand over my kingdom to you.”

The air thickened, tension palpable as Andras took one slow, calculated step toward the queen, bowing his head.

“As my queen commands it.”

Andras’s eyes glimmered as the smile plastered over his face widened so much, it looked painful.

He lifted a hand, signaling a guard behind him, and the chaos of the impending fight fell on all of us.

For our queen. For our lives. For the future of Brookmere, we’d fight and die here if we must.

The guard in front flicked his wrist, activating his earth magic and commanding vines to sprout around us. They snaked and slithered, working their way up our legs. I hacked at them, but more guards stepped forward. Their magic unnaturally strong.

Lucien breathed fire out over them, trying his best to play a role, but even his flames didn’t help.

I looked up, horrified as I continued to hack at the vines until I noticed movement behind Andras.

Casimir lurked from the shadows. He looked larger than I remembered him. His eyes as dark as night.

He’d siphoned magic. This was him, not the guards.

“Attack,” I shouted to the others.

Corbin ran in front of me, blocking the queen from the guards, but she refused to leave the fighting to us. “While I honor your intentions, Ian, I am queen. I will not yield this kingdom without a fight.”

She stepped to Corbin’s side and I watched in awe as she raised an arm over her head, and summoned the guard’s sword toward her into her own hands. She whipped her arms around, air swirling around the guard directing his earth magic until she lifted him from his feet, throwing him back. Her victory halted as a guard descended on her, engaging in a sword fight.

Corbin blocked skillfully where she missed, aiding her attack, but I couldn’t let her risk herself.

I moved to join the two, but Casimir lunged and twisted his hands. Gleefully, he let out a dark chuckle as more thorny tendrils than I could count shot toward me. I kept my arms from being locked at my sides as blades hissed through the air and clashed around me.

The queen turned, shoving her air magic toward a patch of the growing vines, wrapping them around themselves. I shouted as another guard swung for her. She turned, blocking the assault and flinging air magic at some of the other guards nearby .

I’d never been gifted the opportunity to see her in action. Our queen, fighting alongside her guards. My chest swelled with pride for all she stood for. I wished Lana could see this too. She would be in awe of her mother.

I rallied, shouting and pulling my blade through two of the four vines constricting my legs. More and more sprouted to life, but I kept my fighting hand free as I used the dagger Hale gave me to slice through the vines attacking me. It wasn’t enough. I needed a sword. My sword.

“ Ian.” Raya’s voice was back in my head, her presence popping into existence.

I sawed at one particularly thick vine around my thigh. Your timing is shit. Don’t distract me.

“Where are you? I can feel the man with the powerful mind magic nearby. Your shields are weak and ? —”

Kind of busy at the moment, Raya.

The effort to block her out took my focus away from the task at hand. She lingered there, quiet, but I could fucking feel her.

“Damn it,” I shouted as a vine wrapped around my waist while I finished hacking the one immobilizing my legs.

The queen’s shout in front of me turned my skin cold.

Andras, though thrashing against the air the queen flung around him, had made it to her side. He grabbed her by her arm and pulled her toward him, producing a knife from the billow of his robes. He held her body out, facing all of us. “I’d stop fighting those vines, Captain. One more move, and she’s dead.”