Page 36 of Tree of Ash (The Runic Saga #2)

To the Wall

Darien

“Release them.” Darien’s words dripped galdr , his voice cutting through the ever-present ringing of the bells.

His eyes drilled into the soul of the thraell .

The man stood so close that Darien could see the reflection of his own eyes, and the ring of blue around his pupil intensified as the galdr pulsed through his bones.

Under Darien’s influence, the thraell turned and unlocked the barrack doors.

Larissa pushed past him to slide into the last barrack.

“Wait here and cuff your hands together,” Darien ordered, just as he had with every other thraell they had come across. Then he too slipped through the barrack door, doing his best to ignore the ringing of the bells.

Whatever the Vienám was doing, the sentries of Perle had taken notice. If the Vienám was following the plan, the second wave should be well on their way to the Second Wall, but success would depend on what reinforcements Regent Hammon had sent from the inner rings of the city.

Larissa scanned the children with frantic eyes, her lips tightening in despair. Darien did a similar scan, but Halla wasn’t there. She drew in a shaky breath, addressing the children on the bunks that shrank from her presence. “You’re safe now; we’re here to help.”

“Come on,” Darien said, keeping his voice as gentle as he could. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“You mean it?” the boy closest to them asked.

The children in the other barracks had acted much the same way.

The older ones had been even more suspicious.

The youngest hadn’t understood what was happening at all.

But at each barrack they had unlocked, they convinced the children that they were being rescued.

Suspicion turned to disbelief that changed to shock that transformed finally into a giddy excitement.

“I mean it.” He threw open the door, gesturing for the children to pass through.

Larissa remained rooted in the middle of the barrack as the children left, her shoulders tense and her hands curled into fists. “She isn’t here.”

Darien’s own fear and fury rose up. “Let’s go find out where they sent her.”

Chaos greeted him outside. All of the thraell had been rounded up, bound, gagged, and thrown together against the eastern gate.

Many of them still wore dazed looks caused by Darien’s galdr , while others were beginning to regain their own thoughts.

These glared at the ground, their eyes brimming with anger as they gnashed against their gags.

Jari stood guard over those, not hesitating to use the heel of his boot if any of the thraell got too wiggly.

Meanwhile, Anara and Haki were doing their best to corral children of every age.

Many of the children first looked at Haki with fear in their eyes, but as the gentle half-giant spoke soft words and bounced three of the crying toddlers in his arms, the others warmed up to him, soon pulling on his legs.

Anara grouped the children, assigning older teenagers to the younger ones and instructing them on how to get to the Outer Wall.

The Vienám’s third wave would keep them safe until the city had been reclaimed.

As they approached the thraell , Darien’s gaze locked onto the man near the front with an angular face and a wide mouth that reminded Darien of a muzzle.

Even with his mouth gagged, the man’s eyes shouted insults and threats.

From his defiant posture and the stripes on his shoulder, it was clear he was in charge.

Darien pointed at the man. “We need to talk to him, Jari.”

The ex-sentry nodded, hauling the man to his feet and shoving him toward Darien. A large welt on the back of his head still bled. He must have been one of the thraell who fought when they first arrived.

Darien ripped the gag from his mouth. “There was a young girl named Halla. Where did she go?”

The man snarled, his mouth twisting. “Why would I tell you anything?”

“Where is my sister?” Larissa snapped. Electricity seemed to condense the air around her body.

Darien knew it was her galdr ; he also knew it would be better for all involved if she did not lose control of it now. She might need it later. He pushed the air out through his teeth, his gaze locking onto the unfeeling gray eyes of the man in front of him. “Tell me where you sold her.”

A vein bulged at the man’s temples. “Bite me.”

The pocket of galdr inside Darien’s mind burned and enlarged as Darien dived into it, forcing his way into the thoughts of the thraell before him .

It had not been easy to find a way into the other thraell ’s minds until he’d realized what motivated them.

For most it was power, for some it was fear, but neither seemed to unlock the mind of the man who stood snarling at him.

Darien could tell Larissa was losing her patience.

“Your sister? Hmm.” The man licked his lips. “Little blonde thing?”

Darien’s body went rigid as Larissa’s galdr pulsed through the air. The next moment, Darien was shoved aside as Larissa’s hands wrapped around the man’s neck. “What did you do to her?”

The man choked on his laugh. “Taught her a lesson.”

Sparks flew from Larissa’s fingers, scorching the man’s neck. He stopped laughing, not from the pain, but because Darien had found a way in. It wasn’t power or fear that motivated the man. It was the thrill he got from causing pain.

At his sudden silence, Larissa dropped her hands, her face flushed as she stepped away, making room for Darien to strengthen his mental connection.

It wasn’t a connection he wanted to hold for long.

The darkness in the man’s mind threatened to swallow Darien whole with images of torture and brutality that Darien knew he could never unsee.

“Tell me your name,” he commanded, trying to gauge the control he had over the man’s mind.

“Fenris,” the thraell spat. His eyes widened at his mouth’s betrayal.

“Fenris, like the wolf?” Darien rolled his eyes, doubting his parents would have given him that name. “Answer my questions or you’ll end up like your namesake. Where’s Halla?”

Fenris’ mouth trembled. His eyes bulged as the redness under his skin burned brighter and brighter.

Darien could feel him resisting his influence as no one ever had before.

He had been trained, but by whom? Forcing his mind not to wander, Darien directed all of his galdr into cracking the safe of this man’s mind.

A man’s mind is his haven, his father had once taught him.

You should never enter it without permission unless absolutely necessary.

Darien wasn’t sure his father would say the same now, but even if he would, Darien was certain this was one of those times.

He pushed harder, even as his own head throbbed in pain.

Halla’s face flashed in the man’s eyes, dragged forward by Darien’s insistence, but there was something wrong about the image. Her hair was shorn, and the skin on the back of her neck was ragged and burned.

Fear for Halla drove Darien to press harder than he ever had. Harder than he should have. “What did you do? Tell me where she is!”

Darien felt the strain of his galdr on Fenris’ mind, like an elastic band stretched too tight. Fenris’ eyes widened as blood dripped from his nose. A giggle burst from his lips. “Too late. You’re too late.”

Darien dove further, trying to make sense of the images in Fenris’ mind. There was a bonfire, and Halla was screaming. Darien’s stomach clenched, and he resisted the urge to vomit.

The elastic band in Fenris’ mind snapped. His eyes rolled behind his head. “Court of the Aristocracy. Gift for the gods.” He slumped to the ground.

Darien stumbled at the rush of galdr that fled his body. Fenris twitched at Darien’s feet, his eyes open but unseeing as he mumbled incoherently to himself.

The mind can only handle so much before it breaks , his father had once said.

Darien’s nausea rose. What had he done? Jari dragged Fenris’ body toward the other thraell who stared at Darien in terror. Anara and Larissa crowded around Darien.

“Darien. Darien.” Larissa shook his shoulders.

Had he broken Fenris’ mind? Visions from the slaver’s memory still played before Darien’s eyes.

“You okay?” Larissa’s voice cut through.

Darien shook his head, driving away the images, trying to ignore the gibberish that still poured from Fenris’ mouth. He’d done what he needed to do for Halla’s sake. Darien owed her that much. “I’m fine.”

“The Court of the Aristocracy is behind the Second Wall,” Anara said, joining them.

Larissa groaned. “It’ll take too long to get to the Second Wall on foot.”

“Why go on foot?” Darien jerked a thumb toward the outer perimeter of the compound where several transport trucks sat before a gate. As Larissa moved toward them, Darien’s eyes caught on the other thraell , who stared at their fallen leader in shock. “What about them ?”

“Haki and Jari are going to lock them in one of their own barracks.” Anara answered.

“We can’t wait for them,” Larissa argued. “We need to go now before Halla is moved again.”

“I know.” Anara laid her hand on Larissa’s shoulder. “They’ll meet us at the Second Wall; it’s where the Vienám is heading too.”

Larissa nodded, even as she started toward the trucks on the northwest exit. Anara tapped Darien’s arm.

“You're both getting stronger, but make sure you don’t push yourselves too hard. You know the price. I’ll scout ahead,” she said before transforming into a flurry of feathers.

“Maybe you should take your own advice,” Darien shouted to the raven in the sky. Anara only cawed in response.

Feet pounding against the dirt, Darien raced after Larissa, joining her in the truck.

He reached for the keys left on the dash.

Snorting at the thraell ’s lack of security, Darien drove straight through the gate, which clanged violently after their departure.

With his eyes on Anara flying up ahead, they raced through the streets, hardly bothering to slow at turns.

The truck was large and loud enough that people jumped out of its way long before they heard the horn.

Though the slave barracks were situated well within the city, Larissa’s knuckles whitened against the door handle as minute after minute passed by.

Driving became more precarious as the streets grew more crowded.

Citizens fled through the streets, toward the Outer Wall.

Gunfire could be heard off in the distance.

The Second Wall loomed ever closer up ahead.

With a sharp caw, Anara flung out her wings, letting the air catch her body as the truck raced past her. Having lost his guide, Darien slammed on the brakes. “What is she doing?”

Then Anara flew in through the open window, transforming as she did so and squeezing herself in between Larissa and Darien. “We’re nearly at the Second Wall. So is the Vienám, but Regent Hammon sent quite the welcome team to greet them.”

“You could see them?” Darien asked, wondering if his father was near.

“They’re only about a mile to the west. We’ll need to head that way and rejoin the Vienám.” Anara raised her hands against Larissa’s protest. “Our best chance of getting Halla back is to get past the Second Wall. To do that, we’ll need the Vienám.”

Darien avoided the crowd of fleeing citizens, taking a sharp left.

The muted sounds of a battle crystalized until Darien could make out shots and shouts, screams and charges.

The Vienám had to be close, along with Regent Hammon’s reinforcements.

Although his anxiety to find Halla rose with every passing minute, Darien could not help but think of his father.

“Sounds like they’re putting up more of a fight than we anticipated. ”

“Don’t worry.” When Anara grinned, it was feral and wild. “We’re winning.”

Darien pressed his foot down; the streets were emptier here. He didn’t need Anara’s directions now. The Second Wall loomed over the tops of the buildings, a blot on the sky itself. Anara stiffened, her head turning toward the open window.

“Brace yourselves,” Larissa advised as Darien turned the next corner.

The street emptied them out into a wide open area that stretched as far as Darien could see.

Beyond that empty space was the Second Wall.

All along the Wall, the Vienám fought with sentries.

Near the front of the line, Larissa could see King Torsten and Halvor dueled with two Kafteinns, though neither were Calder.

The other generals from the War Council led their own groups of men and women against the sentries.

General Ishaan, sometimes a man, sometimes a beast, defeated three sentries at once.

Farmers from the loading bay led a wave of citizens against a group of sentries, holding nothing but rocks or their own closed fists.

Several farmers fell under the gunfire before the sentries were overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies crashing down upon them.

Darien’s eyes scanned the fight once, twice, three times, relieved to find no draugrs .

He cut the engine; he could go no further without risking the lives of the Vienám as well.

His hand gravitated toward his gun, as did Larissa’s.

Beyond the fighting lay the gates to the Court of the Aristocracy, and beyond that gate was Halla.

Darien knew Larissa would fight every sentry herself if that was what it took, and he was determined to fight right at her side.

Without a word, they leapt from the truck, throwing themselves into the fray.