Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

Dyna blinked sleepily at the morning light filtering through the tent roof. Her mind was slow to recall the events of last night, and anger instantly cleared her mind. Her opportunity to escape had slipped out from under her, and Azulo most likely left when she didn’t arrive.

Right now, all Dyna wanted was to slap two people.

She turned at the sound of soft humming coming next to her. Yavi was in the middle of washing her face. She wore only a thin chemise and she pressed a hand over the small mound of her belly when she bent to reach into her chest of clothing.

Dyna’s eyes widened and she sat up. “You’re with child.”

Yavi jumped, letting out a high-pitched shriek. She rapidly held a dress over her body, gaping at Dyna in horror. Then she dropped on her cot and covered her face. “Oh, how could I have been so stupid?”

“Is Tarn…?”

“No!” Yavi recoiled with revulsion. “Von is the father.”

Dyna’s eyes widened further at the gold ring hanging from her neck. It was no wonder they spoke to each other unreservedly. They were life-mates.

“God of Urn.” Yavi’s trembling hands covered her face again. “Please, I beg you, don’t reveal this to Tarn. I know you want your freedom, but please don’t tell him. He would kill Von and my baby.”

She sat next to her. “Yavi, of course I won’t tell him.”

“You wouldn’t?” She looked at her worriedly with welling eyes. “Geon told me about…”

Dyna glowered. “I would never put a child at risk.”

“Oh, thank you.” Yavi hugged her tightly. She was shaking. “You have no idea how cruel Tarn can be. I fear what that man would do if he ever found out I’m Von’s wife.”

Dyna didn’t know what to think of it either. Slaves were forbidden to have families. “Does he know?”

Yavi sniffed and wiped her eyes. “No.”

“How far along are you?”

“I’m a little over three moons. I’ve been able to hide it with my clothes, and well, I make sure it’s dark when we…” Yavi flushed. “I take care not to undress in front of him anymore as well.”

Dyna squirmed. “Oh, right. How do you hide your other symptoms?” She recalled how Yavi turned green when she smelled the roasting meat. “He must have noticed your bouts of nausea and that you no longer have your menses.”

“Von has been distracted with tracking you and serving his Master’s every whim.” More tears gathered in Yavi’s lashes and she shook her head. “I can’t bring myself to tell him. I don’t know how he will react.”

“You think he would betray you to Tarn?”

“I don’t know.” Yavi closed her eyes. “I once believed his love was unconditional, but I’m not so sure anymore. If I tell him about our baby, I’m afraid to be proven right.”

Whatever Dyna’s opinion of Von, if he was willing to risk marrying Yavi, then it had to be love. But this was a dire problem that would force him to choose either her or Tarn. And she didn’t know which way he would bend either.

“I am not his first priority.” Yavi’s lip quivered. “I know he loves me, and that used to be enough, but I think what we have won’t last. He already separated himself to sleep in another tent to avoid any suspicions. It pains me to be away from him…especially knowing in the end I will have to leave him.”

Dyna rubbed her back. She wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how else she could help in this situation. They couldn’t have a baby in a Raiders camp.

“I didn’t know how I would escape, until you came.” Yavi wiped her face and took her hands. “It gave me hope because I knew you would get out and I thought I may go with you.”

Dyna hadn’t exactly planned to bring anyone with her. She’d only meant to take down the veil, leaving everyone to run on their own. Evidently, her previous plan lacked proper preparation. But after learning this secret, she felt compelled to assure Yavi’s escape for her child’s sake.

“Geon is sorry about what happened.” Yavi said. “He was worried about Dalton.”

She knew that’s why he did it, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t angry.

“There will be another chance, Dyna. You will think of something.”

If they also wanted to escape, then why was the planning only left to her? The first failure left her not knowing where to start.

“What do you think you will have?” she asked to change the subject.

“I’m hoping it’s a boy. I would love to see a little Von with his somber frown.” That drew a feeble smile out of Yavi but it quickly dimmed. “My family lives in Wyndham. It’s a city in the Kingdom of the United Crown. Before you arrived, my plan was to wait until Tarn’s ship moored in Dwarf Shoe to make my way there.” She glanced down at the slave bracelets on her ankles. “But now I have these.”

The United Crown was on the other side of the country. Even if they got out, Dyna didn’t know if Yavi would make it in time to deliver.

“Does anyone else know?” she asked.

“No—”

Both fell silent at the sound of footsteps approaching their tent.

Yavi turned to Dyna desperately and mouthed, Please don’t tell him!

Von cleared his throat outside. “Yavi?”

“Yes?” she answered as she quickly put on her frock. It was a simple maroon one that left her white chemise sleeves uncovered. Dyna helped lace up the bodice, making sure it was loose enough to be comfortable.

“May I come in?”

“No,” Yavi blurted, glancing at Dyna. She only wore undergarments and a camisole.

“All right.”

Yavi whispered at her to pick something to wear and that she could use the washcloth in the basin to clean herself, before throwing on a thick shawl that strategically hid any sign of her pregnancy, and went outside. Dyna sighed at the basin. She wished to bathe in a stream, even if it gave her frostbite. It had been days since she last properly washed.

“How is she?” Von asked quietly.

“Still asleep,” Yavi replied curtly. “How much did he drug her? Wretched man.”

Dyna quietly wrung out the soaked washcloth, wondering if they knew how thin the tent was. She quickly cleaned herself as best she could.

“Are you angry with me?” Von asked softly.

“You left me,” her voice cracked. The pain was clear in her accusation.

“It was for your safety, love. I’m not fond of the arrangements either, but it’s necessary. Don’t you know that I miss your warmth at night?”

There was a long pause. Dyna thought Yavi was embarrassed by Von’s ardent confession as much as she was, but then she heard the soft sounds of kissing. Dyna flushed and busied herself with sorting through the clothing.

After a minute, he cleared his throat and said in a normal voice. “Wake the Maiden and bring her to Sorren. She will need to eat to recover.”

“Yes, Master,” Yavi said flirtatiously.

He chuckled quietly before his footsteps faded away.

When Yavi entered the tent, she wore a dreamy smile. “That man still knows how to make my heart dance.” She noticed Dyna’s beat red face and laughed. “Oh, did you hear us? I’m sorry!”

“I-It’s all right.”

Yavi floated over happily and sat in the cot beside her. “It’s nice to confide in someone else with our secret. Geon and Sorren know about us, but I cannot discuss it with them. They wouldn’t understand a woman’s feelings.”

Seeing Dyna was too flustered to pick something from the chest, Yavi pulled out a bronze colored dress, embroidered with golden thread on the collar and hem. Thick gold strings braided through the front from the breast to the waist, and the tapered sleeves ended at a point.

“This one.” Yavi smoothed it down on her lap. It was very nice. “It’s the dress I was captured in so long ago.”

“I can’t take that,” Dyna said, feeling too guilty to remind her of her past.

Yavi gave her a sad smile. “It doesn’t fit me anymore and it would be a shame to let it rot in a box. Besides, I think it suits your complexion better than mine. Please take it.”

Murmuring her thanks, she accepted the dress hesitantly and changed into it as Yavi folded the other clothing in the chest properly, humming to herself again.

“Yavi?” Dyna fidgeted with the lace on her neckline, feeling her cheeks burn hot.

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

“W-what’s it like?”

A sly smile took over Yavi’s face. “What is what like?”

Dyna didn’t dare say it. She busied herself tying the strings of the dress, blushing furiously at the thought of intimacy. “I mean, I am an Herb Master. I know how it works…”

Yavi laughed softly and came behind her to help brush out her hair. “Well, when the day comes that you first experience that with someone, you may be anxious and excited, maybe a little tingly all over. But when you come together with someone you love, it feels like magic.”

Like magic…

“Now are we referring to one of your Guardians? You mentioned someone the other night. What was his name?”

Her heart spasmed. “Cassiel.”

“The Celestial?” Yavi’s eyes widened. “I heard he is quite powerful and beautiful, too.”

“He is…” Her vision blurred. “He has eyes like starlight and wings like the night…”

Speaking of it hurt. It was as if his absence had torn a piece of her away. The bitter thought misted her sight and the constant ache in her chest throbbed painfully.

Yavi brushed the hair from Dyna’s temples and tucked it behind her ears. “I’m sorry they took you away from him, Dyna. You didn’t deserve that. But I believe you will see each other again. We have to keep faith, all right?”

She had to keep fighting. “All right.”

“Come, let’s go find something for you to eat. It’s mid-morning, so the men have cleared out of Sorren’s tent by now.”

They headed out together and were greeted by the bright sun. The weather was a little warmer today, and everyone was enjoying it. They passed a group of Raider’s eating and lounging at a campfire, but their rowdy conversation quieted as all eyes fell on them.

“Avert your gaze,” Yavi ordered.

They obeyed except for one. It was the same man who had leered at them on the first day Dyna arrived. He had oily black hair peppered gray, and pitted scars on his face.

His dark eyes narrowed on Yavi as he came to stand in front of her. “Know your place, woman. I should tan your hide. You’re in need of it.”

Yavi lifted her chin. “Touch me, and you will regret it, Haran. Now step aside.”

His lip curled into a sneer. “You shall refer to me as Lieutenant now. I was promoted this morning.”

Yavi’s confidence wavered at seeing this man didn’t care who she was. She backed away slowly, shielding Dyna with her back. “Forgive me, Lieutenant. We will be on our way.”

“I have not dismissed you.” Haran snatched Yavi’s arm, making her wince under his tight grip.

Dyna clung to her other arm. “Let go!”

“Unhand me!” Yavi shouted at the same time. “I’m on an errand.”

“I’m not done with you, woman.” Haran’s mouth twisted into a sick smile, and he yanked her to him. “I might take part in your comforts first.”

The hair prickled on the back of Dyna’s neck and her heart raced with sudden panic. Yavi trembled against her, because they both knew what he intended by that statement.

“Don’t be daft, Haran,” said a man sitting by the campfire. He didn’t look up as he worked on sharpening a rapier sword on a whetstone. “Leave her be.”

“You shut your hole, Bouvier,” Haran snarled. “You’re a spy. You have no authority in what I do.”

Another spy?

Dyna hadn’t met this one yet. By his elegant grey tunic and fine brown boots, he clearly wasn’t a Raider. Bouvier was an older man with graying hair and a mustache he kept short and neat, but by no means did he appear weak. He met her gaze and nodded.

She wasn’t sure what that meant. Was it a greeting or reassurance?

Bouvier nudged the burly Raider beside him. A man with skin as dark as a summer night and dreads to his shoulder. “Speak some sense into him, Olsson.”

Olsson grunted as he eyed Yavi and Dyna warily. He scratched at the scruff on his face before rising to his full height. He was massive. “Aye, Lieutenant Haran, it’s best to send them on their way,” he said, his voice gravely and deep.

“Why do you fear a woman?”

Yavi glared at him, and said with as much confidence as she could muster. “Release me, or you will pay.”

Haran only laughed. “The only payment I seek is you beneath me.”

She slapped him across the face. He snarled and backhanded Yavi so hard the blow tossed her to the mud.

“Yavi!” Dyna dropped to her knees beside her. “Are you all right?”

Yavi gaped up at Haran, holding her cheek. She pulled back her trembling fingers, and they came away with bright red smears. Deafening silence fell around them. Olsson motioned at a young Raider, and he sprinted off through the tents.

Bouvier shook his head. “Decrepit lout, you’ve dug your grave.”

Haran ignored him, or perhaps didn’t hear him. “Go on, call upon your Master, woman. Commander Von will thank me for teaching you proper respect.”

Haran raised his fist, and the rings on his thick fingers glinted in the sunlight. Yavi curled into a ball, protecting her stomach. The baby!

Dyna leaped in between them. The blow landed across her cheek, and she fell in a heap. Pain burst behind her eyes, her vision flashing white. She fought to breathe. To move. Throbbing rushed through her skull, and a piercing ring filled her ears, as something warm and wet leaked down her chin.

Yavi’s muffled words barely reached her. “You struck the Maiden!”

“It was her own doing for getting in the way. Now come with me.” The Raider snatched Yavi’s arm and she screamed as he dragged her towards a tent. None of the other Raiders moved to stop him. They couldn’t when he outranked them.

Dyna, I’ll always protect you, but one day I might not be there… Zev prepared her for this. They all did. The only defense she had left was herself.

She pushed to her feet and stepped in his way. “Let her go.”

“You’ll have your turn.” He tried to shove her aside, but she thrust her palm up against his elbow, breaking his hold, and yanked Yavi away from him.

“Either you stop, or I will make you stop. Your choice.”

He sneered. “You think you can fight me, girl?”

Shifting her body into position, Dyna flipped the knife she stole from him in her hand. “I’ve been trained by a werewolf, a Celestial, and a sorceress. You tell me which one of us has the better chance of walking away.”

His expression darkened. “Women these days don’t know any respect.”

He lunged, and Dyna rolled across the ground out of the way. Grabbing a handful of dirt, she hurled it at his face. Haran stumbled backwards with a curse. He swung another fist. Dyna pivoted and slashed the knife across his side. Not deep, but enough to make him bleed. She slid on the ground and slashed through his ankle. Down he went. Before he could move, Dyna punched him straight in the throat.

Haran dropped to his hands and knees, face dark purple as he wheezed for air.

“Don’t come near her again.” Dyna took Yavi’s hand and led her away as the Raiders hooted, but their amusement died away when a shadow fell over them. She looked up at Haran’s blazing eyes.

“I’ll carve the flesh off your face, then rut your corpse.” He raised a knife and she simply…froze.

“Stop!” Olsson shouted. He and Bouvier ran for him.

Why would these men choose to defend them now? The far thought faded to the back of Dyna’s mind as the glinting blade came for her.

A dark shadow tore through them, and the knife was hurled aside. Von spun and delivered a kick to Haran’s jaw, throwing him down. Behind him stood the young raider who had run off at Olsson’s order.

Turning to Dyna, the commander’s mouth thinned at the blood on her face. “It’s all right now, lass.” He slowly reached for the knife in her shaking hand and carefully pried it free. “You’re safe.”

He’d saved her life…again.

Dyna couldn’t accept that. Why had she frozen?

She stepped back, and Von’s gaze immediately flickered past her to Yavi. His wide eyes took in the bleeding welt on her cheek, the condition of her clothing, and the direction of the tracks in the mud. Every angle of his face grew taut and his gaze… the pure murder in it sank chills through Dyna’s chest.

“Why was this not stopped?” Von asked the Raiders, so eerily calm. They dropped their eyes. He looked down at Haran next. “You not only harmed the Maiden, you put your hands on my property.”

Bouvier sheathed his sword and stepped away with Olsson but they remained in the vicinity, watching, as was everyone else.

“Commander, the slave woman was defiant.” Haran grunted as he staggered to his feet, blinking furiously to focus. He sniffed at the blood leaking from his nose. “She’s no one to give us orders. I had to reprimand her.”

“By striking her and taking her to your tent next?” Quiet malice lurked in his voice.

The man swallowed. “N-no, Commander.”

“No one has the right to put their hands on her. Not even you.” Von grabbed Haran’s arm and jerked tight against its socket. “May this serve to remind you of your error in judgment.” Then he snapped it in half.

Dyna’s stomach heaved in horror as the man writhed and screamed in agony. Bloody bone jutted from his skin.

But all eyes moved from Haran to the figure standing across the clearing.

The sight of Tarn made Dyna’s heart jolt behind her ribs. The Raiders went still, a silence falling over everyone. He seemed so otherworldly in the late morning, his white blond hair almost silver in the sunlight. Even with the scar across his face, he possessed a merciless kind of beauty. Hard and sharp.

The temperature dropped in the air as if frost had arrived with his presence. He looked menacing, his black jacket billowing in the wind. Tarn carried no weapons, no sword rested at his waist. One wasn’t needed when anyone could sense the threat that he was.

“Disperse.” Everyone scattered at Tarn’s command.

It startled her how swiftly they obeyed orders with absolute compliance. Then those cold eyes fell on her next. Yavi grabbed Dyna’s hand, and they fled together for Sorren’s tent, nearly crashing into him and Geon.

“What happened?” Sorren asked. “We heard screaming.”

“Haran,” Yavi whimpered.

“He did this to you?” Geon took her arm and helped her sit at the serving table where Dalton was already seated.

Dalton hurried over. “He hit you, too?”

Dyna nodded, wincing at the sting when she touched the cut. “It looks worse than it is. I’m fine.”

“You’re not. Here, let me fix it.” Orange Essence glowed in his palm and he laid it gently against her cheek.

The tension eased out of Dyna’s body as warmth sank through her, banishing the pain. “This is the first time I’ve received Essence Healing. It feels nice.”

Normally she was the healer. Dalton smiled at her warmly. If he was still speaking to her, they must not have told him about her schemes.

Sorren’s low growl rumbled in the tent. “Wait for that miscreant to come in here. I’ll castrate him.”

“No need,” Yavi mumbled blankly at the tabletop. “Von got to him…”

The faint sound of Haran’s screams reached their ears and they all cringed. His reaction had startled Dyna but it seemed they weren’t very stunned.

“The Commander is ruthless when he’s angry,” Dalton told her.

“But he’s agreeable for the most part,” Geon argued.

“Speak for yourself.” Dalton withdrew his hand and winked. “There. Lovely as ever.”

She tentatively touched her cheek, finding it flawless, not even a hint of a scar. His abilities far surpassed hers. He even healed the bruises on her chest and neck.

“None of that coquetry,” Geon said. “Yavi needs healing next.”

“You were more fun as a Raider.” The mage retorted and approached Yavi, but she shooed him away.

“I’m fine, Dal.”

He hesitated. “Are you sure? It’s going to swell terribly by tomorrow. The healing will only take a minute.”

She shook her head.

“Come see me if you change your mind.” Dalton lifted a tray with three bowls of porridge and left.

Sorren and Geon looked confused by the refusal but Dyna knew why. Essence Healing revealed everything within the body and Dalton would easily discover she was with child. But the blow had knocked her down, and any fall could be harmful to a pregnancy.

Dyna crouched by Yavi and whispered, “Are you all right?”

“I’m frightened.” Her mouth trembled. “What if…”

“Eat something. If there is no movement by the end of tonight, or if you bleed, come to me.” Dyna took a soaked cloth Sorren handed her and carefully cleaned the cut before applying some honey on it. She sent a prayer to the God of Urn that the little one was all right. She hated not having her magic. It was times like this when she needed it most.

The tent flaps parted with Von’s entrance, and his gaze immediately fell on Yavi. Dyna stepped back as he hastened to her side. “Let me see your face.”

She hid beneath her auburn hair. “Leave it.”

“Yavi.” Von’s brisk voice left no doubt that it was an order. At her sigh, he knelt and gently turned her chin to him, examining the bloodied bruise now taking form. A growl ripped from his throat.

Yavi caught his hand before he could leave. “You have done enough.”

Von’s eyes were dark as a storm. “It’s less than what he deserved. I punished him as is my right. If I didn’t, the others would think they could strike you without consequence.”

“Torture, killing—that isn’t who you are. You’re not your Master. That’s what I want you to remember. The man could barely stand after your kick, short of Dyna bloody throttling him.”

Von glanced at her then, and his fury slowly fell into a faint smirk. “That was an impressive hook, lass.” He rubbed his throat as if he felt the blow. He must have seen the end of the fight.

Sorren pointed his cleaver at her. “This wee human? I highly doubt it.”

Dyna frowned. What was so hard to believe about that?

“She did.” Yavi let out a shocked giggle. “She took him down in three moves.”

“You can fight?” Geon gaped at her. “And you felled him in a dress? I wish I could have seen it.”

Now that everything had calmed down, Dyna’s anger came rushing back. She gritted her teeth and swung a fist.

“Woah!” Von yanked her back before the punch landed.

“Let me show you well I can fight! Release me, Von.”

He chuckled and hauled her a few steps back so she couldn’t reach him. “As amusing as that might be to see, take a breather, lass.”

Geon winced sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Dyna. Your plan would have hurt several people. I had to stop you.”

“Tarn drugged me!”

He sighed. “The alternative would have been burying my friend. He won’t kill you. You’re too valuable. We have all been commanded not to lay a hand on the Maiden. But Dalton? The rest of us? Tarn wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to take our lives. Do you understand? Any misstep here is a death sentence.”

“If that were true, then he wouldn’t have an army,” she shot back. “It’s impossible not to make mistakes.”

“You’re right. Occasionally, Tarn finds it in himself to be lenient.” Geon pulled up his tunic and turned, displaying the scarred stripes going down his spine. “This was my second chance. There won’t be a third. But Haran, I bet he won’t live to see tomorrow.”

Dyna stopped struggling at the sight of his back. He’d been flogged. When Von was sure she wouldn’t attack Geon, he let her go. A sort of heavy silence filled the tent.

“Who taught you how to hit like that?” Yavi asked after a long pause in an attempt to lighten the conversation.

Dyna turned away so Von would fall out of her view. “My…cousin taught me.”

The heavy silence doubled. She felt his unease as he went to sit with Yavi.

“You look lovely in your dress by the way,” Geon said softly. He took the wet cloth from her and folded it to the other side to wipe the dirt from her hands. “Forgive me?”

“Hardly.”

“What if I bake you some fresh bread?”

She rolled her eyes at his pout. “Then I might consider it.”

Their laughter died away when the tent flaps parted again and they all met Elon’s indifferent gaze. By his black armor and the red hilt of a sword glinting beneath his cloak, the elf was back to work. And Dyna knew why he’d come.

Tarn had sent for her.