Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

The air was chilled with the briskness of winter, but it smelled like spring. Dyna lifted a royalrod stem with her gloved fingers, admiring the rich color of the tiny midnight blue petals. Thousands of them fluttered in the field she knelt in.

“These are beautiful,” Yavi said, carefully clipping another. She’d been called to do the ‘women’s portion’ of the work in harvesting. “They look similar to goldenrod flowers.”

“Royalrods are their cousins,” Dyna told her. “Without magic, we’re unlikely to find them like this.”

“The boys certainly outdid themselves. I think they were trying to impress you.”

Good. Dyna was willing to take advantage of that if it helped her escape. She was working on a plan, but some details were complicated. Like the pesky veil.

There had to be a way to bring it down.

The dissipation arrowhead might do it. The other option was black clovers, and Tarn wore three of them strapped to his wrist. But Dyna didn’t want to meddle with black magic, so they were a last resort. Besides, the clovers wouldn’t work on physically removing her bangles, so the arrowhead was her best chance. Possibly even the hindrance one might be of use.

“What are you making with these?” Geon asked on her left. He had volunteered, too, to get out of kitchen duty.

“A potion to treat Elon’s wound and ease the pain,” Dyna said. “The magical properties in the royalrods will help remove any remaining traces of the spell ailing him. But they have other uses.” She lifted a stem, letting the sunlight catch on the deep blue petals. “It can treat sores, infections, and some rather fatal venoms. But likewise, it’s also poisonous.”

“Don’t touch the leaves,” Yavi warned him. “It will give you a horrid rash and blisters.” She tucked her dress around her legs, covering her ankles.

“And if you burn the petals, it creates a toxic smoke that causes temporary blindness,” Dyna added.

“Good thing we’re not burning them.” Geon chuckled as he lifted a full basket.

He carried it to the barrels they were slowly filling on the edge of the field, and he stopped to talk to Novo. The spy had been sent to keep an eye on them, but all he did was lay in the grass and observe the sky.

“What did Tarn say to you this morning?” Yavi whispered.

“Not much,” Dyna said under her breath. “Benton hasn’t been able to open my journal, but Tarn didn’t force me to.”

Yavi raised her eyebrows. “He’s searched for Mount Ida for years. Now that he has your map, I wonder why he isn’t forcing you…” She paused and grinned. “I know why.”

“Why?”

“Because of the Seer’s warning. He’s treading carefully.”

Dyna finally got to hear the full divination, but she didn’t like the last line and she didn’t like the way Yavi was looking at her as though it was inevitable. For her to think she would ever be capable of finding that frightening man even remotely appealing was preposterous, and Tarn wasn’t the type either. The line was vague in itself because it didn’t name who could sway him. There were different kinds of love other than romantic love. Like friendship and familial.

It could mean anything.

Dyna wished she could ask the Seer herself, but she lived in confinement within the Unseelie Court under the protection of the Night Queen. To use her services, one must pay with a gift, for the fae never gave anything for free.

“Yavi.” Dyna leaned closer to her. “When Tarn visited the Seer of Faery Hill in Arthal, what was his payment?”

She made sure no one was listening before saying, “Tarn gifted the Night Queen a rare and highly sought item. A dragon ring.”

Dyna gaped. It reminded her of the enchanted sword Rawn was searching for, one that had been forged with the magic of dragon fire.

“They say there’s five rings and they carry a dreadful power,” Yavi continued. “They were lost or stolen over the ages, but find one and the courts would trade anything for them.”

If they were so powerful, Dyna wondered why Tarn didn’t keep it. “How did he end up with a dragon ring?”

“Two years ago, before I was taken, Tarn crossed paths with a fae traveling through the woods in a yellow caravan. Von said he had bright golden eyes that seemed to looked right through him.” Yavi shivered and Dyna did, too. She had seen eyes like that before. “Tarn wasn’t interested in the fae’s offered wares at first, until he spotted the ring among the trinkets. A lucky find, I suppose.”

There was no such thing as luck.

“Leoake,” Dyna hissed, glaring down at the oak tree tattoo on her arm.

That conniving, scheming, dastardly Druid! How far did his hand reach through their lives? Better yet, what was he planning? Because Leoake was also a Seer, and could have granted Tarn a divination. Instead, he gave him a dragon ring knowing what it would be used for.

“What is a Leoake?”

“It’s nothing.” Dyna frowned, an idea coming to her. “Do you know how I can contact the fae?”

Yavi’s eyes widened. “I heard if you make a circle of stones in the forest and put an offering inside while calling on them, one would appear to make a deal with you. But I don’t recommend it. They’re not to be trusted.”

That was true, and yet she was considering the option.

Dyna clipped a stem. “I might know of a way to break the veil.”

Yavi’s eyes widened further. “How—”

A shadow loomed over them and they looked up at Novo, the afternoon sun obscured behind him. “How much longer?”

“With only the three of us working, it will take some time,” Dyna said. “I need plenty for the Captain’s treatment to take. A week’s worth at the very least.”

“Gather as much as you can. The camp is moving tonight.”

Yavi stood. “Already?”

His gaze flickered to Dyna. “There is no reason to stay in Azure now.”

She stilled. “What do you mean? Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer.

“We’re headed to a private port near Indigo Bay,” Yavi said, worry on her face. “A place for those avoiding the king’s eye. Tarn’s ship is there.”

Dyna’s heart rate sped. A ship. Of course, he had a ship. How else would he have traveled overseas? It was how he would reach Mount Ida. Indigo Bay was north on the Saxe coast. Perhaps a week of travel away. Longer with a camp full of men. If Tarn got her on the ocean, then she’d be trapped by water, taken to the other side of the world. She may never see Cassiel again.

Dyna forced herself to breathe and think. This changed the plan.

“Finish up here,” Novo said, turning away as Geon rejoined them. “I’m hungry and want to go back to camp.”

“It would be quicker if you helped,” Yavi said, but he ignored her and she scowled at his retreating back.

It wasn’t until he reached the shadow lingering beneath a tree did Dyna notice the girl that had been in the mage’s tent. Novo pinned her against it and they hungrily kissed.

“Oh gods.” Yavi quickly pulled Dyna away to where they couldn’t see. “Those two have no shame.”

She flushed. “Who are they?”

“They are both spies like Elon. Novo works for hire but Len…she’s Tarn’s property. He purchased her when she was a child. He raised her and trained her. She’s favored. Novo should know better.”

Dyna recalled how angry Novo had been when he had attacked Rawn in the woods. It seemed personal, and now she realized it was. Rawn had nearly killed her.

“That’s all they do.” Geon snorted. “They’re like rabbits.”

Dyna stifled a laugh.

“One day that will be you when you find the lass you like,” Yavi teased as they headed for the barrels to empty their baskets, laughing at his reddening face.

Dyna let them chat as she fell back. Right now, Novo was distracted and that created an opportunity, that couldn’t be wasted. “We will cover more ground if we split up,” she said, walking backwards. “I will take the north end of the field. You two take the south.”

They stared at her in confusion but she didn’t wait for their replies. She strode away and exhaled in relief when they didn’t follow. Once she was sure no one was looking, she darted into the dense trees and kept going until she reached the veil. Quickly gathering stones, she formed them in a circle. Then she took out a roll of bread from her cloak and placed it inside. It wasn’t much of an offering, but she didn’t think he would mind.

“Azulo?” Dyna called hesitantly.

It was a gamble to call on Leoake’s familiar, but she didn’t want another geas, and the little fox owed her a favor. After the news of the ship, she was more desperate than ever.

“I call on a debt owed,” she said more confidently. “Azulo, come to me.”

Only windy silence answered back. After a few minutes of nothing, Dyna’s shoulders slumped. Perhaps she didn’t do it right, or perhaps the fae didn’t like being ordered around. She turned to go when something flickered in her peripherals.

A faint, warm glow seemed to pulse within the trees on the other side of the veil. Then it faded and from the bushes sauntered out a fox with aqua-blue fur, and a diamond-shaped patch in a deeper shade of blue on its forehead. He sat on his haunches, wagging three fluffy tails. Azulo looked a little bigger than the last time she’d seen him.

Dyna smiled and knelt as close as she dared to the veil. It crackled faintly between them. “Hello there, little one. Can you see me?”

A golden light flared out of him, making her yelp. It quickly faded, revealing a lad with furry blue ears. He looked about twelve years old and wore only a pair of trousers. Bright caerulean hair fell around his cherubic face to his chin, and his forehead now bore a sapphire gem.

“Of course, I can see you, Mistress.” He grinned, revealing a small pair of small fangs. “I am glad to meet you again.”

Her mouth fell open. “Azulo? I-I didn’t know you could take human form.”

“I’m fae.” He shrugged, as if that explained it.

“All right…well, thank you for coming. I was hoping to call on that favor,” Dyna said sheepishly.

His smile brightened and he puffed his chest, wagging his tails. “I am at your service. Whatever you desire, your little one will provide. My thanks for saving me.”

She laughed, finding him incredibly endearing. “My word, then I am very grateful you’ve come to my aid. Sadly, I have been captured by a wicked man and he’s trapped me behind this veil.”

Azulo hummed as he studied it, and swirling blue markings pulsed on his chest and shoulders.

“It’s supposed to conceal the camp from outsiders, yet it doesn’t seem to work on you.”

“I can see spells.” His aquamarine eyes dropped to the oak tree tattooed on Dyna’s arm then to her chest. “As I see the ones on you. Master’s geas has bound you almost as tightly as the bond on your soul.”

Dyna’s heart leaped. “My bond is still intact? It’s fully there?”

He nodded.

She covered her mouth at the confirmation and wetly laughed. It caused her tender chest to spasm, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. If it affected her this much, Cassiel must be suffering far worse.

“I cannot stay long,” Azulo said, pouting. “We fae have rules about debts, which allowed me to come, but I’m ordered to return quickly. Make your ask and be careful what you say, as I can only grant exactly that.”

She was grateful for the warning. Leoake should learn from him. “Before I make my ask, do you have the ability to remove the veil?”

He shook his head. “The spell is tied to the one who placed it. It lives because the mage lives. Shall I kill him? That would set you free.”

She flinched back, not expecting such a morbid suggestion to come from his sweet face. He said it so casually, as though taking a life was nothing. It served to show that no matter how innocent the fox-boy looked, the fae didn’t think like humans.

“No, don’t do that,” Dyna said quickly. “The bangles, what can you tell me about their magic?”

He glanced down at her ankles and smirked. “Mere witch trinkets. Easy to break with my teeth. Easier with the key.”

The key! Tarn had a ring full of them with red bloodstones that matched the Crystal Core. He had used one to remove her collar. That must be how he was keeping the slaves controlled.

All she needed was the key and the arrow. Then she’d be free.

“Then I will find a way to remove the veil and the bangles myself,” Dyna said. “Perhaps you could escort me away instead? Once I’m free, the wicked man will come after me, so I will need a way to quickly escape. Could you take me to Cassiel the same way you arrived here?” She assumed he had used some sort of portal, the way fae liked to travel. “He’s looking for me. He shouldn’t be far.”

Azulo canted his head a moment, then nodded. “When?”

Yavi’s voice called for her in the distance.

“Tonight,” Dyna whispered. “Meet me here when the sun sets.”

“Tonight,” Azulo agreed. “Make your ask then. Oh, and Master has a message for you. He says, ‘Wine is preferable to water, clever mortal.’”

She frowned, not understanding what that meant. Why would she care about his drink preferences?

“Where did she go?” came Novo’s angry voice.

Dyna whipped around at the approaching shapes in the trees. When she glanced at Azulo again, he was gone and so was the bread. She ran back the way she came only to crash into Novo. The others stood behind him.

He grabbed her shoulders. “What were you doing?”

“Nothing. I was merely searching for Phyllon roots. A soporific will do Elon well.”

His dark eyes narrowed. He didn’t believe her lie for a second. “No matter how much you search, lass, there’s no way out.”

Well, she never was much of a liar.

Dyna crossed her arms. “You’re not a slave. You work for pay.”

Novo arched an eyebrow as if to say what was her point.

“But you hate it, don’t you? I’ve seen the way you constantly look at the sky. You don’t like being in the veil, but you don’t leave because of her.” She nodded at Len. “None of us want to be here so why do we let him keep us here?” They gawked at her and she took their stunned silence as encouragement to continue. “If we can work together to take Tarn down, then—”

Len sprang and tackled her. Dyna’s back collided with the ground, leaving her winded. She only saw a flash of steel before she felt the cold knife’s edge at her throat.

“Urnians bleat about slavery in dis country,” Len hissed in a thick, broken accent. “In mine, we be beaten. Starved and raped. We be mules. But Master saved me. He is good Master. If ye rebel, I vill gut ye like a fish from yer nethers to yer neck before you scream.”

Dyna’s heart pounding in her chest as they stared at each other. This close, she got a clear view of the gruesome scar in the shape of an X that had been burned on the young woman’s cheek.

“Len.” Novo gave her a languid smile. “Come, let’s go get something to eat.”

Len nimbly rose to her feet. The curved knife flipped in her agile fingers as she sheathed it into the scabbard strapped to her thigh. Then she strode away, heading back for the meadow. Yavi and Geon gave Dyna apologetic looks before following at Novo’s order.

“Be careful what you say around here, lass.” He helped Dyna to her feet. “Tarn may be a hard master, but he gave these people a place to belong. That is more than most of them have had.”

Feeling foolish, Dyna rubbed the new bruise forming on the back of her head. Tarn was more favored than she thought. Len may be willing to serve him, but there were a few others who certainly weren’t.