“Enough.” Gregory’s command sliced through their stalemate. “This won’t be solved tonight. Right now we need to get him into the cell and re-ward the walls.”
More than anything, Rell wanted to rage against all of them. Frustration seized her and it was painfully apparent that even though she was no longer Bane, she still wasn’t fully included with the Bringers. The fact that Siban knew and didn’t tell her of their plan was the worst betrayal. Where did that leave her? Once again she had no place in the world, neither Bringer nor Bane.
Meran, Juna, and Ravyn stationed themselves at three points around the men and Icarus. Rhys, Gregory, and Luc hoisted the demon onto their shoulders but didn’t proceed forward. He no longer fought against his captivity.
The three sisters extended their arms in either direction and began chanting. Words Rell didn’t understand filled the night as if magnified tenfold. White light erupted from their fingertips and connected, forming a circle around the men and Icarus.
“What are they doing?” Rell’s panic welled gain, certain they were hurting him.
“The light will protect him from the wards,” Okee said. “He’ll be safe once he’s inside the cell.”
At his words more threads of white light shot underneath Icarus and upward in an arch, making contact with the other side. What looked like an egg-shaped net of light surrounded but didn’t touch him.
“Let’s get him inside,” Gregory said.
The group of men moved forward and the three sisters mirrored their pace. White light continued to surround Icarus and their words resonated through the night air. Rell turned and watched them move steadily across the ground, but she had no inclination to follow. Being in the cell herself had been bad enough. Watching another being imprisoned was more than she could stomach—no matter what the situation.
Jade raised her hands again, moving them across the space in the barrier. Her soft words hissed from her and Rell could feel the wards fall back into place. When finished, Jade turned and walked to her. With silent comfort she placed a hand on Rell’s shoulder. The depth of her sister’s concern seeped into Rell’s skin like a warm blanket, but she was in no mood to forgive any of them for their betrayal. After a few seconds, Jade slid her hand from Rell and walked away.
“Come back to the manor,” Siban said.
Even though she knew he acted out of worry, his statement sounded more like a command. She needed to be alone. The last thing she wanted was to listen to all his reasons for why she should not help Icarus. “I still have two hours left on my patrol.”
For a few seconds Siban didn’t say anything. His distrust scraped along her awareness, making it clear he didn’t trust her.
“We’ll talk when you return.” He hesitated, but when she didn’t reply, he nodded. “I’ll see you back at the manor.”
He turned and strode in the same direction as the other Bringers.
Rell pivoted and paced along the ward’s borders. How could she make the Bringers listen to her—especially Siban? Why couldn’t he trust her? She wasn’t some witless female, who had led a sheltered life. Far from it. Daily, he hovered over her as if she’d shatter into a million pieces the minute something went wrong, but the situation tonight was something different all together. They’d used her as bait to draw Icarus to them. She stomped along the ground, letting her anger feed the dark stain on her soul. Though she knew she shouldn’t, she let the rage of betrayal wash through her. She stopped and stared into the darkness. Sparks of blue light tingled at her fingertips. Cupping her hands, she let the brilliant light pool in her palms. The Bringers plan had worked and they’d gotten what they wanted at the expense of her trust.
Rell gritted her teeth and thrust the pulsating blue orbs at the ward. They passed through, unrestrained, and struck a tree beyond the ward. The trunk splintered, sending chunks of bark in all directions.
At times like this, she missed being a Bane. The ability to fly away from her problems and hide in the caverns had far greater appeal than facing this situation head on. Emotions she wasn’t used to crowded inside her. Her throat tightened and she forced down a swallow. How was she supposed to do what was right—both for her own conscience and the group?
She turned and paced a course in the opposite direction, trying to tame her anger to a manageable level. Tomorrow she would talk to Gregory when Siban was not around. Perhaps she could get him to see that Icarus was more than the soul-sucking demon the Bringers believed him to be. If not, how would she live with the guilt knowing she’d been given a new life but he’d been condemned for what was the same offense—being a Bane?
Chapter Eight
Siban rubbed his face with his hands and yawned. Sleep hadn’t come easily last night. Rell hadn’t returned to the room before he’d fallen asleep and when he’d awoken, she was already dressed and gone. In reviewing last night’s incident he felt confident that he’d acted appropriately. She was too close to the situation and wasn’t thinking clearly. No matter what her feelings were for Icarus, Rell needed to learn that he couldn’t be trusted under the best of circumstances. Though he had to wonder what exactly her feelings were for the demon. Her reaction had been fierce and it hadn’t taken his Tell powers to know she’d felt betrayed.
The words he’d needed to smooth things over escaped him. He loved Rell, but even now she was a paradox. The dark stain of being a Bane still tainted her soul and he sensed that she hadn’t fully embraced being back to her human form. Her reaction to Icarus had been intense—too intense. The safety of the Bringers trumped personal feelings. What she wanted was for him to trust her. And that was something he couldn’t give her right now.
Siban rolled his head from left to right, trying to release some of the tension that had built between his shoulder blades, and tightened the belt that held his sword around his waist. Tomorrow at dawn they would leave for the Shadow World, and though he wouldn’t admit it to anybody else, it was not a journey he looked forward to.
Old nightmares had resurfaced, as if he was reliving his days of torture. In the light of day he could bury the scenes and pretend they didn’t eat away at him, but how he would react once back in the place where he’d been imprisoned for nearly two years, he couldn’t say. The added conflict with Rell only burdened him more.
He made his way down the staircase and into the Great Hall, stopping just inside the door. Rell sat with Meran and Gregory, speaking in low tones. Unease crept over him. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t trust her when it came to Icarus. Was she trying to manipulate the other Bringers into believing the demon was different? He stiffened his spine, trying to repress the pang of jealousy pushing at him. With a deep inhale, he stuffed his emotions down and set his mask of detachment in place.
When he approached, Rell looked up, but didn’t smile. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” He gripped the hilt of his sword. Thankfully his voice remained steady, hiding his agitated state. “Did you sleep well? You must have come in after I fell asleep.”
“We have no training this morning so I didn’t wake you.”
The fact that her statement hadn’t answered his curiosity about where she’d slept didn’t escape him. He nodded. “That was kind of you, but you needn’t have taken such pains.”
“Come.” Gregory stood and indicated his spot at the table. “I’ll tell Delphina to bring you food. I have a few tasks to attend to before the day gets started.”
Siban wondered if those tasks involved Icarus. Certainly he’d interrupted a private conversation. And since none of them seemed inclined to include him, he slid onto the bench next to Rell and reached for the pitcher. “Would you like some?”