Ambriel's Quest: Book 2 Page 6

  “It’s okay. Come closer and we’ll figure out a plan together. I can’t do this alone, and you’re my only friend here.”

  “I’m your friend?” she asked with such hope that Ambriel’s eyes glossed over with unshed tears, and she had to briefly look away. What had they done to this girl?

  “Yes, you are. You helped me when you didn’t have to. Of course you’re my friend.”

  “What if you’re afraid of me? I look different.”

  Ambriel braced herself. She knew Keiana was Santiarn and needed to steel her nerves so she didn’t flinch at her presence. “It’ll be fine, I promise,” she reassured her.

  Ambriel didn’t think Keiana would show herself, but after several minutes, she stepped forward. She had to hold in her gasp of surprise and make herself smile. “Hi, Keiana, I’m Ambriel. It’s nice to meet you.” Keiana smiled, and Ambriel stopped herself from taking a fearful step backward.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ambriel,” Keiana said with a terrifying grin, even though she looked very happy, excited even.

  As Ambriel quickly looked over her appearance, she noted her silky red hair and a cream-colored face that held a perky nose and full lips. She would be a stunning human if it weren’t for her flaming red eyes, sharp-pointed, white teeth and her pointed black nails. If Ambriel was half-Cusas, then Keiana was half-Santiarn. She shivered at the thought of one of those things mating a human.

  “You’re part human,” Ambriel stated the obvious. That’s why she could hear the chanting in her head.

  Keiana scrunched her nose and said, “No, I’m a Santiarn. I’ve never seen a human before. Are you one of them?”

  “I’m part human and part Cusas.”

  “You look different, but kind of like me. Your teeth are so dull; how do you eat your food?” Keiana asked with such curiosity, it reminded Ambriel of a little girl. Another thought crossed her mind, and she shivered. What kind of food do they eat that requires teeth that sharp?

  Quickly ridding her mind of the image that popped into her head, Ambriel shrugged her shoulders and said, “Most of our food doesn’t require sharp teeth.”

  Keiana nodded as though that made perfect sense and then said, “We are at war with the Cusas.” She scrunched her nose in disgust. “I don’t know why we’re at war, but I wish everyone would just get along.”

  Ambriel laughed, which had Keiana grinning, showing her dreadful teeth. “And the plot thickens,” Ambriel happily said.

  “What plot?” she asked with such interest and child-like curiosity, Ambriel couldn’t help but like the girl instantly.

  “Never mind,” Ambriel said with a smile before letting it fade to seriousness. “Keiana, can you help me get out of here?”

  Keiana’s smile vanished. “I don’t…I don’t think I can. I keep to the shadows, staying out of sight. If they don’t see me, then they forget I’m here.”

  “All you need to do is find the key to the cell. Can you do that?”

  “I can try,” she said with a small voice.

  “Good. Maybe they keep spares somewhere in the castle,” Ambriel stated with hope dripping from her voice.

  “Okay, I’ll look.” She looked at Ambriel one last time before she hurried away.

  Ambriel sat back down against the cold damp wall and waited. A half-Santiarn, who would have thought? And Keiana didn’t even know she was half-human. Did she even know she was different from the others? Ambriel had a lot of questions for her, but that would have to wait.

  She closed her eyes, and that’s when Keiana’s voice came through loud and clear. Where would they hide it? she wondered. Not there…hmm, maybe they’d put it in there. Now she had a face to put with the voice in her head, which filled her heart with hope and happiness. Who would have ever thought Ambriel would’ve found an ally in the Santiarn realm?

  Chapter Six

  Mikal

  The Cusasleon Realm

  “What did Risya have to say?” Lukke asked, falling in step with Mikal as they headed for the battle room.

  “Riddles, that’s all she ever says,” he said with a clipped tone. Rage consumed him at the thought of losing his mate. What was Ornias doing to her? He wanted to kill something…anything!

  “She must have told you something?”

  Mikal stopped abruptly and faced his friend. His eyes were hard, his voice cold as he said, “She told me only part of the prophecy before. The other part says something about Ambriel finding the key to winning the war, and she has to do it alone or the key will not reveal itself. Tell me, does any of this make sense to you?” Mikal stood with a defensive posture, waiting for Lukke’s answer.

  Lukke straightened his spine when he noted Mikal’s deadly mood. “No, Commander,” he said, not as a friend, but as second in command.

  Mikal stared at him a moment longer before he turned and stalked away. When he entered the battle room, everyone snapped to attention, their heads bowed as they felt his deadly mood pour off of him in waves. “Are the transport crystals accounted for?” he asked, his eyes darting from one to another until they landed on Avis.

  “No, Commander, there is one missing,” Avis supplied, not meeting Mikal’s hard eyes.

  Anger seeped further into his veins, twisting throughout his body and wrapping around his guilt-ridden heart. He’d kill them all! He grabbed his short sword and a transport crystal to open the portal and then disappeared.

  The Human realm was in utter chaos. The humans were so impressionable, and the Santiarns took advantage of them, even if only a seed of evil was found inside. They could coax it into growing so large that no goodness remained.

  Mikal let his senses take over as he found one whispering into the ear of an older man eyeing a girl in her early teens. He didn’t have to hear his vile words to know what he was encouraging the man to do. Mikal started with him. With silent steps, he slipped up behind the unsuspecting Santiarn and severed his head from his body. “Too easy,” he murmured to himself.

  His dispatched one after another, leaving a trail of broken bodies behind for Ornias’ minions to find.

  He spotted a scrawny kid pointing a gun at middle-aged man in a back alley. His hand was shaky as the man begged for his life. “Please don’t shoot me! Just take the money, I promise, I won’t tell anyone.” The Santiarn stood behind the kid, whispering for him to kill the man. Mikal ran toward him, sword in hand and death etched on his face. The Santiarn had an evil grin as he tried to coax the kid to shoot his victim. Before that happened, his eyes darted up and caught Mikal barreling toward him.

  With a burst of speed, Mikal’s leg muscles bulged with every step as he chased the Santiarn down the street and into a dead-end alley, sealed off by a brick wall. The Santiarn unsheathed his own sword before turning to face his pursuer.

  They circled each other, and Mikal briefly thought that this one appeared well-trained, not like the others he’d killed this day. With a nasty grin and cunning eyes, the Santiarn spoke. “Have you lost anything lately?”

  If possible, Mikal’s rage grew in intensity, and his eyes glowed brightly, turquoise reflecting off his raised sword. There was no use in talking to the enemy; he’d only spew lies, trying to catch Mikal off guard. With one powerful lunge, Mikal attacked. Swords clashed together, the noise loud in his own ears as it bounced off the alley walls. His first thought was right; this one was well-trained. With every strike, the enemy matched him, blocking every attempt to deliver the final blow. As the fight continued, Mikal’s arm grew tired, but he never wavered. It was just a matter of time now. When the Santiarn was a little slow to block his strike, Mikal plunged the sword deep into his chest, sending him to his knees. As the Santiarn lifted his surprised eyes, he grinned one last time and said, “You’ll never get her back,” and then he fell face first onto the unforgiving pavement.

  Mikal tried to catch his labored breath; the words of the enemy had voiced his worst fear. His soul constantly cried out for hers, and he could feel the emptiness she’d lef
t behind. He never thought it possible to love or need someone that much. He briefly closed his eyes and vowed he’d get her back or die trying. Living without her was not an option.

  Ambriel

  The Santiarn Realm

  Time passed by slowly as Ambriel patiently waited for Keiana’s return. She knew she was still looking for a key to open the cell door. If only I had a bobby pin and the knowledge to pick a lock, she thought with a humorless smile. How people survived captivity was a mystery to her. She’d only been there the better part of two days, and she already had silent conversations with herself. All she could do was hope that Keiana found the key. I really need to pee, she thought with a grimace. Her stomach growled, not wanting to be left off of the ‘all things uncomfortable’ list. Wonder if they have cheeseburgers? Probably not… with those teeth they’d just eat the cow. Stop thinking about what they eat! Would I eat a cow? Yes, but they’d have to cook it first! She giggled.

  I found it! Oh…oh, I found it! When those words burst in her mind like a shot from a cannon, Ambriel sat straight up. She did it! Okay, Ambriel, don’t get your hopes up, it may not be the right key. Still, she jumped to her feet and paced with anticipation. Not sure that Keiana would find the key, she hadn’t really formed a plan. Where would she go? They took her transport crystal. Think, dammit!

  “I found it!” an excited small voice said from the darkness. Ambriel’s eyes shot to Keiana just as she came into view. “I can’t believe I did it!” With shaky fingers, she handed the key through the bars to Ambriel.

  “Let’s just hope this works.” The key slid easily inside the keyhole. Ambriel’s excited eyes met Keiana’s for a brief moment before turning the key. One quick turn and the door swung open, setting her free. “You did it, Keiana!”

  “I did!” Her voice rang of excitement, disbelief, as her bright, wide eyes shot to Ambriel’s happy ones. “What do we do now?”

  “I don’t know,” Ambriel admitted. “Do you have a transport crystal?”

  “No.” Her voice a little deflated before sounding excited again. “I know; you can stay with me!”

  Ambriel swallowed hard as her reluctance surfaced. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay with Keiana, she just didn’t want to be here in this realm. The emptiness inside her grew every hour, leaving a hollow feeing in the pit of her stomach. She needed to find her way back to Mikal.

  With a slight nod, she cautiously followed Keiana as they headed out, careful not to be discovered. They hid at the sound of footsteps approaching, darting into an empty room. It was more of the same… barren, which echoed her first thoughts that Ornias kept everything good for himself.

  After dodging a few of the Santiarns, Keiana led her down a dimly lit hall in an unused part of the castle, or at least it appeared unused. A big, heavy wooden door loomed at the end, and when they stood in front of it, Keiana turned and said with a big smile, “This is it!”

  The room was tiny, with a twin-sized bed shoved in the corner. Books were scattered about, covering the bed and floor, and some were stacked in the corner. Turning in a circle, taking it all in, Ambriel noticed the lack of windows. There was no furniture to sit on, no closet to hang clothes. Lucky for her, there was one tiny bathroom. She darted inside, and after quickly relieving herself, she noticed the standing-room-only shower. The bathroom was so small she could barely turn around, but at least it worked.

  She found Keiana sitting on the bed, her hands clasped together, and looking down at the floor.

  “So, this is your room?” Ambriel asked, finding a seat on the floor. She sat with her legs crossed as she peered at the books.

  “Yes.”

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “I don’t know,” Keiana said with a lowered voice as she shrugged.

  “Tell me about your life. What do you do here?” Her voice was upbeat, encouraging. She wanted Keiana to open up to her because Ambriel had already decided that she was taking Keiana with her when she left. It was still hard for her to understand how such a sweet, innocent girl lived among these evil creatures.

  “There’s not much to tell, really. I remember someone taking care of me. She was sweet and taught me to read.” Keiana grinned as her eyes grew distant. “She snuck me food all the time. It was the good kind, not what they give me now.” Her face took on a sadder look as she continued. “Then one day, she never came back.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “Ornias said that she couldn’t stand to look at an abomination.”

  Ambriel’s anger rose along with her voice. “A what?”

  “An abomination. I was born different than the others. I guess it’s a birth defect or something.”

  Looking at the girl’s ashamed expression, Ambriel made sure her voice was quieter, more soothing. “Keiana, you are not an abomination.” When the young girl lifted her eyes, she reiterated the fact, “You’re not! Understand?” Keiana barely shook her head. “Then what happened?”

  She shrugged. “Someone comes by once a day to bring me food.”

  Ambriel closed her eyes and fought angry tears that threatened to fall. They locked Keiana away after telling her she was an abomination.

  “How old were you then?”

  “I don’t remember exactly; it was a long time ago.”

  “How old are you now?”

  “Umm…” she shook her head, “I don’t really know. There wasn’t a good way to keep up with time.” Ambriel would guess her to be a little younger than she was, maybe sixteen or seventeen, but the child-like innocence made her appear much younger.

  “Okay…so when did they give you access to the castle?”

  She grinned and her eyes sparkled as she spoke. “They didn’t. They locked me in here with all of these books.” Her eyes darted to the cluttered floor. “They contain spells, and I’ve read them all several times!” Her grin grew larger, if that were even possible. “I think there is a spell for everything. I found one for compulsion, and every time they brought my food, I’d say a spell and have them leave the door unlocked.”

  Ambriel smiled and shook her head. “So, you’re a witch?”

  She scrunched her nose before answering, “I just read these books, but Ornias calls me one.”

  “Trust me, you’re a witch.” At her sad look, Ambriel hurried on, “But that’s not a bad thing. My mother was part witch.”

  “Really?” she asked, her eyes wide with amazement.

  “Yeah.”

  A knock on the door startled them both, and then the lock slid open. “Quick, hide in the bathroom,” Keiana hurriedly said. Ambriel scrambled to her feet and ran the three steps it took her to get there. She’d just closed the door when she heard the bedroom door open. When it firmly closed again, she heard Keiana call out, “You can come out now.”

  “Who was that?”

  “Someone delivered my food.” She looked toward the tray resting on the floor. “You can have it.”

  “I don’t want to eat your food.” Ambriel’s stomach rumbled in protest.

  “We can share.”

  Keiana took a seat on the floor and pulled the tray toward her. Ambriel followed her lead and sat facing her, with the tray between the two of them. When Keiana lifted the lid, Ambriel wrinkled her nose at the smell.

  “It’s not very good, but it fills your stomach,” Keiana said, offering her the first bite. Ambriel took a bite of the strange looking meat, which almost had her spitting it out. She chewed, and chewed, and chewed until she finally swallowed it. It tasted soured on her tongue, but she managed to keep it down.

  “Here, have some more,” Keiana offered.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t eat that,” Ambriel said while shaking her head in disgust. “You go ahead.”

  Keiana shrugged before digging in and eating everything on the tray. When she had finished, she covered the plate with the lid and slid it over to the door.

  Wanting to broach the subject, Ambriel started, “Keiana, how do we get to th
e Human realm?”

  “You want to leave?” she sadly asked.

  “I want us to leave.”

  Ambriel noticed that when Keiana started wringing her hands, worry etched on her face. “I can’t go to the Human realm.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Keiana, I don’t know how to explain this to you, but I’m going to try.” When Ambriel knew she had her full attention, she gently continued. “I’m half-human and half-Cusas. And you are clearly half-human and half-Santiarn.”

  “You think I’m half-human? Is that why I look so different?” she asked while looking at the color of her forearm, turning it one way and then the other. Ambriel extended her arm and held it beside of Keiana’s. “We are not so different.”

  “Almost the same color,” Keiana kept staring. “So I’m really not an abomination,” she muttered absentmindedly.

  “No, you’re not. Think of us as rarity. As far as I know, we’re the only two in existence.”

  Her glassy eyes shot to Ambriel’s, “I like that,” she softly said.

  “Oh, Keiana!” Ambriel wrapped her up in a hug, and after a while, Keiana awkwardly returned it, almost as if she didn’t know what to do.

  After they separated, Ambriel pressed on. “There has to be a way to leave this realm. Tell me what you know. Do they actually use transport crystals, or do they use something else?”

  “I’m not sure what everything is, but I go unnoticed so often that I observe many things. Before the dark portal appears, they hold out a black stone. Is that what you’re talking about?”

  “Yes! That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”

  “Ornias had me cast a spell on the castle so no one can come or go without his knowledge. He’s paranoid about someone stealing his things.”

  Of course he was. After comparing his throne room to the rest of the castle, Ambriel was sure he worried over his possessions.

  “Okay, so if we have a transport crystal, can we leave the castle and then transport out? Will he know?”