Chapter 25: Trust Fall
~ HARTH ~
As they walked through the forest, Harth continued to be awed by the luscious beauty of the place. Ears pricked for danger, she was still enthralled by the dark, damp earth that smelled of fresh rain and new growth. So different to the alpine landscape of Thana which was so barren by comparison. She marvelled at the hollow ground echoing under their feet, the thick leaves and lush branches overhead to shelter them from sun or rain… No matter where she turned it was clear that this land was bursting with life.
Under any other circumstances, she would have been overjoyed to be here, to have found this place, and her mate… Of course her mate. She was more than overjoyed to find her mate.
But this?
She peered between the guards in front of them, past the stiff shoulders of the red-headed Queen, and a second circle of soldiers.
Sasha's dark hair was lank and stringy, half-out of its braid. The tiny, plump face of her son rested on her shoulder, his cheek shoved forward by the weight of his head. He slept. Harth's heart swelled with pride, and joy, and grief…
They had all been praying every day that Zev and Sasha would be successful in retrieving their son. And Harth's heart had sung the moment she'd seen them together.
But she couldn't escape the creeping fear and weight of not knowing…
Would she ever hold such a little bundle of joy for herself?
Was it even possible?
After the human tests—
"This way." Harth blinked. One of the soldiers stood at the side of the trail, urging them to take the right branch of a fork. Tarkyn's fingers tightened on hers again. She'd been distracted and not wary.
She couldn't afford that. She couldn't let herself get trapped in her own thoughts. That was tantamount to death when she'd been in human hands. She wasn't yet confident there was any difference here.
Hugging Tarkyn's arm to her, she took a deep breath.
There was a joy there. She could feel him—aching for her, loving her. It seemed impossible—they'd known each other less than a full day in waking hours. And yet, she felt it too… as if she'd finally found the second half of her heart. As if it had been torn from her, and was now returned, thumping and pulsing with joy.
And yet, the rend in it was not yet mended.
She needed him. Needed to complete the bond. Not only for her aching body's sake, but for her soul.
Fear fluttered in her chest when she imagined if he was taken from her before they had the chance…
Then they took another turn around one of the massive trees that she'd seen here and there in the area where they'd settled, yet they made up half the forest in this place Tarkyn had referred to as the Tree City.
These massive trunks, wider than the owl's tree-homes back in Thana, some with doors and windows carved into them. Others just natural trunks… but they were so big, their thick boughs winding straight out from the trunk fifteen or twenty feet in the air, and leaves the size of pieces of paper, in clusters along them, pointing upwards, as if to seek the sun…
Everywhere she looked this place was full of thriving life.
If only it could be such a home for the Chimera.
Then her thoughts were broken again, and she chastised herself for being lost in them a second time. She had to focus!
They were led out of the trees into a wide, open channel of space between the trees. A massive avenue, yet in a line at its center, some of the big trees—doors and windows carved into them—along with buildings and structures clearly intended for storage.
'What is this place?' she sent to Tarkyn, thrilled to know he could now send back to her. She'd been worried the differences between them might not allow it.
'It's our prison,' he offered reluctantly.
Harth sucked in a breath, her jaw clenching. Tarkyn pulled her closer to his side.
But neither of them spoke—in minds, or in voice—because just then, Sasha broke forward, running towards one of the doors in one of these massive trees, her voice breaking as she called for her mate.
Harth's heart broke in the same breath that her rage exploded when the guards ahead of her blocked her with spears and shouted commands.
She tensed, but Tarkyn gripped her arm, a shock of warning—in feeling, not words—washing over her through the bond.
To Harth's relief, the Queen made a signal with one hand and the guards who'd stood at the doorway both stepped back, pulling their spears back, to allow Sasha to enter.
'Elreth is afraid, but she is fair,' Tarkyn offered in her head, his voice fading slightly and uncertain. She couldn't tell if he was uncertain about accessing mindlink, or about what he said.
She prayed it was the first.
There was a short minute of confusion and instruction when they all reached the tree and Elreth determined who would be allowed to go in with them.
Harth could smell Zev inside and itched to get in there, to make sure her Alpha was safe. But then she shook her head slightly. Of course he wasn't. Even from outside she could scent the tang of rage and panic on him—and on Sasha.
He was hurting. What were they doing to him?
Then Elreth turned to Tarkyn, and her brows pressed together. "Tarkyn, I need you in here."
But she didn't need Harth. That was clear—but remained unspoken.
Harth glared at the Queen.
Feeling her anger, Tarkyn tightened his hold on her. "Let her see her Alphas. Let her see that they aren't harmed."
Aren't harmed?! She could tell they were harmed just by their scents—
But the Queen's gaze snapped to Harth then and her lips tightened. "You say you are honest. Do you give me your word you won't interfere with your mate, or with the pris—your alphas? Will you remain quiet and only observe?"
Harth sucked in a breath through her nose. She wanted to set his powerful female down. Tell her exactly who and what she was dealing with. But she felt Tarkyn's yearning. His ache that she would submit. And she understood.
To gain the knowledge of this place, to understand the conflict, she had to be present. She had to be… not an adversary.
So she blew the breath out and dropped her chin and shoulders. "I give you my word," she said through her teeth.
The Queen snorted her skepticism, but didn't say more, only tipped her head at her mate—the tall male with the silver hair—who had slipped up behind her from out of the forest, to put himself at her back as she walked into the tree, followed immediately by a guard, then Tarkyn and Harth, then another set of guards behind her.
For a moment when Harth got inside the dim depths of the tree, the shadows stole the best of her sight. But her eyes adjusted quickly, and then her mouth dropped open in horror at what she saw.
*****
Chapters will begin to lock on this story later this month. If you want to know ahead of time when this will happen so you can catch up for free, click my profile pic in a comment, or search my author name on WN and add my Announcements book to your library. I will update that any time there is important information about a book, giveaways, or tips to help you save money! (And there might be some VERY fun announcements coming this month.... just saying... *wink)
Chapter 26: A Warrior's Heart - Part 1
~ TARKYN ~
Despite his weariness, as they entered the tree, Tarkyn's instinctively braced for defense—and measured his opponent.
The tree reeked of blood, and a warrior's rage. Tarkyn took in the sight in a blink.
This tree, originally for storage, but turned into a prison during the last war, had been renovated for the purpose.
One, long side of near-fifty-foot space was a single cell, large enough for several prisoners. The bars were formed from the petrified hearts of Great Trees and even Tarkyn himself couldn't snap them with bare hands. They rose all the way to the twenty-foot ceiling above—and no stairs. This tree had only ever contained one, large hall-like room.
But the space from the door had been made into an aisle that T-intersectioned at the big cell. On either side of them, smaller cells had been made, each with their own door, a bedroll, a bucket for waste, and a small gate within the door itself that allowed the passing through of food or other resources to prisoners without giving the prisoner any chance for escape.
With several bodies now in the tree, standing in the aisles, there was little space.
The human woman stood at the gate into the largest cell, demanding that it be opened so she could get inside. And inside it a large plinth had been placed.
Tarkyn swallowed hard, his body revolted as he imagined himself in such a space.
The male who'd been placed on the large, carved stone that looked frighteningly like an altar, though Tarkyn knew that wasn't its purpose, lay on his back, naked.
His arms extended down towards the floor, and his legs hung down from the knees, arching his lower back slightly, because all his limbs were tied.
The chains allowed some movement, but wouldn't let him lift his hands or legs level with the rest of his body. Which meant he couldn't shift, because if he did, and the chains didn't snap, his beast's body would be torn from throat to sternum.
It was a way that lions defeated prey, splitting their chests open through sheer force.
Whether he knew which animal had strategized to pin him there, the male clearly understood the danger he was in.
The smell of blood permeated the room, because he'd been fighting his bonds. His wrists and ankles bled, a slow, but steady patter of blood dripping from them.
His hands and feet had swollen, but he didn't seem to notice.
Dark haired and blue eyed, he snarled his fury, the scarred, muscular arms and legs rippling and veined with his efforts as he fought to break his bonds.
"Zev! Zev! Breathe! We're here! We aren't hurt! We're here!" The human woman was clearly close to tears. The moment the guards opened the door to the cell, she rushed inside, carrying her son, to curl herself over her mate's head, holding him to her, murmuring to him, stroking his hair.
He didn't stop struggling immediately, but then a whine broke in his throat and his arms shuddered as he tried to reach for her, but couldn't because of the restraints that wouldn't allow him to lift his hands far enough.
Tarkyn's heart went cold.
It was a cruel, ruthless way to bind a warrior, stealing both his greatest weapon—his beast—and becoming increasingly painful, the longer they were left in the position.
Tarkyn wasn't above tactics for interrogation, even torture when it was necessary against a proven enemy. But this?
The male responded exactly as Tarkyn would have in the same situation—with blind panic. Aggression and fear mingling so that while he kept his human form, his body—and likely his mind—reacted with his beast.
The room stank, the tang of powerful male in full rage and abject terror.
If they were to release the male in that moment, he likely wouldn't be able to walk, or straighten his arms—and yet, he would do everything in his power to kill anyone he was presented with.
"El," Tarkyn breathed, "I don't think—"
His mate's scent became a tidal wave of rage and grief and she jerked forward. But Tarkyn held her closely, instinctively, immediately rushing to caution her in his mind.
'This isn't her way. He must have truly frightened them. I'll plead his case, Harth. But you have to wait. You have to trust me. I wouldn't… I wouldn't leave one of my own men in that position. I won't let them leave him that way. Trust me.'
'How can I trust you if you don't trust me?' she wailed in his head, struggling against his hold to pull from his grip.
'Trust? Of course I trust you—'
'You didn't stand up for our bond!' she accused, her eyes pained and tight as she looked back and forth between him and her alphas, the female of the pair sobbing over her mate, and clinging to him in a way that punched Tarkyn right in the solar-plexus.
Would Harth weep over him if he was—
'Of course I would! That's my point! How could you let them think I might be deceiving you? How could you leave even the question of that in their minds?'
'Harth, I had to let them see that I was still objective. If I'd tried to push El—'
"You have to release him! Please! He's losing his mind!" The human woman stood up suddenly, whirling, still gripping her son to her shoulder. "He's going to lose his mind—you'll kill him!"
"It's unfortunate that he's woken," Elreth said, and Tarkyn heard the very real grief in her tone, though he imagined the strangers might not realize that's what it was. "But we can't risk letting him out when he's so strong."
"So keep him here, but release him from these bonds! Please!" The woman pleaded with such intensity, it was almost a scream. "You say you have mercy—you say you aren't like the humans, but this… this is exactly how they held him when… you have to stop!"
Tarkyn's heart sank as the babe began to wail, woken by his mother's screaming, and the warrior on the stone roared wordlessly, his entire face turning beet red as he fought to get to his mate and child.
The scene broke Tarkyn's heart. Please, he prayed. Please, find a way. Guide us through this. Don't let us become the villains in this story…
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
31 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment