Runes of Destiny Page 8

  20

  Master Freyer

  It has been three days, between the turcher and drugging her she still won't say anything. It is like all those years of stories and lessons, we put her through were nothing. She won't even use all the powers I know she has. Nothing we have done has worked, I have no choice. I need to be more persuasive, I guess. I can do that. This wouldn’t be my first witch to torture. I do have the rest of the day until the meeting.

  I have summoned Elder Bres to me and once he arrives I will make him follow me to Viola’s cell. I can tell this is bothering him. I know why, but honestly I don’t really care. He made his choice long ago when he accepted this post. If he cared more about his family then he shouldn’t have agreed, the promise of more power clearly appealed to him and he neglected to look into what he would actually be doing. This will also make an interesting test for him as well. See if he can handle torturing or watching his niece be tortured.

  As we come up to Viola’s cell I open the small window, and can see she is just sitting on her cot waiting for us. Not that there is much else for her to do in the small cell she has been placed in. She has a smile across her face that reminds me of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, I can see each and every tooth. We will see who is smiling once I am done with her.

  I have also called my two most loyal and strongest coven members to join Bres and I on this little outing. I unlock the door to her cell and usher the witches in to restrain her while I free her from the chains. With a quick wave of my hand, a few words and a pull on my air dé danann she is released. Too bad for her we are going somewhere even worse.

  The two witches restraining Viola are having a hard time, it seems she wants to be feisty today. So I use my air dé danann in order to restrain her, her restraints look like handcuffs. Now she is a lot more compliant, she has to be, she has no choice. We exit her cell and walk back down the hallway, but instead of going up the stairs we go down. There is one room that no one knows about but me and the four of them are about to learn all about it.

  At the base of the stairs there is only a stone wall, at least that is what it looks like. One grey stone, the eighth stone from the bottom and tenth from where the walls meet, is the one I push down on hard and it gives away and with a quiet rumble the stones move to the side and create a doorway. I can hear the gasps from the others behind me. I scoff and head down the extending staircase as it winds down to my all time favorite room.

  This room is the very bottom and basement of the compound. It was created shortly after the Brotherhood of Elders was created to help get information out of creatures and humans alike on anything and everything, It was not created for the nicer things in life. It’s floor to ceiling stone, it’s also magically sound proofed. So no matter how much someone screams they will never be heard. This room is a secret only the Master Freyer was to know about, but I think an exception should be made for our guest here.

  I point at the massive carved rectangular table in the center of the room and say, “Place our guest there and keep her still while I bind her to the table.”

  They just nod their heads and carry her shaking body to the table. They each pull an arm and a leg so that she is spread across the table like she is about to be butchered. Funny, I guess she kind of is about to be butchered in a way. Now, I am not pure evil, I won’t take anything from her sexually. I am not a deviant, I’m a respected member of the community and the Master Freyer. But I am going to extract information I need out of her by any means necessary.

  Once they have her where I need her to be, I go to each corner and bind her in chains to the table. I am so excited for this next part. I dismiss those two Coven members and they bow their heads and leave the room. I must remember to reward those two. They serve me well and all with the silence I revere in my servants.

  I use my powers to close the door then release Viola’s magical binds and gag. She starts screeching like a banshee. Ugh that god awful wailing, this is why I am glad I never married or had children. I quickly call upon my flame dé danann to burn a spot on her stomach which has become exposed with her struggles. Her screeching turns into cries of pain. I see Bres flinch out of the corner of my eye. Good to know he is still mostly there. This is going to be more fun than I thought. I do love a teaching moment and Bres has plenty to learn from this.

  I remove my flame from her and she quiets down a bit. “WHAT DO YOU WANT ASSHOLE?” she asks, her voice rough and grating. She hasn't been able to use it much and when she has she has been screaming.

  “What I want is quite simple. I want your powers. We have scoured all the ancient texts available to us from magical books to old journals and we can not find any such spell. But I did however find one that will bind you to your word about never hurting me or the Brotherhood of Elders. The spell can also be tweaked so that none of your future offspring can do us any harm as well. If you will not join us then you must agree to my terms and then we can stop all the beatings and torture.” I say with a sly smile on my face, but my eyes are on Bres for his reaction.

  “I would rather die right here than to agree to do that spell. I know the cost of it.” She spits back at me. Her eyes feel like iced daggers looking at me and I know if she had the power right now then I would be nothing but ash on the floor but she does not. I am the one in control here and she will do my bidding or else.

  “Very well then,” I say and call Bres forward, “You, my dear Bres, will get the fun part I am afraid. I do not have the right kind of dé danann to help aid us. Please use your earth dé danann to get what we need, would you?” At that I walk to the high-backed chair that is in the middle of the side wall, so I can see the whole thing play out.

  I gesture toward Viola and Bres steps up to the table. I can see his eyes are wide and his hands are shaking. I can easily overpower him, but I want to wait and see if he follows orders. I need those surrounding me to be loyal, if not I need to weed them out. This is Bres’ test. To fail will cost him his life, so to him he needs to weigh what is more important, some stupid girl, or the power and prestige we shall recieve when this is over.

  Slowly Bres backs up and stretches out his hands to call upon his dé danann. I can see specks of dirt, stone and ash rise up from the floor. He molds them into a small hammer shape and sends it over to Viola’s hands. “Will you comply with our demands?” he asks her with a shaky voice.

  “Fuck you.” She says and then spits in his direction. The hammer comes down on her hand. She screams as it makes impact. He asks her over and over for the next hour. The hammer moves from her hands to her arms, up her body and down to her legs and feet. Finally when he has no other choice but to finally strike her in the face, I raise my hand.

  “Why don’t we use something a bit more delicate for the face. We wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty little mouth that could tell us what we want to hear, now do we?” I say condescendingly.

  She tilts her head to see me and then smiles wickedly and challenges me by stating, “Why would it matter, I’m never going to agree. You’re going to have to kill me first. And as much as I would love for him to do it. That should be your honor, you are the Master of the Brotherhood are you not?” she is taunting me and I have had enough. I make a cyclone of air above her face sucking the air from around her, causing her to gasp for breath. This lasts a few minutes before I notice her eyes start to roll before she passes out.. Stupid bitch. I get up from my seat and cross to her. I pull my hand towards me and backhand her across the face. I can feel the bones in my hand ache as I do it, but I don’t care. That bitch deserved to get hit, talking back to me.

  I turn to Bres, sneering as I see that he has fallen to his knees and is silently weeping. I walk over to him and crouch down, “If you are going to be this weak? Then I might as well lock you up with her and dispatch both of you Is that what you want? You took an oath Elder Bres. I suggest you remember it. Now clean this up and take her back to her cell. I’m hungry.” I walk away from them and up the stairs to
find something to eat. Who knew torturing someone could work up an appetite.

  21

  Aleric

  I can’t believe she’s been gone for almost three days. Her dad has called me every day asking about her. I tell him she’s fine, just has been spending a lot of time in the meadow. I hate lying to him, but I did it to make sure he was safe. I fling off the comforter from Vi’s bed, and slowly walk into the kitchen to see Grayson making breakfast. For the last three days I have taken comfort in sleeping in her room, in her bed. She has the best scent, my wolf is calmer in its presence, although it’s getting more worked up the more her scent fades from the room. It’s beginning to ride me hard to find her.

  Whatever Grayson is making smells delicious, but I’m in no mood to eat. For the last three days he has been making use of my kitchen and has been doing all the cooking for us. I thought I was a good cook but the angel puts me to shame. Grayson must see the look on my face, because he scrunches up his nose and says in a stern southern tone, "Aleric you’re going to eat. We’re going to get Vi back tonight and if you’re not at full strength you’re of no use to any of us. You have to be able to fight and run if we are able to get Vi back.” I know that he is right but the food has not been my priority and I haven’t been taking care of myself in the last couple of days.

  I nod while speaking softly, "I know that Grayson. I just can’t, not until I know she’s safe. I can feel her, and she’s hurt and in pain. I’m dying inside knowing I can’t be there to take that pain away. I’m just upset and worried is all. She’s my best friend.”

  “Arguing between ourselves is not going to help her, besides we know she is your mate,” Gabe says as he enters the room, "We just need to focus on getting Vi back safe.”

  We all silently eat. I look at the others, I’m thankful I’m not in this alone. As much as I don’t like either of them, I’m thankful to have back up. We finish eating and I look at the others, “Thank you. I know our past is not an easy one, Gabriel. But I’m truly thankful you are here with me to get her back. Grayson, I know you have not known her long, but thank you too for coming along anyway. It means a lot that you both are here.” We put our dishes in the sink and head to our separate rooms and get ready to meet whoever took Vi at the meadow. I still can’t believe with all our searching we still came up with nothing.

  Once we’re are all dressed we meet back up and climb into my truck and head for the Grove. It’s at the base of the mountain behind my house. It’s in the most secluded part of the park that surrounds our town.

  To the witches in our community the Grove is a very special and sacred place. It is a small clearing, not quite as big as the meadow, where they perform their rituals for their marks as well as where most in the community hold their wedding rituals. If they marry outside the covens then it can get a bit complicated depending on the species, but for the most part it is a quiet and serene place.

  I can feel the nervous tension coming off the guys with me. We all know this could end badly if we can’t get this right.

  “So do we want to come up with a plan or just wing it?” I ask.

  “We don’t have the element of surprise so that’s out of the equation. We need to know how many there are, and what they can do, and if we have any chance of survival. Once we get there I could always fly around and see all the people that are there.” Grayson pipes in.

  “Well the only people with that kind of power in this area are the major families of Viola’s coven and the Coven Elders. I doubt that the Coven Elders would do this to one of their own, especially since they stopped her from being shunned by the community. The families maybe, if the Elle Squad is involved then most definitely. Viola has never really gotten along with them since they started the Elle Squad.” I explain.

  “I know that they have had their issues but the Elle Squad wouldn’t do this. They know I would get involved because of who she is to me.” Gabe says. I can see this, but I don’t think Gabe understands how ruthless women can be when they set their sights on something. Sara Belle really does have her eyes on Gabe.

  “Maybe that’s exactly why they did this Gabe,” Grayson says, "Because she means so much to you. She was your girlfriend for a while but I know you still pine for her. It’s written all over your face when we talk about her and when you see her, they could see that too.”

  “I know. I’ve tried to forget about her and move on but she was the best thing that happened to me.” Gabe explains.

  “So… back to planning our attack on the asshats who took our girl?” I say to try and bring us back to topic. I give a look to both Gabriel and Grayson. It’s a look that says no matter what, we are all in her life now and I’m mostly okay with it.

  “I will fly over the area to see exactly how many there are. Aleric, you and I can shift in case we need to be ready to fight. Gabe is a really good fighter,I know he can handle his own against magic users and shifters alike,” suggests Grayson.

  “I’m good with that,” I say, "Gabe you good with it?”

  “Sure.” Was the only reply we received.

  22

  Aleric

  Arriving at the Grove, we all get out of my truck. As we round the front of it, we hear the crackling of leaves and twigs being snapped. We had made sure that we we’re early to this meeting but clearly so did the kidnappers. We see five figures come out of the surrounding woods. They are all dressed in dark navy robes with yellow corded belts across their midsection. The emblem of the Coven Elders on the right side of the robe. Well damn, The Coven Elders have taken Vi, I can’t seem to wrap my head around this. Why would they take her? For what purpose? Three of them are holding on to chains as they walk beside Viola. She looks torn, beat up, and bruised, but I can tell by her eyes and the way she’s walking, that her don’t give a fuck attitude is in full bloom. Master Freyer and Elder Bres step forward.

  “Thank you gentlemen for coming. We do apologize for the inconvenience, but we needed your attention. You see, there is a prophecy in which Viola here will destroy the Coven Elders and become Queen of the Tuatha dé danann. We can’t let that happen. We like our positions too much.” Master Freyer says condescendingly. They make sure their voices can be heard but not so close as to be in easy reach. Vi? A queen? She’s always been a queen to me, but queen of the witches, really?

  “Why would you think Viola would be the woman of the prophecy? What has she done to warrant such a thing?” I yell at him.

  “Well Aleric, she has you in her life. Doesn’t she? It seems all her doves are flocking to her,” Master Freyer exclaims.

  I glare at him and ask, “Doves? What doves? Are you talking about the bedtime story that Katheryn used to tell us?”

  “Yes, they are one in the same. Your friendship with Viola has interested us since day one. Why would a dire wolf shifter befriend a druidic witch?” Master Freyer says prudishly.

  “Why Viola and I are friends is our business. Now do we plan on standing here and jacking our jaws or are we going to get down to business?” I ask.

  “Giving her back will depend on how this exchange goes. It’s nice to see you too Prince Grayson. How did you come so far west? Gabriel it’s good to see you too. I’m curious how you fit into this prophecy as well.” Master Freyer says as he turns his attention to Grayson and Gabriel. He is raking his eyes over them, assessing them and with a snort and a head jerk, clearly dismisses them.

  Grayson bows his head and asks, “Since you know who I am, why don’t you just tell us what you want so we can all go home tonight without blood being spilled.”

  Master Freyer looks at Grayson, intrigued. “Yes, I know all about the Clan of Stormcleavers and the bloodshed they are known for. What I need is Viola to swear on The Great Mother, that neither she nor any of her bloodline will ever overthrow us. That she will forever be loyal to the Coven Elders and she’s expected to perform the binding ritual.”

  “Then why didn’t you just approach her and ask her? Why kidnap her? Why bring us all i
nto this?” Gabe asks.

  “In order for this ritual to work and make sure it’s set in stone someone has to die. It’s part of the balance that is requested by the Great Mother. And we all know she would never take an innocent life. No matter what that life has done to her.” Elder Bres finally speaks. Behind Elder Bres the other Coven Elders nod their heads in agreement.

  The three of us look at each other then to Viola. We can tell by the look in her eyes that is not an option. Gabe is the first to speak, “I’ll do it. I’m not a shifter or a prince of any clan that’s important. I’m probably on the bottom of her favorites list anyway. So I’ll do it.”

  23

  Gabriel

  She screams for me, and tries to shake off the chains that the Brotherhood of Elders are holding. She manages to knock one of the Elders to the side with the force of her struggling and frees up one of her hands. Vi quickly summons the spirit dé danann and puts up a barrier - it is see through but has strikes of lightning going across it in blue, teal, and white - between us, her and the Elders. At the same time, she uses the fire dé danann to melt away the locks on the chains. The fire glows in blues, whites and teals. Her fire has never been those colors before or burned so hot. I wonder if she has hurt herself with the heat of the melting chains. I don’t think about it too much as she runs to me and throws herself into my arms. I can see a little redness but nothing serious. From the force of the way she has leapt for me and the tightness of her arms around me, I can tell even if we’re not together she still loves me.

  “You can’t do this Gabriel Michael Wood. I will not let you. We may not be together but I still love you. You have a promising career and you have people who depend on you.” Vi says out of breath as I look into those beautiful emerald eyes of hers. She is near tears, the emotion is clear in her voice.