City of Fractured Souls Read online

  Edric crossed his arms over his chest and placed his feet shoulder-width apart. “What does the duchess say about all of this?”

  Malcolm shrugged. “Not saying much, surprisingly. Seems like she’s letting him run the show. The Kents have long been supporters of the duchess.”

  Edric nodded. Though that was true, he had hoped there would have been a bit more reluctance in the duchess. However, that seemed wishful thinking. “Thank you, Malcolm. I won’t forget this.”

  His comrade in arms slammed his fist against his chest. “Warriors of Nighthelm.”

  “Warriors of Nighthelm.” Edric left Malcolm and slid out of the alleyway, heading back to the inn. The long way. He needed to see for himself just how far Winston Kent’s hold extended.

  Two blocks later, he came dangerously close to the barracks. He spied armed troops forming into battalions. In his gut, he knew where they were going. Head down, heart pounding, he ran as fast as his legs could move.

  ANDREAS

  Slipping into the Shade wasn’t difficult. The area of the city was devoid of most regular people and the city guards. Only wraiths lived in the Shade. And most wraiths were loyal to the royal family and not the duchess, who was just the steward.

  As he walked the streets, he received a couple of cautious looks, but he trusted his people to not rat him out, not unless he gave them a good reason to. Rumors spread by a sniveling worm like Winston Kent wouldn’t sway too many in this district.

  Ozul grunted when Andreas stepped into the room. “‘Bout time you showed back up. How’s the new place?”

  “Old, smelly, and dilapidated.”

  “Captain Ryder said you weren’t dumb enough to end up back here.” Ozul chuckled.

  “Is he looking for me?” Andreas asked.

  Ozul shook his head. “You know the captain isn’t going to do what some human asshole orders him to do.” He snorted. “Well, it seems as word is spreading of you and your friends wanting to usurp the duchess and her seat.”

  Andreas shook his head. “And what do you think?”

  Mica handed him a jug of ouzo, a thick alcohol that tasted like wildfire, which they made out of grapes and spices. “Is it true your woman is an anima contritum?”

  Andreas took the jug and tilted it to his mouth. The liquid burned his throat, but it felt good. He wiped his mouth and nodded. “Yes. She’s extremely powerful.”

  “She’s dangerous,” Ozul said, as he reached for the ouzo.

  “That too,” Andreas agreed, with a smile. He loved how unpredictable and formidable Sophia was. It called to him on many levels. She made him think of the wild nature of the forest and the mountain. She was an outsider, an other, just like him.

  “There’s lots of confusion and fear in the city,” Ozul said. “Everyone is looking for you and this woman, the commander, and the sorcerer. You are making everyone nervous.”

  Andreas took another long pull on the jug. “Are you?”

  Ozul made a face and waved him off. “Takes more than you and some crazy rumors to make me nervous.”

  “What have you heard?” Andreas asked.

  “That this woman, Sophia, assassinated Headmistress Mittle as well as Professor Grindel while they were trying to cure her. She’s cast evil magic on you and the others, talking you into helping her kill the duchess and destroying the city. That if she’s not stopped, she will raze the city to ashes and bring the evil of the mountain upon us all.”

  Andreas nodded slowly. “That’s a lot of evil killing going on.”

  Ozul shrugged. “Humans are easily frightened by things they don’t know or understand.”

  They all knew this better than most. Wraiths were persecuted for years before the king pardoned them all and allowed them to live in the city as equals. Despite all the joint missions together with the city guard, he and his wraith warrior brothers were never treated as equals. Over the years, Andreas had seen the wary looks and heard the snide comments whispered behind his back.

  He appreciated he’d never received those looks or heard those comments from Edric or Ezekiel over the years, not even when they were competing over everything. And now, Andreas considered them to be his brothers.

  Mica took a long drink of ouzo and studied Andreas over the rim of the jug. “Contritums possess mountain magic. We as a people respect the mountain. Your woman has nothing to fear from our people.”

  Andreas nodded and offered his hand in brotherhood. Mica clasped it while looking him straight in the eyes, as was their custom.

  Ozul also shook his hand. “Lay low. Wherever you’re hiding, stay there. We’ll see what we can do to help.”

  “Thank you, my brothers.”

  Chapter Five

  Sophia

  Sweat trickled down Sophia’s back as she dodged the weighted stick coming at her head. She spun around to strike her opponent in the flank with her broad sword, then took two steps back and put her sword at the ready, angling her body with a wide stance and waited for the next attack.

  The wooden dummy Ezekiel had made with a few left-over mops and brooms for her to train with in one of the open rooms upstairs, floated back, fully animated. Its padded training stick lifted high in the air as it charged her. She moved to the left and swung her sword up toward the dummy’s wooden appendages. If the thing had been a real person, the blow would’ve taken an arm clean off.

  The dummy spun around and came back at her, sword held low, and she knew exactly how the attack was going to go. The move was telegraphed in the way the dummy’s appendages arched. As she took a step back and made a diagonal cut across its body, Grindel’s commanding voice echoed in her head.

  “Zornhau!”

  “Mittelhau!”

  “Oberhau!”

  Each move he would shout at her, and if she didn’t do the motion right, he would make her do it all over again, twice as hard, for twice as long. The pain of his loss stabbed her deeper than any sword.

  The dummy recovered from the blow and charged at her again. This time, she lifted her sword over her head and chopped down on top of its non-existent head. Her blade cut through the wood, rendering the whole thing in half. The pieces dropped to the floor with a loud clatter.

  Breathing hard, Sophia lowered her sword with shaking arms. She hated being cooped up. If she could just sneak out into the forest and go for a long run, she’d feel so much better. Running her sword through Winston’s gut would also make her feel better. But a girl couldn’t have everything she desired. That was too greedy. She would be satisfied with just rendering Winston in two.

  She sheathed her sword and chugged down the water that had been left for her in a large mug. She wiped at the sweat on her face, pushing back tendrils of blond hair that had come out of her braid. She probably looked a mess. A long hot bath would do her some good. Maybe she’d find Ezekiel and ask him to join her. She imagined they could both use the release.

  Exhausted from her training, but with her mind still buzzing, she returned to the main floor. She wandered into the spacious living room to find Haris trying to get comfortable. Every time he moved, his antlers snagged on something. So far, he’d torn down the chandelier, ripped the wallpaper on the walls, and impaled an expensive, high-backed silk covered chair. After that little accident, Ezekiel had instructed Howard to remove all the furniture from one half of the room for the yakshi. They had brought food and water to him, so he wouldn’t have to move around too much. It had worked for a temporary solution, but Sophia knew he wouldn’t be happy here. He needed to run, just like she did.

  He swung his head toward her when she moved into the room. Chuckling at the tassels stuck in his antlers from the curtain he’d just torn down, she stroked a hand down his flank. “I’m sorry, my friend. I know this is hard for you.”

  He snorted at her in anger. She knew he wasn’t angry at her, but at the situation. She was pissed off too. She hated being confined and restrained like this. Her time here felt almost like imprisonment, although she knew
her men didn’t mean for it to feel like that. They were doing what was best to protect her, and themselves. Still, she had to keep in mind their current situation wouldn’t last forever. Though that didn’t seem to ease the need for freedom.

  Sophia reached up and untangled the golden tassels from his antlers. “You know if we could go to the woods, we would do it in a heartbeat. But it’s not safe. Not for me, not for you.” She tossed the tassel to the side, then nuzzled her face against his cheek. “I would die if I ever lost you, my friend.”

  Haris trilled softly and rubbed against her.

  “Am I intruding?” Ezekiel asked as he entered the room.

  Sophia glanced over her shoulder and shook her head.

  “I trust you had a good workout?” His lips twisted upward. He must have gone to check on her there first and saw the results of her workout before coming to her here.

  “Sorry for ruining your practice dummy,” she said.

  He shrugged. “Nothing I can’t fix.”

  She rolled her shoulders. “I’m feeling restless. So is Haris.”

  The yakshi snorted and rustled his body in agreement.

  She sighed and said, “I’m not sure how long either of us can continue to stay locked up inside.”

  He seemed to think about that for a moment, lips pressed into a line and a crease appeared between his eyebrows. Sophia waited as he worked whatever problem out. Finally, he nodded and said, “I might have a way for Haris to travel with you, almost like a ghost in the ether. It won’t help your restlessness, but it may bring you both some comfort.”

  She moved closer him, trying hard not to bounce like a giddy little girl or those girls in town that swooned over every little thing a handsome man did. “How?”

  Haris’s ears flicked forward, he was interested as well.

  “A fusing rite. I will link his energy—his life force—to you. He’ll appear as a tattoo on you. Then you can summon him at will and release him onto this plane as a physical being,” Ezekiel said.

  She frowned. That sounded horrible and no different than what they were dealing with now. Only Haris would be an image on her body, essentially exchanging one prison for another. The idea seemed cruel in essence. “Where would his life force be when not physically on this plane?”

  “In another realm, the ether. There wouldn’t be any constraints on him there. He would be able to run free.”

  Haris got to his feet and huffed loudly, nodding his big head up and down.

  Ezekiel smiled. “Seems like he’s up for it.”

  Sophia patted her friend’s furry cheek. She still didn’t like the idea. Though, it was appealing that he would be in another realm, running free. She stared into her friend’s eyes as light and hope shone through them. She asked, “Are you sure?”

  He nodded his head again, nearly knocking her over as he did. Haris wanted this. And he would be close enough that she could call on him any time she needed. Maybe this was the best thing for her friend.

  “Okay.” She nodded to Ezekiel. “Do it.”

  Ezekiel pointed to the other side of the room. “Could you both move over there?”

  Haris walked to the other side of the room, his hooves clacked on the wooden floor. Sophia went with him, nerves shooting through her. She knew Ezekiel would never do anything to hurt her or Haris, but this magic was completely foreign to her. He was a powerful sorcerer, and she’d been on the receiving end of one of his spells, so she knew the level of energy he could use. It was both magnificent and unnerving.

  When they were both out of the way, Ezekiel drew out a casting circle in white chalk he pulled from his pocket on the hardwood floor. Sophia couldn’t make heads or tails of the symbols he drew, and it was fascinating to watch him work. Once he was finished, he took a step back and studied his design. He nodded to himself and placed the chalk back into his pocket.

  “Sophia, please stand here.” He pointed to a segment of the circle directly across from him. The symbol reminded her of an hourglass with waving lines above and below it. “Haris, up here.” He pointed to another spot directly across from where Sophia stood. She couldn’t quite make out the symbol except for what looked like an arrow with a circle around it and a few other symbols on either side.

  Once they were positioned, Ezekiel stood in the center of the casting circle, directly between Haris and Sophia. He closed his eyes, rubbed his hands together, and mumbled a few words under his breath. Within moments, a thick, golden rope appeared in his hands.

  “Hold out your right arm, Sophia.”

  She did, and he draped one end of the rope over her forearm and then wound it around her three times. He wrapped the other end of the rope around Haris’s thick neck three times. When that was done, Ezekiel grabbed the middle of the rope with both hands.

  He glanced at her. “It might hurt a little, and I’m sorry for that.”

  She gave him a curt nod to proceed. A little pain was nothing compared to giving comfort to Haris.

  Ezekiel muttered words in a language she didn’t understand. The arcane language sorcerers use for their spells.

  Blue light emanated from Ezekiel’s hands. It was faint at first but then swelled into a brighter glow. The light swirled around the rope, cascading outward, spinning faster and faster, until the magic wrapped around Sophia’s arm and Haris’s neck.

  The light intensified, forcing Sophia to turn her face. Haris snorted and stamped his foot. She wanted to reassure him but didn’t know if her words would interfere with the spell. Haris wanted this, and the last thing she wanted to do was mess it up unintentionally.

  Heat blossomed over her arm, and she winced against the burn. She bit down on her lip to further force back the pain. She would do anything for her yakshi friend. Even endure the pain of one thousand needles if that meant Haris would be happy.

  All at once, the light and pain vanished. She opened her eyes and turned her attention to the spot Haris had been standing in. He was no longer there.

  Her heart palpitated right as Ezekiel gently gripped her arm and turned it so that her forearm faced her. Taking up her once plain skin was Haris, standing in incredible detail, just like a tattoo. “By the Gods.” She let out a long, heavy breath. She traced the outline of Haris with her fingertips. “I can feel him.”

  Ezekiel said, “He’s with you. A part of you now.”

  A sense of security washed over her, as if Haris was right at her side, ready to fight at a word’s notice. Having him on her arm felt right. And she knew Haris was happy as well. The connection between them had become more concrete with him on her arm. But the question was how she could see him in front of her, summon him at will.

  “How do I summon him?” she asked.

  “Press your hand over the tattoo and say, Vocavi.”

  Sophia set her hand over Haris’s image. “Vocavi.”

  Nothing happened.

  She frowned. “Why didn’t it work?”

  “You have to use your magic. You’re more powerful than you think you are, Sophia. I can feel your power humming all around you.” He placed his hand close to her face, just hovering above her cheek. A tiny spark ignited between his fingers and her flesh. He shivered, and his eyes darkened and narrowed. Heat blossomed in her gut. She had never seen him react to her in such a way. It was deep, passionate, and the need for her was clear in his eyes.

  He cleared his throat and said, “Try again.”

  Breathing in deep, she placed her left hand over her tattoo and concentrated. She pictured Haris in her mind. His heartbeat returned her touch. Tapping into her magic, she uttered, “Vocavi.”

  The air shimmered, like a view of lights through a glass window with rain drops. Pressure pulled her head and body, as though some invisible force squeezed her too tightly. Green smoke filtered around her fingers, taking shape in front of her. The smoke solidified into Haris’s form. He shook his big body, and his antlers scratched along the wooden ceiling. He groaned and lowered his head and stamped his foot
twice.

  Grinning, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe it.” She ran her hands over him. “Are you okay?”

  He trilled happily and nudged his nose against her face.

  She faced Ezekiel and asked, “How do I send him back?”

  “Again, touch the tattoo and say, reverte.” He had the look of awe in his expression. Sophia smiled, feeling rather proud of herself as well.

  She turned her gaze to Haris, staring him in his eyes. “Are you ready, my friend?”

  He snorted, and she took that as a yes.

  She put her hand on her arm, trusting in Ezekiel’s magic as well as her own. “Reverte.”

  In much the same way as he appeared, Haris dissolved into green smoke and returned to her arm in the same image as before. Again, the feeling of security and love enveloped her.

  She sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He smiled. “Eventually, you’ll be able to summon him without words, just with your magic and intentions.”

  She moved to stand in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. At first, he chuckled under her lips, then he buried his hands in her hair and deepened the kiss until she was breathless and wanting more.

  Chapter Six

  Ezekiel

  Kissing Sophia was like a drug.

  It filled him with a heat that burned through his veins in the most addicting and powerful way. He couldn’t get enough of kissing her, and he didn’t want to. His hands cupped her round firm ass. He moved his hands lower, gripping her thighs and pulling her up. She moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist. His pants grew tighter. As soon as he took a step toward the stairs to carry her to a bed to release his growing need and temper the burning passion between them, Edric burst through the door.

  Sophia quickly pulled her lips from his and faced Edric. Ezekiel did the same, albeit with a resentful grudge and a frown. The last thing he wanted to do is leave Sophia in the middle of what they were doing. But as soon as he set his eyes on Edric, noticing his labored breathing and sweat covered face, that resentment turned to worry.