Unleashed (Elf Slave #5) Read online

  I shrugged. “Maybe she isn’t. Maybe she’s just using him to tear down the Empire and the Covenant from within.”

  Astanya stared off into the distance for a moment, her blue eyes glimmering in thought. “If Lucian is Netharine, it changes everything. Perhaps the gods sent him to save us from the Empire as well.”

  My brow furrowed as I studied her profile. I knew almost nothing about her, obviously—just a few hours ago I had assumed she was merely another avenari. But I could see the hope in her eyes…and the faith. The Covenant had always treated the Faedari as heretics for violating the laws of the Triad, but I had no idea where or not the rebels were actually religious. Master Kristoff’s history books spoke briefly of the old faeyn gods, but their worship had been outlawed shortly after the original conquest of Sorthaal.

  “I don’t know if the gods sent him,” I whispered, “but just because he hates the Covenant doesn’t mean he’s on our side.”

  Astanya tilted her head to face me again. “I need to speak with Karethys about this. She must know more.”

  “Do you have a way to contact her?”

  “Not directly, but she’s supposed to arrive here soon. She was planning on meeting us at the rendezvous point near the border in a few days.”

  “In a few days, Larric will be dead,” I said. “She knows him—I’m sure she would be willing to help.”

  Astanya shrugged. “Maybe. He’s been a loyal ally to the Faedari for many years now. We owe him a great deal.”

  A thousand questions popped into my mind about Larric’s past, but I knew this wasn’t the time to ask. If we could somehow find a way to rescue him—and if we could somehow find a way to escape Sanctum—then perhaps I’d finally be able to get some answers. But until then, I needed to keep my attention focused on the here and now.

  “I’ll speak with Fargoth and the others,” Astanya said into the silence. “If we’re going to make our move, it will need to be soon. Perhaps even as early as tonight.” She paused and nibbled at her lip. “I’d still feel better if we could slip you out of the city before we try anything. If something goes wrong, we can’t afford—”

  “I’m going to help,” I told her. “I don’t care how, but I want to be there.”

  She smiled and nodded. “All right. I’m sure you’re magic will be useful. Maybe you can just burn down the whole Aetherium.”

  I smiled back at her. She held my gaze for several seconds before she abruptly leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. “You should get some more rest, Netharine. And don’t be afraid. No human will ever harm you again.” Her eyes glimmered dangerously. “I will make certain of it.”

  Chapter Two: Astanya

  I wasn’t able to fall back asleep for several hours, and even when I did I wasn’t unconscious for long. I spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon staring up at the ceiling, mentally reliving the last few days one conversation at a time. It didn’t just feel strange and unbelievable—it felt like someone else’s life.

  When I stood up and looked in the mirror, I still saw the terrified young woman Master Kristoff had purchased at auction in Mavarinth. I still saw the loyal, obedient avenari that had catered to his every whim. But when I stared long enough, I saw the cunning enchantress who had seduced and manipulated half the nobles in Sanctum. I saw the deadly sorceress who had incinerated bandits and Inquisitors.

  I saw a powerful young faeyn woman who, for the first time in her life, had a chance to finally be free. If only she knew what that meant.

  I sighed and returned to peeking out the window instead. There was no point in fretting about any of this, not until I rescued Larric and we escaped Sanctum together. I needed to stay calm if I wanted to be of any use to the Faedari. If Astanya was right, my magic—what little I understood of it—might be the difference between victory and defeat. I made a promise to myself that I wasn’t going to let her down.

  She and Fargoth returned not long afterwards, but their expressions were so different I couldn’t tell if they’d brought good news or bad.

  “Larric,” I whispered. “Is he alive?”

  “Alive and as well as can be expected,” Fargoth confirmed. He looked even grumpier than he had this morning, as hard as that was to believe. “He’s still in the Temple of the Triad, unfortunately, and I doubt they’ve been gentle during their interrogations. But one of our sympathizers in the Covenant revealed that the Inquisitors are under orders to keep him alive—orders that come directly from the Hierophant herself.”

  “She’s scheduled to arrive from Rivani tomorrow,” Astanya added. “That’s probably why the Inquisitors have been so active these past few weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to publically chastise Emperor Lucian.”

  “If she’s coming tomorrow, doesn’t that mean we should make our move tonight?”

  Fargoth shook his head. “We can’t. It would take an army to break into the temple, and after Kristoff’s death every Praetorian in the Empire is out on the streets.”

  “But we have to—”

  “There’s another way,” Astanya interrupted, placing a calming hand on my shoulder. “We also received some information from one of our agents in the Legion. According to him, General Torelius was practically slobbering over himself with joy when he heard about Kristoff’s demise. He’s planning to throw a ‘secret’ celebration for his political allies tomorrow night…and Larric will be the main source of entertainment.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Torelius will have him publically tortured or possibly even executed,” Fargoth said gravely. “Larric is an ex-Inquisitor, an alleged vaeyn sympathizer, and Kristoff’s former bodyguard. Even if they don’t break him and learn more about his connections to us, he still has plenty of enemies.”

  Astanya scoffed and crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hierophant herself is there. She’s always been one of Torelius’s biggest supporters. They’ll chortle over Kristoff’s ashes and make plans for the future.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to repress a sudden wave of nausea. Of all the Imperial nobles who’d bedded me these past few months, Torelius was the only one I could still feel inside me. He was a brute, pure and simple. A part of me wished I’d lashed out and killed him when I’d had the chance back in the palace, consequences be damned.

  “The good news is that we should be able to slip into the party,” Astanya went on. “There will be plenty of guards, of course, but nowhere near as many as the Temple or the Aetherium. Torelius will only invite his closest allies and a small retinue of their underlings.”

  “That doesn’t mean it will be easy,” Fargoth said, “and frankly I’m not convinced it’s worth the resources or the risk. We could still leave the city tonight and meet up with the vaeyn by nightfall tomorrow.”

  “We could, but we’re not going to,” Astanya told him. They had probably argued about this a hundred times before they’d spoken to me.

  “How can I help?” I asked. “There has to be a way.”

  “I’d still rather you stayed back here just in case. If something goes wrong…” Astanya shrugged. “Larric has been a good ally, and I don’t mind taking a risk to get him back. But you are Netharine—the future of our people rests on your shoulders.”

  “I know you believe that, but I’m not so sure.” I sighed and crossed my arms. “Besides, if my powers can’t help you with something like this, then what good are they?”

  Astanya held her eyes on me for a long moment before she smiled again. “You must really care about him.”

  “I barely know him, honestly,” I admitted. “But he risked everything to protect me. I owe him the same.”

  “All right,” she said, reaching out to touch my arm. “Fargoth and I spoke with one of our contacts this afternoon. She’s a noble here in Sanctum.”

  “A human noble working with the Faedari?” I asked breathlessly.

  “She’s been a sympathizer for many years, probably after watching the way her husband treated his house slaves. When he died a few years back, she reached out to us.”

  “Her name is Ryleen, and her family has been a strong supporter of the Legion and General Torelius for many years,” Fargoth explained. “She hates him, naturally, but there’s a good chance she’ll receive an invitation to his party. Astanya—and potentially you—could pose as her slaves for the occasion.”

  “Torelius will recognize me in an instant,” I pointed out. “So will half the others in the room.”

  “Thankfully, that shouldn’t be an issue,” Astanya said. “You know how depraved Torelius is; costumes will be plentiful and creative. All the slaves will be wearing masks.”

  I nodded idly. Costume parties were about as commonplace in the Empire as legionnaires. My mind flashed back to Skyfall where Duke Darkstone had painted his faeyn slaves to look like vaeyn…

  “Even if we blend in, how will the two of us be able to get him out of there?” I asked.

  “We’ll have help,” Astanya said, tossing a quick glance at Fargoth. “We spoke to our vaeyn contacts. Torelius will be hosting the party at his private villa just outside the city on the lake. In addition to his legionnaires, he typically employs several dozen mercenaries to handle the estate’s security. The vaeyn believe they can replace a few of those mercenaries with disguised Shadow Knights. They’ll gain access to the villa and be in perfect position to arrange an escape route for us.”

  I blinked. “Is that even possible?”

  “It’s possible but extremely dangerous,” Fargoth said. “If anything goes wrong, this will be a disaster. We’ll be outnumbered and completely surrounded.”

  “If everything goes right, we’ll be able to save Larric and potentially eliminate several important Imperial targ
ets,” Astanya countered. “Besides, Lady Ryleen has been trying to get out of the city for a while now. It’s become too dangerous for her to stay, and the situation will only get worse over time.”

  “Yes, I can scarcely imagine the anguish of a wealthy human woman forced to live in an estate filled with slaves,” Fargoth muttered. His eyes eventually latched onto me. “No offense, mellonamin, but I certainly hope you’re worth all the trouble. Otherwise a lot of good people are going to die for no reason.”

  He glared at Astanya one last time before he turned and strode out of the room. She watched the door close behind him and sighed.

  “I’m sorry the two of you had to meet under these circumstances,” she whispered. “He’s a good man. Without him, I’d still be trapped in Rivani serving a master far worse than Duke Kristoff…”

  I nodded soberly. “I know this is dangerous, but I can’t—”

  “You don’t have to justify anything to me,” Astanya said, stepping forward and placing her hands on my shoulders. “Loyalty is a rare thing in this world when it’s not enforced by a collar. You want to protect your friend…and so I do.”

  She smiled, and I could see the resolve in her eyes. She meant every word she said—she truly believed that I was some kind of divine prophet sent to deliver my people from bondage. It was sheer lunacy, of course, but she clearly took it as an article of faith. I probably should have felt honored or at least humbled…but instead it made me feel sick.

  This woman had almost certainly endured more hardship than I had over the past few years. And after watching her in action, she’d obviously spent a great deal of time learning how to fight. She had done far more for our people than I had, and probably more than I ever would. And yet here she was, willing to throw her life away for me on the promise of a future I couldn’t possibly deliver.

  “There’s not much we can do at this point besides wait for Ryleen to contact us,” Astanya went on, tilting towards the window. “I wish we could go outside, but it’s too dangerous. We’ll just have to hide in here for a little longer. Are you hungry?”

  “No, but I should probably eat,” I murmured. When I glanced down at my stomach, I belatedly realized there was still dried blood and soot on my dress. The memories of last night flooded back over me, and I had to take a deep breath and remind myself that all of this was real…

  “I can get you fresh clothes and some water from the well,” Astanya said. “A cold bath is better than no bath, right?”

  “I can heat the water myself.”

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing that.” She paused for a moment and squeezed my arm again. “I’ll be back soon. Just relax and we’ll talk more later, okay?”

  I forced a thin smile and nodded. Astanya smiled back, then pivoted on a heel and left. I spent the next few minutes trying to pull myself together again, and I’d more or less succeeded by the time she returned. The bath did the rest.

  Astanya watched with childlike fascination as I heated the water with conjured fire from my palm, and she asked my dozens of questions about my abilities. I explained as best I could, which wasn’t much given how little I understood the Aether myself. Still, she enjoyed my stories of seducing nobles and plucking the deepest, darkest secrets from their minds while their cocks spilled deep inside my throat or bowels.

  “Unfortunately, there’s not much else to do here,” Astanya said as I slid into the dress she’d provided. “I should have stolen some of those books you like from Kristoff’s library.”

  I chuckled despite myself. “That would have been nice.”

  Her smile slowly faded. “You know, not everything in the mansion was an act. I really would like to learn how to read someday. Maybe once we’re out of Sanctum you could teach me.”

  “Of course,” I told her. “I’d like that very much.”

  “I wish you could teach me magic, too, but I guess that’s not the way it works.”

  I nodded solemnly as my thoughts flickered back to my meeting with Emperor Lucian. He had empowered one of his Praetorian with the ability to channel the Aether, and he seemed to believe that I could learn that technique as well. I didn’t see how, but if it was possible then perhaps I really could share this gift with my people. Perhaps I really could make a difference…

  “If I teach you to read, you should show me how to use one of those,” I said, gesturing towards the pile of weapons in the corner.

  “I could, though I’m not sure why you’d need a sword,” Astanya replied with a shrug. “Steel seems like a poor substitute for the Aether.”

  “How did you learn? Did the Faedari rescue you at a young age?”

  Her expression sank slightly. “I didn’t actually join them until a few years ago. Before then…well, I was actually taught by a human, if you can believe it.”

  I frowned. “Your master taught you to fight?”

  “Gods no. One of his daughters did.” Astanya paused and sighed. “It’s a long story, but my first master purchased me as a child just after his second son was born. I was meant to be a gift for the two boys once they came of age. The instant the younger one turned sixteen, I spent almost every night face down in his bed. Or his brother’s, depending on their moods.”

  My stomach turned. It wasn’t a new story, of course—I’d heard similar variations a hundred times over the past few years.

  “The older sister was always kind to me,” Astanya went on. I wasn’t even sure if she’d heard me or not. “Her named was Sabille. At the time, I thought she pitied me, but it was more than that. In Rivani, it’s still rare for a daughter to inherent her family’s wealth, and she had a plan for me to help her out.

  “Sabille had enlisted with the Legion and spent several years training. It’s illegal to teach slaves how to use a weapon, obviously, but she thought it was worth the risk. After a few months, she finally revealed her plan: she wanted me to murder her brothers so she would be the only heir.”

  “What?” I rasped. “That’s…”

  “More normal than you might think,” Astanya finished. “Anyway, one night after the brothers and a bunch of their friends had finished with me, I grabbed one of his father’s swords from the mantle and slit their throats while they slept. I fled into the hills, but Sabille led an expedition to ‘avenge’ her brothers. They would have found me if the Faedari hadn’t.”

  My mouth fell open. “I’m so sorry.”

  She cocked a blond eyebrow at me. “Why?”

  “Because it’s…that’s terrible.”

  “It’s a far better fate than most of our people endure,” Astanya said matter-of-factly. “There were thirty other faeyn slaves in that estate with me. Most of them had been there for decades, and they will die helpless in the fields after a lifetime of labor and rape. They’ll never have the chance to pick up a weapon and defend themselves. I did.”

  She grunted softly and glanced away. “I’ve killed plenty of other humans since, and I don’t regret it for a moment. Hopefully I’ll kill plenty more before the end. And no matter what happens—no matter how many times they torture or rape me—they can only kill me once. I’ve already won…and so have you.”

  I slowly shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “I hope you never have to. And you won’t, if I have anything to say about it.”

  Astanya brought her hand to my cheek. She stared at me intently for several seconds, her blue eyes glittering, before she gently ran her fingers through my hair and across the tip of my pointy ear. When I didn’t push her away, she eventually leaned forward on her tip toes and kissed me.

  I kissed back. Her lips were smooth and her tongue was sweet. I could feel the passion in her breath and desperation in her fingertips, and when I reached out to the Aether I was almost overwhelmed by the flood of emotions pouring off her. It wasn’t love, exactly—we barely knew each other, after all—but it was something close. Reverence. Respect. Things I’d never felt from anyone who had ever kissed me before.

  When she finally pulled back, she smiled and nibbled at my neck until her lips reached my earlobe. “I want to make you feel like a goddess,” she whispered. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  Her hands clasped around my waist as she pushed me towards the bed. Even now that I knew more about her, I was still surprised by her strength. She could have restrained me as easily as a male if she’d wanted to.