Eternal Conflict - Book 7 (The Ruby Ring Saga) Page 11

  I smiled. “Take good care of her.”

  “You know I will.”

  Thunder crashed, and lightning flashed, and out of the blue, large droplets of rain started to pour down on us.

  “I know you’re anxious to go,” Liz said, touching Jackson’s arm, “but we’d better wait this out.”

  “You’re right. It’s far too easy to get ambushed in the rain.”

  “It shouldn’t last too long,” I said.

  We walked inside and sat down at the table. A few hours later, one of Jackson’s men rushed in, with a panic-stricken look on his face.

  “What is it?” Liz asked.

  “The place is flooding!” he informed us. “We’re all going to look like drowned rats if we stay here.”

  I stood. “It’s that bad? If so, we need to evacuate to the mountains.”

  “I’ll inform the others at once,” Jackson said.

  A low, rumbling sound caught my attention, and I turned to Jackson and Liz. “Hear that?”

  Liz nodded. “Yeah. It sounds like a train or something.”

  “Highly unlikely here,” Jackson said, “but whatever it is, it’s getting louder.”

  I listened to the ominous noise that was accompanied by crashing and crunching. When I stepped into the doorway and peered outside, my jaw dropped. A twenty-foot wall of tumbling water rolled toward us, seemingly swelling by the second. The roar of the oncoming flood was deafening, and the next thing I knew, the giant wave was smacking into the house. Walls exploded, and water gushed all around us. In an instant, the undertow grabbed hold of me and pulled me under.

  I held my breath as I was tossed and turned, like a sock in a washing machine. No sooner did I come up for breath than I was jerked under again. Water crashed over my head as my body tangled with debris and branches and thousands of bubbles surrounded me. The ferocious flood raged on, and I was dragged into the strong current. “Liz!” I shouted, blinking the water from my eyes.

  There was no answer, and my sister wasn’t anywhere in sight.

  The thunderstorms wreaked havoc, and trees were blown around like paper dolls. An uprooted tree and several rocks battered me in the sweeping flood waters. I struggled to keep my head above water, fighting for every single breath.

  I made my way through the swirling water and grabbed a large branch of a tree. I wrapped my legs around it and hung on for dear life. Squinting through the rain, I looked for Liz or Jackson or anyone, but there was no sign of them. I’d been separated, dragged away from everyone. With a burst of energy, I swam to a building, then sucked in a few quick breaths as I grabbed on to a crude window frame.

  Using my immortal strength, I reached for the doorway of what I determined was some sort of temple. The door had been torn off, so that made it easy for me to swim inside. Thankful to be out of the raging waters, I lifted my hand. A yellow blaze of light flew to the center of the room and hovered there, like a makeshift light fixture.

  While it was a whole lot better inside the temple than outside it, I knew I needed to get to the roof. I hoped the high vantage point might give me a clear view of the others. The water was already at waist level inside the temple, so I quickly glanced around, looking for stairs, but I saw none.

  Suddenly, I heard splashing, as if someone was cutting through the water. “Liz? Jackson? Is that you? Who’s there?” I yelled.

  There was no answer, which made me nervous. The slow wading continued, but no one spoke, which made me feel as if someone was stalking me. I spun in a slow circle but didn’t see anyone. I was trying to stay calm and rational, but part of me was panicking.

  “Stay calm,” I said to myself, but that was easier said than done. I couldn’t rush back out into the flood, as I had no idea what I might face out there. Whatever was hiding in the shadows, I just wished it would show itself so I would know what I was dealing with and if I even had a fighting chance. I certainly hoped the vampire hadn’t found some way to resurrect. The one thing I’d learned about Victor’s world was that nothing was truly impossible there. I swallowed hard, wondering how I could fight the enemy off, whoever or whatever it was.

  There was another splash, and my heart thundered in my chest. I had to know what I was dealing with so I decided to rile it up. “Just come out!” I shouted. “Only a coward hides.”

  Suddenly, an all-too-familiar figure was looming right over me, from out of nowhere.

  “I may be many things, Sarah, but I am not a coward,” Ethano hissed.

  Chapter 15

  My breath hitched in my throat; I would never forget that awful voice, for as long as I lived.

  Before I could throw a fireball at him, he placed a gold necklace on me. It was a long chain, like the kind rappers always wore back home. I had no idea why he placed it around my neck, but before I could question it, he roughly pushed me up against the wall. I fought to gain control of my powers, but they would not work. Even my glowing sphere dissipated, bathing the place in darkness.

  Glowing balls emerged from Ethano’s hands and slowly hovered above us, illuminating the place again. “Mine is much brighter than yours.”

  “Is this a pissing contest?” I asked.

  He cocked a brow in confusion.

  Stupid medieval idiot. I was certain he’d disabled my powers with something his witches had cursed, some kind of ancient artifact, like the glowstone his wife had so callously and deceptively used against us.

  “This chain is much easier than being sliced with my dagger,” he said. “However, I did enjoy the view last time,” he bragged, referring to the time he’d tried to cut a hexagon in my chest.

  “You’re an ass!” I said. I tried to take the necklace off, and it electrocuted me something fierce.

  “It won’t come off by your hand,” Ethano said.

  I stopped and gazed into his evil eyes. “You sicken me,” I snapped.

  “Sarah, imagine us being all alone in this temple, just the queen and her king.”

  “You’re no king, Ethano,” I said.

  “I was ordained in King Taggert’s place. I am your king now, and you will obey me.”

  “You’re not my king!”

  That comment earned me a slap, but then he softly brushed a hand through my hair. “So feisty and spirited. I like that. Maidens from my world are so boring, so trite. You, on the other hand, have so much spirit. You must be devoted to me.”

  “That’ll never happen!”

  He slapped me again, then smiled sadistically. “Do you enjoy rough play, my love? If so, that can be arranged.”

  I looked away, sickened by the thought.

  He continued, “You made a promise to me, and you didn’t keep your word.”

  “A promise? To the likes of you?” I spat. “I would never—”

  “Oh, but you did. You promised to spend the night with me, then disappeared into thin air.” His fingers trailed down my jaw. “The contract still stands, and you must fulfill your obligations, or else you will pay dearly.”

  His lips hovered dangerously close to mine, but I refused to kiss him.

  “That deal is off the table!”

  He squeezed my chin and looked into my eyes. “Here is how the end of your life is going to happen. I’m going to get the location of your son. Then I’m going to drag you to an empty room I saw upstairs. I’m going to enjoy you quite thoroughly, then I’m going to kill you, which in turn, will kill my biggest enemy.”

  “I’ll fight you with my very last breath.”

  “Oh, do fight. And make it good. Nothing will be more exciting than dominating you and having you submit to me willingly.”

  “Not happenin’! Ever!”

  “I will beat you until you give up and have no strength left.” He ran his hand up my thigh. “Please stop getting me so excited. I want to skip the questions and go straight to the good stuff.”

  “Bastard!”

  “I can kill you one of two ways. I have a knife dipped in guardian poison or I can chop off your pret
ty little head with my very sharp sword. It’s your choice how they’ll find your naked body. I’d prefer for you to pick the guardian poison. That way your loved ones will find you merely sleeping. Finding a naked torso is gruesome and unsettling. Of course it’s much quicker and less painful. If you choose the poison as your course of death, I’ll have to stay until you die. Do you remember what happened the last time I gave Victor guardian poison, you found a way to escape. Can’t have that now, can we?”

  I stared at him hard, scowling.

  “What?” he said. “You are wondering why I won’t let you die clothed. Because that’s not a fitting death for a whore such as yourself. I will throw myself on you, taking what is rightfully mine, then I will kill you. And there is nobody to stop me, no knights in shining armor to whisk you away. There is no way to stop your dark fate. If you had not reconnected the bond, I might let you live. Why did you reconnect the bond I took away? And how was it done. My witches told me it was reestablished but they can’t figure out how.”

  “It’s a long story. And I did it because I love Victor.”

  “It’s why I must kill you, so I can kill your wicked husband. And it pains me that you are a causality. Because I always need a good whore at my castle. And I know you’d make an excellent one. My best knights would enjoy making love to a queen. It is such a shame that I must kill you.” He slowly stroked my face. “Have you thought of which way you wish to die?”

  His words terrified me. This couldn’t be the way I was going to die? The way Victor was going to die also? When I took my last breath, he would too.

  “Please say something, my beautiful queen.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be fighting Victor?” I asked, trying my best to keep my voice from wavering.

  “That is what my army is for,” he roared. “My troops outnumber his extensively. He does not stand a chance.”

  “We’ll fight you until we die.”

  His eyes blazed with fury. “Which will be soon.”

  I trembled and sensed that he thoroughly enjoyed my fear.

  He slid a hand around my waist and pulled me close. “But first things first.”

  Jackson had once told me of a vision he had, of Ethano killing me after I refused his advances. In his vision, though, both Alexander and Victor were there. I knew visions could change, but I hoped that moment wasn’t the one Jackson had foreseen.

  Ethano cupped his face in his hand, and I quickly flung him off of me.

  “You must cooperate!” he roared.

  “Never!” I let out a trembling breath.

  He gripped my hair and pulled. “Where is your son?”

  I didn’t answer.

  He pulled my hair harder, till it made my eyes water. “Where is Alexander? You will tell me.”

  “I’m not telling you a damn thing.”

  “How long can you hold your breath?” he suddenly asked. “I realize you are immortal, but a certain misery accompanies the inability to breathe.” He grabbed my shoulders and held me under the water. I flailed and fought to get up, but he was much stronger.

  After a minute, he pulled me up, and I gasped for air. “We are only just beginning,” he said coldly.

  I tried to shake the water off my head and regain my composure. I wasn’t sure what would happen to me if he continued trying to drown me, but before I could turn off the mayhem in my dizzy head, he pushed me under the water once again.

  “I caused that little tsunami out there,” he said, as if he was proud of himself, “to separate you from your sister and friends. My witches did an excellent job, don’t you think?” he asked, then pulled me up for an answer.

  I took a few breaths, then gasped and asked, “How could you, Ethano? Why must you use your powers to hurt people in the kingdom you temporarily control? What kind of king are you anyway?”

  He didn’t answer my question but instead spoke of Jackson and his men. “They have been bestowed with amazing powers,” he said. “After I dispose of you, I intend to find out why they are so powerful and what wizard is helping them.”

  “They won’t tell you anything.”

  “But you will.”

  “I don’t know how they got their powers.”

  “Are they supernatural guardians?” he asked.

  “I can’t believe you created this flood,” I said, changing the subject again. “Do you know how many innocent lives will be lost?”

  “I care not about the lives of peasants. They are but rodents and pests. I only care about the location of your precious child.”

  Before I could say anything else, he shoved me under the surface once again. He held me down for about a minute before bringing me back up again. He pulled my hair fiercely.

  “How long will you protect your son?” he demanded.

  “Forever!” I said.

  The answer afforded me another minute-long submersion. Water rushed in through my nose and mouth. Every time I fought to resurface, he pushed me down with all his immortal strength. He brought me up for a quick breath, as if to tease me, then quickly knocked me back underneath. Finally, he pulled me back up again, and I gasped like a fish out of water.

  “You have life because I allow it. I control whether you live or die this very second. You are making me very angry, trying my patience. I could easily kill you, and Victor along with you. Now answer my questions! Where is Alexander? And where did you get these extra powers I’ve seen Victor use? I heard you all have them.”

  “I left my son back in my world,” I fibbed. “It was too dangerous to bring him here. We’ll go back for him later.”

  “Lies! You’d never take me back to your home world.” Furious, he dunked my head back under the water.

  I wasn’t sure if I was going to drown or if Ethano was going to pull out his blade and cut my head off, but I was certain my death was unavoidable and, thus, Victor’s. I can’t die. I can’t let us both die.

  Suddenly, an idea struck me. I needed to remove the necklace. I thought if I could play like I was unconsciousness convincingly, Ethano might let go of me long enough for me to flick the necklace off. I let myself go, let my body go limp. After a minute, I felt his hands let go of me, and I floated to the surface. I seized my opportunity and swam with my last burst of energy. I flipped in circles, desperate to get the necklace off of me. With immortal speed, I tried to slip out of the chain, but my plan did not work out so well.

  In an instant, Ethano began swimming toward me. I kicked him in the chest, and he flew back in the water. I saw a sharp rock and swam directly to it. I maneuvered my body to make sure the chain caught on the jagged rock, and then I pulled myself free of the golden noose. Then I kicked my feet like an Olympic swimmer, quickly making my way to the water’s edge.

  “Return this instant,” Ethano threatened, unaware that I’d removed the necklace. “Or—”

  “Or what?” I said, almost laughing at him. I had my powers back, and I no longer feared him.

  “Sarah!” he roared.

  “I remember the first time I met you,” I said.

  “If memory serves, I threw a knife in your back.”

  “Yes, and I was so scared when you kidnapped me in battle and rode off with me. You paralyzed me, Ethano. You tried to poison me, sacrifice me, and steal my son. You’ve always had the upper hand.”

  “Always,” he snidely remarked.

  “That’s because you could paralyze my powers, but not anymore. Things have changed, and I refuse to live in fear of you. I will give you a head start to run away from me, and I suggest you take it, because I’m going to kick your medieval ass!”

  “It is admirable that you are trying to stand up to me,” he said, “but you should not be so disrespectful to your king. Such heresy and blasphemy is punishable by execution.”

  “The only execution that is going to happen is yours,” I said.

  He laughed, amused. “You were swept into this world like a little mouse, pitiful and drowning. You were willing to do anything to survi
ve. I made a deal to sleep with you so your sister’s life would be spared, and you took it like a whore.”

  “I did it to buy time.”

  His eyes blazed. “You kissed me.”

  “You won’t let that go, will you? It meant nothing. It was merely a ploy, part of the game, and it worked because you are so full of yourself that you think you are so desirable. You sicken me, Ethano. The thought of sharing a bed with you makes me want to puke on your boots. In the end, I beat you at your own game.”

  “Do you have any last words, whore?” he said, too arrogant to pay my threats any attention.

  “My powers outmatch yours.” I held out my hands, and bigger, brighter balls of light sprang out and engulfed the ones Ethano had created. “Looks like I’ve got the bigger balls too!”

  Ethano smiled. “Your wizard taught you well. That is why I put the necklace on you.”

  “Oh. You mean that gaudy, cheap piece of rapper bling I Ieft on that rock over there?” I said, pointing. “Now that your magic necklace is off, you should be shaking in your boots.”

  Again, he chuckled.

  “Ethano, your story is of one of declining power, while mine is one of rising power. We will get our kingdom back from you!”

  A fireball danced in his hand and he then threw it at me. I adjusted my stance and caught it one-handed. His jaw dropped and he ducked as I threw it right back at him. In a fit of fury, he launched a multiple assault, whipping six more at me. Holding up my hands, I dissolved the balls as they absorbed into my hand in a tiny blast of yellow light.

  “How is that possible?” he shouted. “Who has given you this power?”

  “I got it from my world,” I said.

  “Your world is forbidden because they are weak and pitiful creatures like yourself.”

  “Really? Because your mother comes from my world.”

  Stunned, he stared at me hard. “How do you know that? Nobody knows that!”

  “Because I met your aunt. She took my son and tried to raise him as her own. But I got him back.”

  “Is that why you returned? Is my aunt a powerful queen who will stop at nothing to see you dead? Perhaps I should find her so we can join forces.”