The Sacrifice (28 page)

Lily
snickered. That wasn
’
t what Iggy was about to say. He was getting so
worked up; he bounced from one foot to the other. “What all can you shift into?
I didn
’
t know someone could shift into a ferret or a
bug.”

“You
name it. I can shift into whatever I want…unless I
’
m
hurt. If I want someone to play with, I shift into a horse and run in the
fields with the colts. In the spring, I change to a hummingbird. That way I can
have something sweet to eat and someone to fight with at the same time.” Iggy
smiled, showing his dimples. “Hummingbirds love to fight for the sweetest
blooms in the forest. I wasn
’
t kidding when I told you I loved to eat lily
magnolia blooms. They are
sooo
sweet.”

Lily laughed for the first time since
leaving the compound. And her stomach had quit hurting for the first time in
two days.  “Iggy, how did you stop my stomach from hurting?”

Iggy
shrugged. “
I don’
t know. I
’
ve always been able
to lessen pain, and heal some types of wounds.”

“Would
you change into a ferret for me? I
’
ve never petted one.”

“Sure I will. Just let me go behind
the tree and take off my clothes.”

Iggy
disappeared behind a large tree. A few seconds later, a small brown and tan
ferret came out and hopped over to where Lily sat on the grass. She stretched
her legs out in front of her. “Hi boy,” she said softly, holding her hand out
to him. Lily jumped when Iggy
’
s voice sounded inside her head.

“My name is Iggy, not boy.”

 “Iggy!
I didn
’
t know you could do that.”

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you that
part.”

“Can you read my thoughts?”

“Only
when I shift. In my natural state, I just sense what people are feeling. No one
else in my family could do the things I told you about. All they could do was
shape-shift. It
’
s the reason they called me a freak.”

“I
can
’
t read your mind either. When I get grown, I
’
ll
be able to read humans, but they
’
re the only ones we can read.”

Iggy
nudged Lily
’
s hand with his small, pointy ferret nose.

“You
’
re
so cute,” she said, patting her leg for him to climb onto her lap.

Lily laughed while Iggy showed her all
of his ferret tricks.

Riana
called Lily
’
s name. “I
’
m over here.
”

Iggy
ran behind the tree. “Don
’
t tell her about me, Lily,” he said
telepathically.

“Riana
’
s
nice. She won
’
t hurt you. I promise.”

“I
’
ll
reveal myself to her soon, just not now.”

“Okay
Iggy, I won
’
t. When will I see you again?”

“Tonight,
I
’
ll find you inside the castle.”

“Great.
I
’
ll sneak you some food from evening meal.”

Iggy
laughed, “Oh Lily, I
’
ve rubbed off on you already. You would make a
sneaky, clever ferret.”

Riana came down the garden path with a
bag in her hand. “Who were you talking to?

“I made friends with a ferret. His
name is Iggy, but he got scared when you came and ran off.”

“You named a ferret, Iggy?”

Lily
closed her mouth and wondered what to say without breaking her promise. “Yeah,
that
’
s his name.”

“Sweetheart,
from now on wake me up before you venture off alone. It
’
s
too dangerous here.”

“Okay, I will.”

“I
brought us some sandwiches from the kitchen. It
’
s warm out today. I
thought we could eat them here in the garden.”

“
Good,
” Lily said. “I hate it inside that old castle.”

“Me too, Lily, me too.”

Lily watched Riana. Each day she
looked more sad, and had more dark circles beneath her eyes. Now that Lily had
help from Iggy, she was determined to find a way for them to escape.

She ate half of her peanut butter and
jelly sandwich, and wrapped the rest in a napkin, took it behind the tree and
laid it on the ground. “Here Iggy, this is for you,” she whispered. She knew he
was out there somewhere, watching and listening.

Riana
and Lily stayed in the garden until evening. Once the sun dropped behind the
towering mountains, their light sweaters weren
’
t enough to block the
chill. Riana pulled open the huge castle doors and they went inside.

Alpheus
met them in the foyer. “Master Vind has returned. He requested your and Miss
Lily
’
s presence at dinner tonight.”

Riana
nodded, biting her tongue to keep from snapping at the butler. He was the only
person in this god-forsaken place who had treated them half-way decent. It wasn
’
t
his fault his prick of a boss had returned. Vind had been away since the second
night they were there, and she and Lily had eaten together in her room.

Her
mood plummeted at the thought of sitting across the table from Vind. Lily had
been in a better frame of mind today in the garden. Her laughter eased a little
of the pain in Riana
’
s heart that
’
d grown worse each
day since she
’
d been away from Cy. The only relief she got was
when she slept and dreamed. She was always happy and in Cy
’
s
arms. It was one place Vind couldn
’
t tread and destroy
everything. Lily was the only reason Riana got out of bed. She had to watch her
better, make sure no harm came to that sweet child.

They went upstairs and dressed for
dinner. Alpheus returned and escorted them to the dining room. Lily skipped
along beside them humming a song.

As
they entered, Vind sat at the table sipping a cup of tea. The sight of him made
Riana
’
s stomach lurch. She reminded herself, again, to
be strong for Lily. She
’
d put herself in this situation to save Cy and her
father
’
s lives. As long as both of them and Lily were
safe, Riana could withstand whatever Vind threw at her.

After Alpheus served their food, Riana
noticed Lily slipping pieces of shrimp onto a napkin in her lap.

What
on Earth is she doing that for?

“Lily,” Vind said. “You seem to be in
good spirits tonight. Are you beginning to like it here?”

Lily
stilled and her eyes narrowed on Vind. “
No! I do
not
like it here. I miss my sister and want to go
home. Oh yeah, in case I haven
’
t told you. I
hate
you!”

Vind
’
s
eyes went ice-cold and his features expressionless. “I have not given you a
reason to hate me yet,
little girl
.” He emphasized the last two words
like an insult. “Trust me. I
will
change that if you continue to speak
to me in this manner.” Vind sat back and glared at Lily for a moment. “You will
go to your room and remain there until you decide to be respectful. If you plan
to keep this up, I have a nice, dark cell in the basement.

Riana
’
s
heart pounded in her ears. She
’
d told Lily not to antagonize Vind…although she
hadn
’
t set much of an example for Lily to go by. Riana
glanced at Vind
’
s red face and the protruding vein on his
forehead. She had to do something to diffuse the situation.

“Vind,”
Riana said softly, drawing his attention back to her. “I
’
ll
take Lily to her room, and then come back to join you for an after dinner
drink…if you have time before your nightly meeting.”

He
stared at her as if she
’
d grown a second head. Her offering to spend time
with him was the last thing he
’
d expected to come from her mouth. As the tension
in the room began to dissipate, Riana released the breath trapped in her lungs.
If Vind attacked Lily the way he had her that first night, Lily might not
survive.

Vind
’
s
black eyes turned back to Lily. “If you speak to me in that manner again, I
will lock you away and you will never get out. Do you understand?”

Lily kept her eyes down and nodded.
Riana saw her folding her napkin around the food on her lap and then tuck it
into the pocket of her dress.

Alpheus,
” Vind said, as the butler came back into the
dining room. “Take Lily to her room. I will decide when she
’
s
allowed out.”

Alpheus
’
forehead
wrinkled and his brows pitched together. “Yes, master.”

Riana
could tell he was fond of Lily and didn
’
t want to see her harmed.
Alpheus didn
’
t drink human blood. He wasn
’
t
cruel and without compassion like everyone else she
’
d
met here. Since he seemed loyal to Vind, Riana wasn
’
t
sure how much to trust him.

Yesterday
she
’
d asked Alpheus how long he had worked for Vind.
She was surprised to find out Alpheus had been with Vind since the division of
the race, and had worked for the royal family as Vind and Cy
’
s
caregiver before they
’
d left Sivadia. There was sadness in his voice
when he asked how Cy and the queen were. As far as she could tell, he was the
only person in this house of horrors with a conscience.

Some of the tension drained from Riana
as Alpheus took Lily by the hand and safely led her from the dining room.

Vind turned to her, his brows pulled
low. “Why did she suddenly throw a tantrum?”

“That
was no tantrum. Lily is a child. You can hardly expect her to handle stress
like an adult. She
’
s scared, being held against her will, and
threatened by you. Considering the circumstances, I think she
’
s
holding it together extremely well. You don
’
t like children much,
do you?”

Vind handed her a glass of brandy
before he answered. “No, not really. I do not find them conducive to my
environment.”

Do
you think?

“Would you like to enlighten me as to
why you want to have a child with me?”

“I never said I wanted a child. I need
an heir, pure and simple. Your bloodline will ensure that my heir will become
the greatest warrior ever known.”

Riana
snorted. “You
’
ve got to be kidding. I
’
m
about as un-warrior-like as they come.”

“Ozeas
is your father. Your bloodline has produced the most celebrated warriors
throughout Sivadian history. In case you haven
’
t heard, you
’
re
descended from noble blood. I have waited a long time for the right person to
produce my heir.”

Vind took a seat in the chair across
from Riana. “Before I discovered Ozeas was your father, I planned to take all
the females at the compound. I soon realized all I needed was one. By taking
you, Cy and Oz will have every Protector in the world searching, which will
make it relatively easy to trap and kill them all. Once the Protectors are
dead, my men will have access to every female in our race. So there was no need
to take the other girls when I can accomplish all of my goals with one.”

Riana
’
s
disgust for Vind rose. She never realized it was possible to loathe someone
that much. “Even though you believe I have a strong bloodline, I hate violence.
What makes you think a child I produce would not take after me?”

He
regarded her with a sneer. “Simple. You will not raise him. He
’
ll
be brought up by me, and I have ways to tap into the meekest of personalities.
Trust me, he
will
become a warrior, or he
’
ll
die.
”

Heat
radiated from Riana
’
s face. Her disgust meter went through the roof.
She took several deep breaths, attempting to tamp down her emotions. She still
had questions and wanted answers.

“Before we left the compound, you said
something about Cy living your life, and you refused to allow him to be happy
while he did it. What does that mean? Or is it just another of your delusions?”

“It came to my attention that the
crown rightfully belonged to me. My parents deemed me unfit to rule and gave my
throne to Cygan.”

“You
’
ve
never wondered what would make a parent do something like that.” Her tone was
as dry as sawdust.

“I do not care
why
they did it,” he snapped. “That title belongs
to me, and I
will
take
it back. I thought my brother would never care more about another person than
he cared about destroying me. Now that he does, I possess the ultimate weapon
to destroy his life. The way he destroyed mine.”

Riana
lifted her chin and stared into Vind
’
s eyes. “Cy has not
destroyed your life. You
’
ve done that all by yourself. You know what I
’
ve
always hated about people like you?”

Vind
’
s
gaze narrowed. “Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?”

Riana
cocked her head to one side. “Sure, why not. Nothing is ever your fault. I
’
m
sure there
’
s some reason in that…psychotic mind of yours for
every despicable thing you
’
ve ever done. Miserable people create misery. Have
you ever been happy a day in your life?”

Vind turned and looked out a large
picture window overlooking the garden and surrounding mountains. “Speaking of
happiness,” he said, ignoring her question. “We are to be married in three
days. The ceremony will be held here. My top generals and their wives will
attend, along with a few friends and associates. The night before the ceremony,
my guards will accompany us to a fertility site.”

Riana
’
s
heart raced at a dizzying pace. “You can forget about a fertility ceremony,”
she said between gritted teeth. “I will
not
open myself up to absorb the
life light.”

“Oh,
but I think you will. Lily will come along to ensure your cooperation. If not,
she might not make it back in one piece. Even if Lily dies, I still have the
means to ensure I get an heir from you. My scientist recently developed a
procedure to mature female eggs for fertilization. I can harvest your eggs and
have an heir without you. However, experts tell me it
’
s
important for a child to have the nurturing of its mother during early
development.” He tilted his head and peered down his nose. “If you continue to
defy me, I may have to reconsider. The quicker you realize I
always
get
what I want, the better off you
’
ll be.
”

Riana fought back tears, unwilling to
let Vind witness her weakness. She gulped the remainder of her brandy and
slammed the glass down on the table, and then left the room.

Vind
had ripped her life and happiness from her. If he succeeded in killing Cy and
the Protectors, it wouldn
’
t just be her life destroyed. It would affect
everyone on Earth. The Sivadian and human races would come under a dictatorship
that would make Hitler look like an altar boy.