The Gifted Heart (Marks of Inheritance: The Orkeia Cycle #1)

10. Whispers in the Dark

Chapter ten

Whispers in the Dark

T he man who was about to kill me froze mid-strike, seeming just as shocked by the outburst as I was. An older knight, face covered in scars, pushed his way through the crowd. He ran to me and took me in his arms, surprising my captors so much that they released me.

“Kenna! Kenna, dear, are you all right?”

As he pulled back to look at me, I stared at him open mouthed. So did the rest of the knights.

“H-how do you know my name?” I whispered, still trembling.

He smiled with kind eyes. “Poor girl doesn’t remember me. She’s probably in shock," he said to the onlookers before meeting my gaze. "It’s Isaiah, remember? When your parents died, I took you in, and—”

“Out of the way, Balton,” the first man said through clenched teeth.

“She’s not one of them, Captain Lewin,” Balton said firmly, surprising everyone—especially me. It was all I could do to keep a straight face, biting my tongue to keep myself quiet.

“And how could you possibly know that?” the captain spat.

“She was kidnapped five years ago from my village,” he said.

Lewin scowled. “We’ll see about that.”

He pushed Isaiah to the side and took a hold of my left sleeve, ripping it off. When he was positive my mark wasn’t on that shoulder, he violently turned me and repeated the process. When again he saw only bare skin, he checked both sides once more, pushing away my hair invasively to look at my neck and jerking my head to the side. I hardly dared to breathe .

When he was certain there was nothing to find, he lifted his sword and placed it against my neck. “What kind of trick is this?” he growled.

“It’s not a trick,” I said, surprised that any noise came out of my throat. “I—”

“Are you a sorceress?” His tiny eyes were bulging. “I’ll know if you’re lying!”

“ No ,” I stammered, feeling tears fall down my cheek.

“I told you,” Isaiah said, his kind eyes suddenly hard as he looked at the captain. “She’s been their captive. She must have heard us and run for it.”

The captain didn’t seem convinced, but he couldn’t disprove Isaiah’s words. After a tense few minutes of silence, he pushed me away and sheathed his sword, still scowling.

“Well, what are you all waiting for?” he yelled to the rest of the knights. “Find them!”

His men hurried to obey orders, and I breathed out shakily in relief. I was alive . Silently, I prayed that the others had already escaped.

Isaiah remained by my side. His expression was still hard, but I thought I saw a similar relief in his eyes to what I felt. I opened my mouth, my questions written on my face.

“Not here,” he whispered before I could speak.

“Balton!” the captain growled from the shelter’s entrance. “Bring the girl!”

Isaiah’s lips thinned in response to the order. He put a gentle hand on my back and urged me forward. I hesitated, but I had already cheated death once—resisting now would be foolish.

As we walked, Isaiah whispered, “Whatever you do, and whatever you see, don’t show that you care about your clan. If you give yourself away now, there was no point in saving you.”

My heart twisted with fear as we entered the common area, but to my relief, no one from the clan was there, and the knights searching the rooms left them empty-handed. But I barely had a moment to register this before the captain walked up to us and seized my arm. The muscles in his face were still contorted in a permanent grimace .

“Where did they go?” he demanded.

My eyes darted to Isaiah briefly, and I felt a rush of panic. I was sure a seasoned soldier like this captain would be able to tell if I were lying. So the best thing to do was to tell the truth.

He shook me. "Where did they go?" he repeated with a growl.

“I don’t know,” I muttered.

“Why didn’t they take you with them?”

I couldn’t help shaking. “They tried, but I ran from them.”

His eyes narrowed and he tightened his hold. “They didn’t stop you?”

“They weren’t expecting me to run,” I said, trying to ignore the pain in my arm.

Next to me, Isaiah’s hands were balled into fists. “Let her go, Captain. Can’t you see—?”

“ Quiet , Balton!” he said, teeth clenched. “I don’t trust her any more than I trust you.”

Isaiah reluctantly stepped back. The captain glared at me, filling my heart with dread.

“We’ll take her back to be tried,” he growled. “If she’s a witch, she’ll be found out. If not, she’ll be safe in the city.”

From his tone, it didn’t sound like he wanted me to be safe. Before Isaiah could protest, Lewin called two other knights over and pushed me towards them.

“Tie her to my cart,” he ordered. “And keep watch on her.”

There was no point in struggling. I let myself be led back outside, my arms bare against the wind, and the right one throbbing from the captain’s harsh grip. Lewin ordered Isaiah to stay and help search, and the door to the shelter closed between us.

Each step felt heavier than the last. I was sure I would just be imprisoned until Lewin found a reason to execute me. But if he couldn’t—if I somehow was set free—I would be in the city. Maybe, just maybe, I could find a way into the castle. Maybe I could avenge my family after all—

Are you crazy? You couldn’t even stand still in front of one of his captains!

I sighed inwardly. The voice in my head was right. If I trembled with fear in a captain’s presence, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to stand in front of the king. Despite my earlier convictions, it was clear now that I would never be able to face him.

Not that it mattered. Lewin was going to kill me anyway.

The supply carts were guarded by four disgruntled men. As we approached, all four reached for their swords as if glad they finally had the chance to fight.

“We’re taking her prisoner,” the guard to my right said. “We can’t prove she’s a witch, so we’re bringing her to be tried.”

The soldiers grumbled, looking disappointed.

I was led to the largest cart at the front of the company. The rest of the knights appeared to carry what they owned on their backs, but not the captain. His cart held a large tent and more blankets than I could count in one glance. There was a grotesque amount of food inside and three bags of clothes. Along with these comforts, swords of various shapes and sizes filled the left side of the cart, with a few bows and arrows thrown in for good measure. If I hadn’t heard him say it was ‘his’ cart, I probably would have assumed it was meant to be provisions for the whole army. In the corner, I could make out a box that held spoils from war, such as clothing and jewelry. Talismans were carelessly thrown in with the rest of the loot, their magic extinguished when their clans were destroyed.

My hands were bound together and tied to the front right side of the cart, far from the supply of weapons, only giving me about three feet to move. One of the guards stood to my right and the other stood behind me, ready to march out. We stood in silence, waiting for the marauders to finish ransacking what had been my home. When they finally returned empty-handed, I stared at my feet to hide a smile. Captain Lewin ordered his men to march out, his scowl even deeper than before.

We traveled nonstop for hours. As I stumbled along behind the cart, I realized just how much energy I’d exerted controlling the spirits in the fight. My legs shook and my eyelids drooped from exhaustion. When I threatened to collapse, the guard next to me roughly pulled me back to my feet and ordered me to keep walking. By the time we climbed over the last hill and reached our destination, I was sure I couldn’t take another step.

Two large ships were anchored ahead of us in the bay, each bearing Orkeia’s symbol, the sea hawk. I had only been out to sea a handful of times growing up and had never felt quite comfortable being tossed about by the waves. Once, the fishing boat I was in had even capsized, making me weary of going out on the water again unless I had to.

With a start, I realized that I would be bound as we journeyed. I knew that the knights were skilled naval fighters, so they knew better than my clan how to navigate the ocean’s tides, and their ships were much more soundly made. But if a storm hit, the last thing these knights would do was untie me. Childhood fears of drowning suddenly awakened, and I was petrified.

We reached the first boat, and Lewin halted the march. His eyes more chilling than any of the elements, he retreated and cut the rope that bound me to his cart, but not the one binding my hands.

“Take her aboard, and tie her to the mast.”

My panic morphed into pure terror. If the ship went down, being tied to the mast would mean certain death. But I was too exhausted to fight back. Numbly, I allowed myself to be shoved onto the ship. Isaiah was sent to the other ship, a decision I’m sure the captain made on purpose. He gave me an encouraging smile as he passed, but it was impossible for me to return the gaze.

Once everyone was on board, the rowers pushed off. Too soon, the land behind us was out of sight, and we were out on the open sea. I shut my eyes tightly and leaned my head against the mast, trying to push aside the discomfort of the ropes chafing my skin and the continuing panic I felt at the rocking of the waves.

I knew the knights must know where they were going, but that didn’t stop me from fearing we were completely lost. Lewin was commanding as ever on the ship, shouting at his men to keep their rowing in rhythm and increase their speed even though their arms must have been growing stiff .

Somehow, I eventually fell asleep from pure exhaustion. Had I not been so fatigued, my fear would have kept me alert and awake, whether or not I wanted to be. When I awoke, my body felt more sore than I could ever remember. Slowly I opened my eyes and saw land ahead. Relief washed over me, but that relief quickly changed to awe.

Ahead of us rose a set of brilliant, majestic cliffs, the waves of the sea crashing relentlessly against their base. A breathtaking city, rivaling the cliffs’ magnificence, sat atop the rocks. Toward the edge, but still inside the city gates, a watchtower reached toward the sky, the king’s banner flying proudly upon it. Several smaller tiers that I could only imagine belonged to the castle stood behind it.

This was the city of Orkeia.

I’d always wondered what the kingdom’s main city looked like, but never imagined anything quite so fantastic. Elizabeth had told me many stories of her time growing up here—the always bustling marketplace in the middle of the city, the traveling bards that sang on every street corner, the mansions of the rich and shacks of the poor, the military quarter that citizens avoided at all costs, and the awe-inspiring castle seated above it all. Though I detested the king with every fiber of my being, I couldn’t help but feel submissive as we drew closer to the grand sight.

No beaches touched the city itself, so we sailed past it to a port for the knights’ ships. Even with my hands tied to Lewin’s cart once again, I was eternally grateful to be on solid ground. I saw Isaiah move in my direction as we disembarked, but he was ordered to help unload cargo before he could reach me.

Lewin left one of his advisors in charge and set off—with me and a few men in tow—up the steep, grassy slope. We passed a number of small houses and farms, the overflow of the city’s vast population. In a little less than half an hour we reached the front gate, and the knights standing guard immediately opened it for the captain. Their eyes lingered on me, but as soon as they realized it they turned away. The people in the town stared as well, and I couldn’t understand why at first.

Then it hit me—this was not a war of prisoners, but of mass murder. The knights had probably never returned with someone in their company before, let alone a woman. A few citizens even dared to approach and ask questions of the men, but Lewin ordered them to move on, even shoving one man roughly to the side and spitting at where he landed.

After walking a short way down the road, we veered to the right, and entered what looked like the military quarter. I immediately understood why Elizabeth said people kept their distance. Not only was it visually intimidating, but the smell was horrendous. There were a number of men dressed in full armor, practicing sword-fighting and stances. A few wielded quarterstaffs while others practiced with a bow and arrow. There was a building that I assumed was housing for trainees to sleep in, but it appeared most of the men slept in the large number of tents pitched in the field.

Attached to one of the watchtowers against the city wall was a large building, larger than any of the houses we’d passed on our way in. When we reached the front door, Lewin cut the rope binding me to his cart. I whimpered from the sting of increased pain as he roughly grabbed my arm in the same spot as before.

As the rest of his men unpacked his things, he forced me inside and to a small door at the far end of an open room. He violently pushed me through it and we descended a long, spiral staircase into endless darkness that rivaled the Land of the Lost, illuminated only by sparse torches along the wall. I stumbled more than once, and each time he shoved me to keep me moving.

When we reached the bottom, my captor took one of the torches off the wall and held it ahead, revealing the poor souls trapped in cages on either side of us. A few looked up as we passed, but the majority seemed to have lost all hope of escape or sanity. The sounds of whimpering prisoners and the acrid smell of the unkempt cells filled me with both nausea and dread.

If I thought I was frightened before, I was sadly mistaken.

When we reached the end of the hall, Lewin produced a ring of keys and opened an empty cell to my left. I let out an involuntary cry of surprise and pain as he pushed me through the gate and I fell flat on the floor, cutting my lip on a loose stone.

The lock turned behind me. I spun around just in time to catch a glimpse of his glare, barely visible in the dancing flames of the torch.

“You can expect to be tried within the week,” he said. A horrible grin spread across one side of his face before he strolled out of view, taking what little light there was with him.

***

The days I spent in that dungeon were the most terrifying of my life. I was the only sane person in the darkness. Constant moaning of pain or sorrow came from the other cells. Hearing that horrid sound while being completely blind would be enough to drive anyone mad, even without experiencing the neglectful treatment of a prisoner.

Only twice—I assumed once each morning—a flicker of light appeared down the hall just before a stale scrap of bread was tossed through the bars. I had to scramble to get it before the light disappeared, otherwise it would’ve taken me forever to find it sitting on the dirt. No liquid was offered to us, only the puddles in the corners of every cell. I heard many of the other prisoners lapping up the filthy water like parched dogs, and though I initially wasn’t desperate enough to join them, that inevitably changed as time passed.

Aside from when the knights brought the pitiful excuse for food, we were left in frigid darkness. We were so far underground and the walls and floor were so damp that any hope of warmth was completely lost. The majority of my time was spent shivering on the ground, trying to stay away from puddles I couldn’t see, and crying silently to myself as inhuman noises came from every direction and invisible insects crawled over my body. I wished that Isaiah had let Lewin kill me. If he had, I would have been with Elizabeth in the land of the Saved.

Instead, I was here.

It felt like an eternity had passed when the sound of voices interrupted the monotony of life in the cells. My first thought was that I was hearing things, starting to go mad like the rest of the prisoners, but one of the voices sounded vaguely familiar. After straining my ears for a moment, my heart sank. It was Lewin.

“There is no mark on her skin,” he was saying, “but I suspect she is one of them.”

“Why did you imprison her without my consent?” The second man sounded much younger than the captain.

“I didn’t want to trouble you, Kiernan. This is a matter I can deal with—”

“She claims to have been captured by them,” the man called Kiernan said matter-of-factly. “If it’s true, she is the first person to have escaped. It is my duty as her king to speak with her.”

The king…

The footsteps slowed to a stop as the light became visible. My heart dropped, and my blood boiled with rage simultaneously. On the one hand I wanted to face him, see his face, the face that had caused so much death and destruction.

On the other hand, I was terrified.

“What is this place?” The king’s icy tone was barely above a whisper. When there was no response, he repeated the question, this time in a more commanding tone. “Where am I, Captain?”

“Holding cells,” Lewin replied. “For those guilty of crimes punishable by death.”

“I never authorized this!”

“Your father did, Your Majesty.”

“Listen to me carefully,” the king said, his tone threatening. “My father is not king anymore— I am. We’ve been through some dark times, but I am doing all I can to keep the darkness outside our walls. I will not permit this treatment of my people.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Lewin reluctantly. “I will begin the trials at once and find a new holding place. If you would follow me back upstairs—”

“No. I’m going to speak to this girl.”

“Kiernan—”

“ Stand aside. ”

The light slowly moved in my direction. I held my breath. My eyes squinted from the shock of the firelight as the ruler of Orkeia reached my cell, his face illuminated by a dim torch.

I blinked. A young man stood before me—he couldn’t have been much older than Neal. Even in the poor lighting, he was strikingly handsome. His dark blonde hair was pulled back neatly, only one or two strands free to dangle in front of his face.

He wasn’t at all the man I had expected to see.

The only thing I seemed to have had accurate about his character was his harshness. His features were like stone.

Frowning, he moved closer to my bars. Lewin stood to the king’s left, his scowl ever present. The king didn’t seem to be paying any attention to his captain. He studied me intently where I knelt in the dirt. I tore my eyes away and stared at the ground.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Kenna,” I said, surprised I was able to make any sound.

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“Were you being held against your will by witches?”

My lips quivered and I kept my gaze on the ground. I knew I should lie and say yes, but my throat tightened so much that when I tried, little more than a whimper came out.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the king's expression soften. “Unlock her cell, Captain.”

“Your Majesty—”

“ Now .”

Lewin begrudgingly removed a ring of keys from his belt and fit one into my door. When the lock clicked, he let it swing open, stepping behind his king. I remained on the ground, too shocked to move.

Slowly, the king stepped into the cell. Taking a dagger from his boot, he knelt and cut the rope around my wrists, letting it fall to the ground. I stared at the rope where it fell before slowly lifting my eyes to his. All the harshness I’d seen in his expression was replaced by what seemed to be genuine concern. He stood and extended a hand to me, his eyes kind.

Bewildered, I allowed him to help me to my feet, but my legs immediately threatened to give way. He wrapped an arm around my waist, catching me before I could fall and supporting me with his strength. I felt like vomiting.

“I can’t imagine what those witches must have put you through,” he said somberly. “And the treatment you received from my knights appalls me.”

Lewin didn’t dare make a sound, remaining stiff where he was. I was speechless as well, staring into the eyes of the man who had ordered my people’s extermination. He seemed to be waiting for a response of some kind, but all I could do was shiver.

He sighed. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Without a second thought, he removed his cloak and wrapped it around my bare shoulders, silencing Lewin’s outburst with his mere stance. Once it was fastened, he replaced his arm around my waist to steady me as I walked. I flinched at his touch, used to Lewin’s rough treatment and surprised by how gentle the king was in comparison. We made our way down the damp hall and up the never ending stairs, stopping frequently as I stumbled. It was frustrating not to be able to support myself, and the last person I wanted to be relying on was the king.

Lewin was ordered to stay behind and move the prisoners to a more humane location, and relief flooded through me as the king’s carriage pulled away from my prison. Once the cursed building faded from view, I stared at the man across from me. How could this be the same man who had started the Slaughters? I’d expected someone older, rougher, with evil seeping from his very skin. This man didn’t seem evil—just hardened.

“Your uncle told me about you, Kenna,” he said as we left the military quarter behind.

“My uncle?” I asked, confused.

He nodded. “He said you didn’t seem to remember him. I’m sure the past few days haven’t helped. ”

My eyes widened. “Isaiah?”

A small smile crossed his face. “That’s right. Sir Balton. He’s the one who told me where you were. You owe him your life and your freedom.”

Questions that had been flashing through my mind days before returned. Was he really my uncle? If so, how did he recognize me when I’d been with Elizabeth since I was a baby? And if he was again lying to protect me, who was he?

“You’ve known a hard life,” the king continued. “Losing your parents at a young age, being kidnapped and tortured by those monsters—”

I flinched at his last word, but he pretended not to notice, likely misinterpreting my reaction.

“—and now being imprisoned by my own captain of the guard,” he said with genuine anger in his voice. “I intend to make it up to you, Kenna.”

A knot formed in my throat. “You don’t owe me anything—” I managed to say before he held up his hand for silence.

“I want to give you the opportunity to start a new life. If you don’t object, Sir Balton and I have arranged quarters for you in the castle. You will be taught to be a lady of the court and you will be under my protection.”

Quarters in the castle…

“Do you offer all young ladies this treatment?” I asked, squirming.

I thought I saw him smile, but I couldn’t be sure. “Only those who deserve it.”

He waited patiently as I considered his offer. A few months ago, I would have been leaping with joy inside at having found a way into the castle walls. After experiencing Lewin’s dungeon, my reaction was quite the opposite. Not only was I terrified, but I’d realized the truth: no matter what he had done or how much I hated him, I would never be able to kill a man.

The only thing keeping me from running as far away as I could was Isaiah. I needed to understand who he was and how he knew me.

He never said I couldn’t leave if I accepted …

I forced my lips into a shaky smile. “I don't deserve your hospitality. Thank you for your kindness.”

“Then it's settled,” the king said, clapping his hands. The moment his palms made contact, the carriage door opened, and I looked out at my new home.