Page 63 of Bought to Break
As if you fucking care after what you did to her.But Sorin didn’t give voice to his thoughts. The matter had been dealt with. This was how disputes were settled in the Brothers, and even though he wanted to beat Kane anew every time he thought about it, he resisted.
‘On the ship,’ he said tersely.
None of them said anything more as they headed back down the hill towards the port, but Sorin had a bad feeling that Lana would not be where they’d left her.
Viktor reachedtheir vessel first and practically ran up the gangplank.
‘If you’re looking for your woman, she went into the town,’ someone called from above them.
Sorin looked up to see one of the soldiers peering down from the crow’s nest. ‘When?’
The man shrugged and looked up into the sky. ‘Bit after midday, maybe.’
‘Fuck!’ Viktor exclaimed. ‘She could be anywhere by now. She promised us she’d stay on the ship.’
Sorin heard a derisive snort from behind him and it took all of his restraint to keep from launching himself at Kane. ‘Just because you don’t give a shit about her, doesn’t mean we’re going to leave her to Greygor’s justice, leader or not,’ he snarled.
Suddenly Kane’s face was a hair’s breadth from his own, his features contorted in rage, and it took every ounce of gall for Sorin to stay exactly where he was. He wouldn’t give Kane the satisfaction of retreating. His Brother said nothing for a moment, as if trying to calm himself. Then he pulled back with a slow breath.
‘Where could she have gone?’ he finally asked.
Viktor ran a hand through his hair and looked up. ‘You know she can’t stay still for any length of time, and she was waiting alone since before the dawn.’
‘She would have gone in search of us.’ Sorin looked in the same direction as Viktor.
‘The citadel is the highest point in the town,’ Kane surprised Sorin by saying. ‘She’ll be there. With Greygor.’
Wordlessly, all three began to race up the cobbled roads towards the hillside. Sorin’s heart pounded with fear. When they’d left the ship this morning, the battle – if one could even call it that – had been swift and subdued, with most of the Brothers merely milling about while the Islanders stayed in their homes. The citadel, initially barricaded by the priests, had been breached quickly by their men on the inside, and its portcullis had opened by midmorning. The priests hadn’t even been slain, just herded into one of their dormitories and locked in.
Sorin hadn’t really thought anything was amiss at the time. It was strange but not completely unheard of for the battles to be small and waged in backstreets out of sight or for most of the population to have fled before the Brothers arrived, and hence there were few to actually resist. But it wasn’t until Sorin had heard the ridiculously low number of casualties in the hall that he’d realised just how odd the morning’s events were and also the army’s strange and muted reaction to them. Hundreds of men ready, primed for a fight, only for it not to take place … At the very least they should all be at each other’s throats or hauling Islanders out of their homes for sport. But there was nothing, only a calm that had settled over all of them – a relief of sorts.
Sorin’s brow furrowed. Could he really have been right about Lana? Was she a witch powerful enough to be affecting the whole Army? If it was true, how long before the other units realised? How long before Greygor did? He was already suspicious of her. Sorin picked up his speed. They would accuse Lana soon, if they hadn’t already. She wasn’t safe even as one of them anymore.
They reached the main hall as quickly as they were able, only to find it deserted save one groaning priest, sitting with his head in his hands.
Kane immediately hauled him to his feet by his robes before Sorin could utter a word. ‘Where is she, priest?’ he spat.
The man moaned in pain as Kane shook him, his body flapping about bonelessly. ‘I’ve already told you where it is. By the gods, leave me be.’
Sorin pulled the man’s head up by his scraggly mop of hair to look into his face. ‘We’re looking for a woman. One of us. Have you seen her? Tell us and we’ll free you.’
‘It’s in the cellar,’ he mumbled deliriously. ‘I told you. Give it to your precious Collector and leave our shores.’ His eyes began to roll back.
Sorin’s stomach turned to lead in an instant.Collector? It couldn’t be.He slapped the priest’s cheeks to wake him. ‘What collector? What is it? What are we here for?’
‘She’s so precious. Must be protected,’ the man whispered to himself. Then he went limp.
‘Fuck!’ muttered Kane. ‘We won’t get anything else out of him now.’ He dropped the priest, letting him fall back to the stone floor with a thud.
Sorin eyed the priest’s crumpled form, the wheels in his head turning quickly. ‘She must have been here. We need to find Greygor. He might already have her.’ He cast a look at Kane. ‘There’s only one man who would be able to fund the Dark Brothers on a campaign like this, looking for one artefact. I thought we were here to raid, but that’s not the true reason, is it?’
Kane stared stonily back, not giving anything away.
‘You’re second in command, Brother. You must know more than you’re saying. What if it’s Vineri?’
Viktor shook his head and began walking away, not bothering to wait for them. ‘I don’t care if it is. Lana is what’s important right now. I’m going to find Greygor.’
Sorin nodded, his eyes narrowing as they met Kane’s. ‘We aren’t finished.’
