Page 94 of Bought to Break
‘Once, but no more.’
Lana stared at the woman for a long time. Making up her mind, she turned to the Brothers.
‘I – There’s something I have to tell you. It’s about what happened while I was with the wise woman.’
‘What is it?’
‘I should have told you before, but I was afraid.’
Viktor gave her a nod of encouragement and she smiled wanly at him.
‘She’s a born witch,’ she continued. ‘She performed a ritual and I woke up in the God Realm. I met two of them.’ She shook her head at the memory. ‘Two drunken idiots. But there was a woman there.’ She told them of Gaila and the Vessel, and although they looked incredulous during some parts of her tale, neither of them gainsaid her.
When she had finished, she was silent, afraid they were going to laugh at her, but neither did.
‘You found this Vessel?’
‘Yes. It’s in my room.’
Kane looked sceptical.
‘It’s the truth. Please believe me.’
‘I do.’ He sighed heavily. ‘But even so, we still need to save ourselves, get Sorin, and now grab this Vessel and get that out of here as well.’
Lana straightened and lowered her voice. ‘I know what Xeta said, but we need to kill Vineri.’
Viktor shook his head. ‘Lana, thoughts of destroying that bastard kept us going for years. Then we met you and we realised that there’s so much more to live for. What we need to do is escape with our lives. That matters more than anything.’
Lana smiled at his words. She agreed. ‘But if you have a chance, don’t hesitate.’
Hours passed.Xeta disappeared back into the dark recesses of her cell. The Brothers, taking sleep where they could find it, were both settled against the stone walls with their eyes closed.
The door to the dungeon opened and Lana jumped up.
Vineri himself strode into the cell, Dugal hard on his heels.
‘Why has he put my property down here? If she sickens and dies, I’ll have his fucking head. When he returns, have him brought to me. He’s taken me away from my associates for this, and they don’t have the restraint to be left to their own devices.’ He waved at the guard. ‘Get her out of there and back to her room.’
She frowned. Uth hadn’t told Vineri about her and the Brothers and, of course, the Collector wouldn’t remember Kane and Viktor even if he’d seen them years before. Maybe they still had a chance.
The guard opened the door and beckoned her out. He took her by the arm and she glanced back at the Brothers, who were lolling in their cell, watching Vineri with calm detachment, their expressions not showing any of their absolute hatred.
As she passed Vineri, he took hold of her chin, forcing the guard to stop. Lana’s hand brushed the keys at the Collector’s belt and she eased them off his person, silently thanking Sorin for showing her some of his tricks over the past weeks.
‘Next time stay in your room,’ he advised. He glanced at Dugal. ‘Clean her up.’
The guard led her past Xeta’s cell and Lana stared into the darkness. She pretended to stumble and, as she fell to her knees, dropped the keys in the rushes by the bars, covering them as she stood.
‘Forgive me,’ she murmured to the guard, and he led her back to her room.
Dugal sawto her head himself and she tried not to let him see how distasteful it was for him to touch her. He didn’t linger, and she was glad of it, though after locking the door, she heard him post a guard in the hall. She didn’t dare try to pick the lock again, so she was forced to wait and hope that Xeta was able to free herself and the others.
She lay on the bed and tried to rest. It was only late afternoon, but she felt as if she hadn’t slept in days. She hoped her body wasn’t failing her already. There were still a few days until midwinter, when her time ran out. She longed to tell the Brothers, but they’d only fret, and they had more than enough to worry about, truth be told, without that as well – so she would keep it to herself until she didn’t have to anymore.
There was a short cry from the hall and then a thud against the door. She scrambled up, grabbed the Vessel from its hiding place and tied it into a bundle under her skirts, as she’d done with the coins she’d stolen from Viktor. Gods, that seemed like a lifetime ago now. She secured the Vessel as high as she could so it wouldn’t hinder her movements during their escape.
The door to her room opened and she caught sight of Kane and Viktor. She threw herself into their arms, hugging them both to her.
