Page 56 of Within the Flames
Fifteen
Macey kicked at the wall, frustrated that they couldn't seem to get out.
"I tried that."
"Yes, I imagined you would have," she snapped.
"How did you escape last time?" he asked.
"Didn't Amber tell you?"
"No. She doesn't talk about her time here."
"Not surprising," Macey muttered under her breath. It wasn't like she'd been particularly forthcoming about her time in the Voice's Keep either. Far from it. "We won't be getting out the same way," she added.
"Why not?"
"Because the Mahoun doesn't make mistakes like that twice." Her patience with the man was already running thin. Though that was true of her patience with him all the time. She wasn't too sure what it was about him but Izban really rubbed her up the wrong way. She was just glad fate hadn't decided he was to be one of her men too. That would have been too much.
"So what do you suppose we do?"
"I don't know." She grunted in frustration. How had she managed to get herself here again? Once wasn't enough for her, she just came running back to the Mahoun's grasp. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
"Will the others help?"
"I don't know if they can." She bit her words out through gritted teeth as she tried to think. There must be some way of getting out of here. She couldn't let herself be beaten by the Voice. Not at this stage in the game. She had a godsforsaken army outside.
And where was Luc? He'd been with her fighting the Mahoun, he should be here too. Except his absence must have meant something else. She wasn't naive enough to think it meant he'd gotten away. That wasn't how the Voice worked.
Unless...
He'd managed to get into the castle undetected. Maybe the Mahoun wasn't actually able to sense the daimon. Not unless someone talked to him. The fight was different, he'd physically been attacking. Maybe the Mahoun had just thought she was using her magic to fight like that...
She shook her head. Idle thoughts like that weren't going to get her anywhere. Not when the whole reason she was having them was because she didn't want to accept the truth. The Mahoun had them. If she didn't do something about it soon, then they were all going to die. Not just her and Izban, but everyone in her army too.
Everyone she'd brought here to end up slaughtered.
Frustrated tears began to fall from her eyes. How could she have done this? Everyone she thought of as a friend and an ally would only suffer betrayal and death. She'd go down in history as the Warden who caused nothing but death and destruction.
If there was any history left at all. There was a good chance the Voice wouldn't stop at just the people outside the walls. He wanted everyone. The whole world under his control or burning.
Flames leaped up around them and Macey jumped back.
Not Izban though. He just stood there, the flames licking at his clothing and trying to burn him hole.
"Izban?" Her voice shook as she asked.
"Had an idea?" he asked snidely.
"How are you standing in the flames?" The pieces were already starting to slot together in Macey's mind but she wasn't entirely sure. A lot of it hinged on Izban's reply.
"Oh. I didn't realise I was." He stepped forward, leaving the fire behind him. His clothes were completely unsinged and there wasn’t even a soot mark on him.
"MAHOUN!" Macey shouted at the top of her lungs. "You can let me out now."
A loud chuckle filled her head.
VERY GOOD, LITTLE KELPIE. THAT DIDN'T TAKE YOU AS LONG AS I THOUGHT.
