Page 32 of Oath of Betrayal
The roar of landing dragons was a heavenly melody—the sound of slamming doors and the heavy panting of the messenger who arrived shortly after that, however, felt like someone had thrown iced water down my spine.
‘M-my lord … The commander … requests your presence in his quarters immediately,’ the messenger stuttered, out of breath, and I frowned.
His choice of words was bizarre.Why in Orm’s quarters?I mused.This has to be related to that aether storm still reverberating within my chest. Dark Mother, protect them.Pressure built in my chest, and the worry that my friend—or the mage—were injured nearly overwhelmed me.
We had healers here; mostly low-class or non-mage, suitable for the fortress. They were necessary for both the garrison and the town, and I was only called in the direst circumstances.
‘Come with me and tell me what happened.’ The menace in my voice had the messenger backing away as I rushed towards the door.
‘The commander brought in an unconscious woman. There was an attack on the journey here, and her … She didn’t look good.’
‘What? Get out of my way,’ I snarled before bolting for Orm’s private quarters.
She can’t die, not now. I can’t be trapped in this torment forever.
Jumping two stairs at a time, the images racing through my mind chased all rational thoughts from my head. I’d searched for centuries for this chance, and I’d be damned if I let her die now that she was within my grasp. I didn’t even slow down as I reached my friend’s chambers, smashing the door open with a pulse of magic, the hard rock wall chipping from the impact.
Orm’s rooms looked the same as usual—a warrior’s lair with unpainted stone walls and large stained glass windows overlooking the mountain ridge. The place revealed the personality of its owner. Soft woven rugs covered the floor, and animal pelts on the walls and furniture highlighted the ancient weapons placed at strategic points throughout the room. The space was lit by candles that created more shadow than light, with an antlered chandelier hanging in front of the massive bed.
None of those details escaped my notice, even as my attention focused on the fevered, thrashing woman that Orm was attempting to hold down as gently as possible. His face wasstricken with such worry and helplessness that it hollowed his cheeks and tightened his lips.
‘Help her! I don’t know what to do. She saved me. She saved us all, but something happened between her and Vahin … he’s in pain, and she is burning from the inside out. I can feel it through the bond. If she dies, I don’t know what will happen to him.’
I had never seen him so close to losing control. His voice was roughened and raw while a yellow glimmer lit his eyes from within. Then came the realisation. Orm wasn’t asking for my help; he was commanding it, and it was an order I couldn’t refuse. My friend didn’t even look at me, his attention solely focused on Annika’s face. That in itself told me that whatever had happened on the journey was enough to shatter the stoic commander’s composure.
‘Move aside so I can examine her and tell me exactly what happened. This was supposed to be a straightforward Choosing.’
‘Nothing is straightforward when it comes to this woman. We were wrong about her, so fucking wrong. Shesaved me, even after I threatened her with the fucking geas.’ He snorted a joyless laugh. ‘She called me a bastard, rattling her chain. And fuck, she was right—but what else could I do?’ He didn’t move. Instead, his arms wrapped tighter around Ani’s body.
‘Orm, I need to examine her …’ I wondered whether this would be the moment I saw his walls crumble. He looked at me as if my calm offended him.
‘You don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me she could bond with a dragon? When the spectrae swarmed us, she did something that burned them all. The entire swarm died when she took Vahin’s flames and …fuck, it was amazing.’ He threw his head back and laughed. ‘I witnessed a fucking miracle today, sitting there like a damn idiot as she did this to herself … and now she’s dying.’
‘She Anchored Vahin? Wait—spectrae attack? That’s impos … Dragon magic is raw and primal. It can’t be Anchored,’ I stuttered, utterly confused as I placed two fingers on her wrist. ‘Hrae!’ I hissed, pulling my hand away before my skin could blister to cast a barrier spell on my body.
Her skin was burning hot, her pulse was so erratic that I knew she was burning alive. The magic … the aether surrounding her sparked, hissing with power—the chaotic, destructive, all-consuming power of dragon fire. I’d never seen anything like it, and I would need to know more before even attempting to add my own magic to the mix. With no other ideas, I opted for the simplest of methods to help her.
‘I’ll open the windows. We need to undress her and cool her down. Hopefully, that will buy us enough time for me to think of a solution.’
‘I will call for the women,’ he said, but as soon as Orm moved, I grasped his hand, pointing to the blackening fabric of the bedding. ‘Her power is out of control. I can protect myself to a certain degree, and your bond with Vahin protects you from dragon fire, but any maids or servants will burn if they touch her skin. This isn’t the time for false modesty, Orm. Do it, now!’ I commanded, and his eyes narrowed.
‘It’s not about modesty. My touch … Ani’s magic wraps around me whenever I touch her bare skin. Or at least it did. I can’t feel it anymore. She didn’t want this, and I promised …’
‘What are you talking about? Did she try to Anchor you?’
‘I don’t know, but she didn’t want me to touch her.’
‘Orm, focus! Do you think she’ll suddenly wake up and think you’re trying to fuck a half dead furnace just to Anchor her? Trust me and just do as I say, or I’ll do it for you,’ I snapped, too concerned about the woman to watch my words. If Orm still refused, I would do it and hope that my protection spell would be strong enough to withstand the full force of Vahin’s flames.
‘Watch your tongue, fae. She saved my life, and you will talk about herwithrespect,’ Orm shocked me with the yellowish glint of wild magic in his eyes and the threatening tone of his voice.
‘Then do what I told you to do, and we can both meekly apologise later. I want her to live.That’smy priority, not worrying about fancy words,’ I answered harshly because Orm’s words stung, but I couldn’t allow them to faze me.
His muscles tensed, but he gently sat her up, leaning her against his chest before he undressed her. A brief sob shook her body when he reached for her blouse, and Ani threw her hands around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.
‘Talmund, how did you survive? I thought I’d lost you, I thought I’d lost you both …’ she mumbled, resting her forehead against his neck. I saw Orm stiffen, his hands pausing. I cursed quietly as her magic became even more unstable with the voicing of those words.
‘She said I reminded her of her Anchor,’ he told me, uneasiness in his voice. ‘I’ve never tried to …’ I felt how weak and thready her pulse was. I turned towards the door and shouted for buckets of ice-cold water and towels.
