Page 71 of Boundless
Len had been doing a lot of studying and practice with Yollyn and Gero. He'd been developing his medical magic, honing it with a deeper understanding of bodies and life, until he'd realized that if he wanted to, he could end a life as easily as he could save it. More easily, really. It was the simplest thing, to reach his awareness into his father's breast, to sink the threads of aether into his heart and still its frantic pumping. And it was startling, to see that it was just a heart like any other, thick red muscle and a tangle of veins and arteries.
Len opened his eyes as his father stumbled back, clutching his chest and falling to the floor in a heap.
"All you had to d-do was love me," Len whispered, his father's lungs seizing, stilling.
And then Len was sagging, sliding out of his chair as blackness swamped him, and he knew no more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Storming the Castle
DAEGA
THEY WEREa day from the castle, camping in some woods at the fringe of a lord's estate. In the end, they hadn't marched with the full might of the horde, her father and Tesse making a kind of advance guard with Aevel and Rodrick. If they could slip into the castle and find Len themselves that would be preferable—it would mean far less bloodshed and quicker travel, and they knew that the sooner they got there the better their chances were of finding Len still alive.
Vitrin's mercy, she could accept nothing else. Hewouldbe alive when they got there.
He had to be.
"You look like something's crawling up your arse," Tesse teased, elbowing Daega. "And not in a good way."
That made Daega snort a laugh, pausing in her sword-sharpening to arch an eyebrow at her sister. "There's agoodway for something to crawl up your arse?"
Tesse smirked, shrugging. "I suppose thecrawlingisn't pleasant. I cede my point." Her expression softened. "How are you doing, lass?" she asked more softly, eyeing Daega's uneaten rations on the ground beside her.
"Well enough," she allowed, raising her eyes to meet Tesse's. "But I won't be fully well until I have him back."
Tesse nodded, clasping her arm and squeezing. "Aye, of course. He's a dear thing, our Lenlethael. We all miss him and want him back."
Daega swallowed, her vision blurring. "Aye."
"But you need to take care of yourself, Dae," Tesse continued, taking her hand and gently prying her whetstone from it. "Don't think I haven't noticed you're not eating, that you're barely sleeping. Da's worried, too, but I made him promise to let me be the one to talk to you."
Daega nodded, managing a weak smile. "Thanks, Tess. For sparing me his dramatics." Kevothaen was still scouting the area, setting tripwires and traps to ensure their camp would be safe. "I'll eat."
Tesse nodded, crossing her arms and settling in. "Are you going to watch me do it?" Daega asked. Her sister once again nodded, her expression daring Daega to put up a fuss.
"You're insane," she grumbled, tearing off a bite of jerky nonetheless.
She was just finishing her dinner when their father reappeared, clapping his daughters on their shoulders and settling onto a nearby fallen tree with a grunt. "Alright, my loves?" he asked them, pulling out his own meal. Their two elf companions were on the other side of the clearing, huddled over a rough map of the castle and quietly debating how they'd go about breaking in. They were technically trespassing in this forest, so there wouldn't be a fire, but Frichta had blessed their journey with mild weather. It was chilly, but clear and dry, and they'd be fine in their tents and furs.
"You eat your dinner, nugget?" her father asked sternly, leveling a look at Daega.
She rolled her eyes. "Aye, your agent already carried out her directive." She was starting to bristle from all the fussing. "I'm fine, I don't need you two coddling me."
Tesse sighed. "You need your strength, you donkey. So eat your food and you'll not get treated this way."
"You're going to let her talk to me like that?" Daega huffed.
Their father chuckled, shaking his head and making his one long braid sway. "You're both grown. I have no power here."
They lapsed into silence, Kevothaen finishing his meal quickly. Daega picked her blade back up and resumed sharpening it, feeling twitchy, like she needed to keep her hands busy. They'd be at the castle by late afternoon tomorrow, and that knowledge was making her antsy and unsettled.
Eventually, the other two Istarii Drakan began cleaning and sharpening their own weapons, the rasp of whetstones on steel weaving between the elves' quiet voices.
It was fully dark by the time the two elves came to an agreement and joined Daega and her family.
"There's catacombs deep under the castle," Rodrick began, turning on a lantern and setting it on the ground beside the map. "They're unmonitored and sorely neglected, and all entrances into the castle dungeons are walled off. But we figure it's our best chance. If we can manage not to get crushed by something collapsing in the ancient crypts, then this entry point here—" he pointed one dark brown finger at an entry marked on the south end of the castle, "—has crumbling mortar. Assuming no one's repaired it in the months since we left, I'd imagine we should be able to take the wall down. Or at least make a hole."
