Rise of Souls Read online

Una stepped closer to the bed, needing to see Brennus for herself. He was there, sleeping soundly next to his father on the bed.

  Satisfied that he was safe, she slipped the letter opener in her pocket and hurried across the room to Lia. As soon as Lia saw her face, she paused in her rocking.

  “Una? What is it?”

  Una shook her head, wishing she’d rehearsed the words. “We are under attack. The Souls have breached the island.”

  Lia stood, her face pale. “What do you mean? What are you talking about, Una?”

  “Fenris and I…we found a girl on the beach. A guide who was dispatched early this morning to ferry someone to the island. She washed up on the north shore. She said she’d been overtaken by the Souls on the ferry, that they were on their way to the island.”

  Lia shook her head. “But…how can that be? The Souls…” She crossed to the window, pulling back the draperies and gazing out over the fog-covered hills. “Everything seems fine.”

  For the first time, it occurred to Una that perhaps the girl had been lying. Perhaps she was mad with hallucinations from being in the water. Perhaps she was simply wrong.

  “I seek only to tell you what the girl said.” She bowed formally to Lia, her mistress, her friend. “You are the Lady of Altus, and I am yours to command.”

  Lia’s eyes were shrouded with indecision. Her gaze slid to Dimitri, still asleep on the bed. She was opening her mouth to speak when a scream rang out across the island. High-pitched and filled with horror, it was cut off a moment later.

  Lia’s eyes met Una’s a second later. “Sound the alarm.”

  “Which one?” Una asked.

  Lia hesitated only a moment. “Counterattack and evacuation.”

  Una had not wanted to leave Lia and the babies, but Lia had insisted. Una should sound the alarm while Lia woke Dimitri. By the time Una returned, they would have come to an agreement about a course of action.

  In the meantime, the rest of the island needed to be warned.

  Una flew through the halls of the Sanctuary until she came to a simple wooden door at the back of the building. Flinging the door open, she hurried up the circular stairs to the bell tower, lifting her robe as she ran, not wanting to trip, not wanting to do anything that would slow her progress to the bell, which was the alarm for the island.

  She did not hear anything until she reached the top, the tower exposed on all sides to the open air. Then she heard an assortment of muffled shouts, screams, and somewhere in the distance, the clang of metal on metal.

  She reached for the rope attached to the bell and pulled, ringing it in three long peals followed by two short ones. She did not know if an order of evacuation had ever been issued for the island, if the people of Altus even remembered the sequence for such an order. If they would know what to do.

  But all she could do was ring it, the sound of shouting and screaming below growing louder and more insistent.

  When she had completed the fifth peal, she hurried back down the stairs. Some of the Sisters emerged from their rooms as she ran through the halls. They were sleepy, disoriented, their eyes frightened.

  “Is it a drill?”

  “Who’s been trifling with the…?”

  “What on Altus’s verdant hills was that?”

  “You heard it!” Una shouted as she ran. “Prepare to fight or evacuate, on the Lady’s orders.”

  “But what is she…”

  “… this isn’t…”

  “The Souls…a threat.”

  Una did not have time to stop and explain. To tell them all that the order had been issued for a reason. That Lady Amalia would not have issued it if the threat were not clear and present.

  They had been warned. It was all she could do. Now her responsibility lay in protecting Lia and the babies, in seeing them safely off the island.

  Returning to Lia and Dimitri’s chamber, she was surprised to find one of the Brothers already posted at the door, a guard who barred her way. She was still explaining her position as Lia’s lady-in-waiting when the door opened.

  “Una, come,” Dimitri said, pulling her into the room without a word to the guard. Though Dimitri had been fast asleep, his son at his side, when Una left to sound the alarm, he was now clear-eyed and alert. “There is no time to waste.”

  She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. The noise from outside was louder now. Shouting—occasionally broken by a scream, the collision of swords—made its way through the thick walls and windows of the Sanctuary. In the few minutes it had taken her to sound the warning, the situation had clearly deteriorated. She thought fleetingly of Fenris and the girl from the beach, wondering if they had made it to safety.

  She pushed the thought aside almost as soon as it sprang to mind. She could not afford to think of them now. She must concentrate on Lia and her family and trust that Fenris would do what he must to protect the girl and survive.

  She looked at Dimitri, a leather sheath holding a sword strapped to his waist as he rushed about the room, throwing things into a valise, while Lia wrapped the babies in thick blankets.

  “What can I do?”

  Dimitri did not pause in his activities to look at her. “You can accompany my wife in the evacuation and see to her safety and the safety of my sons.”

  “Of course,” Una said.

  She hurried to Lia’s side, taking Brennus from her while she wrestled a squalling Connall into a swaddling cloth. Dimitri set the valise on the bed and turned to the top drawer of the bureau, pulling from it one of Lia’s old gowns.

  Lia’s hands stopped moving over the baby’s body, her eyes wary as she regarded her husband. “Why are you packing my gown?”

  “You must be prepared,” he said simply. “For anything.”

  Lia turned away from the baby, her eyes instructing Una to make sure he did not roll off the bed.

  She placed a hand on Dimitri’s arm, forcing him to stop moving. “What, specifically, are you preparing me for, Dimitri?”

  He took a deep breath. “Anything. Anything and everything.”

  “But surely we will return,” Lia said. “We will evacuate as planned for such an attack, and whoever is responsible will be apprehended. We will be back on the island before the evening meal.”

  He reached out, his eyes tender as he placed a hand on the side of her face. “I hope it will be so, my love.”

  “And why wouldn’t it?” Lia’s voice was still low, still calm, but Una heard the undercurrent of dread in it. “This island has belonged to the Sisters and the Grigori since the beginning of time. Do you think it will be lost from us today?”

  He hesitated. “I don’t know. Perhaps our hold on Altus seems more tenuous now that I have you to care for, now that I must see to the safety of our sons.” He shook his head. “I simply cannot take the chance, Lia. Not anymore. You and the twins will evacuate with the others as the plan requires. I cannot accompany you. Please don’t ask.”

  She smiled sadly. “I will do no such thing. I know the man I married.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “I will see to our sons and to our people, and you will do your duty, as a warrior must.”

  He leaned down, pressing his lips fiercely to hers. “You are every bit the warrior as me.” He turned to Una, sitting on the bed with Brennus in her arms, one hand on Connall’s tiny belly as he squirmed in the swaddling cloth. “Are they ready?”

  She nodded.

  “And what of you, Una?” Lia asked. “Do you need a few moments to gather your things?”

  Una shook her head, looking down at the infant in her arms. “All that matters is here.” She lifted her eyes to Lia’s and bowed her head. “I am yours to command, my Lady.”

  “Very well.” Lia gathered Connall in her arms.

  Dimitri crossed the room and knocked softly on the door. He waited for a mimicking knock from the other side, obviously some kind of signal between him and the guard, before opening the door.

  “Tristan,” he said to the guard, “two m
inutes.”

  He shut the door and picked up the valise, turning to Lia and Una. “Stay close. We’ll go out the back, take the path at the rear of the island. I don’t want to risk the ferry landings. They may be watched.”

  “But the boats…” Una began. “They’re at the landing.”

  “Someone will be waiting for us,” Dimitri answered. “It’s all arranged.”

  He made his way to the door, knocking again. When the response sounded from the other side, he opened the door. Peering around him, Una was surprised to see not one but four Brothers standing at the ready, hands on the swords at their sides.

  “What’s happening?” Dimitri demanded of the first guard as they rushed from the room, two of the Brothers in front, two at their backs.

  The guard’s voice was low, and Una strained her ears to pick up his words.

  “The boats are readied, but we don’t know how long we can keep the landing clear. The Souls have overrun the island. We’ve managed to evacuate a fair number of the Sisters already, along with most of the children, but…”

  The rest of his words were lost to Una as they stepped outside, the cacophony of battle drowning out all else. Brennus squirmed in her arms, scowling and emitting a tiny squall of protest.

  “Shhhhh….” Una bounced him the way he liked, trying to soothe him. They stepped off the portico, and Una dropped back next to the two guards at the rear of their party. “Have you seen Brother Fenris?”

  “No.” She was answered by the strapping blond on the left. “But then again, we’ve had our hands full. He’s likely fighting with some of the others.”

  “I was supposed to meet him,” she said, her voice trailing off. “If you see him, can you tell him that I’m with Lady Amalia? And that…” She paused, trying to gather her thoughts as they hurried across the grassy field behind the main building. “That I’m sorry.”

  It was all she could think of to say.

  The Brother’s eyes met hers. He nodded. “If I see him, it will be done.”

  Her heart seemed to stutter as she took in his words: If I see him…

  As if there was every possibility he would not. As if there was every possibility he and others like him would never be seen again.

  “Una, come.” Lia waved her forward, and Una reluctantly stepped away from the guard at the back of the line, moving up next to Lia.

  Like the rest of the island, the field was covered in fog. She clutched Brennus to her chest and stayed close to Lia, Dimitri directly in front of them, flanked by guards. She could hear the sounds of battle, close now—too close—though she could not see it playing out. She could hear only the war cries of men, the clatter of swordplay, the faint shrieking of women and children.

  And then, somewhere beyond the mist, the crackle of fire.

  They had just left the soft grass of the field, stepping onto the rocky path leading to the beach, when a figure appeared suddenly out of the mist. All four guards and Dimitri turned, facing out with swords drawn as they shielded Lia and Una in a circle.

  The man who had emerged was slight and shorter than Una. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “It’s me! Cyric! I have a message for the Lady and Brother Markov.”

  None of the men lowered their weapons.

  “Give us your message quickly,” Dimitri said.

  “The Sanctuary is ablaze, the Council surrounded by the Guard.” He paused before continuing. “The Brothers await your orders.”

  Una waited in the silence, wondering what Dimitri would command, what recourse was still open to them. A second later, she was surprised to hear not Dimitri’s voice, but Lia’s.

  “You must go now. Fight among your men.”

  Dimitri turned to look at Lia. Una saw the emotion warring on his face. Duty to family versus duty to the island. Love of his wife and sons versus love for his people.

  He leaned over Connall and kissed his wife passionately on the mouth. Una wanted to turn away, felt embarrassed in the face of their obvious love for each other, almost ashamed to be witness to such raw feeling.

  Pulling away from her, Dimitri touched his lips to each son’s forehead.

  Then he turned to the Brothers, whispering something inaudible before speaking more loudly, his voice commanding.

  “Get them to the boats. Do not leave their side until they are on the water.”

  “Yes, sir,” the man named Tristan said.

  Dimitri stepped out of the circle. “Let’s go,” he said to Cyric.

  Una watched Lia try to mask her fear as Dimitri disappeared into the mist. When he was out of sight, she spoke to the guards.

  “Take us to the boat, please.”

  Tristan and one of the other Brothers led the way down the path. Una stayed close to Lia, trying to block out the sounds of battle. Trying to push aside her feelings of guilt. It did not seem fair that she should be escorted to safety because she was Lia’s lady-in-waiting. What of Deirdre, the sweet, serene Sister who accompanied Una to the scrying pool? And Seanna, the raven-haired spitfire who helped her organize events and celebrations?

  What would become of her many friends? Friends who, in the absence of her brother, were the only family she had on the island? She was glad that Gareth was still in Ireland with Brigid, for she would not be able to bear the loss of her brother in addition to everything else falling to ash around her. She wondered if she would ever see him again and then forced herself not to think about it. She must escape the island safely, if only because it would mean that Lia and the babies had escaped as well.

  They came to the footpath leading to the water. The waves crashed angrily against the rocky cliffs, but beyond that, she could see nothing. The sea was shrouded in mist, the distant shouts and sounds of battle the only indication there was any world at all beyond the fog.

  Una descended the hill quickly and carefully, not wanting to slip with Brennus in her arms. She dared a glance down at him, her heart almost breaking at the sight of his earnest gaze. He looked at her with such trust, as if nothing bad could befall him in her arms.

  She felt the weight of it on her shoulders.

  Her robe billowed against her legs as she stepped onto the cold sand. She realized with a start that her feet were still bare, her sandals probably sitting where she had left them on the path leading from the back of the island.

  Lia stopped suddenly in front of her.

  “Lady Amalia?” Una said, moving up to stand by her mistress’s side. “What is it?”

  Lia looked out over the beach, her eyes on the boats standing at the ready, a guide at the helm of each one. “Why are there two boats?”

  The men shuffled uncomfortably.

  Una stood straighter. “Your Lady has asked you a question,” she said firmly.

  “It’s Brother Markov,” Tristan said. “He instructed that the babies be separated, one with Sister Una and one with you, my Lady.” He bowed his head in submission, as if this would take the sting out of his words.

  “Separated?” Una said. “Why on earth would he issue such an order?”

  “I know why.” Lia’s voice was dull and faraway, as if she were already adrift on the sea with only one son. “He wants to ensure their survival.”

  And now the truth of it began to dawn on Una. Dimitri was not certain they would all make it out alive. By splitting up his sons, he was increasing the odds that at least one of them would live.

  “But…we can’t separate Brennus and Connall,” Una protested.

  Lia lifted her chin. “We can and will. My husband is right. The twins represent the only continuation of both our bloodlines. We must prepare for every eventuality.”

  “As you wish, my Lady.” Tristan bowed his head, as if it were Lia’s desire that the twins be separated instead of her worst fear, as Una knew it was.

  Lia knew well the agony of being without one’s twin.

  The sound of battle came nearer, the clang of swords louder. Lia stepped toward Una. “Una…my friend.” Lia’s e
yes burned like emerald fire. “There is no other I would trust with the care of my son in such a moment. I will never be able to thank you for your sacrifice and loyalty, now and always.”

  Una shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. “Please…don’t. I’ll see you again soon. I will,” she insisted.

  Lia smiled. “Yes. In this world or the others.”

  Holding Connall, she bent her head to Brennus, still in Una’s arms. Lowering her nose to Brennus’s neck, she inhaled, as if wanting to commit his scent to memory. Then she touched her lips to the soft fuzz that covered his head. Una saw the shine of tears in her eyes but was not surprised that Lia did not allow them to fall.

  Finally, she stood straighter, leveling her gaze at the guards. “Take me to the boat.”

  The guards split off, two with Lia and two with Una. They made their way across the sand to the waiting boats. Guides were already at the helms, oars in hand. Una recognized them from the island, from all the daily interactions that forced Altus’s inhabitants into contact. The interactions that made them a family, even when they did not know one another well.

  The woman in Lia’s boat was a fixture on the island and had been for as long as Una could remember. Una had heard her tell good-natured stories about the young women training under her tutelage. It was no wonder they had chosen her to see Lia to safety.

  The guide in the other boat was a fellow resident of the Sanctuary. Una had long admired her long strawberry-blond curls and quick smile. To be given the responsibility of escorting Lia and Una off the island meant that she was an experienced guide, but she must have risen to a position of even greater trust to reside under the same roof as the Lady of Altus.

  Whoever had chosen the guides had chosen them well.

  Lia moved to the boat manned by the older Sister. Una hurried to the other. She was preparing to step into the boat when a clatter broke out behind her.

  Turning, she was horrified to see six men burst through the fog from the direction of the pathway. For a moment, she could only stare, still holding Brennus, trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

  The six men approached the boats, swords in hand. The Brothers Dimitri had sent with her and Lia turned to face them.