Engines of Alchemancy (The Alchemancer Book One)

Chapter 20. The Final Betrayal

THE WALK FROM VALACIA TO the Griffin sapped the anger from Shanna, leaving her tired—exhausted, really—and plagued by a numbness that nibbled away at her spirit. Her hands trembled halfway to the airship. Clenching them into fists halted such nonsense for a time, but only until the sensation spread to her arms. She clasped her arms across her chest, but such measures also proved temporary as she then fought to keep her entire body from shaking. Shanna wasn't sure how she made it up the rope and onto the airship's deck. She thought one of the crewmen—Tom, perhaps—had helped her up the last bit. But, thinking back, her memory was spotted with so many holes, the only thing she remembered clearly at all was what had happened in the ancient city of the Empyreans. Engus Rul was dead. While the dwarf had never truly been on her side, he'd also never really been against her. Of all the dwarves, he'd been the only one. That was why, as she gained her balance on the ever-shifting deck, she was not surprised at the reception waiting for her as the dwarves saw that their leader was not amongst the returning party.

The dwarves stood together, now with naked steel in their hands. Opposing them, and keeping them from grabbing Erlek outright, were the sitheri, their own weapons brandished. Around them all, standing at a safe distance, a handful of mates wearing high altitude gear fingered the hafts of hastily retrieved pikes better suited to repelling boarders than quelling a riot. Still others kept hands close to clubs and knives. A riot was just what Shanna expected to break out when, instead, one of the dwarves stepped forward to ask what had become of Engus Rul. Erlek opened his mouth to respond, but a quick outburst from the dwarf silenced him.

"Shut yer mouth, bloodsucker!" the dwarf said. "I'll hear it from the girl."

As all eyes turned to her, it was not the sudden attention which kept Shanna's voice quiet, but a sudden rash of shame at her inability to keep Engus Rul alive. She'd been handed more than one opportunity to end Erlek's life, yet she'd not taken advantage of a single one of them. She could have prevented Engus Rul's death. Instead, she'd contributed to it. In the end, her prolonged silence was answer enough for the dwarves.

Chaos ensued as dwarf traded blows with sitheri. Only interference from the pike-wielding airmen kept the scuffle from breaking out into a full-scale war as they leveled the hafts of their weapons between the conflicting parties. From there, the confrontation ended as quickly as it had begun, but only after bitter pledges of retribution came from the lips of the dwarves. Their threats were not for Erlek alone. Threatening glances were leveled at Shanna too. A wave or two of an axe signified her head coming off. She longed to tell them she, too, mourned Engus's passing, that he'd been a sort of friend, and that she'd tried to stop Erlek from killing him. She knew the futility of speaking such words, though, especially to ones who hated her as much as they hated Erlek, so she said nothing. It was all she could do to keep her trembling from showing, anyway.

Shanna left the dying commotion of the main deck behind, floating down into the comforting half-light of the Griffin's hull. With relief, she tore off her mask and heavy coat. Erlek trailed her all the way to her room. Sighing, Shanna turned to see what he wanted rather than lead him into the small confines beyond her door.

"I go to meet a powerful sorcerer to barter for the Element of Water," Erlek said.

"Barter like you did for the Element of Air?"

A smile just turned the edges of Erlek's lips. "You will remain behind. We cannot risk the Elements we already have falling into the hands of this man."

Shanna's hand went to the satchel still hanging from one shoulder where the three Elements were stowed. A spark of defiance still sheltered within, she half-hoped Erlek would ask for her to surrender them so she could refuse him, but he did not. He intended to leave immediately upon one of the gyros. He ordered her to stay in her room until his return.