The Fire Immortal-Book 5

Chapter 22

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Chapter 22

                      Varmer could barely hide his smile at Dahlia's terrified look. As much as she and Tamarak could not be harmed the way that Varmer had revoked Linden's immortality, it was still terrifying for them to see what he could do. The very atmosphere in the room was pure terror; there was not a single person in the room who was not scared of what Varmer could do.

                      Zara had practically fallen apart. She was shaking where she was, her face as white as a sheet. Varmer could tell, with irritation, that the fear was not entirely towards him, but instead misery and horror towards Linden's death.

                       For a second, Varmer considered whether or not it would be better to kill Zara as well. He knew perfectly well how dangerous love was; that very same emotion had caused Benjamin to rebel against him after over 200 years of service. It would be just his luck if Zara decided to rebel too, simply because he had killed Linden.

                       However, Tia seemed to anticipate his thoughts and stepped in the way, one arm around her sister and the other fingering her sword. Tia's loyalty was stronger towards her sister than towards Varmer; she had never enjoyed being subservient to him. She had only served Varmer because she wanted others to serve her in turn. But Varmer knew that she would not simply stand by and let Zara die if she had the power to stop Varmer.

                      Very carefully, Varmer cultivated his expression so that Tia would not think that he had been contemplating killing Zara. It would never do if both sisters decided to turn on him. He was running out of loyal soldiers for his guard and it would not do to lose two more of the original members. If he lost both Tia and Zara, he would only have Leo left from the original five to defend him. It would be worth it to kill them. Granted, Zara might end up rebelling, but he would be able to predict her betrayal before it happened and he would be able to control the situation before it got out of hand. If he spared her now, she might not end up betraying him.

                      Fortunately for both of them, Dahlia created a diversion by clamping her teeth down hard on Leo's arm. Although her chances of escape were zero to none if Zara did not help her, her fighting spirit had clearly not diminished. Leo howled as her teeth pierced his skin and hot, salty blood filled her mouth, making her retch again and again.

                      With a yell of pain, Leo released her, thrusting her hard towards the floor. She had her wits about her; just enough to break her fall with one hand, but her head still struck the floor. Dazed, she groaned as Leo's vicious leg kicked her ribs. She wasn't sure if he was doing it just to be mean or to retaliate because she had bit him or to show Varmer that he was clearly still on his side – whatever the reason, it hurt!

                       Her vision was blackening at the edges but she didn't dare to let herself fall into unconsciousness. Tamarak's safety was still on the line and although she hoped that he would faint, she knew that if she did, he might be tortured and she could do nothing to help him. The only thing that was keeping her going was the knowledge that Varmer still needed her alive and that her safety was guaranteed. That and the fact that she knew that Troy needed her.

                     "Stop it," Varmer snapped at Leo, making him jump. "I need her organs intact."

                      Leo looked like he wanted to retaliate, but he bit his tongue; the memory of what Varmer had done to Linden was still fresh in his mind. He looked down at his arm and then glared at Dahlia, who was still lying, groaning, on the floor.