The Catalyst

Chapter 28

"Look, Tessa," Myzian said as they rushed inside the stables. "There's a carriage ready."

Beyond the rows of stalls, four bays were indeed tethered to a lacquered wood carriage. Tessa carefully opened the carriage door. No one sat inside.

When Bellissa shrieked, Tessa and Myzian turned at once. A man clothed in all black held a saber to Bellissa's throat. The horses in the stalls nearby gave nervous whinnies.

"Good evening, Tessa Nightvale." She recognized a Laethi accent from the sharp edge of his vowels.

Myzian stepped forward and raised his sword. "Let her go."

But the stranger's mischievous brown eyes didn't leave Tessa as he applied just enough pressure for a bead of blood to trickle down Bellissa's neck.

"Myzian, stop moving," Tessa commanded, and her fiancé obeyed. "All right, what do you want?" Tessa inquired of the Laethi man.

"Kitera said you were smart. You should be able to figure it out."

Tessa's fingers brushed her necklace.

He flashed her a grin. "There you go!"

"You're Kitera's lover," she said. "Dharkan, is it?"

More blood streamed down from Bellissa's neck. Myzian glanced worriedly at Tessa.

"I see Kitera shares things with you," Dharkan said. "But she also shares things with me. I know you care about this woman. Bellissa, right?"

Bellissa winced in Dharkan's grip. Tessa's hands clenched into fists.

Dharkan smiled. "That's right, I know all about her, including the fancy potion that lets you maintain your pure virgin queen image."

"Liar! I won't believe these lies!" Myzian said fervently.

"Cute," Dharkan said before his amused gaze slid back to Tessa. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I'll get the catalyst from you no matter what you do in the next few seconds. But here's the thing, I'd rather not hurt you, because I know my girlfriend cares about you. Anyway, if you stall too much, you're gonna get hurt. Not necessarily by me. Your castle's currently infested with people who'd be happy to smash your pretty face. Any moment now they'll come looking for you."

A shudder raked through her. She slowly reached up to unclasp the chain from around her neck.

"Excellent choice," Dharkan said. "Now give it to me, and I'll give you back your friend so you can all get the hell out of here in that carriage I was nice enough to prepare. Oh it's all right, no need to thank me."

Tessa held up the catalyst and stepped forward. Myzian visibly tensed.

As Dharkan's gloved fingers curled around the necklace, he released Bellissa. She stumbled away from him and into Tessa's waiting arms.

"Thank you," Bellissa whispered shakily.

"It's all right," Tessa said quietly. "Get in the carriage. Myzian, open the stables door."

They both did as she asked. Tessa turned back to Dharkan. "Since we both care about Kitera, can you deliver a message for me? Tell her not to wait. Tell her to do it as soon as she deciphers how to make the catalyst work."

Dharkan's expression was finally serious. "What are you talking about?"

"Just deliver the message," Tessa stressed. "She'll know."

Tessa went to the carriage. Myzian had already taken place on the front seat and gathered the bays' reins.

"Let's go," Tessa instructed. The quiet darkness of the carriage engulfed her as she sat next to Bellissa on the cushioned seat. Then came the snap of the whip and the carriage lurched into motion.