Valerien felt his heart beating wildly. He had no explanation for it. It was as if Kirin's emotions were infecting him.
He glanced at the bard, who still pressed against the wall under the watchful eye of the hyrox. There was that stubborn set to the chin again, as always when he was trying to hide his fear.
"You promised," Kirin said.
The words echoed in Valerien's mind. Promise you will kill me first. I would rather die than be a slave again.
It was time to keep his word. After all, the young fool had served his purpose in leading him to the commander of Antha's army. From here on, it shouldn't be difficult to find Lioren.
He had to kill the human sooner or later anyway. Surely it was better to do it quickly than to leave it to Rhian's famously cruel methods.
Valerien's hand clutched the sword at his side, but he found himself unable to draw the weapon. There was something seriously wrong with him, yet he couldn't do it. He would have to find another way.
"You promised," Kirin repeated.
Grasping for control, Valerien steeled his heart and replied brusquely, "Be quiet. You'll be fine."
The smug smirk on Rhian's face made him ache to kill the icy bastard. His hand closed on the hilt again, but he knew he had no chance against a six-hundred-year-old warrior in his element.
"What did you promise that creature?" Rhian asked.
"Irrelevant. Take me to my brother."
"Don't presume to order me around, young Fae. The paladin has taken Her Highness to a secure place. Give me your signet."
Valerien handed him the Astir emblem attached to his armour. Rhian fixed it to the hyrox's collar and whispered something in its ear.
The beast growled at Kirin again, as if in warning, then took off at its unmatched speed. It was as notoriously dangerous as its master, but Valerien had never expected to see it used as a messenger.
"How long will it take?" he asked, trying to judge the distance.
"As long as it pleases Her Highness," Rhian answered unhelpfully. "You can wait at the mine, where we'll put your pet to work."
The bard threw himself at him at those words, but Rhian only laughed and pushed him back. Blue energies shot from his hands. The dripping water in the cave turned to ice around Kirin's wrists and ankles, pinning him to the wall.
Valerien pressed his nails deep into his palms to keep himself from reacting. Rhian, however, wasn't even looking at him but kept his eyes fixed on the cursing bard, regarding him with interest.
His hand moved again, and another layer of ice spread across Kirin's mouth, silencing him. Rhian snickered and addressed Valerien once more.
"When your mother first ventured into this world, she brought some of those creatures as gifts for her sister, the Queen. They were exhibited in the cages of the royal zoo for a while. Boring, frightened beings who whined a lot and wilted quickly. None of them had the spirit or the looks of your pet here. Maybe I could put to better use than slaving away in the mine," he mused.
Valerien knew he was being tested, but he could barely keep himself under control. Kirin's face was suffused with pain, his skin turning blue from the cold, his wrists bleeding from struggling against the ice. Why did that disturb him so much?
His mind filled with images of Kirin smiling and the feel of that lithe body against his, curling up in sleep. Memories of the young human imprisoned in a shed and the large branding scar on his shoulder assaulted him without warning. It made him so angry that he could barely breathe.
Rhian smirked over his shoulder, then let his Arcanite-covered hand slide down Kirin's abdomen as he went on.
"There is a rumour your mother took one of these things as a lover and went mad over him."
"Don't touch him."
The words were out before he even realised he had spoken them, and he cursed inwardly. Rhian's sneer told him he was losing. How could he have allowed himself to be provoked like that?
"Or what? Will you fight me for your pretty toy?" the knight asked.
Deciding that retreat would make him look even weaker, Valerien stepped forward and pushed Rhian's hand away. The bard sank against him as he melted the ice away. He lowered him down to sit against the wall before turning back to Rhian.
"Why are you so eager to fight me, Lord Yaris?" Valerien asked, striving for calm.
All the pretence of amusement vanished from Rhian's face.
"You murdered half my regiment. Did you really think I wouldn't know who was behind that treachery?"
So that was it. Rhian could not kill the Queen's envoy without provocation, so he had to get Valerien to attack first.
"You can take your revenge later, then. The human has nothing to do with it," he said.
"Those men and women had served me well for centuries. You took them from me, so I will take what is yours," Rhian snarled.
"I am not his, you frozen frost fart," Kirin said.
His voice was weak, his lips raw and bleeding, but he still managed to stagger to his feet. His hand went to his belt. Valerien grabbed it before it could reach the sheathed knife.
"Don't be stupid, bard. You'll never get close enough," he hissed.
Derisive laughter filled the cave.
"Let him try. Here, little human, I'll take you on unarmed," Rhian said, spreading his arms.
Kirin's bloody wrist slipped out of Valerien's grasp, and he ran forward, grabbing for the pouch hanging from his belt. Shards of metal flew at Rhian's face.
A primal scream of pain tore through the air. Valerien watched in disbelief as iron arrowheads and nails burned into the knight's skin and eyes, glowing red against the frost of his skin.
Blue energies exploded from Rhian's stumbling body, and the force of a storm howled through the cave. Water froze where it hung, then ice exploded from the walls.
Valerien grabbed Kirin and pulled him back into his arms, dragging him down.
"Let go of me, you lying bastard!" the bard shouted, tears of fury in his eyes.
The blind knight turned towards the sound and directed all his magic towards them.
"Stay down," Valerien gasped.
He covered Kirin with his body as best he could and forced a barrier of fire around them. It flared once before the storm swallowed it whole.
The cold bit through his armour and skin alike, paralysing his body and forcing all the breath from his lungs. Kirin's hand searched for his and squeezed. With a last effort, Valerien retracted the armour from his hands and felt a flicker of warmth as the callused fingers intertwined with his.
The cave lit up with harsh white light, but then his sight faded.
"I am sorry, little bird," he tried to say, yet there was no breath left to speak before darkness filled the world.