“I’m not leaving you,” she whispered with quiet determination.
Marek’s eyes slashed through her. A muscle ticked along his jaw. His strong hands gripped her arms in a painful hold, but she didn’t waver. She stood tall and lifted her chin, daring him to challenge her.
He stared at her a moment before his resolve crumbled. Brushing his thumb across her cheek, he buried his fingers in her hair. She leaned into his hand as unexpected tears bubbled over her eyelids and tumbled down her face.
He kissed her forehead. “I told you to run,” he murmured without conviction.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, his closeness comforting her. This was her defining moment. The flames had prepared her well. She knew her fate, and for him, would accept her destiny with grace. She kissed the hollow pulse point in his neck, welcoming his strong heartbeat against her lips.
“The Criton isn’t after me,” she whispered. “I’ll distract her so you can run.”
Marek didn’t flinch. His voice remained steadfast. “You’ll not sacrifice yourself for me.”
She swallowed the sobs in her throat and buried her head into the curve of his neck. She would sooner die alongside Marek than live without him.
The yellow Criton squealed.
Why hadn’t the animal flamed them yet? And why had the Critons ignored her when they attacked? A sudden idea jabbed at the back of Carina’s mind and with that kernel of thought, a glimmer of hope chased after it. The thought—a small, persistent pearl of awareness—grew as she fed it attention and ran through scenarios. Her back stiffened when she reached only one possible conclusion.
Could it be? Did she have the courage to make the challenge? Would it even matter? Or just bring about their end sooner? Her lips curved up.
Marek frowned at her small smile. “What are you thinking?”
“Remember what you told me that night at Azriel’s Tears?”
Marek’s brows furrowed in confusion, so she answered. “That a thinking woman is something to fear.”
His dazzling smile rewarded her, supplying her with the final raw nerve she needed. Before he could stop her, she grabbed his hand and stepped around him to stand in the angry Criton’s path. She interlaced her fingers within his and relished his hand tightening around hers.
The Criton snorted, spraying dirt upward in small, swirling eddies.
Carina stared into the amber eyes peering back at her. “This man is mine,” she shouted. “He’s mine and you will not take him from me.”
The Criton’s eyes narrowed. She lowered her head as if getting a better glimpse of the man whose hand Carina held. Air churned around them when she slowed her wing beats and dropped to the ground. Showing dominance, she stood erect on her hind legs with her wings spread wide.
“What’s going on?” Marek moved up next to Carina, his sword at his side.
“I’m not sure,” Carina whispered, not willing to voice her thoughts for fear that if she spoke them the ridiculousness of her idea would be proven true.
The yellow Criton planted her front feet on the ground and tucked her wings at her sides. She leaned forward and inhaled their scent, cocking her head sideways as if memorizing them before arching her powerful neck to gaze down at them.
From everywhere, Critons descended from the sky like falling stars. They formed a ring around them, pushing and shoving each other for space on the crowded mountaintop.
“In the name of the Gods…” Marek muttered, sheathing his sword.
Not giving in to her fear, Carina stood her ground with her feet spread apart. A soft ringing filled her ears. The humming grew into a constant, nagging hum. But she refused to show weakness by looking away. The noise clogged her mind, escalating in strength until it pounded in her head. The ground spun beneath her and she clutched Marek’s arm to keep from falling.
Marek’s worried voice called to her, but she couldn’t answer because she’d fallen into the Criton’s eyes, drifting weightless in darkness. A force pushed at her mind. Unrelenting and unwavering, the Criton demanded entry. Carina resisted, throwing her consciousness against the invading presence, but the Criton throbbed with ancient power.
A vast intelligence converged on her. The sudden influx of knowledge overloaded her mind and she screamed. Her legs buckled. Marek caught her and held her against his chest. The pressure increased into an insistent, inescapable crescendo, shredding her to pieces. Thoughts, not her own, saturated her mind. She arched her back and rode the agony reverberating through her. Using Marek as a lifeline, she pressed his hand against her temple. “She’s in my head. Get her out of my head.”
Carina floated in a plane of unconsciousness, losing a battle of wills against a Criton straining to take over her mind. Although she couldn’t see him, Marek’s nearness calmed her. For him, she would do this. For him, she’d surrender herself so she could return to him once more. She didn’t understand how she knew this, but a simple, reassuring feeling encouraged her to let go.
She inhaled the heated air, and as much as it terrified her, released control of her mind. Light erupted in a brilliant flash as energy scorched every nerve ending in her body with an all-seeing wisdom. Her mind split in two, but she absorbed the pain with a calm acceptance.
“You are the Caller, my child,”
boomed a gravelly, multilayered voice.
Carina clenched her teeth as she merged with the great creature, their minds blending into one.
“I have waited years for you to call me. Now your time has arrived to fulfill your destiny.”
Carina grimaced as the Criton’s consciousness saturated her mind. Through their connection, she experienced the animal’s immense despair as if it were her own. She extended herself to offer comfort and brushed against the limitless knowledge of the mighty animal. The information flooded Carina’s mind faster than she could process and she withdrew to a distant corner within herself, cowering like a child. Even though her touch was small, she learned enough to recognize a normal connection shouldn’t cause such pain.
“Yes, my mind has melded with many, but I am not meant for you.”
The Criton’s voice echoed from everywhere around and within her.
“I am sorry for the discomfort, but there is no other way.”
Carina bit her bottom lip in restraint.
“My children have lost their way since the Caller’s absence. They have grown unruly because they do not know the serenity of bonding with the missing half of their soul. They seek other paths to overcome the ache in their hearts, and I cry for them.”
Carina listened as the intensity of the Criton’s words pounded in her head, chipping away bits of her sanity with each word spoken. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep the madness from consuming her.
“Although my children are strong and worthy Critons, they will no longer readily submit to a rider. But you are here, and have experienced the power of the Great Mother. Using the Mother’s sight, you will see the strands of light connecting the souls of my children to their riders and guide them for the joining. Be forewarned, however, you can only show them the path. The ultimate decision to bond lies with each rider and Criton. Although joining is the nature of their destiny, free will always controls. One can fear the unknown and choose to deny the bond calling.
I am old and my strength wanes. The time has come for another to lead. Your courage gives me hope for our continued co-existence, my young Caller.”
Just when Carina was sure her mind would explode the presence disappeared, taking the power and knowledge with it and leaving behind a cold emptiness in the vacated space.
****
Marek held Carina close as the yellow Criton lifted her head and roared. The thunderous cry from answering Critons shook the mountaintop. Carina’s eyes fluttered open and he stared at her in disbelief. Her beautiful, brown eyes blazed with energy.
Carina moaned and tightened her already death grip hold on his hand. Desperation and remorse crawled through his veins. This was his fault. He’d asked her to call Critons on a whim, just to see what would happen. His recklessness had thrown her into an internal power struggle where he couldn’t protect her.
Marek stared into the Criton’s face. “Release her,” he commanded. The Criton’s shining eyes pulsed and he resisted the urge to glance away from the uncharacteristic glow.
A stinging sensation spread across his chest and down his arms like hundreds of fire rifas biting his skin. Caught within the hypnotic hold, an increasing pressure pushed behind his eyes. A heaviness descended upon his mind as fingers probed through his memories like slithering tentacles, prying for answers with meticulous scrutiny and without regard to the discomfort caused. “You must release her,” he pleaded without force, his voice lost within the gold pools of light.
At first the exploring feelers were an inconsequential nuisance, like a sandfly buzzing about his face. But the strain compounded, doubling on itself until it became a thick, unbearable harmonic. He clamped his mouth shut and fought the urge to shout out in anguish.
A thought popped into his brain, clear and unmistakable. A thought not his own.
“You are the lifemate, the protector. Guard her well.”
The Criton’s eyes flashed and a blinding light enveloped him and Carina in a cocoon. Unable to withstand the surge of energy raging through him, he yelled to the heavens and held onto Carina by sheer will. A heartbeat later, the brightness vanished taking his strength with it.
Carina lay like a rag doll in his arms. After a quick check, relief flooded his body at her strong, steady pulse. He gathered her into his chest and carried her to the blanket on wobbly legs. Trying not to wake her, he laid her down and covered her with his duster before sitting beside her.
He fisted his hands and grimaced in pain. His eyebrows furrowed at the swollen, red mark on the palm of his left hand. An impression he couldn’t decipher was emblazed on his skin. He reached for Carina’s hand. She too, had the burn.
They’d been branded, but why? He was missing something obvious, but exhaustion clouded his mind. His remaining strength ebbed from his body on a quiet exhale. He glanced at the yellow Criton. She could easily kill them.
As he lay beside Carina and pulled her into his chest, he spared the Criton one last look. She seemed content with whatever she’d done to them. He even thought her head bobbed in a gesture akin to satisfaction. Air buffeted him as hundreds of Critons hurtled themselves skyward, leaving the mountaintop empty except for FireStrike who had hobbled over to stand protectively over them.
FireStrike’s wounds must not be severe, he thought before succumbing to the fatigue riding his body.
39 – CALLER of LIGHT
Marek’s palm ached, but he ignored it and encouraged FireStrike to land in front of the castle. Carina rode sidesaddle with her head pillowed against his chest. Her breathing remained steady, but her responses were sluggish as if she couldn’t wake from a deep sleep. He slid off FireStrike with Carina cradled in his arms.
Damon raced up, concern etched across his face. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure,” Marek admitted. “Find the healer, and have someone tend to FireStrike.”
“Straight away, Sire.” Damon rushed off.
He was reaching for the door when Nareen flung it open. She blocked the entrance. Her hands rested on her hips, and anger hardened her face. “This public display of affection is very inappropriate.”
Fire flashed through Marek’s body. “Mother, remove yourself from my sight before I do something I regret.”
Nareen’s face turned ashen. After a whispered apology, she retreated into the castle.
He strode past Nareen and climbed the stairs two at a time. But the stairs he’d clambered up and down since childhood quickly transformed into giant stepping stones. By the time he reached the top floor, his lungs screamed for air and his legs trembled. He fought the urge to lean against a wall to catch his breath, and used his shoulder to push the chamber door open. He eased Carina into bed before wiping sweat from his brow, struggling to calm his racing heart.
Carina looked so pale. His fingers trailed across her cheek, willing her to awaken.
“Come back to me,” he murmured. But she didn’t heed his call. He was a king, a leader of his people, and a commander used to being obeyed. So, when she refused him, his body shook. Like Tiwan poison darts piercing his chest, his heart stumbled.
He grabbed her hands and interlaced her delicate fingers within his. Her small bones seemingly so fragile, yet capable of so much strength. His beautiful Carina, the magnificent woman who challenged a fire-breathing Criton to save him, lay motionless and cold in his bed.
He rushed to get a blanket. Although away from her for mere seconds, her body quaked by the time he returned. He covered her before caressing her face. “Shh, dear one. You’re safe. We’re safe.”
Her eyes flew open and pierced him with an unseeing gaze before slipping shut again. “Marek,” she whimpered.
“I’m here, luv.” He kissed her forehead.
He was leaning over her when the healer burst through the door and pushed him out of the way.
Damon and Caden stood at the entrance, offering silent support. Marek was about to dismiss them when his eyes lost focus and the room spun under his feet. He reached for the wall to steady himself.
What in Haden’s spit?
Damon and Caden entered the room to assist, but he waved them away. When the dizziness subsided, he pushed off the wall to stand helplessly beside the bed.