Dragonvein (Book Two) (30 page)

Ethan sat down on the floor beside her. “Listen, Kat. There’s something you need to know. Markus is not coming back with us. He’s staying here on Earth.”

Her eyebrows shot up and the television was immediately forgotten. “What? Why?”

“He wants to make a fresh start. The gold and diamonds we brought will see that he has everything he needs. And I was thinking…”

He paused to look up at Markus, who nodded knowingly. “I was thinking you might want to stay here too. Markus will take care of you. You’d be safe here.”

Kat leapt to her feet, her face crimson. “No! You are not leaving me behind! You can’t do that.”

Ethan rose quickly and took hold of her hands. “Calm down. I won’t stop you if you want to return. But think about it for a minute. There’s no war here. No Shinzan…”

“And no
you
,” she said, cutting him short. She looked over to Markus. “I understand why you’d want to stay. Well, I think I do. And I’m going to miss you, Markus. A lot more than you can imagine.” She met Ethan’s eyes. “But I’m going back to Lumnia. There’s nothing more to talk about.”

Ethan gave her a lopsided smile. “As you wish, Princess.”

Another twenty minutes passed while Jake and Val changed their clothes and rummaged through their belongings, trying to decide what to take and what to leave behind. Ethan was growing impatient. He was just about to go through and hurry them along when the ominous rumble of approaching motorcycle engines reached him.

He ran to the window. Six bikers were pulling into the drive; Mike was amongst them. The others were all burly, wore full beards, and had dozens of tattoos on their bare arms. One tattoo in particular sent Ethan’s blood boiling.

“They’ve got Kraut swastikas on their damn skin,” he spat. “What kind of asshole does that? Maybe we didn’t win the war after all.”

The largest member of the bunch rode almost to the bottom of the steps, then pointed for the others to spread out. The sheer volume of their combined engines was rattling all the windows and had Kat covering her ears.

Markus stood beside Ethan, assessing the situation. “You know what they remind me of?”

“Ugly Nazis?”

Markus squeezed his shoulder. “No. Dwarves.”

Ethan couldn’t help but laugh.

Jake and Val came hurrying in from the back. Val had changed into a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt; she’d also shed her heels in favor of running shoes. She shoved past Ethan to see out of the window.

“It’s Roscoe,” she said. “Hurry. Let’s go out the back.”

Markus pulled his dagger from under his shirt. “There’s no need to run from these bums.” He glanced at Ethan. “Right?”

Ethan grinned and drew his own blade. “Right. But you get to fight the big guy. Okay?”

As the engines went silent, Markus looked out again. His confident expression faded. All six men were pulling pistols from their belts.

“
Now
there’s a need to run,” he said. “Where’s the back way out?”

Val pointed to the door beside the couch. “Straight down the hall.”

Markus glanced across at Ethan. “Stay with Kat. Val and Jake, get behind me.”

Brother and sister followed Markus while Ethan positioned Kat in front of him and brought up the rear. On reaching the back door, Markus kicked it open and stopped just beyond the threshold, forcing the others to wait inside.

After checking the corners of the back yard, he waved the others toward a chain linked fence that separated them from the house on the next block. Jake paused to help Val over. Ethan offered to do the same for Kat, but she hopped easily over the top without assistance. Just moments after Ethan and Markus followed her, the first shot came.

Ethan gasped with relief on realizing that the bullet had missed everyone. He glanced back to see one of the bikers at the corner of the house, weapon leveled. Another was rounding the opposite corner.

Two more shots were fired as they ran for their lives, with one round passing just over his and Markus’ head. But no more followed. A few seconds later they had made it beyond the effective range of most handguns. Ethan risked another rapid glance back. It was as he suspected. No one had climbed the fence to pursue them. In fact, there was no longer a sign of any biker at the back of the house. It was a breathing space, but it was sure to be a short one.

Just as they reached the next street, the combined roar of bike engines firing up confirmed Ethan’s fears. They had no hope of outrunning a bunch of motorcycles. He needed to find somewhere out of sight to open the portal damn quick – and something to shatter the rajni stone with.

They crossed over and ducked between two more houses.

“Is there an empty building somewhere around here we can hide in?” he asked Jake.

A wide-eyed Jake gave a stuttering shake of the head. Both he and Val appeared far too frightened and breathless to offer any information of use. Ethan and Markus groaned in unison.

They continued through the next set of yards and crept around the side of the house, all the time crouching low. By now, the street lights were starting to come on. Very soon they would have the cover of darkness. But the roar of the engines circling the area warned they may not have that long.

“There,” said Markus all of a sudden, pointing down the street to a pair of three-story, red-brick buildings a hundred yards away on the other side. “We can open the portal in the alley between those two.”

He listened carefully. For now, the motorcycles sounded like they were at least a block behind them. With a wave, he urged the group to run as fast as they could.

Recalling the day he’d been transported to Lumnia, Ethan could not resist an ironic chuckle. At least these Nazis didn’t have panzers, he thought.

When they drew closer, it was clear that the space between the two buildings was much wider than Markus had anticipated - roughly thirty feet across, and it was blocked off at the far end by a brick wall that reached all the way to the top floor. Should the bikers pass by, they would almost certainly be spotted,
and
they would be trapped. But it was too late now. He waited at the corner until the others were well inside.

The brick beside Markus’ left arm exploded before he even heard the shot, sending shards of debris digging painfully into his flesh.

“Damn it,” he snarled, covering the wound with his other hand. “Open the portal, Ethan!”

Looking back the way they had come, he saw the silhouettes of two bikers advancing. The street light directly over his head had made him a perfect target. Cursing his stupidity, he ducked down the alley just as another shot was fired.

Ethan was still searching desperately for something with which to smash the pendant. But cardboard and general household trash were the only things littering nearly every inch of the alley.

“They’re coming,” shouted Markus. He pointed to a collection of crates piled up against the wall at the far end. “Get behind those.”

Though trembling with sheer terror, Val and Jake did as they were told. Kat, however, ignored the order and continued helping Ethan in his search for something heavy and hard.

With no time to argue, Markus gripped her arm and shoved her roughly behind the crates a bit further along from Val and Jake. “Stay there!” he ordered. She glared at him, but did not move.

“They’re down here,” called a gruff voice from the street. “They’re trapped.”

Several shots were immediately fired, echoing loudly and whining as they ricocheted off the paving stones. Someone gave a brutal laugh. They were toying with them now. Ethan ducked down beside Kat, while Markus put his back against Val and Jake, pressing them to the wall.

The rumble of more motorcycles arriving sent chills down Ethan’s spine. But at least the gunfire had temporarily stopped. A pair of dim lights fastened to the rain gutters high above was all that illuminated the alley. Good for cover, but it was making it harder than ever for him to spot something he might use to open the portal.

A minute later, the engines stopped. A deep, intimidating voice rolled down to them.

“Come on out, girl. You know you got this coming. No one steals from me and gets away with it.”

Ethan could only assume this was Roscoe.

Val looked at her brother, tears dripping down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry I got you into this.”

“Calm down,” said Markus. “We’re not dead yet.”

“I’ll count to three,” Roscoe continued. “Then we’re gonna light ya’ll up. One….”

As Markus shifted his weight, he felt something touch his foot. Something hard. He pushed aside the remnants of a cardboard box. Beneath this was a brick.

“Two…”

Ripping off his pendant, he held up the brick so that Ethan could see.

“Do it!” Ethan immediately shouted back.

“Three!”

Markus tossed the pendant to his feet and brought the brick down with all the strength he could muster. At literally the same moment, the bikers opened fire.

Amongst the volley of bullets and flying debris, a flash of pure white light exploded, for a split second transforming the deep gloom to brilliant daylight. A sigh of relief slipped from Ethan when he saw a portal appear about ten or twelve feet to the far side of Markus.

The shots ceased for a moment, and they could hear confused shouts and curses coming from the bikers. Seizing this opportunity, Markus shoved Val and Jake toward the portal, but they resisted furiously, looking even more terrified than before.

“You’d rather stay here?” he growled at them angrily.

Val was the first to move toward the swirling disk. After hesitating for a second, Jake then followed her.

Seeing this, Ethan took Kat’s hand and moved into the open, hurrying over to join them. But two more shots rang out before he was even halfway there. One bullet zipped into the ground right beside his feet. Instinctively, he jumped back, knocking Kat down.

As Markus turned to face him, a fearful Jake clutched hold of his arm. Val was already at the very edge of the portal, and the sound of renewed gunfire startled her further forward. Just as she fell inside, her trailing hand shot out to grip Jake’s shirt collar, dragging her brother along with her. Markus, off balance and unable to stop his momentum, was forced into the swirling light as well.

Terror and panic gripped Ethan’s heart as he saw the three of them vanish. He knew the portal would only remain open for a few seconds longer. Rapidly, he jerked Kat to her feet and started once more toward it. He could hear the sound of heavy boots pounding their way down the alley. Another shot came, this one grazing his left leg, causing him to stumble sideways. His shoulder and head banged into the back wall, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Forcing his way through the fog and pain, he realized that he was no longer holding Kat’s hand. He started to call out her name, but the air was driven from out of his lungs as something struck him hard in the center of his back. The impact sent him lurching forward and tumbling directly into the portal. Desperately, he tried to turn and reach out for her, but to his horror saw that she was already in the arms of one of the bikers, kicking and fighting furiously.

Realization hit him like a punch to the stomach.
She
was the one who had struck him; she’d been pushing him to safety.

The last thing he saw as he completed his backward fall into the portal was Kat’s loving eyes looking straight into his own. They were crying tears of farewell.

Chapter Twenty-Four

T
he powerful image
of a tearful Kat battling in the clutches of the biker was enough to all but eliminate any after effects of traveling through the portal. Ethan pushed himself up from the cold hard stone of the dais, but before he could gain his feet a pair of arms lifted him the rest of the way. He blinked hard to fully clear his vision. There it was. The portal was still open.

“Don’t close it!” he shouted.

But it was too late. The disk began shrinking rapidly. He clutched at the pendant still hanging around his neck. He would not abandon her. He tried to reach the portal and dive through before it was gone, but the same arms held him back.

“It’s too late,” he heard Jonas say.

Enraged at being restrained, Ethan twisted and brought his elbow around, connecting sharply with Jonas’ left ear. The impact sent the old servant sprawling. But none of this made a difference. The portal was already gone. Ignoring Jonas’ plight, he looked to where Lylinora was still kneeling. But even as he ran over to her, she collapsed on the rug.

He desperately tried to shake her awake. “Please! I need you. Don’t do this.” But no matter how hard he shook, she did not stir.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Renald. His aged face was stricken with sorrow.

“Help me,” Ethan begged. “You can open another portal. You have to.”

Renald averted his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t have the strength. I’d be dead before it opened.”

“You have to try!” he insisted, but the old man sadly shook his head.

Markus was sitting a few feet away, still recovering. He dragged himself up and regarded Ethan. “Where’s Kat?” he asked.

“I…I couldn’t save her,” he replied, unable to look his friend in the eye.

“You mean you left her there?” Sudden fury contorted Markus’ face. In a flash, he grabbed Ethan by the collar. “You son-of-a-bitch.” His fist raised to strike, but a now partly recovered Jonas grabbed his arm.

Ethan made no move to get away. He deserved it. He had failed her. Left her to die. He could still feel her hand clutching his. Why had he not realized she let go?

I can help you
.

A voice in his head echoed from the depths. The spirits of his ancestors had been virtually silent on Earth. Now they were back.

I can save her
.

All at once, the anger on Markus’ face faded and he released his grip. Ethan fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry,” said Markus. “I know you wouldn’t have left her if you could have helped it.” Pulling his arm free of Jonas, he sat on the edge of the dais facing away from the others to hide his tears.

Jonas knelt beside Ethan. “I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.”

This only made him feel worse. “It
was
my fault!” he shouted.

I can help you bring her back
.

“How?” he whispered.

Just let me in and all will be set to
rights
.

“You can save her?”

“Who are you talking to?” asked Jonas. He tried to look into Ethan’s eyes, but they were shut tight.

Of course I can. Just let me in and all will be well. I have the knowledge…and the power
.

“What must I do?”

Just let me in. Give up your will. I will see to everything
.

“I’ll do anything you ask. Just save her.” He could feel himself surrendering; his grip on his mind lessening. Then a face appeared from the darkness. Strong and confident, it regarded him for a moment.

Very good
.
Now sleep. Sleep and I will do what you
cannot
.

An incredible sense of well-being came over Ethan. He felt as if his body was light as air and drifting on a warm spring breeze. All sorrow and doubt was gone - washed away and replaced by a sense of utter contentment and calm.
All will be set to rights
. The words wrapped around him like a mother’s loving arms. No longer did he care for the troubles of the world. This is where he belonged. Safe and at peace….forever.

*

The aching in his joints was surpassed only by the dull throbbing in his head. He tried to sit up, but every muscle in his body felt paralyzed. Even his eyes refused to open.

A cool rag was pressed against his forehead. “Don’t try to move,” said a soft feminine voice. “You’ve been through a lot. Just be still.”

He tried to place who was speaking. Lylinora had a slightly higher timbre. And as for Kat…just thinking of her made him want to weep. He would never forget her final desperate expression as he’d fallen into the portal.

“Is he awake?” This time it was Markus.

Ethan wanted to answer, but was only able to moan.

“I think so,” the unfamiliar voice replied. “But he’s too weak to move.”

He heard a door open, then weary footsteps dragging across a wooden floor.

“How are they?” asked Markus.

It was Renald who answered him. “Angry. Afraid. Confused. As one would expect. Jonas and Lylinora are still trying to calm them down. You really should have told them more before you brought them here.”

“That was Ethan’s decision.”

“And what about you?” Renald asked. “Were you honestly planning to stay behind?”

“Yes, I wanted to. I thought I could make a new start of it. But it just didn’t work out that way.”

Ethan could feel his entire body tingling each time the cool rag touched his head. After a few minutes he found himself able to open his eyes. The dim light of the room didn’t reveal much at first. A shadowy figure was sitting beside him. He guessed it was the female voice he had heard earlier, but the darkness hid her features.

He turned his head slightly and caught sight of Markus and Renald sitting on a sofa. Things were becoming a little clearer now. They were back at Renald’s house. But how did they get here? The throbbing in his head increased as he attempted to recall what had happened. He let out another soft moan.

The woman on the bed reached down and produced a cup. Tenderly, she slid her hand beneath his head and tilted it. “Drink this,” she told him.

Holding the cup to Ethan’s lips, she poured a small amount of sweet tasting liquid into his mouth. It felt soothing to his tongue and throat.

“Thank you,” he said, though his voice was a mere whisper. “Mar…Markus.”

The woman rose and Markus sat in her place. Ethan tried to get a better look at her as she moved away, but she was across the room in an instant and out of sight.

“What…what happened?” he asked.

Markus smiled down at him. “I think you should wait until you’re rested.”

“Kat,” he pressed. “He told me he’d help her.”

Even though he was smiling, Markus’ expression still looked strained. “
Who
told you?”

“I don’t know. But is she safe?”

“She’s safe,” Markus assured him.

Renald got up and made his way over. His eyes betrayed his fatigue and concern. “That’s enough for now,” he said. “All this can wait until morning.”

He placed a hand on Ethan’s brow.

The effect was instant. Ethan felt his body relax and the darkness of sleep rapidly took him.

When his eyes opened again, the sun was shining through the windows. The soreness in his muscles and joints was still quite intense, but the throbbing in his head was completely gone.

He shifted his body up toward the headboard until he could see the interior of the house. At the table sat Markus and Jonas, along with an unfamiliar young girl. Her raven hair was tied into a tight ponytail that fell down to the middle of her back. Her features were delicate, though not fragile, and her ample bosom was made even more apparent by a form fitting, short-sleeved shirt. Ethan was immediately taken by her beauty.

Markus noticed him watching and shot a welcoming smile. “Back from the dead, I see. How are you feeling now?”

Ethan returned the smile and sat up a bit more. “Sore as hell. What happened?” He nodded toward the girl. “And who’s this?”

Markus shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Come on, Jonas. We should go.”

Jonas chuckled softly. “I think you’re right.”

They started to the door, both with amused smirks on their faces.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Ethan called out. He tried to rise, but the pain shooting through him was too much. Wincing, he collapsed back against the headboard. By the time he recovered, they were gone. Only the girl was still there.

Once again it occurred to him how attractive she was. “Hello,” he said.

She folded her hands and kept her eyes fixed on the table.

“I’m sorry,” he said in his friendliest tone. “But I’m a bit confused. How did you get here?”

“I came with Markus,” she replied, without looking up.

So Markus
had
gone back. The voice had told him the truth. He remembered Markus telling him that Kat was safe. But safe where? Here, or on Earth? And why would Markus bring someone else to Lumnia? But one look at this gorgeous girl suggested the obvious reason.

“Did Kat make it back as well?”

The girl nodded.

Relief flooded through him. “Where is she? Is she coming to see me?” A chastening thought then stabbed at his heart. She must hate him. God only knows what those bikers had done to her. More than ever, he needed to see Kat. To beg her for forgiveness.

The girl rose from the table and moved toward the bed. Even the way she walked was attractive – each step casual yet perfect. Her clothes reminded him of those he had seen on Earth in nineteen eighty-eight. Tee-shirt, jeans, and ankle high suede boots.

She sat beside him on the bed and smiled. At that moment, now much closer, her face became strangely familiar.

“I
did
come to see you,” she replied.

For an instant, her words did not make any sense. But after a few seconds realization struck him and his eyes shot wide. With an almighty rush, the strangely familiar face, although older, became clearly recognizable. How could he have not seen it before?

“Kat?” he gasped. “How?” No other words would come.

She smiled sweetly and touched his cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

Ethan could only stare, mouth agape. As the truth of what had happened flooded through him, tears began to fall. “How long has it been?”

She wiped his tears away with her thumb. “Five years.”

He looked down, shame burning intensely. “I’m so sorry, Kat. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Her laughter had a musical quality to it as she lifted his chin until their eyes met. “You didn’t do anything. I was the one who sneaked through to Earth when you told me not to. And it wasn’t
you
who sent those bikers after us. Besides, I pushed you into the portal. So it’s not like you deserted me or anything.”

“Why? Why did you do that?”

“Because I knew you would never leave me, and I thought those bikers were going to kill you. It was the only thing I could think of to get you out of there.” Her mouth twisted slightly. “Of course, I didn’t know at the time that the cops were only about ten seconds away from showing up.”

She shrugged and her smile returned. “Oh, well. Nothing I can do about it now.”

Ethan’s sense of relief on hearing that the bikers hadn’t harmed her was enormous. “So what happened after I went through?”

Kat rolled her eyes. “
That
was not fun. They had no idea who I was, or what to do with me. I didn’t speak English. And even if I could, what would I have told them? That I’m from another world?” She grinned. “Oh, and by the way. English is a real pain in the ass to learn. One word has fifty different meanings, and fifty words have the same meaning.”

She drew a breath. “Anyway, the police eventually took me to a youth home. But after a few weeks they sent me to a foster home north of Mobile.” She saw the pained expression in Ethan’s eyes at the mention of foster parents and held up her hand. “It wasn’t that bad. Well…it was at first. I kept worrying that I’d be too far away for you to find me. But after a while I settled in.”

The memory of this time was obviously causing her some pain, in spite of her effort to hide it. “Were they kind?” Ethan asked.

“Oh yes,” she replied, quickly back in her stride. “The Pollard’s were wonderful people. Simple folks, but good-hearted. They owned a soybean farm and took in hard-to-place children. You know, older kids, and those with drug problems or learning disabilities. They used the farm as a sort of rehabilitation facility. The whole southern
‘hard work builds character’
thing. I didn’t mind it at all. Hell, compared to being a thief, it was an easy life. Sure the work was hard, but at least no one was trying to kill me. And once I started getting the hang of your language, I ended up getting pretty close to Mr. and Mrs. Pollard.”

Kat spread her hands. “That’s about all there is to tell, unless you want to hear about day to day life on a soybean farm. So you see? Nothing horrible happened to me. Well…aside from waiting five long years for you or Markus to show up. Took him a week to find me, poor guy. He looked terrible by the time he wandered up to the farm. And
he
didn’t recognize me at first either.”

Ethan regarded her with enthusiastic approval. “Well, you’ve certainly grown up.”

She gave him a wink. “You bet I have.”

“But I need to know something. Why did you come back? If you were doing okay there, why not stay? You knew Shinzan would still be here. And you know the danger we’re facing.”

“I came because of a promise.”

“What promise?”

Kat’s smile suddenly took on a hint of seduction. “The one I made to myself.”

She leaned forward gradually. “I promised I’d be patient until I was old enough. Through everything, I never stopped loving you, Ethan. And now you can love me back…if you want to.”

As she eased closer, Ethan’s heart began pounding. His mind was torn two ways. This was Kat after all - the little girl who had been just thirteen years old yesterday. Of course, there was no mistaking her for a little girl now. She had indeed grown up. And when her lips touched his, he could not help but respond.