Firebrand (19 page)

When Gorash finally released him Jolinax scrambled away on all fours. He pulled on the arm of his lifeless friend. “I will prepare the body. He must be buried according to the Hitah.”

“Leave him,” Gorash roared. “The Hitah is for warriors.” He kicked out, catching Jolinax in the chin. “The night animals will dispose of a traitor who could not carry out a simple order.”

* * * * *

David gently pushed the hair away from the sleeping face of his beloved. They shouldn’t have made love. He would have to deal with the consequences of that later but right now he was simply overwhelmed by his surprising clarity of who and what Amber was.

Whatever he thought he knew, he had been wrong. She was more than he ever realized anyone could be. Everything about her was more.

She was physically spectacular, her beauty on the level someone would call an angel or a goddess. Anyone could see that. But it was what one couldn’t see that astonished him.

Her power was amazing. He felt a part of his when her orgasm broke through him, the jolt of her coming hitting him harder than anything he could imagine. Her passion was above and beyond anything he had even known and, as they made love, it was as though she commanded him to match it.

Her emotions were so intense that it seemed as though he had been living in her skin, her lungs giving him air, her blood feeding his body. What formed at the moment of their joining was like a shock wave that vibrated through every cell in his body pushing them to the point of fusion and producing a hunger for more that almost frightened him. Now, as she lay in his arms softly breathing in contented sleep, he wondered if he could ever live without feeling her love again.

His gaze was drawn to Amber’s amulet. It lay nestled on one breast. All three sections seemed to be glowing but as he looked closer, David could see that it was actually pulsating. Mesmerized, he reached out and then quickly pulled back as a sharp pain ran up his arm. His hand felt as though it had been thrust into molten lava but he had not even touched the pendant.

Curious, he slowly reached to it again. The closer his hand got to the amulet, the faster and brighter it pulsed until heat exploded on his skin as again it seared him and he understood. It was warning him away, protecting Amber as she slept.

He suddenly felt as though his loving her had been like committing a sacrilege, defiling something sacrosanct. He ran a forefinger across her perfect cheek. “I shouldn’t have,” he whispered.

“Yes, you should.”

Her eyes opened and she smiled. He could not help but kiss her. His mouth tasted hers, their tongues mating. He nestled her body against him, his lips leaving hers to trail over her jaw to her neck when they nipped and kissed her silken skin. His body was already surging with power from contact with her skin. No doubt she too, was becoming aware of the energy building between them.

He lifted his head with great effort. “I can’t do this.” He could feel the pleasure in his body slowly being replaced by control. Pulling back from her, he searched her face. “But by the blood of the First One, I want to.” Heavy breathing warned of his vigilance. “We’re going to have to be very careful.”

“No,” she said, rising to sitting and pulling a gossamer blanket around her. “We’re going to have to do this more often. I feel safe in your arms,”

He nodded, understanding her human need for that but unsure if it was a good idea. He knew what was coming and knew she had to be strong. Their lovemaking left them both drained, vulnerable to those who would wish to see their worlds at war.

“You don’t intend to make love to me again,” she said in response to his silence.

He looked at her and she smiled and he could see the pain behind it. It filled her incredible blue eyes. “I really don’t think your grandfather would approve. Especially since I am a human. One tri-bred in the family is enough.”

“You have it all under control then?”

“ I’m going to have to hope I do.”

“One problem, sweetie. Right now I’m stronger than I’ve ever been and, as a human, you’re a little on the weak side. So it seems that you may have no choice,” she giggled impishly.

“And?”

She smiled the most evil and sensual smile he had ever seen. She turned and slid her body over his. Shifting her hips, her smile grew when she felt his building need. “And your body tells me otherwise.” Her hips rocked forward.

He reached between them and stroked her. She was wet and ready for him. He looked into her eyes and couldn’t refuse her.

* * * * *

Marcus had no idea how long or how far he and Brian had walked. Weak, hungry, cold, they were covered in a white blanket of snow from the swirling storm that had just abated. Small balls of ice clung to exposed clumps of hair and portions of the pelts they wore.

The ridge in front of them glittered with the new snowfall as they fell to their knees, exhausted. The sweeping sides of a mountain range rose to their right and below them a mixture of black clear water channels, pale blue icebergs and various shades of frozen and refrozen ice gave the sea a mottled effect. Dwarfed by the massive landscape, it was painfully apparent that they were at the mercy of nature.

Panting heavily, the cold air trailed a painful path down Marcus’ chest, gripping his heart like a vise. Fighting the blowing wind, he raised his head. Judging by the look of defeat on Brian’s face, Marcus knew they did not have too much time.

There was only one chance. He closed his eyes and turned to the wind. Gathering every ounce of strength he had left, he screamed out one word.

“Amber!”

Chapter Sixteen

“Dad!” Amber sprung to sitting. She held her hands to the side of her head, trying to focus the voice that had grown steadily louder. She squeezed her eyes together. “Dad!”

I’m cold, Amber. Please hurry.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes.

David’s brow drew into a worried frown. “What’s wrong? Bad dream?”

Amber shook her head. The voice silenced. “No, it’s my father. I can feel him. He’s dying.”

“Are you sure?”

Amber thinned her lips. “We have to find him. Time is running out. He’s cold, freezing.” She closed her eyes as a fresh sense of presence and pain ripped through her. “And he’s not alone.”

* * * * *

The Mage looked at the troll lying on the forest floor, his mottled skin already shrinking and turning into the fibrous leathery shell of the poisonous mushroom it would ultimately become.

A fairy soldier hovered above the body. “We were patrolling the outer perimeter near the mountains when we came across the body.” He alit and knelt beside it. “Look here your majesty, just below the rib.” He moved the tattered shirt where a small flower of brackish gray blood congealed.

Tolhram dropped to one knee and traced the jagged wound with his fingertips. “The Sword of Shadows. It has been found.” His eyes clouded. With all his confidence and regal poise, he couldn’t stop the chill of dread that tickled up his spine, or the droplets of sweat that dimpled his top lip.

Fearful thoughts raced through his mind. Trolls were known for their treacherous behavior, turning against one of their own kind for momentary pleasure or sway. What if one of them had the sword? Or what if Gorash, himself, had it? If that was the case, then Marcus Drake and Brian McKenna were probably dead. His thoughts turned to Amber, his heart nearly breaking at the thought of what else might be in store for her.

“Search the area for more of them.” He ordered the solider. Before the fairy could carry out the Mage’s orders, two more appeared, escorting a warrior troll. Corin walked behind him, his bow loaded and trained on the troll’s back.

“Another troll has crossed the plain,” Corin announced. “It is a dangerous time for the fae if the underworlders can roam freely in Everwood.”

The Mage studied the captured troll’s face, the expression not forthcoming. Expectant, perhaps, defiant but definitely not friendly. “Why have you come?” he demanded.

The troll didn’t flinch from Tolhram’s probing eyes. “I come for the one they call “Teezal.”

Tolhram felt the blood rush faster through his body. “What business do you have with her.”

“I bring grave news of the coming of the end.”

Tolhram stepped closer to the troll. “If indeed you have news, then say it now. To me.”

The troll lifted his chin in defiance even as the fairymen holding him pushed him closer to Tolhram. “It is for her ears only.”

“What are you called in your world, trollman?”

The troll’s gaze locked with Tolhram’s. “In all worlds I am called Plim Nightwing.”

Tolhram read the resolution in the troll’s eyes. “As you wish. Tell me then, Plim Nightwing, how did you come to Everwood so easily?”

“The barriers are dissolving. The end is coming quickly. I must speak to Teezal.” His eyes narrowed as his looked over the fairies surrounding him. “Only Teezal.”

The Mage studied the troll for a moment and then signaled for one of the soldiers to get her. He turned back to the troll. “While we wait, you had better tell us how you came to know her and why.” He nodded with a jerk of his head toward a small contingent of fae militia gathering edgily nearby. “And do so quickly before they rip your heart out.”

* * * * *

Amber and David jostled their way to the center of the circle of fairies. “My father needs me,” she said when she was at the side of the Mage. It was only then that she saw the troll. Her brows furrowed and she looked at her grandfather. “What is he doing here?”

“He will only tell that to Teezal.”

“Amber took a step closer to Plim. “I’ve sensed you before. You were there at the nightclub.”

With the words, Plim grabbed her hand. “You are the Child of the Three.”

“Don’t touch her,” David shouted surging forward, hell bent on separating them.

Amber stopped him. “It’s all right.”

“The power floats around you like a nimbus,” Plim continued. His free hand moved around her, silhouetting her from one shoulder to the other. “It wafts around you like the scent of a flower.” He dropped his hand and caught her gaze with his. “Your father is alive.

“That’s enough,” David wrenched Amber’s hand free from Plim’s. When he did it, was as though the ground shuddered. “If one troll is here, there are probably others.” He put his arm around Amber and turned to the Mage. “Amber needs to be protected. Away from here.” He gestured to Plim. “He could be a decoy.”

Amber shrugged away David’s protective embrace and turned back to Plim. “You said my father is alive. Where is he?”

“I will tell only Teezal.”

“Then do so now,” she said turning to the entrance way.

Teezal, accompanied by Kubla, entered the circle. She was dressed in the garb of a hunter, forest green leggings, bark colored tunic, her bow slung across her back, her wings unfurled.

The troll visibly relaxed. “By the beard of Frind, I hope it is not too late.”

Amber ran to Teezal. “This troll says my father is alive. But before that I felt him. He called to me. We have to find him.”

“Is this true?” Teezal asked Plim.

Plim nodded. “The Drakeman has found the Sword,” Plim said lifting his hand. As he unwound dingy strips of material wrapped around one hand he continued. “He and the other have escaped the caves of ice. Even now they try to bring it to you.”

Amber grasped his shoulders. “How do you know this?”

Plim raised lifted his palm, showing the serrated wound. “Because I have tasted the sword the Drakeman held in his hand. A low gasp rose from the crowd as Plim turned in a slow circle, showing all the uniquely shaped cut made by the sword.

Tolhram looked carefully at the wound. “It matches the gash on the body of the dead troll that was found near one of the trodways,” Tolhram said.

Teezal’s dark eyes flared. “Where is Marcus Drake?” she asked, striding toward Plim.

“I told him to take the sword and the other one and walk east, over the glacier, to the sea. Later, when I tried to follow the tracks, a storm had erased everything.”

“You left him in the wasteland?”

Amber rushed to Plim and grabbed him by the shoulders. “How could you leave him?”

Teezal pried Amber’s hands from Plim. “And you’re sure that Marcus has the sword.”

“Yes. But even now Gorash searches for the Drakeman.”

“Then we must find him first. You will take me to the ice cave.

“I’m going with you,” Amber announced.

“No, you’ll be safer here,” David said quickly, pulling her back into his arms.

“The human is right,” the Mage agreed. As David began to escort Amber away, the Mage stopped him. “No. Corin will take her. I have something vital for you to do.”

* * * * *

Voices. Whispering. All around her. Back inside a room prepared for her deep inside the Mage’s castle, Amber closed her eyes very slowly and tried to shut them out. But they persisted.

Bloodlines.

Prophecies.

The Triad.

Vows.

Betrayals.

She was the last and maybe only one of her kind. A mixture and anomaly that shouldn’t even exist. She was not like David, a direct descendant of Adam. And Teezal, pure fae, pure blood. And the monster they called Gorash. Even his blood ran untainted.

Yet it was on her shoulders that the fate of their worlds rested. For thousands of years her coming was predicted. She could no longer ignore the call.

The magnitude of what she had learned from the captured troll washed over her. Her father was alive and the last sword had been found. Soon they would converge, fulfilling a promise made millions of years ago.

She wrapped her hands around her stomach. But nowhere in the equation was a future for the baby. Her baby. David’s baby. A tear trailed down her cheek. An innocent to die with her if the prophecy was correct. A death all her doing.

Why did she make David love her? Why did she try to defy the divination? No one was above the laws of fate. A power greater than all presided over ageless time and uncompromising destiny. She knew that now.

But she knew it too late.

* * * * *

The sun was lost behind the high peak of a mountain and it was difficult to see anything as Marcus and Brian trudged forward. Quite suddenly an ice cloud rose, enveloping them in blinding white. Marcus took a few more steps just as the sun reemerged and found himself on the edge of a precipice, dropping sheer to an icy glacier. He teetered briefly before grabbing Brian just before he would step off into nothingness.

Brian looked across the great drop and fell to his knees in the snow. “It’s over. I can’t go on.”

Marcus dropped beside him. “No it’s not. We have to keep going.

“You go. Leave me here. I just want to sleep.”

With the little energy that remained in his body, Marcus rose and tried to somehow find the strength to lift Brian from the arctic white blanket of snow that covered him. “I won’t leave you. They are all waiting for us.”

Brian lifted his head and pulled himself up by the arm that was offered. “Waiting,” he said, using Marcus’ body for support, “everything about this desolate place is waiting -the snow, the ice, the wind — all waiting for us to die.”