Secret Worlds (319 page)

“Why?” I asked, my blood starting to warm with rage again.

“Because the elves don’t like to concern themselves with the affairs of the other races. They would not respond to you even if the goblins stood at their doorstep.”

“But—”

“Be patient.” He knelt down and picked up a twig, twirling it in his hands. His tail swayed back and forth. “I’ve been watching that encampment for days now. I alerted the other races. They are on their way. I’m sure Jiren will find out Marren is missing by now and will launch the attack sooner than later. So you should do yourself some good by getting as much rest as you can get. And staying here. You’ll only get yourself killed.”

“I’m a fighter, and I refuse to be treated like a child.” I wanted to stomp my feet to add to my stubborn tantrum, but I knew that would only cause him to laugh at me, if not become more determined to not give me a weapon.

“I’ve been made aware of your fighting skills, but you are still weak.”

“That’s a first,” I muttered.

“I meant you are weakened from Marren’s condition and your unborn child.” His tone became that of a patient elder, explaining the ways of the world to a child who just couldn’t understand.

“Fine.”

By nightfall, crews of dwarves, centaurs, and other therianthropes had arrived and made camp inside and around the small cluster of trees. Raden had Danst with him, and Enid trained with the other werewolves. Tobias worked with the others as I sat bored, wishing I was sparring too. With as helpless as I felt, it was good to learn Jiren would find out the races of this world weren’t going to give up without a fight. Ildir went to the elves to speak with Joe’n and Blyl, who remained reluctant to allow those who followed him, the serpentines and drakes, to enter the fight. He seemed rather neutral to the whole idea. It bothered me.

My weakened state passed with the hours. I found a werewolf who wouldn’t disobey me for anything and requested a sword of which he was more than happy to give. Jiren isn’t the only one with persuasion. I also managed to talk him into sparring with me. The exercise renewed me. The more I fought, the better I felt. Like fighting fed my soul.

I disarmed my opponent and glanced up in time to find Tobias had observed my skills in action. Whether he was shocked, amazed, or neutral? I had no idea. He kept his demeanor level and moved on quickly without telling me to stop. Not that I would have listened.

But my opponent needed a break. I gave up fighting, taking a seat on a nearby fallen tree and started to sharpen my sword. Once I did so, something moved deep inside me, like butterflies in my stomach, but lower. Flutter, flutter, flutter. Then it stopped. My hand went instinctively to my lower abdomen. A stronger flutter returned. I didn’t understand much about pregnancy, but it seemed too early to experience the baby moving.

My gaze shifted to Okelo as she approached. She smiled as though I spoke my thoughts to her. Her hair was pulled from her face and had the same sack strapped to her back. She stopped in front of me and said, “You are absolutely glowing. Word is Marren is doing well. They expect him to wake in a few weeks.”

My heart fell. “Weeks?”

“Well, it’s a far cry from the months they were anticipating originally.”

I nodded, still unsure about the time. The baby fluttered again. “Oh, how is it possible? I’m only one month along. I can’t be experiencing movement this early, can I?”

“We have faster pregnancies than humans. So, yes.”

“How much faster?”

“You will have your little one in four months’ time. Which is why Marren’s potential to wake in weeks is much better than months. The first night the baby is born is an important bonding time for the baby and father.”

“Do they grow faster too?”

She nodded and unstrapped Serid, who appeared so much bigger since the last I laid eyes on him. He appeared as though he was ready to walk on his own.

“Yes, until the age they make their first change. That’s when the growing slows down, almost completely stopping.”

“Relena!” Danst called me from outside of the trees. I found him with a big smile on his face. He waved me over with his hand.

“Excuse me.”

“Of course,” Okelo said.

For one moment, I had forgotten that we were preparing for a battle. I had an inkling to question Okelo’s presence but remembered that she had taken her mate’s place as Marren’s second. Still, something seemed off.

***

Ildir, Joe’n and Blyl stood in the field of tall grass waiting for me. Danst had been instructed to bring me to them. I hated that he tried so hard to fit in with his people and yet never belonged to either side of his blood.

It was dark. The sky, riddled with dots of glitter and gold, was spotted with light fluffy clouds. The moon had yet to rise and bring light to the field. The Ancients stood side by side as I approached them. Their were eyes on me. It made my heart falter slightly. I wasn’t sure what this meeting was about, but it couldn’t be good.

Joe’n spoke first, “Marren is on the mend. We expect a full recovery soon. When is up to him.”

“Thank you for everything you are doing for him,” I said.

“It is our pleasure, but this is not what we called you to us for,” Joe’n said.

“Oh?”

“Tobias,” Ildir said, “requests that you stay out of the battle.”

I laughed under my breath. More from impatience than humor. “And you agree?”

“We think that it’s best you don’t do anything to risk Marren’s recovery.”

“I’m fighting. End of discussion,” I said.

They all gazed at me with wide eyes, completely shocked that I would dare go against an Ancient.

“Relena, we come to you as a friend. We’re concerned that you—”

“I’m capable of fighting, and Tobias witnessed it only moments ago.”

“We are not questioning your abilities,” Joe’n added. “We want to ensure Marren’s health remains stable and that you also remain careful and cautious with your actions.”

“I won’t stand by while everyone but me fights for their lives and may even lose them.”

“Relena, we can forbid you to fight, if we must,” Ildir said.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m going to fight with or without your permission.” I grew impatient with their attempts to prevent me from fighting.

“At least think about Marren and what he would want.” This time Blyl spoke. He had remained quiet and indifferent for the majority of the time.

“Let me see him. If you want me to think about his wishes, let me touch him.”

They stood quietly. Joe’n seemed to consider it. After a few moments of quiet, I spoke again. “Fine. I won’t fight so long as I don’t see Jiren. If he comes after me, I’m going after him.”

“We won’t leave your side or let anything like that happen.”

I turned around, muttering under my breath, “Sure you won’t.”

***

I met up with Danst after leaving the Ancients behind. They didn’t understand a thing about me, and they were sinking low to use Marren to get me to not fight. I wasn’t going to sit by and let others die after what Jiren did. I wouldn’t allow that to happen even without Jiren’s actions. I wasn’t going to do it. I don’t sit around and let people do the work.

Danst leaned against a tree, peeling leaves off a twig. His eyes found mine, and then he stood.

“That apparently didn’t go well,” he said.

“Were you aware of what they wanted to discuss with me?” I asked.

“What?” he asked as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

“Were you aware of what they wanted to discuss with me?” I repeated.

“No, I didn’t. I thought they were going to tell you Marren was awake.” He paused for a few moments, kicking a piece of dirt on the ground. “He isn’t awake, is he?”

“No,” I said, spitting out the word as though it was bitter in my mouth.

“Wha—what did they want?”

“To tell me not to fight, rather, to forbid me from fighting. Spouting off that I need to think of Marren and his wellbeing.”

“Wow. They don’t understand you, do they?”

“Obviously,” I muttered.

“So what are you going to do?” Danst asked after a moment.

“I’m going to go find him, when everyone is busy fighting, and I’m going to kill him.”

“You’re going to kill Marren?” he asked dubiously.

“No!” I said. “I’m going to find Jiren and kill
him
.”

“I hate to break this to you, but Jiren can’t be killed. Not in the way you are thinking.”

“Oh yeah? How can I kill him?” I asked, stepping up to Danst and staring deep into his eyes, waiting for him to answer. He avoided my gaze and turned, walking away. “Don’t walk away from me, tell me!”

“I can’t,” he said.

“You can’t or you won’t?” I shouted.

He turned around faster than I’d ever seen him move with rage blazing brightly in his eyes. “Pick one, Relena! You’ll stop at nothing and run over everyone—even your mate—to get to Jiren and kill him. You won’t think! At least not about anyone but yourself. Go do yourself a favor and get some rest. And try not to get yourself and your baby killed.” Without another word, he turned and continued walking away from me. Just above the tree line, the moon had risen, shining light on the field, bathing it in an eerie glow.

I was too shocked to move. Too shocked that Danst had actually accused me of being selfish and thinking only about myself. I couldn’t believe he didn’t understand that I wanted Jiren to pay for ripping Marren from me and turning this world upside down to prove me wrong instead of accepting I was Marren’s heart song.

I returned to the cluster of trees to find Okelo. I wasn’t about to back down. Not when I was that close. I had to fight. Marren would understand, and I wouldn’t let myself get killed. But Okelo was nowhere in sight. After asking a number of people where she was, I was no closer to finding her. Everyone I asked claimed that they had not seen her. Frustrated, I found a spot to lie down and get some sleep. I would need it in order to leave before anyone else woke up.

***

I woke to find my hands tied to a tree with Tobias crouched in front of me, ready to pounce if I tried to escape. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why are you so insistent on not letting me fight?”

“Why are you so insistent upon fighting?” he asked with his thickly accented words.

“Because it is wrong to expect people to fight and die for me without me willing to do the same.”

“Willing and doing are the same thing to you?”

“Yes,” I said, trying to twist my wrists free from the ropes.

He nodded. “I have great respect for you. But you are stupid, careless, and you act before you think. That is what will get you killed.”

“I don’t need lessons from you.” I struggled again and then panted, giving up my struggle for the moment. “I need you to release me.”

He smiled, and with it came a deep chuckle that sounded somewhere between a purr and a growl. I stared at him to find out which it was. Anger or humor. I couldn’t tell.

“I promised your mate that I wouldn’t let harm come to you. If I let you go and you ran into Jiren, he would kill you before you could blink. Your best interest is to stay put.”

“Did Marren tell you to tie me up, too?” I asked, not believing for one moment he would say something like that.

“Actually, he said to use whatever means were necessary.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t believe you.”

“No matter.” He partially stood, then turned and crouched, facing the small opening into the trees. The sound of battle started to fill the air. Tobias stood and lightly shifted from foot to foot, readying for battle. It worried me, what he was doing.

“What would Marren say if he discovered you used me as bait?”

He shifted slowly and twisted enough to glance at me from the corner of his eye. “What makes you think I’m using you as bait?”

“I’m tied up here, and you appear to be waiting for someone to come and meet you, so you can take care of him yourself. Tell me why?”

“You mistake my actions,” he said.

“Do I?” I asked, even surer of myself. His form shook slightly. I couldn’t tell if it was laughter or if it was sadness. He spun around and quickly cut my ropes. I stood up, worried about the sudden change. “Tobias?”

He turned slowly and tried to hide a sniffle as he wept.

“I’m the last of my kind. He killed my family, my mate, my child!” The last word choked him. “I lost my entire race because of him. Him and his desire for ultimate power.”

“I was told that you can’t defeat him,” I said.

“You can’t, but I can damage him enough to force him into hiding for quite some time—giving you and Marren ample time to find a way to kill him.”

“What about me?” I still couldn’t understand why I would be the lure.

“There is a sword in between those bushes behind you.”

I knelt down and picked it up. It was heavy and didn’t have much of an edge to it, but it would work to fend off anyone for a short time.

“Use it to further wound him if I should fail.”

“I don’t understand.” And yet there was a weight in the conversation that pressed on my shoulders and with it carried the knowledge that I didn’t want to face. He was going to make Jiren kill him. “Tobias, you can’t.”

“I can, and I will,” he spoke, softer this time. His shaking had stopped. He was preparing himself.

“What can I do to help?”

“Hide until I’m dead. If he’s not wounded enough, and you’ll be able to tell, you must fight him until he is. You fight extremely well for a newly turned werewolf. You have the skills—”

“Of an elf. Danst taught me.”

He nodded as if he understood. “Go, now. Before he finds you.”

I ducked down behind a tree next to the bushes. The wind had blown in between them, bringing with it an acrid smell of rotting flesh and bile. I covered my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting.

The anticipation of a fight tingled under my skin, forcing my heart to pump in a quicker, yet even pace. I took a few deep breaths through my mouth and braced myself for Tobias’ death. My heart bled for him though I couldn’t blame him. If my whole family, and by family I mean Marren, Enid, and Danst, had died, I would want to join them, also. What good was my life without them?