SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) (46 page)

He pulls the sliding door aside with
enough force to jam it open then pulls her into the cold and sends her reeling
over the ledge into the Calgary winter night.

Lawrence
urges her even faster as they rise and
turn south to cross the Bow, the silent channel of dark, running water slashes
through the snow. Clear black sky surrounds their flight as he hurtles forward.

“
Do
it,
”
he shouts.

And Tempest does.

She lights the burn in her back muscles
to seed a portal to Welch Peak. It will be deserted and she can use her
dragonkin speed to escape Lawrence and make a second portal home. He must want
the relic but if that was all he wanted then why didn
’
t he grab it and disable her before she
could let her dragon out? The only answer is he wants Cooper as well. As far as
Lawrence knows, only Daniel can access the box and he
’
ll take the chance he might be waiting at
their destination. She needs a quick getaway on the other side of the portal.

The electric tightness in her body eases
as the invisible seed forms a kilometre ahead, just south of the last city
lights, though the burn remains. The homes below can
’
t deal with the explosive discharge and
she
’
s been taught to avoid it if
at all possible.

The portal opens with a snap, its green
rim expanding from the fist sized seed to a torn hole much broader than the
span of her wings.

“
Beneath me,
”
she
shouts to Lawrence and he has the sense to draw his wings in so as not to
interfere with her flight. Even though her arms don
’
t reach all the way around his bulk and
the pack,
he
’
s heavy, but not unmanageable. Tempest
glides to the portal opening without losing much height.

Just as she readies to transition the
portal and drop Lawrence, he wriggles to turn in her arms. Tempest fights to
keep their course straight and avoid a fatal contact with the edge of the
portal but with her attention split between keeping them alive and Lawrence getting in the pack she doesn
’
t notice what he
’
s really doing until it
’
s too late.

Tempest
’
s wings fall limp as Lawrence gets a hand
on her throat.

“
Don
’
t struggle,
”
he warns but she does.
The skin around her neck burns as he wraps a fine silver chain around it.
Before she can get her hands up to fight him, her body becomes heavy in his
arms and he takes their weight on his wings. The portal seems suspended upside
down before her eyes and everything goes black as it slams shut.

“
Don
’
t move, Cherry, unless you want to be
unconscious again.
”

Welch
Peak lies ahead, its profile clearly
visible from the bare ledge on which Lawrence deposited her. She rocks slightly
as he takes the box from her pack.

“
The chain around your neck is a gift from
Aledaar,
”
he whispers, voice deep with
shame.
“
If
you move you
’
ll pass out again.

“
No Cooper? No matter. Aledaar will make
sure he comes of his own accord.
”

Lawrence
stands.

Tempest can
’
t even move her eyes to look up at him.
Her heart and lungs work but nothing else.

“
Only a gryphon can remove the chain. It
will disable any dragonkin.
”

“
Lawrence
,
”
she tries but the
moonlit clouds heaped up around Welch Peak fade as her own breath becomes a
dull buzz and the chain around her neck threatens to claim her consciousness.

“
I hope Aledaar kills me when he
’
s finished with me, Cherry. I really do.
The pain is too much to fight. Tell Daniel my spirit is loyal but my will is
gone. I
’
ll make sure you
’
re found, I promise.
”

His feet drag across the broken rock
surface then he
’
s gone, wings beating hard as
he disappears north-west into the night.

“
Lawrence
,
”
Tempest whispers a final
time as his figure grows smaller, just a dark shape against the deep, silver
clouds.

Soar.

Commotion in the main chamber wakes
Cooper. Even in his den, the vibration of voices conveys excitement and not a
small amount of anxiety. The arrival of nearly fifty green dragonkin the night
before, both the young from their deep cave and warriors from Ochre
’
s Honour, packs the Vancouver Island
Eyrie to capacity. They are sufficiently guarded so Dame Shadow removed her
wards, allowing her to recover some of her energy.

New and familiar dragonkin faces bring
back many memories of his own Lady Eve, both of the good times and of her
lingering, painful death. The presence of both his children, Fire and Lady
Flay, and their eagerness to fight also unlocks even older recollections of
Eve, his sweet, brave fighter.

In spite of the excitement, tension grows
as the hours pass without word from Lady Tempest.

“
The Will.
”

The words echo down the hall and through
the heavy curtain that seals Cooper in his den. He staggers in a one-footed hop
while he hurries to dress. It ends in a rough collision with the wall before he
’
s able to get his tail and other foot
into his trousers. Then he pulls his tunic on as he hurries through the tunnel.

“
Bring
her,
”
Soar says as Cooper enters the
main chamber. Tundra, of Shadow
’
s guard, takes Fire and the
pair disappear into the tunnel leading to the main entrance.

Green dragonkin line the walls, mixing
with Lev and Shadow
’
s black armoured guard. Their
bodies cast heavy lines through the space as only half the silver lights are
lit and the main chamber is still dim for night. It isn
’
t Shadow that Soar has sent for if Tundra
is headed out. She
’
s gone and each tunnel
surrounding the main chamber is guarded by an equal number of dragonkin and
gryphons to keep her location secret. Cooper steps through the guard at the
opening to his tunnel.

Almost immediately, Lev turns on his heel
and with a snap of his fingers points at Cooper. His blonde hair is tangled
from sleep though he
’
s fully armoured and armed
including the two long skyblades crossed between his shoulders.

“
You, out.
”

With a nod, Cooper steps back but lingers
close enough to see what
’
s going on. When he turns, Lev
and Talon are gone from the center of the chamber and stand near the tunnel to
the entrance, blending in with the rest of the guard. Whomever Tundra escorts
in will have her back to Lev as she faces Soar by a small fire in the center of
the chamber.

It only takes a moment for Tundra and
Fire to return. They
’
re imposing, striding in,
wings arrogantly flared, on either side of a smaller gold dragonkin, a female,
he supposes. Only her gold wings and glimpses of her red armour are visible
behind Tundra as the three move to the centre of the room and stop ten feet
from Soar.

“
Welcome,
”
Soar
speaks.

As the two guarding the female step
aside, her eyes widen as she takes in the room. Cooper looks to see what has
alarmed her and finds nearly a dozen crossbows trained on her.

“
Oh,
”
she sighs and her breathing settles into
tight gasps for air.

Cooper
’
s stomach knots with disgust at Aledaar
sending such a young gold dragonkin to face a room packed with heavily armed
and extremely seasoned fighters. This dragonkin guarded Cooper
’
s apartment door when Aledaar came for
him. If she
’
s stupid enough to try and
influence Soar she might very well find herself the recipient of a dozen
crossbow bolts. Youth makes her no less dangerous. In fact, her tenuous control
of her dragon makes her even more so.

“
Sire
Lev,
”
she drops to her knees but
doesn
’
t offer her wrists, the pose
carefully chosen to show respect but not submission. She
’
s uncomfortable showing gryphon style
respect and her hands clutch the knee of her red leather armour for lack of
anything better to do.
“
I am Torch of the Council
’
s Will and I ask your assistance in
relaying a message.
”

Soar nods toward Lev but to Torch it must
look like he
’
s urging her to continue.

“
Sire
Lev,
”
she rises but Soar raises a
hand.

“
I am Master Soar of Sire Lev
’
s guard,
”
Soar
says.

“
I will speak only with Sire Lev,
”
she
’
s
firm but her thin voice rises more like it
’
s a question.

Then Cooper feels the tingle of her
influence as she tries to push Soar into taking her to Lev but she won
’
t get anywhere with him. He
’
s immune to her influence and she didn
’
t actually tell him to do anything. Damn,
maybe she
’
s just being careful and she
’
s smarter than she looks. If she had
ordered Soar the crossbows may have gone off.

Soar
’
s smile broadens and he raises the hand
again. When he lowers it the crossbows drop.

“
Your influence will not work on me. You
may try working your way around the room with it but I doubt you would be
allowed.
”

She swallows, the click in her throat
echoes through the room.

“
Torch, you may trust Sire Lev will hear
your entire message.
”

“
I,
”
she pauses then starts again, lowering
her voice.
“
I am to ask Sire Lev to
deliver a message to the exile Daniel Cooper.
”

Cooper
’
s brows rise with curiosity.
Why would
Aledaar think Lev knows where I am?
The question doesn
’
t linger as he realizes the answer. Since
Flay and Tempest disappeared with him then Aledaar must believe Lev has heard
from Tempest.

“
Please, continue,
”
Soar encourages.

“
The message for Daniel Cooper is this.
The courier from Calgary is in the custody of the Council.
”

How Soar takes the news without revealing
his terror for Tempest is a miracle. Cooper has to steady himself on the wall
as he
’
s rocked by the revelation.
Not just that Aledaar has the relic but that he has Lady Tempest.

“
I shall see it done, Torch,
”
Soar promises as he approaches the gold.
She seems to have recovered at least a little from her fear though her lips
still curl in quick, nervous smiles.
“
Now, on behalf of my Sire,
please pass along our deepest respects to My Generous Sire Aledaar. Are you
sufficiently rested for your return?
”