The Guardian's Keeper (The Guardian Trilogy, Book 1) (21 page)

Claire let out a strangled cry and fell back to the ground. The blackness took her and she knew no more.

Chapter 27

When she awoke she found herself back in Anya’s caravan. Anya sat on a stool, waiting for her to wake up. When she saw Claire had come to she rushed to her side and knelt beside the bed.

“Claire?” she whispered. “
I am sorry, so sorry for Nikoli, but he would have turned you. I had to do it.” Tears fell down her pretty face as she pleaded for her friend’s forgiveness.

Claire simply nodded. Her body was sore all over, her disloc
ated shoulder back in place in a sling. She felt numb inside, dead. Nikoli was gone. “How did we get here?” she asked.

“
When we did not come back to Camp after sun came up Renka sent riders to find us. Garridan made bigger circle, we pulled you and Nikoli in, Myrmidons could not get us and sun came up. You sleep longer than one day.” Anya explained awkwardly as she tried to find the right English words.

“Nikoli,” Claire stated numbly. “Where is- where is he?”
She felt agonizing sorrow bubbling up inside her but she fought to push it back.

Anya shrugged. “
I not know. Renka had Garridan move body out of Camp for now.”

The door pushed open and Garridan stuck his head in. He grinned when he saw Claire was awake. He said something to
Anya, who nodded and rose.

“
I will be back soon, I go get Renka and tell her you are awake,” she told Claire.

Claire didn’t have the strength to protest being left alone with Garridan. He moved Anya’s stool right up to the bed and lowered his bulk onto it.
Claire stared at him blankly.

“
I know you are hurting Nikoli is gone,” Garridan began “but now you must see he was no good for you, you could have no future with a Vampir.” He paused, then continued, encouraged by Claire’s lack of protest. “Maybe now you see how you need a husband, a real man, who will give you a real life, not play games and pretend he is a man.” Garridan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch. Claire tensed up and held her breath, dreading what was coming next.

“
I am the best man in this Camp. I am strong, I work hard. I want a beautiful woman to take care of me and my home and raise my children. I want strong, smart sons and beautiful daughters.” Garridan opened the pouch and produced a fiery opal ring set on a silver band with an intricate design. He held it up for Claire to inspect. “You are the woman who can give me that, and I will protect and take care of you in return. I want you to be my bride, Claire.”

Claire sat up, aghast and
speechless. She made no move to neither take the ring nor answer Garridan.

“
I know you thought you loved Nikoli. I hope you see now he could not love you, not really. Many girls in this Camp hope I will take them for my bride but I do not want them- I want you, Claire. I am willing to ignore your tryst with the Vampir to have you by my side and in my bed,” he said, clearly thinking himself charitable.

Claire regarded him dully. He waited
patiently for her answer.

Finally she spoke. “
Nikoli’s death does not change anything for you, Garridan. No, I cannot be your bride.” She braced herself against his temper but it never came. Instead of exploding in anger he regarded her calmly.

“I will wait,” h
e announced as he tucked the ring back into its pouch. “You rest now, you are not in your right mind to discuss serious matters, I should have known better.” He moved to stroke her cheek but stopped when she drew back in disgust. He sighed. “I have waited all my 23 years for you, my crazy American, I can wait some more.” He paused.

“
I want you to think of one thing Claire- when Renka said you would be bound to your love by blood, why do you assume she meant Nikoli? He is dead now, because of your blood.” She flinched involuntarily at his harsh words. “I spilled my blood to protect you; I drained out my life’s essence to keep you safe. How are you so sure Renka was not referring to me in her prophecy? I tried to protect you from that monster by spilling my blood for you.” He studied her carefully but she refused to answer him. Defeated, he left without another word.

Claire sank back on the bed. She wanted nothing more but to drift away back into the blackness. Her family was dead and now Nikoli too. Eve
ryone she had loved was dead. There was nothing left for her.

Anya came back with Renka in tow. The old woman hobbled over to the stool and sat down. Claire regarded her silently. She had nothing to say to the deluded old liar who told her she would be bound to her true love by blood.
Nikoli had been her love and now he was dead.

Renka muttered to herself in her odd way as she searched the folds of her skirt for something. Finally she found what she was looking for and cradled it in her lap but it wa
s too small to see.

“What will you do now?” she asked Claire. “
We will destroy the Fang soon, but where will you go? Back to America?”

Claire drew her knees up to her chest. She hadn’
t thought of where to go next. Without Nikoli it didn’t matter. She longed for Joyce’s soothing words and comfort but couldn’t stand the thought of returning to the farmhouse without Nikoli. Her home and family was gone, and the place that now felt like home was out of the question. It was too painful to even consider the farmhouse with Nikoli gone. She shook her head to Renka, unable to meet her piercing gaze.

“
I did not think so. You have Gypsy blood in you, you belong with us now,” Renka declared in her gravelly voice. “I want you to stay here with us- you are family. I would say you were welcome anyways, but as you are Blood, you stay here- with your people. You have no other people now, they are all dead.”

Tears welled up in Claire’s eyes as she
hugged her knees tighter. “Where is Nikoli?” she whispered, barely able to utter the words.

Renka
waved her hands dismissively. “I had Garridan bury him in the forest. He took his heart out first.”

Claire burst into sobs. “Is it not enough he’s dead?”
she cried out as Renka removed the small object from her hand and held it up against Claire’s cheek. Claire drew back but Renka persisted.

“What is that?”
Claire sobbed as she batted Renka’s hand away from her. Renka held it up for Claire to see. It was a small glass vial, filled with her tears.

“I told you,” Renka explained “
when you came back I would have everything I needed for the spell to destroy the Fang. The flower, the heart of the Guardian, the tears of his Keeper.’

Claire gasped in horror. “
You knew? You knew this would happen?”

Renka shook her head. “
No, I did not know, I knew I needed the flower and when you came back I would have the rest. I did not know what it was until the riders brought you back. Then I knew, I saw. To destroy the Fang the bond between Keeper and Guardian had to be broken too. They do not exist without Stavros, if he were gone they must be gone too.” She patted Claire’s hand gently. Claire wailed in unrelenting grief.

“
I will go now. Later you come to me, we destroy the Fang, when you are ready, but before the sun sets,” Renka commanded as she left the caravan.

Any
a sat down gingerly next to Claire and pulled her into her arms. “It is okay,” she crooned again and again as she tried to soothe Claire. She rocked her in her arms for a long time as Claire’s grief ran its course. Finally Claire could cry no more.

“You stay here, with us now?” Anya asked hopefully. “
You are like sister for me, I hope you stay. You are family here with us.”

Claire sniffled. She didn’t really want to stay here, at the
Camp, living as a Gypsy but where else could she go? She truly had nowhere to go, no one to turn to expect Renka and her Camp. Joyce’s farm was out of the question for her. It would be unbearable to return there now.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “
Anya, I need some time alone, to think. Do you mind leaving me alone for a bit?”

Anya nodded. “
I check on you later,” she promised.

Alone at last Claire covered herself with Anya’s bright quilt and eventually fell asleep. When she awoke a few hours later she knew what she
had to do.

Chapter
28

Claire was resolute in her decision as she entered Renka’s caravan.

“Come,”
Renka commanded as she motioned for Claire to sit on the familiar loveseat. “I have been waiting for you.” Claire sat down and Renka moved a small table in front of her.

On the table was an ornately carved wooden bowl. Next to it was a mortar and pestle full of the ground
Zeita petals and the vial full of tears. Renka set down one last container- a small metal pail. Claire knew what it contained without looking and broke into a cold sweat.

Renka regarded her solemnly. “
You must put it all together, I will speak the words then.”

Claire nodded and tried to swall
ow the lump in her throat.

“
First the flower, then the tears, then the heart, last the Fang,” Renka instructed. Claire did as she was told. She had no problem dumping the ground flower petals and tears into the bowl but her hands shook so badly she could barely slide Nikoli’s heart out of the metal pail into the bowl. Tears blurred her vision as she fought not to pass out. Finally she undid the locket that held the Fang of Stavros and held it above the wooden bowl. Renka nodded her encouragement.

Claire dropped the locket into the bowl and Renka handed her a spoon made
from a deer antler.

“
You stir now, do not stop until I tell you to, I will do the spell,” Renka instructed.

Claire stirred as Renka began an incantation in
an ancient language. Red smoke that stank of sulfur began curling out of the bowl. As Renka’s chant grew in volume and intensity so did the smoke. Claire felt nauseous and light headed but forced herself to go on, stirring the ingredients continuously. The Fang had to be destroyed. Her family had had been brutally murdered, her love killed- all because of Stavros, still causing death and misery from his grave. It was time to put a stop to his reign of terror. He and his Myrmidons had cost her dearly and Nikoli had died trying to destroy the Fang. She would do this, finish this task, not only to protect the world from Stavros’ return but to avenge her deceased loved ones.

Claire stirred with increased
fervor as Renka continued the spell. The smoke made it impossible to see much in the room through its stinky red haze. Renka’s chant crescendoed and suddenly a huge blue flame sprung up out of the bowl then disappeared, taking all the smoke with it. Claire sat dumbfounded, antler spoon in hand, looking into the now empty bowl. It looked clean and untouched inside, like the spell had never happened.

Renka nodded her approval. “It is good.”
She smiled a toothless grin. “The Fang of Stavros is gone, he can never return now.”

“
What about the Myrmidons?” Claire asked.

Renka shrugged. “
They no more a concern than any other vampire, they are regular vampires again.”

“What about Nikoli?”
Claire could barely force the words out of her mouth. “Could he- come back, like Stavros wanted to? Does he have Myrmidons now?”

Renka shook her head. “
A God did not interfere to cause his destruction, so now that his heart is gone, he cannot come back, never again. Stavros could be risen up by his Fangs because Circe meddled with his destiny by causing him to lose them. If Circe had left Stavros alone and someone had staked his heart, he could not have come back either, as long as the stake remained in place. There are terrible consequences when the Gods interfere, but it was Nikoli’s destiny to die that night. He cannot come back, there is no way.” She sank back into her rocker.

“
Your destiny is to stay with us, join the Camp. It’s in your blood. Will you heed your calling?” she inquired, studying Claire with her hawk-like eyes.

Claire nodded slightly. “
I will stay and join the Camp. You’re right- there is nothing for me anywhere else, not anymore.”

Renka cackled happily. “
We will get you a place to stay of your own soon, until then you stay with Anya. You go now- you have done good work, Keeper, the Fang is gone. I will rest now, it drained me to use that magic.” Renka closed her eyes and rocked slowly in her chair, humming to herself.

Claire took her leave and headed off into the
Camp. She was not going back to Anya’s caravan, not yet. She paused at the door of a well-kept emerald green caravan trimmed in navy blue. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

Garridan stuck his head out and broke into a huge grin when he sa
w Claire there. He stepped out to talk to her.

Claire stood stiffly, her head held hig
h, her eyes full of challenge. “I accept,” she told him gruffly.