The Unforgiven (14 page)

Flame sauntered straight through the middle of Celestial Village just before dawn, hoping to draw everyone’s attention toward her as Von slipped in on the side and grabbed Phoebe. Besides, she had no desire to hide her presence today. Her anger over the Lioness’s deliberate acts of sabotage and the secret of Naami’s true identity had Flame in full-out battle mode. She felt eyes upon her as she moved along at a steady pace toward Sacred Pond. Young girls stopped playing to stare. Warriors in the training field interrupted their practice to gawk at the ultimate warrior—and Flame knew she was just that.

Domestic women dropped what they were doing to catch a glimpse of the renowned lioness who had defeated the Twilight Realm, stolen their strongest tool, and had successfully rescued Paloma. She assumed word had traveled by now and most everyone within the confines of their hidden colony knew of her triumph at the Flaming Wall.
But do they know whose blood enabled me?
A slight smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. Upon reaching the shimmering pool and clear sparkling waterfall, she laid her daggers on the grass, then knelt at the pond to drink.

“Welcome home, Flame Tahira Rennie,” a soft voice spoke from just overhead.

Flame sat back on her knees and looked up at the apparition of the Supreme Lioness. Unsure of where to begin, she waited in silent respect so as not to act out of character and invoke suspicion. She wanted this to play out naturally and give Von all the time he needed.

“You did not bring your Satellite for this visit. How are you managing the situation with him?”

“There are no problems with my Satellite. He is very agreeable.”

“I assume that your transition went smoothly. Paloma is back in the village and she is in beautiful condition.”

“Yes, Paloma led me to the wall. We made the journey safely and without harm.”

“I felt the evil realm fall. Our nation is celebrating your success. Not only have you destroyed the Twilight Master, but you have also taken out one of his most significant strongholds.” She smiled, yet something more flickered in those warm green eyes. “Nekkar was not always consumed by evil. At one time the island was a tropical paradise.”

“Really?”

“Immortals are always seeking a home base. The evil realm invaded Nekkar five hundred years ago and set up operations. We have been at war with them a very long time.”

“Why tell me this now? The war is over. I have fulfilled my destiny.”

“Yes, this war is finally over, but your calling has just begun. We have invested centuries of knowledge and power to create you. Many women died in the battle against Twilight’s fiends. We no longer need to worry about the evil realm capturing and using our women. You are the sentinel both sides fought to win.”

“
Sentinel
?”

“Even when Twilight rebuilds their army and establishes a new master, they will not be a threat to us. You have defeated them in every way. If the evil realm makes another move in the future, we have
you
to stop them.”

“What about my future? Do I not deserve a life of my own after all these years?”

“Flame, what is this talk? You have always belonged to the sisterhood. No woman has ever exhibited more loyalty to a cause. In return, we have bestowed upon you the gift of immortality…a very rare gift reserved for a select few.”

“Like Naami?” She had to say it, and for the first time in her life, Flame saw shock fill the eyes of the Lioness.

“Who told you such lies?”

“Nobody told me. I saw it. I know everything.” Flame grabbed her daggers and stood up. “I saw Naami with my daughter, the child you promised would be reared by a respectable warrior. Instead, she was raised by a narcissistic queen. Naami hasn’t aged at all since that day twenty years ago.”

“It’s the serum, Flame. We’ve been testing the ageless serum on Naami before giving it to the horses. We wanted to be sure it was safe.”

“You lie to me now?” Her fingers tightened around the handles of her Sai. “You’ll do anything to protect your sister, won’t you?”

“You traveled to
Ciel
.” The Lioness swirled over the pond. “Your mother filled your head with doubt. She is trying to poison you against us. Tahira wants revenge because we refused to accept her love for the Satellite.”

Flame shook her head in disbelief. “You’re lying. My mother is filled with love, an emotion that you trained us not to feel. She didn’t have to tell me anything. You, of all immortals, should know that there is nothing on the other side but the truth.”

“Tahira tainted her reputation by following the weak path. Love does nothing but confuse the mind.”

“I am not confused,” she stated, lifting her chin slightly.

“You allowed your mother to influence your thoughts.”

“No—I saw the truth during transition through the fire. Do you deny what I have seen?”

The Lioness relented a little. “Naami did raise your daughter. There was no other woman worthy enough to rear such a child. You were never to know.”

“Why? Because Naami is a jealous maniac determined to take everything I have?”

“She has not yet birthed a girl. Your daughter was deeply loved and cared for.”

“Yet that wasn’t even enough. She couldn’t be happy raising my child. She had to seduce my boyfriend, too. And to top that, Naami tried to seduce Von.”

“We did what it took to steer you in the right direction. Don’t blame Naami for Von’s weakness.”

“Von doesn’t have a weakness. Didn’t Naami tell you?”

“I see only what others permit me to see, and some realms are hidden.”

“You cannot see
Ciel
?”

“No. They are a closed world, protected by spirits of fire. You are the only one I know of who has visited
Ciel
.”

“Obviously.” Flame sighed in frustration. “You didn’t exactly provide me with the accurate details on how to merge through the Flaming Wall.”

“I gave you what you needed. I knew Raef would prevail if given the chance.”

“Raef had nothing to do with my success. Naami failed. My blood-bond with Von was still very much intact when I leapt into the fire. Don’t you talk to your sister?”

The Lioness became clearly agitated. Her eyes flared as she shifted briskly over the water. “She said her mission was a success.”

“So she
is
your sister.”

“You’re reaching. What are you after?”

“The truth!”

“Yes, Naami is my sister and we do test our new serums on her because she is immortal. She is our secret weapon. Surely, you understand our reasons.”

“Reasons? What about the rest? It
was
you who killed my mother after she handed me over to Naami, the one person I loathe of all people. You told me the warrior who took me in was dead. It all makes sense now, how you gained all the information to outsmart the evil realm. Men aren’t the only tools to you. We are all tools!” Flame braced her feet apart in a firm stance. “I was raised by Sai Masters, trained to be a fighting machine, and taught to dismiss emotion.” Wind began to blow, whipping her hair around wildly as her fury rose. “Now you seek to program my daughter as another one of your minions.”

“Look at yourself, Flame. Look how powerful you’ve become. Our plan worked beautifully. You are everything we hoped for.”

“Wrong,
Your
Highness
,” Flame snarled, her voice cynical. “You and your cold-hearted sister underestimated one thing. What you see as weakness is what I’ve used as my greatest strength.”

“You are not capable of loving Von or any other man. You thought that your feelings toward Raef were love?” Her voice rang with doubt. “You are the warrior through and through. Love will never guide your path. We made sure that you would not repeat your mother’s mistake and we will do the same for your daughter. Raef is the perfect mate because you will never see him as your equal and a woman like you cannot truly love a weaker man.”

“It’s not my love for Raef that helped me transition. It wasn’t my love for Raef that saved me from the burning pit.” She pulled her shoulders back as the gusts blew her hair behind her. “Von’s love rescued me from Twilight. My love for Von got me through the Flaming Wall. Our combined love is what sank Nekkar into the sea. I am born of both worlds…just as you planned. But you didn’t expect me to carry the power of both worlds.”

“Do not join forces with him.” Her eyes blazed with open rage. “You cannot serve both worlds.”

“I choose not to serve any world! How can I be loyal to a nation that manipulates and bends women to their will? How can I serve a ruler who lied to me throughout my entire life and killed my own mother just because she fell in love?”

“She broke the rules! She had to die! I could not allow other women to see her as a heroine. Order must be kept in our nation. We cannot open the door to love and lose control.”

Flame dug her heels in and gritted her teeth. “I will not bow to you or your laws ever again. I have chosen my mate and that man is Von.”

“Then you have also chosen your fate.” The Lioness lifted both hands toward the sky, cupping them as if gathering the fast approaching storm. Black clouds gathered, blocking out the sun. Lightning streaked across the heavens, then into the Lioness’s hands. “If you will not bow, then I will raise another in your place…there will be no Satellite for
her
to love. Your
second
daughter will become the sentinel we need.”

“No!” She crisscrossed her daggers to her front in a defensive move, stunned that the Lioness had discovered her secret. Clearly, they’d entered a battle of wills. “You will not take any more from me.”

“Sever the blood-bond or I will take your life and place the soul of your unborn child inside Naami’s womb.” The Lioness presented a ball of fire on flattened palms. “Give up your Satellite!”

Inwardly, she gasped in horror, aghast at the Lioness’s threat. However, years of brutal training at the hands of unforgiving Sai Masters kept her steady and outwardly stoic. She watched every twitch of this unpredicted opponent. The depth of her need to control was staggering—that she would use her supreme status to steal another innocent soul was beyond evil.

Somehow, the Lioness has learned how to use Twilight’s trick.

Knowing that the Lioness had the power to commit such a heinous act, Flame prepared herself. Lowering her arms, she held the Sai at her sides and met the Lioness’s heated gaze straight on. During this momentary pause between them, Flame drew upon the combined forces within.

“You have underestimated
my
power. I will
never
give him up.”

“You give me no choice. I will not permit another tainted union.” She hurled the ball of fire directly at Flame.

Instantly and in a fluent high-speed move, Flame dropped to one knee, bowed her head, and crossed the daggers overhead. She channeled all the energy in her soul toward the flaming orb streaking toward her and summoned the fire with her mind. The blazing sphere struck her daggers with immeasurable force. This was what she had been trained for—the unexpected, the unthinkable—this was the secret weapon given her by the Sai Masters.

Though the ground shook and the storm intensified around her, Flame did not falter. She dug her boot and knee into the dirt, directing the intense heat from the point of impact evenly throughout her body. She trembled from the overload yet refused to sway. Nobody would take Von’s child from her—nobody.

Flame looked up. Her Sai were the color of red embers. Flame embraced the fire with her soul, absorbing the Lioness’s power, taking nature’s element into her body. When the scorching heat subsided to a burning smolder and her daggers returned to their natural shade of pure gold, Flame stood up.

Shock and awe covered the Lioness’s face. “Chikao taught you the
Hotaru Trap
technique.”

Flame gave a brief nod.

“You kept this from me all these years?” The Lioness sounded puzzled by this.

“Chikao said that every true warrior must acquire and master one move that their enemy can never see coming. He knew that to reach my full potential I would need to embrace the energy of both worlds,” Flame said with absolute confidence. “He wanted to free me of your control.”

“Why would a Sai Master betray
me
?”

“To save his daughter.”

Sudden silence hung in the air. The Lioness appeared stunned. “
His
daughter?”

“He loved me and wanted me to feel love one day, even if not with him, so that I could find our daughter and teach her wisdom and love.” She pointed one dagger at the Lioness and channeled a warning strike of fire past her head. “Your mission to shape me into a sentinel that you could control made me more powerful than every realm…
even
yours
. Born of both worlds…burning with the fire of both worlds, I now possess the freedom of choice. You no longer have authority over me. As you can see, Von is my perfect match. You said it yourself,
he is pure fire
.”

The Lioness appeared shaken but not yet defeated. “We will have you one way or another. Your firstborn daughter belongs to us. If you continue this rebellion, you’ll never find Phoebe before Naami takes her into hiding.”

“We already have.”

“Your Satellite is here? In the village?”

“He was.” Flame didn’t try to hide the pride in her voice. “Von has already taken Phoebe away. As I said, you’ve lost your edge.” She paused with a cautioning look. “I suggest you find another nation to control, because this one belongs to me. I’m going to tear down the walls of hate and rebuild them with love. And I
will
guard and protect this village but not
under
your rule—
over
your reign of oppression—where women are free to choose their mates. I will establish a new order, one of freedom.” Adrenaline coursed through her body at an alarming rate, making it hard not to destroy the Lioness right there. She drew a calming breath and added, “Tell Naami to steer clear of us. If I see her again, I will not hesitate to strike her down.”

They glared at one another. She felt her former high ruler grasping for a foothold, but none was to be found. Both women understood the significance of Flame’s new status.

Flame stood her ground until the Lioness backed off and vanished. The reigning immortal had been overthrown. Her presence disappeared. Flame realized that she’d just created a new enemy, but she didn’t care. The women in this village trusted her, depended on her, looked to her for safety and she wasn’t about to let them down.

Her birth mother had sacrificed her life for the cause. No power hungry soul seekers would make her mother’s death in vain. A new sisterhood would prevail and continue the original mission of offering asylum for women seeking it and providing elite skills to those who wanted them.