Unbound (19 page)

“Karn, get Kayla. We’re taking her to Jubi’s clan. They healed her once. Maybe they can do it again.” He only hoped he wasn’t too late. He shifted them back to the main T’ween.

They broke out of the trees and found several of the wolves milling around, dazed. Gannon held out a hand, waving Karn forward. He took Kayla and nodded in the direction of the wolves. Some lay in heaps, not moving. Others limped. Karn and Roo moved seamlessly forward without a word.

Gannon held Kayla against his chest, looking around for a soft place to lay her down. He worried that the daemon could still drain so much out of her after he’d set up the ward.

The wolves seemed agitated as Gannon approached. Karn and Roo talked to them in quiet whispers. At last, a few began to shimmer and shift back into human form.

* * *

Jubi hunted for his fellow Sprites. He found many of them hiding, some crying over the dead, while others lay wounded. He didn’t know how they’d lost so many. He didn’t have the heart to acknowledge to himself who he searched for as he found others lying in tattered heaps of broken wings.

Silent weeping seared his soul. Not quite knowing why he followed the unheard call, he found Seri in the dimness. Her light barely flickering, he could feel her, wounded without wounds. Her pain shot through him in droves. He fluttered closer.

“Seri?” he whispered, aching to take her in his arms, but he dared not, fearing her reaction.

She gave a slight hiccup, looking at him through her tears.

“Jubi? Jubi, is that you?” Hovering, she looked ready to flit away in fright. He nodded, unsure. She heaved a great sigh of relief. Thrusting herself into his arms, Seri trembled, crying in great sobs. He held her until she calmed herself.

“What happened here?” Jubi asked, fearful of sending her into a fresh bout of tears.

“Some of the Mages Gannon brought back started fighting against the others. His daughter attacked Rosen and the child.” Seri paused, a faraway look on her face.

Jubi waited for her to come back.

“There was something odd about her. Even as she fought, she did so in jerky movements. I cannot describe what it looked like, Jubi; they were like puppets.” Seri shuddered, her light flickering dull colors. “That wasn’t the worst of it, though. Our clan fought against itself, and none of us know now what occurred. It was as if from a distant dream we moved, unable to cry out. Our limbs did not obey even the simplest commands.”

He held her tightly. “We’ll get through this. There are many wounded, but I think that we can save most.” He patted her back, rubbing absently along her wings.

A sharp slap brought him out of his thoughts. He rubbed his cheek and looked over at a very angry Seri. “What?”

“I’ll thank you not to think you can be familiar with me, Jubi. You may be my Clan Lord, but my body is my own.” She glowed a volatile red.

With growing horror, he realized what he had done. Cursing himself, he hovered near her and bit out, “You may not at this moment believe it, but I meant nothing behind what has occurred here. I meant only to comfort you.”

When she didn’t respond, he looked away.

“Gather the others. Tell them to meet in the center circle near the falls within the hour.” He noted that her angry colors dimmed before she flew off, giving him some hope. He smelled the soft scent of her tears against his skin, and an unbearable longing filled him.

Jubi watched her go, crushing the overwhelming need to follow and protect her. When she was too far to see any longer, he spun around, flying to the clearing. He knew Gannon would want a report as soon as possible, and that he had his own worries of the heart, though Jubi doubted that he would admit it even to himself.

The fiery princess had won his heart and loyalty, but she didn’t yet know that she held the power of the ancients in her hands. Recent events worried him. Things might not come out in the end as the Sprites had hoped, yet their prophecy couldn’t be all wrong. It had spoken of her return. For that matter it had spoken of Gannon as a young man.

Jubi narrowly avoided the outstretched claws that batted at him to bring him from the sky. He swerved sharply, cursing as he banked, barely avoiding a nearby tree.

“Damn it, Nyx!” he snapped at the cat, disgusted that he’d been so out of it. No doubt the filthy animal was just reminding him of the danger that lurked at every corner.

You’re needed now to sever the bond. Take her to the circle or all is lost. Bind her to Fae-kin in the great healing you’ve in mind this night. Protect her, for in her is your very salvation.

Jubi nodded numbly as Nyx faded from view and disappeared. He sped faster through the woods, coming upon the clearing, knowing that he would have to get past Gannon’s protection if he was to do as Nyx demanded. He realized that requesting Gannon’s help might backfire, but it was the only way to get through the Mages strong defenses he could even now see swirling around her.

* * *

Gannon snuggled against Kayla, hoping his warmth could keep at bay the darkness devouring her soul. He knew that physical contact strengthened the bonds of his power, but he reluctantly admitted it wasn’t enough. He could feel something indefinable building. Burrowing his face into her hair, he felt her stir, whimpering in her feverish sleep. Opening his eyes as he felt the presence in the clearing shift, he sought the soft glow of his friend's light and realized something important had happened to Jubi. Smiling slightly, Gannon thought Jubi must have finally made the first step with Seri. But something was off, making him uneasy. Jubi was coming in too fast and he seemed agitated.

“You need to take Kayla to the circle before it’s too late and he steals all of her life force.” Jubi flitted beside the pair with his warning.

Gannon gathered Kayla to him without a word. He didn’t know what Jubi was about, but he trusted him. He swiftly strode across the clearing and knelt in the circle. Jubi followed him.

“You can stay, Gannon, but do not interfere no matter what you feel. The others have been badly injured and many are battle scarred. Open yourself and let the circle magic flow through you. The more you're open, the easier it will be. But remember, my friend, Sprite magic is different from yours and it will feel so.”

Gannon felt hesitant, but he was willing to do anything to save her and he trusted Jubi. Holding Kayla tighter, he focused within their bonds, realizing just how close to death she was. He made contact within them, preparing to open when Judi gave him a signal.

* * *

Jubi watched Gannon, satisfied that he would do as he was asked. He glanced up as his kin started trickling in. He felt saddened that he hadn’t been here for them in their time of need. His heart bled as he slowly counted the missing faces.

Those who could fly flew in supporting those who could not. Their number severely diminished, his heart craved vengeance, but his mind knew that it wasn’t yet time for that. Jubi looked for Seri in the crowd. When his gaze lit on her, he softened momentarily as warm emotion flooded in. He began to drift through the circle, adding his protective light to the circle's defenses, calling on his kin of old to bring healing to this place through time and space.

Humming, he sang a song of renewal and slowly the dance began as those who could added their voices to his in the instinctual knowledge passed on through kith and kin. He went faster, round and round, singing silently the words of binding as minds merged as one. Then he stood before Gannon, forcing him through his daze to acknowledge the plea set forth in her soul.

He knew that something had gone wrong as he watched Gannon begin to dance. Below the clan consciousness, he could feel Gannon in a mindless daze. He also felt on a lower level still the steady thump, thump of Kayla’s heart as she slowly regained her strength. He knew that the daemon's hold had broken and her magic mingled wildly within the clan, adding to it as they added to hers the ancestral knowledge, breathing life into the long forgotten memories of her people, the twin kin of their own. And they remembered. Then Jubi himself was lost in the primal beat.

* * *

Kayla woke up, groaning, and put her hand to her head. She looked over at Roo, her face momentarily brightening before wincing in pain.

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, Roo.”

He loped over to her, licking the side of her face. She laughed weakly, roughing up his fur before placing her head against his.

“There’s my boy. How you’ve been, huh?” The love she felt for him overwhelmed her.

She looked up and around, her eyes spotting the large man who lay next to her
.
Gratitude and something else poured through her. She didn’t remember what he’d done, but she was sure he’d saved her life.

The small Sprites overwhelmed her with faint memories that she didn’t remember, but was sure that they weren’t really a part of her life although they felt as if they rightfully belonged to her. All the colors of the world seemed brighter to her this morning. Sighing, she wished they would hurry and wake up. She was getting anxious and an overpowering sense of urgency came over her. That is until she felt an urgency of a more personal nature.

She still felt weak and used Roo to heave herself to her feet; she leaned heavily on him before standing wobbly on her own.

"Um, Roo, do you think that you could walk with me? I don’t feel too steady this morning," she said, laughing faintly, wondering what was going on with her this week. She paused. Had it only really been a few days since Keaton had sent her out with that package? Wondering, she felt uneasy when she thought of Keaton. Vague memories emerged, she didn’t know what they were but it couldn’t be good.

Kayla watched the others for a moment, then walked over to Gannon and nudged him with her foot. He grunted, muttering and rolling over in his sleep. She booted him harder and he sat up with a violent start.

Kayla knew that he wasn’t quite awake, but that didn’t stop her from planting her lips on his. She stared deep into his eyes, and caught the moment that consciousness returned to him. She laughed around the kiss as he returned it. After a few more moments, she pulled away.

“What was that for?” he asked. The light gleamed in his eyes as he reached out and pulled her down into his lap. She thought of struggling, but knew that it was pointless.

“For whatever you did that saved me.” She snuggled closer for a moment before she got to her feet. Turning, she held out her hand. He took it, rising.

She looked around remembering that the small Sprites littered the ground. Kayla felt concerned that they weren’t moving.

"What’s wrong with the Sprites?"

"They did a healing dance. We came to the falls and there had been a battle." He turned to her, tightening his grip on her hand, before stepping carefully from the circle.

“Hey, Gannon, what happened around here?” She looked at the scorched ground in the once bright green clearing.

Sorrow etched his face before he answered. “I don’t truly know what happened. We left to find you.”

She looked confused. “What do you mean find me? I never left.” She didn’t know what he was talking about. An uneasy feeling pooled in her gut.

“What is the last thing that you remember?”

She thought for a moment, her brow creasing in concentration. A faint memory of a tall, lanky, dark haired wolf surfaced. “Karn…I remember Karn saying something and then it’s blank. I don’t remember anything after that.”

She let him lead her out of the clearing. They found a small bench he’d placed in the woods.  They sat in silence for a while.

“I was in the cave, caring for the Urisk. I sent Karn to get Rosen as soon I realized that he would need a healer's touch. Rosen was in the clearing, tending the wounded. You remember all this, right?” he asked.