Valiant Heart (19 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

An Ancient among Them

Greer didn't wait a heartbeat longer than Ella's last word left her mouth. She launched with a war cry that made Lance's pulse kick into high gear.

He drew his sword and blocked Greer's attack, putting himself between Ella and her attacker's sword.

“She is a traitor to our kind!” Greer screeched. “A liar, a betrayer, she must die!”

Lance battled her back, sword on sword making a horrendous clang as he used his brute strength and all his skill to keep her away from the injured, defenseless, and apparently ancient, Huntress.

“I know this story,” Lance panted as he finally got her a few feet back. No other Huntress had rushed to Greer's aid, not even Ariana, he noted. “According to the old texts, that's only half of it.”

Greer scrunched up her face as she pulled a second blade, her smaller dagger, from her waist sheath.“The texts? Are you fucking serious, Hunter?”

Lance moved his sword to his left hand, then pulled his own dagger out, matching Greer weapon for weapon. She was holding back, appeared to be assessing her odds. “Stand down, Greer.” He huffed through the exhaustion he still felt. “There's more to the story. You need to hear her out.”

“Like hell I do!”

“Will you stop being such a battle hungry bitch for one fucking second and listen to me?” Lance nodded toward Ariana, silently demanding her support.

Much to his surprise, she stepped forward, sheathing her sword then raising her hands out as if to calm Greer down. “It's possible that there's reason to listen to her. No more bloodshed, Greer. Shackle her if you must, but no more Huntress blood on our hands.”

Greer snapped her gaze to Ariana, a hurt look flashing over her face. She didn't have to say it out loud—even Lance felt the heat of that look. Betrayal.

Ella moved forward, her hand cool on his shoulder. “You've saved my life twice, Hunter. It's an act of kindness that I will never forget.” She moved between him and Greer addressing her as she did. “I joined this tribe with a purpose to trick you.”

Lance frowned. Okay, that was not the way to start the story.

Greer growled, her fists clenching so tight on her weapons that they turned whiter than white.

“My sister, Saska, is under Lazarus's thrall.” She smiled sadly, lifting a shoulder. “Or perhaps she is in love with him still.”

“Lazarus is dead,” Ariana said with a nod at Lance for confirmation.

“I watched him die,” Lance said, relaxing his muscles slightly, still on guard as he shifted his eyes from Greer to Ella and back again. “Almost a year by now? Around there anyway.” Morgan had killed him—Lazarus's bride, the only Huntress able to get close enough.

“He's dead,” Ella said with a nod. “And once he died, I was free.” She stumbled to the side, her body sliding up against Lance's as she did.

With weapons in hand, he was stuck, torn between defending Ella or dropping his weapons to keep her from hitting the ground, that was until Ariana stepped in. Swooping to hold Ella up, a stern look in Greer's direction.

“I think we can all stand down and hear Ella out,” Ariana said. She helped walk Ella to a nearby tree, before easing her down to rest against its trunk. “Seriously, Greer, look at her. She poses no threat.”

“If she is Thia, then she is a liar. Nothing she says can be trusted,” Greer hissed.

“I am Thia and I did betray my Hunter. My sister and I have lived an eternity of hell in punishment. Nothing you can do…” Ella's voice quivered slightly, her words filled with bitterness. “Nothing you can do will ever compare to the past five hundred years of servitude under the laws of Lazarus.”

“That's what the texts say. They tell the story of the nymph's temptation, of your betrayal. The love story between you and your beast, like a fairytale,” Lance said, his arms shaking slightly, the strain of two weapons, his wound still not totally healed, making him want to slide to the ground just as Ella had.

“Love like a fairytale.” Greer snorted. “This is horseshit.”

“No,” Lance said with a sharp look in her direction. “It tells of love's destruction as well. That Lazarus came and—”

“Hunter, as much as I appreciate your version, please, this is my story to tell.” Ella smiled wearily. “Will you listen, sister?” She looked at Greer. “Will you hear me out before you condemn me to death?”

“No more blood,” Ariana said, her words hedged with a plea.

Greer sheathed her sword but kept her blade in her palm. “Fine, tell your story, I'm listening.”

Lance let out a slow breath of relief and sheathed his own sword before crouching down to rest as much as he could, knowing full well he might have to jump up to defend Ella once again.

“You know the part of the tale that speaks of my dishonor, broken vows, all in the name of greed and lust for power. And yes, after centuries of loneliness, I succumbed to my basest of human needs, the desire for my heart to beat as it had for my long dead Hunter. My sister had left me, the burden of our decision too much for us to bear together. We'd parted, beginning our separate journeys with no real discussion of our plans. I hunted my beast, found him and let him mark me.”

Greer nodded. “I've seen your mark. There's no love in the bite you got.”

Ella swept her fingers over the bubbled scar on her shoulder, where teeth marks were still evident. “That isn't the bite of my beast. That is Lazarus's mark.”

Many of the Huntresses gasped, some mumbled curses. Lance glanced at Ariana and found his Huntress looked, of all things, sad. He wanted to move to her side but didn't have the energy to do that. She felt compassion for Ella, against the wishes of her leader. Another good sign. It meant she was finally asserting her independence.

“I lived in bliss with my beast for a few decades,” Ella began. “I know that you all think that mating with a beast is beyond disgusting, the very notion, but I needed that bond. He made me stronger, he made me whole. Just as Artemis intended when she created our species. The Huntress will only ever be complete once she has paired with her destined mate. From whichever side that may be.”

“No, Artemis meant the bond to a beast as a punishment.” Greer sneered.

And that was true enough as well. According to legend, when the first Huntress betrayed Artemis by keeping her only son, Lazarus, alive, the Goddess punished all Huntress-kind to lust for two mates. One man, her Hunter, and one beast.

“Enough of your propaganda. Get to the point.” Greer crossed her arms, her blade hanging loosely, like she would whip it casually if the mood struck.

“We lived in harmony for quite some time, my beast and I. Until one day I found my sister in the woods. A joyous reunion that lasted for mere moments when Lazarus appeared at her side. I knew of Lazarus, of course. What Huntress didn't? He was stunning in his human form, bewitching. My sister told me that she had been searching for me, that she needed my knowledge of certain spells and that Lazarus had come to master me.” Ella shook her head. “It was then that I realized my sister had lost her mind to him, but it was too late. Lazarus transformed into his beast, much too powerful for my mate to fight. He bit me, marking me as one of his pack and bit my mate into submission as well.”

“So you were forced into loyalty?” Ariana said, a hand fluttering to cover her mouth.

Greer scoffed but said nothing.

“His bite corrupted us both but in different ways. My beast turned evil. He brutalized me from that day on. Gave me to the pack. And I was forced to obey, the strength of Lazarus's bite too strong for me to thwart.”

Lance looked over at Greer. Her expression was still hard, unyielding even as the truth of Ella's words visibly hit everyone else. “That's what the texts say. Every word of it.”

Greer looked over at him, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “She said she joined my tribe to trick us. Does your text excuse that as well?”

“When Lazarus died, I was freed from his power almost instantaneously, although I didn't realize it at the time. After so many centuries of being under his control, I didn't recognize freedom at first. Added to that was the chaos that ensued when the pack lost their alpha. My mate and his brethren went ballistic. My sister and I were lucky we survived the weeks that followed. After about a month, the pack that had travelled with Lazarus to his ultimate death returned, towing Andrew. A Hunter turned beast, newly bitten and raving mad.”

Lance's gut dropped, his heart twisting. Andrew was lost to them? He'd been there that night, been so angry with Andrew for his determination to kill Morgan if she betrayed the Order. Andrew had been attempting to shoot the Huntress when Cal, her mate, hit him in the arm with his Sai, disabling him and making him vulnerable to the beasts. He had been attacked while the other Hunters were mid-battle, too preoccupied with the shit storm that was going down to worry about Andrew. And so he'd been taken by Lazarus's pack. That he'd been turned was the Order's worst fear confirmed. There was no reversing that.

“So Andrew is now a beast?” Lance murmured, the words bitter in his mouth.

“Yes.” Ella met his eyes, sadness greeting him with her words. “Powerful with his hybrid nature but totally out of control in many ways, raving mad at times, with only moments of lucidity. He cycles in and out of his beast form with little control. And he's been ranting about a prophecy that he can only access with Kelly's help.”

“The prophecy that you told me about when you were pretending to be Artemis?” Ariana asked.

“The prophecy that has intrigued my sister, one that suggests a way to successfully open the portal to Tartarus, the hell dimension that all evil is sent to, including Lazarus. With the help of my beast, my sister convinced me that the only way to regain any control of the pack was to bring Lazarus back. And that the only way to do that was to retrieve Kelly so that Andrew could amplify his power of prophecy and get the information that my sister needs to complete her plans.” Ella grimaced. “Under the threat of death, most certainly in the grip of torture, I agreed. And so I left with my beast leading the way, and of course babysitting me, intent on infiltrating the pesky Amazon tribe who would help me gain access to Kelly.”

Ariana gasped. “And then we killed your beast.”

“Yes.” Ella laughed bitterly. “An unexpected turn for everyone. You killed him, and I can only say that in my confusion, at having finally lost my bonded mate, I continued with the plan. Clarity came slowly as I truly began to bond with you, my tribe—”

“Cut the shit, Ella,” Greer growled.

“You lied to us though,” Ariana said. “You lied to me.”

“I did.” Ella nodded. “I gave you herbs so that you would think you were talking to Artemis when in reality you were talking to my sister or to me.”

Lance snorted, crossing his arms as he looked pointedly at Ariana, wanting so badly to say
I told you so.
She ignored him, naturally.

“And in the dream? When I got this sword?”

“That was me,” Ella admitted. “Once I was thinking clearly, finally seeing my sister for what she was, I began a new plan—one that I hope will lead us to triumph.”

“And why would we believe you now, Ella?” Greer asked as she raised her blade, pointing it in the Huntress's direction. “How do we know you didn't send Kelly to your sister now?”

“Because I did,” Melonie whispered.

Everyone shot a look at the warrior, her head bowed, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

“I gave her the herbs she needed to call her beast,” Melonie admitted.

“You gave her the wrong ones,” Ella said.

“I guess.” Melonie shrugged as she shifted her eyes up to meet Ella's. “I thought I knew the right ones. She asked me if I could help her.”

“That's what comes of dabbling.” Ella sighed. “I was trying to prevent this very thing but then I got attacked.”

“By your beast?”

“I think so.”

“What does that mean?” Lance asked.

“It means that my sister sent him to kill me.” Ella pierced him with a hard look. “It means that she's too close to fulfilling her wish to bring Lazarus back and she must suspect that I've turned traitor to her.”

“Seems to be something you do often,
sister
,” Greer snarled.

Ella snapped her eyes to Greer's. “Saska is a powerful Huntress, and solely focused on getting what she wants no matter the cost. If she has found a way to let beasts out of Tartarus, then she must be close to finding a way to getting Lazarus back as well.”

“And if that happens, it means we're all fucked,” Lance growled.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Secrets Revealed

What Ella was saying was hard to swallow. Betrayal from within and yet, nothing she confessed was truly that surprising. I'd known there was something off about her. She didn't quite fit—not her story, not her actions.

“We need to get Kelly back,” Greer said as she finally sheathed her blade.

“Yes, we do. Before she gives up whatever it is that Andrew needs from her.” Ella nodded. “And I think I have a way.”

“You have a way?” Greer shook her head, her face a mask of anger once again. “Hell no! You're about to be shackled.” She took two stomping steps in Ella's direction.

“No, Greer,” I said as I unsheathed my sword. The sword Ella had given me, I realized.

Greer snorted. “You watch your step, Ariana or I'll be reprimanding you for insubordination.”

“What are you going to do, Greer?” I countered as I lowered the sword, tip down into the dirt, hands resting on the hilt. “You going to siphon her powers? Powers that could be to our advantage if used correctly? You don't wield stolen powers well—you know this. And the one person who understands our enemy is offering to help. A good leader would see the benefit of that.”

“A good leader.” Greer snarled. “And suddenly you know what it takes to lead?”

“Ariana understands reason and thinking logically,” Lance said as he stepped to my side, sword unsheathed and mirroring mine. “She sees the potential in Ella's offer to help. She isn't blinded by rage or revenge. In your current state, who knows what damage you could do to Ella? You might take so much of her power that you kill her.”

Greer flinched and I winced. Harsh but true. I'd never told him about Greer's mistake. The one where she stole another Huntress's powers, where the pull to take and take while she was siphoning made her take too much. He'd guessed it somehow. Greer wouldn't see it that way though and the look she gave me hit me in the gut. Betrayed again. Strike two.

“And what would you suggest, my sister? Let her go? Let her lead us right into a trap?” Her words dripped with bitterness.

“My only goal is to get Kelly and Andrew away,” Ella offered.

“I have no interest in saving Andrew,” Greer scoffed. “You know that.”

“He is the only one who can access the prophecy. Until it is retrieved, he must remain alive,” Ella said with a frown.

“I don't give a rat's ass about the prophecy!” Greer shouted. “That bond between Kelly and Andrew needs to be severed and we need to get her back. Nothing good has ever come from this stupid fucking sentimental attachment to useless, abusive Hunters!”

Nobody spoke for a moment, Greer's words sliding over us like a poison. I felt a rage simmering just below the surface and had to bite my tongue from lashing out once again. My instinct warring with my vow to the tribe. Lance had proven himself as a valuable member to the tribe over only a few days. Greer was blind to everything but her agenda, exactly as Ella had warned while she'd played at being Artemis. She might have lied to me, but Ella was showing a quiet wisdom in her foresight.

“You need to know the prophecy, Greer,” Ella countered. “It can turn the tide in your favor if used appropriately.”

“How so?” Greer barked impatiently.

“My sister and I have identical powers. If you siphon her, if you take hers completely, I can show you how to access them. I can train you. And then when the time is right, you can use the prophecy to seal Tartarus forever. The gate to that hellish dimension can be widened or slammed shut…it's all in the wielding of the spells. If you take my sister's powers, you will triumph in a way that creates legends.”

“That will kill Saska,” I said, my eyes wide. “You would kill your twin?”

“She tried to kill me. She is not the woman who shares my DNA.” Ella ground her jaw, anger flashing. “She's betrayed me time and time again. Watched as I was raped, brutalized, beaten. She stood by. Worse, she encouraged. She is no sister of mine. Not anymore. Not for a long time. So yes, I would kill her, but first I would offer her powers to someone who can use them for good, someone who can benefit all Huntresses. Someone with honor.”

Interest sparked in Greer's eyes. The chance to be the ultimate champion. She glanced at my sword, one I knew she coveted. If only because it offered a chance to be something more for her Huntress tribe.

“And why should I trust you?” Greer said.

“Because I will vow it.”

“Not good enough.”

“Because I will build you a spell, give you the means to get into the camp and show you how to use it and then I will allow you to shackle me. The ultimate trust that you won't take too much from me.”

I shuddered at the idea of that while Greer seemed to finally find satisfaction. With a nod she agreed. “And how do you propose we enter the camp undetected?”

“Not undetected.” Ella smiled coldly. “With a bang.”

Greer nodded. “Like that time when we were hunting the pack in Alberta?”

“No way, Greer, that was way too dangerous.” A bomb, she was talking about an explosion. I shook my head. “We almost burned the entire forest down that time!”

Ella moved closer. “I've been experimenting with my potions. I have one that will explode without the resulting fire.”

“We need something now. We have to go after Kelly before it's too late.” Lance motioned toward the trail. “Enough time has been wasted already.”

“I need three ingredients. That's it. Give me one Huntress, we'll get it done in thirty minutes tops,” Ella said.

Melonie stepped forward, but flinched back just as quickly with a hard look from Greer.

“Ariana, go with her. You've got thirty minutes to get this done.” Greer nodded in my direction. “I need to mete out some punishment around here.”

And then I was alone with Ella, or as alone as I could be with Lance hovering nearby.

“Pick from those bushes there, the undergrowth is best.” Using a stick for support, Ella hobbled next to me. “I know what you're thinking.”

I glanced up at her, one eyebrow cocked as I closed my fist around the leaves she pointed at and pulled.

“That you're a lying fucking bitch?” The venom came with little effort. I'd been thinking about my visit with Artemis, angry that I'd been so eager to believe.

“Ouch.” Ella chuckled softly. “I guess I deserve that.”

I stood, before shoving the handful of leaves into her open satchel. “You deserve to have your fucking sword shoved up your ass. Champion? It was all a lie, right? Everything you told me about the sword?” I lowered my voice so not to catch Lance's attention and draw him closer. I'd asked him to stay behind, but he hadn't listened, had been trailing me with Ella for the past ten minutes.

“No, I didn't lie to you. That sword does everything I said it will. I should know—I made it, after all.”

I blinked hard. “Um, what?”

She motioned for me to unsheathe the sword, which I did. Holding it in my left hand and unwilling to let her have it back. For all my venom, I wanted to keep the damn thing.

“Do you feel the power in it yet?” She ran her finger against the tip, drawing a line of blood in its wake.

Ever since Lance had re-bonded with me, I'd been feeling something. A buzzing that made me giddy. I'd thought it had been my own powers coming back, but as I held the sword, looking at its shining metal, the vow engraved into the hilt, I felt something more. “Yes.”

“Imagine that power amplified by a thousand and you'll begin to understand what it can do in the right hands.”

“With a sacrifice,” I said as I glanced in Lance's general direction.

“All worthy things come with sacrifice.” Ella nodded. “I made that sword at Lazarus's bidding centuries ago.”

I pulled the sword back, sheathing it so I could concentrate on Ella's words. The power made my stomach flutter, making me think it was the only destiny for me—a sword with power that came at a cost.

“He wanted a talisman that would help him locate Huntresses.”

“So that's how he did it,” Lance said as he came from behind a tree.

I startled at his appearance.
Fuck.

“The Order could never figure out how he was able to get to the Huntresses before us.” Lance motioned in my direction. “You gave him the means though, didn't you?”

“I'm afraid so.” Ella nodded. “Gladly. It meant a reprieve for a while from the hell that was my existence. Being in Lazarus's good graces was something many strived for. I used it too. There is much Huntress blood on my hands.” Ella closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in a deep breath, blowing it out. “I have much to atone for.”

“And so you gave it to Ariana.” Lance clenched his jaw for a moment. “Why?”

“No,” I said as panic surged. “No reason other than to aid in my own battle.”

Lance cocked his head, studying me. “Now it's you who's lying, Huntress.”

“I created the sword and I enhanced it,” Ella said. “I didn't lie to you, Ariana. The tribe needs a champion for all of us who have been brutalized in some way. Maybe that champion is you. Maybe it isn't. The decision, as with everything, is yours. You know my feelings about keeping the stakeholders in the dark, though.” Ella gave me one last knowing look and then nodded toward camp. “I've got what I need to build the spell.”

With a nod at each of us in turn, she left. Lance needed to know. That was what she was saying.

“What decision?” Lance demanded, his eyes flashing. “You're keeping something from me, something big. I can feel it through the bond.”

Damn Ella. Damn Lance. Damn the queasy feeling I had in the pit of my stomach making me want to retch, the truth as hateful to me suddenly as the reality.

“The sword,” I said as I drew it once again, this time to show Lance. “Offers me a choice.”

Lance folded his arms his expression showing impatience, his mouth opening to speak.

“When Artemis…
Ella
gave it to me, she said that it can be used to sever a bad bond between Hunter and Huntress. Freeing an abused woman, granting her powers without the cost of violence or emotional trauma.”

Lance's expression softened a little, his arms losing some of their tension. “And she thinks you can be a champion for those women?”

“I am. Or I may be.” I gulped, knowing that I couldn't leave it at that. “But…”

“But?” He reached for me, bypassing the sword, latching onto my wrists and forcing me to look at him. “Ariana, tell me the truth. Is this what you want? Do you want to become the champion to wronged Huntresses? Because if you do, I think that it's a noble and honorable thing and I will stand by your side if you chose that path. We can leave the tribe, the Order, whatever you need to do, just as long as we are together.”

No. No, he did not just do that!
I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. How could he say something so damn perfect in such an imperfect situation?

Tears burned my eyes, my vision swam.

“Ariana?” Lance frowned. “Whatever you want, I'm there, at your side.”

“Stop,” I croaked as I tore my wrists away, sheathing my sword as I stumbled from him, wiping the tears that streaked down my cheeks.

“Ariana!” He gripped my arm, pulled me back.

“You think you're so perfect! So understanding! You don't understand a damn thing!” I spun on him, anger flashing. “The sword demands loyalty, Lance! Pure, uninhibited loyalty. Being the champion comes with a sacrifice! It demands a pound of flesh, a heart's desire, whatever your greatest love may be, now or in the future. From a Huntress, it demands her Hunter. Yes, I can be the champion, but the first cut must be mine. I will have to sever my bond to you and force you back to being a human. Is that what you want? Really, Lance? Do you really want what will make me happiest?”

Once the words were out I wanted to take them back, suck them in like a giant vacuum. Lance deflated, his shoulders slumped, his eyes glazed and he didn't say a word.

“So, yes, Lance, that's what I want. More than anything in the world, I want to be a champion…or at least that's what I want to say, but in my heart.” I tapped my chest angrily. “I have a battle raging for you. You and your damn bond are making me think that the sacrifice is too great.”

He flinched, and then his eyes grew cold, frozen over by my confession. “Well, if that's what you want, don't let me stand in your way. Sever the bond. Being a human is preferable to being shackled to a woman with a heart of stone anyway.”

And then it was my turn to flinch. He held my gaze for a heartbeat longer and then turned and left.

And I didn't try to stop him.