Down. Go down, she thought. Using the last remnants of her strength she forced her arms and legs to move, swimming down to the floor of the pool. It was calmer here. Digging her fingers into the gravel and bedrock, she dragged herself away from the heavy curtain of tumbling water. Once free, she propelled herself upwards and broke through the surface, coughing and spluttering loudly. The water grabbed her again, taking her with it.
The fast, vicious flow slammed her into rocks and floating debris, but Diamond was a good swimmer and used the current to help her; she swam with and across the churning flow, keeping her head up as best she could. After an eternity of exhausting toil, the river bank was within reach. Ignoring her numb, bleeding fingers, Diamond triumphantly grabbed a protruding root. Diamond doggedly kept hold when the fingers of her other hand slipped on slimy mud and grass. More tree roots curled like smooth snakes under the clear swirling water; Diamond quickly braced her feet on them, fighting the flow of water.
The dragon bellowed its wrath, swooping down the waterfall before banking straight back up to the skies, still searching. She couldn’t stay here. This guardian was an intelligent and clever being. It would follow the course of the river, and she needed to be long gone by the time it did. Using the roots as leverage, she grabbed handfuls of the long, spiky grass and hoisted herself onto the river’s edge, landing on her belly.
Trembling from bone deep cold, Diamond scrambled to her feet, slipping and sliding on the damp ground and mud as she bolted for cover under the nearest tree. The bark was rough under her hands, her heart slamming against her ribs as she leaned against it, lungs heaving.
Here the banks were wide apart, allowing for a more gentle flow. Heading downriver was the most sensible option. Jack certainly would have been too weak to fight the wild current. Fearing he might have drowned, Diamond launched herself in to a run. She had to find him, alive or dead. A few minutes later she spotted his inert body on a lower section of bank. He must have used all his remaining strength to drag himself out. Diamond raced towards him.
“Prince Jack! Highness!” she yelled.
Pale and sickly-looking, his breath came in shallow gasps. Diamond had once seen a man slashed in a knife fight in the town marketplace. Her father had knocked the assailant out cold before pressing hard on the wound in the victim’s chest, but it had done no good, the poor man had still bled to death. She swallowed, trying to remain calm even as panic bloomed. At least the big gash in Jack’s side had stopped bleeding. Sinking to her knees at his side, she gently shifted the material to get a better look—and hissed.
Deep layers of skin and muscle had been laid open. Clumsy with her numb fingers, she managed to lift his shirt and quickly assess the other two ragged cuts on Jack’s back. Jagged, they looked far worse but were not as deep. Diamond hastily pulled the prince’s shirt straight and anxiously looked up. The black dragon swooped over the river and waterfall. He would find them if they stayed here in the open. She cursed as it roared with frustration. But she needn’t have panicked; with wings outstretched to catch the wind, it turned and headed away.
“Prince! We need to get out of here. Wake up!” she shouted in his ear, shaking his shoulders hard until he moaned. “Come on!” she pleaded, trying again. “We should head into the forest, away from the river.”
Doubt flooded her as she looked into the darkness that surrounded them. What if there are Seekers or Battle Imps—or worse—in there? What can I or the injured prince do against such creatures?
“My name…is Jack,” rasped the prince resolutely. His eyelids opened and gave her an unobstructed view of his dark brown eyes awash with pain.
Diamond bit her bottom lip in consternation but knew there was nothing she could do for him until they got away from the river. “Can you stand?” she asked anxiously.
“With a little help,” he panted, grunting and gritting his teeth as she helped him up.
Diamond looked around his back; the wounds had started bleeding again.
“Leave it. We’ll get into the forest and then deal with my wounds,” he uttered with colourless lips on a deathly pale face.
They staggered as quickly as possible into the gloom of the trees and left the rush of the river behind them.
Chapter 13
Hugo soared through the biting wind, leaving the devastated clearing far below. He landed solidly on the lip of small cliff.
Inside he was burning, burning with such wrath his facade was ready to shatter. Unable to contain himself any longer he opened his soul and let his raging magic erupt. The shimmering wave of shadow hurtled harmlessly into the empty sky. Panting hard, he expanded his back muscles and threw his metallic wings outward. Release was fleeting.
A raw animal power clawed at his bones, at his soul, boiling his blood as it too clamoured for release. He would not give in to the beast inside him. He would not. For months they had battled. It wanted to dominate him, control him, and the longer Diamond was missing the more wrathful and vicious it became. Another wave of burning heat and roaring rocked his mind.
No. Not yet, Hugo commanded, pitting his iron will against its insistence.
A shapeshifter had once told him how it felt to have another being living as a symbiont with one’s soul, how it had sometimes made him feel not only insane but lost. But that shapeshifter had been young when he had yielded to his baser side, it had taken him years to become its master.
Hugo slowed his breathing as the beast settled, but he could fit seething at being cowed yet again. Hugo knew this battle for dominance was far from over.
In the clearing far below, Jack’s soldiers and warriors tended the wounded and went about breaking camp. A vicious snarl curled Hugo’s lips. Freddy needed to be hunted down. Hugo longed to feel that repulsive little bastard’s neck snap under his fingers. Attacking Diamond had sealed his death warrant. But that would have to wait—for now. Hugo’s stomach boiled with self-reproach. Diamond and Jack had been snatched from right under his nose. His magic had tried to alert him, to warn him his Nexus bond was in danger, but he had resolutely ignored such absurd feelings. Being tied to anyone, in any way, did not sit well with Hugo. But Diamond’s scream had sent his blood cold.
Him. She had called for him, not General Edo or Tom.
His fingers shook as he rubbed his face. Gods, the fear in her scream had shattered his steely control last night. Reaching her had consumed him and, for a few frightening seconds as he scented her blood, all his training and common sense had fled. It was the sort of foolish mistake for which he would flog any other guard. Not only had he lost his focus, he had left her alone with an injured man without knowing how badly she was hurt. Instead he had gone running after Freddy, wanting to rip the little prick to pieces.
Well, there was no changing what had happened. General Edo had made plans and given orders, and Hugo had been happy to let him—but now it was time to leave. His desperate need to track Diamond down drove him to distraction. She could be dead by now or hurt and in pain. Magic thrummed through his veins in response to his thoughts. He absentmindedly rubbed at his chest, a derisory snort exploding from his throat when he realised what he was doing.
Below him the charred and devastated forest canopy stretched into the distance. Bright greens and golds should be apparent in late summer this far north, but an unhealthy tinge covered the Avalonian forest and became worse the further south they travelled. Finding game to hunt and food to forage had become increasingly hard as Ragor's malediction spread. It didn’t matter, he was still leaving—to find her, to bring her to safety. Or this thrashing beast inside him would burst free of the restraints of Hugo’s flesh and bone and hunt her anyway.
Hugo closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Merging his magic with hers, Hugo had sensed a deep confusion and fear of the power she wielded. It was clearly a new and overwhelming discovery, and one she stood no hope of controlling without assistance. He laughed bitterly. Help? I cannot help her. His oath required him to take her to his Queen, and he
was under no illusion that action would eventually result in her death. He swallowed that sickening thought, extended his wings and stepped into the air. Right now, retrieving her from the resurrected guardian was the most important thing; he would deal with the rest later.
General Edo watched the Queen’s guard return with hard grey eyes. The older man’s mood had been dark and unforgiving since the attack. He had whipped the men into order, viciously putting down any that had questioned his authority.
Hugo squared his shoulders. The general was an intimidating, powerful male but so was Hugo. He had suffered beatings and whippings on a daily basis as a trainee of Queen’s guard and those days had hardened him to fear of physical violence. Hugo simply was not scared of this fae.
The growl he emitted grotesquely twisted the scar on his face. Not many things scared him now. In Hugo’s world, Lord Commander Ream and the ancient fae Queen were the only ones to fear. Being what he was and the way he looked, Hugo was usually the one instilling fear in others.
“General,” Hugo nodded curtly, noting the general was clasping Dragonsblood in one big hand.
“Commander,” the general returned, watching the younger man’s approach.
Hugo waited. The general was clenching and unclenching his jaw. Hugo couldn’t force the man to speak, so he crossed his arms over his broad chest and waited patiently.
“I know you are going to leave,” General Edo said, his voice gravelly and deep. “You hide it well, but I can see your anger. You blame yourself.”
Hugo steadily held General Edo’s gaze. Deliberately he did not affirm the general’s suspicions.
General Edo grunted then continued. “I have spent my life watching and sizing up men, especially males who are at the right age to become distracted from their duties. You’re instincts are telling you to find a mate, and I can see you have a connection with Diamond.”
Hugo kept his face carefully still but his stomach tightened. Yes, he had a connection with her, but not in the way the general meant. He wondered if this old warhorse really had picked up on his confusion about Diamond and their magic. It was hard to believe as Hugo had only just acknowledged their bond. Clearly he needed to be more careful with his behaviour. Hugo waited, continuing his cold dead stare, a stare he had perfected years ago.
“Oh, don’t worry, Hugo; I won’t share my thoughts with anyone, especially not the Queen—at least not unless you force me to. But her father was my best friend, and I had a hand in raising that girl. She is as close to a child of my own as I will ever get.”
The general rubbed his large scarred hands over his face. “I know I can’t give you orders, commander, but we both know that no matter how interested you might be, you cannot pursue Diamond as a mate. However, I would very much appreciate it if you would find her and my crown prince—and bring them back.”
For a long moment Hugo made a show of considering General Edo’s words. It gave him time to suppress his smile of relief. He nodded his head as if making a decision.
“I will meet you at Sentinel’s Cave in four weeks with any news I have,” he said unemotionally before bending his knees and launching himself into the clear dawn sky, a flash of sapphire blue wings.
Chapter 14
Diamond and Jack staggered through the forest until the prince’s legs became too weak to take his weight. They collapsed next to a bubbling stream, Jack landing on his belly and panting hard. Diamond kneeled on the damp bank and carefully lifted his shirt; she hissed at the blood oozing steadily from the deep cuts. Jack’s clothes were sodden with the red fluid.
“That good, eh?” Jack mumbled, sweat trickling down his brow.
“That good,” agreed Diamond wryly.
They were resting under the canopy of a large tree. Empty nutshells littered the ground; taking one of their hard, reddish brown cups about the size of her fist, she swiftly shuffled across the ground and leaned out into the flow of the stream to scoop up some clean water. She returned to Jack’s side to gently move his shirt up and dribble the water across his exposed flesh, sluicing out the three wounds.
“Do they need stitching?” he panted, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. Beads of sweat formed on his brow.
“This one does,” she said, indicating the long slash wound that followed his rib line. “But we don’t have anything to sew with so I’ll try and make you a dressing; that will have to do.”
She had difficulty keeping her voice light. Jack looked up at her and gave her a watery smile. Diamond smiled back, ignoring the knowledge that infection would set in quickly out here in the forest. It could be possible to stop it, or at least slow it down with the right herbs. She sat back on her haunches and used Hugo’s dagger to cut a strip off what remained of her dress. She rinsed off as much dirt as she could in the stream and then set about cutting more strips.
“Now that we’ve stopped running, I guess we should introduce ourselves properly. Hugo told me your name is Diamond, and my name is Jack. Not prince or Your Highness,” he chided weakly.
“Hello, Jack,” she replied with a small smile.
“So how did you end up with Hugo? And how is it you and your father were living in the same village as General Edo?” he wheezed, trying to distract himself from his pain as she refilled the nut shells with more water.
She dipped a cleanish bit of cloth in the water, then gently but thoroughly cleaned his wounds before answering. Diamond’s nimble fingers worked surely as she told him all that had happened to her over the past few days. Concentrating on her task helped her cope with the raw grief in her heart. In between clenched teeth and growls of pain, Jack asked her many questions. Then they got to the subject of her magic.
“Diamond? How did you control your magic if you didn’t even know you had such a gift?” he asked curiously as he tried to sit up.
“Hey! Don’t sit up! Now you’re bleeding again,” she said with an exasperated sigh, glad of a reason not to answer his question. She had not known what to do, and admitting she had voices in her head giving her instructions made her sound mad.
“Look, I’ll gladly answer all of your questions later, but right now we need to bind your wound. If we clean the others regularly, I think they will heal. They aren’t as deep,” she informed him, successfully changing the subject.
Jack’s brown eyes watched her, his lips twitching as she cut yet more off her skirts.
“If you keep cutting, there’ll be nothing left of that dress,” he observed, a hint of amusement in his pain-filled eyes.
Diamond huffed a laugh and smiled back. “S’all right, I’ll start on your shirt next, Your Highness.”
He raised his eyebrows and, even though he still looked grey and in pain, he managed a cheeky smile. “Really? Well, I’ve known women who want to get the shirt off my back before, but this is a bit desperate, if you ask me.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. Teasing her and trying to lighten her anxiety was a nice gesture.
“Indeed. Well, prince, you can keep your shirt on for now. Come on, sit up slowly. Can you help me knot this material together? I’m just going to change this water and get us some to drink, then I’ll bind your wound.”
When she returned, Jack had his eyes closed, pain etched on his face. Tomorrow she would search for some wild roots to help heal him. Diamond was no herbalist but her father had shown her some basic herb lore as she grew up. Gently she shook Jack awake then bound his wound tightly.
Temperatures plummeted during the night. Diamond shivered next to Jack, her thoughts straying back to the others. Had they survived the dragon fire? Had Hugo? She swallowed that uncomfortable thought. When Freddy had attacked, she had screamed for Hugo, not her childhood uncle or her friend, but for the guard who had enthralled her. She didn’t know how he was still alive in a kingdom that abhorred and killed those with magic. It didn’t matter. She clutched his dagger to her chest, remembering the warmth of his body as he held her. Those memories did nothing to keep her warm now though,
and soon her shaking body woke Jack.
Placing an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her in close. At first she was embarrassed and couldn’t relax, but he just dozed off, his arm slipping a little. With Jack asleep Diamond tried to calm her mind, but the sounds of the forest kept her on edge. Shifting her vision was not reassuring, the aura of the forest was dull here and nothing, no life, moved among the undergrowth.
Fear skittered down her spine. Food. Tomorrow. I will deal with that problem tomorrow. Her stomach grumbled painfully as if in response to her thoughts. To distract herself she studied Jack’s aura. It was tinged with a sickly grey. Diamond shuffled even closer to the prince. He couldn’t become sick out here; he would die. Then she would be truly alone. Tears pricked her eyes as she let her head rest on his chest, listening to the sounds of the forest with one ear and his heart beating with the other.
The past two days had been awful. Jack was shirtless, his body pale and dirty. The soiled garment was being used to carry more nut shells containing the rough poultice Diamond had made. Jack had been in far too much pain to travel on that first day, so Diamond had used the time to search out useful herbs and grind them into a paste. It would work better if they could boil it down to make a salve, but a fire was not an option. Flames and smoke would just invite danger.
Jack walked in front of her. A frown furrowed her brow. Purulent yellow fluid soaked his makeshift bandage. She eased herself closer to the prince, wrinkling her nose.
“Jack, we need to clean your wound again,” she said, tentatively touching his shoulder to get his attention.
Over the past day Jack had been prone to snapping at her. He squinted, his brown eyes bright and unfocused. Not for the first time Diamond wondered if Jack really knew where he was or if the infection raging through his body was clouding his mind.
The Goddess and The Guardians Boxset: The Complete Romantic Fantasy Quartet Page 10
