Power sizzled along her veins, burning through her every cell. Gritting her teeth, she tried to stop her reaction. But her magic was free, searching out its mate. Diamond felt the moment it dived into Hugo’s soul, binding itself to the very core of his power. A cry escaped her.
“Let it live,” he breathed, stepping closer again, seemingly unable to keep any distance between them. His hands found their place on her hips. “Let your magic become. Give it the freedom to grow.” His words were so steady, so full of conviction. The insistent command in his voice destroyed her will to contain her power. Her eyelids snapped open and she gave her magic freedom.
Glorious light and heat poured from her skin, searing away every dark shadow in the cave. Hugo did not let go like she expected, but pulled her back against him, wrapping his arms around her abdomen. Her energy seemed to flow into him, keeping her grounded and in control.
“You can control it if you want to,” he told her. “You know how to, just the way you have mastered every other weapon,” he encouraged.
Overhead, the purple crystals pulsed as they absorbed more and more of her power. They glowed like nothing Diamond had ever seen. Cocking her head to one side and making an arc with her hand, she wondered what would happen to the cave jewels if she continued. A kaleidoscope of sparks fell as her magic hit them, again and again. Will they explode if I overload them? It was a detached, distant thought.Hugo must have wondered the same thing. “Now stop,” he ordered, calmly and quietly.
Diamond closed her eyes, tightening her hold on the heat that raged so deep inside her, heat so powerful that she had no idea where it came from. She couldn’t grasp it, couldn’t find the source. It existed with no beginning and no end. Pain tugged at her insides, a fiery taste, like burning embers, beginning to fill her mouth and nose. Terror gripped her.
“I. Can’t. Stop,” she ground out.
Hugo tightened his hold on her, and she felt him tug their bond. “Put your hands over mine,” he growled.
Diamond did, and the most extraordinary sensation took her. A surge of shadow invaded her. It swirled and tugged insistently at her chest, and although she could feel her magic hiss and spit in defiance, the shadow did not listen. It consumed her unruly power until nothing more than a gentle trickle flowed from Diamond.
Hugo’s body radiated heat.
Diamond glanced over her shoulder at him, swearing he seemed taller, as if his body had become swollen with the merging of their Nexus.
“Now master your magic. Trust me to keep you safe whilst you train it. I won’t allow it to get out of control or harm either of us. Force it to do your bidding, just like you have your body and mind. Think of your magic as a living being, one that desires boundaries. I know it’s wild but it needs you to live. If you die, it dies. It’s yours to control, like my shadow is mine,” he told her.
He was right. Honing the power that flowed through her veins was like learning to control her thrusts with a weapon or a strike with her fists. She had to take control. This magic could be the salvation of so many souls. It would only rage and destroy if she allowed it.
“Loosen your hold on me a little,” she rasped.
The pressure of Hugo’s hands relented a little. Sensing a release on its enforced containment, her magic surged. Angered by her attempts to subdue it, her power exploded out through her skin, her eyes, her mouth. A swirling storm of bright white and violet threads, shot through with sapphire and silver ribbons, swirled around them both. The cave glowed. Gritting her teeth, Diamond pushed and fought.
I will not yield.
She fought until a crack appeared in her magic—the first sign she was winning. She re-doubled her efforts to grab it and mould it to her will. Concentrating on nothing but the heat and defiance of her power, she pulled it back towards her, then thrust it away, again and again.
Joy flowed through her as her power began to respond. Diamond’s neck stretched back in ecstasy. She rested her head back against Hugo, her hair glowing as it fell in a silver cascade down his body and across his arms. Huge hands pushed gently against her abdomen, moving her until her body was forged to his. Diamond smiled, covering his hands with her own, holding them against her. She did not want this feeling to stop. It wasn’t just the power Diamond craved but this feeling of belonging, of their Nexus. Such a glorious gift. Inside their bodies and out, their magic danced, the feeling nothing short of perfect. A small groan escaped her, and she pressed back against the solid mass of muscle behind her. He responded by gripping her harder, his voice gravelly and shaking as he spoke.
“Now, Diamond, you have to stop it now. It’s beginning to control you again,” he breathed, his chest rising and falling in heavy pants. His hands tightened into fists against her abdomen.
“But I don’t want this to stop,” she whispered. “I want to stay here with you, like this.” Well, maybe not entirely like this. The longing in her voice surprised her and she blinked, gripping him tighter.
“That’s why you have to do this. Your magic is stealing your self-control. You have to force it to obey you. I cannot absorb any more magic, and I cannot dominate it any longer—it’s too strong. You are too strong,” he told her, clenching his jaw.
In her heart Diamond knew he was right. Hugo had been consuming her power to give her time to learn control, but it had become too overwhelming for both of them. She could feel her magic’s arrogance, its knowledge that it could wrest control of her once again.
Diamond gritted her teeth and battled her power. It didn’t want to leave Hugo’s. It hungered for contact with its other half. And like any other living being, it fought for what it wanted. Stamping down on the raging heat and the fiery emotions in her heart, Diamond pulled—and pulled her power away from its Nexus. Hugo kept a grip on her, murmuring encouragement as his magic withdrew.
Diamond screamed as her magic challenged her one last time. Heat and light poured from her in a storm that burned the air in the cave, but she felt it, the moment her magic broke and bowed to her wishes. Eyes squeezed shut, she commanded it to still. It finally capitulated, curling despondently inside her. Diamond soothed it like a child, even as her chest heaved and sweat trickled down her spine.
Her face glistened with sweat. Unable to stop shaking, Diamond gave in and leaned hard against the solid strength Hugo offered. For a moment neither of them spoke. Diamond kept her eyes closed, trying to recover her equilibrium—then a slow grin spread over her face. The power she held was mighty, but not enough to overwhelm its master: her. For that is what she was now, its master; not the other way around. The fear and anxiety she had harboured for months, ever since she had seen the burns on Hugo’s face and hands, slowly melted away. Her limbs settled, and her heartrate slowed towards normal.
Hugo stared at her intently, the silver of his eyes reflecting the glowing purple light that thrummed through the cave crystals. His body radiated a ridiculous amount of heat. She wondered if that was how he reacted to their Nexus.
“You knew,” she accused him gently as he held her eyes.
He gave her a slow smile and released a heavy sigh. “No, not really; only suspected. You have mastered your body and your emotions—except with me sometimes.” He grinned wickedly and those powerful shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Now you know you can control your magic. It will take a little time to learn what you can do with it. First though, you need to discover how to control it every time you summon it. When you have done that, it will become your most trusted ally. It will fight for you whenever you wish it and never leave you.” His voice faded and he seemed to remember he was still holding her. His arms dropped abruptly to his sides, and he stepped away.
The heat Diamond had been enjoying vanished with him.
“Again,” he demanded, back in his commander persona.
And so it went. They practised for hours, until Diamond could summon and cease her energy flow independently of Hugo’s help. He made her continue until her whole body shook with fatigue, only letting
her stop when she proved she could summon and control but a tiny tendril of magic, not a storm.
She manipulated one tendril toward him, smiling widely as she entwined the gentle ribbon of light with a silver serpent, letting them dance. Joy seeped into her. Their magic was happy. Is this how he stopped my magic burning us alive last time? she wondered dreamily. Did he use our Nexus to smother it? But the sight in front of her distracted her from that question.
“I wish you could see your energy. It’s truly beautiful,” Diamond whispered, lifting her gaze to his face. In that moment she saw his face soften. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then snapped it shut. She didn’t miss the strange glint in his eyes before he looked away. Diamond frowned. Had that been guilt?
Confusion and unease rippled through her as Hugo abruptly pulled his energy back and turned away.
“It’s getting late. We should go,” was his only reply.
Chapter 39
Hugo rode in silence, lost in thought. Diamond’s heart lurched for the hundredth time since they had left the cave. Feeling their magic merge had been such an intimate and beautiful feeling. She swallowed; it had felt so right, like she belonged with him. Her body had ached for his, and if he hadn’t been more in control—she swallowed hard, deciding now was not the time to push him into talking about their feelings for each other.
Fingers of icy cold grasped her toes, the chill wind finding any gaps in her cape and her armour, just to spite her. Diamond shivered, the day taking its toll. “Is it far now?” she asked as the first drops of rain splattered on her head.
“No, we’ll reach the base of the cliff in about half an hour, but the trek up to the wall will take longer,” Hugo answered, giving her an encouraging smile. “Let’s pull your hood up, keep the rain and wind off your head,” he said softly, reining in Midnight Fire until they were side by side, then he leaned over and did it for her. “There,” he said.
Diamond gave him a small smile of thanks, her breath hitching at the flash of affection in his eyes before he led them forward. They broke through the treeline. She gasped.
The Rift Valley cliff loomed above them.
“How are we going to get up there?” she breathed.
Hugo chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, we don’t have to climb. At least I don’t.”
“Ehh?” she exclaimed. Her heart sank as she wondered if she was going to have to climb. She was far too tired. And there were their horses.
“Hey, relax. I’m kidding.” He laughed at her dismay. “There’s a track cut into the cliff-side. Of course you don’t have to climb. There’s a town up there. Don’t forget there are a lot of people in this army to feed and shelter. Jack has already arranged for us to have a room in the tower, though. It seems he wants you to be comfortable.” He paused as if thinking. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to be close friends with the gallant crown prince, especially if you want favours, like a luxurious bedroom to share,” he finished, glancing sideways at her with a mischievous glint in his eye.
Diamond glared at him defensively, then flushed. She was unsure if he was referring to sharing Jack’s room or something else entirely. Does he mean we are going to share? She gulped, then noticed the obvious amusement in his eyes before she dropped her eyes as she urged Luna ahead.
Behind her Hugo gave a satisfied smile.
Soon they switched positions. Hugo weaved between camping soldiers and supply carts, leading her toward the track. It seemed these men had sensibly decided to wait until morning to ascend the tall cliff face. Camp fires burned and horses whinnied. Diamond could even smell food cooking, which was torturous. Her stomach grumbled a protest, so empty now it ached.
Gritting her teeth, Diamond tried not to appear as scared as she actually felt when they urged their horses, side by side, up the slippery track toward the cliff top. A vicious wind blew their cloaks, which were no protection from the driving rain. Soon they were both wet through to the skin.
Hugo set his features in a determined mask and grabbed Diamond’s reins. Holding them tightly, he pulled Luna along when she faltered on the wet shale and rock. Diamond’s heart was in her mouth even though Hugo positioned himself on the drop side of the track. Midnight Fire calmed the mare, urging her onwards with his muscular body and familiarity with the track, a steady and calming influence. By the time the ground levelled out, Diamond shook from the effort of staying on the mare’s sloping back, her thighs and arms aching mercilessly from gripping her saddle so hard.
Hugo led the exhausted mare to the door of the turret. Clutching her saturated cloak tightly around her chest, Diamond hunched her shoulders against the freezing rain that struck painfully at the exposed skin of her face. Hugo slid down from his horse. Even his movements seemed laborious and slower than normal. With a few short words, he handed the reins to a waiting stable boy, who nodded as he hunched his shoulders against the storm.
Luna whinnied pitifully, dropping her head.
Damn! The ground was a long way off. Diamond suspected her legs would collapse under her when she dismounted. Gritting her teeth, she swung down, unfastened her pack and shakily made her way up the tower steps.
Gripping the large round metal handle, Hugo pushed open the heavily reinforced door. Heat and the aroma of food washed over the two weary travellers.Inside was warm and dry—a heavenly change—and quite big. Long wooden tables filled the expansive floor and were surrounded by basic wooden chairs. There was a large stone hearth blackened with use and age. In it, a fire crackled merrily.
A few soldiers raised their eyes, curious about the newcomers. Each soldier wore a coloured tunic with a dragon embroidered upon it. Two captains and a sergeant. Hugo ignored them as they blatantly assessed his bulk, his armour and his weapons. They kept a wary eye on him, noting his armour as that of a Queen’s guard. If that wasn’t enough to interest them, the way he moved was. It was enough to convince them he could use the weapons adorning his body.
An older, rotund man with grey hair hurried in through an archway, likely from the kitchen based on the smell of cooking meat and bread in the air. Saliva drenched her mouth. She was starving! Starving and near frozen.
“Commander Casimir? And Lady Gillon?” the man asked. His face was red, either from the heat of the kitchens or too much alcohol. Fleshy lips split into a polite smile, and he bowed as low as his stomach would let him. “We are expecting you. My name is Arthur. I am chief steward here.”
Arthur nervously surveyed Hugo, but Diamond smiled at him, trying not to giggle at Arthur’s greeting. Raising her eyebrows at Hugo, she mouthed, “Lady Gillon?”
His scar twitched, though he kept his face blank even as his eyes twinkled.
Arthur turned away, missing their exchange. “Take the commander and Lady Gillon to their room and ensure you see to their needs,” he ordered the young servant boy lingering behind him.
Diamond almost burst out laughing as he addressed her as a ‘Lady’ again. Then she realised what he had said and blushed scarlet. They were sharing a room. That had to be Jack’s doing. It was near impossible to hide the nerves that made her legs tremble. Hugo caught her expression, coughed and hid his smirk as Arthur turned back.
“Please, if you hand me your cloaks I will see they are cleaned and dried for the morning. I’m afraid many of the rooms here are already spoken for by the commanding officers. Although, on orders from his highness, we have managed to secure one of the larger rooms for you to share,” he looked apologetically at Diamond.
She hoped her mortification wasn’t too obvious.
“I have arranged an extra bunk to be brought in and some screens for my lady’s convenience,” he said a little uncomfortably.
Diamond smiled graciously and inclined her head, even though her heart nearly stopped.
“Thank you for your forethought and hospitality, Arthur. You are very kind. And I am sure the room will be most comfortable, for us both,” she responded and gave him her best smile, though her voice trembled slightly.
Arthur puffed his chest out.
From the corner of her eye she saw Hugo wipe his hand over his mouth as if trying to hide a smile. He knows how embarrassed I am, she realised. Lifting her chin, she gave him a steady look. He raised his brows and affected an air of innocence.
“It is my absolute pleasure to be of service to you, my lady. William will show you up and be at your disposable for the evening. Would you like food brought to your room?”
“That would be lovely,” replied Diamond, then she hesitated. “Is there any facility for bathing here?” she asked as sweetly as she could.
Arthur bristled a bit. “Of course, my lady. There is a small bathing room through that door there.” He pointed to a wooden door in the opposite corner of the guardroom. “William will ready a bath for you after you have eaten, if that is your wish.”
“That would be most welcome. Thank you so much for your kindness, Arthur,” she smiled, fluttering her eyelashes at the older man and causing him to flush bright red.
Hugo snorted slightly but she ignored him.
“It’s a pleasure for friends of his highness,” Arthur stammered, bowing slightly to her before bustling off to the kitchen once again.
William walked off up the stone stairs.
Hugo cordially stood to one side, gesturing for her to ascend first. He gave her a low mocking bow as she passed.
Inclining her head haughtily, Diamond passed him by. His energy rippled around them, and she could tell he was still amused as they were shown into a large, plainly furnished room on the second floor. William quickly left them, vowing to return soon with their dinner.
A large double bed had been pushed up against one wall with screens placed around it. A smaller single bed rested against the other wall. They pushed the screens back out of the way, then Diamond moaned as she collapsed face down on the bigger bed.
“Hey, who says you get the big bed?” asked Hugo indignantly.
“Me. I’m a lady, don’t you know?” she retorted, rolling over.
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