The Keeper's Vow: A Chosen Novel (The Keepers Book 3)

by Meg Anne

  “The drain on my power . . . I’ve never come close to that kind of burnout.”

  Nord and Kael gasped. Effie’s eyes shifted to their horrified faces before shooting back to Lucian. “Burnout?” she asked, afraid of his answer.

  His lips drew down in a frown. “If a Guardian burns out, the void left by the missing power inside of them will demand to be filled. It will pull on their very life force until nothing remains.”

  “It’s a painful way to die,” Nord muttered, his eyes shuttered and expression haunted.

  “Lucian—” Effie started, shaking her head when she couldn’t find the words. The risk he’d taken to save her; it was almost impossible to comprehend.

  “Is it?” he asked, his eyes searching hers. “If our positions had been reversed?”

  Her answer was immediate. “I’d have done anything to save you, no matter the danger to myself.”

  He squeezed her hand, his expression equal parts tender and fierce. “The drain on my power notwithstanding, the control required to channel the foreign elements through my physical body was damn near impossible. I could hardly think through the pain, let alone concentrate on what needed to be done. If I hadn’t been so single-mindedly focused on saving you, I would not have survived it. My need for you carried me through the ritual almost as much as my magic brought you back. That is not something that can be replicated for just anyone, let alone a stranger.”

  Effie nodded, although she was still miserable at the idea of not being able to save other potential survivors. “No . . . I guess not.” Sighing, she looked around at the others. “At least we can do something about the land.”

  “That’s only half the battle,” Lucian said gently. “What good is saving the land if those abominations continue to walk among it? The Shadows need to be hunted down and exterminated for good, otherwise nothing we do is going to make any bit of difference in the long run.”

  Nord and Kael nodded their agreement.

  “Will the spell you found work on them?” Effie asked.

  “I don’t know,” Lucian said, frustration giving his voice a sharp edge. “In theory it should, although I doubt it’s going to be simple, even with multiple people to channel the overflow of power. When I saved you, I only had to pluck out that which did not belong. The Shadows are creatures of pure corruption, there’s nothing left of them to save so we would need to send entire beings to the Nether. There’s no telling what will happen, or if it’s even possible.”

  “We can always deal with them the old-fashioned way,” Kael offered.

  “Sure, we can kill them, but until we hunt every last bastard down there’s no telling how many more they’ll create in the meantime. And you can be sure that as soon as we come for them they will go to ground.” Lucian scrubbed a hand over his face and groaned. “Ideally, our first strike would be our last.”

  Effie didn’t need the men’s combined years of military experience to know that was wishful thinking. The Shadows were already scattered across the land. Worse, no one had the first clue where to find them. It would take years, maybe longer, to hunt each and every one of them down. How many more would die in the meantime?

  Heavy weight settled in her neck and shoulders. The stakes were too high. They could not afford to fail, but it was looking more and more like there was no way they could win.

  Lucian took her fingers in his, pulling her attention back to him. “Look, we’re clearly not going to solve this tonight. Let’s get some sleep, regroup tomorrow, and see what the others have to say.”

  “It’s going to be at least another week before we can start our hunt anyway,” Kael said as he started to stand.

  Effie raised a brow. “A week?”

  “We cannot just dump our people here and take off. They are still reeling. Once we are certain they are settled, then we will go,” Lucian answered.

  “Besides, it gives you time to play with your new power,” Kael added with a grin.

  “Perhaps in that time you can also convince the people of the Vale to assist in your cleansing efforts,” Nord said.

  Lucian looked skeptical. “We can ask, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

  “Don’t give them a reason to say no,” Nord suggested.

  “If my arriving with a Shadow-touched woman in chains didn’t convince them, I’m not sure what else I can show them.”

  “No one truly saw what her being Shadow-touched meant,” Kael said thoughtfully. “Maybe they just need to see what their future will be if we lose.”

  A shiver of foreboding sent goosebumps erupting down Effie’s arms. “They already know . . .” She hadn’t realized she spoke out loud until she felt the weight of three stares leveled on her. That alone would have been overwhelming before her new empathic connection to them, but now it was practically unbearable.

  “What do you mean?” Lucian asked.

  “Everyone knows about The Shadow Years. The people of the Vale may no longer consider themselves part of the Chosen, but that does not make them exempt. If you tell them several markers have come to pass, they will join us. They’ll have no choice.” Effie’s voice was strong, despite the fact that her stomach rolled with unease.

  The silence in the room took on a weight of its own. No matter what else happened, or what other battles they managed to win, it would always come back to that. There was no escaping what would happen if the last marker came to pass. So while they could fight the Shadows, and perhaps even repair the land, those things were just a smokescreen keeping them from addressing the actual threat.

  Until they found a way to stop the prophecy from coming true, no one would ever be safe.

  Chapter 19

  “Just concentrate, you can do this.”

  Effie opened one eye and glared at Kael. “If you tell me to concentrate one more time, I will geld you.”

  Nord snorted with laughter as Kael’s grin faded. He held up his palms. “Just trying to help.”

  She would have felt guilty if they hadn’t been telling her the same thing for the last four hours. Well, three days and four hours. No matter how many times the other Guardians tried to explain it, Effie had yet to successfully access her power.

  At least on purpose.

  It would surge forth unbidden as it willed, usually in response to some kind of extreme emotion, and she didn’t seem to have any trouble with mind-speaking. Although the latter seemed to be more of a passive ability than anything that required actual effort.

  To say she was frustrated would be a gross understatement.

  Lucian promised her that her power was there, not that she needed him to convince her of that. She could feel it, just an inch out of reach. The problem was she didn’t understand how to reach it. She’d tried envisioning it as a golden thread she needed to unspool. She’d tried calling it forth, beckoning it as one does a skittish animal. She’d tried meditation and clearing her mind of everything else. When all of that failed, she’d resorted to begging.

  She’d actually started pleading with her power to just put her out of her misery and hurry it up already.

  Not shockingly, that too failed.

  So here they were. Three days and four hours later. No closer to unlocking the riddle.

  Lucian’s hand pressed comfortingly against her lower back, his silent strength and unwavering support a balm to her fractured patience.

  “This is stupid. It’s not working.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself.”

  “Did you have this much trouble the first time?”

  Lucian’s mind fell suspiciously silent, and Effie let out a low snarl, her eyes flying open once more. “Why is this never easy? First the Mother-cursed visions and now this! You all can take your power and shove it straight up your—”

  Lucian’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her back into his body as his lips pressed against her neck. “Peace, Effie,” he whispered against the sensitive skin. “You’re forgetting that all of us were trained prior to the change.
We spent years learning about the gifts we’d acquire and how to use them. By the time we actually spoke our vows and underwent the transformation, it was practically a formality.”

  “Exactly,” Kael chimed in. “You’re expecting too much too soon.”

  “We don’t have time for me to waste figuring it out. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re in the middle of trying to save the world from eternal damnation.”

  Lucian’s hands dropped to her hips, and he turned her around to face him. “You were an asset to our side before you became a Guardian, Effie. That hasn’t changed.”

  “But think of how much more I could do now.”

  He silenced her with a gentle kiss.

  “Might I make a suggestion?” Nord asked, causing the couple to begrudgingly break apart.

  “Has the answer to that question ever stopped you before?” Lucian replied mildly.

  Nord grinned, his smile looking roguish behind his beard. “Perhaps we’re going about this the wrong way.”

  “By all means, enlighten us,” Lucian muttered, taking Effie’s hand and leading her to the chair he’d vacated earlier.

  “Maybe one of us should show her what it’s like.”

  Effie’s brows veed with confusion. “I’ve seen Lucian access his power before.”

  “No, not watch us as we gather our power, but experience what it actually feels like, specifically the first time.”

  Kael was nodding, while Lucian looked thoughtful.

  “It could work,” Lucian agreed.

  “At the very least, she’d have the memory of the experience to draw from during her next attempt instead of blindly trying to make the connection,” Nord said.

  She was intrigued by the idea, although Effie wasn’t sure how they were expecting her to accomplish this feat. As the Triumvirate, the Guardians used their telepathic powers to experience the Keepers’ visions. However, that required them to use their power. How exactly was she supposed to pluck memories from their minds in an attempt to better understand how to access her power when she couldn’t access it in the first place?

  “Uh, guys . . .”

  Lucian must have already picked up on the direction of her thoughts, either that or she’d unconsciously projected them. “Our power connects us, remember? You don’t have to do anything. I can simply recall the memory, and you’ll be able to experience it as if it were your own.”

  “Really?”

  The men nodded.

  “Oh . . .” She’d known they could carry on conversations in their minds because of their power, but she hadn’t understood the full scope of what that connection allowed.

  Lucian squeezed her shoulder. “Would you like to try it?”

  “Might as well. Not like it can make me do any worse, can it?”

  His lips twitched up in a smile, but he had the decency not to outright agree with her assessment.

  “I’m happy to share—” Kael broke off at Lucian’s look. “Right, you’re up.”

  Nord snickered and leaned back against the wall, his arms across his chest and one foot propped up behind him. Kael remained seated, his attention returning to the few books of prophecy they’d been able to recover from the citadel.

  “Do you need me to close my eyes or anything?” Effie asked, looking up at Lucian.

  He shrugged. “You don’t need to, but it might help you focus.”

  “Here goes nothing,” she muttered, wrinkling her nose at him before closing her eyes.

  Lucian chuckled and brushed his lips against her forehead. As he pulled back, an image started to take shape in her mind. It started as a dark blue cloud, the mist dissipating as images unfolded before her.

  As the picture crystalized, Lucian’s thoughts merged with her own. It was then Effie realized, she would not be mere witness, but a participant. She was struck by the sensation of being in two places at once. Even though Effie could feel her physical body sitting in the chair, so too was she kneeling in the center of a tiled room. The chill from the floor permeated the thick leather of her pants, but it wasn’t enough to mute the dull throb of pain caused by kneeling for hours. Despite the ache, her—Lucian’s—body was frozen in place, without so much as a muscle twitch to expose his discomfort.

  Anticipation swelled, as footsteps echoed loudly in the silence of the room.

  “Initiates, rise.”

  Soon the footsteps were replaced by the rustle of fabric as a dozen men rose in unison. From her position in the front, Effie could not make out any of the others around her, except as hazy outlines in her periphery.

  “Through your studies here you have proven yourselves worthy of bearing the incredible power, and with it, the responsibility of the Brotherhood. Henceforth, you are a Guardian of life—in all its forms. Above all else, your primary duty is to maintain the balance. Together we are the beacons, protecting those unable to save themselves and guiding the ways of man to ensure the continued survival of all. Do you so solemnly swear?”

  Pride rippled through her as Lucian’s deep voice rang out with a resounding, “Aye!”

  “Come, then, and make your tribute.”

  Lucian was the first to step forward. A man with black hair liberally streaked with silver and familiar umber eyes grinned as he approached.

  “Your mother and father would be proud of the man you’ve become, nephew.”

  Ancient grief rose in response to the words. Even though the emotion was not Effie’s, it lodged itself in her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe.

  Those dark eyes missed nothing. “Aye, feel the sorrow, Lucian. Hold it close. ‘Tis your reminder of what we stand to lose when the balance is broken. Now, make your offering and step from this dais as a full Brother.”

  Since being transformed it had been almost impossible to ignore the teasing allure of his gift. It called to him, a siren song that would have been irresistible if not for the iron-clad control he’d been taught. Instead of giving in to its call, he’d pushed it to the furthest corner of his mind, into a place hereto reserved for memories he chose to ignore. He could still feel it there, but it was no more than a dull hum.

  Giving in to it now brought with it a heady sense of release. Electric tingles were already racing through his veins, eager to be unleashed. Lucian focused on the buzz of power, allowing it to fill his lungs and explode throughout his body.

  Waves of power continued to build and crash within him until he could no longer separate himself from the sensation. The raw vitality was not just surging through his blood; it had taken over completely. He was no longer contained by something as insignificant as flesh; he was pure, unbound energy.

  Light exploded around him, the world no longer a series of shapes and colors, but one breathtaking sea of golden light.

  The part of Effie that could still distinguish herself from Lucian’s memory recognized his dull hum as the itch she couldn’t reach. Following Lucian’s example, Effie concentrated on the sensation and took a deep, calming breath. Understanding how he’d pushed the buzz away until it was a distant thought, she reversed the action. No stranger to compartmentalizing that which she did not want to remember, Effie pictured a door. One that was made of impenetrable metal and locked with several thick padlocks. As she continued to breathe deep, the imaginary locks began dropping to the floor with loud reverberating thuds. With each crash, light began to pulse along the edges of the door, growing in intensity until the last of the locks fell away.

  Effie’s breath quickened, the hair on her arms and neck standing on end as what had laid dormant flared to life within her. Silently, the door swung open, filling her mind with more of the golden glow until there was no differentiation between the light and her consciousness.

  Power did not simply exist within her, she was power.

  Pure.

  Potent.

  Endless.

  It filled her, finally alleviating that relentless itch. As her power swelled within her, her awareness shifted. She was still connected to Lu
cian, but no longer tied to a single memory. New images assaulted her, brushing up against the edges of her consciousness like playful cats begging for attention.

  Lucian’s voice sounded all around her, as inconsequential as floating dust motes and as powerful as a storm. “It’s alright.”

  A rush of emotion, not all of it hers, surged through her as Lucian’s entire life began to replay all around her, all at once. There was no rhyme or reason, simply Lucian and the events that had made him.

  His past stretched out before her, moments taking shape like ink dropped into a pool of water. They swirled and converged, no less complete for their transience. Entire centuries passed this way in a matter of seconds.

  She experienced them with an odd kind of duality. First, as if Lucian’s memories were her own, but also simultaneously as the woman in love with him. Her heart broke with his loss while her pride rejoiced at his accomplishments. Wonder filled her at the discovery of his artistic gifts, and jealousy reared its head at those that had known pleasure at his hand.

  No one event took precedence until Effie’s own face was reflected back at her. She recognized her tangle of curls and her overly large blue eyes, but this was not her face as she’d ever seen it. Without the filter of her own insecurities, it was like seeing herself for the very first time.

  From there, the floodgates were opened. Effie was looking at herself through Lucian’s eyes. Each image of herself colored by his reaction to her. She felt the acidic bite of his fear as she sprinted toward a Shadow, the purple flames of Shadow Fire burning in her eyes as her mouth opened on a savage battle cry. Then there was a flare of frustrated amusement warring with begrudging respect as she refused to be left behind. That was followed closely by the burn of unfulfilled desire as their bodies moved against each other on the shower floor. Before she could catch her breath, she was consumed by bone-numbing grief as she looked up at Lucian with milky-white eyes.

  The intensity of it shocked her back to the present.

  “How do you stand it?” she stuttered, her body trembling from the onslaught of Lucian’s past.