by Meg Anne
Kieran’s reckoning was at hand.
Chapter 29
There was one last thing they needed to do in Bael before they could hunt down Kieran.
“Now that we have locked on to the corruption’s signature, it’s time for me to heal the land.”
“Us,” Lucian corrected, interrupting Helena without apology. “It’s time for us to heal the land. There is no doubting your power, Kiri, but if we have any hope of outrunning this blight, we’ll need to split our forces. Working together now will ensure we all understand the nuances of the task before us.”
Helena considered him, a small smile playing about her mouth. Her eyes darted to Effie, and she cast her voice low, speaking as if no one else could hear her. “I can see now why you say he’s so aggravating.” She let her eyes return to Lucian and travel up his body. “And why you tolerate it.”
Effie blushed as Helena smirked and then broke out into peals of laughter at her Mate’s scowl. For his part, Lucian merely crossed his arms, causing the muscles in his biceps and chest to flex in the most deliciously distracting way.
“Aggravating?”
“Impossibly so.”
A smile ghosted her Guardian’s lips, gone as quickly as it appeared.
“Alright, Guardian,” Helena murmured. “We’ll try it your way.”
Lucian was gracious enough to look as though he was honored by her concession, although Effie didn’t think anyone was fooled into believing he would have allowed matters to go any other way. Even surrounded by other alphas, Lucian had no trouble establishing dominance.
“Are we supposed to be helping you? Because I’d feel remiss if I didn’t point out that besides Helena, you’re the only other person who’s done something like this before.”
Kael’s dimple flashed at Effie’s impertinence. “Ye of little faith.”
Effie quirked a brow. “What? Am I supposed to just magically know how to go about sending the corruption to this Nether place?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Came Lucian’s amused reply.
Lucian and Kael were already moving into place, standing to the side of Helena. Effie trailed behind, trying to figure out what she was missing. When she reached him, Lucian ran his thumb along the crease between her two brows.
“Do you remember how I taught you to access your power?” he asked, his voice tender in her mind.
“By sharing your first experience of it.”
“That is how you will learn the ritual we are about to use.”
Effie couldn’t help but feel a little slow. Lucian had already explained the Guardian’s shared pool of knowledge to her. She’d been on the receiving end of it more than once now, both in her position as a Keeper and also since becoming a Guardian. She should have realized one of them knowing something was essentially the same as all of them knowing it.
His touch was featherlight against her skin, but the memory was just as powerful as before. Colors twirled and shifted behind her eyelids until she was witnessing Lucian perform the ritual. It was more than a little odd to see her body chained to the wall as he moved around speaking the words of power. More so once she was splayed on the floor.
Effie wanted to pull away, not quite ready to face the truth of how far gone she’d been, but unable to stop it.
When it was over, the knowledge was hers, as if she’d performed the spell a hundred times before.
“Do we have everything we need?”
“Helena can manifest every element, the only other thing we require are the words.”
Effie gave a little nod, clearing her mind to help center herself. She was still new when it came to performing magic, and this was a massive undertaking. She didn’t want to be the one to fuck it up.
Helena looked over at them, her brows furrowed. “I’m not used to doing this as a group effort.”
It soothed a part of Effie’s soul to hear such a powerful woman admit that there were still things she didn’t know. It made her feel like less of an imposter. If the Mother’s Vessel was still learning after all this time, then it was only natural Effie would have a learning curve of her own.
“If you focus on strengthening the unbroken strands, we can cast out the tainted ones,” Lucian said.
Helena’s brows puckered further. “I don’t see the land through these strands you speak of. To me it is a myriad of colors.”
“Do these colors allow you to distinguish that which is salvageable from that which is already lost?”
There was a beat of silence as Helena’s eyes sparkled like twin prisms. “Yes,” she murmured, her voice layered.
“Repair what ails. We will weed out that which cannot be salvaged. Then together, we will replace what has been lost.”
Helena looked intrigued. “Ready?”
Lucian’s eyes burned bronze. “Aye, Kiri.”
There was no need to speak incantations or call upon the elements. Helena embodied them all, and she was more tied to the Mother’s five branches than any other living being. As soon as Lucian finished speaking, Helena began to glow with power.
Effie couldn’t begin to imagine what it felt like to her, the force of all those elements rising within her, but for Effie, joining with her power was like being truly alive. As she merged with that limitless potential, for one perfect moment there was no fear. No shame or doubt. Just pure, wondrous ability.
Before, the earth lost its color and transformed into a wasteland comprised almost entirely of oozing, noxious black fibers. This time, however, Effie could also see bright vibrant strands of light. They were flowing out of Helena, sinking their way deep into the ground and reinforcing the strands that were little more than feeble protests against the choking corruption.
Tendrils of darkness shrank away from the purity of Helena’s power and from the life she was reintroducing to the land. Together, the Guardians focused on those tainted filaments, using their power to assert their will.
It was the first time Effie had really tried to modify the essence of a thing. She may be casting the corruption out, but she was also reshaping the very earth itself. Telling it which pieces were allowed to stay and thrive, and which must be eliminated. It was heady, that kind of power. So easily could she rebuild the entire world to her liking. Getting rid of the plants and beasts that annoyed rather than delighted. But every ecosystem required balance. Destroy too much, and nothing would survive.
All of this she knew, and yet the temptation flickered there until the very last of the tainted strands were gone.
When they were done, the citadel was still missing, but so were the ashes and scent of despair that had clung to the land. It would take years before the repairs were finished, but at least the Keepers would have a homeland to return to, if they wished.
A sense of peace washed over Effie. She had helped do this. In her own way, she had managed to help save the place that had become her home.
Lucian threaded his fingers through hers. There was no need for words. She could feel the contentment flowing off of him and cascading over her skin. Effie breathed deep, savoring the feel of Lucian’s happiness, allowing it to reinforce her own growing contentment.
Perhaps it was not the citadel that had made her feel at home, after all.
Sneaking a peek at him, Effie could only grin when she discovered Lucian was staring down at her with burning umber eyes.
No. Home was never a place at all.
“There’s no need to race off into the night, Desda.” Lucian’s voice was thick with exasperation, but his eyes twinkled with good humor.
Effie loved seeing how the shopkeeper bossed her Guardian around, and how he allowed it. It gave her hope that one day she’d be as lucky.
Desda waved the comment away with a snort. “We’ve imposed on the people of the Vale for too long. It’s time for us to go home, to reclaim what is rightfully ours. You know as well as I that nothing heals the heart better than a purpose.”
Lucian gazed down at the older woman with affection
. “Fair enough.”
“Besides,” she added with a shrug. “You lot will go running off again, and it’s not right the rest of us don’t do our part.”
Effie bit back a laugh as Lucian held up his hands, clearly outmanned. “You’ve made your point, Desda. In our absence, I think you’ll be the perfect person to lead the charge. I can ask the Kiri to escort any who wish to return to Bael before we continue on our journey.”
“Absolutely not,” Desda scoffed. “We are more than capable of traveling for a few days. No need to waste time on an unnecessary task when more important things are yet to be done.”
“The woman is impossible.”
“I think you mean incredible. I’m taking notes.”
Lucian couldn’t quite contain his groan. “Just what I need. More sass from you.”
“Admit it, you love my sass.”
He winked at her. “You know I do.”
Effie’s cheeks warmed, and her stomach gave a low flutter.
Helena joined them, a dirty satchel and book of prophecy held aloft. “I have what I need to track him. Oh—sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No bother at all,” Lucian said with a quick grin. “You’re saving me, really.” Turning to Desda, he said, “Let me know if there’s anything you require for your journey.”
She held her arms open. “Just a proper goodbye.”
Effie fell a little deeper in love with Lucian for the way he didn’t shy away from the demand for affection. So many men pretended to be put off by such requests, but not Lucian. He gathered the woman in his arms and pressed a kiss to her weathered cheek, his voice turning gruff. “Don’t go and do anything stupid while I’m away.”
Desda laughed and patted Lucian on the cheek. “I love you too, sweet one. Now, where’s that pretty girl of yours?”
Effie blinked in surprise, startled by the request. “Me?”
“Aye, lass. Lucian may not have come from my womb, but he’s more of a son to me than any who share my blood. It’s only right that I get to impart some wisdom on his life mate.”
It warmed Effie, this display of familial loyalty. Her family was also comprised of those that she had chosen versus any she’d been born to. She could appreciate the strength of the ties, and how important it was for Desda to give Effie her blessing. Lucian may not give two shits about such things, but Effie relished the idea of having a mother figure’s approval.
Effie stepped forward, and Desda grasped her shoulders, her grip surprisingly strong.
“There now. You’re a beauty, aren’t ya? But it’s not your looks that matter, dear. No. Only a woman strong in mind and spirit could ever be a true match for my Lucian. Look after him. Don’t be afraid to put him in his place when he gets too bullheaded. And I expect lots of grandbabies, you hear?”
Flushing, Effie managed a strangled sound that Desda took as agreement. Lucian, however, was completely unfazed by her declarations about their future.
“You seem surprised.”
“Grandbabies?” Effie sputtered.
“We have our entire lives to raise a family. There’s no rush. Although I must admit, I enjoy the thought of making a child with you.”
As soon as he said the words, the image of a sweet-faced girl with blonde ringlets and her papa’s dark eyes flashed into Effie’s mind. Had you asked her two minutes prior, she’d tell you she had no intention of bringing a child into this world, but now that the child held some of Lucian’s features? Well . . . perhaps she could be persuaded.
Desda pulled Effie into a tight embrace, brushing dry lips against her cheek. “That boy doesn’t know how to love, save with his entire being. He may look tough, but he feels deep. No man will be more loyal to you or love you more fiercely.”
Unexpected tears pricked Effie’s eyes, and she gave a choked nod. “It’s the same for me.”
“Aye,” Desda smiled, and it took years off her lined face. “I see that it is.”
She let Effie go with one last squeeze, turning her face to Lucian as she started to shuffle away. “Don’t forget you owe me a store’s worth of artwork. How else am I supposed to make my living?”
That earned a snort from Lucian. “I’ll get right on that. Somewhere between saving the world and rebuilding the citadel.”
“See that you do,” she called, waving at them over her shoulder as she walked away.
“I like her,” Helena declared, eyes bright with suppressed laughter.
“Don’t tell her that,” Lucian replied dryly. “You’ll only encourage her.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt the moment, I just thought you’d like to know that we’re ready to go as soon as you are.”
“No worries, Kiri—”
“I’m going to have to insist that you call me Helena. Effie is practically my sister, any life mate of hers is thereby family.” Helena’s aqua eyes twinkled.
For the second time in as many minutes, Effie was overcome by emotion. She’d been rendered nearly speechless when Helena had declared her as a friend the first time, but to be claimed as a sister? Effie didn’t know if she’d ever be able to convey how much that meant to her.
Intimately familiar with the darkness of her past, and the scars that still hid in plain sight, Lucian wrapped his arm around Effie’s waist, bolstering her as always with his strength.
“You honor me, Helena.”
She waved the words away. “Just make her life a happy one, Lucian, and I will consider any debts paid in full.”
Lucian’s emotions seeped into her, although his face betrayed none of them. Her Guardian may appear stoic, but he was not unmoved by Helena’s words.
“That is my greatest wish as well,” he replied.
“You two need to stop this or I’m going to start weeping like a child.”
Helena smiled. “There are worse things in life than to be surrounded by people that love you.”
Effie was at a loss for words. It was such a foreign notion. “Don’t we have a rat to catch?” she finally blurted.
“That we do,” Helena replied, eyes flashing with iridescence. “I was able to discern the unique look of Kieran’s magic through his belongings.”
“I know that all magic leaves a trace, but Kieran’s power is linked to his dreams, so how is that possible?”
“He is still a creature of magic at his core. That means a trace of it will linger any place that he spends a significant amount of time, a bit like a fingerprint.” Helena looked between Effie and Lucian. “Surely Guardians can pick up on it as well?”
Lucian gave Helena one of his enigmatic grins that was neither admitting nor denying her statement, but she didn’t seem to actually be waiting for an answer.
“Once I was able to identify his signature, for lack of a better word, it was really just as simple as walking around until I locked onto the freshest imprint. It looks like he fled through the northwestern exit,” she finished with a little shrug.
“Any direction he went, he’s alone, on foot, and traversing through desert. He couldn’t have made it very far, even with such a significant head start,” Lucian murmured.
“Oh, it wouldn’t matter regardless,” Helena said, her smile turning mean. “Nothing can outrun a Talyrian.”
Chapter 30
A cloud floated in front of the sun, providing Kieran with a welcome respite from its unwavering glare. As he’d done every morning since discovering the gate, he’d woken with the dawn, trying to take advantage of the cooler hours to continue his search, before breaking mid-day when the sun was at its zenith in the sky. For all that there was—a river and a smattering of what only the most optimistic could call a copse of trees—it was still the desert.
Kieran ran a forearm across his forehead, wincing at the sting. His fair, unblemished skin was a thing of the past. Now he was roughly the shade of a beet—at least the parts of him that were exposed to the elements. Portions of his face had already started peeling, and there were now a smattering of tiny blisters ac
ross the bridge of his nose and cheeks that could have passed for freckles had they been any darker.
Not even the salty tracks of his sweat brought any relief. In about another ten minutes he’d have to abandon his work for the afternoon and trudge back to the riverbank to soak his battered body. Kieran peeled a strand of sun-bleached hair off his neck and wrapped it back around the sweaty tangle atop his head. No one who saw him now would ever mistake him for royalty. A farmer, perhaps, but certainly not a prince.
Instead of continuing on its journey across the sky, the cloud never moved past the sun, leaving Kieran surrounded in a hazy shadow. Beads of sweat dripped down his body but he shivered with sudden chill. Dread pooled in his stomach as wind began to howl in the distance.
Twisting around, Kieran peered up at the sky, if for no other reason than to assure himself it was in fact just a cloud.
“Elder’s sagging sack,” he gasped, terror robbing him of breath and causing his limbs to quake. The rock he’d used to help dig tumbled from his hand as his mouth fell open.
While it was white, there was no confusing the winged creature zooming toward him for a cloud. Kieran had never laid eyes upon one of the famed cats of the north, but there was no mistaking it. Especially not once it opened its mouth and spewed forth molten jets of flame.
Talyrian.
How his mind managed to supply the word was a miracle in itself. Kieran couldn’t even manage to remember how to breathe properly, so intense was his shock. But why was it here?
Then Kieran noticed the woman mounted on its back, her chestnut hair whipping around her face. He’d seen her before in his dreams. The one who caused fire to rain from the sky and had battled a maelstrom and won. The Kiri. The Mother’s Vessel. The instrument, it would seem, of his demise. For why else would she have come for him?
The ex-prince of Eatos wanted to sink to his knees in submission, but he was frozen in place, fear holding him captive. One wrong move would surely see him eaten, or worse.
Sand flew up in a series of tiny storms as the Talyrian’s massive black wings beat, keeping it aloft. Helena studied him from her perch on its back, her eyes glittering with barely concealed wrath.
