The Keeper (The Endless Chronicles Book 1)

by Nikki Mccormack

  Kochan managed to catch him and help him upright, fighting a losing battle with a superior smirk as he did so. “I warned you not to mix it.”

  The room tipped and swayed like a flyer with faulty balancer sensors. Deynas leaned on the elder Endless.

  “Naago, help me get this shirt off him. We’ll put him on the other bed in there.”

  They pulled the wet shirt off him and supported him into the room where the Keeper lay. When they finally got him onto the other bed, he closed his eyes and lay there wishing the damned flyer would balance out so he could sleep.

  •

  It didn’t feel like morning when he woke. The time candle on the table by the door still had a few hours of burn left. His battered body screamed in protest as he sat up and leaned back against the wall. The room no longer moved on its own, but his head ached and his stomach felt like someone had poured corrosive acid down his throat. His shirt was gone and he had a vague recollection of spilling something on it. He closed his eyes and rested his head back on the cool stone while he rolled the god’s blood pendant between his thumb and forefinger.

  “It protects you.”

  The soft voice caught him by surprise. He dropped the pendant and glanced at the other bed. The Keeper lay there on her side, watching him. Her eyes were glassy and bloodshot.

  “Did you say something?”

  “The pendant,” she murmured. “It protects your umahk-ra.”

  He lifted the stone. It looked so simple, but he had no reason to doubt her words. Had his mother known that? “I didn’t know.”

  An amused smile flickered across her lips. “That’s why I told you.” Her lips pressed together into a tight line then and she squeezed her eyes shut. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes.

  Deynas got stiffly to his feet and walked over to her. He knelt and sat back on his heels, bringing his face to her eye level. “Is it pain?”

  “Yes. Everything hurts.” She opened her eyes and looked at him, her gaze lingering on the bruises over his shoulder and ribs. “I hope I look better than you.”

  He managed a teasing smile. “Sorry to disappoint, but with those bloodshot eyes, you look rather frightful.”

  Her eyes drifted closed again and she smiled wearily. “Be nice, tenderfoot.”

  Argus.

  His breath caught in his throat and he clenched his teeth against a wave of longing and misery that left him feeling crushed inside.

  I can’t take this. Argus, why couldn’t you have just died?

  As soon as he thought it, guilt swept in, adding to the turmoil. He brought one hand up, stopping with his fingers a few inches from her cheek. He wanted so badly to touch her. No. Not her. He wanted to touch Argus and she wasn’t Argus, not really. He had to remember that.

  He heard someone moving in the other room and pulled his hand back, getting to his feet and moving away before Settek stepped into the doorway.

  The demon’s gold eyes swept over him. “You look like shit.”

  “Thanks. I feel about as good.”

  Settek nodded as if he expected as much. “How is she?”

  “Alive. I think she’d benefit from a little more rest though.” Deynas gestured with his chin toward the door.

  The crossbreed took the hint, stepping back out of the room. Deynas followed him. Naago had never made it back to the hut he was using. He lay stretched on one of the couches fast asleep. The flask was lying open on its side on the floor, apparently empty.

  “He finished it?”

  Settek grinned, showing off his pointed teeth. “I helped some.”

  Deynas rubbed his aching head and sank into a chair.

  Settek put his clawed hands on the back of another chair and stared down at them. His shoulders hunched, making him look like an overgrown child and, for the first time, Deynas wondered how old the crossbreed actually was. It could be hard to tell with demons and Endless were, well, Endless.

  “I’ve wanted to talk to you.”

  Deynas put his feet up on another chair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I told father about what happened with my red flyer.”

  Deynas gave him a cautionary look.

  “Your red flyer,” Settek amended amiably enough, though a flicker of bronze swept down his mane. “Father bought that flyer for me. He said I deserved to lose it and maybe he’s right, but I can’t let it go at that.”

  Deynas sneered. “You’d challenge me in this state. That’s about as sporting as having your mongrels gang up on me.”

  Settek looked at him, his gold eyes blazing bright. “Endless arrogance,” he snarled. “Perhaps you would listen rather than cast insults upon the dead and assume you know my mind.”

  Fury swept through Deynas and his hands tightened on the arms of the chair. Pain flared in the injured shoulder, forcing him to relax his grip on that side. It made his temper flare hotter, but Settek didn’t give him time to give voice to the rising outburst.

  “I never meant for your Misa to come to harm. I lost my head at the thought of being defeated again. My own reckless arrogance, I suppose. I came here to make what amends I could for that, but nothing can undo what is already done. As for the flyer, I wish to offer you a suitable trade. The flyer I came here on was commissioned by my father for one of his favored guards, only that guard was killed. The one whose position you filled briefly, in fact.”

  That didn’t help assuage his anger. “And your father gave it to you so you could get yours back?”

  “No. He is making me pay for it. He said I would learn nothing if it came free. I’ll be paying for it for a very long time and perhaps that is how it should be.” A trace of frustration and something else, something that sounded suspiciously like regret, edged into the crossbreed’s tone. “Mechanically, it’s a superior craft to the one you have, but…”

  Deynas held up a hand and Settek trailed off. The crossbreed’s manner and the fact that Kato was making him take responsibility for his own mistakes had begun to cool his anger. “But the red flyer is more complimentary to your good looks,” he remarked with only a hint of sarcasm.

  “Well, yes.” Settek flexed his hands on the chair back and one claw sank through the upholstery. He jerked his hands away. “Shit!”

  Despite himself, Deynas laughed, then groaned and grabbed his side as pain shot through the bruised ribs. Naago rolled over, turning his back to them, and began snoring.

  Settek just stared at Deynas, holding his hands in the air above the seat back as if unsure what to do with them now. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to—”

  Deynas waved him to silence. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take a look at this flyer you brought later and see if I think it’s a good trade. Right now, I’d like to know what else you three discussed last night.”

  Settek stepped around the chair and finally sat. “The Endless master went up to tend to the dead after you succumbed to your drug cocktail. Naago agreed to talk to my father about the archives. He said he had to start somewhere.” Settek glanced over at the sleeping Endless man and lowered his voice. “I think he’s jealous.”

  “Jealous?”

  Settek nodded. “Of your relationship with the Endless woman.”

  Deynas gritted his teeth, his brief better mood guttering out like a windblown flame. “She’s the Keeper, not an Endless woman. Not Argus.”

  “I think the two are not as separate as you’re trying to make them.”

  Deynas stared through into the other room at the sleeping figure. She was still beautiful. He was already getting used to the odd color of her hair and eyes, though the strange root-like black tendril at her temple forced him to remember what she was. She wasn’t Argus, but she had called him tenderfoot the way Argus always had to tease him in training. Regardless, if he couldn’t keep the two separate in his mind, it would only bring more pain.

  “Why are you really here, Settek?”

  The crossbreed’s fiery gaze turned cold. “I am part demon, so deceit must mo
tivate my every action? You Endless are so wrapped up in yourselves you couldn’t recognize a good intention if it hit you in the head.”

  “So I’m supposed to believe that your primary reason for coming here was to atone?”

  “You will believe what you want to believe, as my father is fond of saying. Many things led to the girl’s death, my arrogance and temper among them. For my part, I regret that she died and that some of my companions died in your rather potent backlash.”

  He kept forgetting that Settek had lost three friends in the confrontation. It was easy to overlook that with everything else, easy for him at least. Probably not so easy for the crossbreed. “Maybe your intentions are good. Maybe not. What about your father though? Kato sent you here. I’m willing to accept that he wanted his son to learn a valuable lesson, but I can’t believe he doesn’t have some other purpose beneath that.”

  Settek glanced at Naago who still appeared to be soundly asleep, snoring on occasion. “For what it is worth, he loved my mother a great deal and I believe that he wanted me to take responsibility for my part in what happened and also have a chance to connect with the Endless side of my lineage. However, I did get the feeling he is more than a little interested in the two of you, though I haven’t a clue as to why. He doesn’t share that kind of information, not even with his offspring. He did seem especially intrigued when Kaira mentioned the Keeper appearing at the scene of our fight.”

  Deynas tensed. Maybe speaking with the warlord was a bad idea. “Do you think he might mean her harm? He could be working with the Blooded Women.”

  Settek gazed into the other room where the Keeper lay. “No. I am sure his interest wasn’t malicious in any way.” The bright gold of his eyes softened as he continued to watch her.

  Deynas cleared his throat and the crossbreed looked at him, the candid warmth in his face disappearing.

  “You sound quite certain of that.”

  “I am.”

  Deynas followed the crossbreed’s gaze as he turned toward the room again and they both watched her sleep. Anger and longing began to creep in on him again. Maybe if he put some distance between them he could get a little relief.

  “Shall we look at this flyer you brought?”

  Settek was on his feet in an instant, holding one clawed hand out in offering. Deynas stared at the hand for a few seconds, deep loathing rising defiant to the surface. He swallowed those black emotions. Whatever his motivation, the crossbreed was trying to make some amends. Could he do any less?

  Deynas took the offered hand, letting the crossbreed help him up.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Deynas wouldn’t meet the Keeper’s eyes when he entered the room. “Kochan said you wanted to talk to me.”

  She nodded, hiding her frustration, and gave the open door a meaningful look.

  He turned and shut it with a respectful gentleness then faced her, standing rigid and staring past her like a man facing trial. Perhaps she had been wrong to ask for him.

  She stood. Despite sleeping through most of the day, exhaustion made rising hard and claws of pain raked through every muscle as she moved, but Deynas needed to believe she was capable of moving under her own power, so she kept her expression neutral and her motions as smooth as possible.

  “Master Kochan has asked that we stay another night. He believes that you and I both need more time to heal.”

  His eyes flickered toward her and away again. “And you disagree.”

  Pacing might ease the anxiety his tension caused. It might also betray how fragile she still was, so she settled for clasping her hands tight before her.

  “Honestly, no. He asked me to talk to you because he believed you would be resistant to the idea of staying here another night and that I could convince you to stay.” An overestimation of her influence on him, she suspected. “However, the Blooded Women are calling me.” And I should answer. She pushed the thought aside. That was something she could think about when she was away from here. “The demon failed to kill this host, but they made it clear in sending it that they will go to extremes to bring me back. I cannot continue to put the village in danger. I want to leave here as quickly as possible. Naago said that you were up packing the flyer earlier. If you’re ready, I think we should go now. At speed, we could reach the nearest travel haven before nightfall.”

  Deynas moved his injured shoulder in a small, careful circle, his lips pressed together, pain apparent in the tightness around his eyes. When he’d completed a slow circle both forward and back, he frowned and stared at the space to the right of her face. “I share your concern, Keeper, only I’m not sure how good this arm is going to be for piloting.”

  She’d expected as much. He wasn’t going to like her next suggestion. It had to be made, however, and she would simply have to convince him it was a good idea. “Let me pilot your flyer.”

  He immediately shook his head, as she’d known he would. “No. I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I just…” He shook his head again, staring at the floor now so that his dark hair fell forward, partially obscuring his face. “No.”

  “You would let her do it.”

  She could feel the surge of aggravation in his umahk-ra, a cyclone of frustration and defiance. So stubborn.

  “You’re not her.”

  The vehemence in his words stung. It shouldn’t, but it did. She was almost getting used to things not being as they should. How would the Blooded Women feel about that? “I’m not, but I fly with her memory and her ability. Trust her.”

  He closed his eyes and exhaled, still trying to resist. There was a growing weakness in the wall he’d put up between them, however. She could sense it, and for all that she hated to leverage his pain, perhaps it was necessary.

  “Trust her or let her go.”

  His eyes snapped open, finally meeting hers. “What?”

  “If you won’t accept that she and I both exist in this body then stop wanting her to live. It isn’t fair to either of us. Forget her. Let me go back to the Blooded Women so they can move me from this host and be done with it.”

  “Go then. I don’t care.” He snarled the words and turned his back on her, reaching for the door handle.

  “It does no good to say the words if you don’t mean them.”

  He kept his back to her, but didn’t open the door. “What am I supposed to do?”

  The torment in his voice pulled at her. How badly she wanted to comfort him. She kept her hands clasped and stayed back. “There is nothing wrong with loving her, Deynas-ra. Just know that it puts me in a difficult position.”

  He turned around. His blue eyes blazed with fierce passion and torment. “Why? Why does it even matter how I feel?”

  This time she was the one who looked away. “A fragment of her spirit lives in you. I… Maybe that…” What am I? Her throat tightened. An unfamiliar swelling of emotion made her eyes sting. “I don’t know. I only know this isn’t how it should be.” Why was she trying to explain this to him? It was pointless. She couldn’t even explain it to herself.

  He watched her, waiting for some explanation that would help him reconcile the situation.

  She sank down on the edge of the bed. “It’s like wearing a leash.”

  He started to walk toward her and she looked up at him, startled by the change in his presence and the intent in his spirit. Her chest felt as if a weight pressed upon it, heavier and heavier, a weight she had to escape if she wanted to stay in control.

  “I can’t silence her so long as the two men who carry fragments of her spirit continue to want her.”

  He stopped and clenched his teeth, the brief compassion in his eyes going cold.

  She shouldn’t have brought Naago up. The two Endless men nurtured a rivalry because of their interest in her that festered below the surface, threatening to break through in some ugly fashion if they remained in one another’s company too long. There was something else between them though, the potential for a comra
dery born of their shared caring for one or both of those who shared her body. If only she could nudge them that way.

  “Why did you even consider keeping Misa?”

  The question came as a surprise and she flinched away from the unexpected stab of regret. “Because she mattered to this host and to you.”

  “I didn’t think you kept Endless.”

  She lowered her eyes. It was hard to think with him staring at her like that, his expression demanding and his eyes full of restrained affection that wasn’t truly meant for her. The conversation was escaping her control. “I have done so before. I remember their spirits and the pain of death, but not the reasons they were kept.”

  Someone knocked once then opened the door without awaiting an answer.

  Deynas stepped back from her and over to one side as Kochan entered the room.

  “Ah, Deynas-ra. I had hoped to find you here. I’m sure the Keeper already said something, but I believe it would be best if you both took one more night to rest and recover before deciding your next move. Your other guests may stay the night as well if you wish it.”

  Deynas looked stricken. He turned to face Kochan. “My guests?”

  “Yes. I spoke with Naago-ra for some time while you were out with Settek. I’ve decided to revoke your banishment. If I hadn’t been selfish, putting my disgust for him above your needs, perhaps Misa would still be with us. I cannot make you suffer for a mistake I helped you make.”

  Deynas bowed his head, his spirit reverberating with an overwhelming mixture of happiness and sorrow. “I am grateful, Master.”

  The Keeper’s hands clenched tighter, the black roots pressing into her other palm. Now Deynas had no need to leave the village. It would be foolish of him to risk returning to the city with Naago and Settek. In a sense, it was a relief to know that he could stay here where he would be safe, and yet…

  “Deynas-ra?” She murmured his name in query.

  He glanced sideways at her then away. His jaw tightened.

  “Is there something you wish to say, Deynas-ra?” Kochan encouraged.

  “I am grateful, Master, but we must leave today, before more harm comes to the village. It comforts me to know I have someplace to return to after we figure out what we can about the Keeper, but the time has come for us to leave.”