by Keri Arthur
“It’s just a few herbs to boost your immunity and strength.” He scanned me briefly. While there was absolutely nothing immediately sexual in that look, desire stirred through me and found an echo in his eyes. “Blacklake might have suffered greater losses if not for you. We owe you, Neve March. I owe you.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Hardly, given I was only doing my job. What happened to the Adlin and the children?”
“The one carrying the children escaped, but we tracked down and killed the rest.”
Because the rest had been sacrificed to save their leader and the children. “And the wall?”
“Is already under repair. We’ve called in the earth witches from both Farsprings and West Range to help with the rebuild.”
I frowned again. “Why not just call in witches from Winterborne?”
“Because the masque celebrations can’t be interrupted for anything less than an attack—”
“Which is exactly what has happened—”
“Yes, but it went no further than the outer bailey in either Winterborne or here, and therefore it gives them no reason to pause or stop.” A bitter edge touched his smile. “They’ll never allow the day-to-day trials of the rest of us to interfere with the machinations and alliances the masque and equinox celebrations bring.”
“The rest of us?” I raised an eyebrow. “You, my dear commander, are one of them.”
“Just because I was born one of them doesn’t mean I remain so. Not in spirit or in heart, anyway, and that’s all that counts these days.” He leaned forward and caught my hand in his. His fingers were warm, and filled with a strength I found oddly arresting, even in my hyperaware state. “My daughter was wearing that bracelet, Neve. If you hadn’t caught on to what the Adlin were up to—”
He stopped, but I saw the fear flash through his eyes. “Why wasn’t she in the raid shelter with everyone else?”
A wry smile tugged at his lips. “She had been, but she came out with Leon, our earth witch, when I called for his help with the wall.”
So the woman who’d stood on his right while he’d battled to preserve the integrity of the wall hadn’t been just another earth witch, but rather his daughter. The long sleeves she’d been wearing had obviously hidden the bracelet.
“Were you drawing on their strength to reinforce the wall, or was it more a combining?”
“The latter. I doubt the former is even possible.”
“Oh, it is, because that’s what was happening with the three children.”
He frowned. “Three?”
I nodded. “The other child must have come in with the Adlin. The small girl with the air witch coloring and the other boy were gripping the older lad; neither of them were touching the wall, so he had to have been drawing on their strength.”
Trey sat back, and in doing so broke the connection of our fingers. And yet the heat of his touch remained, a beat of warmth that seemed to flow sweetly through my body.
“It still doesn’t explain how two small children could not only draw and control enough power to blast open the curtain wall, but do so without going insane. They couldn’t have undergone committal ceremonies, not at that age.”
“I suspect whoever is behind this plot really wouldn’t care whether his or her weapons were sane or not. And we stained don’t appear to need the ceremony to be able to use either magic, remember.” I paused and flexed my fingers, trying to keep my mind on the matter at hand rather than the man who was so close and yet so far away. “When your men were chasing the Adlin, did they notice anything unusual?”
“No.” He leaned forward again, but didn’t touch me. I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or frustrated. “Why?”
“Because one of them was not only stained but wearing the same sort of silver bracelet as the children and the three women in Winterborne.”
“Stained?” He stared at me for several seconds, horror slowly growing on his face. “How is that even possible? As far as I know—and as far as any history books are concerned—the Adlin fed on the flesh of the dead but were never involved in the war itself. From everything I’ve read, the Irkallan basically left them alone.”
“Him being stained is not even the worst of it.” I paused, shuddering as the image of the Adlin’s face rose like a ghost to taunt me. “He had human eyes.”
“Impossible.”
“No.”
He swore and thrust a hand through his short hair. “That’s not the news we needed right now. Not when there’re also traitors in our ranks to contend with.”
“Two of those traitors are now dead, and Saska’s at least fighting the control of the queen.” I hesitated. “We can’t really ignore the possibility that the Irkallan are behind all this. Not now.”
“No.” He scrapped a hand across his jaw, the sound like sandpaper. “But if they are, then the two half-assed attempts to regain the bracelets makes even less sense.”
“Half-assed?” I raised my eyebrows. “You can hardly call the destruction of Winterborne’s gate mechanics and the walls here half-assed. They came damn close to causing untold damage.”
“Yes, and that’s what has me worried. They could have pushed their advantage, and they didn’t. They’d caught us unawares and did nothing with it. Whatever else history might have said about the Adlin and the Irkallan, it is fact that they always pushed an advantage.”
“Yes, but it’s not the Adlin behind this plot. Saska’s queen is controlling them through their leader.” I hesitated. “In truth, it’s probably the offspring of the witches who are our greatest threat right now. If the three who attacked this place are any indication, they’re capable of great magic.”
It would also, I realized suddenly, explain Saska’s comment about her captors killing her three perfect little girls. They weren’t after perfection; they wanted the stained, and the greater the staining, the better, because it appeared to indicate a stronger capacity for unrestrained power.
So where did that leave me? Half my body was stained, and yet I didn’t appear to be capable of the same sort of power those three kids had called forth.
“They undoubtedly are the greater threat,” Trey said, “but given we’ve never been able to find the women who remain missing, tracking their offspring will be nothing short of impossible. Besides, neither Pyra nor Hedra even remembered having children.”
Which was decidedly odd given Saska could. “Has Kiro sent any word about what’s happening at Winterborne?”
“Nothing more than the fact that the masque continues unheeded, and that Saska seems to have become more unstable since your departure. He’s got her under close guard at the moment—and he’s called in reinforcements from the Nightwatch to do so.”
“Really? Who?”
“I believe one of them is a friend and bunkmate of yours—”
“Ava?” I couldn’t help my delighted grin. At least she’d finally be able to see and experience life the Upper Reaches, even if only from a distance.
“Yes. He doesn’t trust that the Reaches guards have not been coerced or infiltrated, so put in a request for ten Nightwatch officers to guard major points.” He hesitated. “I believe he put in a specific request for two of your bunkmates because of your trust in them, but one is in hospital recovering from wounds received in the attack.”
My heart jumped into my throat. “How bad are the wounds?”
“Kiro didn’t say. I didn’t get the impression they were life-threatening, though.”
Relief spun through me. Not life-threatening could have meant anything, but at least he wasn’t dead. Then the rest of Trey’s statement impacted me. “If Kiro is aware of how close I am to both Ava and April, he’s read me more thoroughly than I’d hoped.”
“But not as thoroughly as he would have liked.”
I frowned. “Surely he can’t still believe I’m holding secrets that are dangerous to Winterborne? Not after everything that has happened.”
“No.” Trey paused. “But he does believe you’re
the key to unlocking what’s happening.”
I snorted. “A stained Nightwatch officer with uncertain, untrained abilities and who-knows-what parentage is highly unlikely to be the key to anything, Commander.”
“And yet Kiro believes otherwise.” He hesitated again. “And be warned, he’s currently investigating your parentage.”
“How is that likely to be of any help?”
Trey shrugged. “He didn’t say. But he is definitely a man who’ll leave no stone unturned in his quest for answers.”
“Do you think he’ll tell me if he does uncover my parents?”
“Would you want to know if he did?”
“I don’t know.” I frowned. “I mean, they cast me aside like so much rubbish. I shouldn’t care—and I don’t—but I guess there is a part of me curious as to who they might be.”
“Which is only natural.”
“Perhaps, but such curiosity isn’t likely to end well. Not for me, anyway.” Of course, it was doubtful he’d actually be able to uncover any information. It wasn’t like the birth records of the stained were overly detailed—mine had nothing more than the date of my birth and the name I’d been given on being handed into state care. “But I’m glad the Nightwatch has joined us. I’ll feel less alone and out of place.”
Trey raised his eyebrows. “So my company has not been pleasing to you?”
“That is not what I meant, and you know it.” I waved a hand. “For all your talk about the Upper Reaches no longer being a part of you, you were raised in that place and are comfortable there. I was not, and it was only the fact that I wasn’t there for pleasure that stopped me running back to where I belonged.”
“I know.” It was so softly said that I barely heard it. “But I, for one, am glad you didn’t give in to that particular desire.”
His words had that odd, earthy energy surging to life between us again. It was both powerful and sexual, and far more than mere attraction. It ran over me in a wave and made me burn. But again, it wasn’t just desire; it was deeper than that, stronger than that.
Something flickered in his eyes, something that set my soul racing, but it was just as quickly shut down. He thrust up from the chair and walked across to the window, staring out for several minutes without comment.
Leaving me to wonder if I’d imagined that flicker.
“Kiro wants us back tonight,” he said eventually. His voice was cool and collected. “Are you feeling up to it?”
“I’m feeling up to many things.” I frowned at his back and wondered why he’d retreated. What was he trying to keep from me? “Up to and including traveling.”
“Good.” If he heard the half invitation in my voice, he gave no sign of it. “Mace will be here in a few minutes to give you a final check. If all is well, we will leave at one.”
Which was little more than three hours from now, according to the ornate clock on the wall…. I blinked and suddenly looked more closely at my surroundings. Between the tapestry wall coverings and the richly covered furniture, it was very obvious I wasn’t in the hospital.
“Have I been placed in the guest apartments?” I said, surprised.
“No. My personal quarters.”
“What?” My gaze shot back to him, but he was still staring out the window. “Why?”
“Because it was easier; the secondary hospital had run out of room for beds.”
“So why aren’t I in the bunkhouse?”
“Until the wall is fully restored, no personnel will be staying there. All those not on duty are bunking down in the state apartments.” Though I couldn’t see his smile, I heard it in his voice. “It’s an understatement to say they’re quite enjoying the experience.”
“I can imagine, but it still doesn’t explain why I’m not with them.”
“There are well over one hundred and fifty people off duty at any one time, and only five state apartments.” He turned and sat on the edge of the sill. “Luxurious or not, the place is rather crowded.”
“A perfectly legitimate and sensible answer, but I rather suspect there’s something you’re not telling me.”
A smile ghosted his lips. “It’s nothing important.”
“I also suspect you lie, Commander.”
“Trey, at least when we’re alone. And perhaps I should have said, it’s nothing that needs to be discussed immediately.”
I frowned. “Has it got anything to do with the ceremony? Kiro said it was dangerous—”
“Any ceremony involving such deep and powerful forces contains danger for its participants,” he cut in. “Especially for those not specifically trained to guide such inductions.”
“Meaning the ceremony has caused you a problem?”
He hesitated. “I wouldn’t call it a problem. More an interesting development.”
“A statement that really doesn’t clarify anything.”
“True, but this is neither the time nor place for such revelations.” He half shrugged. “I need to get back to work. Mari will be here with a meal very soon, and I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Until then, rest.”
As if I could rest knowing that in saving me, something untoward had happened to him. I frowned at his departing back, but if he was aware of my glare, he didn’t show it.
I climbed out of bed and padded barefoot over to the window. He appeared a few seconds later and strode across the inner bailey’s yard to the smaller command center. He really was something of an enigma, and one I found rather fascinating. Not that that was hard—who wouldn’t be fascinated by a strong, good-looking man who’d walked away from everything he’d known to care for a daughter he’d held for only a few seconds? A man who’d worked his way through the ranks like everyone else, who’d gained the trust and respect of everyone he worked with, but who nevertheless seemed to guard his feelings and his thoughts fiercely, only occasionally giving them free rein when it came to his daughter. I’d spent a lot of time in his company over the last few days, and yet I still knew so little about him. He was attracted to me, that much was obvious, but he was also fighting it, and not just for the sake of the mission. There was something deeper at play here, something that was perhaps even dangerous.
What that something was, I had no idea. And if the air and the earth knew, they remained mute.
Once he’d disappeared into the tower, I retreated back to bed. But that odd restlessness had returned. While it was nowhere near as strong, it was still bad enough that I couldn’t lie down for long. The sheets were simply too scratchy against my skin. I paced the confines of the room instead, feeling like a caged animal—one whose skin was jumping, burning with pleasure and rising desire. It was so strong I was sure that if I got back into bed and closed my eyes, it would have felt as if I was actually having sex. And yet, at the same time, there was a distance to the sensations—as if it were happening to someone else and simply flowing across to me.
I swore softly, spun around on one heel, and headed into the bathroom. Unfortunately, the cold water did little to ease the growing rapture. I pressed my hands against the wall, needing its support as my breathing hitched, my body shook, and pleasure swept through me. And it was a very weird thing to be experiencing a climax and then fall into its peaceful aftermath without having to lift a hand.
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. The cold water continued to beat down on my skin, and it swept away the last vestiges of passion. While I had no idea what might lie behind the strange—if pleasurable—experience, I very much doubted it had anything to do with the wind or the fact I’d not undergone the ceremony to bind myself to the collective consciousness of all those within her. Binding might involve sex, but I gathered it also needed the guiding hand of a priestess or at least someone of great power, thanks to dangers involved. Besides, it wasn’t as if I’d heard the voice of the wind during the strange ordeal. In fact, she’d been remarkably quiet since I’d woken.
The sound of a door opening had me pushing away from the wall. I switched off the water and gra
bbed a towel, wrapping it around my body as I walked out.
The woman who entered was tall and slender, with dark hair, a suntanned face with a smattering of freckles across her nose and her cheeks, and green eyes that were bright and mischievous. She was carrying a tray of food, and I couldn’t help but notice one hand was as stained as my own.
This couldn’t be anyone else but Eluria, Trey’s seventeen-year-old daughter. And she wasn’t wearing the bracelet.
“Wasn’t Mari supposed to bring that tray in?” I asked with a slight smile.
“Indeed, but I saw an opportunity and decided to take it.” She placed the tray on the small side table then studied me critically, her gaze lingering on the visible portions of my stained flesh. “I haven’t met another stained person before. I was curious.”
“About what?” I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the table closer.
She shrugged. “About what your life has been like and how the staining has affected it. And about Winterborne, and what it is like to live there.”
“So you know who I am?”
“The whole outpost knows who you are, especially after you saved our butts last night.”
Meaning Trey hadn’t said anything about me to her. But then, why would he? I smiled and patted the bed beside me. “Well, answering such questions could take a while. You’d best sit.”
She grinned and did. I ate my meal, talked about my life and Winterborne, and answered her questions honestly. She then recounted her life here at Blacklake and it was obvious she adored her father and loved living here. It also became obvious she was very much his opposite in that she was open and easygoing, and yet I could see so much of him in her inner strength and determination.
We continued to talk and the hours passed too quickly. As the clock struck twelve, she gasped and thrust to her feet. “If I don’t move I’m going to be late for training.”
“Training?”
She nodded and grinned. “Weaponry and defense practices before lunch, history after it.”
