by ML Guida
“I plan to discover her other abilities.”
Elspeth sank lower in her chair. “But what if I hurt ye?”
He got up from his chair. “I’m the safest one to teach you, because I’m the healer.” He held out his hand. “Shall we?”
She reluctantly took his hand, praying she wouldn’t hurt him.
“Trust me,” he said.
She slowed her pace. “Where are we going?”
“To the practice yards.”
She stopped. “And do what?”
He smiled. “You’ll see. I have some other theories about you.”
“Fergus, I donna like the sound of what yer saying.” She put her hand on her hips. “What theories?”
He gestured with his arm. “Please. We need to find out what else you can do before Ian attacks.”
She chewed on her cheek. His logic made sense, but she wasn’t sure this would work. His face had turned pale. Healing Lauchlan had taken something out of him. Would he have the strength to heal himself?
She held up a finger. “On one condition.”
He lifted a brow. “Which is?”
She couldn’t bear to have anything happen to him. He was everyone’s hope. “If ye feel weak or sick, ye tell me immediately, and we stop.”
“Because…”
He drew out the word and something flashed in his intense eyes that she couldn’t figure out what it is.
“Because yer too important for yer family to loose.”
“My family?” He turned away.
“Aye.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Follow me.” He headed toward the door without her.
She frowned. Had she detected disappointment in his voice? She trailed him, but then stopped at the door. Had he wanted her to say that she cared about what happened to him? The question was, what did she feel about him?
She hurried out the door. “Fergus, wait.”
He didn’t stop until he reached the burned oak tree. He clapped his hands together. “Okay. Let’s get started.”
“Wait. Yer na listening to me.”
As if she hadn’t said anything, he said, “I want you to melt into the shadows.”
She blinked. “What?”
“So far, we know that you can turn invisible when you experience a strong emotion. You also can exhale a dark breath that can cause someone to go blind.”
“Aye, so?”
He rubbed his hands together. “I think you can melt into the shadows without being seen.”
She crossed her arms. “Ye mean turn invisible.”
He shook his head. “No, turning invisible is different. I think you can blend into the shadows without being seen.”
She frowned. He wasn’t making any sense. “So, what do ye want me to do?”
“First step into the shadows.”
She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her flesh. This was na going to work, but she did as he asked.
“Relax, and before you ask, yes, I can see you.”
She didn’t want to disappoint him, even if she thought he was chasing rainbows. She closed her eyes.
“Now, concentrate,” he said. “Picture yourself melting into the shadows. Feel the darkness around you.”
She was about to argue, but a strange sensation slipped over her skin. It was as if a warm blanket cocooned her.
“Elspeth,” he said softly. “You did it.”
She opened her eyes and gasped. Sunlight peered through the branches where shade should have been. She didn’t know how she did it, but she had sucked in the darkness. The warm blanket slowly disappeared. Shadows lifted off her skin and blocked out the sunlight.
“I donna what happened.”
“You concentrated and controlled your feelings.” He flashed her a big smile that reached the corner of his eyes. It made him even more handsome.
“I did?”
“Yes, you did.” He walked out from underneath the branches of the oak into the sunlight. “Step away from the tree.”
Elspeth blindly followed him, not sure what to expect. “What do ye want to do now?”
“We need to concentrate on you turning invisible. From what I can tell, when you experience an overwhelming emotion, you disappear. Right now, you can’t control it, which won’t do in a battle against Ian. He’ll be able to use your emotions against you. You don’t want that to happen. Your emotions are in control of your ability. You want to change that around, and you be in control of your power.”
She crossed her arms. “How am I supposed to do this?”
“Tell me what you felt when you turned invisible.”
She frowned. “I’m na sure.”
“Concentrate, Elspeth. It’s important. Think back when you first turned invisible when you saw Arya for the first time. How did your body feel?”
Elspeth thought about the first time she saw Arya. Her wildest hopes had been granted. When she’d been in that hell hole and what she’d seen, she never thought she feel happy or safe again.
“What was going through your mind?”
She shrugged. “I donna know.”
“Elspeth, I think you do.” His soft voice was like a caress that sent tingles down her back.
“It’s complicated,” she mumbled.
“Our powers are. They’re not easy to control nor our emotions. Unfortunately, that’s what Ian’s counting on.”
“Fergus, it’s hard for me to talk about what I was feeling.”
He studied her. “It’s because of when you were taken to the dungeon, wasn’t it?”
The memories of the smells, the screams, and the terror made her shiver. She wrapped her arms around her waist tightly. “I donna want to talk about it.”
He lifted her chin. “Keeping the fear inside you will only make it worse. If you can’t talk to me, maybe you could talk to one of your sisters. I believe your past is jumbled up with your powers.”
Her throat closed up at his tenderness. At every turn, he only thought of her. Something she’d never experienced from a man.
She wiped a tear off her cheek. “Ye donna know what it was like in that place. I never knew men could be so evil.”
“You like pale. Would you like to go inside?”
She shook her head. “No. I canna talk about this with Faye or Arya.”
He didn’t say anything and seemed to wait for her direction. She didn’t know why, but he was easier to talk to then her sisters.
She slowly sat on the damp grass and he immediately followed her lead. She plucked up the grass for a few minutes, not sure where to go. Fergus was patient and didn’t pressure her like Arya and Faye would have done.
“I was put in a cell by myself when I was captured. The men in the regiment were crammed into other ones.” She took a quivering breath. “I’d hear their screams and pleading for mercy, but the British had none. None for me or them.”
“I’m sorry. Did they hurt you?” His voice was barely a whisper.
“Na physically if that what’s ye mean. But they had other ways to torture me.”
Tears streamed down her face and watered the grass. He clasped her shaking hand, brushing his thumb over her palm. That small little gesture gave her a shot of strength swooshing through her.
“My jailers taunted me with rape, but never touched me. I’m na sure why. One day they dragged this young girl into my cell. She screamed for mercy, but…” She broke down and cried.
He drew her to his chest and she clutched his shirt. What they did to her had haunted her.
“I begged them to stop. I screamed until my voice was hoarse. There were three of them.” Her shaking voice was so soft, she wasn’t sure he heard her.
He kissed the top of her head. “Elspeth, there was nothing you could do.”
She balled his shirt tighter in her fists. “I pulled and pulled on my arms, but their grip was like iron. The men in the cells rattled the bars, begging the men to leave the poor girl alone.”
He stroked her hair. “Bastards.”
“The jailers just told them to shut up or they’d do worse to them.” She cleared her throat. “Their captain came and made the men stopped. He had the poor girl taken away. I donna what happened to her.”
“Were the men punished?”
She gritted her teeth. “No. The captain said for the men to leave me alone.” She looked up into Fergus’s kind eyes, glistening with water.
He was such a gentle soul. The pent of stress in her muscles and in her heart slowly unwound. Telling him eased the burden she’d been carrying for so long.
“I think the captain ordered the men to do this to the girl. I donna why he didna have the men take turns with me.”
“Because he knew this would be worse for you. You’re a champion, Elspeth, and not being to save someone would be worse than being tortured yourself.”
She snuggled into his chest, listening to his chest. His words had a ring of truth. She’d have done anything to save the poor girl. Being forced to watch had stripped her of ever wanting to be with a man. The blood and the screams of the poor lass still woke her from a deep sleep. Mating with a man, even Fergus, was her worst nightmare.
Elspeth sniffed. “I want to try again.”
He frowned and looked down into her tear-stricken eyes. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I feel better telling ye about my nightmare.”
He hugged her. “I’m glad.”
She wiped her tears off her cheeks. “I’m not ready to tell Faye or Arya.”
“Your secret is safe with me. I promise.”
She sat back. “Did I turn invisible when I told ye?”
His eyes widened. “No, you didn’t.”
She scrambled to her feet. “I think I know why.”
He slowly stood. “Try turning invisible.”
She took a deep breath and concentrate. Tingling sensations broke out over her flesh.
Fergus broke out in another handsome smile. “You did it. Look at your hands.”
Elspeth looked down at her hands and once again she was invisible. Her heart soared. Her dark secret had been controlling her! Now with it out, she was in control!
Admiration flickered in Fergus’s eyes. “Can you make yourself visible?”
“I donna know, but I’ll try.”
She took a deep breath and drew on her power. Tingles swept over her.
Zapppppp
Suddenly a bolt of lightning sizzled out of nowhere.
Elspeth fell on her butt.
The lightning hit Fergus and he screamed in agony. He shook uncontrollably. Dark smoke steamed from his body.
Elspeth screamed.
The lightning stopped.
Thrump
Fergus fell to the ground. She gagged from the smell of burnt flesh. Smoke blurred her eyes. Black marks streaked over his face and hands. His shirt and jeans had been shredded as if a wild animal had clawed him.
She clutched his warm shoulders. “Fergus, Fergus.”
His eyes opened. “Elspeth, run. He’s coming.”
“I wanna leave ye.”
He put his burnt hand on hers. “He’ll take you. You’re not ready.” His closed and his arm dropped limply to his side.
Sharp pain stabbed her chest. Her heart stopped. This couldn’t be happening.
The air crackled around her.
Swish Swoop Swish
A dark shadow fell across her. Dread cut off her scream. She looked up and a black dragon flew over Stormholme Castle. It’s wings were huge and its sharp talons made her cringe, but she refused to leave Fergus.
Drawing on her powers, hoping it would work again, she concentrated on the shadow around her. Once again, the same tingles crept over her flesh and warmth blanket her shaking body.
The dragon landed.
She gasped. The tallest white creature that she’d ever seen hopped off the dragon. It had two legs and two arms like a man, but only one eye in the center of its forehead. The creature reminded her of a cyclops.
She huddled next to Fergus, praying help would get her in time. Besides turning invisible, she had no other powers she knew of. She was powerless to save Fergus.
“Where’s the girl?,” the thing asked. “She was here a minute ago.”
The dragon hissed.
“Patience, Ian. We need the healer’s mate to make sure they don’t consummate.”
Footsteps and shouts came from the house. Rory and Lauchlan burst out of the door.
Hope soared inside Elspeth. Fergus’s brothers would save him, but then the creature mercilessly grabbed Fergus’s arm and threw him over his shoulders.
He ran toward the dragon and hopped back on his back. Not knowing what else to do, she forced herself to climb on the back of the black dragon behind the evil creature. She pressed her shaking thighs against the dragons back and clung to Fergus’s arms that dangled.
The beast lunged into the air. Elspeth bit back a cry of fear. Terror flooded through her like wildfire. Stormholme got a smaller and smaller. Mists from the clouds dampened her skin and clothes.
Donna fall. Donna fall. Donna fall.
She looked over her shoulders. A blue and black dragon chased them. Her sister Faye rode the black one and it had to be Lauchlan. She wanted to grab Fergus and toss him toward them, but she knew she wouldn’t be strong enough to wretch him free from the evil cyclopes. The only thing she could do was to hang on tight and pray she remained invisible.
She was Fergus’s only hope.
Chapter 7
Unbearable agony gripped Fergus’s body. He moved his arms and legs but he couldn’t move. He drew on his healing power, but nothing happened. It was if it had been zapped out of him. Something inside him was smoldering as if he were burning from the inside.
He was a dragon. Fire wasn’t supposed to hurt him, but this was different.
Wind rushed in his ears. Someone’s sharp fingers dug into his legs. He was vaguely aware he was thrown over someone’s back.
Elspeth. Where was Elspeth?
Someone clung to his hands for dear life. Not cruel like the person clawing his legs.
He groaned.
Nonononononono
Elspeth! She had come with him! Damn it. She could be killed and he was powerless to save her.
“There’s no escape, healer,” a cruel male voice said.
Fergus didn’t recognize it.
“We haven’t properly met yet. I’m Marduk, and soon, you’ll be under my control.”
Frustrated shrieks sent uneasiness fluttering in Fergus’s chest.
Marduk laughed. “Another one of my genius weapons. Your brothers just ran into a force field. They won’t be able to penetrate our new lair.”
Fergus gritted his teeth. He drew on his power, but no tingles or no sensations moved over him. He was deadweight. What if Marduk or Ian discovered that they had a stowaway?
Panic banged his heart against his ribs. He broke out in a cold sweat. Elspeth had only practiced her powers once. What was she thinking? If Ian or Marduk or Madame Mthunzi discovered her, she would suffer a worse fate than she had in the dungeon.
Pleasepleasepleaseplease
Sweat stung his eyes. Blood thumped between his temples, but his healing power remained still. No matter how much he drew on it, nothing happened.
The wind brushed off his face. Out of the corner of his eyes, clouds dissipated and trees grew closer. Ian stretched out his wings and glided toward the ground. He caught the walls of depilated castle. Two towers and one of the inner walls had crumbled. The other inner walls weren’t in much better shape. Small and large holes marred the stone. The keep seemed to have cave-in in the middle of the roof. Chills swept down Fergus’s back.
The back of his hair stood straight up. Something wasn’t right here. The ancient castle looked like it was barely standing on its last legs. Why would Ian choose such an unstable hiding spot? Or was it? Ian was a crafty bastard and had to something up his sleeve.
He wanted to warn Elspeth, but whatever that
lightning beam had done, he couldn’t move a muscle, not his mouth, his arms, or his legs. The only thing he could do was breathe.
Elspeth squeezed his hands reassuringly, then released him. His blood froze.
Nooooo
He scanned the courtyard from his limited position hoisted over Marduk’s back, but he couldn’t see her. Hair hung in front of his eyes.
Marduk jumped off Ian’s back. “Now, let me take you to your new accommodations––slave.” His evil voice sent dread pumping through his veins. Jon and his brothers’ tales of Marduk’s treatment in the prisons of Ocrion made his skin crawl. Even Rory had turned pale at the stories.
Fergus hissed.
Footprints appeared in the grass and dirt as if by magic. Fates, Elspeth was following them.
Ian shifted from a black dragon to a man. His black hair was pulled into a queue. Dressed in black, he looked more like a wraith than a man. His golden eyes spun with greed and hatred. The man was obsessed with killing King Greum and taking his palace. He was getting more and more desperate and more dangerous. If he noticed the footprints…
“Ian.” A woman’s worried voice sent an alarm ringing in his head.
Fergus cringed.
Madame Mthunzi rushed out of the damaged keep. For once she wasn’t wearing a turban and she’d cut her black curly hair short. She picked up her long multi-colored skirt with her hands and her hooped earrings flopped-back and forth. “Ian, I sense magic here. Powerful magic.”
Ian stopped. “One of the girls must be here.”
He ran over to Fergus and wrapped his fingers in his hair. His fingernails scrapped Fergus’s head, sending dread down his back. “Where is she?”
Fergus looked at him blankly. His mouth refused to open as if it were frozen shut.
Ian harder. “Answer me!”
Pain gripped his neck.
“Fool.” Marduk knocked Ian’s hand away. “Did you forget? My Thermal Blaster paralyzed him, remember? He won’t be able to answer any questions until I use the Nye Scrambler to unfreeze him.”
Ian released Fergus. “I need answers. Now.”
Fergus’s muscles tensed up muscles released, but his gut tightened. Patience was definitely not one of Ian’s virtues.
“You’re too impatient, Ian,” Marduk growled. “Someday your patience will be the death of you.”
