"The four together work like the Circle does in the valley," Lia mused. "That's what they're after. The magic. Power to draw on. They can't invade Hara Dale without starting a three-way war, so they tried to get Gui in charge by getting rid of me through marriage and my sister through poison. But my sister died before I was safely out of the way. Everything else since has been an improvised attempt to get control."
"Of course." He pressed his lips together and sighed. "I should have realized it before. They had no hope of winning a direct attack on the islands. Sending Irana to get the Cauldron through deceit and trickery had failed. So they turned their sights on finding another source of power to help them."
He stared off into the night when he spoke and Lia knew he was trying to piece together a plan older than either one of them.
"Hafgan and the Warlord have been obsessed with gaining land and power since the beginning. First, they tried to press northward, into the land of the Thousand Tribes. They might have succeeded, but the Tribes called on an ancient treaty that brought the Attributes of my people to help them."
"I remember my mother talking about the wars. She never understood why the Milesans broke their strict neutrality to help barbarians."
Wyn smiled. "Few know it, but we were once the same people. We settled on the islands at first, but some grew restless with the confinement and broke away, moved to the continent and intermarried with the humans there. When the Warlord invaded, they remembered enough of the old ways to call on the Attributes for help. It's where my parents found my brothers.
"Their parents, their entire tribe had been killed in an ambush. They were near death themselves. My parents brought them back to the Islands. My mother used her Healing Attribute and my father used the properties of the Cauldron to save them. Being reborn in the Cauldron made them Milesan, though they share the Attribute of Deathseer."
"The Harbingers of Death," she whispered. Everyone knew the story. Three boys, near death reborn among the Milesans, who foretold death wherever they went. Some believed Death itself walked in their footsteps. It was a story children and adults alike told around the fire to make themselves shiver.
Caerwyn's eyes glinted hard and fierce, hand curling into a fist.
"If I ever get my hands on the bard who started telling that particular version of the tale… Well, it would still be better than what would happen if my brothers do."
He half smiled and forced his fingers to unclench. "Their Attribute allows them to see possibilities. They can see those who should, might, die soon. Sometimes they can alter the course, sometimes they cannot. It is a heavy burden they share."
Not unlike his. Lia knew she had touched a nerve and floundered for a way to change the subject.
"The shapeshifting, that comes from the Tribes? The wives' tale that say they are half animal? That's true?"
Caer bristled at the insinuation. She should have realized that question wouldn't be any better received, but it was too late to call the words back.
"They are not animals. They are men. The shape they can take does not change them."
She laid a gentling hand on his wrist and shrugged. "Sorry. I know better than to believe the wild tales people tell about things they don't understand."
"Yes, I suppose you do."
He didn’t ask. But Lia knew he wanted to.
“You’re wondering what my magic is if it’s not sorcery. Or witchery.”
“Yes. Honestly, it contradicts everything I’ve been taught about magic.”
“Humans have no inborn gifts, you mean,” Lia’s lips twitched, knowing exactly what he was thinking. ““That’s true. For the most part.”
“Apparently there are exceptions?”
“The Circle is a remnant of an ancient indigenous clan who worshipped the old Goddess. There were a few clans scattered around the continent. When the people from the east invaded, those clans found a way to make themselves helpful to the would-be conquerors. Even intermarried with them. Hara Dale was secluded enough that the traditions remained relatively true to those of the ancient clans.”
“And these clans had magic?”
“The leaders were gifted by the Goddess to guide and protect her people. The gift was passed on to the successor when the clan chief died. Or deemed a new chief was necessary.”
“And were these ‘chiefs’ called Handmaidens?”
Lia ducked her head, but leaned closer and whispered with a hint of mischief, “Sometimes.”
For a long moment, they looked into one another and peaceful ease briefly surrounded them again. Caer started to lean in, without thinking. He shifted toward her and her tongue darted out to wet her lips in anticipation.
Then the sounds of his brothers returning had them shifting apart. The distance between them became more than just the three feet of physical space separating them.
Once the three men settled around the fire, Caer explained what he and Lia had conjectured about Hafgan's attempts to gain power through taking control of the Circle.
"The Tribes talk of sacred sites where Shamans go to receive the gift of walking-between-the-worlds." Phelan nodded thoughtfully. "It could very well be even those wars were an attempt to take over the shrines of power."
"I knew he'd do anything to possess the treasures. I should have realized he'd look for power wherever he could find it," Caer said, frustration rumbling in his throat. "I should have realized it was more far reaching than just greed. If Hafgan finds a way to control more of those sites, they'd have enough power to take over the continent."
He brushed a frustrated hand through his hair and exhaled an angry breath.
"Once we get Tanis back safely, I have to get proof. I've never been this close. I have to find something to bring back before the Solstice Council meeting at the end of the week."
Ache and regret throbbed in Lia's chest. To hear him talk about leaving so soon hurt. Especially since the Solstice fell only a couple of days before the full moon. When their bond would have to be made permanent or broken permanently.
Only when he was talking of leaving did Lia realize how much she wanted to keep the moon-bond. Despite the problems and the turmoil, she wanted to keep Wyn.
Instead, she would lose Lord Caerwyn.
-10-
Dawn was barely spiking pale fingers through the gloom when the Hounds led them to the building where Gui's trail ended. Squat, flat, and square, the three stories of dull gray stone perched on a rocky outcropping. It had no windows, just narrow slits for archers and a recessed door guarded by three men in a mix of leather and metal armor. The terrain was level and clear for a couple hundred feet all around the building.
Sneaking in or surprising the guards with an ambush was out of the question.
"Fuck. Look at those wards," Wyn muttered.
Lia shifted, searching deep for the calm centeredness that eluded her except when she rode the currents of the Goddess's blessing. After a few seconds, she slid into that other sense. And almost retched at the sight that greeted her.
A thousand times worse than what had tangled Gui's trunk. Thick, spiked vines of energy writhed out from the foundation and wrapped around the building in seeking tendrils the color of dried blood. The magic pulsed and shifted and slithered over and under itself like a living mass of something Lia never, ever wanted to touch.
"Can you untangle that?" Lia asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer.
"Not alone. Can you insulate the Hounds, as well?"
"No. It's only our bond that lets me share that much of my magic with you."
"Right. I figured." He frowned at the stone in front of him like he could intimidate it into submission. "We'll find another way in there."
He turned toward his brothers and began to discuss and discard plans to get them past the guards and wards.
Lia ignored them and kept staring at the small fortress. Something familiar pulsed deep beneath its foundation. Pale lines of white-gold sprouted through the darkness, extendin
g up into the building and stretching for something. Reaching for…
Tanis.
Lia's heart thumped hard. A pool of Goddess magic lay under the slick, sickening energy of the wards. It struggled through the morass, trying to connect with the future Handmaiden within the walls.
"Tanis is inside."
"You're sure? The Hounds followed the scent trail here but Gui might have faked that to throw us off."
"I'm sure. This monstrosity used to be a small Circle. Someone's managed to subjugate it with blood sorcery."
"Hafgan," Wyn snarled.
"Probably, I can't imagine he'd allow a rival, or even an apprentice, to create a stronghold like this in his territory. The core of the Circle remains untouched, though, and it's trying to connect with Tanis."
"The way the magic in the valley flows through you?"
Lia cut a sharp look at Wyn, then sighed. Few secrets remained between them, despite both their best efforts. No point in denying it now.
"Yes."
"Can you do something with it?"
"Yes, but Hafgan, or whoever enslaved it, will know the second I start to interfere."
"We'll cover you."
Wyn was sharp and fierce and Lia had no doubt he'd lay down his life to protect her.
Her focus narrowed in on the valiantly struggling flickers of power buried deep beneath the evil. She opened up and reached for the magic. It responded like a flower seeking sunlight. The massive coil of darkness reacted instantly and the sinuous writhing erupted into a thrashing mass of chaos. The backlash of energy whipped around her and the white-gold wisps shrank back under the onslaught.
Shouts sounded from the fortress, followed by pounding feet rushing closer. The air shifted when Wyn and his brothers moved to protect her from the threat. She kept her attention on the energy, blocking out the ring of sword on sword, the grunts and roars and cries of pain while the men fought in earnest.
Deep inside her, Lia pulled at all the reserve she carried. She narrowed her focus to a pin-tip and threaded her energy over, around and through the shuddering darkness.
When the two golden threads of power connected, the reaction was instantaneous and explosive. The gold light swirled, swelled and shoved at the darker tendrils trying to contain it. Slow and steady, the energy pushed outward, forcing the darkness away. The sorcery moved farther and farther from the center, fading from blood red to burnt orange to faded, sickly yellow.
Then a flash of bright gold swallowed the last of the translucent yellow tendrils. A wail of pain and rage echoed from deep within the fortress. The white-gold shrank back into a pale pulse deep in the earth and Lia released it. The thin cords left her reluctantly and immediately stretched upward once again, reassuring her Tanis was still alive inside.
Lia staggered a little and she let her senses shift back to the physical world, surprised by the weakness enveloping her. Wyn stood beside her, hand on her elbow, vicious grin on his face, and sword hanging in a loose, expert grip by his side.
"I take it from the howl you succeeded?"
"Yeah, but there's still human guards." Then she glanced around at the bodies on the ground and the four men still engaged in a mortal fight.
"My brothers have got this. Let's go."
*****
Caerwyn gave a sharp, two-note whistle and Maddyn responded by finishing the enemy in front of him and snapping off a quick salute. The Hound moved forward to intercept two more soldiers racing out of the stronghold.
The fight became a graceful dance, the three brothers maneuvering the guards so Lia and Caer could get closer to the entrance unmolested. A dance of death and blood where swords and fists met flesh and armor and carved their way through the sorcerer's guard.
Finally, reinforcements stopped pouring out of the recessed door and the fight had brought them close enough to risk leaving the safety of the Hound's front-guard.
With his hand wrapped tight around Lia's wrist, Caer kept her safely behind him while they ran the short distance across open terrain. The lack of arrows so far meant no archers manned the slits, thankfully.
Stepping through the entrance was like moving from noon to twilight in a single heartbeat and forcing them to pause to let their eyes adjust to the gloom. The narrow passage pressed in on them with deep shadows broken only by sparsely spaced torches. The flickering lights did little more than illuminate a few feet of hall before casting even darker shadows around it.
Caer listened carefully but there didn't seem to be any movement on the ground floor. Above them, however, at least a dozen different sets of footsteps scrambled chaotically throughout the second and third floors.
"Can you tell where Tanis is?" Caer asked, hoping against hope the girl would be somewhere close for a quick in and out mission.
"Not exactly. The magic is flowing fast and bright again but I'm not familiar enough with the local flow to figure it out. Above us, somewhere, I think."
"All right, let's find the stairs and get your niece back."
He moved so she was always between him and the wall while they crept through the darkness. Checking each of a dozen doors and alcoves, they searched the dim corridor until the stairway appeared in front of them at the center of the fortress.
"There are several people on the next floor, stay behind me."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know. Indulge me."
Caer heard her huff behind him and couldn't help the smile curving his lips. Their slow, cautious crawl up the steps was in vain, however. Dozens of torches lined the walls, illuminating the second floor and giving them no place to hide in the shadows.
The soldiers surrounding Gui held yet more torches where they waited twenty feet back from the top of the stairwell.
Gui's sneer showed too many predatory teeth and Caer instinctively shifted to protect his bond-mate. Gui's gaze flickered over him before settling with hatred on Lia. Caerwyn tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and twitched his shoulders in an aborted need to attack.
"You should have married me, Lia. It would have been much more pleasant than what's in store for you now."
"So you could poison and murder me, too?" She spit bitter words over Caer's shoulder and he couldn't decide if he wanted to praise her for her spirit and defiance or admonish her for provoking the man when they were outnumbered.
"Figure that out, did you?" Gui looked both amused and surprised. "A small miscalculation on my part. Marta should have lived until you were happily married off and well beyond the valley. I intended for the duties of the Hand to fall to Tanis and her Regency to me."
"Where is Tanis?"
"She's safe. For now. Once you're dead, I'll need her connection to the Circle you selfishly guard in that backward valley of yours."
Caer snarled, his sword arm moving before he realized his own intention. Gui's guards fell into place in front of them. Six against one weren't great odds, even if the one was a Milesan. Thankfully, the narrow passage meant no more than a couple of them could come at him at one time.
His sword flew in his hand, ringing against steel, thudding against armor and sliding into vulnerable flesh. He snatched a dagger from the first soldier to fall under his blade and pressed forward, both hands promising pain and death as he slashed his way through bodyguards.
Two fell back to flank Gui, who paled considerably when Caerwyn mowed down his defenses. Gui murmured something sharp and evil sounding when the next man stepped up with a cruel twist of his lips. Caer was already swinging his sword when he realized his new opponent was growing, swelling until his head brushed the ceiling and the sheer breadth of muscle blocked the view beyond him.
A flick of the man's blade, looking more like a long knife in his now massive paw, caught Caer's weapon mid-swing and the ringing impact numbed his hand from fingertips to wrist. With gritted teeth and narrowed eyes, he straightened and rolled his shoulders. The soldier, however, was clumsy and awkward, unused to his new proportions and took too long to brin
g his sword back to guard.
Caerwyn lunged forward, ducking under the sharp edge of the blade, lowering his shoulder to drive into the man's hip and knock him off his feet. The guard's weapon swung wildly, behemoth strength slicing through his leathers and deep along Caer's side. Caerwyn's sword had found its own weak spot, however, and slid into the armor with a solid thrust.
The giant gasped, jerked and went still. Caerwyn yanked his blade free, jumping back to his feet, ready for the next opponent.
Pain burned through Caerwyn's side, sweat stung his eyes and blurred his vision. No matter how many times he blinked, though, the hallway beyond remained empty. While he'd been fighting the behemoth, Gui and his other guards had fled.
"Wyn!"
Lia's shout drew his attention back at the same time his knees cracked hard against the thick stone floor.
"Wyn."
His name was a whisper and her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
"Sorry," he murmured, his lips dry and his throat tight with pain. "Sorry he got away."
"We'll get him." Her eyes were wet but her voice was sure. "First, let's take care of you."
*****
Lia wanted to follow the fading sounds of Gui's cowardly retreat but her magic wasn't meant for fighting. It was meant for healing and Wyn was hurt. She just had to hope she could take care of him and still get to her bastard brother-in-law before he harmed Tanis.
She settled the Milesan back against the wall and stretched out her hands over his wound. The gold threads seeping up from the ruins had grown stronger but were still a weak fragment of what she regularly drew on in the valley. They also seemed to be torn between seeking her and stretching somewhere else in the building. Toward Tanis, she presumed.
Lia used the ball of magic she always carried within her to draw the tendrils closer to her. Pulling more and more until the tight sphere became a whirling sun inside of her. Soon, it overflowed her, buzzing through and setting fire to her nerves, spilling out in visible light that poured over the wound beneath her hands.
By Vengeance Guided (The Lost Shrines Book 1) Page 14
