Crystal Shadows

by Joy Nash

  “What is your problem? You’ve been in a rotten mood all day.”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Did you hear me? What are you so mad about?”

  “Nothing.” He turned and started walking.

  “Fine.”

  He heard her trudging behind him. A sudden, irrational anger blasted him. He whirled around so quickly that Gina stumbled into him. “I’ll tell you why I’m angry,” he said. “It’s you.”

  “Me? I didn’t do anything!”

  “Maybe not, but I’m stuck here with you, aren’t I? I should have been back in Katrinth weeks ago.” His hand closed in a fist. “Everywhere I look I see the edges of the wilderness dying. I can’t afford to forget what your presence in this world means.”

  Gina stared at him, surprise and hurt naked in her eyes. Then she turned away and dropped her head, her braids swinging forward to hide her face. Guilt stabbed Derrin’s gut. He took one step toward her, then stopped and held his ground.

  “Are you, Derrin?” she asked.

  “Am I what?”

  She looked up. “Forgetting why I’m here?”

  He gaped at her. He could feel her emotions brimming, threatening to overflow. Her dark eyes, wet with tears, ripped at his heart and her mind hovered just a hairsbreadth from his own. He knew if he let down his guard for even an instant, she would look into his soul and see everything he fought to hide.

  “No,” he snapped. “I’m not forgetting.”

  He continued the journey, Gina’s angry silence pursuing him. If he’d succeeded in matching her mood to his own, it was just as well. Still, he dreaded setting up camp for the night. The temptation to move their union from dreams to flesh was entirely too great.

  They hiked across a landscape of rocks, skirting the base of a steep ridge scarred with caves and ledges. The village of the Wind Clan lay on the opposite face of the mountain. It would take two or three days to negotiate the valley trail.

  Derrin shut his eyes and let out a long breath. He was certain to go mad in that time. Unless…

  He squinted at the mountain. There was another path to the village—a steep trail that zigzagged across the face of the cliff. He could easily make the climb alone, but could Gina manage it? He thought so. Leaving the valley trail, he headed straight up the slope.

  “We aren’t going to climb that, are we?”

  Derrin could tell Gina’s anger was still simmering. He turned and nearly winced at her expression of hostile disbelief.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he lied. “The village of the Wind Clan is just beyond the ridge. We can be there before nightfall.”

  Gina’s scowl deepened, but she didn’t comment further. They crept up the face of the mountain, inching from one rocky outcropping to the next. A steady breeze rose, cutting through the worst of the simmering heat.

  By late afternoon, Derrin regretted his hasty decision. The wind had turned gusty, and much cooler. Dark clouds crowded the horizon.

  He glanced at Gina. The effort of the climb was etched on her face. “We have to hurry,” he told her.

  She hoisted herself up beside him and grimaced.

  A jagged finger of lightning flashed. Overhead the sky shone blue, but the black edge of a storm was advancing at a rapid pace. Too fast, Derrin thought, trying to gauge its speed as he climbed. A low rumble of thunder reached his ears.

  He muttered a curse. “We won’t make the top before it hits.” Beside him, Gina clutched the rock with a white-knuckled hand, chest heaving. The sky went dark.

  Derrin pointed to his left. “There’s a cave over there. We’ll take shelter until the storm passes.”

  “Derrin, there’s nothing but sheer rock between us and that cave! We’ll never make it.”

  “We’ll make it,” he replied grimly. He found the first handhold. He began the sideways climb, the first heavy drops of rain stinging his face.

  * * * * *

  The dark, pounding wall of water flattened Gina against the cliff. She must have been insane to let Derrin talk her into this climb. She tightened her death grip on a narrow crevice and hung on with all her strength. The sky flashed white.

  Thunder rolled like an avalanche. Panic squeezed her lungs. Derrin’s form had dissolved in the torrent.

  “Gina! Give me your hand!”

  Cautiously, Gina extended her left arm toward his voice.

  Her foot slipped. She made a wild grab in Derrin’s direction, then lost her footing completely. The rock under her right hand crumbled.

  Her body slammed into a ledge. Before she could get hold of it, a gust of wind knocked her backward. She fell, hit the rocky slope and skidded.

  The wind blasted Derrin’s shout into the storm. Gina slid down the rocks, scraping the face of the mountain with increasing speed, arms flailing.

  A second ledge broke her slide with a painful jolt. She managed to anchor one hand to a jagged stone while she struggled to find a foothold. Her legs swung forward, meeting air.

  She attempted to lift herself onto the ledge, but the effort only caused her fingers to slip. Panicked, she clung to her meager support.

  I’m going to die. In a strange way, the thought seemed almost a comfort. At least she would be able to stop fighting. The storm faded a bit. Her grip loosened. It would be so easy to let go…

  “Gina! Where are you?”

  Derrin’s voice pierced her daze. She renewed her hold on the rock and gathered her remaining strength into an answer. “Here…”

  “Hold on.” Derrin’s voice sounded closer, but how far away, she couldn’t tell. Her arms burned. Her fingers slipped a fraction lower.

  A grip like a vise closed on her forearm and then Derrin was hauling her upward. He flung her onto the ledge and crouched over her, blocking the worst of the storm.

  The wind whipped his dark hair into his face. “Are you all right?” he shouted. “Did you break anything?”

  She sucked in a painful breath. “I…don’t think so.”

  “Good. Gina, listen to me. We can’t stay here. It’s too narrow. There’s a cave just overhead. It’s not far—I’ll get you there.”

  He wanted to move? “No.” Her chest constricted. “I’ll never make it.”

  “You have to.” He urged her to her feet and turned her around, pressing her palms to the face of the cliff and covering them with his own. His chest pressed against her spine. “I won’t let you go again. If you fall, I’ll fall with you.”

  He guided her hand to a crevice. Somehow, she managed to raise her leg and find a foothold. She felt Derrin behind her. His voice sounded in her ear, urging her upward, praising every inch of progress. His low tone steadied her, kept her sane.

  She started to believe she would make it.

  Endless moments later, she reached the mouth of the cave, a ferocious downdraft at her back. Derrin caught her around the waist and dragged her forward, out of the worst of the wind.

  The shallow depression afforded minimal protection, but even that was welcome. Derrin slumped against the back wall and pulled Gina close, his breath coming in short gasps.

  Rain battered the meager shelter. Gina shivered against the chill and Derrin’s arms tightened around her. She pressed her forehead against his chest, concentrating on his solid strength.

  “I almost lost you…” His voice was raw.

  The sky went white with lightning. Gina raised her head in time to catch a glimpse of Derrin’s eyes. They were fierce, filled with a longing so great it took her breath.

  Then the darkness returned and he kissed her.

  His lips took hers with the power of a tempest—wild, ruthless, primitive. He drove deep, claiming her mouth with his tongue, turning to shove her spine against the wall of the cave. She met his assault with equal fury, riding the aftermath of her fear and drawing reassurance from his response.

  He drew back and pulled her into his lap. His hands turned gentle, stroking her hair. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed her chee
k against his wet shirt. His lips brushed her forehead. His mind touched hers with a light, calming stroke. She sensed he exerted a great effort to keep it that way.

  Gina tried to speak, but Derrin eased her to the ground, and told her to rest, to sleep. Too exhausted to resist, she closed her eyes and sank into oblivion.

  * * * * *

  Gina woke to the light of a brilliant half moon. She groaned, rolling away from the intrusion and flinging one arm over her eyes. Every muscle in her body protested.

  Her elbow ached, her shoulder throbbed and a sharp pain stabbed her chest with each breath. Her dress clung to her skin like clammy seaweed. Wincing, she propped herself up on her uninjured arm.

  “I’m alive,” she said. It seemed the only explanation for all the pain. The words were little more than a croak.

  “Did you think you weren’t?” Derrin’s voice was strained. With an effort, Gina turned her head and focused on him. He sat a few feet away, leaning against the back of the cave. She extended her mind to him, but felt nothing. The shield was back in place.

  “No, I guess not.” She gritted her teeth and pushed to a sitting position. “I hurt too much to be dead.”

  Derrin looked out on the valley, where the moonlight fell on a low shroud of mist. “I’m sorry, Gina. I never should have brought you up the cliff path.”

  She tried to conjure a remnant of the previous day’s anger, but found she couldn’t. She was just too tired, and the pain in Derrin’s voice destroyed any thoughts of a sarcastic retort. She tried for a light tone. “No kidding. Next time I’ll take the long way around.”

  He gave her a sharp glance, as if judging her mood.

  She reached over and laid her hand on his arm. “What’s happening to us, Derrin?”

  He pressed the back of his head against the wall of the cave and let out a long breath. “I don’t know, Gina, but I nearly killed us both by fighting it.”

  “Maybe you should stop fighting, then.”

  The muscles in Derrin’s arm tensed under her fingers. He turned his head and met her gaze. His eyes, caught in the light of the moon, were searching, guarded.

  For a moment, Gina thought he would move away. Then his shoulders relaxed. He reached out one arm. At the same time, she felt his silent invitation brush her mind. She scooted closer, into the shelter of his body.

  His arm tightened around her. “Maybe you’re right,” he said, his breath at her temple. “Maybe I should stop fighting,”

  Gina pressed her cheek into the hollow of his shoulder and let the silence of the night wash over her.

  Mist appeared in the valley as dawn approached. It crept into the cave in white swirls, then rose into the sky. The moonlight disappeared.

  Gina floated on the edge of mystery, where every shape lay hidden. The mood lingered even after the new sun dispersed the worst of the fog.

  They left the cave and made the short climb to the crest of the ridge. The terrain on the opposite side of the peak sloped gently into a lush forest, then disappeared once again into the mist. Morning birdsong sounded from the shrouded greenery.

  Derrin led the way into the dream world. Vapor swirled around Gina’s knees, then rose to obscure her vision. Drops of rain, delayed by the trees, beat a patternless tempo around her.

  She reached for Derrin, barely visible at an arm’s length in front of her. “Couldn’t we wait until the fog lifts? I can’t see a thing.”

  “There’s no need to—”

  A songbird called to its mate, a high, lingering note, followed by a run of shorter tones at a lower pitch. Derrin tensed.

  “What—”

  “Shh…”

  The song came again. Derrin listened intently, then, to Gina’s surprise, he cupped his hands around his mouth and answered with an identical call. Before she could question him about his curious behavior, he caught her hand and gestured for her to remain silent.

  They continued along the trail at a snail’s pace. The mist lightened, allowing Gina to peer about a dozen paces ahead. Derrin continued his curious behavior, stalking, then motioning for Gina to halt as he listened. Gina strained her ears, but she could discern nothing out of the ordinary.

  An icy shiver ran the length of her spine, coupled with a growing sense of uneasiness. What—or who—was Derrin listening for? Had the bird’s call been a warning?

  Gina could feel tension radiating from Derrin’s shoulders. He crouched low and motionless like a wildcat set to pounce.

  A screech shattered the air as a man dropped from a branch overhead.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gina screamed and staggered backward as Derrin went down under his attacker’s weight. An expression of deadly intent contorted the man’s face. He wore the clothing of the Baha’Na, but Gina knew the men of the peaceful clans didn’t fight among themselves. Was he an outcast?

  The man’s corded muscles flexed as he rolled Derrin onto his back. With an agile twist, Derrin flipped over and broke free. The man lunged for Derrin’s neck.

  Gina grabbed a rock the size of a football and hefted it with both hands. She took a step toward the grappling men, watching for her opportunity to heave her crude weapon into the melee without hitting Derrin.

  Derrin spun about and dove for the assailant’s waist. He caught it and rolled, crashing through the underbrush. When his arm came free, he braced it on his opponent’s shoulders and tried to slam him into the ground. The burly Baha’Na man took advantage of a muddy patch of ground and threw Derrin over.

  He landed flat on his back. With a wild cry, the attacker pounced. Gina hoisted her stone over her head and aimed it at the wild man’s skull.

  Her gaze locked with Derrin’s. His eyes widened as the stone began its plunge.

  He shouted and rolled to one side, taking his assailant with him. Gina’s rock thudded into the dirt.

  The combatants sprang apart, chests heaving. Gina swung her gaze from the stranger, who crouched with his head propped in his hands, to Derrin, who leaned against a fallen tree.

  The men exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

  Derrin flung himself onto the ground, shoulders heaving. The Baha’Na man bent over and hooted with mirth. Gina, her legs suddenly unsteady, grabbed for the nearest tree.

  After a moment, Derrin regained his composure and sat up, still chuckling.

  The Baha’Na man grinned, showing even white teeth. “You have to admit it, Derrin. I won that contest.”

  “I admit no such thing. It wasn’t a fair match.” Derrin gestured in Gina’s direction. “I had a severe disadvantage.”

  The burly man snorted. “She makes almost as much noise as an angry tarma.”

  Gina snapped out of her daze. “Just one minute—”

  Derrin pushed himself to his feet, ignoring her. “She almost split your skull open. You didn’t even know she was there.”

  “Oh, I knew she was there. My skull was never in danger.”

  “That’s true enough. She would have needed a rock twice that size to put a dent in your thick head.”

  Gina stepped into the space between the two men and fixed Derrin with an icy stare. Scratches covered his forearms, mud smeared his clothing, and a nasty cut over one eye was already starting to swell.

  “I’m sorry if I’m interrupting,” she said, “but what the hell is going on?”

  Derrin looked at her and blinked, as if just remembering her presence. Then he gave a sheepish grin and jabbed his thumb at the stranger. “Gina—this is my cousin, White Otter.” He paused. “Tasa’s brother.”

  “Tasa’s brother,” Gina repeated dubiously, thinking of the slim, gentle girl from the Water Clan. This hulking beast was her brother?

  The man’s snarled, shaggy mane flew in every direction. He wasn’t as tall as Derrin, but his shoulders were massive, barely contained by his hide shirt. His legs were like tree trunks. He grinned at her, then winced and touched the trickle of blood flowing from his split lip.

  Gina’s irritation falte
red. For all their physical differences, the dancing laughter in White Otter’s eyes was indeed a mirror image of his sister’s. She arched her arm in the Baha’Na gesture of greeting.

  White Otter returned the gesture, his smile widening. “I heard of your coming. I thought to meet you before you came to the village.”

  “You have strange way of greeting visitors.”

  Derrin snorted. “It’s a game we played as boys to improve our skill at stalking. We take our position and signal by birdcall, then try to catch the other unaware.” An apology clouded the clear gray of his eyes. “It didn’t occur to me you would think it was a real attack. You know the Baha’Na don’t fight.”

  “Fighting is real enough in my own world, though.”

  White Otter stepped closer. “I am sorry I frightened you. My curiosity got the better of me. I was eager to meet the woman who had come through the web.” He turned to Derrin with an impish grin. “I must confess, though, I had not expected her to look so ordinary. I would have thought such a woman to be more…” He made a gesture of exaggerated womanly proportions.

  Gina’s eyes narrowed. She was about to make a choice retort when she caught the two men looking at her with identical expressions of male mischief. She rolled her eyes instead. “Is it much further to the village?”

  White Otter let out an exaggerated sigh. “I have this effect on all women.”

  Derrin regarded his cousin with mock sympathy. “It’s hard to imagine what Kaila saw in you.”

  “That is true enough.” White Otter laughed, then sobered. He regarded Derrin for a long moment, and Derrin returned his gaze steadily. A palpable emotion flared between the two men, a mixture of past unity and painful loss, and the unexpected renewal of both.

  “By the stones and the sky, it is good to see you again, vohar,” White Otter whispered.

  “And you, my brother.”

  Then, as suddenly as the emotion had swelled, it vanished. White Otter turned to Gina, a smile on his lips. “You must come to my dwelling to dry your clothes. Derrin, Kaila is even more beautiful than she was at our joining—do you remember? We have two daughters. They are the image of their mother.”