White Fire: Timewalker Chronicles, Book 5

by Michele Callahan

  He probably had. If she were in charge, it would have been the first thing she’d made them do. Eliminate the biggest threat to success. But Droghan hadn’t counted on her.

  Emma shouted to Ajax as he cut the head from another Hunter. “Get me to the center.”

  He looked over to the raised platform in the center of the room and nodded. She burned as many as she could on the way, but they were in close quarters, and she didn’t have time to stop. She saved the people who looked like they were about to be ashed and ignored the rest. Ajax did the same as he took head after head, leaving the Immortal he’d just saved behind to finish off the Hunters he left behind.

  When they reached the center, Ajax boosted her up onto the Queen’s platform and Emma surveyed the room.

  The Triscani were everywhere. And the Immortals were worse off than she’d thought. Less than half remained.

  The goddess’s words returned to her. The rest are as innocent as your humans.

  Where the hell was Robbie? She looked down at Ajax, and shouted, “Keep them off me.”

  He nodded, and whistled, a strange sound she’d never heard before. But the warriors knew, like it was some secret form of communication, and they made their way to the center, to surround her so that the Triscani could not rise and attack her while she burned.

  Emma took a knee and gathered her courage. Even with the magic suit, this was really going to hurt.

  She’d just begun to call her fire when a pair of feet appeared before her.

  Shocked, she raised her head to find Droghan standing over her, sword raised, ready to strike. She’d forgotten that he was an Archiver born, too. He’d ported here to take her head.

  No one was going to be fast enough to to save her. She’d have to jump.

  Blood. She needed blood. As his sword began its descent, Emma wrapped her bloody palm around the stone at her neck.

  Time stopped. Frozen. And Emma stood, shocked. This was not what she’d expected.

  She surveyed the room and discovered Robbie standing in front of the Gate, smiling at her.

  “What is this?” Emma tried to jump, but couldn’t.

  Robbie’s lips moved, but Emma heard the voice of the goddess inside her head. It’s an anchor point, the strongest ever created. No Itaran technology or Timewalker’s power will be able to navigate through it.

  Emma understood. The Queen was dead, and would remain so. There would be no recovering those that had been lost. No manipulation by the Archivers, the Timewalkers, or the Triscani ships and their wormholes.

  This was forever. No going back.

  She looked down at Ajax, frozen like the others below her. He was midway through removing the head of another Hunter. He was fierce and powerful, and he was all hers.

  She was okay with forever.

  “Thank you.”

  Robbie nodded. Your Mate was immune to the Angel’s Fire because he is a Darkwalker. Darkness and light serve together. Robbie stepped back, toward the Gate, but before he disappeared, the goddess gave Emma one command. Burn them all. Give them back to me.

  Emma knelt at Droghan’s feet as time restarted. His sword whistled over her head through thin air. She placed her hand on his thigh and welcomed the rush as the white fire rose through her body and lit him on fire.

  He staggered back, and fell, still burning. Emma didn’t look up. Her fire was hungry, and it could feel all the fuel in the room. Each Triscani Hunter was like a ping on her personal radar.

  Fire flowed from her hands and feet to the crystals below her and spread across the platform, down the sides, and onto the floor of the throne room. White flames spread from the center like water from a fountain and consumed every Triscani in its path. It also took a few of the Immortals, but Emma didn’t fret over the lost ones much. The fire consumed darkness, fed on evil. If the Itarans turned to ash, then it was because they were both.

  She rose with a cry as the fire started to hurt. The suit helped her maintain control, but it wasn’t going to be enough. There were too many. Thousands.

  Then Ajax was there, his arms around her, his darkness and cold power flowing into her just like before, but this time it was more. The connection deeper and more powerful. She let her fire burn and held herself safe in the cold pool of his darkness, anchored by her Marked Mate.

  She opened her eyes and smiled up at him from the circle of his arms. He smiled back and she knew they must be frightening to behold. She could see the flames of white fire that shot from her flesh, from her eyes. But Ajax looked like the Triscani they killed, his skin and eyes as black as the Gate that had brought them here.

  Darkness and light.

  When it was over, the flames flickered and died on her flesh as the darkness faded from Ajax, his flesh slowly returning to normal.

  He held her there and she tilted her head up for a kiss.

  The gentle exploration quickly grew beyond her power to control and she clung to him with every ounce of love and fire she had left. She was burning up in his arms. And still he kissed her, like she was his life, his air, his everything, and he didn’t care who knew it.

  Someone cleared their throat, but Emma was too far gone to care. When a sword strike sang against the stone at their feet, Ajax lifted his head in annoyance and she turned to glare at Nicodemus for the interruption.

  That was when she saw them. Hundreds of Itarans, every single survivor, Timewalker, Itaran, and Darkwalker in the room, on their knees.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Emma turned, her arm around Ajax’s waist, and surveyed his people as they paid him homage. They’d done it. They’d defeated Droghan and survived. She turned to him with a smile. She leaned up to whisper in his ear, relieved when he bent at her urging. She didn’t want every single Immortal in the room to listen to her gloat.

  “See? Told you I’d fry the Queen and you’d get the throne.” She was so happy she was jittery, ready to clap and jump and kiss him again. None of which would do for a new human Queen who was going to have to deal with these Immortals for the next forever. So she held it in, and settled for standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Even then, if he hadn’t leaned over to hear her speak, she wouldn’t have been able to reach him.

  But Ajax shook his head and backed away from her, left her standing in the center of the room alone. He hopped off the round platform and Emma lost sight of him as he disappeared at the base of the raised circle. She tried to ignore the stab of hurt. What did he think he was doing, leaving her standing here like a fool talking to herself?

  He walked far enough from the platform that she could see all of him again, from head to toe.

  And then he turned to face her, held her gaze, and knelt before her.

  Emma shook her head and took a step back. She looked around the room again, expected people to rise now that Ajax was no longer before them.

  But they remained.

  “What are you all doing?” Emma asked the question loud enough to ensure every single Immortal ear could hear her.

  The female that Ajax had saved, the one in the green dress, lifted her head. “May I speak?”

  “Please.” Surreal.

  The Immortal female stood and everyone raised their heads to hear her. “We have not seen a true chosen one since before the Thousand Year War. The goddess herself has blessed you with the gift of Angel’s Fire, true soul fire.”

  There were murmurs of awe and agreement, and Emma felt like her whole world was shifting. Chosen one? Thousand Year War?

  The Immortal continued. “We are honored by her blessing, and by the gift you gave us this day.”

  Emma shook her head, but didn’t speak.

  “You have returned many of our sons to us, and freed us from the rule of a deceitful tyrant.”

  Now that, Emma could agree with.

  “With a blood oath, I pledge my honor and service to you, Emma, as my Queen, for as long as you draw breath.” The woman walked forward, sliced her palm with her blade, and offered her ha
nd to Emma. “Do you accept?”

  Emma didn’t know what to do. This was not what she was expecting. Ajax was supposed to be the King, and she was supposed to be his sidekick. She was having a very hard time wrapping her head around that in reverse. And what about Ajax? Was he going to freak out? He was born to be their King. What did he really think about this?

  What did an Itaran Queen even do?

  She called back the warships on Earth that were there to hunt Timewalkers, that was what.

  She wished they were alone so she could talk to Ajax about all of this, not staring at the bloodied palm of an Immortal female who was most likely at least a thousand years older than she was.

  Emma turned to find Ajax watching her, love and pride shining from his eyes, not anger or regret.

  She relaxed. It was going to be fine. They were going to be fine. She sent a jolt of fire to her Mark and smiled at him when he squirmed. She motioned to him to rise and she jumped down into his arms when he reached the edge of the platform. He set her on her feet, but she kept hold of his hand and pulled him forward with her as she approached the female who waited patiently for her decision. Emma raised her voice to be heard.

  “My name is Emma, and I was not born on this world, but I was raised on it. I am human, and Timewalker, and I have claimed Ajax, the forbidden son, as my Marked Mate. I love him. If you make me your Queen, he will be both my King and my equal.

  “I will protect Timewalkers, not hunt them. I will support the Darkwalkers’ mission to destroy evil, and assist the humans in their battle against the criminal Itaran Triads that control much of the Earth. And I will kill anyone who threatens my family, my Mate, or anyone else I care about. And I’ll both visit Earth, and invite my friends here whenever I want to. I’ll expect them to be protected and treated with respect.”

  She stared at the woman and continued. “If anyone here has a problem with any of that, speak up now or forever hold your peace.”

  The woman held out her hand. “My oath stands, Timewalker.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Regina.”

  Emma held out her hand. The moment the Immortal’s blood touched her flesh, a burst of energy flowed through her and Emma clung to Ajax in shock. The woman’s life force was bonded to her somehow, her power immense. It made Emma dizzy, then receded until she might choose to call on it again. The woman’s oath hovered in the back of her awareness, like knowledge, dormant but there the moment she called it to mind.

  “What was that?”

  “A blood oath to an Immortal is never a small thing.”

  “But I’m not an Immortal.”

  He smiled down at her. “Yes, Emma. You are. A true Mater Mortis. The goddess blessed you personally. Immortality is just a side effect.”

  Emma looked around the room at the hundreds of Immortals that remained. One blood oath down…

  “They don’t have to do this.” Emma raised her voice again. “I don’t need a blood oath.”

  Not one Immortal moved.

  It was going to be a long night.

  <><><>

  Ajax carried Emma to their new suite, irritated when the sound of several female voices waited for them on the other side of the door.

  Emma had just spent six hours accepting blood oaths. He was tired, she was barely conscious.

  He opened their door and found their family waiting for them. Teagh and Katherine, Raiden and Mari, Aron and Zoey, Bran, Celestina and Helene. The Darkwalkers were absent, and he was glad. Nicodemus’s blood oath to Emma had been a bit too personal for his liking.

  Mari rose instantly when she saw Emma’s head roll back on his shoulder. “Is she okay?”

  “I don’t know. She just accepted blood oaths from two hundred and seventy-three Immortals, most older than we are.”

  “Holy shit.” Katherine’s shocked voice said she’d had experience with the bond in the past.

  Mari lifted her hands, but stopped before touching her friend. “May I?”

  “Of course.”

  Ajax held still, a bit relieved that Mari had offered. Emma’s lethargy worried him, and he didn’t enjoy the feeling.

  “Oh, my God.”

  “What is wrong with her?”

  Mari shook her head. “Nothing. It’s like she’s drunk.”

  Ajax understood. “It will take her some time to adjust to the power of the others.” He turned to find Bran. “Was the order sent to recall Inessa and her warships from Earth.”

  “Yes. And all three of them have returned.”

  There was something in Bran’s voice that set his teeth on edge. “But?”

  Teagh answered. “But Inessa was not on any of the ships. Four scouting vessels and twenty Immortal warriors are also missing.”

  Katherine leaned into Teagh on the sofa. “She’s going to hunt Timewalkers. She’s not going to believe that the goddess created an anchor point. She’s going to think that capturing a Timewalker will allow her to change things.”

  Ajax fumed. “I’ll take that female’s head myself.”

  “You’ll have to find her first.” Celestina rose, her arms crossed over her stomach. The Seer didn’t look relieved, as the others did. She looked worried. And sick.

  The females in the room picked up on it as well. Mari rose and blocked the Seer’s pacing steps to peer into her eyes. “Are you okay? Did you need me to work on you?”

  Celestina shook her head. “No, Mari. Thank you. I just can’t stay.”

  “Why?”

  “I have to return to Earth as soon as possible.” The Seer turned to Helene. “I have to go.”

  “I know.”

  The two words froze Celestina, and Ajax watched the byplay, fascinated. He’d never seen Celestina truly rattled before. Whatever Helene was communicating to the Seer made Celestina tremble. Bran leaned forward in his chair, but neither female gave away any more details.

  “I have to go.” Her voice nearly pleading, Celestina waited for Helene to nod before she left without saying goodbye to anyone in the room.

  All eyes turned to Helene once Celestina was gone.

  “What was that all about?” Ajax walked to the large chair Celestina had been perched on and settled into it with his new Queen safely snuggled into his lap.

  Helene fidgeted, which troubled Ajax even more. Everyone in the room was on edge.

  “It’s not my secret to tell.” Helene rose and looked around the room. “I’m sorry.”

  Bran stood. “At least tell us if she’s in danger.”

  Helene looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Every day of her life, Archiver. More than you can possibly imagine. That’s why she has to go.”

  Bran frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  Zoey, Aron’s ever-practical Mate, spoke up. “It makes perfect sense. Now that this is over, now that Celestina has made sure all of us are all right, she can go take care of it…” Zoey waved her hand around in circles. “Whatever it is.”

  “Or who.” Katherine’s words settled over the group with a thick silence. Who indeed?

  Bran walked silently from the room, but Ajax knew the Archiver would be too late. Celestina was sly as a fox. If she didn’t want anyone to know where she was going, there would be no hope of Bran finding her.

  With Bran gone, Ajax hoped for a bit more information from the other Seer.

  “Who is it, Helene?”

  Helene debated, clearly torn, but gave in to the worried faces around her. They were family now, and families took care of one another.

  “Her Marked Mate.”

  “What?” Mari shook her head. “No. She’s totally in love with Bran. I’ve seen it. She’s not a Timewalker. She doesn’t have a Mark. She can’t have a Marked Mate.”

  Helene sighed. “Oh yes, she does. He’s an evil bastard. And he’s killing her.”

  <><><>

  Emma woke slowly. Her head still felt foggy, but at least she could move. Those Immortals and their blood oaths were brutal, like
a jolt of electricity with a whiskey chaser. Her head felt heavy and slow, like she was trying to move through molasses.

  But Ajax held her, so she quit trying to move and just opened her eyes. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself.” He grinned, a boyish, delighted grin, and the sight was new and infectious.

  She looked around the room at the elaborate furnishing, the thick draperies and heavy furniture. “Where are we?”

  “Your new chambers, my Queen.”

  She frowned. “Don’t you mean our chambers?”

  Ajax leaned over her. “No. I don’t. These are the designated sleeping chambers of the Queen of Itara.”

  She shoved at his chest. “Get up.”

  “Why?”

  Anger rolled through her. She knew it was foolish, but this whole situation made her a bit angry. Why was Ajax acting like he didn’t care that hundreds of Immortals had sworn blood oaths to her last night, but not to him. It bothered the hell out of her. “Get up. We’re going to your room. Where are the King’s chambers?”

  Ajax laughed and rolled her beneath him, pinning her to the bed. “There aren’t any. You’ll just have to share.”

  “Damn it, Ajax.” She stared up at him and tried to hold back the tears, but found that killing a Queen, burning through a couple thousand Triscani, and then letting the Itarans connect their Immortal life force to her through a blood oath, had put her on tilt.

  His smile died when he saw her tears. “Shh. I’ve got you.”

  “You always say that.”

  “It will always be true.”

  She sobbed but lifted her arms to hold him closer. “Doesn’t this bother you?”

  “What? Why should I be bothered? I have everything I want.”

  “No you don’t.” Emma looked up into his eyes and prayed the contentment she saw there was real, and not an act designed to keep her happy. “You wanted to be their King.”

  “I am.”

  “But…” Emma sighed, trying to say what she needed to say without making him angry. There was no easy way to say it. “But you aren’t. They chose me, and you’re the sidekick.”