“What about you two?” I motioned to Tyrell and Kendall. We had met them during our journeys, and they had joined Willow Wood, given there was nothing to return to in Seattle.
“I think we should go for it,” Tyrell said, his voice booming. He was a massive man, looking more like a warrior than a healer and bard. “The Lady Brighid was mentioning the other day that the healers are skilled but some things are beyond even their ability without the proper herbs and equipment. I’m willing to go, and I’m no slouch when it comes to fighting off zombies.”
“I concur with Tyrell. The winters are only getting rougher, and as the years go on, we can only rely on ourselves. If there are stockpiles that will help us stretch out our medical supplies for a few years, that provides yet another leg up on rebuilding our lives here. We’ve come a long way, thanks to you and Lord Tam, but we can’t ignore anything that can give us an edge.” Kendall placed her blade on the table. “I’ll add my blade to the salvage party.”
“I agree with them.” I turned to Tam. “This could be a huge boost to our stores, and it would make it easier on the healers. That will give us more time to plant our own herbs and weave bandages and everything else that our medical care entails. We have power for the hospital, but without the proper supplies, that does little good.”
He held my gaze for a moment, and I could feel the concern and the love hiding behind those liquid silver eyes. Then he nodded. “Very well. We’ll stage a salvage party to Seattle.”
“I’m going.” I did not phrase it as a question. “There will be Aboms over there. Queet and I will be going, as long as Thor agrees to lead the charge.” I turned to Hans. “Perhaps you could approach him?”
Hans nodded, thrusting his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I will. I’m not sure what he’ll think, but I don’t expect an outright rejection.”
Zed tapped on the door again, peeking inside. “Your Majesties, they’re ready.”
I nodded. “Give us five minutes, then show them in.” Turning back to the others, I added, “Tigra and her party have returned.”
Jason let out a gasp. “They’re alive?”
“Apparently so. Zed’s bringing them in now.” I worried my lip. “We haven’t seen them in six years. I’m thrilled they’re back, but walk softly. We don’t know what might have gone on during that time.” I hated being suspicious, but we didn’t have the luxury of trusting they would be who they were when they left. They had been gone for years, and we had no clue of what had happened in the intervening time. I wanted to celebrate, but it was best to wait and see exactly what we were dealing with.
Zed returned, followed by four people. Eight had set out, if I remembered correctly. Tigra’s brother had stayed behind with us, but she and seven others had headed off to explore what was left of our country, if anything.
Tigra Inashki had left here five-ten and a sturdy one hundred and fifty pounds of muscle. Now, as she entered the room, she looked gaunt. Her pale golden skin with faint black chevrons was crisscrossed with scars and a haunted look filled her honey-colored eyes. Her gorgeous hair, once long, was still the same gold with black highlights, but it was short now, cut into a rough shag.
She knelt in front of Tam and me, followed by the three men who looked vaguely familiar. They all looked rough, though, as though they had been on the road a long time without a reprieve. As I motioned for her to stand, she caught my gaze. She reminded me of a wounded animal, the look in her eyes cut so deep.
“Fury. Your Majesty,” she added quickly.
“Bring them chairs, Zed. Have you had a chance to eat?”
Tigra nodded. “They fed us when we came in. It was the first real meal we’ve had in days, but we don’t dare eat more. Not till the food settles in our stomachs.”
We waited until they sat.
Tigra motioned to her party. “You remember Luke, Juan, and Merritt, right?”
I nodded, even though in truth, I had forgotten their names. But they came back to me when she introduced them. “You left with eight in your party.”
She grimaced and nodded once. “Yes, we did. The other four fell along the way. The world has grown harsh, Your Majesty—”
“Fury, in private,” I said.
“Thank you. Fury. When we left, we intended to journey to Atlantea, to see if the Devani were gathering there, as we had heard. We never made it there. The panic and damage was so widespread that we were lucky to get as far as we did. We headed southeast, intending to skirt the Texicana Gulf, but when we headed down the Baha-Cali Coast, we ran into trouble. The quakes had destroyed so much of the land, it took us weeks to navigate through the devastation. The crevasses and fissures run deep down there. We finally gave up and headed east.”
Knowing what the Seattle area had looked like after the quakes and tsunami, I could imagine just how bad it had been elsewhere.
“What did you find?” Hans asked. “Were there many people alive?”
“Dead bodies everywhere. The survivors began to band together. We found numerous small villages…and too many nomad packs. We lost Winston somewhere along that first leg of the journey.” She stifled what sounded like a sob. “We ran into a group of nomads who were searching for food. Apparently, they lost their discrimination in what—or who—they hunted. They took Winston down. I don’t think I have to tell you what his fate was.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to even think about it. All I could hope for was that he had died painlessly.
“We spent months working our way into what we think were the Mid-Lands and the Prairie District. The damage was mostly to the cities there. The land was relatively unscathed, but the cities had fallen. There, people were more civilized. We stayed in several villages for weeks at a time to rest up. We traded work for room and board. But what happened here, happened there as well. The zombies came in off all of the World Trees, so what was left of Lyon’s group had managed to strike across the country. And the survivors banded together, fortifying the villages they built against the undead.”
“What about the Devani?” Tam asked.
“No sign of them anywhere. That’s why we were determined to make it to Atlantea, to find out what we could. But by the second winter, we were lost. We had no clue where we were, and all the maps in the world weren’t of any help. We spent… I suppose it was months hiking around, trying to find our way to civilization. We ran across a lot of dead bodies. Some zombies here and there. We lost Sheryl to quicksand. We couldn’t get her out before it sucked her down. Finally, shortly before our third winter, we realized that we had gotten turned around. We were in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. By then, we knew we weren’t going to make it to Atlantea, so we set out to come back. But the mountains are difficult to travel through. Some days, I doubt we managed five miles. The roads had degraded so that they weren’t much help, and there were creatures in the hills. They must have come in off the World Tree because I never remember seeing anything like them. Large, ugly brutes that lurk in the rocky climes. They don’t look human at all, or anything quite like it.”
“How did you lose the other two?” Jason asked.
Tigra shrugged. “William fell when we were trying to scale a tall cliff. There was no getting around it so we had to go over. He slipped off the rope. And Arlene was caught by a large mountain lion. She had shifted into her dog form and couldn’t fight it off when it suddenly appeared from behind a rock.
“Finally, we found our way back here. We stopped in Verdanya and asked if Willow Wood still stood. They weren’t all that friendly but gave us some food and let us rest for a bit. We traveled from well before dawn to get here.”
They had spent six years on the road, and all that they had to show for it were four dead companions, and proof that the country had fallen. We truly were on our own.
“But you saw no Devani anywhere?”
Tigra shook her head. “Maybe they went back to their realm. Or maybe they do hold Atlantea. But not once on
our trip did we see one of the golden warriors.”
There was speculation that the golden-skinned warriors turned goon squad for the Corporatocracy had actually been aliens, biding their time till they could make a grab for control. But the second World Shift had thrown a monkey wrench in their plans. Even if they did hold Atlantea, right now that meant very little, given what Tigra had just said.
“I’m glad you’re back. Are you going to stay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m done journeying. I want to settle down, just live quietly for a while.” Pausing, she added, “My brother? Is he still here? Is he all right?”
“He is,” Tam said. “Carson is actually working with our techno-mages on creating useful contraptions to help us weather this shift. They’re working on a computer that runs via magic, which would make me happy as all get out. I miss my technology.” Tam had been the techno-geek for Dream Wardens, long before Jason or I knew he was also the Lord of UnderBarrow. He had managed to keep that fact to himself.
“Zed will take you to your brother when we’re done here, and Sarinka will give you thorough checkups to make certain you’re healthy. I want all of you to rest for a few months before you even start to think in terms of what you want to do. You’ve earned it.” I reached out to tuck Tigra’s hair behind her ear. She looked so different than when I first met her. She had been pulled together, strong and vibrant. Now, she looked worn.
She hung her head. “I tried. We tried so hard. But the country’s like a giant maze now. So little remains of the bigger cities. I imagine the entire world has been through this. All the great cities have probably fallen.”
“Cities rise, and they fall, as do civilizations,” Tam said. “I’ve seen them come and go for thousands of years. And they will continue to do so, long after we’re gone. But we persevere because it’s all we can do.”
Nodding, Tigra wiped her eyes. “That they do, Tam. That they do.”
And with that, Zed led them out, and shut the door behind them.
I turned to the others. “Well, we have an answer of sorts. The nation is gone. We’re on our own. I suggest we fortify our defenses, strengthen our alliances, and raid Seattle for what’s left.”
“I concur. There’s no cavalry coming to rescue us. If you want to lead the charge, my love, then so be it.” Tam lifted my hand, kissing the top of it, his lips barely brushing my skin.
I shivered. So much of our affection was kept to our private chambers that even a simple touch from him could set me off. “Tomorrow morning, then, if Thor agrees to go. I won’t chance it without him.” I turned to Hans. “Will you go now and ask?”
He nodded. “I’ll head over to Gudarheim now.” He excused himself and left the room.”
“Kendall and Tyrell will go, and of course, Hans. Who else?” I turned to the others.
“I will,” Greta said. “Freya will let me take the time, I’m sure.”
“And I, of course,” Elan said.
But Jason surprised me. He cleared his throat. “I’ll go, too.”
I caught his gaze. “Don’t you need to stay with Aila?”
He shook his head. “She’ll be fine with Laren.”
Laren, Elan’s twin brother, was more of a thinker than a fighter, though he could swing a mean sword. But he wasn’t currently fit for a raiding party, having broken his wrist not three weeks before when he fell off his horse.
“I’ll take care of her,” Laren said. “No worries there.”
“What about the shop?” I wanted to ask him if he thought he could manage the trip without panicking, but I wasn’t about to embarrass him in front of everyone else. But his willingness to go surprised me and I couldn’t help but wonder what was behind it.
He merely shrugged. “I can shut up Dream Wardens for a few days. I might be able to find some supplies I need while we’re over there.”
I frowned, then nodded. “Very well. Sarinka, you need to stay here, but can you work us up a first-aid kit to take with us?”
“Of course, milady. I’ll have a page bring it over to you this afternoon.” The healer curtseyed and left.
Tam couldn’t go, of course. Unless we were directly going into war, it went against custom for the Lord of UnderBarrow to go into a dangerous mission. Technically, I shouldn’t be going either, but I was actually chafing to go see what we could find and Tam knew it. He indulged my need for adventure as often as he could.
“Then we have our crew. We’ll take Zed and three other guards. I think we should all be able to fit in Thor’s chariot. That is, if he’ll take us there.” Never assume anything about the gods. That was the first lesson I had learned as a Theosian.
As we adjourned the meeting, Tam caught my attention. “I’d like to see you in our private chambers, if you would.”
I caught the nuance in his voice and suppressed a smile. “Of course.”
As we headed back to our chambers, with Elan accompanying us, I decided to confront the elephant in the room.
“Do you think Jason can manage a trip like this? Honestly?”
She grimaced. “I can’t give you a good answer. If he thinks he can, then perhaps he’s ready. But I’m not sure what spurred on his desire to volunteer. I don’t think he’s in favor of the raid, but for some reason, he’s decided to come along.”
“He’s been depressed lately, I’ve noticed.”
“The moods hit him. Being lost in Chaos, and then Limbo changed his brain chemistry. He’s never fully been himself since that, but most of the time he can manage the moods. So I’m not sure. Maybe he wants to shake it off. Shake off the past, by going to confront the past?” She frowned. “I’ll talk to him tonight. If I have the slightest glimmer that he won’t be able to manage the journey, I’ll tell you and you can order him to stay back.”
I nodded, glancing at Tam. Ordering Jason to do anything would put a rift in our relationship, whether it was Tam or me who did it. But we couldn’t risk the entire party to take one questionable link along.
When we reached our chambers, we excused Elan and entered the suite of rooms. Patrice was there, waiting. I glanced at the clock. We were running on close to noon.
“We’ll call for lunch when we’re ready. After you help me out of this dress, you may leave us and I’ll ring for you in a while.” I paused, then added, “Tigra’s returned. Please go find Dame Ferrika and ask her to find a temporary maid for her. She needs some looking after, I think.”
Patrice dropped into a curtsey. “Yes, milady. I’ll return when you summon me.” But as she helped me out of the dress, hanging it up neatly, I could see the smile lurking on her face. She took off my boots, then brought me a dressing gown.
As I slid into the blue silk robe, I waved her off.
As soon as the door closed, Tam locked it behind her. Then, he turned to me and held out his hands. “I want to see you,” he said, his voice husky.
I dropped the gown, letting it slide from my shoulders to the floor. Beneath it, I was wearing a thin pair of panties and a demi-bra. I reached around, unhooking it and tossing it on the bench to my vanity. Then, shimmying out of my panties, I turned, naked, and felt the warmth of the fire grow between my legs.
Tam motioned for me to cross to him. He took me in his arms, pulling me against him. The feel of his hands against my skin made me moan and I closed my eyes, breathing in his fragrance. He smelled like the fresh breath of autumn, with cinnamon and cloves and the scent of apple, and when he held me close, all my cares fell away. Tam was my safety net, and yet his passion ran deep and fierce. His lips met mine, and he held the back of my head, his fingers lacing through my hair. His kiss ran deep, from my lips to my clit, stirring my fire and waking me up. Every inch of my skin tingled as he ran his other hand over my back and down to cup my butt, squeezing just hard enough to tell me that I was his.
I moaned in his mouth, wrapping my arms around his neck as I pressed my breasts against his chest. The material
of his tunic was rough against my nipples, abrasive, and yet the feel of the embroidered threads intensified my arousal.
“I want to feel your skin. Undress,” I whispered, pulling away from him.
His gaze locked with mine, he stepped back and slid off his tunic, dropping it to the side. He pointed to his jeans, to the belt that encircled his waist.
“Unzip me,” he said, the order abrupt, taunting me to obey him. We played this game well, switching sides as the mood hit us.
“What will you do to me if I obey?” I ran my fingers down my breasts, pinching my nipples and gasping from the sudden jolt. Then I slipped the fingers of one hand between my lips, licking them, then trailed my hand down toward my mound, finding my target. I began to circle my clit lightly, all the while staring into Tam’s eyes.
“I’ll fuck every inch of you. I’ll eat you out until you beg me to stop, you wanton wench of mine.” He pointed toward his jeans. “Unzip me. Suck me dry, woman.”
I shuddered as he spoke. I knew so well just how skilled of a lover he was. He never let me forget that my pleasure always came first to him. And yet, when he was forceful and demanding it gave me a chance to let go, to release my responsibilities, to simply attend to his pleasures and forget every other care.
As I knelt in front of him, once again it hit me how long Tam had lived, and how much he had seen. I felt dwarfed in front of him, though he never tried to make me feel that way. I reached for his belt and unbuckled it, then slowly drew down his zipper. Pushing his jeans down, I caught my breath as he sprang up, full at attention, thick and hard and throbbing. He had the perfect cock, the perfect girth, and as I knelt in front of him, I wanted nothing more than to take him in my mouth.
I slipped my lips over the tip of his shaft, closing them so that the head had to push them open, to slide through the suction I created. Tam let out a loud moan and braced himself, holding onto two chairs as I began to work him hard. I slid his shaft into my mouth, relaxing my throat as I took in as much of him as I could fit, then slid back. Once again, I pressed forward, licking and nibbling as I worked him in my mouth, and then I picked up the pace, bobbing my head against him as he began to thrust.
Fury's Mantle Page 6
