by Mira Monroe
Should I run?
“You can come out now, Willow.”
He knows my name?
I slowly stand, then bend forward just as quickly, I wobble. Blood pools down my side. My shirt is soaked. Fear turns into anger. I walk over to the animal-death-creep thing and kick him in the groin.
“Asshole!” I yell. My hand starts to light up with the scrolling design. Jezz, finally!
In his unconsciousness, he takes it like most males and curls to the side.
The gorgeous guy smirks. “Um… okay, then.” Shaking his finger at the creature, he says, “No children, then, Tertium.”
“Tertium? This thing has a name, and you know him?” I take a small step back holding my left arm steady.
His head tilts to the side. “Yes, by reputation only. He’s not a ‘thing,’ he’s a demon blood warrior.” He says this like it’s a well-known fact.
I shake my head, not believing what just happened.
He continues, “For simplicity, he’s an assassin. Although not a very good one.” He kicks over at the demon’s feet. Then he throws a stone to the ground, which unfolds and grows, the light focused on Tertium.
Tertium opens his eyes and focuses on me. “More will come. Your father will pay too, little witch. The demons will feast on his heart for all the glorious dark—”
Suddenly he’s gone. The light is shrinking back to its stone shape.
The gorgeous hero sticks out his hand. “Enough of the mysterious. I’m Rhydian, and your father sent me to watch over you.”
Watch over me? Rhydian doesn’t look that much older than me. Wow, that face. I clear my thoughts, with the pain pulsing in my shoulder.
I gesture to where Tertium just vanished. “Thank you for that.”
“Yeah, Tertium isn’t much of a threat. All bark, and not much bite. Whoa!” He winces at me and points to my shoulder.
“It’s bad, isn’t it? It freaking hurts like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” Although the pain is starting to fade, but so is my vision and balance. I think I might pass out.
He’s behind me. He moves my hair to the side and is touching my back, looking at my wound. I can barely feel him there, just the throbbing. “It’s gonna hurt for a second, but I can heal you quickly enough. Ready?”
Hell no!
“Okay,” I say in an exhale, and hold onto a tree partly to brace myself and partly to stand. In a moment my back and shoulder erupt in sharp pain and I scream white knuckling it on the tree. My arms shake then steady themselves.
Then Rhydian’s hand is pushing into my wound, and soothing warmth takes over, followed by tingling. That iron blood smell is abating with the smell of antiseptic. It’s like my muscles are stitching back together and the warm is soothing. The pain is gone, like novocain is rubbed inside all over. I straighten and wipe my face of tears and possible snot, just a few moments ago I survived my first assassination attempt.
“You did well. It’s healed,” Rhydian says.
Facing him, I feel embarrassed for some reason. Surly a warrior like him sees these kinds of wounds all the time, just not the girly screaming kind, “thank you.”
“Of course.” His armor seems to disintegrate before my eyes with a push of his wrist band. He is revealed in regular clothes now. Dark jeans and a gray long sleeve cotton collared shirt that hug his biceps and lean frame. He looks like a college student, maybe early 20s. His hazel eyes have specks of yellow. I feel strangely at ease with him, but I don’t know him. I have got to stop staring.
“Have we met before?” I ask.
“I know your father, Aiden — Mr. Warrington. He and my family are friends — I’m a Guardian assigned to you.” His friendly smile is off putting, only because it makes him even more attractive than his serious versus I’m going into battle look. He continues, “I don’t think we’ve formally met until today.”
A little creepy. If only his face, those eyes weren’t so damn… okay, focus. My father.
“Does he know I’m here?” I snap unexpectedly. Did he send him to drag me home, since I wasn’t supposed to leave the house?
“I haven’t spoken to him in several days.” His brow creases in concern.
“He doesn’t know I’m here!” I shout out. “Rhydian, right?” He nods to confirm I have his name right. “You don’t need to…”
I can hear the faint calling of my friends. They sound worried. “Willow, where are you? Willow?”
How the hell am I going to explain this? Explain him. I look down at my bloody shirt, then up at Rhydian, and across the flattened the forest. I sigh in defeat.
Tertium would have been easier to explain, if he wasn’t trapped inside a stone.
Emily runs through the trees in front of us, looking determined. She slides to a halt, looking directly at Rhydian, with her eyes squinted.
In a quick movement, he grabs me, and she steps forward standing tall, waves then blows me a kiss.
What the hell?
Awkward… it’s like she knows something that I don’t. Like that dream in the psych rehab…
In a nanosecond, Emily’s in front of us, and then she’s not. I feel a change of footing, and I stumble backward. Rhydian is holding me from behind protectively. It feels to intimate and I try to give room to our bodies. The whirlwind of force pushes me forward and backward, he holds me steady. Everything is blurry and I can’t see anything solid, it’s various whites and grays smeared together in a fog. Time is folding into itself, into me, and outward, the pull-the push the sensation of weightlessness. I lean forward and my feet are on solid ground again. I feel the immediate absence of Rhydian’s arms and body. We are no longer in the forest. Instead, I’m in a room surrounded by large men.
What the hell?
Chapter Nine
Large men gather around Rhydian and me. Where the heck am I? They’re intimidating, muscled, tall, one with bruised knuckles. I step backward away from them, only to run into another. Are these friendlies? They look to be about Rhydian’s age.
They surround us.
“Okay, guys, back off. Give her a little space,” says Rhydian.
There are three of them. The one with dark curly mopped hair asks, “were you in a battle? Is she hurt?” He points to my side, where my hoodie is stained with blood.
Rhydian explains what happened and that he healed me. They back up, and the one with bruised knuckles turns around and sits in the lazy boy chair. I’m in a living room of some kind. The logs on the outside wall gave away that we’re in a log cabin. There is a small fire in the fireplace lighting up the room and giving off heat. It’s the only thing comforting and familiar in the room.
I turn to Rhydian. “Where are we? Who are these…guys?”
All except the one in the lazy boy chair smile at me.
“Guardians,” Rhydian says in a low voice.
“Hel-lo,” I sputter to them. All return the greeting, except the one in the lazy boy. He seems to be sizing me up.
“How about we get you cleaned up.” Rhydian says and guides me out of the room toward the stairs that are just outside the living room. I don’t know why I’m blindly following him, except that if he wanted me dead he could have done it back in the woods. He said my father sent him and I believe that, totally sounds like my over protective father. I don’t know where I am, if I am to get home I’m going to need Rhydian to take me back.
When we get to the top of the stairs Rhydian turns right in the hallway. I yawn and cover my mouth. In both directions there are closed doors. He opens a door and I walk in, past me he opens a door across the room that reveals a bathroom.
“Thank you,” I say.
I go to close the bathroom door, when Rhydian stops me.
“Willow, there are shirts and clothes in the dresser over there. Feel free to use this room, if you want to lay down… anything. I’ll be down stairs.”
“Can’t you just take me home?” I ask.
Rhydian looks at the floor, “no, I have instructions to
keep you away from there right now.”
“Instructions?” My voice hitches. He’s still avoiding my eyes. “What? What is going on?” He doesn’t answer right away. It’s unnerving I go to the sink with the door open and wash my hands and splash water on my face. Patting my face dry I turn toward the bedroom and Rhydian is sitting on the bed.
He looks at me and says, “we’re off grid. Your father and mine feel there is a coo of some kind going on at the high coven. As soon as the coast is clear, I’ll get you to your father.”
“He didn’t tell me any of this.” I pull the hair tie from my wrist and put my hair up out of the way. I unzip my hoodie and take it off. It’s completely ruined. I gaze over my shoulder and see my shirt is looking just as bad as the hoodie. Pulling open the dresser drawer I find tee shirts folded. I grab the black on top and walk into the bathroom to slip it on.
“When did you talk to my father last?” I ask from the bathroom.
“It was my father who contacted me, when I was on my way to find you.” He says back to me.
The shirt was three sizes too big. I gather it on the side and tie a knot so it fits better to me. I walk out and Rhydian stands up fast. I shake off the fact his eyes are wide and looking me over, probably because I still feel a mess.
“I need to call my friends and let them know I’m okay. I totally disappeared on them, they probably called the police.” I paced the room thinking about Daniel and how I left him. The strange reaction of Emily. Oh God, how am I going to explain any of this to them.
Rhydian steps in front of me and halts me. “Tell me how you know a Valkyrie? I saw her acknowledge you.”
I start to chuckle, but his eyes are serious. “Emily’s been my friend for over three years. She’s just Emily, I don’t even know what a Valkyrie is.”
“A Valkyrie is a chooser of the heroic slain warriors, were they turn immortal as einherjar, that fight under Valkyrie command. They’ve been around since before old times through the Norse plane, before it was destroyed. Typically, when you see a Valkyrie it means death.” Rhydian says his brows raised.
The lazy boy Guardian is in the doorway his eyebrows raised at me.
“What?” I challenge him.
“So your best buddy is a Valkyrie, eh?” His accent sounds Irish. “Well, ya know, Valkyrie are a rare female warrior breed and they’re the best in all of Edayri. So you might wanna recheck that friendship, ’cause if push comes to shove, she’s gonna choose her blooded over the likes of a Wiccan — especially a royal.” He spits the last part like it tastes bad in his mouth.
“And who are you?” I spat in his direction. He immediately is not my favorite. Apparently this Guardian is judging me, so I might as well return the favor. He doesn’t know Emily or me.
He huffs and throws his hand in the air in frustration and turns around. He says walking away, “breakfast is ready.”
My stomach growls at the mention of food. I follow Rhydian back downstairs around the side to an open kitchen and hearth area of house.
“Let me introduce everyone to you Willow. Cross, you’ve met — excellent in battle strategy and fighting in general, and pissing people off.” Rhydian clears his throat as I sit down at the table. Cross gives a squinted look to Rhydian, but he ignores him and continues. “On your right that’s Quinn, our resident medic, IT wizard, and typical geek. Next to him is Tullen, he’s our historian and religious conscience.”
Tullen has a different look than the others with his strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a man bun, with his beard in a brighter shade of red. Everyone else was clean shaven with short hair. Rhydian and Quinn look to be the youngest in the group, although not by much. There wasn’t much pretense when Cross brought over the food on the table. They all dug in quickly. I followed them as my stomach betrayed me with a louder growl smelling the bacon.
Tullen is looking me over very intently, whereas Cross looks irritated that I’m there. Quinn leaves the room, calling someone on his cell phone.
I break the silence. “Can you let me text my friends? I get we can’t go back but they are probably freaking out.”
Rhydian shakes his head. “That isn’t a good idea.”
“Why? I know Lucy, she’ll call the police.”
I forget he knows nothing of my life, my friends. “She’s one of my best friends. You haven’t met her, but you saw Emily before you… by the way, how did we get here?”
“Transporting magick.” He says it matter of fact. Tullen taps his wrist band that is the same one Rhydian is wearing. It occurs to me they all have the same wrist band. Nothing good will come from me disappearing.
“Look, it’s dangerous. Your magick is unbound, and more will be hunting for you. Before you take the crown at the winter solstice, your fair game.”
“For what, exactly?”
“Changing of the guard, taking over the crown. It would raise a lil’ chaos, all eager to take ya blood magick.” Cross’s taunts eyebrows raise, taking a drink of coffee.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply.
Tullen says, “you have to die for your magick to be released, and if it goes to the void no biggie but if someone incorporates it into themselves, it becomes their magick.” I bite my lip contemplating that more, like the demon, are coming for me.
Tullen, gets my attention, “Hey. I don’t mean to scare you. Do you know much about Edayri? The realm in general?”
Cross chuckles and says. “Hell no she doesn’t. She’s what Quinn calls a noob.”
“You’re what I call an asshole.” I respond back to Cross.
He seems to relish my retort. Tullen gets up and grinning and pats Cross on the back. Rhydian is trying to hide his amusement, but it’s unsuccessful. I haven’t done anything to warrant Cross’s smarmy attitude, but I’m not going to be intimidated by him. He seems to acknowledge this, his dark brown eyes crinkle at the sides with his smirk. He likes to push, and I will push back.
“So, basically, you’re a pure source of magick and all the crazies are gonna want a taste.” Tullen says from the kitchen. “Most Wiccans and beings have limited magick and physical powers, even the high coven.”
Rhydian chimes in, “Guardian’s too. We have some physical magick but these —” he points to the wrist band, “amplify our magick among other things…”
I recall Rhydian in the dark armor when we were in the woods. The back of my neck tingles, thinking about seeing him for the first time. When he saved me from the blood warrior demon. I really am a noob to this world everything despite what I’ve learned so far.
Quinn comes bounding into the kitchen. “Rhy, Eoin knows, he’s on the trail. They know Willow is out and has been located.”
“Shit.” Cross grumbles.
“He’s also calling out for information on us, too. He knows we’re AWOL and he’s pissed.”
“Who is Eoin?” I ask.
Rhydian replies, “Eoin, is the head of the Guardians. I guess you could say we are rogue for the moment.”
I listen to them, feeling guilty. It’s obvious I’m the reason these guys are in trouble. Then I hear Rhydian say that my signature would be tracked back home, and to my friends. He and Cross discuss their next move to take me somewhere else.
“If they don’t find me, would they hurt my friends, my father?” I ask.
“Depends on who they are. A fae isn’t too vicious, but depending on the demon and how upset they are at your blood, yep, they’d take out that anger on something.” Tullen responds. His kind crystal blue eyes, tell me that everyone I know is in danger.
I stand up, alarmed. “I gotta go.”
“To where? As said we’re rogue, our ability to help is limited. I swore an oath to protect ya. Your father will be all right.” Cross chuckles sarcastically at Rhydian.
Rhydian ignores him, “I’ll go check the campsite, if that will make you feel better.”
“Can I borrow a cell and just text my friends?”
“Bad idea. Th
en the bad guy knows who to torture to get ya to come out,” Cross says.
WTF?
Quinn’s arms steady outward for balance. “Did you feel it?” he asks Rhydian and Cross.
They nod. Then a shock wave goes through my body. I must look surprised, because Cross makes a comment that I’m feeling it too. They tell me it’s the rift; it occurs when the Edayri realm portals get split between planes.
“The British are coming.” Cross says looking around like someone was coming through the wall.
I feel the shock wave again, although this one moves me to step back and lasts longer.
Tullen and Quinn touch their wrist bands and are suited up in the dark sleek armor.
“That was the fourth movement,” Quinn said.
“Ladies, we’re going to have company. We need to move!” Cross looks too excited, like a dog getting a treat.
The rogue Guardians one by one leave the kitchen, and their feet stomp away as they walk downstairs. Rhydian and I follow them into a basement.
“Have you used your magick before?” Rhydian asks.
“Yes,” I say in a whisper. “I’m not well in control yet, but I’m working on it.” I don’t know why I need to say that to Rhydian. I feel like such an outsider with them.
Tullen asks, “Do you have it in your mind?” He looks to the rogue Guardians.
“What?”
Rhydian nudges me and whispers, “Don’t worry, I’ll transport us together. We need to move to another safe house.” He’s already in his armor like everyone else.
“How do I transport?”
The guys all blur out, one by one.
Rhydian explains that you visualize where you need to go, and it’s like folding into yourself and folding out where you need to be. Sounds crazy, but it’s my only shot at getting back home to my friends. I can do this.
Rhydian reaches for my hand, and I close my eyes and concentrate by visualizing the foyer of my home. I feel my body vibrate and allow the flowing movement while I envision home. I hear Rhydian yell “No!”, and when I open my eyes he blurs away, reaching for me, but I’m in the foyer of my house. I did it!
