by Jen Wylie
Anger burning within her once more, she took off again for the city gates. As the sun began to set, she finally gave in to the fact she'd have to let Bo and Garen know what happened.
Damon took Kei. Meet me at the east gate. I'll be there shortly.
The guards at the gate let her pass after her mumbled explanation she'd been caught in the snow. They took in her chattering teeth and waved her on through.
Bo waited for her, Garen at his side. The grim look on his face made her swallow hard and fight back a sudden urge to cry.
His face softened as she reached him. He then put an arm around her shoulder.
Lips trembling, she leaned against him. "I'm sorry."
"Wasn't your fault, pup. Let's get you home. You're chilled to the bone."
Nodding her agreement, she let him lead her through the streets, Garen staying close to her other side. Her tired and cold body protested, but she continued to put one foot in front of the other.
Finally they neared the tavern, and Bo paused. "Do you want to go in and eat? You haven't eaten today, have you?"
She winced at his admonishing tone and shook her head. "Home. I just want to go home."
His arm squeezed against her as they moved on. "If I can't find something in the house I'll run over. I've the fires going. You'll warm up in no time."
Before she knew it, Bo had her seated on the couch in the living room they never used. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth coming from the large fireplace. Shivers wracked her body and she wrapped her arms around herself.
"I'll be right back. Get those boots off. "
Stiff fingers fumbled at her laces, but she finally managed to get them off. Garen picked them up in his mouth and carefully set them closer to the fire to dry before returning to settle down by her feet.
She heard Bo's heavy steps going up the stairs.
He's getting a blanket for you.
A smile wavered across her lips. Soon Bo would be back and she'd have to tell them everything. What would they say?
Staring into the flickering flames, she tried to keep calm. Kei was gone, and it was, at least in part, her fault. Had Damon already reached wherever he'd been taking Kei? Did he even now break into his mind?
Kei, I'm here. I'm with you.
He didn't answer. The silence didn't surprise her. She knew distance mattered when it came to their pack bond. It proved how very far Damon had taken him from her. Closing her eyes, she found the place within her where she and Kei were bound together. His emotions came to her weakly, but she could still feel them. Loss, despair, sadness, anger.
For a moment, the fury rose within her before she pushed it back down again. The Dragos would pay for what he'd done.
At least for now, Kei wasn't in pain.
A blanket settling around her shoulders startled her. Looking up, she smiled weakly at Bo. He set a plate in her lap.
"You need to eat."
Knowing he wouldn't stop bothering her until she did, she forced the simple food into her mouth. It settled like stone into her stomach. Bo left and returned once more, holding out a small glass.
"Glass?"
He grinned and shrugged, sitting down beside her and lifting his own. He swirled the amber liquid inside. "Apparently it makes this taste better."
She'd rarely had anything stronger than ale or wine but had seen her brothers drink often enough to know the liquid inside would be much stronger. Taking a careful sip, she fought not to spit the burning drink out.
Bo chuckled and tossed his entire glass back. Shaking his head, he hissed through his teeth. "Good stuff." Reaching over, he set the glass on a small table. "Now, tell us everything that happened."
She drained her glass as well.
Her retelling had been brief, but saying the words still brought forth such strong emotions of grief and anger she struggled to keep control of herself. The boys listened silently, which didn't help either. Bowing her head and clutching the blanket tightly, she finally finished.
"There wasn't anything you could have done," Bo finally said into the silence.
"I made a mistake." She stared into the fire. "I shouldn't have let him leave. I should have remembered Damon's warning."
"Yes. What did he mean by that?"
Of course she then had to tell them about their meeting in the forest. The one she'd forgotten about. "The Were came shortly after that, and with everything that happened I completely forgot about Damon."
Bo sighed and ran his hands over his face.
I don't understand what his interest is in all of this, Garen admitted. He is not Fey. He has nothing to do with any of the races for the most part.
"I don't know either." She gritted her teeth for a moment, trying to keep her anger at bay. "I don't know what to do."
Bo shook his head, grimacing. "I don't think there is anything we can do, but wait."
Garen rested his head on her lap. We'll get Kei back. We'll get through this. Together.
∞ ∞ ∞
She hardly slept at all that night, which actually surprised her considering how tired she felt. Thoughts of Kei and what he might be going through invaded her mind.
Finally giving up on sleep, she got out of bed at sunrise. Her muscles ached, and she winced as she dressed before heading downstairs.
The house was too quiet. Going to the living room, she stoked up the fire and then sat and listened to it crackle back to life. The flickering flames strangely calmed her overactive thoughts and she settled back, closing her eyes and finding her bond with Kei.
For a moment she panicked when she felt almost nothing, then it occurred to her that most likely he still slept. She concentrated on her love for him, imagining herself holding him, keeping him safe.
The feelings relaxed her, and time passed as she drifted close to sleep. A smile crossed her lips, and it took her a moment to realize why. The love came back to her. Kei had woken up.
She straightened abruptly, her smile disappearing as another feeling crashed into her.
Pain.
"No. No, no, no!" A sob tore through her throat. Arms around herself, she rocked on the couch.
Damon had started his search for the prophecy.
When Bo and Garen finally came down, she'd composed herself and finally set her mind on what to do.
"Training."
Bo blinked sleepily at her. "Training?"
She nodded sharply. "Yes. I need to train. While we wait for Kei. I need to be stronger, faster, better."
He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "I can help with that. We'll get you set up then. Some targets. More weapons. Do you still want a bow?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
Maybe one of those would take a dragon down.
∞ ∞ ∞
The following days passed into weeks. Aro ran circles around the house and up and down the stairs. She practiced with her knives, sparred with Bo with her sword, and even stalked and wrestled Garen.
Reacquainting herself with a bow took longer than she liked, but she persisted. She ignored her bleeding fingers. The proper calluses would return soon enough. When the weather turned suddenly colder, she moved her targets and weapons into the dining room they didn't use and practiced there.
So intent on her goals, she rarely left their walled lot in the city. After the first week, Bo began to again court Elaina and would bring her home meals when she refused to go out.
Garen now watched her throw knife after knife and snorted when she cursed at the aim of one.
"I'm telling you, the balance is off on this pair."
I believe I have to agree. He paused. You have done well, but you need to do more than this. The winter has barely begun. You are a woman obsessed, and it will not do you well.
"I need to be able to fight."
I understand that. You are quite adept already.
"I'm not good enough," she argued. "I'm human. I have to be able to fight the Vor. I wasn't made to do so like the rest of you." She'd learned ment
ioning the Dragos only caused arguments, but fighting the Vor? No one had a problem with her training for that. They, at least, were known to be killable.
You are more than human, and you know it.
She snorted, but understood what he meant. It wasn't like she could argue the fact while using mind speech.
Perhaps you could spend some of your time looking for information on your brothers, as you'd originally planned. Training all day, every day, will only do so much.
"I know." She frowned. "I need someone to train with other than Bo."
Aro, stop.
The fury stirred within her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "You don't understand," she said quietly.
But I do. You and Kei are bound. Being human, this perhaps means even more to you than it does to us. I understand what he means to you, I do.
"I can feel him," she whispered. "He's in pain. I can feel his pain."
Kei is strong. He will survive and return to you.
"I know." She did, but the knowledge didn't help to heal her wounded heart. What she didn't know was how damaged he would be. Damon had left her mind a wreck after only a brief invasion. He'd been torturing Kei for almost three weeks now, and Kei didn't have the mental barriers and walls that she did. Yet, he also wouldn't fight him. Feeling his pain day after day didn't give her much hope.
Come with me tomorrow. We'll visit a few taverns and seek word of your brothers. Only for a little while. A few a day. You need to think of more than just revenge. Remember the hope you hold in your heart.
Garen wasn't an easy person to argue with. Giving him a tentative nod, she relented. It wasn't that she didn't want to search for her brothers. She just knew it would likely be a futile search. With Westport being so far south, she doubted many would have sailed far enough north in the west to hear anything.
As for hope, it had been chipped away day by day. In its place had grown an angry bitterness toward the world. Unfortunately, it appeared she'd finally grown up.
Chapter 12
The Search Begins
Garen did not let her wiggle out of her agreement. Bright and early, he and Bo got her up, dressed, and out the door.
She stomped through the slushy streets between them, irritable and cold. While the two discussed their plans, she muttered vague agreement when expected but didn't pay attention.
Westport was the largest human city on the eastern continent and also had the largest port. The city itself, like most others, was broken into various general districts. Longer than it was wide, the north third held the walled Upper City housing the prince and nobles in the west, with the east part consisting of administrative buildings, barracks, warehouses, and barns. These were also guarded, containing the food crops and animals that fed the city's many inhabitants. They would not find any information there.
The southern-most third contained more barracks and warehouses for the quarried stone, with the west section being the squalid slums Bo firmly declared she wouldn't be entering at all. Ever.
This left their search area to the center strip of the city that contained the lower and middle classed homes and workplaces, the market, shops, and inns. They would begin their search in the eastern area today. She didn't see the point. It was the docks, whose area also contained numerous taverns full of gossiping sailors, which likely held the information they searched for. If it existed at all.
The day dragged on as they wandered up and down streets, she and Bo speaking to tavern keepers, shop owners, and anyone who might listen.
Few had ever heard of Kingsport. Fewer still knew what had befallen it over a year ago.
As they left yet another tavern with nothing, Aro kicked at a clump of snow and cursed under her breath.
"It's the first day. Be patient," Bo admonished her.
She frowned over at Garen. I thought you said we'd only do this for a while. It's almost dark.
Yet we've covered much ground today.
"And found nothing."
There was a chance we would. A few more days and we can cross this area off our list and move on.
She grimaced and Bo chuckled. "Come on, pup. You're just hungry. Let's head back and eat. The days not over yet, you can still get some practice in. That will make you feel better."
Sometimes it shocked her how very well the boys knew her. With a nod and small smile, she tried to push away the irritation and dark thoughts surrounding her. Still, guilt settled around her. Kei suffered, alone, and she chased a dream from the past.
∞ ∞ ∞
After two more days of walking the streets, the weather gave them a brief respite from failure. They awoke to blasting cold wind and snow. Bo did not argue when she refused to go out in the wintery mess. She wasn't overly surprised. After three days of barely seeing his sweetheart, he'd begun to get a bit morose himself. When he left for the tavern to see if he could "help out," she forced a smile. It grew when Garen decided to accompany him.
After practicing with her bow for a while, she tended the fires, and then practiced some more. Her thoughts strangely drifted to Bo and Elaina.
She worried he'd get his heart broken. She didn't doubt Elaina was good for him, and even returned his affections, having seen the way they looked at each other. Yet Bo hadn't told her of their past, of their unheard of connections to Fey, Were, and Elves. As far as she knew, he hadn't mentioned he'd be leaving in the spring either. Seeming a normal girl, she wasn't sure how Elaina would react to the first, the second…well the barmaid certainly wouldn't be happy.
She didn't want to get involved in Bo's love life, knowing firsthand how irritating and heart breaking it could be when others gave unwanted advice.
Which sent her thoughts to Prince. She'd still had no word from him. His absence hurt. His lack of communication hurt more. For some stupid reason, she'd thought he would send word somehow, someway. She'd thought he cared for her as much as she did for him.
Clearly, she'd been mistaken.
Riding fast, a messenger could reach Westport from the gates to Rivenward easily in three or four days. Even if one had to search Westport for her, they'd made no secret of where they lived.
"Rotting Elf." She threw a dagger with extra force. "I love you." She threw another. "Why aren't you here?" And another. "Why–" Her voice cracked, and her hand dropped mid-throw. "I need you," she whispered into the empty room.
Closing her eyes, she whipped the dagger in her hand at the target. It missed the center and she grimaced. "Off balance. I really need to get a new pair."
∞ ∞ ∞
The snow continued the next day, and after she saw Bo and Garen out, she stopped holding in her smile.
The weather wasn't as bad as the day before, and her destination wasn't far. Picking out new daggers without the boys would be so much easier.
She didn't rush right out, but did her morning chores first and dressed for the cold. Collecting the off-balance pair, maybe she could offer them as partial trade. She bundled up and set off down the street.
Despite the weather, a number of people still came out to do their business. Stomping her way through the snow, she hurried past the tavern and continued up the road. The wind bit at her face, though at least this time she remembered a hat and gloves. It didn't take long for her to reach her destination, but still she paused outside.
She'd made enough mistakes in the past. Worry gnawed her stomach as she debated turning around and going home. Gathering her courage, she finally moved toward the door to the blacksmith's small shop. Unsurprisingly, they weren't out working today, which worked in her favor.
Local gossip told her the pair of blacksmiths were brothers. Both in their early twenties, they did not socialize much or frequent any of the local meeting spots or taverns. She wished she'd paid attention to the man who'd helped her home.
She guessed they supplied the Were with goods and information. Since Rhee-En hadn't mentioned them, and they hadn't known who she was, she assumed they were part of the neighboring pack
led by the alpha Alar-En.
The small shop was empty when she entered. Looking around, she pushed back the hood of her cloak. Everything from pots to horseshoes hung from walls or sat on shelves. She saw only a few weapons, which drew her immediately. The simple design disappointed her.
"Wither me," she grumbled.
The creak of a back door opening startled her and she whirled around to face the counter.
"Can I help you?"
The youngest, the one she'd apparently met, stood behind the counter.
Forcing a small smile, she stepped forward and pulled out the pair of unbalanced daggers. Setting them on the counter, she looked up to meet the Were's eyes. "I'd like to get these fixed, or get a better pair. The balance is off."
As his eyes stared into hers for a long moment she held her breath. He had lovely eyes, deep and brown. Finally, he dropped his gaze and picked up one of the daggers, twirling it in his fingers and testing the balance.
"You're right. It is off. I could try to adjust it." His eyes flicked up to hers once more. "We do have better ones, if you'd like to see them. We don't keep them out here though."
She hesitated and then nodded. "I would."
Cocking his head to the side, he gestured her to come around the counter. She followed him into another small room, noting another door at the back of it, which she assumed went to their living quarters.
"What kind are you looking for?"
"Throwing," she said simply, wondering why he asked considering she'd just brought him a pair.
Leading her to a long table against the wall, he pointed out a few and their features. Listening quietly, she pulled off her gloves and stuck them in a pocket. She had to admit these were what she'd hoped to find. Taking her time, she picked them up one at a time, testing their weight and feel.
When he leaned in closer, she glanced toward him and stiffened when she saw his nostrils flare as he inhaled.
His eyes met hers again and he smiled easily as he leaned away. "It's Aro, yes?"
