“Roarr?” she asked. “Should I kill them now or later?”
Somewhere else in the house, Anna Leigh sensed a gathering force. The Tel agents. When she would have moved in their direction however, Zola stopped her.
“No, Mother. Let them come to us.”
Kareena and Parker stood on either side of her, merging their minds with Zola’s to unleash a strength Anna Leigh would have said was impossible if she wasn’t witnessing it. The men in front of them paled and one gasped, “The prophecy. The goddess has returned.”
Then as one they all fell dead, their brains crushed. Zola turned to her, blinked, and Anna Leigh watched reason return to her eyes as her power dissipated. What the hell had just happened?
“There are two Tel agents attempting to climb out a back window from the third floor,” Parker said in an eerie voice. “The third is restrained in a cell in the basement.”
Zane. But the other two had to be dealt with first. Zola, Kareena, and Parker were already moving however, their mates with them.
“Get Zane,” Zola said before she disappeared down the hall.
Xan set his hand on her shoulder. “Come on. They’ll be all right.”
“Right. Basement.”
Kaal stepped forward. “The entrance is in the kitchen, Lady Bana.”
They followed her to the door in the kitchen and then down the stairs. Xan turned on the lights when they reached the bottom. They stood in a large empty room with several doors on the opposite wall. She let her senses expand, felt one mind behind one of those doors and the wrongness of it. Zane, yet not. She strode to the door that hid him, but Xan stopped her before she could open it. Shaking his head, he pulled her back and motioned for Kaal to go first.
“We don’t know if he was programmed to kill you too,” Xan said softly.
He was right but she didn’t care. That was her child in there. Kaal opened the door and she waited as he entered, wondered why the rebels had been stupid enough to leave it unlocked. A moment later the warrior waved them in and she saw for herself.
“Zane,” she whispered. “Who the hell did this to you?”
He was sitting on the floor, shackles on his ankles and wrists attached to chains anchored in the wall. At the sound of her voice his eyes snapped open. There was a feral look in his gaze as he looked her over. He cocked his head to one side and she felt his mind brush against hers.
“You look wrong, but you are one of the women I’m supposed to kill.”
He made no move to strike against her, though. Instead he climbed to his feet, the chains clanging in a way that made her cringe.
“There’s something wrong with my brain,” he said with no inflection whatsoever. “You should leave before I lose control again.”
“I came to help you.”
His expression changed, turned calculating and cold. She felt him gathering his power. “Okay.”
Xan struck before Zane could. Pistol set to stun and incapacitate, he fired once. Zane slumped to the floor just as Zola rushed in. She knelt on one side while Anna Leigh took the other.
“Jarek?”
The healer gently pulled Zola to her feet and took her place. He used a small handheld device to check Zane for injuries.
“There is no physical damage to his brain. Whatever was done to him requires an expertise I don’t have.”
“Someone is coming who might,” Xan said quietly. The soft considering tone concerned her.
“Who?”
*
He suspected neither she nor Zola would like his suggestion, but it was probably the best option to start off with.
“The leader of the Varangians is coming himself. His sister will be with him. She’s a…I think your word is mystic.”
Part priestess, part witch, part seer. He had only met her once. To say she was an unusual woman was so far from an understatement it was laughable. He knew of no Delroi warrior who was comfortable in her presence.
Jarek’s expression was grim but he nodded. “Gypsy is the one to speak to about this. Are they coming to the Keep?”
He shook his head. “Daggar sent a message saying they’d meet us at the stronghold.”
“Zola and I will join you.”
Xan nodded. He approved of the way his son-in-law was caring for Zola without smothering her. He ordered the chains removed and Zane transported to his shuttle. In twenty minutes, they were in the air. Two hours later they waited in the courtyard as the Varangian shuttle landed. Zane was under guard in one the downstairs meeting rooms. Zola and Anna Leigh were subdued. He’d given them some space but no more. Standing behind Anna Leigh, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close so her back was pressed against his chest. He took Zola’s hand in his free hand. Jarek stood at her side and a few feet away Xiri clung to Goran.
The shuttle ramp lowered and Stone and Gypsy led the other Varangians down. Anna Leigh, always a part of his mind, was at first surprised then amused.
“What?”
“Y’all said they’d integrated with Vikings on Earth but I didn’t expect them to look like historical Vikings. Their modern day descendants on Earth look and dress like the rest of us.”
He saw her point. They wore old fashioned leather armor--sleeveless in deference to the heat. Their tattoos were colorful. Their hair long, some with braids others without. Most of the men had beards. They all--men and women alike--wore a combination of weapons. Modern laser pistols, projectile weapons like those found on Earth, knives, swords, and axes. Then there was Gypsy, who apparently took perverse pleasure in living up to the image her name invoked. She wore a loose bright but sheer skirt over tight breeches and knee high boots and a matching top. Xan knew from experience that her jewelry also doubled as weapons. The Varangians probably looked like something out of one of Earth’s entertainment vids to her. He shared that information with Anna Leigh and Zola in a second, then stepped forward to greet them his women at his side.
“Xan,” Stone greeted him with a smile, forearms clasping in his traditional manner. He turned to Xiri with a feigned look of disappointment.
“You swore you’d wait for me, darlin’,” he complained, though he made no move to embrace her. Xan had forgotten she’d met him on a visit years ago. He was surprised when Xiri gave him a haughty look and scoffed.
“You took too long.”
Then she grinned, stepped forward, and kissed his cheek. Behind him he heard Goran’s low snarl.
“Xiri.”
Xan wondered how he managed to keep his tone so calm. If it had been Anna Leigh greeting another male in such a way he doubted he’d be able to retain control. Thankfully, Xiri didn’t push it. She pulled Goran forward.
“My mate. Goran,” she said, introducing the two.
Stone looked him over, an assessing not quite complimentary light in his eyes. Again, Goran’s calm surprised him. He felt the young warrior’s amusement brush against his mind.
“You taught me well, my Lord.”
“So it appears.”
“Well,” Stone finally spoke. “Let’s see what you’re made of, warrior.”
That got a reaction out of Goran. His eyes narrowed, his stance loosened, and he pushed Xiri behind his back.
“What did you have in mind?”
Stone shrugged, grinned, glanced around at his warriors and received a few nods. He’d issued a challenge. Honor demanded he answer it. He unbuckled his weapons belt and handed it to his sister.
“Hand to hand. No weapons. First one pinned to the ground wins.”
Goran took his belt off but Xan stopped him before he could go for the knives secreted around his body.
“He said pinned to the ground. He didn’t say how. Varangians appreciate…inventiveness.”
Goran met his gaze. “That doesn’t seem honorable.”
“They mean exactly what they say. If you can find a way around that? The field is open. And you keep your honor.”
Goran nodded, a hard glint in his eyes. He
turned to Stone and the fight was on. Xan paid little attention to it because Xiri sidled close. She pressed her fingers to trembling lips.
“He won’t kill him will he? This isn’t an execution in disguise?” she whispered, gaze trained on the two men circling each other.
“No. It’s simply a test.”
Xan looked at them just in time to see Stone throw the first punch. Goran grunted but keep on his feet and swung his fist. The fight turned fast and brutal. Goran was one of his best warriors, but he wouldn’t be able to hold Stone off for long. The Varangian fought more like a street brawler than a warrior. Goran didn’t know how to counter it yet. Xan had no doubt he would by the year’s end though. Xiri gasped when Stone landed a vicious kick to the kidneys that sent Goran sprawling. He rolled away from a follow up kick and got to his feet. The mood of the watching Varangians turned from dark and alert to good natured ribbing as they cheered for Goran.
Xiri looked at him with surprise, but a smile curved Anna Leigh’s lips. She squeezed Xiri’s hand. “He’ll be fine. He can’t possibly win, but he won’t give up. They respect that,” she said softly to his cousin.
It was only minutes later that Stone pinned Goran to the ground and the warrior conceded. Grinning, the Varangians hauled him to his feet, each welcoming him as a brother as they did so. Xan repressed a pang of loss. He was losing part of his family and to a Delroi warrior family was everything. But Xiri would be safe with them. That’s all that mattered. Once all the backslapping was done Gypsy stepped forward.
“There is someone you want my assistance with?”
He nodded. “If you can provide it. I would prefer to explain after you meet him.”
That strange light entered her eyes that made so many warriors uneasy. Zola and Anna Leigh both made a subtle shift as if preparing for attack. He was certain Gypsy noticed though she didn’t show it. He invited the visitors inside. Most of the warriors, along with Xiri and Goran, went into the dining room where food and drink waited. Gypsy and Stone accompanied him to the room where Zane was held. Jarek, Zola and Anna Leigh entered the one next to it to watch by vid feed.
“You’re sure about this?” Anna Leigh asked.
Nervous. His warrior woman was nervous and frightened. His chest tightened. “It’ll be fine, sweetheart. I promise.”
He didn’t know how but he couldn’t stand the idea of disappointing her.
“Are you ready?” he asked, opening Zane’s door.
“Yes.”
Gypsy entered first. Xan motioned for the warriors on guard to step away but remain in the room. Zane was awake, had showered and was in clean clothes. He ignored everyone but Xiri, watching her with a mesmerized expression. She approached him and he slowly rose to his feet. He stretched his arm towards her, froze when all the weapons in the room trained on him.
“Hold,” Gypsy said, a soft command the warriors obeyed when he nodded.
Zane reached out to brush his fingers over the side of her face.
“What are you?”
She didn’t take offense at the question many would have considered insulting. Instead she smiled.
“Your people call me a mystic.”
“Are you?”
“I am many things. That is one of them.”
“Why are you here?”
“For you, Zane Gray.”
Xan stared at her. He hadn’t told the Varangians who Zane was, had ordered his warriors to keep it to themselves.
Zane shook his head. “I am…not right.”
“I know and it will take time, but I can help you come back.”
“Why would you do that?”
She smiled, radiant and expectant. “We have been waiting for you.”
She met her brother’s gaze then. “He is the one in my visions.”
Stone looked him over. “He doesn’t look like a great warrior-king.”
“He will be,” Gypsy promised, turning back to Zane.
Anna Leigh, who’d been a quiet presence in his mind to that point, gasped. He shared her shock. To his knowledge the Varangians hadn’t had a king in centuries. Stone was their leader, but he’d never styled himself king. He watched Zane more carefully now.
“What is she talking about?” his mate asked.
“I have no idea.”
“We need to be on our way,” Gypsy said. “We have far to travel and it will take the entire trip to undo what was done.”
Zane didn’t protest though a look of confusion filled his eyes. “There is a task I must complete first.”
Xan felt his mind searching for Anna Leigh and Zola, but before he could do more than locate them Gypsy brushed her fingers over his temples.
“No,” she ordered. “You know why you cannot follow those orders.”
Understanding flared bright in his eyes, then abhorrence followed by relief.
“I didn’t kill her.”
He finally focused on Xan. “My sister?”
“Safe. She’ll stay that way.”
“And my mother?”
“The same. I’ll make sure they’re protected.”
“Xan is an honorable warrior,” Gypsy said. “You can trust his word.”
After a moment Zane nodded. “Perhaps, but I can’t be trusted. Not now. Tell them I’ll come back when I can. When it’s safe.”
“No,” Anna Leigh yelled in his mind.
He sighed, seeing her intent clearly in his mind. “I can’t keep her away,” he warned the telepath. Saw by his expression that Zane was falling back into the thrall of the programming, the moment of lucidity fleeing fast though he struggled against it. His mate and daughter ignored his order and entered the room. Zane gritted his teeth.
“Knock me out again before do something we’ll all regret.”
Xan didn’t hesitate. He’d come prepared for this, his weapon still set to incapacitate not kill. Stone caught him before he slumped to the floor.
“I’ll get him on the shuttle,” he told his sister before leaving with the unconscious man slung over his shoulder.
“He will be fine,” Gypsy promised. “Though he will never be the same.”
“What was all that about a warrior-king?” Zola asked.
“We--the mystics--have been having visions of a warrior-king joining us in battle for several years now.”
“Battle with who?” Xan asked.
They would never attack Delroi but he couldn’t be so certain about Earth. Gypsy shrugged.
“That we have not seen.” Her face took on a far away expression. “War is coming, Xan Bana. It will spread across our colonies if the Varangians do not stop it.”
“And you think Zane will help you do that?” Zola asked, uncertainly.
“Yes.”
“Why are you so certain?” Zola pushed.
“The goddess has returned to Delroi. In all of our visions, it was not until the return of the goddess that the warrior-king would be found.” Gypsy met her gaze. “It was you and your companions that signaled the beginning.”
Delroi prophecy and Varangian visions. Xan couldn’t deny he was unsettled. The Overchief and Barak Trace needed to be warned.
“Will you require our assistance?” he asked Gypsy, determined to get as much information from her as possible.
“That is unclear.” She gave him an amused smile. “You’re running out of time for questions, Xan.”
“How long do we have to prepare?”
She shrugged again. “A year. Perhaps.”
“Will Delroi be attacked directly?”
“Yes, but I cannot say when.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Anna Leigh asked.
“With a mystic, you never know.”
“I will keep you updated on his recovery. We will return when it is safe.”
She hurried out before she could be delayed by more questions. She probably would have just stonewalled anyway.
“We’re just going to let them take Zane?” Zola asked.
Anna Leigh sighed. “Do you
see another option? We can’t be around him. No one else here seems to have a solution.”
Zola conceded her mother’s point. “Maybe, but I still don’t like it.”
“Me either.”
Her regret and sorrow was heavy in his mind.
“Now what?” Zola asked.
“I make a report. Then we enjoy the peace while we can,” Xan said.
“This is so fucked up,” Zola said, her hands covering her belly protectively. “The rebellion here is all but over. Tel won’t come after us again. I got my brother back just to lose him again and now we have another war to look forward to?”
He knew the four of them all thought of the same thing. Protecting Zola’s unborn child. Jarek wrapped his arm around her waist.
“We’re strong. We’ll deal with it. For now you need a meal and rest.”
Jarek inclined his head at him and Anna Leigh, before taking his mate’s hand and leading her from the room. Xan knew they wouldn’t go far. Not today at least. So he turned to his own mate. He felt her renewed sorrow over losing her son.
“He’s alive,” he said. “He’s getting the help he needs and you’ll see him again.”
“You really believe that?”
“Yes.” He refused to believe anything else.
She nodded and moved into his arms. “I just wanted my kids safe. Wanted to find a way for all of us to live in peace. But it seems the fighting never ends.”
He held her close, wishing he could reassure her. Wishing he could change the future. There was one thing he could do, though. He could prepare. He could make sure she knew how much she was loved. He could make sure their daughter and grandchild were protected. He felt her smile in his mind. In his heart and soul.
“Just can’t help that protective, possessive streak can you?” she teased.
“Would you have me any other way?”
She smiled, looping her arms around his neck and standing on her toes so her breath feathered against his. “No way. I love you just the way you are.”
He crushed his lips against hers. Took everything she offered and felt her melt into him.
Absolution (Delroi Prophecy Book 4) Page 9
