The Complete Chosen Trilogy (The Chosen Book 0)

by N. M. Santoski

  Before Samuel could respond, there was a clatter on the inside landing. "Daddy! I'm ready!"

  "Okay, Nannie-Bug, you go have a good time. Sam, I will see you later."

  "Yes. We'll talk then."

  Nolan drew back as the man who tried to kill him at Caer Anglia opened the door to the shop, a chattering child in tow. He watched them go, wondering what he should do. He needed those supplies.

  “You should come in from the cold,” a low voice said, startling Nolan half to death. “I have your box here, Mr. Johns.”

  “Thank you,” he said roughly as he entered the warmth of the shop, his body coiled with tension.

  “It’s a hard life, living on the edge of things,” Boone continued quietly. “Sometimes, you can be misunderstood.”

  Nolan only nodded.

  “If you can, send someone else into town for your next round of supplies.” He reached out and put his hand on Nolan’s arm. “I cannot guarantee your safety in the Village anymore.”

  “I’ll make do,” he said. “Thank you, Mr. Boone.” He paid for his belongings and left, waiting for an ambush that never came.

  PART THE FOURTH

  RECONNAISSANCE

  Chapter Forty

  Thanksgiving day. The past month had not been kind to Giada Disanza. She was almost painfully thin, her shoulders jutting through the thin black fabric of her shirt, her collarbones standing out in stark relief within the neckline. Her eyes were smudged with ever darkening rings, and anyone looking at her would think she was seriously ill. Pyrrhus knew the real cause was heartsickness. He wordlessly pushed his fries over to her, frowning when she shook her head and looked away.

  When he spoke, it was with all the disgust he could muster. "I never took you for a fool."

  Her head shot back as if struck, finally forcing her to look him in the eye. "I'm not a fool."

  "I warned you when we started that an Aeron who doesn't want to be found could take years to track down, didn't I? What good do you think you'll be to him when we reach him if you've starved yourself to death?"

  She crossed her arms over her almost non-existent chest and glared. "I'm worried sick about him, Pyrrhus, and you should be, too! Out in the gods-know-where, defenseless and alone!"

  Pyrrhus laughed right in her face. "Defenseless? Woman, have you ever met Nolan Aeron? He routinely kicked my ass, Sword or no Sword. I'm telling you, we are going to find him and when we do, you'll look all the more foolish for all of this. You'll see—he'll be in the least likely place—" He broke off suddenly at the look on her face. "What is it?"

  She didn't respond, simply throwing a fistful of cash on the diner counter and running for the door, not even grabbing her shawl from the coat hooks. Pyrrhus grabbed it for her, finding her outside his car in the freezing cold, bouncing impatiently and waiting for him to catch up.

  He pushed the remote lock, unlocking the doors so she could get in before she froze to death. It was only once he was in the car that she began to speak, tripping over her own tongue in her haste.

  "What did you say? He'll be in the last place we'd ever expect. Where is that?" she prompted, barely waiting for his blank look before she finished, "The Village!"

  "The Village? Like, half a mile from Caer Anglia? That Village?"

  "It's perfect! We all assumed that he would get as far away as he could as fast as he could, didn't we? Hiding in a large city, lost in the crowd? Hell, we were on our way to Boston, weren't we? Again? And what did Dr. Connor say? What did he say to us both?"

  “He told us that Swordsmiths like to stay close to a—gods be good, we never checked. We checked Carmarthen and Rome, but never Caer Anglia.”

  “We’re so stupid!”

  He grunted and started the car. “No, we never thought he’d be so stupid!”

  “When Nolan first arrived at Caer Anglia, I was there. I watched him come in. I don’t know how I’ve been so… I should have thought of it before. He walked there. He had one bag and the Sword, and he walked right up from the woods.”

  “He could have left a car somewhere else.”

  “No, no, he can’t drive.”

  “He can’t?”

  “He was in hiding, Pyrrhus! He couldn’t just go out for driving lessons!”

  Pyrrhus nodded slowly. “So they must have lived close, since his grandfather was already dead. He’s a smart man, really, Nolan. Lots of little pieces, never the whole picture. After the past few months, it's the most solid lead we've ever had. Can't hurt to check.”

  Pyrrhus and Gia drove almost the entire ride back to the Village in silence, the bumps of the car bounding over potholes the only noise. The occasional glances he took at Gia told the tale: she was gripping the folds of her shawl in her lap, white knuckled. Her face, however, was transformed. Her lips were turned up in a half smile, and her eyes were far away. He almost hated to interrupt her obvious daydream, but his curiosity was insatiable.

  "Do you love him?"

  She literally jumped, startled into movement. "Gods, Pyrrhus!"

  "Do you?" he pressed.

  "I think so," she admitted, turning her head to look out the passenger window and blocking her body away from him. "It's been so gradual; I think I was in the middle before I knew it."

  "Don't you paraphrase Austen at me and think I'll be quiet!" he scolded.

  “Austen? Since when are you a literature connoisseur?”

  "How long?"

  "When I first saw him, really. He fell in love with Leiani, though, and I thought that a man who could love her would never love me."

  "You're right." Catching her absolutely shattered expression in the window reflection, he hastened to clarify. "If Nolan had really loved the real Leiani, you'd never have a chance. But he didn't, and you know it. Their entire relationship was based on lies, Gia. To be honest, I'd hoped that the two of you--"

  "And you accuse me of playing matchmaker?!" Gia teased, turning back to face him. "Even then?"

  "Especially then! Why do you think he never got a moment alone with her?"

  She laughed aloud, and it was a welcome sound after months of worry and, late at night, listening to her cry when she thought he was asleep. Some nights he cried, too.

  "Does he know you love him?"

  "Nolan? I told him, if that's what you mean."

  “And?”

  “We never really got a chance to resolve it—he didn’t answer me.”

  "Are you waiting on him? Because you'll be waiting a long time. He's amazingly blockheaded about emotions and relationships."

  “I made my move, now he has to make his. I’d rather not know for sure than know he doesn’t love me.”

  "Liar. Nothing is worse than uncertainty. I think he loves you too, although his upbringing was so screwy I'm not sure he really knows what romantic love is. As far as he can, I think he loves you. One look at you will show him that you've been pining for him all this time."

  She flipped the visor down and opened up the mirror, really looking at her reflection for the first time in months. "Oh my… Pyrrhus!" Her hands flew over the hollows of her cheeks, over the odd ripple pattern her sternum made in the center of her chest. "I look like a zombie!" She drew a more delicate touch over the dark hollows under her eyes. "I can't see him looking like this!"

  "Vanity, vanity. You've been searching for him for almost six months, and now you're worried about your looks? Maybe if you'd eaten or slept--!"

  "Pyrrhus, look!" she said suddenly, trying to divert him. "We're already at the turn off!"

  "I see it," he said irritably, pulling off onto the shoulder of the highway and, looking carefully for other cars, pulling through a gap in the guardrail and off through the trees.

  "How will we know which house is his?"

  Gia bit her lip, thinking. "I don't know."

  “Well, this is productive.”

  “Shut up,” she snarled, mind working furiously. How would they know…?

  “They couldn’t have lived on the main
drag,” she said, almost to herself. “They would have been too conspicuous. Someone would have noticed. They must live in a house on the fringe… practically in the woods itself. And if they’re living in the woods, it only makes sense that they’d be in the woods that connects the Village to Caer Anglia.”

  “How do you figure that?” Pyrrhus asked. “I’d think the exact opposite.”

  “Nolan’s grandfather had to be close enough to Caer Anglia to keep an eye on things… and that close, Caer Anglia’s signature would cover their tracks, I think. Let’s try that side of town first.”

  He sighed and turned the car around, following the small winding roads to the other side of the cluster of houses that populated what villagers considered the “main” street.

  Gia was staring at her cell phone, for some reason.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Keep driving,” she snapped, eyes riveted on the phone.

  After about five minutes, she shouted, “Stop!”

  He slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a shuddering stop, jerking them forward against their seat belts. Gia barely noticed. She twisted her upper body towards the wood line. “Through there,” she said, pointing. “See if you can find a driveway or a clearing.”

  “Got it,” he said, honing in on an area of brush that looked disturbed. The car scraped over the top of a handful of bushes, then bottomed out onto a gravel driveway that led to a small, seemingly deserted house.

  “This is it,” she said, tucking her phone into her back pocket.

  “How do you know?”

  “I have almost no service on my cell phone… I still have half a bar, but I think it’s Nolan that’s disrupting the cell phone towers.”

  "You’re probably right, but you're going up there alone," Pyrrhus said, hands behind his head. "I'll wait here."

  "What?!"

  "Go on," he said, gesturing towards the house with his chin. "Best to not overwhelm him at first—he won't be expecting us, I'll tell you that."

  Their argument soon became moot, because the door to the house opened and there he stood, body tensed as if prepared for attack.

  Before she even knew what she was doing, she was out of the car, standing in front of it and staring at him. He looked no worse for the time he’d spent secluded—a bit thinner, perhaps. He’d let his hair grow out, the shag of it falling into his eyes and across the back of his neck.

  "Gia?" he asked in surprise, before getting a good look at her. "Gods, what have they done to you? Who's in that car?" He brought up a handful of plasma larger than she'd ever seen, and she quickly moved in his direction, hands up.

  "No, Nolan, no! It's just Pyrrhus and I—we've been looking for you!"

  “Did Claire tell you I was here?”

  “Claire? No, I haven’t seen her—we were actually on our way there when we realized we hadn’t checked for you here!”

  "Why do you look so sick?" he asked, hand coming up to trace the same hollow in her cheek she herself had.

  "I was worried about you," she admitted. The feel of his hand against her cheek made her suddenly bold, and she closed her eyes to repeat quietly the words she had said before his Rite of Passage. "I love you."

  She braced herself for him to jerk away, but instead his hand slid around the back of her head, cradling her neck. "I know," he admitted.

  Her eyes flew open, searching his face. "Why didn't you--"

  "There was no time, Gia. Manas wanted my blood, and I didn't think I would survive it, but I did." His other hand slipped around her waist, pulling her a bit closer. "I love you, too."

  She smiled, too relieved to respond.

  "Can I kiss you?" he asked, suddenly shy.

  "I'd like that."

  He bent his height down to meet her, using the hand on the back of her neck to pull her lips to his.

  They enjoyed only the briefest of kisses before slow clapping broke them apart. Pyrrhus had climbed out of the car and was leaning against the driver's side door, applauding them. "Well, well, not so blockheaded after all."

  Nolan began to stride toward him, but Gia was swaying on her feet, suddenly light headed. "Nolan!" she gasped, before toppling over onto her knees.

  He scooped her up from the grass and headed for his house. He turned his head and shouted over his shoulder, "Pyrrhus, park the car in the back and come through the back door—we'll be in the kitchen."

  He carried her into the front hall through the house to the kitchen, relieved to see that she wasn't unconscious, just weak. "Gia, you're an idiot," he said, but his voice carried a fondness that made his insult an endearment. "Haven't you eaten or slept?"

  "Yes!" she defended herself as Nolan lowered her into a chair, her face still paper white. "I just ate a few hours ago!"

  "Let's get you some water." He bustled around the kitchen, looking absurdly at home, and returned with a tall, cool glass of water. He knelt next to her and offered her the glass. She took a single sip, then resolutely placed the glass on the table behind her and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Another kiss would do me wonders, I think."

  "As the lady wishes," he joked, their faces at the same height. They kissed for the second time, and this time ignored they Pyrrhus as he very pointedly stomped into the kitchen, made himself a sandwich, and plopped down on the other side of the table.

  "Don't mind me, just trying to eat here," he grumbled loudly.

  Gia was still not feeling her best, so Nolan installed her in the only available bed in the house—his own. He lent her an overlarge shirt and persuaded her to take a bath, providing a large fluffy towel and some soap for her. He waited in his room for her, intending to make sure she was comfortable, and was shocked into silence when she appeared in the doorway. In the oversized shirt, falling to her knees, her gaunt limbs were all the more obvious.

  "We need to fatten you up," he said, rising to take her bundled clothes from her. "Two milkshakes a day, and all the meat you can stand!"

  She yawned, tired just looking at the bed. "I'll sleep well tonight, I think."

  "I'm sorry," he said quietly, helping her into the bed.

  "For what?"

  "It's my fault you--"

  "Don't you dare!" she snapped, sitting up and glaring at him. "It was my fault, and only my fault! I was being an idiot—some strong, independent woman I turned out to be, practically worrying myself to death over you when you were perfectly... perfectly fine!" She was beginning to tear up, and she hated it. Her own weaknesses on display, she tore the elastic out of her hair and shook her hair into her face, then pulled arms and legs into the shirt and huddled on the bed, miserable.

  A tentative hand touched a lock of her hair. Nolan was running it through his fingers. When he spoke, his voice was reverent. "I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down before. It's gotten so long... it's beautiful."

  She snuffled, keeping her head down. "Liar."

  "Gia, look at me."

  After a moment, she complied. He was staring at her in a way he never had before. "You're beautiful. You're sick right now, but you're still beautiful to me." He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the mouth, then held up the blankets invitingly. "Come on—get under there."

  She scooted under and let him settle the blankets, tucking them in around her. It was only when he turned to leave that she realized he wasn't staying. "Wait!" she cried, panicked.

  He immediately stopped. "What?"

  "Where are you going?"

  "I'm going to talk to Pyrrhus, find out what I've missed. Don't worry, we won't plan anything without you."

  "But—you'll still be here, right? You're not going anywhere?"

  "I'll be right down the hall, I promise. Pyrrhus and I will sleep in here on the floor, too, if that will make you feel better." He sat back down on the edge of the bed. “I've missed you very much these past months—thought about you a lot. It's like a dream come true to see you here with me," he admitted.

  She smiled. "I've mis
sed you too."

  "I'd like to take this slow—I don't know what I'm doing."

  "I don't, either."

  "We'll learn together." He laced his fingers through hers, admiring her slender hands, and then dropped a kiss on each one. "I love you."

  "I love you too."

  "Good night."

  "Good night."

  He gently extricated himself from her grip and left the room, turning back as he closed the door over to see her frightened eyes peeking at him from over the edge of the blanket.

  "Go to sleep, Gia."

  "’Kay."

  He resolutely turned his back on the room and made his way down the hall to the living room, where Pyrrhus was sitting, staring at the fireplace and making shapes in the flames.

  "Where's my uncle?" Nolan asked with no preamble, taking a seat in the armchair and watching Pyrrhus carefully.

  "Carmarthen at the moment, I believe."

  "What the hell is he doing there?"

  "When you disappeared, we knew that there was only so long you could hide without the Sword. So, we split up. Gia and I took the East Coast, Leiani and your brother took the West Coast, and Jenkins and your mother took Europe. We were hoping someone had heard something, or knew something, or had seen you."

  “Took you long enough.”

  Pyrrhus shoved him. “Maybe you shouldn’t give us so little to work with! Gia is the one who finally pieced it together.”

  Nolan was nodding before Pyrrhus even finished his sentence. “Yes, I can see that. How are you going to contact my uncle and Leiani?”

  “Well, your uncle and mother will have to wait… it’s only about three in the morning in Wales. Leiani, on the other hand…” Pyrrhus took out his cell phone while Nolan waited. After a few minutes, he glanced at Nolan, annoyed. “I don’t have any service.”

  “And you won’t, not unless you’re back at the end of the drive. This house is so full of Power residue that wireless signals disappear. I can’t even have a wireless internet router here.”

  “Will you have to live your whole life like that?“ Pyrrhus asked, horrified.

  “No, it’s… here, I’ll show you.”