“This could change everything,” Charlotte’s mouth was at his ear. “I know you have lost your faith, but I can change that, if you’ll let me.”
Drake’s stomach turned. She wasn’t lying. And if she wasn’t lying, it meant that Summerfeld was in grave danger - that Quinn was in grave danger. Despising himself, he let Charlotte’s hand move up his thigh, her fingertips light as a feather’s touch. Sensing the change in him, Charlotte smiled.
“I want you beside me,” she breathed, her eyes liquid and inviting. “Will you join me, Drake?” As he lowered his head to hers, Drake didn’t know what was worse; the fact that he was making a deal with the devil, or the fact that a small part of him was enjoying it.
Chapter 28
“You threatened him?” Daniel sounded suitably impressed. Quinn had found him together with Isaiah in the Cathedral upon her return. She had insisted Monique wait while she explained what had happened.
“I did,” Quinn confirmed. “I had to, Daniel. There’s too much at stake, we can’t let this go.”
“I wasn’t criticising you. You did the right thing. The gypsies are dangerous.” She knew he didn’t mean that literally. They were no match for the Guardians, but they were desperate, and if they discovered the City’s location, there was no limit to what measures they might take to expose it.
“Thank you,” Quinn acknowledged the rare compliment, “but I don’t know how much good it did. They know who we are. Which means they know the City is somewhere in this general vicinity.”
“They can’t find it. They’ll never cross the portal on their own; but the gypsies are crafty,” Isaiah pointed out. “It won’t be long before they follow one of us! It’s not safe, them being here.”
“I agree,” Daniel murmured. “We need to get rid of them. Do you think they’ll leave, Quinn? After your warning?”
“No,” Quinn shook her head. “He’s a stubborn bastard, that Balthazar.”
Isaiah turned to Monique. “You know how serious this is?” he asked, his amber eyes holding hers.
“Yes,” she nodded meekly. She couldn’t believe that everything had escalated so quickly. She and Jonas had been so careful, and yet Balthazar had figured it out. He had known what Quinn was. Monique couldn’t blame Quinn for the way she had reacted, but she wondered if Quinn would go through with the threats she had made. Looking at her now, Quinn’s chest rising and falling heavily with each breath, and the rigid set of her jaw, Monique suspected she would.
“Monique, you understand why you can never see Jonas again?” Isaiah spoke slowly and deliberately. Quinn recognised the tone – it was the same one he had used when he asked her to keep the findings of Avery’s exhumation a secret. Quinn waited for Monique to argue. She expected the girl to go berserk, her heart ruling her head as it had done countless times before. Instead, Monique nodded, tears shining in the blue of her eyes. It was worse, so much worse, than the reaction Quinn had anticipated. “I’m sorry,” Isaiah placed a reassuring hand on Monique’s shoulder.
“May I go now?” Monique whispered, and Isaiah released her.
“Of course.”
She scarpered, and Quinn watched her departure without really seeing her. In her mind’s eye she saw only Balthazar, determined and ceaseless in his search.
“I’m going to stop him,” she muttered, almost to herself.
“How?” Isaiah asked. Even Daniel seemed to be waiting for her answer, his eyes measuring her, weighing her up, as though he was trying to figure something out. He had been acting differently round her ever since she killed Caleb, as though she was a ticking time-bomb that might detonate any minute.
“I’m not sure yet. But trust me, I will do whatever it takes to protect Summerfeld.”
When Quinn had passed through the Gateway, Daniel turned to Isaiah.
“You still believe she’s the one?” he asked thoughtfully.
“I do.”
“How can you be so sure? The prophecy speaks only of a woman… what makes you think it’s Quinn?”
“I just do,” Isaiah replied simply.
“She’s reckless.”
“She is,” Isaiah smiled as though it were a compliment.
“You have grown too fond of her, Isaiah,” Daniel cautioned. “If Quinn is indeed the one mentioned in the scrolls, she may just as easily be our downfall as our saviour.”
“I know the prophecy,” Isaiah reminded.
“Then you recall that it mentions a bond with her enemy?” The prophecy they spoke of was known only to them. It was too heavy a burden for the others to carry. It spoke of a choice that would either save or condemn them all – a choice that would be made by one woman.
“Yes, I remember,” Isaiah sighed, “but Quinn will make the right choice.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Daniel asked, searching Isaiah’s face for any sign of hesitation. He found none.
“Then you have my blessing to do what needs to be done,” said Isaiah.
“Then for your sake I hope that it is not Quinn. I do not wish to cause you pain, but if it is her choice that will either save or condemn us and she chooses wrong, I will not let her destroy everything we have sworn to protect.”
Daniel hoisted his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door. He had been on his way out to join the other Hunters when Quinn had arrived.
“Will you be long?” Isaiah asked.
“Piper has uncovered a coven a few hundred miles away. We need to attend to it, but I will be back as soon as I can. I don’t like to leave with this new development, but I trust you can handle the gypsies in my absence?” he smiled wryly at Isaiah.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Isaiah replied.
Oblivious to the fact that she was the subject of such a significant conversation, Quinn headed over to Kellan’s in search of Monique. She suspected that the girl would seek solace with the dragons, and she wanted to talk to her about what had happened. Arriving at Kellan’s she went straight round the back to the shed but Monique wasn’t there. Instead, she found Velkan playing with the hatchlings, while Anaise’s daughter Mairin looked on.
Kellan had insisted that no-one venture near the hatchlings for a while to ensure that they didn’t bond with anyone other than their chosen Faery handler. He had selected Velkan over Mairin, simply because he had more experience, and, despite his wife’s insistence that Mairin was just as capable, he couldn’t bring himself to task a woman with such a dangerous task. With the arrival of baby Sage, it was not possible for Kellan to take up the responsibility of the hatchlings himself and Velkan had willingly volunteered. Velkan had worked side-by-side with Kellan for years and he knew the risks involved.
“Hi Mairin,” Quinn greeted her first. “I heard you had taken up an apprenticeship with Kellan. How are you enjoying it?”
“It’s amazing,” Mairin smiled shyly. “I’m very grateful to him for accepting me.” Quinn recalled Kellan’s infinite patience with her and Avery when they were children.
“I’m sure you’ll learn a lot; he’s an exceptional teacher. Are we allowed to touch them yet?” she teased, addressing Velkan, who sat just inside the door of the shed, tossing raw meat up into the air. The Chumana babies scrabbled greedily, shoving one another aside. Quinn winced as Lucky, smaller than the others despite being born first, was knocked aside and trampled in the mad frenzy.
“Not yet,” Velkan was apologetic. “There are still one or two that Kellan is concerned about. They others have all bonded with me – well, except for him,” he scooped Lucky up, out of harm’s way and received a singed sleeve for his efforts. “His bark is worse than his bite,” Velkan laughed, scuffing Lucky across the nose and then scratching him behind the ears. “Although he always plays up when his mistress is gone.”
“Where is she?” Quinn asked, seizing upon the topic of Monique.
“I’m not sure; I haven’t seen her today.”
“Okay, I’ll check at Camille’s. Thanks.” As she passed Mairin she added, “Plea
se send my thanks to your dad. My shower feels like Niagara Falls since he was there last week. He’ll know what that means,” she added, as Mairin looked blank. It was easy to forget that the younger members of the Fae had never been outside of Summerfeld’s boundaries.
“I’ll tell him,” Mairin promised. Her father, Harlan, worked long hours to ensure that the Guardian homes ran smoothly.
Quinn bumped into Kellan as she reached the road.
“Quinn, so lovely to see you,” he called, coming over to give her a hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I was looking for Monique.”
“I saw her a few minutes ago, heading toward the unicorn glade.” Quinn hadn’t been so wrong after all; Monique hadn’t gone to see the dragons, but she had sought comfort from other wards. “While you’re here,’ Kellan continued happily, “I wonder if you might accompany us on Friday, up Giant’s Castle. We’re trying to find a safe place to relocate the Chumanas. Mairin is coming along and I’d feel better if we had some Guardian protection.”
“Sure,” Quinn nodded. “I’ll ask Tristan to come along too. Friday, you said?”
“Yes. I’d like to wait for this storm to blow over,” he indicated the dark clouds rolling in overhead. “I think we’re in for a few days of rain.”
Chapter 29
The climb up Giant’s Castle was grueling and Tristan slipped as a rock was dislodged beneath his foot, careening down the steep path below him.
“You okay?” Quinn called back, and he nodded. Monique muttered under her breath behind him, and Tristan grinned at her.
“You know you could stop sulking. We’re just scouting the area; it’s not as if you have to abandon Lucky today.” Monique saw the exploratory journey as yet another reminder that she would soon be separated from the baby dragon. Monique was coping with the loss of Jonas remarkably well. When the Guardians had told her she couldn’t see him anymore, Quinn had expected her to argue, but she had agreed with their decision; a haunted, hollow acceptance that belied her tender age.
Watching Velkan offering Monique his hand over a particularly steep chasm, she thought it fairly obvious that the Faery had taken a liking to the young Guardian. The Fae aged, but infinitely slowly. Velkan had been born almost two hundred years ago, but he was a fresh-faced youth. Quinn had never heard of a Fae-Guardian pairing, but she thought it far preferable to the unsuitable coupling of Monique and Jonas. Unfortunately, Monique seemed oblivious of Velkan’s regard.
“You spoke with Isaiah about the gypsies?” Tristan interrupted Quinn’s thoughts after checking that Monique wasn’t within earshot. The group had converged closer together over a flatter section of the plateau. Tristan had not spoken to Quinn much since Caleb’s death, and the dark circles below his eyes indicated it was hurting him as much as it was her.
“I did. He seems to think there’s not much we can do about it.”
“But you disagree?” Tristan gave her an arch look but Quinn ignored it. “Do you think Balthazar heeded your warning?”
“No,” she shook her head grimly. “I don’t.”
“They won’t find the Cathedral,” he spoke with absolute certainty. “And even if they do, there’s not much they can do, not against eleven trained Guardians.”
Quinn knew this to be true, but still, she was worried. She couldn’t suppress a nagging suspicion that they were underestimating Balthazar.
“What do you think?” Kellan’s voice interrupted. Quinn glanced up to see that they had reached the edge of a natural basin in the rock. It was over half a mile wide and at least half of that in depth.
“It looks good to me,” Tristan replied, “but how do we get down here?”
“There,” Velkan pointed to a section up ahead, where a rock fall had created a rudimentary staircase.
They made their way over to it and started to climb down. Tristan went first, testing the structural integrity. Much to everyone’s relief, it was sound, and, one by one, they climbed down.
“It’ll work,” Velkan confirmed when they had reached the bottom. The basin was only an hour’s hike from town, and far enough from Dragon’s Peak that the hatchlings would be relatively safe here until they were big enough to fend for themselves. There were also a few shallow caves peppering the northern wall which would provide cover if they needed it and rainwater gathered in small pools on the uneven ground.
“Good,” Kellan said, agreeing with Velkan. “It looks like our precious Chumanas have a new home.”
Monique couldn’t find any fault with their surroundings, but she looked even glummer than before. Quinn sympathised. Monique had bonded with Lucky just as much as he had with her. Velkan moved closer to her.
“I’ll be out here every day,” he said, “bringing them food. You’re welcome to come with me and then you’ll see him all the time.”
“I guess,” Monique agreed. “It just won’t be the same.”
It was a solemn walk back. Monique’s depression affected everyone, until Kellan stopped suddenly, a small smile crossing over his face.
“There’s something that might make you feel better,” he murmured to Monique, pointing down the mountainside at what appeared to be a large boulder. Monique frowned, not quite knowing what she was looking at. Then the giant moved.
“Oh,” Monique’s eyes danced with excitement. It was the first time she had seen them close-up. “He’s so big,” she breathed.
“Actually, that’s a female,” Quinn grinned.
“How can you tell?”
“The hair,” Velkan interrupted quickly, determined to impress. Monique squinted at the enormous figure, finally spotting what looked like an old bird’s nest perched on the crown of the giant’s head. “The males are completely bald,” Velkan continued, pointing to another giant who had just come into view. At the sight of him, the female gave a roar of recognition that reverberated through the mountains surrounding them before lumbering over to her mate and shoving him so hard that he fell over. Monique laughed out loud and Quinn and Kellan moved away, allowing Velkan to explain more about the giants to his captive audience of one.
“Do you think we’ll see any dwarves?” Monique asked after a time.
“No,” Velkan shook his head. “They share this range with the Giants, but they won’t venture too close to them – they might get eaten. They’ll be staying far away from this pair.”
When they finally made their way back to town Quinn was surprised that Tristan followed her toward Camille’s house.
“You’re going to visit Jack and Ava?” he asked, and then, when she answered yes, “me too.”
Quinn was acutely aware that this was the first time they had been alone since the disastrous incident at the movie theatre.
“No, you know what,” Tristan announced suddenly, taking her hand and pulling her in a different direction. “We can do that later. You and I need to talk.” Quinn let him lead her all the way up to his front door. Only when they were inside did he finally let go of her hand.
“I can’t stand much more of this,” he spoke candidly. “I only just got you back and I feel like I’m losing you all over again.”
“You’re not losing me. We’re just… this whole situation is so complicated.”
“Tell me about it! I feel like a teenager again. I have no idea how to act around you, what to say. Please tell me I’m not alone.”
“You’re not,” Quinn smiled, relieved to hear him say it. “This is completely awkward. And it doesn’t help that all this other stuff keeps cropping up.”
“You mean like an entire dragon species verging on extinction, the first female werewolf Alpha in the history of time, a convoy of gypsies settling on our doorstep and you killing a ward and becoming besties with a vampire?” he grinned hysterically.
“Yeah, that stuff.” Quinn fought the urge to laugh. It was as if her entire world had been turned upside down and she didn’t know which way was up anymore.
“Are you still seeing him?” Tristan asked sudd
enly, sobering her. She had expected the Caleb issue to far outweigh his concern over Drake.
“No,” she answered truthfully. “He’s gone.” Tristan tried to figure out if she was telling the truth.
“Good.”
“Tristan, you do know that he’s just a friend… nothing more.” All the weight seemed to lift from his shoulders.
“I needed to hear that,” he admitted.
“Look we have a lot on our plates, but I meant what I said, we’re okay.” The truth about Avery’s death reared its ugly head and Quinn averted her eyes.
“But you still can’t tell me what’s going on?” Tristan probed, sensing her discomfort. “The secret you’re keeping from me?”
“No, I can’t. I’m…”
“Don’t apologise,” he cut her short. “Just know that I’m here if you need me.”
“I know. Thank you.” She half-expected him to kiss her, but he didn’t and she felt oddly deflated.
“We’ll get through this,” he promised, “together.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Determined, Quinn headed for the Gateway. She would have it out with Isaiah once and for all. She couldn’t keep the truth about Avery’s death a secret, not from Tristan, not anymore. It had already almost driven a wedge between them, and she doubted that their relationship could survive if he found out what she had been keeping from him.
As she neared the courtyard Quinn noticed Monique ahead of her. She was about to call out, but something about the furtive way Monique was moving made her stop. When Monique disappeared through the Gateway, Quinn increased her pace. As she landed in the Cathedral she heard Isaiah’s voice.
“Have fun,” he called, as the Cathedral doors slammed shut. “Hello Quinn,” he added, turning to face her.
“Where is Monique?” Quinn asked, all thoughts of Tristan gone.
“She’s gone for a walk. She loves it out there in the woods, she’s forever wandering around. Why, is something the matter?”
Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4 Page 47
