Watching the frail old woman shuffling down the steps, her long braided hair pure white with age, Lenora gave an indiscreet chuckle. Quick as a flash, Evangeline rounded on her, and Lenora’s laughter died in her throat. The older woman’s eyes were as white as her hair, but they stared directly at Lenora.
“She’s blind?” Lenora gasped, when Evangeline had moved on, aided by Kellan.
“She sees things that others can’t,” Freya replied, which wasn’t an answer, either way.
“There are no more,” Liam spoke softly. “It’s time to go.”
Drake didn’t want to leave without Quinn, but Lenora insisted.
“You want them to trust you, you do as they say,” she whispered, as they followed the others out of the City. “Quinn doesn’t want you around right now, understandably,” she added, throwing him a look that clearly said, ‘I told you so.’
Heaving a sigh, knowing she would have a lot more to say later, he forced himself to keep moving.
The Orochian dragon was waiting near the fountain when they returned and Monique walked straight toward it.
“Put her here,” Monique spoke softly to Micah, and, with Kellan’s help, he draped Mairin’s pale form across the dragon’s shoulders. The Orochian stayed perfectly still, as though it sensed the value of the precious burden it now carried.
“Monique!” Kellan warned, as she tried to hoist the heavy crate up onto its back. The Orochians had destroyed the last of the adult Chumana dragons and here Monique was loading the hatchlings onto an Orochian’s back. To his surprise, the Orochian merely snorted, twisting its neck around and sniffing the crate. He flattened his ears against his head and gave an unearthly screech, but Monique didn’t seem concerned, smacking him hard on the nose as she would an unruly dog.
“No!” she snapped, clambering onto his back. Velkan gazed up at her with adoring admiration, and even Kellan smiled.
“It seems the rumours are true,” he whispered. “The dragons really will do a rider’s bidding, no matter what it is.”
Kellan had known Alain, the original dragon rider. He had been able to tame the beasts too, but he had never attempted anything like this.
“Jonas, get on,” Monique called down, but Jonas shook his head. His arms were in agony and there was no way he would be able to hold on.
“I’ll take care of him,” Lenora offered, sensing Monique was torn. Mindful of Isadora’s quiet sobs, they all stepped back as the Orochian beat its enormous wings and took off into the night.
“Time to go,” Liam instructed, and he led the weary party up and out of Cliffdale.
Deep inside Summerfeld, Quinn’s group proceeded with caution as they continued their search for the unicorns. Having Isaiah and Daniel with her comforted Quinn, but ironically, it was her father’s solid presence beside her that calmed her the most, as they moved like shadows through the dark. Quinn could sense the vampires even though they were nowhere near her, and she marvelled at her new hunting instinct, sending it out into the night around her and stretching her ability. She was already getting a feel for it and how best to use it. They walked for some time, encountering no threat. The woods were ominously silent with no sign of any life but still they pressed on. Nobody wanted to admit that they were wasting their time. If it was at all possible that even one unicorn remained, it was their duty to find it.
A screech broke the dead calm and Quinn turned to see the mighty Orochian rise up into the air and head east. They had covered a lot of ground and she could barely discern Monique astride the dragon’s back, but it looked as though there was something or someone else with her.
“They’re leaving,” Braddon murmured.
“At least they made it,” Daniel’s relief was obvious.
“The sun will be up soon,” Quinn observed. “Do you think the vampires will leave? Maybe we could take back the City...?”
“There isn’t any point,” Daniel interrupted. “Summerfeld no longer exists. It is now simply an extension of the human town of New Haven. It’s best to get as far away as we can.”
“And then what?”
“Then we prepare for the worst. Without the enchantments to conceal the wards, they’re vulnerable. We won’t be able to hide forever. The vampires will hunt us down in man’s realm as they did centuries ago, before the City was ever created. This war is only just beginning.”
“The Blood War was never really over,” Isaiah added. “Eldon simply put it on hold. Now we will have to finish it, one way or another.” He didn’t add that, without the Fae magic, it would hardly be a war – it would be a slaughter. At the defeated look on the others’ faces, Daniel spoke determinedly.
“We will open the Rose Gate and release Wintyr from the temple,” he vowed. “Only Eldon’s heir and the magic of the Fae can restore the City. But until then, we have to protect the survivors.” There was no doubt that the tragic events of this night would never be reversed. Species would be lost, and the ten would cease to exist, but they could save the wolves and the Fae. With any luck, the Dragons and the merfolk would survive on their own.
“Shhh,” Braddon waved his arm, silencing them. “Do you hear that?” Quinn strained her ears and heard it, too. Her heart soared as the sound of galloping hooves reached them, soft at first, but growing in volume with every passing second. As one, they rushed to intercept the sound.
The unicorns were almost upon them when Isaiah let out a melodious whistle. Primera burst from the trees, rearing up on his hind legs and almost crushing Quinn on his way down. Zinnia was with him, and, to Quinn’s delight, so was Dessa, Primera’s previous mate. Most astonishing, however, was the sight of Balthazar and Rowena and Cosima astride three of the four mares in tow.
“They’re coming!” Balthazar gave a cry of warning and Quinn’s stomach turned as she sensed the vampires closing in on them. Knowing he would not tolerate a male rider, Quinn vaulted onto Primera’s back. Daniel mounted Zinnia and Isaiah, Dessa. Sheehan almost bucked Braddon off as he clambered clumsily onto her back, and Quinn recalled that her father had never been particularly prone to riding as had the other Guardians.
The vampires had slain most of the herd and Primera would not wait a moment longer. Rearing up again, with Quinn clinging to his mane, he ricocheted forward and the six mares thundered after him. Not a moment too soon, Quinn thought, as she felt rather than heard the pursuit of the vampires moving through the woods toward them.
Bypassing the courtyard, the Guardians guided their mounts to the far right of the Cathedral as they galloped flat out up the long hill which led out of the valley. Quinn glanced back at the chaos that had previously been the City of Summerfeld. The devastating damage to the Cathedral became harder to discern, the further away they travelled. It was situated in the very centre of the cornflower field and the City itself stretched beyond. With a heavy heart, Quinn’s eyes trailed from the Lunar woods on one side of the City, to the mountains that rose up in the east - a formidable backdrop to the town nestled in the centre. For a thousand years this place had served as a sanctuary to the last remaining survivors of the mystical realm. They had failed. The Guardians had failed.
The army of vampires followed them for only a few moments, falling back as the impending dawn finally called a halt to their night of terror and Quinn faced forward once more, toward an uncertain future.
Chapter 8
By the time they reached the clearing the unicorns were exhausted. Their flanks heaved and froth covered their mouths and their eyes rolled wildly in sheer terror.
At the sight of the others, safe, and gloriously alive, Quinn felt her knees go weak; although their pitiful number reminded her, once again, just how much they had lost during the terrifying course of the previous evening. Braddon slid to the ground before Sheehan had even slowed to a walk, thrilled to be back on solid ground. Daniel hastened over to Liam for a report on what had happened, but Quinn noticed Isaiah hesitate, his eyes searching the group. Two people were conspicuous by their absence.
“Where are Drake and Lenora?” Isaiah murmured, confirming Quinn’s suspicions. She knew he was most concerned for Lenora, but was trying desperately to hide it.
“They left shortly after we arrived.” It was Liam who answered. “The sun was rising.”
Kellan and Velkan immediately led the small herd to the stream, comforting them in low voices. The Orochian, soothed by Monique’s presence, barely lifted his great head as they passed. Assessing the faeries huddled together in the centre of the clearing, Quinn was surprised to see Evangeline had made it out. The Fae woman had always been reclusive, but now she stood tall and proud, her bow at the ready, watching over the other women. The wolves had formed a protective circle around them, in various states of undress. The Fae had offered up what little clothing they could to protect their modesty, but it wasn’t necessary. Dark stains of blood and dirt cloaked them, like a second skin. It took Quinn a moment to locate the source of the soft weeping emanating from the huddled group at their feet, but the second she took in Isadora’s creased, woe-begone face, and the still form on the ground beside her, she knew what had happened.
Placing one foot in front of the other, Quinn stepped forward until she was gazing down at the body. Too many Fae had lost their lives tonight, but the sight of Mairin, a beautiful young faery who epitomised the very best of them, filled Quinn with a hopelessness that threatened to overwhelm her. Biting back a cry of rage, she quickly backed away, wishing she could eradicate the sight from her mind but it was burned into her memory.
Casting a helpless glance around, she spotted Rowena stooped over Jonas, who was moaning softly, his face white as a sheet but covered in sweat. Rowena’s maternal concern brought something else to the forefront of Quinn’s mind. She had deliberately not thought of Jack and Ava since the fighting began, but now that the wards were safe, at least temporarily, her fear for the twins’ safety swooped over her. Isaiah was washing the Slayer sword in the stream as she approached.
“Isaiah,” her voice trembled, “Camille and the twins...”
“I will send word to let them know what has happened,” he soothed. “They will know not to return.”
“Tristan is the traitor. Jack and Ava aren’t safe. He’ll find them.”
“Only I know where they are,” Isaiah reminded her. “Tristan will not find them, trust me. Besides, despite what he has done, Jack and Ava are his children. I doubt Tristan will want them anywhere near the vampires.”
“We have no idea what Tristan is capable of,” Quinn spat. Now that she had had time to think she was overcome with embarrassment and furious that she hadn’t realised what was going on. Of all the Guardians she had been closest to Tristan and yet she hadn’t considered that he might be the traitor. She hadn’t wanted to believe it. Maybe if she had, if she had just paid closer attention, she might have been able to stop him.
“Quinn,” Isaiah placed a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known.”
She opened her mouth to protest, and then shut it again, tears of humiliation pricking at her eyes. Only now that they were out of immediate danger was the gravity of what Tristan had done becoming real.
“Why?” she whispered desolately. “Why would he do this?”
“That is something we may never know,” Isaiah replied. “It is possible that Avery’s death unhinged him, or perhaps he was never as committed to Summerfeld as we believed him to be.”
“Or maybe he was always rotten to the core,” Quinn’s anger was building, and her body trembled as she recalled how sweetly he had seduced her. “I believed him,” she shook her head in disgust. “I believed that he cared for me... that he loved me, when all he wanted was my crystal. Mine and Avery’s.”
Isaiah didn’t question how she knew this and Quinn was grateful for that fact. Tristan had only really started courting her in earnest when he learned that she had discovered the location of Avery’s crystal. He had also shown up in Brookfield when she went to hide the crystals, on the pretext of missing her. No doubt he had hoped to persuade her to tell him where she had hidden them, or, even better, to catch her in the act. Wordlessly she withdrew the crystals from her pocket, shuddering at how close she had come to losing them.
“You’re sure Jack and Ava will be all right?” she asked, not looking up.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Quinn exhaled a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts.
“Camille is going to go crazy when she hears what’s happened. You know how she gets where Monique is concerned.”
“Monique can call her as soon as we get to someplace safe.”
The sun protected them for now, but it wouldn’t be long before they were all being hunted again.
Trying to think of somewhere they could go, Quinn watched absentmindedly as the unicorns lowered their heads to drink, when a terrible thought occurred to her.
“The fountain...” she gasped. The water out here in the human world would satisfy their thirst, but, without the fountain of youth, the wards would eventually lose their immortality.
“We will return when the Rose Temple is opened,” Isaiah eased her fears. “When Wintyr resurrects the enchantments and restores the City, he will make sure of it.” They fell silent as Piper approached, her clothing torn and bloody. Piper had fought well tonight, but she bore the scars of the violence far more deeply than the others.
“We can’t stay here,” she murmured, “we’re too close.” Quinn gazed around the clearing, wondering where on earth they would be safe. They were down to eight Guardians. Even with the help of their new gypsy friends, sixteen faeries, six wolves, seven unicorns, eight Chumana hatchlings and a fully grown Orochian dragon were going to be hard to hide.
“Balthazar,” she turned to where the gypsy knelt beside Rowena. Rowena was bandaging Jonas’s arms with a heavy strip of fabric torn from her skirt. Satisfied that Jonas would be okay, Balthazar got to his feet and came to stand before them. He was hesitant, still unsure of his reception.
“Do you know of any place we might be able to hide?” Quinn asked.
“So now you are prepared to accept my help?” he replied wryly.
“You saved them,” Quinn gestured at the small herd, which, having quenched their thirst, were shaking their heads in distress. “If it wasn’t for you they wouldn’t be here. That’s good enough for me.” She swallowed her pride and held out her right hand. Balthazar hesitated only a moment before grasping it firmly in his own.
“We are here to help,” he stressed, “but I’m sorry, I do not know of such a place.”
Quinn nodded her acceptance. It had been a long shot.
There was only one other person left to ask. Drake might know of somewhere they could take refuge, and, as much as Quinn didn’t want to ask for his help, she hardly had a choice. She also had a fairly good idea where she might find him.
“Stay here,” she told the others. “Please,” she added, as her father and Daniel made to argue. “I have an idea, but I need to check it out. We’re safe here for now, at least, but we need to find somewhere to go before night falls. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
As she jogged away, Daniel turned to Braddon. “Follow her,” he murmured.
It was a few miles to town but Quinn barely broke a sweat as she ran. When she entered the quiet streets she deliberately concealed herself, ducking in and out of alleyways and hiding in an underground parking lot until she was sure she had lost her tail. She wasn’t upset that they had sent someone after her, in fact, she had expected it, but she didn’t want any witnesses to what she was about to do.
She knew, long before entering the diner that he wasn’t there. Her Hunter’s instinct alerted her to his presence a good mile off and she followed the trail to an abandoned schoolyard.
“I hoped you might find me,” Drake spoke as she approached him from behind. He was sitting on a peeling bench, his dark head gazing at something near the ground at his feet.
“I on
ly came here because I had no one else to ask.” Her voice was cold and devoid of any emotion. “I need to find somewhere safe... somewhere we can go where they won’t find us.”
“And you trust me enough to take my word for it?”
“I don’t trust you at all,” she bit out savagely, “but you owe me this.” Wearily he got to his feet and turned to face her.
“I do,” he agreed. Finally lifting his eyes, he read her intention in the icy violet of her own. “And after I tell you?” he whispered, and Quinn knew that he understood what she had come here to do.
“Do you know of a place?” she avoided his question.
“Yes.”
“Where is it?” He didn’t answer; he just stood there, staring at her. When he did speak, it was to ask a question of his own.
“Are you really going to kill me, Quinn?”
He wasn’t going to tell her what she wanted to know, and, as soon as she realised it, Quinn launched her attack with the stake she had concealed behind her back. She had come here to kill him whether he helped her or not. He had murdered Blair in cold blood and he had helped Charlotte destroy everything she held dear. The blood of the slaughtered wards was on his hands.
Drake deflected her first blow, but not very effectively, as though his heart wasn’t in it. Quinn immediately swivelled on the spot, adjusting her position and coming at him from the other side. Again, he knocked her arm aside just in time, but the tip of her stake grazed his chest, slicing a clean line through his black shirt and across his pale skin. Despite her rage, Quinn felt his pain as if it were her own.
“Fight back, you son of a bitch!” she screamed, unable to get a clear shot at his heart. She needed this to end quickly before she lost her nerve. Throwing herself forward, she brought them both crashing to the ground.
“I won’t hurt you,” Drake hissed, through clenched teeth. The pain of his wound hindered his ability to fight back even if he had wanted to, but he held her at bay, grabbing the stake in her hand with both of his and keeping it only a few inches above his chest as Quinn pushed down with all of her strength. Inch by inch the deadly tip moved closer to his heart, shuddering as Quinn’s hands shook with exertion. Her face grew red and her eyes narrowed with the effort.
Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4 Page 60
