Out Of The Darkness

by Calle J. Brookes

  Cass returned the baby to the goddess, then watched as Kennera left. Then Cass found herself alone. With the weight of so many worlds and peoples swirling around inside her head.

  Chapter 46

  Nalik could smell the ravages of the fire before the ether of the portkey cleared around them. They were back in the gardens of the Dardanos resort. But it was destroyed. Cassandra’s grotto was scorched, not a vine or plant she’d worked so hard over the last year to grow remained.

  It hurt him and he ached for her, for what the destruction would do to his female once she learned of it.

  “How much damage did the structure take?” He studied the sandstone walls. Fire streaks in an unnatural pattern covered the walls—even those of the inner courtyard. He looked closer at the ash streaks. Circles, almost runic in nature, spaced at even intervals along the stone.

  Someone with some damned strong power—especially in this realm—had been behind the attack on the hotel.

  And that was exactly what it had been, an attack. But was it the result of this upcoming war, or was it something else?

  Rydere stood at his side, his own gaze focused on the building. Nalik understood how the destruction would hurt the other male. Rydere had built every bit of this city, almost completely from nothing.

  They had arrived in Colorado four hundred years ago, when it was nothing but wilds and native humans, with nothing but their swords, their men, and weak and hungry women and children. They’d numbered less than a thousand, then. And Rydere had led them ever since. Had grown that thousand to fifteen times that.

  This was a blow against all of them. “You can rebuild.”

  Rydere looked at him, bleakness in his eyes. “Yes. But when?”

  “When the war is over. Wars always end. We’ve learned that before.” Aodhan stepped up to Rydere’s other side. “They burn their path of destruction, but then someone shows up to build upon that path. Bringing flowers and children. We will do this. But first; let’s see what of our families’ homes remain. Theo wishes me to fetch him some books. Let’s see if they were nothing more than tinder for the fire.”

  Nalik would seek out his own suite of rooms, find the files he was there to fetch to begin with. Then he’d grab a few of the family heirlooms he didn’t really want, but a babe might like in the far future.

  Then he’d turn his back on Gaia, for what he knew would be a long while. He could not bring Cassandra back here until the destruction was healed. It would hurt her far too much.

  “You can rebuild. Here. The demon world. Levia. It doesn’t matter. You have your female, you have hope for a future.”

  Only three of the ten wings had been completely destroyed by the fire. Cormac’s had suffered close to sixty-percent damage—Kindara’s suite was completely gone, as was her daughter’s—and Theo’s brother Thad had lost most of his suite—but for the most part the building still stood. Half the healer’s wing was beyond repair. The pools and some of the common rooms were nothing but ash.

  But as far as they could tell, no lives had been lost from the city of 15,484 people, including six hundred humans. Most of them had evacuated to other cities on Rydere’s orders.

  Rydere met him in the courtyard an hour after they’d parted. He held a small box of items, himself. Nalik carried only the box of files from Taniss’s laboratory and a leather bag. Inside the bag were all of the Black House jewels and trinkets that he wanted to pass down. It was not much, but his children would have them, these few possessions of Erastine’s that he’d found in the room his mother had kept as a shrine to his sister. He’d found a few of Iavius’s toys from so long ago, as well. Someday, he would give the toys to his own babes—or give them to Kindara to pass on to her own demon spawn. Iavius would have wanted Kindara happy—even if it was in the arms of a damned demon. He would have just wanted the woman he’d loved above all else happy.

  Nalik could finally understand that.

  He’d looked around the wing of the hotel that had been his to rule for four hundred years and felt no attachment to any part of it. It was just a place, and one in which he doubted he would ever be truly happy in again.

  Unless she was there.

  And it would take too much to repair the world around the hotel of the scars of fire for him to bring his little Druid anywhere near this world anytime soon. It would take years to cleanse the ground of the evil someone, most likely a sorcerer or witch or deity of great strength and power, had wielded in this land.

  He would return at a later date to pick through the hotel once more, gathering his family’s treasures again, once he and Cassandra had a house of their own to furnish.

  “That is all you wish to take with you?” Rydere asked. “Destruction that bad?”

  “Nothing was worth carrying back through the portkey.”

  “I grabbed you this.” Rydere held out a bag Nalik recognized. A pink and purple schoolbag. “She dropped it that day you two disappeared. And I grabbed the rest of her stuff from her room. She didn’t have much in there. The Wolf god took a load of stuff through already. He and Jushua have returned to the demon world. I’m just waiting for Aodhan to return with the wolf.”

  “Taniss?”

  “Jason is talking to his brothers now. Aodhan went along to add backing. He and his father-in-law actually get along quite well.”

  Nalik nodded. “And ours?”

  “On his way here now. I called him.”

  “And it was that simple?”

  “That was all it took. I told him that Cassandra and Emily had need of him. He is a good man, Nalik, who loves his daughters very, very much. He could be much worse, I suppose.” Rydere cursed again when he looked around them at the windows busted from flames, the scarred remains of fruit trees, the scorched rocks that surrounded the grotto. “I have given the orders to FEMA that the humans are not to be allowed back into this town. I have told them we will go bankrupt if we try to restore the infrastructure to a town this size. It’s happened. Dardanos is finished.”

  Nalik remembered the talks they’d had, how they’d debated everything from sanitation systems to education to political structure for their fledgling city so many centuries ago. And in the years since. “Nothing is permanent. After these wars end, you can return. With your female and any babes. Our people will follow you here. At least most of them. You can rebuild.”

  Rydere looked straight at him. “Can I? Somehow I wonder.”

  Chapter 47

  After about four hours had passed Cass was convinced all of the people—demons, Dardaptoans, goddesses, and werewolves, sisters and cousins—all of them were crazy.

  And not a single one of them except Kennera and Eaudne were happy with the idea of Cass being Rajni to Nalik. Aureliana, maybe. So many of them feared him; did they realize that?

  Kennera had to be insane to think the people would look to Nalik to lead them. How could they?

  She’d made her decision when she had watched him disappear into that portkey. She’d wanted to run after him, the desire almost overwhelming her. It made things very clear for her. She’d missed him more than she’d ever thought possible. Whatever the future held for her, she would face it with him beside her. She would act on her instincts, for once, and they were telling her that he was what she wanted and needed.

  And the goddess had given her a lot to think about.

  Eaudne and Aureliana had stayed nearby, for some reason. They’d even insisted she go with them to investigate the nearest city. It had once housed the Rhacshas demons, but they’d been killed when Aureliana had become Laquazzean. Now the city sat empty; Rathan had decried the Dardaptoans could use it and make it their new home.

  Cass had studied a map of the city when Aureliana asked her opinion on it. There were several invasive plant species that would need to be dealt with, and Cass had a great desire to study them. One was supposed to be a great plant of coagulant potential. Aureliana was collecting samples for Josey to test. Cormac and Josey, as well as Jade and B
arlaam, were staying in the demon world to work with Kindara on studying the plants and medicines of Relaklonos. Cass figured she could make herself useful by studying the plant aspect of things.

  Rathan had already contacted several horticulturists from his kingdom to have them meet with her when she decided the time was right.

  Eaudne was overseeing the gathering of non-perishable food supplies and clothing and blankets. Thrun had apparently once been a Rhaschas demon city, and from what Aureliana had told her, Rhaschas were only four feet or so, and were quite filthy. Jushua’s fighters and many other volunteers were setting up temporary headquarters outside the city and spending their hours during the day sanitizing and making it habitable for the families and children.

  Cormac had suggested rather strongly that she dress herself in traditional Dardaptoan clothing—in white. With a black scarf. She’d borrowed the clothing from Josey, and Aureliana had provided a scarf from somewhere. Cass understood the significance. It would tell Nalik’s people that she was Equa of their House, and to signify that they were to come to her with their needs.

  Cass had never held a position of authority in her life, and she wasn’t sure she could—or should—start now. But Aureliana had thought it was a good idea, too.

  The goddess words continued to play in her head over and over, as the day stretched on.

  Every Kind had its evil.

  Was that evil coming for her?

  Maybe the trip to Thrun would distract her from waiting for him to return. It would be at least a few days, hadn’t he said that?

  Thrun was more beautiful then she’d expected, mostly white stone with black accents. Plants were everywhere—most that she couldn’t identify.

  There was even a capitol building, where whoever oversaw the city could live. It was three times as large as any of the holdings of her family, and was at least half the size of the Dardanos hotel. The furnishings were overly large for the Rhacshas, making them just the right size for her and the other women with her. Once the building was cleaned and sanitized properly, those who led and guided the new Relaklonos Dardaptoans would live very comfortably.

  Aureliana and her demon Rajni stayed close to Cass at all times. Aureliana joked with her and hovered over her. But Cass didn’t mind; something about Mallory’s sister-in-law felt right to her.

  Eaudne hovered over Cass, too. Even at Thrun. Strange, but it was nice. Reminded her of Claudette, even. Their housekeeper had pampered Cass sometimes, too. Was Eaudne looking at Cass and seeing Rajna? Like she had obviously looked at Nalik and saw Kilan?

  The seventh hour after Nalik had left, Cass was feeling quiet comfortable in the capitol building of Thrun. Enough that she was making her way through the main quarters of what had once been the palatial suite of the Rhaschas minor king, according to Rathan, who was wondering around the building with Kindara somewhere. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but it was where she’d ended up.

  Once she entered the room with its white marble-like floor and walls, speckled with black jewels, with its bathroom with white marble tub and large green plants vining along trellises she knew that this was where Nalik and she would live when in this city. It was absolutely beautiful.

  There was a side door that led to a private, enclosed garden. It was perfect.

  She heard someone behind her and she turned to see Eaudne and Aureliana. They were smiling softly.

  Eaudne held out her hands and Cass took them. “We found it yesterday, child. We took one look and new that this was where you and your male would be happy.”

  “We do not know that Nalik will want to live in Thrun. Or whether the people will follow him as you seem to think.” She gave lip service to the precautions, but she knew in her heart that what they said was going to happen. It was just a matter of time. Yet it was becoming a fact for everyone so quickly. Did it always work that way with Rajnis? “Someone else may end up living here, and we stay at the castle—”

  The palace shook around them. Cass screamed, a little. Eaudne pulled on her hand and they both followed Aureliana out of the room and down the hall toward the main staircase. She could hear Ren, Aureliana’s demon husband, bellowing Aureliana’s name. He was close, then. He flashed to their side, appearing out of nowhere. She’d seen Rathan do that a time or two. This time she was glad to see the man, even if he was completely purple. He grabbed Aureliana and pulled her to him. “Earthquake.”

  Cass remembered the last earthquake she’d been in. It was not something she ever wanted to repeat. “Do they happen around here often?”

  “Only when someone with powerful magic is screwing with things that he ought not be. Come, we are returning to the castle. I will not have you out here and vulnerable,” the big demon said, ushering them all outside where nothing could fall on them.

  Cass fully agreed.

  “Keep the human between us. She is the one most vulnerable.” The demon had his sword drawn. Was he planning to fight an earthquake with a sword nearly as big as Cass?

  What was she thinking? She couldn’t live in the world of demons. She couldn’t. There was no way she would ever understand this place, or be able to ever live by his side. Especially if he was supposed to become the leader of more than four hundred thousand people. That was just insane!

  “Why is he so nervous of an earthquake?”

  “Apparently it’s forbidden to use such strong powers in this area because of the faulty geology. It could cause much of the structure to collapse. It’s been banned for millennia.” Aureliana was calmer than Cass could ever hope to be. “That someone is using magic in this area cannot be good.”

  “You don’t think they’re aiming at the castle, do you? Are the others safe?”

  “They are well,” Eaudne said, as she began emanating a bright yellow light. “Whoever is doing this is seeking one specific target.”

  “Who?”

  “You, baby, you.” Eaudne encased her in the light. Aureliana pressed close on the other side, a blue glow surrounding her. “They want you. And we will ensure that they do not get you.”

  “Why would they want me?”

  “Probably because of that outfit you wear. You will always be a target, Cass. You must remember that.” Aureliana wrapped her arm around Cass’s shoulder, her other hand gripping her sword. The demon was in front of Aureliana, ready to defend them all. “I can take you out of here, Cass, and leave the sorcerer or whatever it is to Eaudne and Ren. Will you come with me?”

  Cass nodded.

  The glow turned a bright green. Aureliana stepped into it, pulling on Cass’s hand.

  Cass followed.

  Chapter 48

  Nalik’s first meeting with his father-in-law went about as how he’d expected it to go. The man studied him and Nalik knew he was found lacking. Aodhan and the Lupoiux Taniss alpha arrived with the two eldest Taniss brothers fifteen minutes after Nalik and Rydere met in the remains of the gardens.

  One look at Cassandra’s father told Nalik that the man had been informed of Nalik’s claim upon his youngest child.

  “You are far too old for Cass. She’s…”

  “Stronger than she looks. There’s an inner strength about your daughter that I shall not ever underestimate. But it runs parallel to a vulnerability that weakens me every time I see it. I shall take care of her, and I shall ensure she is happy.”

  “Nothing I say will make much difference in this, will it?” Rydere had told Nalik that Taniss’s oldest son knew exactly what Rydere was—what all of the occupants of the hotel were. Or had been. It had been a chance that Nalik wasn’t so sure he’d have taken himself, but it had worked out well for Rydere and Taniss. They had a mutual respect between them that Nalik had to say he admired. But could he blame the other man for not thinking Nalik was as worthy as Rydere? Truth was, that he wasn’t. “You believe your goddess gave you my daughter and that is it.”

  “No; that isn’t just it. If Cassandra wishes it, she can refuse me. I will not go far away from
her side, for her own protection, but I will not force a relationship on her. It would kill me to do so, but I will see her happy, no matter what.”

  “She needs plants. Quiet. Flowers.”

  “She is Druid. She’ll have what she needs. No matter where we are, she will have her plants. I will see to it.”

  “I did not know what my father did to her. I was stupid. I never knew what he was doing. I know that cannot erase what was done to your people, but know that if we had known, my brothers and I would have stopped him.”

  Nalik had to respect how the other man looked him straight in the eye and didn’t make excuses for what had occurred. “We will not speak of it again. It was your father, not you. Not your daughter, either.”

  “She’s my baby.” Confusion and grief were in Taniss’s words now. “I do not want to lose her just yet. But I have not had her for over a year now. I know that in my head. But in my heart, she’s the little girl who begged me for a flower when she was three. I can’t stop seeing that.”

  “Come with us.” Nalik wanted that for her in that moment so strongly he was half tempted to just take the man, consenting or not. “Live with your daughters. Know that they are happy and well taken care of. Loved. Now is the time for new beginnings. One can be there for you, as well.”

  Taniss stared at him for the longest moment. “My housekeeper is retiring. Returning to Oregon to be with her children and grandchildren. She wanted me to go with her. To continue our relationship out there.”