The roar of a great cat shook her, even inside the bubble.
She was thrown from side to side like a marble being shaken within a cup. And then she was tossed unto the solid, dusty ground, landing hard and rolling to her knees. She glanced backward and up.
A porthole whirled shut.
The last thing Rhianna saw was the horror reflected in a pair of tiger’s eyes.
In shock, she sat on the ground staring up at Theodora. That old saying from The Wizard of Oz echoed in her head: we’re not in Kansas anymore. Her eyes darted around. Everything was a colorless gray with a heavy dose of barren and stark.
“That’s right, sweetheart. Get a good look at your new home,” Theodora said, seeming totally pleased with herself.
Rhianna stood. Instinctively she knew that it wasn’t a good idea to aggravate her abductor, but she couldn’t help saying, “You’ve made a mistake. I need to go back.” She heard the panic rise in her own voice.
Theodora laughed. “They all say that.”
Rhianna wondered how many people “they” were. She swallowed hard. The place smelled like dust, stale and old. Abruptly, like a cat who wasn’t finished playing with a new toy, Theodora swished her scepter, floating Rhianna over the ground. She moved like a tumbleweed as Theodora flicked her around. When she finally released her, Rhianna was so disoriented she staggered, then halted, then staggered some more.
As the dizziness subsided, she noticed people entering the streets. Maybe this was just a ghost town movie set or something. It seemed that way. Maybe this was all a hoax. Maybe she was losing her mind.
She inhaled deeply and coughed on the stale air.
“Rhianna!”
She heard her name and turned. Dillon Savage ran into the street, Steve and Sean right behind him.
Oh god. The only people who knew exactly where she was were in this hellhole with her? She grabbed her stomach. Her lunch was threatening to spill.
“Now,” Theodora remarked, “go join the other new recruits. The next war game is at five, so you’d best prepare.”
Rhianna was about to ask what a war game was, but the sorceress vanished in a puff of smoke. Stunned, Rhia moved toward Savage and the men. She glanced along the street as she walked. Dozens and dozens of people were staring at her with empty eyes and sad faces.
Savage tugged her into the closest building. It was sparsely furnished inside—just an old sofa and some chairs. Again, she thought of a movie set. She’d watched programs on filming; she’d even considered film as a profession in her youth.
Rhianna wrapped her arms around her middle. None of this seemed real. It couldn’t be real.
* * *
Aidan’s roar did nothing to stop it. Theodora had been silent in her attack. He’d had no warning, no way to catch them, no way to leap through to the other side.
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the Divine Tree. He had only one chance to bring her back. That was, if Custos would give him the key to crossing.
He would go to the catacombs and appeal to the Divine Tree. He would even call upon Seth to guard the tree in Aidan’s absence.
Changing into his human form, Aidan halted outside a space between the rocks. There, he slid into a hidden entrance that led to an underground passageway. “Seth! Seth!” He glanced up to the heavens, as if that would help summon the archangel. “Get your ass down here.”
He didn’t actually know if Seth was in heaven or hanging someplace else right now. He only knew that when he called the angel, somehow the angel showed up. Just as he did for all the Hearst brothers ever since he’d made them Guardians.
Inside the tunnel, he made his way to the roots of the tree. He paused at the threshold of golden knots of wood in the shapes of tiger and eagle. He held his wrist beneath a pointed root and waited for the drip of sap, the anointing ritual that joined him with his tree. In his impatience, it seemed to take forever, but at last, Custos recognized Aidan with a drop of amber sap onto his tattoo.
“Benison,” he whispered, feeling the power of the oak.
“Benison,” the tree replied.
It hadn’t been long ago that he’d conferred with his brothers over the changing tide of the Dark Realm. Since the one hundred days before the Age of Atonement had begun, all evil forces were scrambling for change, to find the best position from which to win redemption they didn’t deserve. Theodora was one of those forces. He knew he should’ve told his brothers what happened as soon as Theodora had appeared again, but since Rhianna had shown up, he’d been a bit preoccupied. He didn’t even want to think about the earful they would give him. Maybe if he could fix it before they found out, they would take it easier on him.
He wound his way through the intricate halls of roots, down into the catacomb of knowledge. If there was a way to get to Riam without Theodora’s “help,” Custos would know.
Aidan sat on slab of polished wood. “I need your help, my friend,” he said to the tree. “We need to bring Rhianna back to this dimension.”
“That may not be possible. However, Theodora must be stopped,” the tree’s voice echoed, mixing with the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
“You have knowledge of all the universe,” Aidan said. “What can you tell be about Riam? How can I get there? How can I bring Rhianna back?”
Custos sighed. Aidan sensed the tree’s hesitation, but he didn’t know if it was the tree searching for the answer or trying to decide whether to help or not. One thing Aidan had learned over the years, though, was that one didn’t rush a Divine Tree. So he waited as calmly as he could, hoping that Rhianna was unharmed and that he could soon find her.
It had seemed like hours had passed when the Divine Tree finally spoke. “Guardian, there is only one way to enter this universe, and that is to have Theodora transport you there, just as she does all her targets.”
Ah shit. He scrubbed his face with his hand. “Why would she take me, though? How can I make her?”
Custos gave a dry laugh. “You must use cunning with her, not force.”
Aidan growled low in his throat. “And to return?” he asked.
“You must relieve her of her power sources,” Custos said. “What Theodora wants is more people and more property. Although the latter she can’t actually do anything about. She’s driven by greed and power. It bothers her that her world is so small compared to life on earth.”
Aidan closed his eyes and examined his heart to determine if this woman was truly worth this journey.
Yes. Dammit. Yes.
“You rang?” Seth asked from behind Aidan.
Aidan flinched and spun around. “Must you sneak up on people?”
Seth chuckled, shrugged, and tucked his wings to his sides. “It’s fun.” His dreadlocks flipped forward over his shoulder.
“Right.” Aidan stared at him, catching a whiff of garlic. “Geez, where have you been? You reek.”
A smile split Seth’s lips. “Brandt was having a party. That Brazilian food?” He kissed his fingertips and let them fly from his lips. “Mmm, so good. Now what’s up?”
“I have a sorceress who’s getting too big for her britches. Will you guard the tree while I get her back under control?”
“Well, I don’t know. I have a manicure scheduled on Tuesday.” He made a clicking sound in his cheek.
Aidan’s glare bore into the angel. “I’m serious.”
Seth crossed his arms. “Why now?”
“With the AOA upon us, we need to keep evil being under control, don’t we?” Aidan said, not wanting to admit the truth.
“There’s also a woman,” Custos added with a raspy laugh.
Okay, so Aidan wouldn’t have to admit it himself.
Seth gawked at Aidan. “Not you too.”
“No, it’s not like that,” Aidan said with conviction. His brothers Venn and Ian had recently taken mates so he understood Seth’s reference, but his situation was entirely different. This woman was in danger because of his island.
/> Holding up both hands, Seth backed up a few steps. “Okay. I’ll watch the tree while you’re away. Just don’t be too long.”
Aidan nodded. “Gotcha.”
Seth raised a brow. “Gotcha? Really? You’ve been watching too many movies.”
Waving off Seth, Aidan asked the tree, “Custos, is there anything else you can tell me about Riam?”
A rustle of leaves and branches rippled through the tree as if Custos were searching for something deep within. “You already know all you need to know.”
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Aidan stood at the very spot where Rhianna had disappeared. He figured proximity may work in his favor. He wanted Theodora to think he was vulnerable and ripe for the picking.
Of course, he was. His emotions had become entangled with Rhianna somehow. He swallowed. What if he wasn’t good enough, strong enough, or smart enough to bring her back? What if Theodora figured out that Rhianna was his Achilles’ heel?
But first things first. He had to summon her. He didn’t know how she knew where to appear and when, but maybe that orb on her scepter was like a crystal ball that helped her find the right place at the right time.
He said her name ever so softly, almost seductively, hoping she would hear him. “Theodora.”
The ground and rocks shifted and churned, as if earth mover machinery was turning up the soil and trees in a continual motion. Theodora floated through the roiling mess, stopping in front of him.
“How can you help me?” she asked, a sneer of a smile pulling her lips to the side at her twist of words.
“Exactly,” Aidan said. “I have some information I’m willing to exchange for—”
“I’m not bringing her back,” she bit out.
“I’m not asking you to. I’m offering to go to your universe. You and I are not so different. We’re both confined to our own small spaces. Me, to my tree and island. You, to Riam.”
He was playing a game of poker right now, of course, and he had a good hand but not a perfect one. It was not an unbeatable hand; she could still best him. So he needed to be prepared to bluff really well.
Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. “Why? Why would you want to come with me?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been a Guardian for over eight hundred years. It’s time for a change. Like you, I want more. I want more excitement. More than sitting by the tree and watching the years pass.”
She smirked. “That pretty face got to you.”
He didn’t think the sorceress was capable of true feelings, but if she thought she could manipulate him, that might work in his favor. So he appealed to the instinct she would understand: greed.
“Perhaps,” he said.
“What’s in it for me?”
He lifted his chin and stared straight at her. “I have a secret of the Divine Tree I’m willing to share if you take me to Riam.”
She shifted her stance. He could tell she was going to take the bait.
“Give it to me now,” she purred.
He shook his head. “Oh no. I get there in one piece first.”
Instead of being insulted, she smiled. With a swirl of her scepter, a porthole opened. Next, she locked him in a bubble, and for a second, panic rose within him as he tested his prison. The more he pushed, the tighter the confines became, so he relaxed and went with it. He only had one chance to get this right.
•
Aidan paid special attention as the porthole closed, the final snippet of the bubble disappearing into the scepter. Perhaps possessing the staff was the key to getting out.
He marked the terrain as he did in the ancient days in Scotland, noting a stand of three misshapen rocks on his left and tall sickly tree on his right. In the distance, there seemed to be city. He glanced at Theodora, who stood in the path of everything else, demanding his attention. Where was Rhianna? He tried to see around the sorceress.
“This is home sweet home from now on. Check in with the locals; they’ll give you the rundown. You’ll find them—and Rhianna—there.” She pointed the scepter in the direction of the buildings. “Now, spill, Guardian. I believe you have something to tell me.”
He stretched to his full height and crossed his arms. “I don’t see her.”
She shrugged. “She’s around. Quit stalling.”
“Okay. According to Custos”—he adopted a mysterious tone and offered a lopsided smile—“zinc is the most important mineral in the world. It even keeps your skin looking young. You should try it.”
She bared her teeth. “You lovesick fool. You traded your life for nothing. Nothing!” With her bare hands, she hurled a ball of energy at him that hit him square in the chest. The shot would have knocked out an average human. Good thing he was immortal, with great strength, stamina, and powers. He merely dropped to one knee, caught his breath, and then stood to face her once more.
The look on her face was priceless as she realized he was not going to respond the way normal men did. Her face reddened, enraged, and she rose into the air. Then, as if considering the matter, a wicked laugh peeled from her lips. “Actually, this is going to be most entertaining.” She laughed again and disappeared.
Letting go of the tension holding him together, he doubled over in a coughing fit. Damn, that hurt. He rubbed his chest. Theodora got off on seeing people suffer, so he’d held it together to spite her. He straightened his spine and rotated his shoulders, still feeling the effect of hit.
He examined his surroundings with trepidation. Everything was gray and monochrome, totally devoid of color. There was no sunshine, either. Instead the sky was covered in a layer of clouds that seemed to suck the color out of everything.
He focused on the buildings along the horizon. He didn’t see any cars or traffic, although he had not really expected to. Actually, he didn’t even see any people, which was strange. Everything was still, dusty, and desolate.
Determined to find Rhianna and then a way out of here, he trekked toward the city. He passed a copse of trees and then shrubs, but they were dead, comprised of only brittle, gray leaves.
His boots stirred up dry, sooty earth as he walked. The ground appeared to be made of volcanic rock. Abruptly, he froze. His eagle could fly to the city. Then a nerve-racking fear sliced through him. What if he couldn’t change in this world? What if it didn’t work and resulted in the crippling of limbs? He’d heard of alternate universes where the rules were different. Where powers didn’t necessarily translate. There was a great deal he didn’t know about Riam.
He ran a hand through his hair and cupped the base of his neck, weighing his options.
A glimpse of the very beginning of his time as a Guardian flashed through his mind, when he’d first learned of his shape-shifting powers and had tested them. The control had been something he’d had to grow into and learn over time. He imagined that in a new place there would be new rules. Would he have to start all over again?
Summoning his eagle, he focused on the change. His wings materialized agonizingly slow, and a twinge of nerves invaded his stomach. The restructuring of muscle and bone was painful, in a way like overstretching, pulling to the point of coming undone. He bit down on his lip. His mouth filled with the bitter, coppery taste of blood as his talons formed and his head morphed.
After a minute or so, the shift was complete. Shit, he hoped it was easier to change back to his human form. Yet, even with his concern, a thrill zinged through him as he took flight.
He soared a couple of miles and approached two gas stations, one on each side of the road. The signs above them were nondescript—Hills Gas on one side and Falcons on the other. The closer he got, the more his feathers stood on the back of his neck. Still, there was no one in sight.
How was he going to find Rhianna? Would she have entered the world in the same spot as he had? Had she passed by this place, too? Could she be inside, waiting?
The thought of what she must be feeling tore at his heart. As if she hadn’t already experienced enough shock at learning wh
o—and what—he was . . .
Something scuttled and scraped against the bricks of the Falcon station, or so it sounded like. He circled back toward the noise. Whatever it was he couldn’t see. He veered right to get another angle. Something was there.
A strange sound echoed from afar, reminding him of something he’d heard on television once: a metal door opening on a sinking submarine.
Below him, people started running into the streets, brandishing weapons, swords, poles, sticks, pitchforks, whatever they could find, it seemed. The violence and gore of ancient combat unfolded quickly. Again, he was reminded of his youth. Long ago he’d brandished such weapons, but it had been for a noble cause, to save his lands from being overtaken. He wondered what the reason was behind this fighting.
Aidan glanced to his left, and then he understood. The sound he had heard must have been the signal to fight. It was a sick game. The question was, what were the rules?
He flew the length of the city and then back, his gaze sweeping the crowd, looking for Rhianna. The place looked like a war zone in the Middle East with dilapidated buildings and clutter along the streets. As he came around the Falcon station once more, he saw her.
A man pushed her into the street. “Fight. Fight,” he yelled, instructing her to join in the fray.
She turned as a sword descended on the man next to her, slicing off his weapon hand. “Dillon!” she screamed.
The name seemed vaguely familiar. Then he recalled Rhianna had said it while recording on her GoPro. He must be one of her colleagues from the ship. Theodora had captured them all? Damn.
Aidan dove toward Rhianna, trying to keep her back, even as the stranger grabbed hold of her arm. “Believe me, he’ll want to die.”
Rhianna tugged away from him. “What’s happening? Why are they fighting?”
The man on the other side thrust his sword into Dillon’s chest. Rhianna drew her hand to her mouth. “Oh God.”
Aidan winged to a position between the Rhianna and the man, and then stretched out his wings, growing in size and towering over the guy as well as blocking Rhianna’s view of the carnage. The man stumbled backward. One by one, the fighters ceased their attacks and their heads turned toward him. When everything was still, Aidan resumed his normal size and flew to Rhianna.
Awakening Storm Page 8
