“She likes you!” Justin smiled. That seemed to give the rest of the pack permission to come forward and introduce themselves to Keira. Now completely at ease, she sat down in the clearing and was soon surrounded by jumping pups and eight more curious adults.
She glanced up, looking for Marco. He leaned against a nearby tree, arms folded, and watched her with burning intensity. She immediately turned away, hiding behind the veil of her long hair, and immersed herself in stroking the nearest wolf.
It seemed like only minutes had passed before Marco interrupted their play.
“Come, we have to get back to the castle,” he said.
“Aawww, Marco! Just a little longer!” Justin begged.
“Sorry, Justin; it’s nearly dusk. We have a formal dinner with all the Council members this evening. Victoria wouldn’t want us to be late.”
“I can’t believe it is so late already!” Keira stood up, stiff from the cold ground and brushed off her jeans.
Sudden snarls erupted from all the wolves around her, causing her to jump back at the unexpectedness of it. Marco was at her side in a flash.
“What’s going on?” Keira cried in alarm.
Marco held his hand up in silent command and everyone, wolves included, froze and listened. Distant booms and crashes sounded from the direction of the castle. The man and the boy looked at each other and an unspoken discussion seemed to flow between them.
“Excuse me! Could you tell me what’s happening?” Keira snapped, her patience stretched to breaking point by the currents of tension that whipped around the clearing.
“The castle is under attack. You are staying with Justin, follow him, he knows what to do,” Marco said.
“My aunt—I’m going with you!”
“No! You stay away from this. I’ll come back for you as soon as I can. Justin, wait here with her.”
Keira merely stared up at Marco; her determination reflected in her eyes.
“I am coming with you,” she said.
He gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine, but only to the edge of the woods. Stay away from the walls!”
Justin looked at Keira; his young face tense as he tried to hide his fear. “It’s okay, Keira, I’ll look after you,” he said and took her hand.
The wolves surrounded the humans as they melted into the trees, trying to be as quiet as possible. Marco led them on a different route back to the draw-bridge. Keira’s anxiety had a tight grip on her throat. They couldn’t see the castle yet, but could hear loud explosions and voices screaming. Faint blue flashes lit the air above the trees.
Marco started running. Keira and Justin followed as fast as they could, but he easily outran them.
“Stay here!” he yelled at them before he disappeared around a bend in the path.
Keira and Justin reached the edge of the woods and they froze in their tracks. The castle was illuminated in the dusk ahead of them. The draw-bridge was down and the big gates thrown open.
Marco disappeared into the chaos that reigned in the courtyard. Sporadic bolts of energy lit the scene; a swarm of black-clad figures outnumbered the Draaken and Council members who were fighting side by side.
“Justin!” she whirled around to the boy. “Stay here, I’m going to help!” She ran down the path, scarcely hearing Justin crying out behind her, pleading with her to stay with him.
The wolves ran beside her, eager to join the fight, their tongues lolling and white fangs bared. As she reached the draw-bridge, a pack of something resembling dogs erupted from the inner courtyard. Keira screamed and threw her arms over her head, but the wolves were there and the two packs ran at each other with a crash. The fighting began in a blur of snarls and flying fur. Ylva grabbed a dog nearly twice her size by its throat, shaking and tearing with ferocious determination.
Then Keira ran into her own battle.
Out of nowhere, a huge fist connected with Keira’s shoulder, sending her forward, flat on her stomach, her hands bloodied as they scraped on the rough stone. As she looked up at her attacker, a shimmer of energy hit his body and the man fell sprawling back on the cobblestones. His sightless eyes stared up at the stars. Zina stepped closer and pulled Keira to her feet.
“You must get out of here. You have not been trained for this!”
Keira looked around in a daze. “Where is Aunt Victoria?”
“I don’t know. She was in the Great Hall when the attack started. Come back!” Zina shouted as Keira went running across the courtyard.
She swerved to avoid people who were lashing bolts of energy at each other, some of which rebounded off the castle walls and sent splinters of rock ricocheting through the air.
The stench of burning hair stung in her nose and she wanted to cover her ears against the thundering explosions and screams of the wounded and dying.
Suddenly, she was surrounded. A circle of sneering figures stepped forward, closing in on her as she turned around, looking for an escape.
She could see Marco behind them. Attackers swarmed him from all sides as he fought to reach her. His mouth formed her name, but the word got lost in the deafening noise.
Terror threatened to overwhelm Keira. One of the men snickered in anticipation and she felt the sizzling, crackling build-up of their power in the air as it reached its climax and they prepared for the kill.
Keira took a shuddering breath, then another. A last glance showed her that Marco was no closer, no one could help her. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed back the hysterical girl inside of her who cried she’d never be able to do this, who wanted to give up and run away.
Reaching into the deepest part of her psyche, Keira blocked out the external noise, soothed her internal chaos, and allowed her soul to connect with the space around her. Without hesitation she stepped into the Akasha and when she opened her eyes again, there was a moment’s hesitation in the circle closing in on her. The moment was all she needed.
Keira unleashed her fury. She was lost in the whirlpool of her own power swirling like a tornado around her. Screams of terror wrenched from her victims and tore through the air like nails on a blackboard. They fought each other to flee from the young woman they were ready to kill only moments before, but a vortex of swirling energy lifted them from their feet and flung them over the thirty-foot boundary wall.
Keira didn’t feel her feet leave the ground. She hovered, the very centre of her being connected with the Akasha. Wind howled and thunder crashed with a violence that made the earth shudder. Lightning streaked down from the sky and incinerated two would-be assassins who took their comrades’ place in front of her.
She floated toward the front doors of the castle, where Victoria stood on the top step. Her aunt was holding off four men, arms whirling and near-invisible heat waves shooting from her hands into their bodies.
“Keira, get back! Run!” Victoria screamed, agonising fear for Keira’s safety etched on her face.
“I am not leaving you,” Keira’s voice echoed, amplified by the power surging through her body.
All around them battles were being fought, but gave way before Keira as if pushed aside by an invisible wave. She passed Rafael and Chloe, fighting back-to-back and saw Adam with two men hanging off his arms on either side. Chetan threw fire bolts at his attackers, while trying to block return fire. Keira only focused on reaching her aunt.
I’m coming. Nearly there, she tried to communicate to Victoria.
At that very moment time slowed to a crawl. A bolt of black energy hit Victoria squarely on the chest. Her eyes widened, searched for and found Keira’s. A small, almost apologetic smile appeared around her lips. It was as if she wanted to say one last thing.
Victoria stretched her arms out to Keira—tumbled forward—and fell in a small heap at the bottom of the steps.
Keira screamed. The vortex around her disappeared as shock and horror wiped out any semblance of control she had over her powers. She ran the last few feet towards Victoria and fell on her knees beside her.
�
��Aunt Vic—get up. Please get up!” she cried.
Through the dust and falling rocks, the deafening roar of people locked in mortal combat, Keira could only see the woman in her arms. Everything else was blocked out, unidentifiable white noise in the background. Around them the battle raged, but the tide had turned in the Watchers’ favour as shock and horror stunned the Draaken.
Keira and Victoria were isolated in a bubble of silence. She picked shards of glass out of her aunt’s hair and softly wiped a dust streak off her cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Aunt Vic,” she whispered. “Please—please don’t leave me. Just hang on—please! We’ll get help. We’ll call someone. Don’t leave me!” she begged.
Keira rocked the still body tightly to her own; pleaded with Victoria to hold on—help was coming—and whispered words of love and encouragement.
As if from a great distance, she heard voices shouting her name, but the words had no meaning. She couldn’t understand what they wanted from her.
Arms pulled at her, trying to drag her away and she resisted with everything in her. She kicked and twisted, screamed her voice raw that they had to let her go, Victoria needed her.
“Let me go, she needs me!” If she held on a little longer, everything would be all right. “Come on, Aunt Vic—get up—get up!”
Strong arms lifted her from the cobblestones and she was swept over a broad shoulder. Draaken closed in formation around her and fought their way out, through the wooden gate and over the drawbridge. All the while Keira was crying and begging them to go back, trying to get away from whomever was holding her.
The last thing she saw as she was carried away, was a tall, black-cloaked figure. Its hood was thrown back to reveal a long, pale face. Thin lips were pulled up in a sneer. The man stooped over Victoria’s body and intently scanned it for signs of life. Satisfied, he straightened his back and a cold, high-pitched laugh shattered the night. Murderous hate exploded in Keira’s being as she fell into dark unconsciousness.
Chapter 15
Two men sat in shadow; part of it, yet separate. Flickering light from the fireplace threw their profiles in relief, glimpses of hooded eyes and cruel mouths briefly illuminated.
Daemon’s long, elegant fingers clasped a silver cup filled with dark wine and lifted it to his pouting lips. Gold cufflinks glinted as he put the cup down and pulled at the one-half inch of shirt cuff showing from under his black jacket sleeve. His glinting eyes roamed over the Great Hall, taking in the embroidered family crests that hung from the stone walls.
“Those will have to come down,” he intoned. “Time for a change in décor.” The sound of his cold mirth skittered through the Hall into the courtyard. It caused the figures there to pause, shiver, and continue hastily cleaning up the remnants of the battle fought mere hours earlier.
“Yes, sir.” The other shadow cracked his knuckles.
“We nearly had her,” Daemon said and took another sip of his wine.
“Yes, sir,” Julius said, fighting the urge to crack his knuckles again.
“Our information was flawed,” Daemon mused. “The old crone’s defences were stronger than anticipated. An error on our side, but not a grievous one. And the young one…ahhh, the young one—” He sighed as if in ecstasy.
Julius frowned. “Young she might be, but she could sure as hell take care of herself!”
“Hmm, yes. She has power,” Daemon acknowledged. “But it is the power of the untrained. It is unpredictable. Unstable.” He stood up and paced in front of the fireplace. What I wouldn’t do with her by my side. Such potential shouldn’t go to waste.”
“She might not be amenable to our cause, after you killed her aunt, Sir.”
“I do not see that as an obstacle. Anyone can be persuaded to any cause. With the right tools.”
Julius smirked. His boss was a very inventive persuader.
“What have we learned from this experience, my loyal lieutenant?” Without waiting for an answer, Daemon continued: “We must always learn from our mistakes to ensure that we do not make them again!” He raised his voice as if lecturing to a room full of eager students.
“One,” he lifted a finger in the air, “we have learned that the crone didn’t have a lot of time with the young one, which means that her training is incomplete. Two,” and another finger joined the first, “her lack of training makes her vulnerable. Right now she is protected by a small bunch of idiots and they are roaming the forest, looking for a way to escape. We must find them before they cross the border.”
“Sir,” Julius interrupted. “They are being tracked. The hounds have picked up their spoor. We’ll have them before the next nightfall.”
“That is a boast I sincerely hope you are able to fulfil,” Daemon drawled. “But to continue our lesson,” and he lifted a third finger. “According to one of our esteemed guests in the dungeon, Victoria did not share the location of the Book with the rest of the Council. It is unlikely that she shared it with her ward, but we will not discard that possibility. However, our guest also informed me that Victoria intended introducing the girl as their new High Priestess-in-waiting, which underscores her importance and which is why,” finger four rose up, “you must find her and bring her to me. It would be very easy for the Guardians to start believing in this girl—to have hope—and that is something I will not allow them to have.”
Julius stood to attention and nodded his understanding of Daemon’s order.
They both looked up when four men appeared in the front door and shuffled towards the fireplace. “Sirs,” they mumbled in unison.
“Speak!” Julius growled, impatient for news. “How goes the search?”
One of the men was shoved forward by his compatriots. Drops of sweat dotted his pale face and his hands clenched in white-knuckled fear.
“The hounds,” he swallowed.
“Yes?” A warning sounded in Daemon’s calm question.
“You know we could only take three, Sir. The others were injured in the battle. We—when we crossed the river, we were attacked. The wolves—they were everywhere! We came off the boats and the hounds—they—we barely made it back ourselves….” The man’s voice petered off into silence.
“Where are my hounds?” Daemon asked. His voice was cold, dispassionate.
“I am sorry, Sir. They are all—they are all dead.” Another man stepped forward and whispered the news.
A soft growl rumbled in Daemon’s throat, then built up and ripped out of his mouth in an unstoppable torrent of hate and rage. He flung his right arm out and four bodies flew through the air, across the woven carpets and hit the stone wall on the opposite side of the room with a sickening crunch.
The scream took on a life of its own, ringing around and around the Hall, around the courtyard and out over the boundary walls, out over the silent trees that nodded their disapproval in the forest beyond.
*****
Keira regained consciousness in a hushed, upside-down world. Her arms swung rhythmically from side to side below her head, which throbbed as if she had been kicked in the skull by a football player.
“Oh!” she groaned. The swaying stopped and the world flipped right-side up, as she was carefully put back on her feet. She stood for a few wobbling seconds until her legs gave way and she sunk to the ground.
“We don’t have time!” A voice hissed. Keira looked up to see Simone glaring down at her.
“Give her a minute,” Zina said and kneeled down next to Keira. The Healer placed her hands on Keira’s shoulders and there was an immediate relief from the headache.
“Can you walk?” Marco asked without looking at her. He was scanning the forest around them, his body radiating tightly coiled tension.
“Yes,” she mumbled and got up with Zina’s help. “Where are we?” she asked.
“In the forest, on our way to a safe place,” Chloe answered. She had emerged from the trees, with Rafael close behind her.
“Let’s go!” Simone insisted.
Kei
ra could only nod and stumbled behind Marco as he moved off into the undergrowth. A small hand slip into hers and she was flooded with relief when Justin smiled up at her.
“Oh, thank goodness, you’re here!” she whispered and gave him a quick hug.
“I stayed where you said I should. Marco found me when everyone came back down the road. He carried you all this way, you know. He wouldn’t let Adam or anyone else take you.”
“Please—tell me what happened. Did everyone get away?”
Justin hung his head. “No.” Keira could hardly hear him. “Only a few of the Draaken, and none of the Council members.”
“Amber?”
“I don’t know. Zina said Amber’s parents and the rest of the staff should have used the tunnels to escape to the village. We don’t know if they made it.”
Keira clenched her teeth and swore silently at the tears burning behind her eyes.
I will not cry! All those people—Aunt Vic—deserve more from me.
Justin gave her hand a squeeze. “Something in my eye,” he mumbled and looked away.
They walked in silence for a long time before Justin could tell her that the survivors had managed to meet up at the wolves’ lair and regroup. From his whispers, she learned what had happened after Marco had dragged her away from Victoria’s body. He had thrown her over his shoulder and fought his way out over the draw-bridge. Justin’s eyes were round with admiration as he recounted how Marco had carried her to the safety of the woods.
“We were ready to go back and attack them. But Chloe had a vision; she said we were being tracked by a lot of people with those dogs. She said we were outnumbered and reminded everyone that Victoria had said you were our priority.”
“No,” Keira groaned.
“Marco agreed and made us turn around. He asked the wolves to cover our backs; they gave us time to get away.”
Keira winced at Justin’s report. Each word was another lash to the open wound of guilt within her.
I let her down. Now I am responsible for these people’s lives as well. I am not the one they want!
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