By the time they reached the bottom, none of them were in the mood to talk. Barak led them to a small spring so they could drink their fill of the cool water. Despite a strong mineral aftertaste, the drink, combined with some cold water on his face, restored Cullen’s energy for the rest of the long journey. As they followed a twisting route through the low, rolling hills, he tried to figure out how long it had been since he’d last slept through the night.
Two days? Three? It didn’t matter. He’d stay up round the clock for the next week if that’s what it took to get Lusahn back. But once she was safely back in his world, he was going to take her straight to bed. And they even might eventually get around to sleeping.
Barak cuffed him on the back of the head. “I’ve seen that look before. That better not be my sister you are thinking about, human.”
It was too dark for Cullen to see Barak’s face clearly, but the Other’s voice held a touch of anger. “That’s not for you to decide.”
Barak’s shoulders snapped back, and his chin lifted in challenge. “I am the only male she has left to stand for her. By our customs, you must approach me for permission to court her.”
Cullen curled his hands into fists, ready to emphasize his point of view with them if it became necessary. “It’s a little late for you to play big brother, don’t you think? You were the one who left her alone.”
“Not because I didn’t care.”
“Tell her that.”
“I will, but that doesn’t change anything. If you’d stayed on your side of the barrier, she wouldn’t be in this mess. She is not for you to dally with.”
That did it. He grabbed up a handful of Barak’s shirt and jerked him forward. “I don’t dally, Other, not with Lusahn! I’m risking my life, my friends’ lives, and my career, because I can’t stand the thought of living one more day without her. I love her and she loves me. Deal with it.”
It took brute strength for Trahern to muscle them apart. He held Barak with one hand and Cullen with the other. Lonzo moved in close to offer his support should it become necessary.
“Cullen, cool it! We’re all walking on a razor’s edge here.”
“Then tell Barak to stay out of my business!” He pushed against Trahern’s hand, letting him know that he would go through him to get to Barak if the bastard didn’t back off.
“Shut up, and I will.” Trahern glared down at Barak. “You’re one to be talking! You didn’t stay on your side of the barrier either, and you sure as hell didn’t pay any attention when Penn Sebastian told you to leave his sister alone.”
Cullen could hear Barak’s ragged breathing and his own pulse racing. Both of them wanted the same thing—Lusahn to be safe and happy—even if they didn’t agree on all the details. And Trahern was right. While they were standing there arguing, the sky had grown lighter. The star would soon clear the horizon, bathing the countryside with its dim light. It was time to get to cover.
He stepped back, ending the confrontation. “Let’s get moving. Joq’s cabin should be just beyond that next rise.”
Barak jerked his head in agreement before walking away. Cullen let him get a head start and then followed. He’d play nice with Barak if he could, but no one was going to come between him and Lusahn. No one.
The cabin was much as it had been when he’d last seen it. There were several sets of tracks in the area around the cabin, but nothing that would help identify who had been there. All he could tell was that they all appeared to be made by the same kind of boots that Lusahn and her friends wore.
Inside, the place was still trashed.
Cullen said, “Let’s sleep in shifts. You all get some sack time, and I’ll wake one of you to relieve me in two hours.”
Trahern shook his head. “No way. You’re running on empty, Finley, so you go first. The rest of us will take shifts and let you sleep.”
Cullen wanted to argue but Trahern was right: he’d been living on adrenaline and worry for too long. Only a fool would risk blowing his mission out of pride.
“Good idea.”
Barak finally spoke. “Eat something first. You’ll sleep better, and it will help restore your strength. I’ll see what Joq has that’s still good.”
It didn’t take long for him to lay out a simple meal of fruit and cheese. While he did that, Trahern and Lonzo righted some of the furniture and made room for them to sit at the small table.
They ate in silence, each lost in his own thoughts. From the expression on Trahern’s face, Cullen figured he was thinking about Brenna and wondering if he’d live long enough to see her again. Barak probably had some of the same thoughts about Lacey. Cullen had to wonder how it felt to be back in his home world after months away. Did he feel as much a stranger in it as the three Paladins?
When he’d eaten, Cullen stood up. “I’ll find a spot to crash. Wake me when you need me.”
He climbed up to the small loft overhead. It didn’t feel right to stretch out in the dead man’s bed, so he made a pallet on the floor. As he drifted off to sleep, he hoped the hours would pass quickly so they could get down to the business they came for.
“Cullen, damn it, wake up!”
He stirred a bit, trying to ignore both Lonzo’s voice and the boot he kept prodding Cullen with. Cullen burrowed back into the pillow and ignored his friend.
“I’ll give you thirty seconds to get moving before I dump this bucket of water on your head.”
A few drops of water splashed on his face and ran down his cheek onto the blanket. When he didn’t immediately sit up, those were followed by a trickle of water. By the time he mustered the energy to push himself upright, Lonzo had the bucket tilted and ready to pour.
“How long did I sleep?”
“Barak says the star will set in about two hours.”
Cullen climbed slowly to his feet and stretched. “Anyone come snooping around?”
“Not that we’ve seen. While you slept, Trahern and I took a few turns around the perimeter, hoping to get used to this atmosphere.”
“Yeah, that, combined with the lack of light and the permanent chill in the air, makes this the perfect vacation getaway.” He met Lonzo’s gaze. “I’m sorry I let things get out of hand with Barak earlier. It can’t be easy for him to be back here, even if it’s to rescue his sister.”
“Don’t sweat it. I think Trahern’s reminder that Barak pulled the same thing with Lacey helped him see reason.”
“And how do you feel about me and Lusahn?” Cullen concentrated on pulling his boots on, not wanting to see what Lonzo’s long silence meant.
“It isn’t a path I would have chosen for you, and it won’t be easy. Our job was hard enough when all we knew about the Others was that they were murderous whack jobs. But now Barak plans on marrying a Paladin’s sister; you’re thinking along the same lines about Lusahn; and those two kids had all of us wrapped around their fingers in about five seconds flat.”
Lonzo walked over to the small window under the eaves. “You’ll be fighting an uphill battle with the Regents and even a lot of the Paladins, but your real friends will accept her because they care about you. I’m more worried about how this will affect your ability to do your job.”
Cullen reached for his sword and strapped it on. “You’re not telling me anything I haven’t already been thinking about, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Once I’ve got Lusahn safely across the barrier, I’ll worry about the details.”
Trahern joined the party. “They’re more than details, Cullen. Devlin and I talked while we were waiting for Barak to bring down the barrier. This is going to do more than rock the boat. The Regents are bound to find out about this little excursion, and we’ll be lucky if they don’t ship the lot of us off to the four corners of the world. They like things quiet and under the radar. Instead, one of their own died in a car bomb, two lawmen were murdered outside the installation in Missouri, I brought a civilian in without permission, an Other is living among us, and Devlin moved in with our Handle
r. I don’t know how much more they’ll sit still for before they go ballistic.”
Trahern’s pessimistic thoughts didn’t help Cullen’s mood, even if he shared the same thoughts. The best they could do was take things one step at a time.
“Let’s go see if there’s anything left to eat and iron out our plan.”
They climbed down the ladder to the kitchen, to find Barak had been one step ahead of them. The last of the fruit and cheese was spread out on the table, along with a few bottles of Joq’s beer.
Cullen took a swig and almost choked. “Lusahn mentioned that Joq’s new hobby wasn’t working out too well, but this tastes like he was trying to poison himself.”
“You never did have much of a stomach for alcohol.” Trahern upended his own bottle and guzzled about half of the vile stuff. “This needs to age for a while, but otherwise it’s okay.”
Lonzo sided with Cullen. “You could let this stuff age until hell freezes over, and it would still taste like piss.”
They all looked at Barak to judge his reaction. He took a sizable drink, then pushed the bottle across to Trahern. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not willing to stick around on the chance that stuff might improve.”
Trahern finished his bottle, but didn’t reach for more. “How soon are we out of here?”
“If we leave shortly before the star goes down, we should reach town about the time the Guardians and their Blades normally change shifts. Though things aren’t being done normally, people are used to seeing the patrols head for the Guild about that time of day. So we won’t draw as much notice then.”
Lonzo reached for another piece of cheese. “That makes sense. Have either of you ever been inside the Guild?”
Cullen shook his head. “I’ve only been by it a couple of times. It’s a two-story building near the edge of town. It’s also one of the few that stays lit up twenty-four/seven.”
“Any other good news?” Lonzo had his sword out, checking the blade.
“They don’t have guns, and we do.” Cullen pulled his out of his waistband and checked the magazine. Three pistols weren’t much of an advantage against superior numbers, but any edge would help.
“Good. For a minute there, I thought we were in trouble.” Lonzo sheathed his sword and pulled his pistol to give it a thorough going-over.
Trahern walked from window to window, looking for any sign of activity. “It’s still quiet out there. Shall we, gentlemen?”
Cullen blocked the door. “I’ve said it before, but I want to say it again before things get hairy. I appreciate you all being here for me. For us.”
“Aw, gee, Cullen, don’t get all mushy on us. I can’t fight when I’m teary-eyed.” Trahern tucked his gun out of sight and put on his cloak.
Lonzo pretended to blot tears from his eyes. “Yeah, what he said.”
As they started down the dusty trail, Barak pointed out landmarks to Trahern and Lonzo to help them get their bearings, since they’d hiked to Joq’s in the dark.
“If we get separated, you want to head for that switchback trail winding up the rise. It will lead you right back to the caves where we crossed. Once you’re inside, stay there out of sight. When we’re all there, I’ll bring the barrier down again.”
“We need a backup plan in case the whole thing goes sour,” Cullen stopped and turned to face Joq’s cabin. “If you go that way toward those foothills, you’ll find another trail. At the top is the small cavern that someone from our side has been using to camp in. I’m guessing that means the barrier there isn’t too stable, or they wouldn’t be able to cross back and forth. If the first cave is crawling with Sworn Guardians and Blades, that’s where we should try next.”
Barak reluctantly nodded. “I don’t know that area as well, but I agree that it would have to be unstable for the humans to use it regularly. It might even be a safer choice, since my people don’t use it.”
Trahern stared toward the mountains. “Lonzo and I are just along for the ride. You two decide, and we’ll be fine with it.”
“Does anyone else know about that back way, Cullen?” Barak asked.
“Only Larem, who followed us up there. Joq did, but he’s dead.”
“If we do the unexpected we stand a better chance of survival, so I say we use the back way.” Barak looked at the others for confirmation.
Lonzo and Trahern nodded.
“Then we’re set. We should reach town just after dark. We’ll head for the Guild as if we were reporting in for the shift change, bust Lusahn out of her cell, then hightail it to the cave above Joq’s place.” Cullen knelt down to draw a map in the dust. “Here’s the main street through town, and the Guild is on this corner.”
He extended the line out of town. “We make a break for the hills and head for the cave up above Joq’s.” He pointed to where the cave was located. “If we get separated, we rendezvous there. Any questions?”
“No. Let’s get moving. I feel like we have a target on our backs.” Trahern pulled his hood down further over his face. “I’ll be glad when we shake the dust from this place off our boots. No offense, Barak.”
“None taken. After all, I left this world behind myself.”
Trahern moved off to walk on Barak’s right. “I don’t blame you one damn bit.”
As they drew closer to town, Cullen found himself growing calmer. This was it. Either they would succeed or they wouldn’t.
If he had to guess their odds of success, he’d put them around 30/70. If luck was with them, maybe as much as 50/50. But with the Sworn Guardians on full alert expecting an attack, the element of surprise was gone.
All they could hope for was that their impersonation of a Guardian with his Blade would hold up until they reached the Guild. Once inside, they could throw off these confining cloaks and fight their way to Lusahn. That would probably be the easy part. But once the alarm was sounded, they’d have only a narrow window of opportunity before all hell broke loose.
What happened after that was anybody’s guess.
Laurel gently picked up Shiri and carried the sleeping girl into the guest room, while Devlin sat with Bavi. The two of them had been playing cards for hours, but Devlin didn’t mind. The boy was obviously scared, but when he’d spotted the deck of cards, his face had lit up. Evidently Cullen had spent enough time with the kid to teach him how to shuffle and play solitaire.
Judging by the stack of buttons sitting in front of Bavi, the boy was a natural-born card shark. He’d cleaned out D.J, Laurel, and Lacey. Devlin suspected the two women had let Bavi win, but he knew D.J. had been playing for keeps. It wasn’t in his aggressive nature to go easy on an opponent, so he played and fought full-out, all the time.
Bavi set the deck down, his eyes straying to the window and then back to the door as if he could will Cullen and Barak’s sister to suddenly appear. Devlin sipped his coffee, feeling bad for the boy, but he didn’t have much experience in comforting kids.
He gave it his best shot. “Those three men who went with Barak are among the finest warriors on this planet. And judging from what I’ve seen, Barak is right up there with them. If anybody can do the job, it’s them.”
Bavi’s light eyes met Devlin’s briefly before he picked up the cards again and began shuffling them. He handled them pretty well, considering how badly his hands were shaking.
“If they don’t come back, what will happen to my sister and me?” He kept his gaze firmly on the cards. “We die?”
“Hell, no!” Devlin slammed his cup down on the table, slopping hot coffee on his hand. He forced himself to calm down. Bavi was skittish enough without Devlin scaring the hell out of him.
“Nobody’s going to die, Bavi. I have every faith that Cullen and the others will bring Lusahn back safely. But if they don’t”—he leaned forward for emphasis—“I promise you and Shiri will be taken care of.”
“Why?”
Damn. “Because Cullen matters to me, and you matter to Cullen.” He jerked his head in th
e direction Laurel had gone. “I won’t lie to you. I’m a warrior, and shit happens, so I can’t promise that I’ll always be here. But Laurel is a woman of honor, and she would love you two like her own.”
The more Devlin thought about it, the more he liked the idea of her having someone else to fuss over. Although his test readings were still holding steady, and a couple had even improved some more, that was no guarantee that he wouldn’t cross the line the next time he died, and that would be it.
Suddenly, he was hit with a powerful urge to hold Laurel in his arms. They both needed the comfort of cuddling in bed, especially after some life-affirming lovemaking. He forced a lighter note into his voice. “It’s about time for bed, don’t you think? Would you like something else to eat first?”
Bavi’s face lit up. “More of the bright things?”
Earlier, Laurel had shared her secret stash of sugary cereal with the children. Devlin had a fondness for the stuff as well, which is why Laurel had to keep it hidden. He was pretty sure he knew where she was keeping it now, and if they hurried, they could have it in their bowls and covered with milk before she caught them.
He gave Bavi a conspiratorial wink. “Sure, but don’t tell Laurel. You get the milk while I get the cereal.”
Bavi was up and heading for the kitchen before Devlin could move. Laurel might have Devlin’s head for raiding her supplies, but he knew she wouldn’t begrudge Bavi the sweet treat.
As the two of them chowed down, Devlin thought of his friends trapped in that other world and hoped they didn’t get themselves killed. He’d lost too many friends over the years, and it was always hard to take. But Cullen, Trahern, and Barak deserved their chance at happiness with their women.
Gods above, she was weary of this whole situation. It was the second time in only a few hours that the Guildmaster had ordered Lusahn to come to his office. He seemed to think that she had some inside knowledge about Cullen’s alleged plan to rescue her.
She’d told him the first time that she had no way of knowing any such thing, since she hadn’t spoken to anyone but him and her cellmate since they’d dragged her into the Guild. He obviously hadn’t believed her, since he’d let her stew for a few hours before calling her in again, then sending her back to her cell.
Redeemed in Darkness Page 20
