If Berk had been around she would have asked him what was going on, but she hadn’t seen him since the day before. She hoped nothing had happened to him; her people needed Guardians like him. She would have liked to call him friend if she’d found out about his secret group before Cullen had arrived on the scene.
But it was too late to think about such things; the Guildmaster had finally announced his plans for her execution. It felt strange to be able to count down the remaining hours of her life. The star would set soon. When it arose in the morning, it would be the last dawn she would ever see.
She hoped she could walk to her death with dignity to maintain the honor of the q’Arc name. Until then she would stand vigil, savoring her past since she had no future.
Chapter 14
T he town was spread out below them. With nightfall imminent the townspeople made their way home, ready for their day to be done. Cullen motioned for Barak and the other two Paladins to follow him back a short distance.
Lonzo leaned against a boulder and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s up, Professor?”
“If we wait a short while longer, the streets will empty out more. I know that time is critical, but I’d rather we not endanger civilians if we don’t have to.” Even if he didn’t give a damn about the Others, Lusahn would. Trahern and Lonzo looked at each other and then shrugged.
Barak nodded his approval as he walked by. “I’ll stand watch.”
Darkness gradually settled over them, the faint moon hovering over the far horizon. Even when it rose to its highest point in the night sky, it would do little to light their way. In town that wouldn’t matter, because streetlights lit the road in front of the Guild. Once they had Lusahn and were running for the caves, the darkness would help shield them from hostile eyes.
Barak returned and spoke to Cullen, keeping his voice low. “The streets are empty except for a few stragglers and the patrols.”
“Then it’s time.”
Each man prepared for the battle ahead in his own way. Barak stared up at the moon, murmuring under his breath. Lonzo and Trahern rechecked their weapons with ruthless efficiency, while Cullen stared down at the Guild, fighting the urge to charge down the slope screaming for the blood of the Others who dared threaten his woman.
“Got the fidgets, Cullen?” Trahern’s silver eyes glittered in the cold light. “You’re the calm one, remember? D.J. and Lonzo cornered the fidget market years ago.”
It was easy to remain calm when the only life he’d been risking was his own. Cullen glanced at his friends. Was this how Devlin felt when he sent his fellow Paladins into battle against overwhelming odds? If so, he could keep the job.
“Let’s move out,” he said.
The four of them formed up as a Guardian and his Blade returning from patrol. They kept their eyes on the road ahead, occasionally glancing to the left or right, alert to any threat.
A few blocks from the Guild they met another patrol; both the Guardian and two members of her Blade were women. Tall and rangy, they moved with the same arrogance Lusahn had. The leader got right up in Barak’s face.
Not for the first time, Cullen wished he spoke the language. When the woman suddenly barked what sounded like a question in his direction, Barak stepped between them and growled something right back at her. For a minute they teetered on the edge of disaster, but then she backed off and walked away, her Blade right on her heels.
Cullen crowded in close. “What the hell was that all about?”
“She thought we were here to relieve her squad. I told her we’d been out hiking through the countryside all day and were on our way to report in.” He turned his light-colored eyes in Cullen’s direction. “She didn’t like you staring at her.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were—but I told her it was my job to discipline a new recruit. Remind me to beat you later. Now let’s get moving.”
As they walked along, Cullen asked, “They really do that? Beat their recruits?”
“I was joking. She was sizing the three of you up for a good time some night, and asked if I thought you’d be interested. I told her that you were spoken for.”
Trahern chimed in. “Hey, Cullen, what is it about you and the women on this side of the barrier? You were never that lucky at home.”
“Jealous?” he teased. You only had to see Trahern with Brenna for ten seconds to know that the man was permanently out of circulation.
“Shut up—our target is dead ahead,” Lonzo said.
Cullen checked the slide of his sword and that his gun was within easy reach. They’d agreed to use their blades first and the guns only as a last resort, since the noise would draw attention.
As Barak set foot on the bottom step that led up to the Guild entrance, a man in a Sworn Guardian uniform stepped out of the shadows at the top. He had his sword drawn and stared down at the four of them. After a hesitation he started down the steps, coming to a stop in front of Barak.
“It’s been a long time, Barak q’Arc. What took you so long?” The Kalith male’s smile started off slow, then spread into a wide grin.
“Berk?” Barak’s grim expression lightened as he looked the man over from head to toe. “Since when do you wear the uniform of a Sworn Guardian?”
The stranger shrugged. “Someone had to take up the cause when you left. Not that I blamed you for leaving. They gave you no choice.”
“No, they didn’t.”
Berk looked past Barak at Cullen and the other two. His eyes widened slightly. “Interesting Blade you have, Barak—but then, you always did have a different way of looking at things. Or perhaps I should say, more balls than good sense.”
“She’s my sister.”
Berk nodded. “And I respect your sister too much to let her die when the star rises.”
The blood drained out of Cullen’s head. They had barely arrived in time. If anything had delayed them a few hours more, Lusahn would have died never knowing that he’d come for her.
“Fine. We’ll follow you, but make one false move, and it will be your last,” Barak said.
Trahern and Lonzo flanked the man, giving Berk no room to escape as he sheathed his sword and led them a short distance down the street and into the shadows between two buildings. When he was sure they were safe from prying eyes, he studied the three Paladins.
“So, which one of you is this Cullen Finley who has caused such an uproar?”
Cullen stepped forward. “I’m Finley.”
Berk’s pale eyes were calculating. “She thought you’d have the good sense to stay on your side of the barrier.”
Cullen glared at the Other male. “She thought wrong.”
“Obviously.” Berk grinned.
Cullen leaned in close, his hand grasping the hilt of his knife. “It won’t go well for anyone who interferes with us.”
The male stood his ground despite facing three Paladins armed and primed for battle. “I am not your enemy, human. At least not on this night. Tomorrow…who knows?”
Cullen’s gut feeling was that the Other could be trusted, at least for the next few hours. “I can live with that. Where are they holding her?”
“In the cells upstairs, toward the back of the building.”
That matched what Barak had told them earlier about the layout. The offices for the Guardians and their Blades were on the basement level. The Guildmaster and his associates had more luxurious offices on the main floor, and the second floor was reserved for storage and the occasional prisoner.
“How many Guardians and Blades are inside?”
“Too many for you to get past without questions or bloodshed.”
Trahern leaned in close, forcing Berk to take a step backward. “You might be squeamish about a little bloodletting, Other, but we’re not.”
“I will help you free Lusahn if I can, but not at the expense of Guardians and Blades who are only doing their job. There’s been enough of their blood spilled.”
“If you’ve got a be
tter plan, lay it out for us. Otherwise, get your Blade out of harm’s way, because we’re going in after her,” Cullen said.
“Back off, Finley! Now isn’t the time for threats.” Barak shouldered between his old friend and the Paladins. “He could have betrayed us back there on the steps and didn’t. Let’s listen to what he has to say.”
“There’s another way into the building through the window on the second floor at the back, near the cells. I will unlock the window and make sure it will open easily for you. More than that, I cannot do.”
Lonzo made a show of patting down his pockets. “Damn, I must have left my rope and grappling hook in my other pants.”
Berk sighed. “All right. I’ll take one of you into the Guild with me and upstairs to the window. From there, you can drop down a line. We must hurry now, before I’m missed.”
“I’m the obvious choice to go with him.” Barak pulled his hood back over his head.
Cullen shook his head sharply. “Like hell you are. If something goes wrong, you have the best chance of getting Lonzo and Trahern back across the barrier. If the Guild catches me, they might think I was acting alone.”
Lonzo and Trahern exchanged glances. “We don’t like it.”
Paladins were used to fighting side by side in a type of battle where brute strength meant more than tactics. Watching a friend go into battle alone went against everything they stood for.
But Cullen wasn’t going to back down. “I don’t see that we have much choice. I’ll go in with Berk. Give us ten minutes to get that window open. If you don’t see any action, wait a few more minutes and then get the hell out of town.”
Leave it to Trahern to get stubborn. “Damn it, Cullen, Devlin would—”
“Devlin’s not in charge here, Blake. I am. Besides, Lusahn’s my woman, my responsibility.” Cullen turned to Barak. “Though she’s your sister, she’s sitting in that cell because of me. I’m going in after her.”
The silence was as dark as the night sky as he waited them out.
“Ten minutes and not a minute more, Finley, but we won’t be leaving. We’ll be coming in, guns and swords drawn.” Trahern already had his gun in hand. “God help anyone who stands in our way.”
Cullen studied each man’s face one more time, knowing there wasn’t anyone he’d rather march into hell with.
“All right. Let’s go.”
“Follow closely, human, and I don’t have to tell you to keep your mouth shut and your head down,” Berk warned him.
Cullen made eye contact with his three friends one last time before falling into step beside Berk.
As they marched down the street and up the steps to the Guild, Cullen stayed a step behind and slightly to the side, imitating a Blademate.
Berk reached out to open the door. “If I say something to you, just nod. We will draw less attention if we act comfortable with each other’s company.”
Cullen nodded and followed him through the entrance. Inside, blue stones set in wall sconces cast the room in bright light. If the small stones were valuable, what were these fist-sized chunks of brilliant crystal worth? And how like the bureaucracy to use more than their fair share of the badly needed light, while the people walked in darkness and lit their homes with candles.
They’d only gone a short distance when Berk abruptly stopped by what turned out to be a storage closet. Feeling dangerously exposed, Cullen stood in the hallway trying to look casual while Berk rummaged around inside. When the Other warrior finally came back out, he thrust a coiled rope into Cullen’s hand.
So far, they were making progress. Then they passed by an open office, and a voice called out. Berk stiffened and then braced himself before turning back. He gave Cullen a pointed look, telling him without words to stay the hell out. Like he couldn’t figure that out for himself?
Cullen stood at attention against the wall. Berk and the Other were arguing, judging by the sharp edge to Berk’s voice. He hoped Berk could extract himself before their ten minutes were up and Trahern went all Rambo on the Guild’s ass.
A trickle of sweat slithered down Cullen’s spine, and he concentrated on judging the time by counting his heartbeat. If Berk didn’t come out in the next minute, he’d have to reach the window on his own. The worst that could happen was that someone would challenge him, and they’d have to die.
So either Berk came out in ten more heartbeats, or Cullen was leaving without him. He counted them down: ten, nine, eight, seven, six—Then Berk reappeared. Thank God; he really hadn’t wanted to go exploring on his own.
The Other stalked by, the rigid set to his shoulders and jaw verifying that the conversation hadn’t been a pleasant one.
“We must hurry,” Berk whispered.
Well, no shit! While Berk had been being raked over the coals, they’d lost precious time. If they didn’t get the hell out of town soon, they’d lose the cloak of darkness long before they reached the caves.
Berk stopped before an intersection and held his hand up for Cullen to stay back while he scouted ahead. When he saw the way was clear, he waved Cullen forward and around the corner. The staircase was ahead on the left.
Despite the armed guards, Berk headed right up the steps. They almost pulled it off, but at the last second the young guard barked out a couple of words, no doubt an order for them to halt.
Berk went up two more steps, then turned to face down the guard. When he responded, he didn’t raise his voice but evidently he didn’t need to. The guard immediately backed down, sounding apologetic. Berk continued up the stairs without looking back, and Cullen did the same, feeling like he had a target painted on his back.
Berk pushed the door at the top of the stairs open, then loped down the hall with Cullen close behind. He stopped in front of a window, unlocked it, and jerked the bottom sash up as far as it would go.
“The cells are on the opposite side from here. Release Lusahn and lower her down this wall. Your friends should be there to catch her, and then you.” He held out a small bundle wrapped in dark cloth. “If you don’t know how to pick the lock, Lusahn should. The key would have been easier, but I didn’t think it was worth the risk of stealing it.”
Cullen accepted the package and then held his hand out to Berk, surprising himself as much as the Other with the gesture. “Thank you for your help, Berk. I won’t forget it, and Paladins have long memories.”
Berk grasped Cullen’s hand in an awkward grip. “You haven’t made it to safety yet, Cullen Finley.”
“No, but we might not have made it this far without your help. You’d better get out of here before someone gets curious.”
Berk nodded. But before he’d gone two steps, he turned back with a stricken look on his face. “What are you going to do about Larem? If I’d had more time, I would have drugged his food. If you leave him behind, he’s likely to raise an alarm.”
“I’ll let Lusahn decide how to deal with him.”
Berk smiled sadly. “He was her Blade; it won’t be easy for her. Make her happy, human. She deserves that much.”
For the first time in hours, Cullen smiled. “I plan to.”
Larem had been quiet for hours. Even his barbed comments would be preferable to the awful silence that gave her too much time to think about dying.
She hoped Bavi and Shiri were adjusting to their abrupt change in worlds. They’d both already been through so much. And she hoped Cullen wasn’t suffering too much for leaving her behind. He’d done the right thing by taking her children to safety, but he had a warrior’s heart, and retreat would sit badly on his conscience.
A noise caught her attention. She cocked her head, trying to pinpoint what had disturbed her. It came again from across the room. Someone was messing with the door to the cellblock. Were they trying to open it without making any noise? Why didn’t they just barge in? Prisoners weren’t entitled to any privacy.
Finally, the door opened far enough for a cloaked figure to slip through. At first she ignored the Blade, but then she re
alized there was something familiar about the way he moved. The dim light from the candle across the room made it impossible to pick out many details, but could it be…?
She froze, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to hope. If her eyes and mind were playing an ugly trick on her, she couldn’t bear to know. Instead she waited, afraid to blink for fear the intruder would disappear.
When he stopped to check Larem’s cell, she almost convinced herself that her eyes were lying to her, that Cullen Finley wasn’t standing a short distance away.
But even before he looked in her direction, she rose to her feet, drinking in the sight of him. The chill that had surrounded her heart melted in an instant. She must have made a small noise, because Cullen’s head whipped around to face her. He shoved back the hood of his cloak and smiled that slow, sweet smile that made her pulse race and her skin tingle. They both reached the door of her cell at the same time. She grabbed his hands, and even with the cold metal bars between them, she could feel his warmth, his love.
Cullen broke off their kiss far too quickly. “My friends and your brother are waiting outside,” he whispered, but even that soft sound caused Larem to stir.
“What about him?” Cullen was carefully unwrapping something rolled in a piece of cloth.
There was no easy answer—if Larem awoke, he was likely to scream for the Guardians. If he slept through their escape, the Guildmaster would likely focus all of his fury on his one remaining prisoner.
Rather than think about him, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“A Guardian named Berk slipped me these to pick the lock. He said if I didn’t know how, you would.” Cullen looked up from the wires and tools in his hand, his dark eyes twinkling. “Interesting talent for a Sworn Guardian to have.”
His teasing helped distract her. She reached out to rifle through the tools. “Joq taught me. He said that picking locks took concentration and a light touch, good skills when it came to investigating.”
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