“If you do not wish to cooperate with me, I will abandon you and find another human. Be aware that if I do that, your body will die.”
“My body will die? What does that mean?
“It means that when you made a willing pact with me, your soul became mine,” Luagh said, grinning to himself. “Where I go, it goes.”
Flora drove for a few minutes in silence, then shrugged. What difference did it make what happened to her soul after she was dead? Staying alive was all that mattered. That, and power. “Fine, if this makes us more powerful, let’s do it. The top Druids huh? The strongest Druid on Apedra is Ian Fadden.”
“No, we will not go near him, or his human female.”
“She’s not his female,” Flora snapped.
“We will not go near them,” Luagh interrupted before Flora went off on one of her rants. “Obey me in this or I will find another human who will cooperate with less noise.”
“Stop threatening me,” Flora snapped.
“It is not a threat, it is a warning.”
“You’re so big, so powerful, and yet so afraid,” Flora said scornfully.
“Let me show you what will happen if we are captured and returned to the Unseelie realm, and the Thorn King’s punishment,” Luagh said, releasing memories for his sharp tongued human to see.
All of the color drained from Flora’s face and she had to fight not to throw up on the steering wheel of her ground car. She was glad they were on a straight stretch of road because while she could continue to steer straight, anything else was beyond her. It took her several minutes to compose herself enough to speak. “You convinced me,” she said hoarsely. “No Unseelie, no Ian Fadden, no Nica.”
Chapter 12
Nica opened her eyes and frowned in confusion when she didn’t recognize anything around her. She heard a soft whooshing sound and turned her head to see a small woman with long, red-gold hair and green eyes enter the room.
“Aunt Lari!” she gasped, immediately trying, and failing, to sit up. “Where am I? What’s wrong with me?”
“Shh, Nica,” Lariah said, placing a cool hand on her forehead. “Relax a moment and think, then I will answer your questions.”
Nica obeyed and let the memories come to her. It didn’t take very long. “Is Bree alive? I didn’t see what he did to her, but I saw the blood. There was a lot of it.”
“Yes, it was very bad,” Lariah said. “But she’s alive, and in a healing tank. Thanks to Doc and Darlene, she will live. I’m afraid she will have many scars, though.”
“Scars?” Nica asked. “If she’s in a healing tank, why will she have scars?”
“I’m not talking about surface scars,” Lariah said. “There are some things that not even a healing tank can correct.”
“Bree is stronger than people think,” Nica said. “She’ll get through this.”
“You are a good and loyal friend, Nica,” Lariah said. “We are proud of you.”
“How long has it been?” Nica asked, raising one hand to her head which throbbed dully. “And why are you here?” She looked around again. “Wherever here is.”
“We’re aboard the Ugaztun, docked at the Apedran spaceport, and it’s been three days,” Lariah said. “We’re on our way to New Ugaztun to interview General Thornton, and stopped to get your side of what occurred there. I thought that Honey told you.”
“She did, Aunt Lari,” Nica said. “I’m sorry. There’s been so much going on here that I forgot, but I sure am glad you’re here now.”
“As are we,” Lariah said. “I felt your pain as soon as we entered the system, and of course Garen, Trey, and Val had no trouble finding you. Just in time, too. I’m afraid we gave Mr. Fadden a bit of a scare, but if we’d arrived much later Doc might not have been able to save either one of you. Your head injury was quite serious, but it’s fully healed now. Far faster than expected, in fact. The headache you currently are experiencing is residual. It will fade completely in a few more minutes.”
“Yes, it’s almost gone now. Thank you, Aunt Lari, for all your help. I’m so grateful to you and the Uncles.”
“You’re welcome, of course, Nica,” Lariah said. Then she smiled. “I see you no longer wear the ring.”
“No, I finally got past that,” Nica replied. “The Dracon-Bats helped me.”
“Did they?”
“Yes,” Nica said. “Somehow they released me. My soul, I mean. I don’t really understand it.”
“I do understand,” Lariah said, “and so will all Clan Jasani.”
“That’s a relief,” Nica said. “It would be awful if everyone thought I turned my back on them, or betrayed them.”
“No one will think that, Nica,” Lariah assured her. “Especially not of you. There will be great joy at the news that you have been released, and that you have a new life to look forward to.”
“Thank you,” Nica said, tears stinging her eyes. That reminded her, though. “Aunt Lari, do you know how Ian is?”
“Frantic about you, worried about his sister, and, I believe, terrified that you will leave and never return.”
“No, I’d never do that,” Nica said, sitting up slowly. “I need to see him.”
“I know, dear,” Lariah said with a knowing smile. “Just wait a few minutes for the after effects of the healing tank to wear off, all right?”
“Of course,” Nica said. “Um, does Honey know about this?”
“No,” Lariah said. “Not yet. You’re fine and we saw no reason to upset her. I’ll tell her when we get home.”
“Good, I agree, there’s no reason to upset her,” Nica said. “Aunt Lari, do you think the Uncles will help us with something?”
“If they can, they will, of course,” Lariah said. “They love you, Nica, you do know that, right?”
Nica blinked back tears and nodded. “Yes, I know that. Sorry for being so emotional but without the ring, everything is so intense now.”
“Never be sorry for feeling, Nica,” Lariah admonished her. “As to them helping you, you know the rules set out by the ICARUS charter that we’ve sworn to uphold. They will not break their oaths, even for you, but it will cause them pain if they have to refuse you.”
“Don’t worry, Aunt Lari, I’d never, ever ask them to do anything like that.”
“Thank you, Nica.” Lariah leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “If you promise to stay in bed for another ten minutes, I’ll go get Ian for you.”
“I promise,” Nica said at once.
Lariah laughed softly and left the room. Nica looked around and spotted her clothing in a pile on a table beside the bed. She reached over and pulled the pile onto her lap and began going through it. She pulled the jeans out first and reached into the front left pocket, relieved when her fingers immediately felt the ring there. She examined it carefully to make sure it was unharmed, then returned it to the pocket and set the jeans aside. She checked the kevlex vest, not surprised to find it unmarked from the bullet, and put it with the jeans. Then she reached for her knife belt and unrolled it on the bed in front of her. Only one slot was empty, and she wondered at that as she slid the others out, checking the blades and finding each one sparkling clean. She knew that one of her uncles had collected her knives and cleaned them before returning them to her belt, and made a mental note to thank them.
A soft knock sounded on the door and her heart leapt in her chest. “Come in,” she called, then smiled as the door opened and Ian stepped inside. He closed the door behind himself and crossed the room, but her smile slipped as she got a good look at his face.
“How are you?” they both asked at the same time as their hands clasped almost of their own accord. “I’m fine,” both answered, then smiled at each other.
“I’m so relieved to see you awake and talking,” Ian said after a moment. “I was so afraid for you.”
“Just a bump on the head is all,” Nica said.
“Don’t give me that, Nica Vinia,” Ian said sternly. “I saw the wound on the
back of your head up close and personal. Your skull was cracked.” His voice grew more hoarse with each word until he knew he wouldn’t be able to prevent tears from falling if he didn’t stop speaking. So he wrapped his arms around Nica’s shoulders and pulled her close against him instead.
Nica wrapped her arms around his waist, and leaned into him, smiling to herself at how comfortably they fit together. She closed her eyes and relaxed in a way she never had before. After a few minutes she felt Ian stir, then press a kiss on the top of her head.
“Tell me about Bree.”
“Thomas made a mess of her face,” Ian said. “He never meant to kill her. He wanted her to live with a ruined face, knowing that she was a fool for believing he actually cared about her. And the knowledge that, because of her, I was dead.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because he told me,” Ian said. “That must have been before you got there.” Nica nodded against his chest.
“What do you mean about her face being ruined?” she asked.
“He and Flora took turns cutting her face, Nica,” Ian said grimly. “It was so bad that I only knew it was her because of her hair.” Nica shuddered against him.
“The Dracons got her here fast enough that Doc doesn’t think there’ll be many scars. Just a few faint ones on her body where he…well, cut her more deeply.”
“What do you mean?”
“Quill destroyed any chance of her bearing children. Not even a healing tank could fix what he’d done.”
“I don’t understand,” Nica said. “Why not?”
“Because he opened her up and…please, Nica, just trust me on this. The damage was too extensive. Doc had to remove some of the damaged organs to stop the bleeding.”
“I’m so sorry, Ian.”
“At least she’s alive, we’re both alive, thanks to you,” he said. “I love you.” She tilted her head back and smiled up at him.
“I love you, too.”
Ian smiled, but there was a puzzled expression in his eyes. “What is it?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Something is different.”
“Yes, a lot is different,” Nica said, still smiling. “I have lots to tell you, but the first thing is, I don’t have the ring on any more, and I’m not blocked any more. That means you’re going to get the real me now, whoever she is after all this time. But don’t think for a moment that you can get away from me because of that, because you can’t.”
“The thought would never cross my mind,” Ian said, smiling. She laughed, then her smile slipped again.
“Ian, you look awful. Have you eaten or slept at all these past couple of days?”
“Yes, I have as a matter of fact,” he said. “Prince Garen threatened to wrap me up in air and stuff me head first into a healing tank if I didn’t stop making Princess Lariah worry by not eating or sleeping. Needless to say, I did what she wanted, ate a huge meal and slept for six hours. You’ve got some scary Uncles, Nica. I wasn’t altogether sure they intended to leave me alive if you didn’t heal. They love you very much.”
“And I love them,” she said. “They aren’t really my uncles though.”
“That doesn’t matter to them,” Ian said.
“It doesn’t matter to me, either,” Nica laughed. “And they aren’t scary. They’re just really…intense.”
“Intense, huh?” Ian asked doubtfully. “Well, call it what you will. I’m just glad they didn’t see how rude I was to you when we first met. As it is, I have a feeling that if I do one little thing to upset you, they’ll drop me in the middle of an ocean somewhere.”
“No, they’d never do that,” Nica said, reaching up to caress his face. “They love me, and they would never want to see me lose a soul mate again.”
“Soul mate?” he asked in surprise, his heart suddenly filled with hope.
“Yes, you’re my soul mate, Ian,” Nica said. “Thanks to the Dracon-Bats and their enormous kindness and sacrifice, I get another chance at life and love.”
“They didn’t do it out of kindness, Nica, they did it out of love for you,” Ian said, his voice hoarse again. He blinked rapidly, but couldn’t completely hide the tears that brightened his eyes. “I wish I had a way to thank them.”
“You do,” Nica said. “Loving me is all the thanks they’d ever want.”
“I can do that,” Ian said.
“Good,” Nica said. “Because I intend to love you the same way.”
Ian bent down to kiss her gently on the lips, then held her close while he waited for the lump in his throat to go away. When he stepped back again, Nica looked up at him with serious eyes.
“Tell me what happened, Ian.”
“What do you remember?”
“Everything up until I hit the floor,” Nica said. “First I want to know how in the nine hells you got to the house before me.”
“No, first you should know that I didn’t take any money from your account.”
“Why not?” Nica asked in surprise. “Oh no, Ian, please don’t tell me you really sold everything!”
“No, I didn’t do that, either,” Ian said. “I told the manager of the Tech Center what the situation was, and he contacted the bank. Between them, they worked some electronic magic that made it look like the money was deposited into Thomas’s account. There was an eight hour time limit on it, and if he’d tried to actually spend any of it he would have figured it out, but it was enough.”
“Brilliant,” Nica said, smiling. “Then what happened?”
“About a minute after the money appeared to show up in Quill’s account, the Tech Center received a comm from him addressed to me. It said that Bree was at Fadden Fields, and that it would be best for her if I got to her fast. So I hired the fastest ground-car I could get my hands on and drove out there.”
“I wasn’t too far behind you,” Nica said.
“How did you know to go there?”
Nica held her right hand up. “Like I said, I’m not blocked any more,” she said, then frowned. “Not completely, anyway, and no, I don’t really know what that means. It just came into my head.”
“How did you manage to get the ring off?”
“I’ll tell you all about it later because I’m starting to feel like we’re running out of time and I have a lot to explain to you and the Dracons.”
Ian opened his mouth to ask how she knew that, and what they were running out of time for, then changed his mind when he realized he’d soon find out anyway. “Your psychic abilities are back, right?”
“Yes,” Nica nodded. “That’s how I knew where to find Bree. I didn’t expect to find you there, though. Or Flora.”
“Yeah, that surprised me, too,” Ian said, frowning. “She’s strong, Nica. Really strong. She overpowered me so easily I still have trouble believing it. And then, when you threw those knives at her, which was totally amazing, by the way, she caught one and threw it back so quickly that I barely saw her move. The other one seemed to just…bounce off of her. It was surreal.” He shook his head. “I’ve known Flora most of my life and she has never been strong physically, or as a Sylvan. She had enough power to keep her mother’s prize roses healthy, but that’s about it. I don’t know where all this new power comes from.” Nica watched him as he spoke, and saw the light of understanding begin to grow in his eyes. “No,” he said, looking at her in horror.
“Yes, the Changeling is hiding in Flora,” she said.
“I thought for sure it was Quill,” Ian said. “Or if not him, a man.”
“Yes, I thought it was Quill too,” Nica said. “But that’s not the worst of it. Flora knows the Changeling is inside of her, and she’s working with it.”
“How do you know that?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Nica said, pointing at her head. “I just do.”
Ian nodded. “Well, it does make sense now that I think about it. Flora knows who all the most powerful Druids are, and where they live. She can get into their homes, and move around with
out suspicion. But why did she run from you?”
“I don’t know,” Nica said, frowning. “I have to get back on Apedra so I can talk with Eibhleann.”
“Um…pardon me?”
“Well, not directly. I can call the sprites to me, and they can ask Eibhleann my questions and give me her answers. But I can’t do it from up here. I have to be on Apedra.”
“That’s not difficult,” he said, checking his watch. “We can catch a shuttle down to the surface in about two hours, I think.”
Nica's Legacy (Hearts of ICARUS Book 1) Page 29
