“Or?” Jonah always liked a back-up plan, and Nathaniel was about to admit he was at a loss. He was a great warrior, yes, but this was out of his league.
Nathaniel, Desmond's voice was suddenly in his head. Standby.
Standby for what? Nathaniel responded. I'm in the middle of something. Don't come…
Five minutes out, Desmond said. Open the hatch.
Maestro, we're being attacked! Nathaniel cried in his brain. Do you have the parts? I need your magic and I need it now.
All is achieved, Desmond answered. Nathaniel's eyes flew open in hope.
“All right,” he said. “I have a plan. I'm going to divert any remaining power from the com link to the hatch.”
“The hatch?” Eliza said, in surprise “Are you mad?”
“Possibly, but my back-up needs to enter the building,” Nathaniel answered “Jonah, can you man the front? As soon as the hatch is open, I'll divert it back to the com system.”
“On it,” Jonah said. “Your highness, if you please, pick a direction and stay safe.”
“I'll pick a sunny planet,” Eliza grumbled as she stayed close to Nathaniel. “Stay safe as well, Jonah.”
He winked at her, barely seen in the darkness and headed off. Nathaniel pulled her hand forward, toward the back hatch.
“Just focus on the power diversion,” she assured him. “I'll cover you if anyone boards from the front.”
“Are you armed?” he asked in surprise
“Of course, I am,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “What do you take me for?”
“Forgot that you were my battle Queen,” he said with a half-smile as he started working with the wiring panel. There was very little power left lingering anywhere. He had already put the heat on half of what it would be, making them all gather blankets and cloaks. He knew there was enough to open the hatch, but that was before they started taking on damage.
In addition, with one hand, it probably wasn't the swiftest job he ever did.
Nathaniel! Desmond's voice was urgent, and Nathaniel bit his lip.
I'm trying, he said. Unless you've got enough magic to open the doors. And…are there other magical signatures with you? He shouldn't even be asking, because it didn't matter. The other signatures weren't hostile, but they were foreign.
There are, Desmond answered. Can you do this?
He was only halfway through the thought when the wiring finally managed to spark to life. Having Jonah at the front and Eliza watching his back was so helpful in a quick job, despite Desmond's distractions. He only had to focus on the task at hand, and he was surprised how quickly it came to him.
The hatch opened and he stepped back as another shot from the front rocked the ship. The hatch slowly lowered, and he was grateful for the high roof of the front of the ship to block the oncoming fire.
They had a small ship of their own, which Nathaniel noted the battery pack model and compatibility with their own. It was just a little four-person scooter, but there were parts they could scrap if needed.
Desmond was already shoving two young children, a boy and a girl up the ramp. Sienna's hair was wild and half frozen, and she lurked behind Desmond, moving up the ramp after he did.
Nathaniel did not need a bond to understand what had happened. Her eyes were dead and her nose running. She had been crying. He knew it well enough.
He ignored the children boarding and opened his arms for his broken-hearted Tiro. This wasn't the time or the place, but he couldn't move forward without offering her reassurance.
She fell into them, hiding her shaking hands.
“I am here for you,” he assured her. “I am still here.”
“Mm-hmm,” was all she could manage before he heard a screech from behind him. A laser shot had broken a window, and he turned around a split second too late.
One of the children had moved behind him, directly in his line of protection. Had he been faster, he could have used his good hand to block at least some of the shot. But because Sienna had been with him, he didn't move quick enough to save a life.
The child, the boy, fell to the floor, his eyes open and life less.
“NO!” Sienna hurled herself out of Nathaniel's arms and forward, her palms open. It was instinct., her magic wanting to flow in her heart.
But her body was damaged, blocked, and no resurrection magic would flow, even if she wanted it to, and even at the expense of her own life.
“No, no, no, no.”
“Sienna.” Nathaniel tried to yank her away, feeling the ship rock “You can't do anything. Come with me, little one. Come with me.”
“Please no, no, no.” She pushed harder on the boy's chest but everyone knew that it was no use.
These were her burdens. These were Nathaniel's burdens, the burdens Nature had placed on them.
“We have to go!” Nathaniel pulled at her as blaster fire came from the back. They had left themselves vulnerable, and clearly the pirates had more friends than they thought. “Sienna!”
Eliza rushed forward to cover them, her blaster firing at top speed.
“Desmond!” Nathaniel cried, physically trying to pick her up and move her. His arm hung limp and useless, and danger was getting closer. Desmond was linked onto the remaining child, who was screaming.
“Desmond, HELP ME!” Nathaniel demand, and Desmond's heart was torn. He had to make a choice between himself, which was of no consequence, the Queen, the new potential and his former Tiros.
They had never prepared for such a heart-wrenching situation. This was why they weren't supposed to form attachments.
Desmond put the child down. There was no time to talk to her, no time to teach her. He simply put her to his side, and channeled her magic, hoping for a fragment of connection.
Out of his hands shot magic powerful enough for both of them. He chose to slam the hatch closed rather than kill the three shooters approaching. It rose and latched with perfect precision, giving them a moment of safety.
“Go,” he said, throwing the bag at Nathaniel with the parts. “Sienna, go with him now.”
“We have to—” She sobbed, still lingering over the dead body.
“Sienna, attend to your Maestro,” Desmond snapped, picking up the crying child again. He and Nathaniel met eyes, their worlds colliding.
Sienna stood up slowly, as if she was a puppet on a string. She responded to Nathaniel's gentle pulls and followed him out of the room, toward the engine room.
“What the hell is going on?” Eliza asked, but Desmond was already moving. The girl was screaming in his ear, and the ship at front was still sending laser blasts.
Their chances of survival were low and they lowered each moment Nathaniel didn't get power to the ship.
He slammed into the pilot's seat, Eliza's captain of the guards ready in the co-pilot's chair.
Coils in place came, Nathaniel's voice in his head. It sounded flat, unemotional, and Desmond knew that the worst was yet to come for the three of them. Count to three and them power it up.
Thank you, Desmond managed and hit the switch. The control panel came to life, and he pulled the joystick.
They slid forward, a blast hitting their tail, and then rose, throwing off the aim of the enemy.
Desmond tried to feel the energy flooding through the ship, hoping there was enough. He then threw the thrusters forward, and they locked into hyperspace.
They were safe. At least, for now.
Chapter 15
“I promise all will be well.”
He used to do this when she was a child and upset. She liked to be reassured everything was fine, he wasn't going anywhere, and that she was stronger than she thought. He would repeat the words over and over until she felt them in her soul.
Only this time, the words weren't hollow blank reassurances that he thought she should already know. These were solid words when there were questions about her future.
“You knew?” she asked and Nathaniel sighed.
“He told me it was
in his mind, but I was hoping that a quest with you would change his mind.”
“So, I did something wrong?” Sienna asked in horror and he took her hands, bending down from his place on the windowsill.
“No,” he said. “You did not, and you can't think you did. He did what he thought was best, Sienna, but that doesn't mean you took a wrong path.”
“He said I'll never pass the tests. And maybe he's right.”
“I took a vow,” Nathaniel said, “to serve as your Maestro and whether or not you will pass the tests in the traditional way doesn't make a difference to me, Sienna.”
“Nathaniel, had you not been distracted by me, had I had magic, that child might have lived.”
“Nature took its course,” Nathaniel said. “We all have a time to live and a time to die.”
“He was a child, Nathaniel.” Tears spilled down her face. “He didn't know any better. Someone just told him to come along, that he'd be a witch…and so he did, blindly.” The parallels to her own story were heartbreaking.
“Is that what you think?” he asked softly.
“I don't know what to think,” she replied. “I don't know how to feel, or what to do now.”
“You and I will figure it out together,” he said, and she nodded, although she seemed doubtful.
“Do you think…Desmond's in the cockpit. Should we stay here?”
“I don't think he wants to avoid you,” Nathaniel said. “He's not angry, Sienna. He's sad, mostly, from what I can feel.”
“I can't feel anything,” she pointed out, and he closed his eyes, fighting with his own emotions.
“You can,” he said. “Your magic is suppressed, but it's still there.”
“Our bond is broken,” she said.
“It isn't.”
“No, I mean…” she wiped away tears. “Desmond and I. He's chosen to break it, hasn't he?”
“It doesn't go away,” Nathaniel said. “Just because he chooses not to train you anymore. It's never really going to go away. Sometimes, I wish I wasn't bound to him, but it's as strong as when we were training. I don't think this has to be heartbreak, little one. I wouldn't be surprised if he chooses to retire, and that was the reason he stepped away when he did.”
“You think?” she asked. He tried to smile, not answering.
“Come on,” he said. “We'll do whatever you want. What is it that you want to do?”
She shook her head. “I'd rather just stay here,” she leaned back in her chair, watching space fly by. “If that's all right.”
“All right,” he said, settling into the lounge chair beside her. She looked at him in surprise
“You don't have to stay,” she said. “I know that you want to see Eliza.”
“I always want to see Eliza,” he replied. “But that doesn't change the fact that I want to be here for you.”
“You're not going to do the same thing?” she asked. “Do you promise?”
“I told you I made a vow,” he replied. “To you, to myself, to the magic.”
“But you didn't want me,” she pointed out, remembering the start of her training.
Nathaniel sighed. “I didn't know what I wanted, Sienna. I was young, I was…”
“No, you wanted a warrior,” she said. “Not a girl and not one who could never fight.”
“I thought that's what I wanted,” he answered. “But you've taught me so much, as a witch, as a Maestro. I was an idiot for thinking otherwise. And I want to train you now.”
She fell silent, staring off into space again. “He could have lived, Nathaniel,” she said, softly after a few minutes. Nathaniel didn't answer, knowing that words would not do her any good.
The boy could have lived, yes. She was right about those things. Had he not been distracted, if she had her magic, that child might have made it to the Academy. But Nathaniel wasn't going to dwell on those things when there was nothing that could be done.
He didn't see Desmond until long after dinner, when the ship was mostly asleep. At six p.m., Nathaniel felt his body shift, before reminding himself that they were no longer on that schedule. Six p.m. did not signal the time he needed to be alert and on call for his Tiro any longer. There was no off time, no relaxing. He was now all she had.
“We should speak,” Desmond said, as Nathaniel entered the cafeteria. The lights were flickering, but they were holding. The ship was sailing smoothly through space and would land by dawn, taking Eliza to hostile and dangerous negotiations.
“We should,” Nathaniel said. He didn't know what to say, really. Speaking to Desmond had always been comfortable and easy. Now, however, it felt awkward, difficult.
“Is she all right?”
“She might be,” Nathaniel answered. “I don't know. Losing a Maestro…”
“I'm still here,” Desmond said. “I still draw breath, and she can speak to me whenever she wishes. I will always answer.”
“If you're willing to do that,” Nathaniel pointed out. “Then why?”
“Because you and I both know it's best,” Desmond replied. “I believe we're playing a charade that needs to stop. I'm more useful elsewhere, as harsh as it is.”
“And you believe I should give up, too?” Nathaniel asked. “Two in one day?”
“I can no longer tell you what to do,” Desmond pointed out. “I can only advise.”
“Would you advise it?”
“I would.” Desmond leaned against the counter. “But I take it you are not open to that suggestion?”
“A child is dead,” Nathaniel replied. “Because you chose to leave Sienna and bring on a new batch of questionable potentials”
“That is not why that boy is dead,” Desmond said. “We both know it.”
“What did you want her to do? Resurrection magic opens a black hole of souls and nearly kills her,” Nathaniel half-spat. “Is that what you wanted? You wished she could do that, regardless of the consequences for herself?”
“No,” Desmond said. “I wished…” He took a deep breath, looking at the ground. Nathaniel was surprised to find a wave of emotion go through his former Maestro. “I wish that she could have had a normal few years, learning, training and succeeding When I took her on, that's all I wanted for her. For all my Tiros, really.”
“But we've all been such odd balls, and let you down, haven't we?” Nathaniel answered.
“No,” Desmond replied. “I've let you down. I've run many years on half-energy, on half a heart. I got us exiled, Nathaniel, for loving Mariah, and I taught you that it was all right for so long that you are in danger of doing the same.”
“It won't be the case,” Nathaniel assured him. “Don't worry.”
“That's what I thought,” Desmond replied. “And then suddenly I couldn't go a day without speaking with her, and I started to think of a life outside of this. I see the way you and see Eliza look at each other, how you dream. Your life is going to be between a rock and a hard place with a Tiro who will never succeed, and because of that, your success will be limited. Is that the best way to serve the magic? Don't be angry, Nathaniel, answer me truthfully.”
“No,” Nathaniel said, after a few moments, his breathing harsh. “That is not the best way to serve the magic.”
“Then why are you continuing to do it?” Desmond asked, and Nathaniel shook his head.
“Don't do that. Don't bait me. I can't do that to her. She's my Tiro, my first. I can't just walk away.”
“Then do it for her,” Desmond pleaded. “For the life she could live, away from this path she is not meant to walk.”
“The path she wants to walk is with me!” Nathaniel roared at him.
Silence fell over both of them and Desmond drummed his fingers ever so lightly against the counter.
“Yes,” he said. “That is true. But there are others.”
Nathaniel look away, afraid that he might cry or throw something. “Maestro, do not ask this of me,” he said.
“I'm not asking anything of you,” Desmond answered. “
Only that you consider what you are doing.”
“I'm going to bed,” Nathaniel said as a reply.
“Find Devon,” Desmond called and Nathaniel spun on his heel, confused.
“What?”
“Find Devon for her,” he said. “Bring her to him. Maybe that will be enough for her to realize that she shouldn't be on this path.”
“And her path is with him? Are you mad?” Nathaniel said. “That boy was nothing but trouble for her. How many times did he nearly get her killed, make her sick? There's no way I'm letting…”
“When he was a witch trying to walk a different path, he was trouble for you,” Desmond said. “Because he showed her that way and she went willingly. And only when you and I showed up did she rethink, coward backwards. Her heart went in his footsteps.”
“Don't,” Nathaniel said. “Don't even think it around her. You chose to walk away, Desmond, and that is fine. I accept your choice. But now I am her Maestro, and you have to respect my wishes and orders with her. Do not even suggest her taking a walk in a garden by herself, do you understand me?”
Desmond looked away. “As you wish.”
“Thank you,” Nathaniel stormed off, resisting the urge to magically slam the door behind him.
He would not have gotten so angry if he didn't feel like Desmond's words had truth in them. Sienna's relationship with Devon had been dangerous for that very reason, and he wanted to make sure she had nothing to do with him. His relationship with Eliza was always under the understanding that they would not make each other stray from their duties, except in dreams. If she wasn't capable of forming a relationship like that, he did not want his Tiro to have one at all.
Not that she should be having one at all.
He knew he wasn't going to sleep, so he went to find his Queen in question.
Eliza was in the communications room, sending messages back to Jeffro. When she saw Nathaniel , she spun in her chair, holding her arms open.
He grasped her like she was his oxygen, kissing everywhere he could.
“Are you all right?” she asked him, concerned.
“Never leave me,” he said, and she pulled him close.
“Never,” she promised. “I promise you.”
The Dragon's Gold (Exiled Dragons Book 12) Page 59
