Blind Spirit (Scourge Survivor Series Book 4)

by JL Madore

  Aust was many things, intelligent, loyal, brave, and sacrificing but I would never consider him dominant or aggressive. “What will you do to win her coyote over?”

  He rinsed the shampoo from the lengths of his wet hair where it stuck to his shoulders. “The Equinox Moon approaches. Weres can already feel their animals growing restless. Bruin is hosting a massive Were run across the mountainside and has given me permission to join them.”

  “As yourself or in your tiger form?”

  He palmed the bar of soap and ran it over his chest and down his torso. “In tiger form. If I can prove myself strong enough, Bree is certain her coyote will relent and accept me.”

  “I wish you well, brother mine. You deserve every happiness.”

  “As do you, sweeting.” He turned and lifted his face to the water, the suds washing down his thighs under the stream. “Bruin and Mika are coming to the courtyard for evening repast. Will you join us?”

  “I should be back in plenty of time.” I gauged the light coming in the window and pressed a hand to the glass shower door. “But I must needs run to change my dress. I should hate to be late on my first day.”

  “No one is staring at you.” Linked at the elbows, Samuel and I made our way through the sea of students. Flowing like battling currents, bodies jostled and swept in opposite directions up and down the wide stone hallways of the castle.

  I continued my search for the first classroom where we were to instruct this afternoon.

  Samuel’s night-black brow drew so tight it was a wonder his reflective glasses remained on his face. “Stop your scowling. No one is staring at you.”

  There was, in fact, a great number of people staring at him as we neared the third-floor classroom where Jade taught Theory of Healing. But, with a lot of eye contact and head shaking, I kept most of the students at bay.

  “Merlin, good to see you.” Nash broke through the crowd and slapped Samuel on the arm. His smile crinkled the crescent tribal tattoo inked around the orbit of his left eye. The shimmering colors of the ink complimented his russet skin. “I didn’t know you were back to teaching, my man.”

  Samuel’s jaw clenched. “Yeah, well, we thought we could help out while Jade is recovering.”

  Nash ran a palm over the squared peaks of his purple mohawk and frowned. “Fuck, I had no clue Clay was a mole. It makes me sick how close Jade came to—”

  “No one blames you, Nash,” I said.

  The acrid scent of his guilt mixed with the wall of cologne surrounding him was overwhelming. Verily, my sense of smell was far more heightened than the females in his classes, but did they find sprayed-on pheromone appealing?

  I rubbed at the tingle in my nose and tried not to inhale too deeply. “If you will excuse us, we are off to shape the minds of youth.”

  “Or make a complete arse outta myself and destroy what little pride I have left,” Samuel said.

  I squeezed his elbow. “A little faith would do you well.”

  Samuel rubbed his eyes behind his glasses. “Lucky me, I’m stuck with Mary-feckin-Poppins as my sidekick.”

  “Who?”

  Nash chuckled. “Well, I’m a TA in Weapons and Warfare down the hall if you need me. Good luck. I’m sure you’ll do great.” With a wink, the shimmering colors of his tattoo wrinkled then smoothed. Striding down the stone corridor the junior wizard disappeared into the crowd of bodies.

  Left unto ourselves, I tugged Samuel back into motion. “Stop expecting the worst.”

  “Life has taught me well.”

  “It would do you better to expect greatness while preparing for adversity.”

  “Could ye tone down the pep rally? I think I might slit my wrists.”

  I shook my head and with one more turn, found the classroom. “Here we are—”

  I misjudged the clearance of the jamb and Samuel’s shoulder caught against the frame of the doorway. Hard.

  “Jaysus woman.”

  I winced as he rolled his shoulder, and inhaled the bitter scent of his frustration. “That was my fault.”

  “No shite.” For a moment, Samuel looked like he might dissolve the whole arrangement. “Take me to the podium. Use the desk to lay out Jade’s binder. We’ll go through the content of the lesson like we discussed.”

  I led him to the wide chestnut stand in the front corner of the rectangular room and placed his hand on its surface. After gathering the loose papers left by the previous instructor, I tucked them in the shelf below. Samuel slid behind the podium, gripping the sides and drawing a deep breath. Angled in the front corner, opposite the door, he stood in full view of the two dozen students seated.

  After witnessing our not-so-elegant arrival, they stared hard at Samuel. I glanced at the man standing at the lectern, wondering what they saw.

  There was an edge to Samuel’s attractiveness. A sharpness beyond his dark, chic haircut and the way his jaw cut square like a carved statue. He held presence. Behind the pulpit, mirrored glasses in place, he also held the focus of the room.

  “Okay, guys.” Samuel scanned the rows of seats as if by habit, his cheeks mottled, a slight quaver to his voice. “I suppose ye’ve all heard about the attack on Jade?”

  There was a chorus of affirmation and whispers.

  “Some of ye may know, I have nea been in a classroom for a bit, so bear with me. Miss Caleblasse and I will make every effort to fill in until Jade’s on her feet again.”

  Distracted by his use of my proper name, I almost missed when a blond male in the second row raised his pencil.

  “A student has a question,” I said.

  “Okay, shoot.” Samuel inclined his head toward the class and we began our day.

  “Jade spoke the truth, Samuel. You shine in the classroom.” I guided him down the main staircase of the castle and across the congested stone foyer. “You see, all that worrying and you rocked their stockings off.”

  Samuel smirked. “I think ye mean rock their socks off.”

  “Is that not what I said?”

  “No. No one rocks someone’s stockings off. It’s socks.”

  I paused for a group to pass and headed toward for the main entrance. “My point is sound. You did well.”

  “Better than I thought, actually.”

  I bowed my head as the blond student from our first class held the oversized wooden door for us to exit. I made certain Samuel’s shoulder cleared the frame before we continued through. “Blind or not, you connect with the students. When this is over you should consider staying on. It would give you something productive to contribute again.”

  Samuel’s chest bounced as he laughed.

  “Have I said something else you find queer?” I pulled the furred collar of my jacket together and pressed closer to his side. The late afternoon sky hung gray and dreary. Chill-bumps raised on my legs beneath my skirts.

  He laughed harder. “First, instead of queer, if ye mean to fit in, maybe ye should use a word like strange or odd. Second, it doesn’t dawn on ye to glaze over the fact I’m blind, does it? Ye throw it out there as if it were no more important than my hair being black or my tie being crooked.”

  “You are not wearing a tie, Professor Murray.” Tightening up on his arm, I borrowed a bit of warmth as we concluded our descent down the stone steps of the castle.

  “I’m just sayin’ ye surprise me more often than not.”

  “Tomorrow, we shall be better still—careful, one last step—we have Realm History after morning repast and Theory of Healing with Magic before mid-day.”

  Samuel’s smile faltered. When we stepped onto the path and the crowd thinned, Samuel let his elbows ease from his sides and took a half-step away.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “For a moment, it felt good. Like old times.”

  “Why does that sadden you?”

  “Because if this were then, Jade and I would go to the Hearthstone for a drink after a satisfying day of teaching.”

  “Well, I have time—”
<
br />   Samuel stopped and removed his arm from mine. “Look. Lia. Teaming up for the Academy is one thing—I’d suffer through anything for Jade.” He scrubbed his fingers over his mouth and exhaled. “Ye see, we’re teaching together. That’s all. Yer still the sister of the arsehole who stole my future and I’m still the bastard wizard yer entire family despises. This is an arrangement not a friendship.”

  His words slapped my cheek as cold as the March wind, and by the long silence that grew between us, he knew it.

  “Samuel! Lia!” Bruin emerged from the forest on the west path and jogged toward us. His broad chest heaved beneath his leather jacket, a flush on his bronze cheeks. “Did you hear? We found Clay Wells about two hours ago.”

  Samuel’s demeanor darkened further. “Did he confess why he attacked Jade? Did he admit to being Abaddon’s pawn?”

  “We didn’t get that far.”

  “In two hours? Why the hell not?”

  Bruin canted his head to the side. “Cause he’s dead. Chopped into shoebox-sized pieces.”

  “What?”

  “Aust’s wolves smelled the chunks o’ corpse and led us straight to it. Bits of Clay strewn all inside the mechanical shed by Ward 14. Real life Texas Chainsaw Massacre stuff.”

  I crinkled my nose, but could still imagine the acrid stench burning my nostrils.

  “Bits of Clay?” Samuel repeated. “Sooo not funny.”

  Bruin shrugged, laughing at his own joke.

  “I was hoping for a go-round with the ginger-haired bastard,” Samuel said. “Too bad someone beat me to it.”

  “You and me both, Merlin.” The resonant growl of Bruin’s bear filled the air. As the bass sound echoed in my chest, I shivered. Being drawn and cleaved was a horrific end, but facing Bruin’s bear in a fury would be worse. No doubt.

  Samuel shook his head, his gaze drifting sightlessly over the landscape. “I dinnae understand why he attacked Jade.”

  Bruin led the three of us off the path and away from the flow of students ending their afternoon studies. Our boots crunched over the stiff grass near the forest’s edge.

  “Galan told Reign that after Clay Tasered her, the fucker took her silver bridal pendant.”

  “Eruanna,” I said with a nod. When they both looked blank, I continued. “The pendant is called Eruanna. Jade told me Clay had stolen it when I visited her at the palace.”

  Samuel scowled. “Ye never mentioned it to me.”

  “How is Jade’s bridal pendant any of your concern?”

  “Everything about Jade and her safety is my concern. I thought I made that clear to ye.”

  “Kids. Hey. Stay on point.” Bruin glanced around before leaning in. “Okay, so Clay took the pendant to return it to its original owner. Who is that?”

  “Queen Rheagan,” I said.

  Samuel cursed. “Yer feckin brother gave Jade a necklace belonging to the bat-shit Queen who tried to take over the world? Nice.”

  I propped my fists on my hips. “Galan only discovered its origin when he visited the Oracles in Toronto. For the past eight thousand years, it has been a treasured family heirloom.”

  Bruin nodded. “And her Holy Warriors suddenly wanted it back. Why?”

  My chest constricted at the same moment the white dots popped up behind my eyes. With Rheagan free from exile in a ghostly form, they would try to reinstate her. They believed that being her heir, I was the vessel to make that happen.

  I fumbled at my throat, trying to draw air into lead lungs. They had come. They attacked Jade on protected grounds.

  There was no place I would ever be safe.

  CHAPTER SIX

  For the next week, I watched and waited, certain some evil Scourge spy, posing as a student or a diner at the tavern, would grab me. If I was the key to the Scourge plan, the warriors who pledged their lives to her would come. There was no question of if, simply when.

  With naught to be done about it, I aided Samuel with Jade’s classes and refused to surrender what little control I had in my own life. Though, cordial and efficient in our teachings, I never forgot my place after the first afternoon.

  We were not friends.

  Brittle grass buckled beneath our steps and remained the only sound to break the icy silence as we left the castle and headed across the grounds. Glancing to where Samuel’s hand rested on the inside of my elbow, I marveled at the contrast between his chilling demeanor and the warmth of his touch.

  Verily we gained a rhythm in our classes. I anticipated his needs, whether in advancing the slides of a presentation or pouring a glass of water when his voice rasped dry during a lecture. These, however, were superficial connections allowing him to support his beloved Jade. They meant nothing once the bell rang and the class emptied.

  An out of tune squawking stirred me from my musings. The incessant squawk-honk-squawk echoed louder, building in fervor. It sounded like a strangled bird, a dozen birds in truth, in a vocal competition to create the loudest ruckus.

  “What in the two realms is that?”

  Samuel stopped walking. “A flock of Canadian geese.” He closed his eyes and raised his face to the sky. “Somewhere to the south, there will be a V of birds flying in to feed in the corn fields at the base of the mountain.”

  Shielding my eyes from the glare of early spring, I pivoted until I did indeed see a string of dark shapes contrasting the gray sky. “They are fashioned more like a lopsided check mark. Why do they align themselves so?”

  “It’s streamlining. The lead bird bears the wind resistance as long as it can, while the others ride easier in its stream. When it tires and can take no more, it falls back and another bird assumes the burden.”

  “Will it be left behind?”

  “No, it’ll fall to the end of the line and enjoy an easy fly for a bit, until it’s time to take the lead again.”

  “Fascinating.” The gracefully awkward creatures flapped and soared over our heads and soon disappeared behind the tops of the forest tree line. “And where do they go from here?”

  “After they’ve filled up in the cornfields they’ll scatter until the coming of winter.” Samuel tightened his hold my arm and we resumed our walk. “They travel thousands of miles to spend the winter basking in the heat of the tropics. Better to be toasty warm than feel the winter’s gale gust up their tail feathers.”

  “I should think so.” As we walked on, I realized why Jade so desperately wanted Samuel back in the classroom. When he taught, he gave of himself. No longer guarded, his anger fell away. And though Jade was now happily mated to my brother, she adored this male.

  “Oh, I have news.” I patted his hand and squeezed. “Jade has been given permission to get out of bed and walk the grounds of Castian’s Palace.”

  Samuel’s full lips lifted in a warm, genuine smile. “Any word on her coming home?”

  I frowned and caught myself. Before I could respond, the energy of the air shifted and my skin erupted in tingles.

  We Flashed.

  Tightening my grip on Samuel’s hand, my stomach rolled with the unexpected transport. I turned to give Samuel a verbal throttle.

  Samuel had drawn his wand. Sliding one step in front of me, he pulled me tight to his side. He had not been the one to Flash us. But who—

  “At ease, Samuel.” Castian’s melodic voice brought our attention to where Bruin, Aust, Cowboy, Kobi and a half-dozen other Talon Enforcers stood. Dressed in black leather, they each wore the battle vests Iadon designed which housed a small armory of weapons. Castian motioned for us to join them, his navy cloak and wavy chestnut hair billowing behind him in the breeze.

  The churn of my stomach eased and I banished the urge to voice my complaint. Flashing set off my ire but telling the God of gods such a thing would be improper and ungrateful, especially while Galan and Jade remained guests in his home.

  Nightrunner and Faolan trotted from where Aust’s wolves crouched hidden amongst the brush. They rubbed against my thigh, rustling my skirts. As I scrubbed Fao
lan’s thick, luscious ruff and ebony ears, she regarded Samuel. When her ears pressed back, I took his hand down and held it for her to smell. After an initial pause, Samuel relaxed. The two wolves sniffed him and plodded off.

  “If you’re ready,” Castian said, looking impatient, “I want to go over what happened the afternoon of Jade’s attack one more time before we put it to bed. Walking through it might bring back a detail or memory you’ve overlooked.”

  The place Castian had chosen as our launch point was the same place Samuel Flashed us when he returned me to Haven grounds. It dazzled me how quickly things could change.

  Walking the males through what happened, I showed them where the pack met me, where I discovered the girl crying in the fork of the tree, and an approximate route of where the mischievous hawk led me through the forest to Jade.

  Samuel strode silently by my side, Bruin spoke in hushed tones with Castian, and Aust cast worried glances toward me as he carried Cowboy’s clothing.

  Cowboy had shifted into his wolf form to plod the course nose to the ground. His Were frame was large—much larger than Faolan or any forest wolves I knew—and covered in a thick, tri-colored coat of deep caramel with an undercoat of a lighter gold and silver.

  The fast bond of friendship between Aust and Cowboy was endearing. Aust needed that—deserved it—after the decades of forced solitude in our village. I believed Cowboy’s animal nature made it easier for Aust to trust him. He was close with all the Weres and most of all their Ursa, Mika.

  When our tour of the forest ended, Castian set everyone on task. One by one, the warriors dispersed until only Castian, Samuel and I remained. My heart went out to the male on my arm. His heartache burned like wood smoke in my nostrils. To wish to serve, yet have no task assigned—it would strike a blow to anyone’s ego—but to a hero, it was devastating.

  Having witnessed the mind-speak of Galan and Castian in the past months, I was aware when Castian and Samuel began a private conversation.

  Saying goodbye to the pack seemed the perfect way to give the two of them privacy. My stomach growled as I stepped off the path and I examined the sky. Mid-day repast was long over and soon Elora would set out evening victuals.