by S. D. Grimm
Ethan kept his voice low. “I don’t trust them yet, but I don’t expect anything to happen. If it does, I’ll be ready.”
“That’s not what I mean. How are you? Seven days isn’t much time to heal. I don’t care how fast you mend.” Ryan’s look held concern.
Ethan touched his injured arm. “I’m still sore. But if anything comes up, I’ll be ready. I promise.”
Ryan shook his head. “You won’t be alone.”
“I know.”
Ryan’s throat bobbed. “Take care of yourself. I already thought you were dead once. I’m not going to lose you again.”
“Hey, I don’t plan on getting lost.”
Ryan chuckled. “I’d punch you if you didn’t have as many stitches as Kinsey’s old favorite doll.”
Ethan laughed. “Do I really look that tattered? Besides, I only gave you two free hits. You’d better make sure this last one is a good one.”
“It will be.” He motioned toward the invisible wall. “You headed in?”
Ethan nodded and scanned around again. Ryan turned to leave.
“Hey, Ry?” Ethan’s word’s stopped him.
He turned back, eyes expectant.
“I trust you at my back.”
Ryan’s eyes widened slightly, then his familiar crooked smile slid across his face and he nodded once. He slipped past the camouflage door.
With one more glance behind him, Ethan followed.
The Feravolk world unfolded. Tents lined up between trees, perfectly placed so that those looking at the trees wouldn’t see them. Men and women in camouflaged garb walked between the tents. Black bears and coyotes trotted beside people. A fox licked its paw. A lynx turned its head toward him. The scent of fire and cooking rabbit filtered through the air, and his stomach growled. The Dissenters camp was crude compared to this. He really needed to learn this art of camouflage.
Everyone seemed to be walking toward the center of the camp. Ethan stopped to get a sense of his surroundings. Scout stuck close to him, never leaving him alone when things were uncertain.
Chloe leaned closer to him. “You look ready to lead us into battle. Smile, Ethan, or they might find you threatening.”
“Only if provoked, Chloe.”
“I know.” She touched his arm and walked away, following the others. The gesture left his feet planted. Was Chloe finally forgiving him for leaving?
He caught Kinsey’s smirk out of the corner of his eye and turned toward her. “You going to tell me to stop being so serious, too?”
She walked up to him, shaking her head. “No, brother. I can’t stop you from being you.” Her smile still shone of innocence. If he could do nothing else for her and Wren, he hoped he could at least spare them from having to lose their innocence in this terrible war. She stopped in front of him and tilted her head. “Be safe, Ethan.” Her eyes glistened.
“Hey, Kinny.” He pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I always do.”
He nudged her back so he could look into her lime-green eyes. “You know I’d never let anything happen to you.”
“Yes.” She smiled now. “And I trust that you’ll protect Ryan with the same fervor.”
“Absolutely.”
She nodded. “Good. We both know he needs it. He’s as headstrong as Wren.”
“Oh? Not you?”
“No one’s as headstrong as me. I’m just smart about it.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Right. You always have a plan. A reckless plan.”
She shrugged. “I can’t help it if I’m two steps ahead.” She paused. “Just . . . Ryan will want to help. Make sure he’s trained. Make sure—”
Ethan placed his hands on her shoulders. “Ryan is lucky to have a sister like you.”
She nodded, chewing the inside of her lip. Ethan chucked her chin as he turned to follow the others, but her soft, confident voice stopped him. “So are you.”
He closed his eyes as her words warmed his heart, then glanced over his shoulder and sent her a wink. He’d miss her. She’d been his little sister even when his parents were still alive. Yes, he’d strive to keep her innocence, her unwavering hope, alive.
When Ethan reached Logan and his cluster of friends, Samantha asked her question again, “Have you done as Alistair asked and found all of the Deliverers?”
“Not all the Deliverers. Only Jayden.” Logan introduced all of them, including Scout. “And this is Ethan. He’s taken the vow to be one of the Protectors.” He squeezed Ethan’s shoulder, gently. “He’s good at it.”
“He took a vow?” Gavin regarded Ethan. “It all makes sense now.” He turned his attention to Logan.
“The Deliverers were meant to have four Protectors.”
“Why four?” Jayden asked.
Logan looked at her and his smile faded. “The Protectors were to be your parents. It’s clearly not possible with yours dead, and . . .”
With Logan’s wife working with the palace.
“Well, you’re two protectors short.” Gavin was silent for a moment. “I’d like to pledge myself as one.”
Melanie touched her husband’s shoulder. “I’d like to pledge myself, too. It’s what Loralye would’ve wanted.”
Jayden stared at Melanie. “Why would my birth mother have wanted this?”
Gavin’s gray eyes grew softer. “Because she was my sister.”
Jayden gasped. “I have an uncle?”
“Yes. Your father was one of my best friends.”
“And your mother was mine,” Melanie said.
“And Rebekah’s.” Jayden grabbed Melanie’s hand.
Melanie bowed her head and her blonde hair hid her face. “Rebekah is my sister.”
Ethan looked at Logan, who nodded slightly. Well, that made sense. They were all tied together. “Perhaps the Creator planned it this way.” Ethan knew all too well that the Creator had planned this for him. A shiver shot through him at the memory he wanted to keep buried.
“You accept us as Protectors then?” Melanie’s smile was warm.
Ethan smiled in return. “Who am I to turn down help?”
“Then let’s make it official.” Gavin removed his belt knife and handed it to Logan.
One by one, the four of them surrounded Jayden. Her eyes, large and worried, met his. She was going to have to get over that. He’d protect her until death. The oath would extend his obligation to the other Deliverers, once they found them, but he would do anything for Jayden—oath or no oath.
Logan sliced his hand, then passed the knife to Ethan. He stared Jayden in the eyes as he drew the blade across his palm, over the old scar. The feel of the binding seemed to tie his blood to the open wound. His skin seemed tight, like a constant reminder. A reminder he didn’t need. He handed the blade to Gavin. He didn’t look away from Jayden while Gavin and Melanie joined the oath. He felt it. A tie between them, binding them all to the same purpose.
When Jayden’s eyes, wet and round, met his again, he mouthed the words, “Anything for you.” And he meant it.
Chapter 19
Wooden Tokens
Jayden tore her eyes from Ethan’s gaze. Anything for you, he’d said. And his devotion scared her. She’d already witnessed loved ones dying so she could live. She stared at the drops of blood seeping into the ground. Remnants of a promise. For her and the other Deliverers. She’d take their sacrifice to heart. No one else would have to die for her. She wouldn’t let them down.
“Logan.” A strong voice rose up from behind them.
Everyone stiffened. Jayden turned to look at the newcomer. He was an older man. Gray adorned his temples and peppered his short, curly hair. He carried a staff, and a black wolf stood near him. The way everyone bowed their heads in greeting told her this was the man they referred to as their leader.
“Alistair.” Logan approached the man and bowed to one knee.
Jayden blinked. Strange to think of Logan having superiors.
Alistair touched Logan’s head with weathered fing
ers. “Rise. I see you brought the Deliverers. Your discussion with the Whisperer must have been fruitful.” Alistair’s cool, dark-eyed gaze slid over Jayden and the others, then gently back to Logan. “It seems your bargain has been more than fulfilled. Bring them by my Council tent, and we can relieve you of your duties. We have chosen those who will see these four to safety.”
Jayden’s heart tripped on a beat at the older man’s words.
Logan stood tall. “I haven’t found all of them. Only one. Nathaniel and Loralye’s daughter.”
“Yes, I see her.” Alistair’s dark eyes latched onto Jayden’s face again.
Her insides chilled to the core. She wouldn’t let this Council, whoever they were, take her away from Logan. She was tied to him.
Alistair’s brows pulled together. “I suppose there is a reason for all the others to be here?”
“Yes.” Logan nodded. “But I wanted to talk to you about being renamed Protector.”
Alistair’s eyes twinkled and a smile deepened his wrinkles. “You’ve had a change of heart, I see.”
Logan chuckled. “I suppose you could say that.”
“Embracing your Destiny Path?”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Well, destiny or no, the Council will have to decide if it’s right for you to take the Deliverers under your wing.” Alistair looked at Logan with narrowed eyes. “After all, you did pass the responsibility on.”
“I understand.”
Jayden stepped forward. “I don’t.”
She squirmed under Alistair’s gaze. They weren’t exactly cold eyes, but they weren’t warm, either.
He regarded her and she opened her talent. His emotions remained closed off, even as she pushed.
“The Council is the governing system for this camp,” Alistair said in his calm, quiet voice. “You think it unfair for them to be involved in such an important decision simply because one of our own has a change of heart?”
Sweat beaded on her forehead. What was she doing? The last thing she wanted was to make enemies, especially with him, but trust was too important and those sworn to protect her now were people she trusted. “No. It’s unfair to make Logan go before the Council alone. Don’t I have a say in those who will protect me?”
“We made the decision before you were involved.”
Her voice trembled. “I was involved the day I was born. The day my father died to make sure this man would survive to protect me.” Jayden pointed at Logan. She stepped closer to Alistair, meeting his phlegmatic stare. “So no, you did not make the decision before I was involved. Will your Council continue to keep me out of decisions that directly impact my future?”
Alistair rubbed his finger across his lips. “You would like to face the Council?”
“I would like the Council to hear from me.”
Alistair looked fleetingly to Jayden’s left. Logan stood there. Jayden wouldn’t turn. She felt Logan’s unease, but she couldn’t handle seeing his face just yet.
“Very well, you can plead your case to the Council. We’ll be assembled in two hours.”
“I’m pleading my case to you. Now. Logan, Gavin, Melanie, and Ethan have sworn to protect me. I trust them.”
Slowly Alistair turned. “And you make this decision for the other three Deliverers?”
“No. They did. I simply accept with humble gratitude. With fear that they will be hurt because of me. With determination to make their sacrifice count. These are people I will not fail. People I will not defy. People I love.”
The wrinkles around Alistair’s eyes deepened, but a small smile formed on his lips. “Your request is granted, Jayden of the Feravolk, one of the Tribe of Moon Over Water. Your courage rivals your birth mother’s. It’s refreshing.”
Then he turned to Logan. “I’m glad she changed your mind.”
His gaze stopped on Ethan.
Ethan tensed as the man regarded him.
At last Alistair said, “You trust this one, Logan?”
“With my life.”
Alistair nodded once, then turned and walked away, his black wolf following.
Jayden released a breath as soon as Alistair was clear of her sights. Behind her, Ryan whistled. She turned to see him staring at her with his eyes wide. All of them stared at her, most of them with open mouths.
Chloe started clapping. “Well done. There’s a leader in you begging to be released.”
Jayden’s knees weakened. “Oh.” A thousand thoughts fluttered through her head, but words evaded her. She breathed. “You think?”
“Absolutely.” Logan winked at her.
Jayden watched as Reuben clasped Gavin and Logan’s shoulders. “Brave to take on such a responsibility, my friends. And I’ll make sure our whole camp is rallied behind you.” Then he looked at her. “And your courage is certainly commendable.”
Jayden’s face flushed.
“Thank you, friend,” Logan said to Reuben. “Now I have much to tell you.”
“My tent is open.” Reuben motioned toward the crude, green tent.
Logan glanced at Ryan and his sisters. “No need for anyone to hear more than they should. Can I trust you four to stay put while we talk?”
Chloe huffed and crossed her arms.
“Of course.” Ryan eyed his sister. “Besides, I’m dying to arm wrestle some of these warriors.”
Chloe called Ryan incorrigible while Logan patted his shoulder, then Logan followed the others into Reuben’s tent.
Jayden walked close to Ethan as they entered the tent, thankful she didn’t have to do this without him. Right now she needed familiar. He glanced at her, his eyebrows pulled together. As soon as their eyes met, he gave her a soft smile. Something swelled in Jayden’s heart. Pride? Not hers. It made Ethan feel proud that she sought his protection? She smiled back and he gently touched her elbow to steady her as she stepped into the tent.
An oblong table rested in the center. A cluster of rolled up maps and a few sword-sharpening leathers and stones sat atop it. Reuben grabbed one of the long rolled-up parchments and spread it across the flat, smooth surface, setting a polished stone in each corner.
Logan placed his palms on the table and leaned over the map. “I still have two of the Deliverers to find, and we need an army to go after Franco. Unfortunately, we need to do it more quickly than originally thought. Franco plans to free the Mistress, and he knows how.”
“Idiot.” Beck snorted.
Logan glanced at his friend with a faint smile, but it fell fast. “If he frees the Mistress, that sorceress will destroy Soleden.”
Beck’s face grew serious. “Then we can’t let him.”
“Agreed.” Samantha’s eyes met Jayden’s. “You’re so young. When the prophecies started coming true, I was your age. I didn’t feel young then, but now I look at you . . .” She reached across the table and grabbed Jayden’s hands. “May the Creator protect you. Our fate lies in your hands.”
A heavy weight pulled against Jayden’s heart as she stared into Samantha’s eyes. “I won’t let you down.”
“You and the other three are the only hope we have to defeat the sorceress.”
Jayden shook her head. “How much more powerful will she be than Idla? I’ve already defeated her. Idla is dead.”
“Idla?” Samantha released Jayden’s hands and smiled ruefully. “You are more powerful than you seem. But the Mistress is much more powerful. Idla would have gotten her powers from the Mistress. The prophecy states that the Deliverers shall save Soleden from the sorceress. She wants to break free. She’s been trying for thousands of years. If she does, she will try to bring the Deliverers to her. She’s trying even now. Be wary. She uses darkness to shroud evil. Her creatures are roaming this earth. Black lions. Kelpies. Black leather vines. They are all attempting to draw the Deliverers to her.”
“Why?” Jayden asked as she stifled a shiver.
“Because you hold the key to the Creator’s power. You can banish her back into her prison. Ba
ck into the Afterworld where the Creator banished her. If she’s freed, she will destroy the Feravolk and attempt to take the Creator’s power for her own.”
Reuben rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I thought black lions were legend.”
Beck leaned toward Logan. “What does Franco need in order to free her? We’ll make sure he doesn’t get it.”
“Deliverer blood from one of the girls, a Whisperer tear, and some kind of untraceable seeing stone. That means we have to find my daughter and our Whisperer before he does.”
“I thought Alistair sent you to look for the Whisperer?”
“I found Anna, but she wasn’t our Whisperer. That means there is another out there.”
Samantha leaned forward. “I thought only one Whisperer could be alive at a time.”
Logan shrugged. “Anna told me my Whisperer was out there. That she’d seem young, but mature before my eyes.”
“Where is this Anna?” Reuben asked.
“With her Creator now.” Logan’s voice grew quiet.
Samantha touched his hand, and Jayden felt the friendship between them like warmth in a fireplace. “Maybe that means the Whisperer’s talents pass to another once they die.”
“How do you plan to find this new Whisperer?” Beck asked.
Logan scratched his chin. “Finding the Deliverer is one thing.” He glanced at Jayden and smiled. “I think I can feel her presence—like a pull in my heart. But the Whisperer is trickier. I don’t know where to start. We utilized all our leads in finding Anna.”
“Try a library,” Samantha suggested. “Salea has a large one. The history of the Deliverers of ages past will be there, or at Erinecath. Perhaps even Nivek. But Salea is closest. The histories might have information you can use to decipher where you’re supposed to meet your Whisperer.”
It was a good idea. Aside from the palace or ancient and lost halls of healing, Salea and Erinecath were the other homes to a wealth of books on every subject. Jayden had always wanted to visit an ancient library. Not that she would have thought of it.
“And the Deliverer?” Gavin asked. “Where do you feel . . . pulled?”
Jayden leaned close to Ethan and whispered, “Do you feel a pull, too? I mean, to someone else?”
