At Kat’s questioning look, Ella raised her hands in a gesture of innocence, “I swear, I have done nothing to get us in trouble. Absolutely nothing.”
Kat rose, her pale blue gaze full of suspicion, before she shifted her attention to Jortha. Hands falling to her hips, she questioned pointedly, “Did you tell Lorcan what I did in the kitchens yesterday?”
Jortha pursed his lips for a moment, considering, “What exactly did you do in the kitchens yesterday, Kaitriana? I have heard no tales, so you must have sworn the staff to secrecy.”
Ella scoffed and pushed back from the table, “Or threatened them all with an incurable case of warts…”
Rather than answer, Kaitriana made a face at Jortha and hushed Ella before skirting out the door. Ella trailed behind. Half way down the staircase, Kat whispered over her shoulder to her friend, “If he doesn’t know about that, what do you suppose he wants?”
Ella spied Kat’s feet and tossed out, “Perhaps Lorcan has found your shoes...”
Kat shot Ella a dirty look as she rounded the bottom of the stairs. Ella could only shake her head at the crazy witch. She had even tried, to no avail, to get Kat interested in the stack of designer shoes she had brought to the Realm with her. A girl that could turn her nose up at a fortune in supple leather and spiked heels definitely had a screw loose…or five.
Always moving in a rush, Kaitriana scampered ahead through the doors at the far end of the great hall. Ella took long, unhurried strides, offering a few greetings to those she recognized that were loitering around that evening. She wasn’t exactly taking her time - there was no need to prick Lorcan’s temper unnecessarily - but if she and Kat were about to be taken to task, she wasn’t eager to jump right into it. Lorcan was fair, but in a temper he was a force and one that Ella preferred to avoid.
Kat skidded to a halt at the edge of the table where Lorcan and his men sat. They were in the process of welcoming her when Ella pushed through the door. Her smile of greeting turned to laughter with Kat’s opening statement, “If you are about to put us on the rug, Lorcan dearest, Ella already assured me that she has not done anything...this time.” There was no small amount of mischief in her voice when she added those last two words.
Ella interjected, “Call us on the carpet, Kat.” She gave her full attention to Lorcan. He was an impressive figure seated at the head of the table of warriors and the frown on his face was intimidating, so she offered quickly, “I really cannot think of anything I have done recently.”
The encompassing roll of his eyes was meant for them both. Between the two, his life had been filled with more chaos in the past year than in the two millennia prior. Lorcan’s gaze locked on Ella, “Then I heard incorrectly that you told Jortha that he should work on finding a way to be less annoying if he were going to insist on being a nag?”
Before Ella could answer, Kaitriana raised a hand and waved it. She did not look at all remorseful when she enthusiastically confessed, “Oh! That was me!”
A few of his Elite chuckled at her exuberant admission. Lorcan stared at Kat until she quit waving her hand at him and dropped it back to her side. Her grin never faded though and she said under her breath to Sayer, who was closest to her, “He is such a nag.” Sayer sagely nodded his agreement, amusement in his eyes, before inclining his head in the direction of his brother. Getting the point, Kaitriana quickly returned her gaze to Lorcan.
Lorcan closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Finally, cleaning his throat, he looked between Kat and Ella, “Then which of you informed Sean - and please correct me if I misquote - that you would ‘torch his parasitic ass’ if he flashed his fangs in your direction one more time?”
Ella’s hand rose this time, with less enthusiasm than her friend. She took acute interest in the pattern of stone on the floor. Lorcan’s voice already held hints of lecture-mode when he asked, “Did I get it right, Ella? Parasitic ass?”
Her voice eeked out in a mortified whisper, “Perfect.” Ella dared a nasty sidelong glare in the direction of Broderick and Marcus. The pair was doing nothing to contain their laughter at her obvious discomfort.
Lorcan’s voice rose to a level that made her jump, “Really? But yet you can recall nothing that you have done recently?”
Frowning her chagrin, Kaitriana interjected in a sing-song voice and looked accusingly at the men seated around the table, “Somebody is a tattle tale.”
Lorcan’s fingers tapped out an impatient rhythm against the table when he shot Kat a stern look before demanding of Ella, “Wasn’t that just last night? Is your memory faulty or do you not realize what is wrong with that?”
Clasping her hands before her and then effecting what she hoped was a perfectly contrite expression, she glanced up at him when she answered, “Well, yes, but …” Thinking hard, Ella fidgeted for a couple of seconds. It was long enough that she managed to relocate some spunk and finished with a smile, “When taken out of context, it sounds much worse than it was…really.” She continued smiling with her explanation, adding a few nods for emphasis.
Lorcan settled his arms over his chest and she could tell by his expression he had not swallowed that tale. Ella shot a frantic look to Kat for some assistance, when he ground out, “Ella, please tell me in what context that statement could have sounded better.”
At her blank look, he motioned to the empty chair at his right, next to Colm, “Have a seat.” Meanwhile, he crooked his finger at Kat. He stood and pulled Kat into his side, grinning all the while he reminded her about the need to set a better example. Kaitriana smiled and nodded her agreement gravely, waiting until he was finished before winking at Ella.
Ella was smiling over the affection between the pair before she caught Lorcan looking at her expectantly. Noting that all eyes had turned to her, she coughed and blushed, “Oh, you mean…you wanted me to answer that? It wasn’t rhetorical?” The sincerity of her question brought more laughter from her tablemates. Lorcan’s eyes went heavenward with an exaggerated sigh. She thought he might be counting to ten…or a hundred.
Kat leaned towards the table and gave her friend a conspiratorial smile, whispering, “Of course he was being rhetorical. In no context can ‘parasitic ass’ be good, even if it was completely appropriate.” Her nod was meant to indicate that it had been completely appropriate, thereby throwing her whole-hearted support behind Ella.
Lorcan chided again with affection, giving Kat a squeeze, “You are a very bad influence, Minx.” Leaning into him, she conceded the point and looked down to the box sitting to the right of his hand.
Shaking his head, Lorcan shoved the dark, lacquered box across the table towards Ella, “I hate giving this to you now, because I fear it will only reinforce your unacceptable conduct, but we have determined that you are to have it tonight.” He pierced her with the intensity of his gaze, “You will continue to work on your behavior, won’t you?”
His eyes were warm gray and since they lacked any hint of angry black and he was smiling at her, she knew Lorcan wasn’t too horribly bothered over her recent antics. Sometimes he seemed to want to give her and Kaitriana hell just for the sake of seeing them squirm. Ella nodded her agreement to his last question before giving her attention to the object he had pushed her direction. It was good that she had answered him first because for the next few minutes her ability to concentrate was gone.
The box raised the memory of the last time she had been given a gift in such a box. The shape and design of the packaging was nearly identical and the memory was choking her as it rushed to the surface. She remembered well the slip of the gold chain over her skin with the weight of that dangling emerald. The recollection of when it had been given punched through her and she was undone by her unexpected rush of longing for Cole. She missed him so badly in that instant that it stole her breath.
Kat took note of her sudden pallor. Sharing a look of concern with her mate, she pulled away and walked to Ella’s side, “I am sure he does not really think your behavior that bad, dear.” Shoo
ting Lorcan a look before he could open his mouth to object, she reached down and raised the lid of the box that Ella only continued to stare at, “I do so love surprises. Let’s see what we have.”
The action brought Ella from her reverie and she reached over and gave Kat’s hand a squeeze. She knew her friend had sensed her need and come readily to her assistance. Kat, bless her, had never once pressed her for an answer about her marking or the emotional scars that remained. Ella saw a band of metal nestled against the dark silk inside the box. Thin and delicate, it was otherwise an exact replica of the band worn on the wrists of the members of the Elite. It was feminine, but designed with the same symbols etched on the surface - the scrolling symbol of the Light interlaced with Lorcan’s own crest.
In presenting her this, Lorcan was giving her a home, a permanent home at Laverock. He was also giving her a place of honor amongst his very most talented warriors. Gaining entry to this exclusive group was no small feat and everyone in the room recognized that. It was unprecedented for either a female or a witch to possess the fighting prowess to join the ranks of the Elite.
Lorcan nodded at her with a proud smile, “Put it on Ella. You have earned a place at this table.” Her smile was radiant with pleasure. Ella caught the answering smiles of the men seated around her. Well, Broderick wasn’t smiling but he never did; the fact that he wasn’t frowning was nearly as good. All of these men and Kat had become her family and it did not matter any longer that every one of them had sharp and pointies.
Ella removed the bracelet from the box and clasped it on her wrist while Lorcan explained, “Normally, there would be more fanfare with this. Given that the ceremony would involve my entire Vampire coven, and your propensity for making a scene or uttering something inappropriate, I thought we would all be better served if it was given to you here by us alone.”
Her gaze shot to his and she could see the amusement lurking there, but there was a measure of compassion tucked behind it. It was thoughtful of him to keep her out of a situation that would cause her no small amount of discomfort. Ella expressed her gratitude while tracing the length of metal over her wrist. Her expression bespoke mischief when she glanced over at him, “Afraid I would incite a riot, Lorcan?”
“If anyone could, Ella...” He gave a quick nod before motioning for Kat to take a seat in his chair. His demeanor changed lightning fast, his voice taking a serious bent, “Kendrick will be joining us momentarily to make final preparations for tomorrow night.” When Ella’s eyes widened and locked on his, Lorcan offered an apology, “After what happened the last time we launched a joint assault with the Witch - when Kaitriana was injured - I did not want anyone knowing our plan beforehand, except Kat, the Elite and Kendrick. You are now part of that group Ella and you need to be here for this. Tomorrow night we intend to cut the third and final leg from under Rhydach…we will take down Nicholas, the Warrior of Dark.”
CHAPTER 23
Ella was taking her time donning her battle attire. She could hear the raised voices of Witch and Vampire drifting up from below. The excitement in the gathered warriors could not be contained within the stone walls of Laverock and one could not help but be caught up in the expectation of glorious victory. She envied the camaraderie that existed once again between the two factions and wished she could hold her Vampire counterparts in such easy regard. Lorcan and the Elite were the only Vampire she would readily seek for counsel or companionship. The remainder she still avoided, but in that brief moment, she wanted nothing more than to go into the crowd and feel as though she belonged.
This was only the second jointly planned and executed major offensive against the Dark in the past two thousand years. The first had been the night that Kat had almost died. That had also been the night that the Vampire and Witch of the Light had rejoined truly in complete alliance under the leadership of Lorcan and the Chosen.
For Ella, having heard tales in her childhood of the Prophecy and Kaitriana’s demise, it was unreal that not only was her close friend the foretold savior of the Realm, but that she herself would be going into battle tonight with the Chosen. The icing on the cake was that they would be doing this together; both she and Kaitriana had key roles in tonight’s plans. Ella dropped her head for a moment and sent a sweet message up to the heavens. Her mother would be proud.
Tonight promised to be monumental if they found success. Lorcan believed that if the Light could take down the Warrior of Dark, Rhydach’s forces would be severely crippled. Nicholas was legendary and trained the best Dark warriors. Victory by the Light tonight was gravely important.
Even though she was ready, Ella was still reluctant to go downstairs. Besides being uneasy in the company of the lot of them, she was nervous and hated for it to be known. This was her first battle of any kind and the outcome was critical. Her role in it was substantial. If that were not enough, her stomach was lurching because there was a chance that she might come face to face with Cole tonight.
She had managed to bury that fear the past few weeks during her training. Ella had decided to hate him, relegating him to the status of ‘enemy’ as she would any other Dark. Making the decision and then holding true to it was the problem. She did not know how she would respond if she found herself on the opposite end of a sword from him. Her greatest fear was that she would see proof that she meant nothing to him and that proof would come by way of him trying to take her head.
If that were to happen, death might be a welcome alternative. Cole had never deceived her into believing he was something other than a Dark warrior in the Realm. She had loved him in spite of it and now she was nothing but a broken-hearted fool. If Cole had lied about his feelings for her though, he would see her only as a threat in battle and act accordingly. All these months later, Ella did not know if she could raise magic or weapon against him because as much as she wanted to hate him, she admitted that there were shattered bits of her heart still aching for him. If she encountered him and hesitated, it could result in the death of one of her allies. It could turn everyone in this place where she had finally found a sense of belonging against her. Still, a part of her yearned to believe in him, that he would never harm her. It was opposite the whisper in her consciousness telling her that if she locked weapons with Cole tonight, she would die.
There was a light tapping on her door and it creaked open. Ella turned to see Kat’s icy blue gaze peering in though the slit and she waved her in. Kat bounded forward at the invitation and slammed the door in her wake. Looking quite magnificent in her black leather with her hair tumbling wildly in haphazard curls down her back, metallic paints of blues and blacks decorated her face and hair in the warrior style of the Ancients. All seven Caste symbols surrounded that of Lorcan’s crest, emblazoned in blue on the front of her corset. She wore no chain mail and she was mesmerizing, the prophesied Queen of Queens.
Ella’s look was more subdued. Erring on the side of caution, she had one of her fitted, long-sleeved black shirts constructed from the superfine chainmail that was reinforced with Kat’s magic. Her black leather breeches and boots were identical to Kat’s. Ella did not sport the design of any of the Castes, but instead Kat had emblazoned the front of Ella’s attire with the symbol of the Elite. Given Kat’s love of sparkle, the symbol glittered in golds and greens, as though fashioned out of the very Fire and Light that Ella wielded. Though Ella would never admit it to the men on her team, she appreciated the feminization of her warrior garb.
Ella, being more practical than Kat, had tugged her long waves up into a sleek pony that rested high on the back of her head. She joined her friend in wearing war paint, creating glittering swirls of colors heavily around her eyes and streaked through the mass of hair hanging from her crown. The fantastic design on her face was mask-like – golds and greens and reds decorated her eyes, across her temples to her hairline, and then up an inch above her eyes and an inch down onto her cheeks. The theatric play of the paint only made the magical sparkle of green in her eyes even more pronounced.
She was snapping the last buckle on the leather sheath at her side when Kat flopped on her bed. The crazy witch lay back as if she had all the time in the world and wasn’t dressed for bloodletting. Kat gave her the once over while Ella slid the short broadsword into the sheath at her hip, “How are you feeling, Red?”
Kat had taken to calling her that, insisting that she should have a fierce sounding nickname to match her fierce warrior persona. Ella let her continue because there was really no point in objecting once Kat made up her mind about something. Ella thought she was fiercely silly and told her as much, repeatedly.
Ella tugged on the straps for all of her gear one last time, just to make certain, before answering, “I am feeling fine Kat, and you?”
Kat pushed herself up off the bed, “I would be fabulous, if Lorcan would not insist on making me wear these…” She raised her leg and waved the offending footwear at Ella.
The action prompted Ella’s laughter, “Boots are probably a good idea. I do have to side with Lorcan on that call.”
Kat merely rolled her eyes and gave Ella a look of disgust, “Well, at least we have pretty ones.” She inclined her head towards Ella’s, including them in the compliment and then flopped back again dramatically, “Can you imagine if we had to wear those ugly mud thumpers that the rest of his warriors stomp around in?”
Before she could reply, Kat fired off, “If you are feeling fine, why are you dawdling up here when everyone else has gathered below?” The quick change in subject would have caused Ella’s head to spin, if she had not grown used to it. She was still trying to determine if Kat was really that attention-deficit, or if it was a ploy she used to pull information from people when they were unprepared.
Ella mumbled under her breath, “Ooooh, squirrel.” She knew Kat would hear it quite well with her vampire senses and smiled with pleasure when Kat muttered in response, “Huh?” Two could play the head-spinning game and Kat’s inadequacies with modern lingo gave Ella an advantage. Ella just grinned and shrugged as she started towards the door, “You coming, Katwitch?”
Forsaken (Ancients of Light #1) Page 17
