by N M Thorn
“Yes, ma’am,” replied Missi.
“A page from the Book of Words has been stolen,” said the Head Mage. “I need you to travel to the Wardens Headquarters in Paris and see if they can restore our missing page. I can’t stress enough how important this mission is. The life of a good man depends on it and possibly a lot more than just that…”
The old mage fell silent, her face somber. She got up and softly touched Missi’s hand. “I don’t want to voice my fears until I know for sure. Please be careful in Paris, Melissa, and remember—complete secrecy is a must. You can’t speak to anyone about this except the Grand Master of the Wardens himself. I have no idea who this mage is, but she was obviously powerful enough to walk into our facility unnoticed, retrieve the book and mutilate it. Somehow she bypassed our guards and didn’t trigger our wards and protection spells or modern security devices.”
“Missi, Ms. Bonneville is right. I’m glad it’s you who is working with us on this mission and not someone else,” said Aidan. “It’s Zane’s life on the line. Some crazy mage forced him to cross the veil into the Slavic realm of the dead. Something is not right about all this, Missi, and I can’t figure out what’s going on.”
“I will leave immediately,” said Missi, her fingers squeezing the pendant attached to her keychain. “Ms. Bonneville, can I use the gateway to Paris? It will be faster.”
“Yes, use the gateway,” replied the Head Mage. “It will be safer that way too, but it’s still a long drive to the Paris gateway.”
“If everything goes as planned, I should be back within forty-eight hours,” said Missi. She turned around, ready to leave, but then came back and hugged Aidan. “I’ll do everything in my power… Just find Zane and bring him back.”
She gave Aidan a quick kiss on his unshaved cheek, and for a moment her eyes lingered on the pendant on his chest. A shadow of sadness crossed her face but quickly disappeared. She turned away and left the Assembly Hall.
“Father Beaumont,” said the Head Mage as soon as Missi was gone, “I trust you remember where your old sleeping quarters are located?”
“Yes, Madam Bonneville,” replied Raoul, getting up.
“Your old roommate is no longer here, so you can share your room with Mr. McGrath.” She turned to Aidan, giving him an arched stare. “I hope it’s not a problem for you, Mr. McGrath? Wardens are a warrior order and their accommodations are quite plain.”
“No problem,” said Aidan, his thoughts far away, “just let us know as soon as Missi is back.”
“And Mr. McGrath, you can meet with Ms. Donovan in the Main Hall at three. She’ll be there, waiting for you,” said the mage on her way out of the Assembly Hall.
Aidan glanced at his watch and sat back down. It was a long wait until three, but he didn’t feel like going into the Wardens’ wing of the building. He didn’t feel like going anywhere. He picked up the pendant, running his fingers over the knotwork and then dropped it back on his chest.
“You made a giant mistake, mon ami,” said Raoul, gazing at him with sympathy. “You signed your life off to the Guardians. And being an immortal god, your life is very long.”
“I did what I had to do to protect Tessa. And I didn’t sign off my life, Raoul, just one year.”
“Please, tell me that at your ripe age of twenty-five hundred years, you’re not this naïve!” Raoul slammed his hand on the table. “Do you seriously think that after the Guardians will have a god at their beck and call, they would ever let you go?” He seized the chain with the pendant and pulled it a few times. “At least I chose this life willingly, many years ago. You sold yours. Look at this chain, Aidan. This is your brand-new collar and a leash. And don’t even doubt, they won’t feel shy to yank this leash around. So, say woof-woof, Aodh mac Lir!”
“Raoul, I had no choice,” said Aidan quietly. “I couldn’t let them do it to Tessa—”
“Imbécile!” exclaimed Raoul, making a three hundred sixty degree turn in place. “I can bet you anything, they knew about your feelings for Tessa and they manipulated you into submission! A life of servitude! And what do you think your true master and mentor would say when he finds out that you signed your life off to the Destiny Council? We both know how he feels about the Destiny Council and anyone who works for them, including the Guardians and the Wardens.”
Aidan bowed his head to his chest and didn’t answer. His demolished look took the wind out of Raoul’s sails. He sighed and sat back down next to Aidan.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “When the time comes, we’ll figure something out. I promise.”
Even though Aidan’s watch was showing ten to three, the Main Hall was filled with people. Guards were spread around the perimeter of the room, as young apprentices, witches and wizards were leaving their classes, heading back to their rooms. Aidan spun around, trying to find Tessa in the constantly moving crowd of people that were dressed alike.
Someone tugged on his arm and Aidan flinched, turning around. Tessa was standing next to him, a happy smile on her face. She looked a lot better than she did in the morning when he first saw her. She was dressed in an Apprentice uniform with a black leather jacket over it. Her long hair was pulled into a neat ponytail on the back of her head and she finally cut her bangs a little shorter, allowing the world to see her beautiful eyes.
“Let’s get out of here,” she proposed, taking Aidan’s hand and pulling him toward the main entrance door.
“I thought you can’t leave headquarters without their permission,” said Aidan warningly.
“And I’m not planning to leave,” replied Tessa with a half-shrug. “The gardens are available to us at any time. Trust me, you’ll like it there.”
Tessa led him through the entrance door outside and then circled around the building toward the gardens. Even at this time of the year, the gardens of the Guardians Headquarters looked magnificent. The trees didn’t lose their leaves yet and were creating a rich canopy over the trail, colored in gold and orange. Tessa found a small pavilion in the heart of the gardens and led Aidan inside. She sat down on the bench and tapped it with her hand, inviting him to join her. For a few seconds, he stilled and just stood in front of her, enjoying the fact that she was so close, and she wasn’t ignoring him or giving him the cold shoulder.
“Aidan, sit down,” she said impatiently, pulling him down to the bench next to her. As he sat down, her fingers softly brushed his arm and she gasped. “You’re freezing! All in goosebumps.”
She took her leather jacket off and draped it over his shoulders, trying to cover him the best she could. Aidan chuckled and took her jacket off, returning it to her.
“Thank you,” he said. He took her hand into his and planted a soft kiss on the open palm of her hand. “Don’t you think I should be giving you my jacket to warm you up? Not the other way around?”
Tessa gave him an appraising stare and a mischievous smile lit up her face. “Sure, you can take your shirt off and give it to me. I don’t mind taking a peek under the hood.”
Aidan snorted, shaking his head. “What else don’t you mind seeing?” he asked, but then caught her gaze sliding down below his waist and laughed. “No, better don’t answer that question. I’m not sure I am ready to hear you say that.”
Tessa got up and walked closer to Aidan, stepping between his legs and leaning into his chest. Even with him sitting and her standing, she was just a little taller than him. She cupped his face with her cold hands and tilted his head back gently. Aidan met her gaze and held his breath for a moment.
“Tessa, do you still hate me?” he asked finally. “The way you left eight months ago, I thought I’d never see you again. I was dying inside…”
She didn’t answer right away. Slowly she moved her fingers through his thick blond hair and then over his cheek.
“Your hair got so much longer, it’s almost down to your shoulders. And how many days didn’t you shave?” she asked, sounding a little distant, and he crumbled inside. She didn’t answer h
is question… She didn’t forgive him.
“Tessa,” he whispered, all the pain he felt breaking to the surface in his hoarse voice.
“I don’t hate you, Aidan.” She caressed his face, running her fingers over the rough stubble on his cheeks. “I don’t think I ever did. I was upset with what you did, and I didn’t bother to try to understand why you did it…” She fell silent biting her lip. “I was stupid and — Zane was right… I was rude, ignorant and close-minded. It took me eight months and a few thousand miles to realize it.”
“Tessa—”
“Please, let me finish, Aidan,” she interrupted him, tears gathering in her eyes. “I hurt you. I know I did. When you told me the truth about who you were, and you told me that you loved me. What I said back to you was—” She closed her eyes for a quick moment and swallowed her tears. “I’m sorry, Aidan. I am so, so sorry. You didn’t deserve any of that. And what you did for me today. I can never repay you.”
She found the silver chain under his shirt and pulled it out, slowly tracing with her finger the shape of the Triskele on the pendant. Then she dropped the pendant back to his chest and embraced him, burying her face into the golden mane of his hair. Aidan was hardly breathing, enjoying the unexpected moment of tenderness. Coming from Tessa, it was quite unusual. He was terrified to lift his arms to hug her back, or to make the tiniest move. He was afraid that if he would do anything at all, she would push him away again.
After a moment, Tessa unlocked her arms and caught his gaze again, a hardly noticeable sad smile playing on her lips. Then she leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. The touch of her cold lips to his skin sent a wave of warmth through his body. His lips parted slightly, and his breath quickened, as he was fighting the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her, and to never let her go.
She moved back slightly, taking in his reaction and her eyes widened. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “You still love me, don’t you? After all, I did to you… You still love me.” She didn’t wait for him to reply. Instead, she leaned lower and kissed him.
Something snapped and broke inside him. He groaned, taking over the kiss and lifted her off the ground, carefully placing her on his lap. She didn’t pull away, didn’t object, didn’t do anything, allowing him to take the lead now.
Aidan pulled away ever so slightly and brushed his lips over her flushed cheek. “I can never stop loving you,” he said, his lips almost touching hers.
He got up, holding her in his arms, his eyes and his body glowing with the brilliant white light of his magic. She moved her hand over his hair and down over his shoulder, trying to touch his magical aura and smiled.
“You’re the most beautiful ancient god I’ve ever seen,” she whispered, gazing at him in awe. “And the best-preserved old man, I’ve ever met.”
Aidan laughed, happiness sparkling inside him just as brightly as his magical aura was shining on the outside.
“My Tessa,” he whispered, crushing her lips with his. He felt her responding to his kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck tighter.
Aidan pushed off the ground and flew high in the air, carefully holding his precious cargo in his arms, feeling her heart beating with his.
“I love you, my Tessa. Always and forever.”
Chapter 11
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
The Dark Nav was always cold. It wasn’t the freezing cold of a winter. It felt more like a late autumn, when the trees dropped all the leaves and bone-chilling winds were whistling through their twisted naked arms. There was no light and there was no energy of life in this place. It was chilly, gloomy, and unfriendly.
Gunz shivered, wrapping his oversized shirt tighter and tucking it inside his pants that were held up by a rope. His own clothes were torn beyond repair and Karma brought him this shirt and pants that were at least three sizes too big. He didn’t know where she got them, and he didn’t want to ask.
Three days passed since Karma pulled him out of the swamp in the thorny forest. Now he knew that it was Mishka who found her by pure coincidence and brought her over to help him. Now Mishka was sleeping in his room, curled under a skimpy blanket. Gunz’s cuts and wounds healed, but the front of his body was covered in hundreds of ugly scars. He felt better, his physical strength almost restored, and he didn’t care about that. All he had to do to get rid of the scars was to revert to his natural state.
Nevertheless, that would have to wait until he was back in his own realm. The Dark Nav was deprived of all elemental powers, including the Fire, and reverting into the natural state of the Fire Salamander wasn’t possible here. Even his magic was weak and feeble here. Every time he tried to cast the simplest of spells, he felt so drained after, that he decided that using magic here wasn’t worth it. Gunz watched Karma using her magic many times, and he didn’t think the Dark Nav had the same draining effect on her.
When he asked Karma about it, she just shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t sure why the Dark Nav was feeding on Gunz more than on her, but one thing she knew for sure—the life energy of nature didn’t exist here. So, anytime he tried to use magic, he had to support it with his own life energy. This is why he felt so drained and exhausted after.
Little by little, his thoughts went back to the original reason he was sent here. He needed to locate that axe-looking magical artifact. To do that, he had to find his way into Chernobog’s castle. Gunz cringed inwardly. The thought about facing the Slavic god of Destruction didn’t appeal to him. He never told Karma any details of his mission and so far, she didn’t ask, but he had no doubt that sooner or later that talk would have to happen. Either she would demand an answer, or he would have to tell her everything and ask her for help.
Gunz walked around Karma’s small hut to the backyard. A pile of logs was mounted in the middle of the backyard. Usually Karma used her magic to split these logs into firewood. Dark Nav was always cold and burning firewood was the only way to keep the house at least a few degrees warmer. But even burning wood couldn’t help much. Since there was no real fire here, Karma had to conjure flames, and sustaining them with her magic for as long as possible.
Gunz pulled an axe out of a large tree stump and checked the tool, probing its cutting edge with his finger. The axe was old and rusted in a few places but seemed to be sturdy and sharp enough to do the job. He grabbed one of the logs and placed it on top of the stump. Then he swung the axe over his shoulder, forcefully swinging it down through the log. With a loud crack, the log split, letting the axe slide all the way through, and fell apart on either side of the stump.
Gunz smiled, enjoying the simplicity of the physical work and the feeling of his restored strength. He knew that he didn’t have to do it since Karma could take care of it magically, but he needed to clear his mind and physical work always helped. Gunz picked up the next log, placing it on top of the stump, and swung his axe again.
An hour later, he was drenched in sweat, his shirt clinging to his body, his wet hair plastered over his forehead. For the first time since he was pushed into the Dark Nav, he didn’t feel cold. Gunz pulled his wet shirt out of his pants and was about to take it off when he heard a soft giggle. He spun around and found Karma and Milana sitting next to the house, watching him. He lowered his shirt, tucking it back into his overly loose pants.
“Aw, no, don’t stop now,” whined Karma, sounding exaggeratedly disappointed. She wrapped her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. “We’re enjoying the show too much. And please, be a good boy and take that ugly shirt off.”
Gunz grunted, shaking his head and swung the axe, sticking it back into the tree stump. “Tell me, Karma, do you love objectifying all men or is it just me who is so lucky?”
“It’s you,” replied Karma right away with a sunshiny smile on her face. “Normally, I don’t pay attention to your kind at all. I prefer to look at something more delicate, exquisite…”
She turned to gaze at her girlfriend. Gently holding her chin with her fingers, she lifted Milana’s
face up and kissed her. Milana leaned into her, putting her arms around Karma’s waist. Gunz looked away and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Aw, sweetie, are you really so innocent?” murmured Karma as soon as she came up for breath, waving her hand at Gunz. “You don’t need to look away. You’re welcome to watch.” She burst out laughing.
Gunz threw his hands in the air and headed back into the hut, followed by a wave of wild giggles. He walked into the house and slammed the door closed with a loud bang. Then he pulled a chair out and dropped into it, resting his elbows on the table, hiding his face in his hands.
Mishka flew over and attempted to land on his shoulder, but his paws slipped on Gunz’s wet shirt. The wyvern yelped and hopped to the table, shaking his paws like a house cat that stepped into a puddle.
“You’re wet!” he exclaimed indignantly. “Did you go for a swim in the swamp again?”
“I’m sweating,” muttered Gunz, his thoughts elsewhere.
“Why?”
“I was working.”
“Why?”
“I was chopping wood, so we could get some fire and warm up the house.”
“Why? Karma could use her magic to do that.”
“It helps me think…”
“You? Think? It could be hazardous to your health and for the wellbeing of those around you.”
Gunz finally raised his eyes at the wyvern and chuckled. The little winged monster had enough sarcasm for a fully grown dragon.
“Mishka, we need to talk to Karma,” said Gunz, slowly stroking the wyvern’s wings. “I don’t know what to do next. Where is this goddamn castle and how can I get inside? I need her help. And how can we steal a magical artifact from a god without getting caught.”
“That’s okay, boss. It’s all going to work out one way or the other,” said Mishka, touching his hand with his paw, a picture-perfect supportive friend. But the moment was gone quickly and Mishka snickered, his acidy self making an appearance. “What am I talking about? I’m working with an ignoramus. If I depend on you, I’m going to die in the Dark Nav.” He flew toward the door screaming at the top of his tiny lungs, “Karma! Kaaar-maaa!”
