Dragonmark

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  As Jo tried to reach him, a twisted golden cage came out of the ground to surround and hold her in a tiny room. Similar cages sprang up to imprison Illarion, Ioan, Talfryn, and Thorn.

  The woman moved to confront Cadegan. "Do you know who I am?"

  "Queen Cordelia."

  She inclined her head in approval. "So you know of me?"

  "Everyone in Glastonbury knows the tale of Gwyn and his wife, Creiddylad."

  She wagged her finger before his face. "Nay, not until All Hallow's Eve. For now, I belong to Gwythyr ap Greidawl, who won me again last May Day." Sighing heavily, she cast her gaze back toward Cadegan's caged body. "And I grow weary of my place as trophy. There was a time when I would have given up my very soul for Gwythyr. But those days have long passed, and now I long for another to hold. A man worthy of the title, who will always win my hand above the others."

  The queen's speculative gaze went back to Cadegan's body before she returned to face Josette's body. "What say we fight for your man and the best lady keeps him?"

  Illarion scowled at her question. Did she not know they'd been exchanged?

  Was this a trick of some kind?

  "Fight how?" Cadegan asked.

  "A joust. You against my champion. If your love and heart are true, you will win back your man. But be warned ... if you've spoken falsely of your feelings, all will know you have lied, and you will surely lose."

  Cadegan arched a brow. "Majesty, do you know who I am?"

  She gave him an insidious smile. "Do you?"

  "I know me heart."

  "Then a joust it shall be."

  "No!" Josette shouted in denial as she fought against the gold bars that held her. "I won't have it! What if you're hurt?"

  Cadegan took her hand into his and pulled it to his cheek. "I will heal." He turned back to the queen. "But there is one thing I want for this."

  Cordelia arched a brow. "And that is?"

  "Win, lose, or draw, Josette returns to her true home, intact. Body and soul."

  She took a moment to think the offer over. "Only if you agree that should you lose, I shall own Cadegan forever. Body and soul."

  It was a steep price, but apparently he was willing. And that, too, Illarion understood. "Done."

  "No!" Josette screamed. "No! I won't agree to this. I refuse it!"

  Cordelia snorted. "Not your bargain to make. The deal is done." She stepped back and clapped her hands.

  A whirlwind swept through the cavern, blowing all of them around. It plastered their clothes to their bodies and forced a severe chill into the room. Suddenly, a golden stallion appeared. It had red eyes and a shimmering mane as it stamped at the ground and eyed Cadegan with malice.

  In the blink of an eye, gold armor encased his body, complete with a basinet helm, red plumage, and a war lance.

  The horse glared at Cadegan as he pulled himself into the saddle to fight whatever opponent Cordelia demanded.

  Borne by fey magick, the lance rose from the ground to hover by his side until he took it into his grasp. As soon as he gripped it, his opponent appeared at the opposite side of the glowing list. Wrapped in silver armor with blue plumage and riding a silver horse, the rider glared through his helm at Cadegan with red, demonic eyes.

  Illarion cringed at the sight. This was bad....

  For all of them.

  Cordelia manifested a huge, thorny throne at the same time a pixie with wings appeared near the field, holding a flag.

  Cadegan waited for the pixie to drop the banner. The moment she did, he kicked his horse forward. He held the lance at the ready for a fair strike and braced himself for the blow.

  Just as he should have struck, his opponent vanished into thin air. His horse galloped past and as it did so, Cadegan was no longer on the field.

  Nor was he in Josette's body.

  Illarion cursed as he realized the game Cordelia played and the test that she'd fashioned for Cadegan.

  One that if he failed, would screw them all ...

  The warrior was now in the distant past. A frightened boy among his king's soldiers.

  Cadegan froze as he heard them speaking those words that had no meaning to him. As they cast scornful glances in his direction as if he were a mongrel dog about to shite their shoes.

  One of the knights threw a basket of rusted chain-mail at him, and a sword that appeared to have been scraped from the bottom of the Thames....

  And smelted back together as a child's learning project.

  Confused, he'd looked up at the man who'd sneered words at him he couldn't understand, but the tone said that it was all the likes of Cadegan deserved.

  The others had laughed at his new armor the king had instructed them to find for him since he hadn't any of his own.

  Still, they laughed at him.

  Alone and homesick, Cadegan had dug through the basket, only to realize the other knights had soaked all the contents with their urine. And they laughed even harder while they watched him curl his lip in repugnance.

  Worse, it still bore the blood of the last knight who'd worn it, or rather, given the size of the hole in the side, had died in it.

  Unwilling to let the others know how much their words and actions cut him, Cadegan had washed the armor as best he could, and patched it with leather straps he'd cut from the tops of his shoes.

  On their first day of battle, he'd donned the armor and ignored their ridicule and disdain, and was grateful he could only ascertain their biting tones and not their actual words. One was bad enough, he definitely didn't need the other.

  Since he had no horse, they'd left him to fight on foot, with only the damaged sword and no shield.

  None of them had allowed him to be part of the army group. One by one, they'd pushed and jostled him until he'd been relegated to the side of their forces, to fight alone. No one at his side.

  No one at his back.

  It was the worst moment of his life. Because all the soldiers had refused to train him, he'd known nothing of war. He'd barely known how to properly hold his sword. But the moment the Mercians had attacked and blood had flowed thick on the field at their feet, Cadegan had held his own with everything he had. Determined only not to die that day.

  However, his opponents had mercilessly sought to lop his head off and knock him to the ground.

  He'd refused to give them their desire. He had no intention of going down. Not this day or any other.

  As he fought, he'd seen one of the Powys knights fall from his mount. The Mercians had set upon him like a pack of starving wolves. Ferocious. Merciless. They had hacked until they knocked his helm free.

  It was the same man who had cast the soiled armor at Cadegan and laughed while he did so.

  For the merest heartbeat, Cadegan had gloated at seeing the man's fate.

  Until his mind flashed on Brother Eurig, who'd used his hands to lovingly and patiently instruct him on decency and mercy. Honor is what separates man from beast. The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to actually be what we pretend to be. Let others laugh and mock those of us they perceive beneath them, but remember, good Cadegan, honor lies inside our hearts and it is that which makes us act with mercy and compassion against those who have most wronged us. Even if the jackal wounds your pride, do not reward such knavery by surrendering your honor to him. Only then have you truly lost all. Never let anyone take your soul, for they are not worth your eternity or your heart.

  Instead of walking away and leaving the knight to die as cruelly as he'd lived, Cadegan had charged forward and bravely sought to protect him from their enemies.

  Though the knight had survived that encounter and Cadegan--wounded himself--had carried him to the physicians to be tended, the knight's injuries had been such that he'd died the next day. But an hour before his death, he'd summoned Cadegan to his bed.

  His gaze warm, he'd offered his hand to Cadegan and had given him his own sword, armor, and helm, and told the soldiers with him that he wanted his horse to be Cadeg

an's as well.

  It was that knight's sword that Cadegan carried to this day. A reminder to himself that even those who appeared the cruelest and most evil in the world were never above salvation. That, by the right actions, anyone's heart could be changed. And a reminder to Cadegan that all people deserved the utmost respect. To remind himself that he never wanted to be the one who brought such pain to another living creature's misery.

  As Brother Eurig so often said ... No one ever gets over great pain, of any sort. It merely carves the soul into a stronger, better person.

  He would never dishonor Brother Eurig or his teachings.

  "Would you give your honor for your love?"

  Cadegan froze at the queen's disembodied voice. "Pardon?"

  "What do you value most?" she asked him.

  "Me lady. Always."

  "Then prove it. Remove your clothes."

  Cadegan shook his head. "I am in her body, and I will not dishonor her. You asked if I would sacrifice me honor, and so I would. But what you ask of me now is to sacrifice hers, and that I will not do."

  "Not even to save your life?"

  "Nay. Me life holds no value to me. I will never dishonor me lady."

  Cordelia grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "I will rip out your heart!"

  "You promised me that you would not harm Josette. Win, lose, or draw, me lady goes home alive and intact. Your word to me." A strange fissure went through his body.

  The queen narrowed her gaze on him with rancor. "And now?"

  "Now what?"

  "You have your body back, Lord Cadegan. Will you give me your honor for your lady?"

  Cadegan looked down to see that she was correct. He was himself again. "I will give anything for her freedom."

  She inclined her head to him. "You will have three passes at my champion. If you are unhorsed, you will surrender yourself to Morgen. No questions asked. No escape. If you lose, you belong to me as my slave. Forever."

  Cadegan would rather they kill him. But he had no doubt that he would win. He'd never once lost in a joust. "Done. But are we going to actually complete the match this time?"

  She clapped her hands.

  Cadegan was again on his horse. It was the moment right before they would have crossed lances, when his opponent had vanished. This time, his opponent's lance slammed into his shoulder.

  He fell back on the horse, and almost came free of the saddle.

  Illarion grimaced as he felt the pain of that blow as if he was the one who received it.

  Gah, that had to hurt. The pain of that single blow had to be searing, and while her champion's lance had been snapped in twain, Cadegan's remained perfectly intact.

  The urge to cry foul overwhelmed him. Yet he knew better than to utter those words.

  Cordelia wouldn't care. This wasn't about fairness. It was about winning.

  Unlike her and the dark forces she served, there was no victory Cadegan wanted badly enough that he'd cheat for it. He rolled his shoulder, trying to ignore the pain of it, as he turned his destrier back toward the list.

  The pixie appeared again with her flag.

  She looked at the giant he'd tilted against, then him. With a quick nod to the queen, she lowered her banner.

  Cadegan spurred his mount forward. This time, he took aim for the giant's heart, and again leaned into the blow. He struck his opponent straight and true. The giant reeled back, but caught himself before he fell from the horse.

  Thorn and Josette cried out in happiness of Cadegan's clear victory. Illarion raised his fists in solidarity.

  Cordelia's eyes darkened, warning that she wasn't through with them, nor would she take loss lightly.

  Cadegan tossed the remains of his broken lance to the ground.

  Jo bit her lip as she watched Cadegan take another magical lance from the air and prepare for their final pass.

  He lifted his helm's visor to smile and wink at her.

  Illarion glanced toward Cordelia as a bad feeling went through him. Something about this wasn't right. This was too easy.

  Something that proved to be all too true as the giant rose up during the last pass, to kill Cadegan. As it did so, Cadegan's armor went flying in all directions. He emerged out of it like a demonic butterfly from a cocoon. His eyes glowing yellow, he now had long blond hair, and claws. Huge fangs. His skin turned an unholy mixture of yellow and orange. Large, black wings sprang out of his back.

  Thorn cursed as he saw him.

  "What is it?" Jo asked breathlessly.

  But Illarion already knew exactly what that beast was, even before Thorn explained it.

  "We're in deep, serious shit. They've just awakened the Addanc."

  "The what?"

  Thorn met her gaze through the bars. "It's why I trapped Cadegan here in this realm." He jerked his chin toward the monster. "It was to keep that from being unleashed on the world. Each demonkyn holds in his heart his true form. The soulless bloodthirsty beast that is virtually invincible. One that cannot be stopped." Wincing, he cursed again as deep sadness marred his handsome features. "The Addanc has swallowed him whole and we're next on the menu."

  18

  They might be next on Cadegan's menu, but Illarion intended to fight.

  With a string of profanity that left Jo blushing, Thorn stepped back from the bars of his cell. "Jo? Look at me. I'm about to do something really fucking stupid. When I do this, I need you to remember three words for me. Omni rosae spina."

  She scowled at him. "Every rose has its thorn?"

  "Good, you understand Latin. Yes. Commit them to memory in the event I lose control. Okay?"

  "Lose control of what?"

  Yeah ... Illarion would like to know that answer, too.

  He had it a moment later when Thorn's eyes turned a vibrant green, laced with red, and his face became that of a demon's. Then his body followed suit, complete with wings and gold armor.

  Talfryn went wild in his cage. "Help us! Someone! Rambo! We've got to get out of here!"

  "Why?" Jo asked.

  Before he could answer, Thorn channeled his powers and blasted them from their cages. Illarion rushed to her side to protect her as Thorn and Cadegan attempted to murder each other.

  Laughing, Cordelia turned on Jo's group with a smug smile. "Thank you for allowing me to own the one weapon neither Morgen nor Merlin can stop. He's mine now!"

  One moment they were in the cavern and the next, all of them, including Thorn--who was still a demon--were thrown into some house in another dimension, on the other side of a mirrored door.

  What the hell was this?

  Stunned, Illarion gaped as he glanced around at the unfamiliar place he'd never seen before and a group of people he'd never met. How Thorn had managed to get him through the portal without shifting into his dragon form ... he had no idea. And that said it all about Thorn's incredible powers. Still in his demon's body, Thorn turned on them all and let out a fierce howl. He moved in to attack them.

  Say the words! Illarion warned her.

  "Omni rosae spina!"

  The moment she spoke them, Thorn threw his head back and cried out in agony. He froze as if he were fighting himself even harder than he'd fought Cadegan.

  His demonic body slowly melted back to his human one. Tears streamed down his face. He visibly shook and gasped for breath.

  Damn ...

  Without a word to them, Thorn wiped the back of his hand over his face and left through a side door.

  One of the unknown women followed after him.

  Another one, with long curly brown hair, grabbed Jo up into a fierce hug. "This is you? Right?"

  "Yeah. Why?"

  "After that crazy guy who was here in your body, I just wanted to make sure."

  "Cadegan," Jo said, irritated at the way the woman talked about him.

  But Illarion didn't really hear them. His gaze had locked onto the one person in the room he did know.

  Intimately.

  Unable to believe his eyes, he stared at his brother. Maxis. Tears filled his eyes.

  "Illarion? Is it really you, little brother?"

  Nodding, he rushed to gather Max into a tight hug. With his blond hair cut short, he barely resembled the fierce beast Illarion was used to, but it didn't matter.

  This was his beloved brother he hadn't seen in centuries.

  He clutched at him, so grateful to finally have family again. To be safe and away from that hell realm.

  I can't believe it's you! Max's voice filled his head.

  Nor I you! I've missed you so. He clenched his hand in Max's hair, then stepped back to meet Jo's curious gaze. Josette, this is my brother Maxis.

  She inclined her head to him. "Nice to meet you."

  "And you. Thank you for helping my brother." He gaped at Illarion. "I still can't believe you're here. I thought you'd died with the others."

  Jo returned to the other woman. "I have to go back for Cadegan."

  When she started toward the mirror, three Thorns appeared to block her way. "You cannot release him now. It's too late to save him."

  Jo glared at them. "I will not leave him in there. Alone. If I have to go back by myself, I will."

  Thorn returned to the room with the woman who'd gone after him as the three images blocking Jo's way vanished. He cast his glance around the people gathered there. "For the love of God, will someone please talk sense into Queen Hard Head?" He glared at Jo. "You can't go into Terre Derriere le Voile and release a banished demon into the world of man."

  To Illarion's complete shock, Jo rushed Thorn and shoved him back. "You should never have banished him there! This is all your fault!"

  "I had no choice," Thorn growled at her. "He was slipping from us every day, turning slowly more bitter and angrier. I saw it in his eyes. I did everything I could to keep him grounded and anchored, and then when he came to me that night to tell me that he'd killed innocent people, I saw that he was just about to blossom into the Addanc you saw earlier."

  "So you abandoned him to it?"

  He winced before he met her gaze again. "We have to leave him where he is."

  She shook her head in denial of his solution. It wasn't that simple and she knew it. "We can't. We've awakened the Addanc within him. He is the very weapon you once feared unleashing. What if your enemies find him now? Are you any more able to kill him today?"

  Thorn looked away.

  "That's what I thought. Before all this started, Cadegan was dormant in his cave. Alone and safe. You and I have awakened his demon side, and it's up to us to do what you should have done a thousand years ago."

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