The Shadows

by Cheyenne McCray

  He looked over his shoulder. Gods, she was beautiful with her brown eyes, the lock of blond hair outlining one side of her face against her dark brown hair. He wanted her over and over again, and hoped he would survive his mission to come back and take her to bed to do just that.

  “I wish to explore the area.” He looked toward the door again. “I will need to be familiar with it before I bring the Drow to fight.”

  He felt Hannah’s presence grow nearer. “I’ll go with you,” she said, close enough that he imagined her warm breath on his neck. “The D’Danann warriors guarding the door inside and out wouldn’t let you past them without me.”

  Garran faced her. “I will shroud myself with Drow magic. It will not be necessary for you to join me.”

  She frowned. “I’m still coming with you.”

  “No.” He put force behind the word as he met her eyes. “I go alone.”

  “Why?” She braced her hands on her hips and arched a brow.

  Garran rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. The words of the Great Guardian came to him, about keeping Hannah at his side. But he had no intention of taking her with him this night no matter what the Guardian said.

  “I wish to be alone.” He dropped his hand away from his eyes and firmed his expression as he said the words in a tone meant to eliminate further conversation.

  “I am coming with you.” With her chin tilted up, both fire and ice in her gaze, she sounded and looked like a ruler, imperious and regal, a queen.

  She would make a fine queen, indeed.

  He shook the thoughts from his head at the same time he made the motion to tell her no. But by the look in her eyes and on her expression, he knew it was a battle lost.

  He sighed. “Come then, quietly. I will shroud us both in my magic.”

  The cloud he enveloped them with was hazy as they walked to the door guarded by a pair of D’Danann warriors. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hannah’s surprised expression when he faced each warrior and moved his hand in a circular motion, his palm facing each man. As intended, they were oblivious to his and Hannah’s presence and didn’t even move when Garran opened the door.

  At the same time Garran turned the cool knob, he let a swell of his dark magic touch each of the warriors standing guard on the outside of the door.

  Hannah looked at him in amazement as they exited the warehouse and the warriors did not so much as look at them. The door made no sound as it closed.

  A nearby light from a lamppost cast shadows on Hannah’s face as he looked down at her as they walked away from the warehouse.

  “Pretty neat trick,” she said, although she didn’t look pleased. “The Dark Elves could attack us so easily just by doing what you just did.”

  Garran shook his head. “Only the king holds such power. It is passed on from king to king as a protective measure, given from the Orb of Aithne.”

  She tipped her head as they made their way silently to the pier. “The Orb of what?”

  “Aithne.” He gestured in the direction they had come from this morning. “We must go.”

  Her frown was darker now, and she came to a stop directly beneath the lamppost. They were still shrouded by his magic.

  “We’re not just out for a stroll, are we,” she stated.

  “I will explain.” He touched her elbow and guided her in the direction of the pier. “Come.”

  Hannah seemed to accept that. For now.

  She looked him over as they walked. “You looked good before in your Drow garb, but you’re pretty hot in human clothing, too.”

  Garran cocked one eyebrow as he glanced down at her. Before most had settled in for the night, the witches had hunted for human clothing for Garran so that he “wouldn’t stick out” in the human world.

  He wore what they called a T-shirt and jeans, but his feet were still clad in his supple leather boots. It felt odd not wearing his shoulder plates or leather chest straps, and the T-shirt felt confining hiding so much of his skin. Yet, at the same time the clothing was comfortable.

  He had left his sword behind but had a lengthy dagger strapped to his side.

  “You cannot get enough of me.” He let his tone drop low and seductive, with a hint of amusement. “I believe that is why you desire to join me this night.”

  “You wish.” Hannah appeared unaffected when he glanced at her. “I’m just keeping an eye on you.”

  He smiled as he looked down at the beautiful woman beside him. Despite the fact he’d had no intentions of bringing her with him, it felt pleasant to have her at his side. “Then you do not trust me.”

  “Not for a moment.”

  At that he laughed, the sound echoing through the night, joining the subdued sounds of the city behind them, a city that was still under martial law.

  Fog absorbed most of the moon’s light and he reached for her hand to make sure she didn’t trip in the near darkness.

  At first, she stiffened but gradually relaxed as they walked. He gripped her cool hand tighter in his then sent magic from his hand to suffuse her body with warmth.

  She glanced up at him. “So where are we really going?” Garran did not answer and she did not press him as they walked hand in hand from the warehouse toward the pier.

  Smells of the city’s pollution mixed with the scent of brine on the air. Otherworld was so clean in contrast that the smells of this human city nearly clogged his senses.

  Hannah’s sigh joined the gentle slap of waves against the pier as they neared it. He led her onto the pier and her shoes made soft sounds on the wood. As he was Elvin, his movements were always silent, much like the Fae.

  When they reached the end of the pier facing Alcatraz Island, he turned to her. He took both of her hands in his, raised them, and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

  Hannah closed her eyes and made a soft little groan. “If you’re trying to seduce me, it’s working.”

  Garran raised his head and laughed, and she opened her eyes. He released her hands and drew her into his embrace.

  Again she stiffened but gradually relaxed as he held her tightly, making it clear he was not going to release her for that moment in time. He rubbed his hands over her back and she wrapped her arms around his waist, settling her face against his chest.

  He buried his nose in her hair, the clean, womanly scent chasing away some of the smells of brine and fish.

  The thought of fish gave him pause—the Fomorii smelled of rotten fish, but a strong stench. If he left Hannah, what if she was attacked by one or more of the demons that might be in the city?

  At the realization, his chest ached and he felt as if a knot had formed in his throat. He could not leave her, but he should not take her.

  Or could he, and still keep her safe? Was that what the Great Guardian had intended when she told him to keep Hannah close?

  Garran cleared his throat, stepped away from Hannah, and clasped her upper arms with his hands. She felt small and fragile in his larger grip, not the strong woman he knew her to be.

  “I have a mission to complete,” he said, his voice low in the night. “I would rather return you to the headquarters, where I know you will be safe, than to take you with me.”

  Hannah shook her head, a stubborn glint in her eyes. “I don’t know what in the Ancestors’ names you’re talking about, but you’re not leaving me behind.”

  Garran closed his eyes for a moment, searching inside himself for the magic the Great Guardian had given him. It survived deep in his chest, a ball of liquid power that gave him inexplicable energy and strength he had never felt before.

  To get to the island, though, he would have to use his own dark magic. The Drow never used dark sorcery, but their powers edged close to that ever-deep precipice.

  He opened his eyes to see Hannah’s brows narrowed and a firm but questioning look on her features.

  “What’s going on?” She shook out of his embrace and his hands fell to his sides. He missed her warmth at once, missed touching her softnes
s and having her head resting against his chest.

  He pushed his hand through his hair. His skin tones had returned to the bluish-gray of the Drow and his hair was silvery-blue again. Apparently his skin and hair only changed to its former tones during daylight hours.

  A foghorn sounded in the night as a great ship passed in front of them, temporarily obscuring the island from his gaze. Great swells of water rolled from the ship toward the shore, the waves slapping sand and pebbles beneath the pier.

  “I cannot explain why, but I must go to the Fomorii lair now.” He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “I do not want to put you in danger.”

  “You’re insane.” She brought her hand up to the moon and crescent armband she always wore. It was the only nervous movement he had noticed she made on occasion. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “You cannot stop me.” He almost smiled when her fingertips crackled with her sparkling green magic. He had seen two of the witches use their powers when the door to Underworld was opened then closed, and he knew the witches could be quite formidable.

  “Do you want to bet I can’t stop—” she started when he released his magic.

  Hannah gasped as he surrounded them in a dark sphere.

  “This is a geodess,” he told Hannah. “I am weaving a spell into the fabric of power. Within it, I am lacing a command to take us to Alcatraz, and then a spell to return us to the shores of San Francisco.”

  The Great Guardian had said he would be weak after he used the magical gift, and he wanted to make sure he had a way to bring Hannah and himself back safely. However, that possibility was not something he would share with Hannah.

  If he could leave her in a bubble of protection on the pier while he was gone, he would, but his power would not extend so far, and still retain enough magic for the return trip.

  With a mental command the geodess rose and Hannah dropped onto her backside with the movement. She let out a sound of surprise. He used his powers to guide the sphere onto the water where it bobbed in the wake created by the ship that had passed by.

  Concern and perhaps fear crossed her features as she got to her haunches on the curved floor of the sphere that was firm beneath her feet.

  He knelt beside her. She looked away from him and pressed her palm against the side of the geodess. His magic rippled beneath her hand and she shivered before cutting her gaze back to him.

  “We are in what my people refer to as a geodess” he said as he met her eyes. “It will take us safely to our destination and return us to our origin when the mission is complete.”

  The dark sphere began to float toward the island as he pushed it with his magic. He took Hannah’s hand in his and this time her muscles didn’t tighten. Instead she sat by him in silence for a few moments before squeezing his hand in return.

  “Mission?” she asked in a concerned tone. “What could the two of us possibly do”—she gestured toward the island—“against all of those demons?”

  “Trust me.” It was all he could say as he studied her features in the darkness.

  “Guess I don’t have a choice.” She shivered and he drew her into his embrace, surrounding both of them with heat.

  The geodess continued to skim the water as it made its way to the island.

  When he sensed the island was near, he murmured, “We have arrived,” and her body tensed.

  “You’re really going to go through with this—whatever it is you’re planning to do.” She scooted away from him and he let her, even though he didn’t want to.

  Garran looked through the dark sphere as they approached a sheer rock side of the island.

  He looked from the island back to her. “This is something I must do—something that will benefit all.”

  Hannah grasped her belly with her arm for a moment as if it hurt. Then she dropped her hands to her sides, straightened her spine, and pushed back her shoulders, like a warrior ready to do battle. “You’re the boss. Let’s do it.”

  Garran focused on the rocks, using his senses with the might of his dark magic to reach out and find the opening to the cavern that would lead to the Fomorii lair.

  When his slow exploration did not reveal anything, he strengthened his search. At his mental command a dark layer of power burst from him, through the sphere, and wrapped itself around the island.

  Immediately he located the opening to the cavern—and the Fomorii guards posted around it.

  He would have to eliminate the demon guards without alerting the rest of the Fomorii. He had expected that, but had also hoped the demons would be too cocksure of themselves to believe they needed a guard.

  Hannah sat on her haunches at his side, her palms braced on her thighs. “I don’t see anything. It’s so blessed dark.”

  With his Drow vision, Garran could see every rock, every pebble as they drew closer—as well as the Fomorii guards. Not to mention their rotten-fish stench was so powerful one could not miss them. He guided the sphere close to the rock face so that he would not be seen once he left its safety. He intended to leave Hannah in the geodess.

  He studied the opening to the cavern. It was low to the water, a lip jutting from it that would allow him to climb in and out. The overhang hid the opening effectively. He would have to lower himself from the overhang to the shelf.

  Black power surrounded the opening. No doubt Ceithlenn had created the cavern with her magic.

  “Four of the demons are guarding the entrance.” He rubbed his jaw. “I need to do away with them before I enter the cavern.” He looked down at her. “I will leave you here, where you will be safe.”

  “Like hell.” Green magic sparked at her fingertips. “Where you go, I go.”

  If he had the extra power he would need to do it, he would bind her inside the geodess until he finished his task.

  As it was, he was using most of his dark magic to maintain the sphere itself. No matter the outcome—if he died—the geodess was spelled to return to the pier they had left from. Hannah would be able to move in and out of it at will.

  He took her by the shoulders and looked into her dark eyes. “If anything should happen to me, return to this geodess and it will take you to your city.” He gave her a slight shake. “You will do as I command.”

  Fire snapped in her gaze and she narrowed her brows. She shrugged out of his hold and pushed him away by placing her hands on his chest and shoving. “I’ll do whatever I think is best. Not what you tell me to do.”

  He stared at her a long moment before glancing to the steep rock near the entrance, then back to her. What would he do with this stubborn woman?

  The only thing he could. Keep her at his side. For now. “Remember that all you need to do is climb onto the geodess and it will embrace you and take you home.”

  Hannah didn’t answer. Instead she raised her hand and a soft green glow emanated from her palm, giving her enough light to analyze the rock face.

  “Your sister witches used magic ropes in the battle at the door to Underworld.” Garran remembered how the witches had utilized the ropes as well as a net and shields. “Is this one of your talents as well?”

  “Not a problem.” She stood, the sphere steady beneath her feet. “I have plenty of talents.”

  “Good. You will need your ropes to climb down the rock face and return to the geodess.” The memory of the brightness of the witch magic he’d seen came to him. “Is it possible for you to dim your magic so that it cannot easily be seen?”

  Hannah nodded, still not looking at him. “How do I get out of here?”

  “Hold on to me.” Garran shot out a dark stream of magic at the same time he grasped Hannah by her waist. The stream wrapped itself around a large boulder far overhead and he gave the mental order for his magic to pull them up the sheer side of the island.

  She gripped him tight with one arm while she held her other palm out, magic sparking at her fingertips, obviously ready to use her powers.

  They pushed through the wall of the geodess, which felt like
passing grasping hands trying to hold them in. He ordered the magic to still and remain in place as he left a piece of his powers behind.

  Rough winds batted them against the side of the rocky wall as they rose and small stones trickled down to the water, the tiny sounds loud in the still night. He didn’t pause and they continued to rise. The icy winds whipped their hair about their faces and he again used his magic to chase away the chill.

  Just as they came close to reaching the surface they would climb onto, the demon stench grew stronger.

  A Fomorii appeared.

  It looked directly at them.

  The demon opened its mouth as if to give warning to its fellow Fomorii.

  Hannah shot a sparkling green magic rope out so fast Garran barely saw it skim through the air.

  The rope spun around the demon’s head and mouth, choking off any cry it would have made.

  The rope continued to wrap itself around the Fomorii’s entire body, and the demon dropped. It would have made a thud, but another burst of power emanated from Hannah that cushioned the demon’s fall so that there was only silence.

  “You are truly a talented witch,” Garran said in a low voice as he pulled them close enough that they could crawl onto the rocky ground.

  She grunted as he helped push her up far enough that she was able to roll onto the ground. “I told you not to underestimate me,” she whispered.

  “Indeed.” His muscles strained as he grasped the rock to pull himself all the way up. The words of the Great Guardian came to him again—that he and Hannah would be stronger together. It seemed the Guardian had been correct.

  Still, he did not like putting Hannah in such danger.

  When they were both on their feet, they looked down at the demon bound by her magic. “Goddess, that thing stinks.” She gestured toward it with an expression of distaste. “Be my guest.”

  Garran unsheathed the long dagger at his side. The demon’s eyes bulged, but it was so tightly bound that it could not move a fraction.

  As he did not have his sword to slice the demon’s head from its body, Garran chose the only other way to kill a Fomorii. The dagger slipped between the magic ropes and it took only a swift movement to remove the Fomorii’s black heart.