King Gerolth, as was normal, was the first to notice the slight hitch in T’Harris’ flight pattern, and he called T’Harris’ Dragon on it. “Are you tired, Thrax?”
“No, your Majesty,” Thrax replied. He then decided there was no time like the present to fill him in on what was going on in his mind. “But, for the first time in over three weeks, I felt the bond between Gabriella and T’Harris share surge back to life. She is in trouble and in need of help.”
No one needed to explain how Thrax knew this, as T’Harris’ Dragon would know anything he did. Any bonded Elven Male could tell whether his Life Mate was experiencing problems, just as his Dragon could tell where his mate was. The question was, how serious was this problem? Considering this was the High Lord General Gabriella Eagle Claw they were talking about, he decided to bring in his Guardians in to examine the details. If things were as serious as T’Harris made them sound and his signature indicated, it wouldn’t only be T’Harris who would be flying to Gabriella’s rescue, but every Guardian of the Empire. King Gerolth was not against acting when he felt it was needed. There was no doubt that seeing to Gabriella’s safety fell into the category of acting in the best interest of the Elven Empire.
To get some idea of what they might be facing, King Gerolth began to quiz T’Harris, in case the panic showing in the Guardian’s eyes was warping his judgment. “Before I make any plans, I am going to want answers to a few questions about what is going on.”
“I will tell you anything you need to know, if possible,” T’Harris promised. The way King Gerolth had phrased his statement gave him hope. To him, it didn’t seem right anyone should have the right to keep Life Mates apart, especially at a time like this.
“We will begin by finding out which direction your Life Mate bond thread is showing you she has taken,” King Gerolth began.
T’Harris followed the thread connecting him with his Life Mate and answered, “Our thread appears golden and thick in the direction of the Valley and it expends further than this. It also has an undertone of red, black, green, and has a braiding of four strands of lighter gold and silver interwoven with the rest.”
This told King Gerolth enough for him to analyze the situation. The gold was the bond thread T’Harris and Gabriella shared. That it extended to somewhere beyond the Valley probably meant she was in enemy territory. Had she gone there on her own, or was she being held prisoner and being forced to travel under duress? When he thought of the other colors involved, he was tempted to believe the latter was true. It was difficult to believe anyone could capture and then hold Gabriella Eagle Claw prisoner, but she wasn’t any less infallible than anyone else. Besides, the extended shades of colors told stories of their own, and they weren’t good ones.
In the aura surrounding the golden bond thread, red signified anger. For it to be as pronounced as T’Harris made it sound, Gabriella had to be furious, which explained the black. As with most people, black meant death, and he couldn’t see it as a forecast of her own. It meshed well enough with the red to mean she planned to kill someone, but didn’t have a focus, so any would suffice. The green was a sign of sickness, whether mental or physical. For an Elf to exhibit it in a Life Mate bond thread meant one of two things; one, she had a reason to feel ill, or two, she could be physically ill on her own. Could it be she was ready to shift and the change was upsetting her system? It was a definite possibility.
As for the four strands of light gold and silver, King Gerolth had no idea what those were about and wasn’t about to begin to guess. They weren’t signs of anything bad, and they had enough to think about, so he brushed them to the side.
T’Harris watched King Gerolth ponder the situation for as long as he felt he could without erupting. He then asked, “So what can you tell me?”
“We will fly to the Elven Empire, first to see the Emperor Lariel, to tell him what we are about to do, then onwards.” King Gerolth replied.
“What if she needs our help sooner?” T’Harris worried.
“You will know. It is instinctive in an Elf,” King Gerolth replied. “The bond you share with Gabriella is stronger than most even at this time, and if she is in immediate danger, there will be no doubt in your mind that this is the case. You will not be the only one reacting to her distress, but also Thrax. If either of you shows any signs of sensing danger, you can count on the rest of the squad to give their complete support to seeing to her safety.”
“Are we going to contact Emperor Lariel in person, or only let him know about our intentions through a message?” T’Harris wondered. He was hoping for the latter.
“I will contact him through a telepathic message first,” King Gerolth informed T’Harris. “But he may still demand we appear before him in physical form, so don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“We are headed out on a mission to save the High Lord General,” T’Harris reasoned. “Surely the Emperor wouldn’t delay us when time could be of the essence.”
The reality of the situation was Lariel could delay them and would, which was why the entire squad of the Guardians of the Empire stormed into his throne room and marched to where he sat. None of them looked happy to be there either. Then again, Lariel didn’t seem any happier about seeing them than they appeared to him.
The first thing the Guardians noticed was Lariel was seated on his throne, something he seldom did. The second was there was a Female Elf on the throne next to his. Neither looked very happy, and they could only wonder why even as they wished they could forego this meeting.
“Your Majesty,” King Gerolth bowed, as he stopped, along with the Guardians of the Empire. “We hope you are in good health.”
Lariel’s response was curt and to the point, “What is this I am hearing about our High Lord General being at peril?”
“We were responding to T’Harris’ sense of danger, which came from her. He and Gabriella Eagle Claw were Life Mate-bonded three weeks ago. From what his bond thread tells us, she is in enemy hands. We have no idea how she got there, as best as we can figure things, she either traveled through the tunnel linking their lands to the valley, or she was captured and taken there forcibly.”
“Stubborn female probably was determined to see what she would be facing in person. I wouldn’t put it past her. She never would listen to reason, always needs to do things her way,” Lariel grumbled. “I have a mind to refuse to allow you to go to her aid. She wanted to test the waters, let her figure a way to swim in them.”
“Surely, you cannot be serious,” Deneene gasped out in shock.
“At the moment, I don’t know what I mean,” Lariel stated, as he shot Deneene a meaningful look. He then stood and began to pace, even as he continued to toss Deneene glaring looks filled with resentment. “I am fed up with needing to deal with people who will not listen to reason. Those who have dreamed up notions with no rhyme or reason to them and never seem to use the good sense the Creator gifted them with.”
T’Harris could sense the bitterness coming from Lariel, and he wanted to make sure the Emperor realized Gabriella wouldn’t have done this on her own. He stepped forward, and with a bow, he spoke, “I left my Life Mate sleeping close to the mouth of the tunnel in the throes of a spell that should have lasted only a few hours. She was extremely tired, first from traveling, then from the Life Mate bond we had acted on at the time. She needed rest, and I knew she wouldn’t get any if I left her on her own. King Gerolth called me back to the training islands when we woke, and she insisted I respond. We all know how she feels about answering the call to duty. When I left, there was no one in the vicinity, so I felt safe about leaving her to rest more. If there would have been any signs of danger, I would never have gone, no matter what she said.”
Lariel took a deep breath, then let it out as he nodded in understanding. He needed to get his temper under control, and his own situation wasn’t making this any easier. He couldn’t take his frustration out on an Elf who didn’t deserve it, no matter how he felt at the moment. He did, how
ever, want more details.
“Suppose you tell me what you know,” Lariel suggested.
“After leaving Gabriella, I flew directly to King Gerolth, as ordered. I had hoped he would allow me to return to her side, but I was ordered to stay. When I felt our bond link fade and then disappear, I thought it was possible she was riding back to the Empire through the tunnel connecting the Empire to the Valley. It seemed to take a longer time than it should, and I didn’t know what to think. Our bond is too new and I could get no answers about what I was feeling from anyone. When I was suddenly felt the connection with my Life Mate again, I could tell she was in danger. Again, I am being prevented from going to her aid. She is alone in the lands of our enemy, and I stand before you instead to flying to see to her safety.”
Lariel understood what T’Harris was saying and didn’t blame him for the way he was acting. He would be in no better condition if it were Deneene they were talking about. It made him feel as if his need to know what was going on was motivated by selfishness rather than a valid reason. He knew what needed to be done, and he decided to throw caution to the wind. As he turned to speak once more, T’Harris interrupted.
“I promised I would always be there for her. I told her I would guard her back,” the words seemed to be torn from the Guardian’s mouth like a plea for understanding.
Deneene, thinking Lariel was considering the pros and cons of the situation more because she was there than for any other reason, acted. This was Gabriella Eagle Claw who was in peril, she was the backbone of the Empire, more even than Lariel was in many ways. Deneene reached out to touch him, as she stood and added her voice to T’Harris’ plea, “Please.”
Lariel frowned, and as he brushed Deneene’s hand from his arm, he spoke. “Go, do what you must, but keep in mind we are trying to keep the knowledge of your existence quiet. We do not want the outside world to know any more about us than they already do. It is dangerous.”
Lariel no sooner finished speaking when T’Harris felt a spark of fear coming from Gabriella through their bond. He turned and raced for the exit, bellowing as he did, “She is in a battle.”
King Gerolth and the rest of the Guardians of the Empire followed hot on T’Harris’ heels. He doubted if his Guardian had heard half of what the Emperor Lariel said. He had seen the look of uncontrollable rage behind T’Harris’ eyes and knew that Thrax was rising to see to the wellbeing of its mate even as they ran from the building. It wouldn’t have mattered at a time like this if Lariel had given his consent for T’Harris to leave or not. If the Emperor Lariel’s decision wouldn’t have meshed with what Thrax and T’Harris felt was necessary, Thrax would have flamed the Palace. There was only one thing Thrax understood at this moment, he needed to fly to the aid of T’Harris and his Gabriella and the Creator help anyone that got in his way.
CHAPTER XVI
ANDORIA:
It didn’t take the men escorting Gabriella towards the castle in Andoria long to decide to change their strategy about how to control her. The thought was it might be easy for her to break loose now that they were outside of the tunnel. Up to this point she had given them no trouble, but they had no doubts her compliance with their wishes could change quickly. They could tell she was only being cooperative on the outside.
Despite all Gabriella’s captors had done to get her to talk to them, she refused to say a word. They tried everything they could think of to get past her stubbornness when they were in the tunnel, but it was to no avail. They had offered rewards, withheld food for days, and threatened her with physical abuse. Nothing had had any effect. By the time they emerged from the cave, they were all looking filthy, bedraggled, and needing baths. All, that is, except for Gabriella. She showed no signs of having suffered in any way during the trip. There was something definitely wrong about this. How did she manage to look so fresh and clean all the time when they looked like they had been dragged through the dirt and smelled like animals?
“The moment we can see the walls of the castle, she comes off the horse,” The leader of the group spoke. “She can walk behind us. Make sure her wrists are well-bound, and that she has no way to escape.”
“What if she is the wrong Elf?” asked the second-in-command continuing to worry.
“She matches the description they gave us to perfection,” The leader reasoned. “If she is the wrong woman, how were we to know? I am thinking the worst that can happen is if we guessed wrong, they might send us back. But you can bet they won’t set her free to warn the others like her. No matter who she is, she is an Elven Female. She will have information they will want, and they will get it even if we couldn’t. We are only common foot soldiers, nothing special and not considered the smartest block in the pile.”
“She is definitely a beauty,” one of the other men continued to comment. He had spent most of the journey back through the tunnel dreaming about what he would do to her given a chance. He knew he would never be allowed to touch her, but that didn’t matter to his imagination. She shone like the sun, and there was fire and ice in her eyes. He had never met another woman like her, and he doubted if the others had either. Who could blame him for dreaming?
Gabriella’s captors used their horses to surround her so she wouldn’t try to make a run for her freedom, if she managed to get untied. She, however, refused to be intimidated, even when they made her walk in the center of the circle they formed with their horses. She listened carefully to what they said while they spoke to see what she could learn. She had already ascertained that they didn’t dare hurt her. Truth of the matter was, they had no real idea who they had captured. She knew, however, that those in command would know her. It was something she was certain of. She had dealt with these men before, and she was sure they would remember her still.
The one thing Gabriella was sure of was Ricard and Lorne would be out for blood. She was not only the General of the enemy forces that had defeated them on the battlefield, but the Elf who had personally humiliated them. This, along with what she and Cambria had done to them after the fact, had to be burning at their inflated egos from the inside out. Her being a female wouldn’t help either.
Since getting to know them, Gabriella had heard enough through Sonja and Alexis to realize women were not thought highly of in the outside world. The men in this part of the land believed the only thing that mattered was a strong arm. A sharp sword was power when held by the right person, and a woman didn’t have the strength it took to withstand the pounding a man could deliver. She knew better. There were any number of Female Elves capable of holding their own against these men. Were they stronger? No. But, they knew how to use a weapon properly.
With the surety she would get a chance to prove she was equal to any man on the field, her biggest fear was she wouldn’t get the opening she needed to break free from her bonds. Before she could prove anything, she needed to find a way to get untied. She also preferred the idea of running from this danger rather than taking a chance she might be challenged by the entire armies of Andoria. Even she had her limitations, and she was very willing to acknowledge them. With this in mind, she tried to concentrate on finding a way to break free of her bonds.
Those surrounding Gabriella with their horses laughed at her and jeered, as she stumbled while being pulled along on foot between them. She didn’t care what they thought. She was having enough trouble trying to see how the knots were tied so she could figure a way to undo them. It wasn’t easy when her hands were bouncing around in front of her and she was trying to keep up to the horses. She needed them to stop so she could see what she was doing, even if it were for a moment. If she could break free, she wouldn’t need to worry about any of this, she was certain she could outrun these horses, as none were Elven steeds. What made things even more difficult was that every now and then they would yank the rope to see if they could find a way to make her fall. She had no intention of letting them succeed because she got the feeling they were the type to drag her in the dirt. The expressions on their faces
told her they hated how she managed to look so clean, while they looked and smelled so foul.
As they got closer to the walls of the castle, one of the men in the group surrounding Gabriella pointed towards the fortress and commented, “It looks like they are bringing the Dragon Killing machines out to play.”
Gabriella wasn’t even going to try to see what the men before her were talking about. She had somehow not only managed to figure a way out of the mess she was in, but now had half the knots holding her hostage undone. The most difficult parts of what needed to happen were over. There were only four left to undo before she could break completely free from the rope, and this could be done within moments of their stopping. She got the impression they were about to do this shortly. In the meantime, she continued to work on them while she walked and plotted her next move. Even free from her bindings, she didn’t think this was going to be an easy escape. They were already partially surrounded by fighting men on the edge of the practice field. Luckily, their people were all minding their own business and tending to work.
“We brought you a present from across the mountain range,” the leader of the expedition called out to Lorne and Ricard from across the practice field.
The General Page 11
