The Goddess and The Guardians Boxset: The Complete Romantic Fantasy Quartet

by Karen Tomlinson

  Chapter 3

  The creatures shifted into a circle around Diamond and their injured pack leader. Baring their fangs and tensing their bodies, they quivered in anticipation of more killing. The winged figures dived closer and the creatures leaped upwards with their clawed fingers extended like spears. With infinite grace, the diving figure closest to Diamond somersaulted, easily evading the attack and landed nearby. With his large metallic wings he knocked the nearest creature off balance before driving a sword into another.

  One creature vaulted to straddle Diamond’s body, a clawed foot landing on either side of her chest. A scream exploded from her as it reached for her ravaged throat. Once again her survival instinct kicked in, and her insides began to burn. She would not just lay here and wait to have her throat ripped out! Ignoring the sightless beast kneeling nearby, Diamond bent her knees and lifted both feet. Grunting, she shoved them hard into her assailant’s lower belly and sent him toppling backwards. He roared with rage; but before he could recover, the large figure cut the creature down with his two Silverbore swords. Warm blood splattered over Diamond’s face. She pushed herself up, her arms shaking, gagging. Her eyes darted around. She had no weapons, nothing with which to defend herself.

  “Here,” barked a gruff voice, and she found the cold metal of a dagger pressed into her slick palm.

  Diamond did a double take. Dark wings flashed a deep, rich blue as they pulsed behind him, their silver markings shimmering with light. A fae warrior. Diamond looked at him stupidly, her eyes huge and round. Never in her life had she seen such beautiful sapphire blue wings. They were stunning. She staggered as long dirty claws slashed out. The warrior’s gloved hand shot out and steadied her as he spun himself between her dazed form and the creature. Blood welled from the deep slash wounds now marking the side of his throat.

  “Fight!” he growled down at her before attacking at full speed, driving the creature back so fast he became a blur of armoured wings and flashing blades.

  Diamond screamed as another creature lunged for her. The dagger almost fell from her trembling fingers as she slashed backwards and forwards ineffectually. Agilely the warrior leaped back in front of her. In two swipes of his blades, her attacker was dead, a foul stench filling the air as his guts spilled out. Diamond swallowed her disgust and stumbled away from the carcass.

  She watched wide-eyed as Amsal Edo, only a few feet away, swung his sword with obvious skill. Other fae warriors landed around her, forming a protective circle. With cold efficiency they killed all the remaining creatures. It was over in seconds. The only beast that still lived was the huge leader who had killed her father. Without hesitation, the blue-winged warrior slashed the tendons of its deformed ankles, incapacitating it. It roared its fury and pain but could do nothing. Kneeling blindly a few feet from Diamond, it sniffed the air. She swallowed her disgust. Despite no longer holding the piece of rag it was scenting her again.

  “Diamond! Diamond, are you hurt?” shouted Amsal Edo urgently. He ran towards her, his normally icy grey eyes wide.

  She shook her head, beginning to tremble from head to toe; cuts and bruises did not count. The ground ran thick with dark, almost black blood; guts and gore spilled all around her. Never had she seen such a gruesome sight. The animal stink and metallic odour of blood made her stomach clench. Swallowing didn’t do much good but she persevered, not wanting to throw up in front of these hard-faced warriors. Her blue-winged saviour raised his large Silverbore sword to end her father’s killer.

  Silverbore, the highly prized metal of the fae race. Strong, yet malleable for any gifted fae metal-smith. It was also iron-free and therefore would not burn the fae who were notoriously sensitive to the cheaper, lighter iron weapons favoured by humans.

  His blade glinted as he slashed down.

  “Wait!” she cried.

  With spectacular skill and precision, he stayed his hand, his blade halting a hairsbreadth from the creature’s throat. Glancing sideways at the warrior, she took careful and deliberate steps toward the creature. Clutching the dagger in her shaking fingers, Diamond steeled herself not to run when the creature pulled his lips back from his teeth in a defiant snarl. The warrior growled in warning and pushed the sharp edge of his sword against the creature’s hairy throat, drawing blood.

  “Still yourself,” he warned it. “Do not come any closer, girl. This Seeker wants to end you,” he warned with a scowl.

  She walked closer anyway and answered, “I know.”

  An overpowering chill seeped into her bones. Her father had told her tales of the dark creatures that lived in the far off Barren Waste Lands. A land wreathed in mist and home to monsters ruled by the Wraith Lord. An immortal being, he had been imprisoned in the Barren Wastes and had waged a war on the lands of the mortal Oden dynasty for nearly two thousand years.

  It seemed the Wraith Lord was not content after finally overthrowing King Oden of Rhodainia and escaping. He was pushing his forces into Avalonia. All the monsters she had read about, heard stories about, had seemed so far away as to be imaginary; but this creature was very real, and so was the blood staining her clothes and drying upon her skin. Diamond knew the Seeker was still deadly even with the edge of a sword pressed against his throat, but she needed answers.

  “Why are you here?” she asked, keeping her voice strong and steady whilst staring at the mess that had once been its eyes. No remorse flickered in her soul, only a grim satisfaction that she had caused it harm and suffering, at least a little bit, before it died.

  The fae warrior laughed grimly at her efforts. “It cannot talk or understand, girl. There is no point in asking it questions. It just hunts and kills.”

  Diamond narrowed her eyes, tilting her head to study the creature. “Yes, you can, can’t you?” she said to it. “You can understand me very clearly and talk to me.”

  It was a statement not a question, and she knew without a doubt it was true. She could feel its intelligence, its absolute killing focus oozing from its soul. The warrior raised his eyebrows, looking at her like she was mad, but she ignored him.

  The Seeker rumbled a harsh laugh, making her and everyone else tense. She gasped as its growling voice resounded in her head. It was both an intimate and disgusting sensation. In response Diamond found her hand gripping tighter to the dagger.

  ‘You are our prey, you ignorant half-breed. Our master, Ragor—Lord of Wraiths—wants your blood extinguished from this world. He wants you dead so your womb may not quicken with foul-blooded offspring, and he wants that trinket you carry between those teats of yours.’ It growled another insulting laugh. ‘And I will still take it from you.’

  Diamond’s breath hitched. My necklace? How does the Wraith Lord know of my mother’s dragon crystal?

  The fae warriors watched the silent exchange suspiciously. Amsal Edo put a firm hand on her shoulder, making her jump.

  “Come, child. I don’t know what lies it’s telling you, but let these men kill it before it harms you or poisons your mind,” he urged her.

  “Wait!” she cried as the warrior’s muscles tensed. She wasn’t done yet. “Why did you kill my father if it’s me you want?” she asked, her voice shaking with grief. It was so hard to suppress the unfamiliar rage that burned in her belly as another vicious laugh rumbled from the creature’s chest.

  The warrior watched her intently. His eyes narrowed, he kept his blade firmly in place even as the creature pressed his neck against the razor-like edge. Blood welled.

  ‘He was in my way, and I wanted you to see him die, to know you were next. I would have let you hear him beg for your life but you ran away.’ It huffed a growl. ‘It did not stop him, though. He screamed your name before he died. But I was hungry and fae blood tastes far better than human when it is laced with fear and hate.’ Another throaty chuckle rocked his hairy shoulders. Clearly he was not in the least bit bothered about his impending death. ‘Your father’s screams were like sweet music to my ears as I gutted him and drank him dry.’
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br />   His chuckle turned to a snarl and suddenly he lurched forwards, but Diamond had been waiting, the dagger burning a hole in her hand. With all her strength she thrust it up through his deformed ribs and pierced his heart at the same time as the warrior sliced its throat.

  “For my father!” she hissed into its lupine ear as blood spurted hotly over her face and hand, and his weight sagged onto her arm. The warrior jerked her backwards, letting the lifeless body sag to the ground. He spun her around by her arm giving her a hard stare.

  “It could have killed you,” he stated sharply.

  Diamond glared back as defiantly as possible, trying to ignore the large scar that stretched from the corner of the warrior’s mouth, up across his cheek to the corner of his eye, into his hairline. It curled the side of his mouth into a parody of a smile, giving him a vicious appearance as it cut through the heavy growth of black beard. Wanting to run in the opposite direction was childish, he had defended her after all.

  “But it didn’t,” she countered, wishing her voice sounded less afraid.

  Silence hung between them before he said in a deep voice, “We should go.”

  Diamond held the sticky dagger out to him.

  “Keep it,” he said, staring down at her steadily as he stepped closer and curled her fingers back around the dagger hilt. Tilting her head back to look up at him, she blinked. Gods, he stood even taller than her father, at least another four inches. Diamond was only average height, and standing this close to him made her feel more insignificant and out of place than ever. Stunning dark blue eyes regarded her impatiently. She studied the rest of his face, or rather, what she could see under the thick growth of black beard.

  His skin looked a deep golden brown. It was not the pale skin of most Avalonian fae. Covered in blood and beard, she found it impossible to guess his age. Even the blue iridescent hues in his black hair were like nothing Diamond had encountered before. Five small braids ran across his scalp from his wide strong brow to the nape of his neck where they were fixed tightly with a beaded leather string and hung down to just below his shoulders. His nose was straight, if slightly too large. Diamond frowned. His eyelashes were strangely pure white, completely at odds with….

  Dark eyebrows raised at her scrutiny. Immediately her face flushed, heat rushing into her cheeks. She dropped her eyes, thankful he chose to turn his attention to Amsal Edo. No longer fuelled by fear and a need to survive, Diamond’s body trembled with exhaustion and shock. Arades Gillon had been her rock, the one person who had grounded her and given her the ability to deal with the taunts and hate that often came her way. The world seemed suddenly vast and empty. Like long-lost kin being welcomed home, she allowed panic to bloom through her brain; all the tricks, all the well-practised ways her father had taught her to hold it back crumbled in the face of such grief. Her knees threatened to give way at the same time her body began to shiver violently.

  Diamond was only vaguely aware of the warrior speaking in clipped and efficient tones. Rubbing her arms Diamond tried to take control of herself.

  Focus on something else, she told herself as she forced her breathing to calm. The warrior was in her direct line of sight so she concentrated on him. It was obvious he was in command.

  Studying his clothes, she tried to work out where he and his men had materialised from. His three-quarter length, plain leather jerkin was lightly armoured, and an assortment of evil-looking blades were sheathed on baldrics that criss-crossed his broad chest. Large daggers nestled in scabbards at his waist and he held two Silverbore swords in his big hands. The blades were relatively sleek for a warrior as large as him. They were far heavier than any Diamond could ever hope to lift.

  Diamond glanced around at the other fae warriors. All fae were tall and broad in shoulder, and these were no different; however, they did not have the look of Avalonia. Their skin was more olive, their hair the darker brown she had come to associate with the refugee fae from Rhodainia…and her father. All of these warriors wore similar garb, although none had so many weapons and were not as tall or broad as their commander.

  Emblazoned across their leather chest plates was the outline of a gold dragon. Warriors of Prince Oden. What in the lost gods and goddesses are such a band of warriors doing so far north? Are they hunting me too? With shaking fingers she touched the place between her breasts where her necklace lay. What is so important about it—or me—that the Wraith Lord hunts us down? But no, she would consider these questions later. Diamond glanced back at the fae warrior.

  A serpent curled across the broad expanse of his chest. Her throat constricted. A Queen’s elite guard, sworn to protect and serve the immortal monarch of Avalonia. Diamond’s heart sped up. The nameless fae Queen, Diamond's queen, had brutally defended her lands, and ruled her people ruthlessly for over one thousand years.

  Diamond knew the hate and fear she had suffered as a child was because the Queen abhorred half-bloods. Diamond tensed, she had been right to fear this warrior. He was one of the most highly skilled warriors on this continent and would view her of little import when he realised what she was.

  The other warriors cleaned their weapons in a cursory fashion and extended their golden wings, ready to fly.

  It was hard not to stare at the guard’s blue wings. They were truly stunning. Far more beautiful than anything she had ever imagined. And astonishingly, he had managed to survive to adulthood in a kingdom owned by a ruler intolerant to any other than gold-winged fae.

  Without exception, all the warrior’s wings were covered in a unique swirling pattern that shimmered. Thick beards covered their faces too. They must have been out in this forest for weeks, months even, if they had come from as far away as Valentia, Avalonia's capital city.

  Diamond looked at the ground and took a shaky breath. The school house loomed at the edge of her vision, a nightmarish shadow. Grief tore at her heart as she took a step toward it.

  “Don’t!” uttered Amsal, his hand shooting out to grip her arm. Blood covered his fingers. “Don’t let your last memory of him be what’s left in that school house.”

  “But we can’t just leave him!” Diamond choked out, unable to hold back her sobs.

  “Yes, we can. We must. Diamond, we have to leave. There are still…more of these beasts. And it seems they are searching for you,” he gasped, his skin sweaty and pale. It was then she noticed the blood saturating his shirt sleeve and dripping to the ground.

  The warrior stepped up to Amsal Edo. “Who are you?” he asked coldly, his hands grasping his gory swords. “You have a warrior’s wings and fight with experience and skill.”

  Amsal looked down sideways at Diamond and kept a tight hold on her arm. “My name is Amsal Edo, and I am—or was—Primary General in the Combined Army of Rhodainia.”

  Diamond gasped. General? In the Combined Army? The Combined Army was the biggest army in the known kingdoms! It had been formed thousands of years ago when Lunaria had imprisoned Ragor in the Barren Waste Lands. An ancient pledge signed with blood and magic had decreed all rulers, whether human or fae, were required to conscript soldiers to bolster the army. Only over the past few years, since King Oden had disappeared and his generals had been killed in battle, had many conscripts deserted. Rumour was rife among the refugees that many soldiers had returned to their own lands because they had no faith in their young prince. It had always been the Combined Army that had kept Ragor’s creatures from escaping the borders of the Barren Waste Lands, and it was the Combined Army that had failed….

  Diamond’s eyes widened as Amsal Edo continued.

  “I answer only to King Oden of Stormguaard, and since he is dead that now makes the deposed prince my monarch and these warrior’s mine to command.” General Edo’s voice was hard and strong. He straightened his body and looked directly at the warrior. “I am going to take Diamond south east to Valentia. She will be safe on the island city. We both know Ragor cannot get through the shield that protects it. You heard as well as I did that these creature
s are hunting her. Whatever the reason, they will not stop. The man who lies dead in that school house was General Arades Gillon, Diamond’s father. I promised him I would care for her and get her to safety if anything happened to him….”

  A general? A warrior? My father?

  Just as the bottom of Diamond’s world dropped out, his explanation was interrupted by a high pitched panicked shout. She vaguely recognised the yelling voice.

  “Hey! Diamond! Diamond! Wait. It’s me!” shouted the tall, skinny young man as he raced up to her.

  “Tom?” exclaimed Diamond shakily.

  The general glared at Tom and swore under his breath.

  Tom skidded to a halt in front of Diamond, looking at her blood-stained face and clothes in horror. Panting, his eyes widened and he ogled General Edo and the other warriors.

  “Who are you?” the warrior asked, regarding Tom coldly.

  “I’m Diamond’s friend. Who are you?” Tom snapped back, paling under the ice in the warrior’s glare.

  Diamond feared for her friend and stepped between them. “Tom. It’s okay. They saved me.” She grasped his hand, fighting to keep her voice even. “Tom, Dad’s dead. One of these…monsters killed him.”

  Tom encircled her with his bony arms. “I’m so sorry, Diamond,” he whispered, “Mum is dead too…. One of those things went into our house and I heard her scream. I-I ran away,” he whispered, his voice breaking with self-disgust.

  Nearby, more feral roars filled the air. Diamond pulled away from Tom, her head snapping toward General Edo. The warrior sheathed his swords. “General Edo, sir, we need to go—now,” he said with authority.

  “So be it. I know of a cave three hours by wing from here. It is up a sheer cliff face and should be safe to rest in for tonight. Diamond, stand still for a moment,” the general instructed.