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

by Karen Tomlinson

  “If you roll those up and tie something around your waist, they will at least cover your skin. And if you don’t want to get an infection, you need to clean and dress your wounds, especially those nasty scratches on your neck. The goddess only knows what filth that creature had on his claws,” he advised, then lay down near her and propped his head on his pack.

  Diamond frowned, resolved to not think about where Cranach’s claws had been. She swept the water skin up in one jerky movement. Wincing and steadily ignoring Hugo, Diamond cleaned her wounds before carefully dabbing the disgusting smelling salve on her neck. Thankfully, it dulled the pain almost immediately. With the dagger Hugo had given her, she cut a strip of linen bandage to tie around her waist, then pulled on the ridiculously large leggings. After she had rolled the legs up and knotted the makeshift belt round her waist, they weren’t too bad a fit. She immediately felt warmer. Glancing at Hugo, she muttered an awkward, “Thank you for the leggings, commander.”

  “Hugo,” he replied. “My name is Hugo. Use it until we reach Valentia.” It was almost an order.

  Diamond considered refusing, but saw no point. Instead she nodded.

  After applying the salve to her remaining grazes, she felt an odd, almost comforting warmth wash over her skin and a mildly uncomfortable tugging in her chest. An inexplicable urge to lay down next to Hugo overtook her. Besides, it would look rude to find somewhere else to rest, and she was too weary to seek out Tom or General Edo.

  In a fluid movement, Hugo leaned up and passed her his pack. “Here, rest your head on this,” he instructed.

  Flustered and surprised, she took it. It was a strange gesture given the reputation of the Queen’s guards for being callous and cold-hearted. Through narrowed eyes he continued to watch her as she settled herself on the hard floor.

  “Go to sleep, Diamond. I’ll keep you safe,” he told her.

  Exhausted, she closed her eyes. Hugo watched her unwaveringly, a frown creasing his scarred brow when she opened her eyes a few minutes later to check if he was still there.

  The Queen’s guard did not relax or sleep until the girl’s breathing had settled and her strange mix of human and fae features relaxed in true sleep.

  Chapter 7

  Hugo shook Diamond awake at dawn. Around the cave the warriors were sitting around talking quietly. The boar had been picked clean of meat and its carcass had been deposited at one side of the cave. Hugo placed a large leaf with some scraps of meat on it beside her. She eyed it with distaste. It looked mostly like congealed fat and sinew.

  “Eat,” commanded Hugo gruffly, then wandered over to sit near General Edo.

  Not hungry in the least, Diamond picked up her food and made her way to the yawning cave mouth where her friend sat staring out at the endless forest. Beautiful golden pink hues stained the sky. Tom shuffled to one side as she sat down.

  “Hey,” he greeted her.

  “Hi,” Diamond responded, leaning her head on his bony shoulder. “Did you sleep?” she asked quietly, not really sure what to say to her best friend.

  “No. Not really.” He paused and took a breath before continuing, “I kept thinking about what might have happened if I hadn’t run away like a coward. M-my mum…she might still be alive if I had been braver. I should have gone in and at least tried to help her, but I didn’t. She’s dead because of me—” his voice broke.

  Diamond balked. It was so unfair to let him think that. “No, Tom, that’s not true. If you had gone in, likely you would be dead too.” Tentatively she grasped his hand, then lowered her voice. “Tom, those things, they were after me. Your mother, my father—all those other people—they died because of me, no one else. None of it was your fault. Please. Please stop thinking that.”

  Tom frowned in disbelief and pulled away from her. “You? But why would they want you?”

  Diamond clutched her necklace and shrugged, “I don’t know. That creature wouldn’t tell me why, only that he had been sent to kill me. So you see, you should not feel guilty. It is only me who carries the burden of all those deaths.”

  Tom made a non-committal noise and put his arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, well, even if those things were after you, you can’t blame yourself for what happened to the town. You didn’t ask them to come, and you couldn’t have stopped them, so…” he assured her with a shrug.

  Diamond hugged her friend.

  “What are we going to do now?” she whispered, although the question was rhetorical.

  His bony chest rose and fell in a deep sigh. “I don’t know, but we’ll find our way. We are not children anymore. Out there is a world far bigger than anything we are used to, and we are going to have to learn to survive in it.”

  He fell silent, his gaze distant. Diamond knew this mood in her friend. He did not want to talk about it anymore. Neither did she. Silently, side by side, the two childhood friends watched the sun rise. The stars faded from view but Tu Lanah continued to glitter like a huge watchful eye. Diamond knew the ice moon would get larger and lower over the coming months, until at winter solstice it would kiss the earth while the winter storms raged.

  Neither of them noticed the warrior approaching with a slight smile on his full lips. “Hey,” said Zane, kicking at Tom’s leg with the toe of his boot.

  Tom glanced up, frowning at the hazel-eyed fae. “What?” he replied.

  “You told me last night you wanted to learn to fight. So come on then, get off your skinny arse and learn.” Tom scowled at the fae warrior. “Unless you’re too much of a cowardly little bastard to try,” Zane taunted. Tom was on his feet in an instant. Zane chuckled. “That’s the spirit,” he laughed. “Don’t let your grief grind you down, boy, or it’ll kill you out here in this forest.”

  “I’m not a boy,” snapped Tom, a flush to his cheeks.

  Diamond suppressed a smile at Tom’s instant reaction.

  Zane’s wiggled his eyebrows and looked Tom over, then winked, which inflamed Tom further. “Oh, I can see that. But you need a bit more muscle on that skinny frame to be of much use.”

  Tom huffed and grabbed the sword Zane held out. “See you in a bit,” he mumbled to Diamond and followed a smiling Zane.

  Hugo tracked the progress of the new tutor and pupil alliance to the far depths of the cave, then he leaned back against the cave wall and continued his conversation with General Edo. His voice resonated through the cave as he recounted the war that had resulted in the young prince losing his city and his kingdom to the Wraith Lord.

  Diamond listened intently, hoping to learn something new.

  A roaring in her ears wiped away Hugo’s voice. Her vision fogged and Diamond suddenly found herself in a black and silent void. She stared in confusion at the emaciated woman who stood before her. Her face would have been remarkably beautiful if she wasn’t so painfully thin. Long, greasy tresses of silver hair hung to the woman’s waist, covering her long white robe that was yellowed with age and filth. Blue, despairing eyes met Diamond’s. But it was the screams piercing the air that filled Diamond’s head, and a sense of unending hopelessness that truly terrified her. Wraiths, figures of mist and darkness, writhed around the woman. They reached out their shadowy limbs, trying to fight their way through the quivering haze of light that trembled around her. Diamond gasped, trying not to clutch her hands over her ears.

  Instinctively she knew the light was the woman’s energy, her magic and her life force, and it was flickering like a candle about to be extinguished.

  “It is time,” whispered the woman, reaching out a bony hand and touching Diamond’s necklace, then her heart. Warmth bloomed in Diamond’s chest.

  “The prince needs you, and soon every living soul in this world will need you,” the woman rasped urgently. “Go now. South. A guardian is free. “

  Diamond screamed as the woman faded, replaced by burning red eyes and a huge maw lined with black teeth. Dragon fire engulfed her, heat searing her skin, melting it from her bones. It sucked the oxygen from her lungs. She c
ouldn’t breathe! She was burning! A piercing wail of terror escaped her lips.

  Abruptly she was knocked sideways and big hands rolled her swiftly on the stone floor as the vision left her.

  “Wake up!” bellowed a harsh voice, a stinging blow landing on her cheek before hard fingers clutched her shoulders and shook her. Gasping for air, she hit out at the flames still licking her skin.

  “Diamond! Stop, wake up!” Another slap rattled her brain and her eyes flew open, immediately latching onto Hugo’s. Sapphire sparking with silver flame held her completely in thrall. Then he blinked and that tether broke. Smoke curled through the air above Hugo’s head. Amazingly there was no pain—she was not burnt, and neither was he. But it had felt so real. She collapsed into his grip like a rag doll.

  “What the hell happened?!” he barked, pulling her off him. “The air around you just burst into flame.”

  The muscles in Hugo’s jaw tightened as he looked her over. General Edo stood just on the periphery of her vision, watching them intently. A pale-looking Tom stood immobile next to him. A puzzled expression flitted over the general’s brow as he regarded Hugo before his narrowed eyes rested on her again.

  “We need to go south,” she blurted out urgently, ignoring Hugo’s question, not because she didn’t want to answer, but because she couldn’t explain what had just happened. “The prince is in danger,” she said with a trembling voice. Hugo eyed her as though she were mad. “Please. We have to go. Now!” she implored, trying to control the shaking and utter panic that threatened to turn her into a useless mess.

  “Why? What just happened? Are you a witch or some sort of magic wielder?” he barked suspiciously. “Is that why the Wraith Lord wants you?” he growled. “My oath requires me to take all magic wielders to the palace or kill them.”

  “I don’t know what just happened!” she cried in truth, trying to ignore his last words. A violent shudder racked her body. Diamond closed her eyes briefly against her fear and confusion. A dragon. A guardian—oh gods!

  “Please. We have to go!” she cried her voice high pitched as she grabbed at Hugo’s calloused, leathery hands. She had to get him to understand! They had to go south. “Please….” she whispered imploringly, unaware of the strange brightness in her violet eyes. “I am not a witch or magic wielder,” she sobbed. “I’m not. I’m not!” she almost wailed.

  “Fine,” he growled, his face cold as he stood and began barking orders out to the already waiting warriors.

  Trembling, Diamond felt around her face and hair.

  “It’s okay. I don’t know what just happened, but somehow you are not burned,” General Edo told her, inclining his head toward Hugo. “He saw the flames and moved faster than anything I’ve ever seen before to get to you. Damned weird thing happened when he reached into them to grab you, they went out immediately, as if he sucked them inside himself.”

  In her confusion Diamond missed the narrow-eyed, assessing look General Edo cast at Hugo as the guard strode back to Diamond.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Hugo said pulling her to her feet and holding out his arms.

  General Edo bristled. “She will come with me,” he said squaring up to the younger man.

  Diamond honestly didn’t care who she went with but Tom snorted, “No offence, but I’m not being carried by any of them again today,” he said, huffing at Zane.

  Zane grinned like a wolf and drawled, “Aw, do I make you nervous?” A couple of the other warriors smirked at Tom’s reddening face. “Don’t worry. I like my men with more muscle.”

  Hugo growled, “Quiet, Zane. Now is not the time.”

  Zane bowed his head slightly, but Diamond did not miss the way his eyes flicked to Tom. Fae males were not singular in their sexuality.

  Does he like Tom? she wondered.

  Tom, however, deliberately ignored the warrior he had been sparring with only moments before. “If I have to hitch a ride, I’ll go with you, general,” he grumbled. “At least I know you.”

  General Edo snarled at the boy and eyed Hugo coldly. But Hugo held his gaze, dominance pouring off him. They did not have time for this. Diamond swallowed hard and stepped into Hugo’s body. An invitation.

  The general eyed her glacially, as if she had committed an offense. “Look after her,” he warned Hugo, resting his hand meaningfully on his sword. “She is no threat to your Queen.”

  Hugo raised his eyebrows a fraction. “I will make that decision,” he replied, sending Diamond’s blood cold. “But for now, I give you my word I will keep her safe.”

  Diamond let Hugo lift her, one arm under her legs and another around her shoulders. Carrying her effortlessly to the lip of the cave entrance, he extended his wings and stepped into thin air. She squeezed her eyes shut, convinced they were about to fall to the forest below. Her stomach dropped and cold wind ruffled her hair. Steeling her nerve, she peered down, wishing she hadn’t when all the blood rushed from her head. The ground was a sickeningly long way down.

  “Trust me. I won’t let you fall,” he said.

  Trust him? Is he mad? Of course she didn’t trust him, not after that last comment. But she didn’t know what other choice there was. Twisting slightly, she gripped tightly onto his shoulders, not caring if he thought her gutless. At least if he decided to drop her she would not immediately fall.

  His eyes flicked over her body. “Did you get burned anywhere?” he asked stiffly.

  “No.” she answered, although she had no idea why not if the flames were real enough to create smoke. Her stomach tightened at the prospect of finding a dragon in this forest. Goddess above. A dragon! One of the legendary guardians to Eternity, the land of the gods. Red eyes flashed in her mind.

  The vision, if that’s what it was, had drained her. Her head felt too heavy for her shoulders. Diamond rested her cheek against Hugo’s chest, turning her face into his tough jacket and away from the cold wind. It must have made him uncomfortable because a few seconds later he hitched her up and re-adjusted his embrace, tightening his grasp on her.

  Onwards they flew, an impressive band of airborne warriors, their golden wings glinting in the sunlight. Hugo led them over the endless forest canopy, his own wings dark against the ashen sky, letting himself be guided by Diamond’s instincts.

  The weather shifted, becoming grey and stormy, whipping the trees into a frenzy. It became harder for the warriors to fly; much to Tom’s chagrin, General Edo had to pass him on to another fae. She did not know whether to worry for her friend or not, as Zane shouldered a surprised Karl out of the way and hovered in front of the general with a comical mix of tight-lipped contrition and quiet pleading. Tom looked desperately at Karl, but the other warrior just shrugged helplessly at Zane’s behaviour.

  “It seems he likes you, so it’s either him or you walk,” Karl grinned. “I’m not going to fight that grumpy bastard for you.”

  Tom swore viciously but allowed Zane to take his weight. Diamond found it hard not to smile at the incongruous sight of her friend being carried like a child by an overbearing, heavily muscled fae warrior. Tom might be terribly skinny but he was still six feet tall and would weigh a considerable amount. Something told Diamond Zane would not struggle. Even if he did, he would not pass Tom to another.

  Hugo showed no trace of fatigue or wanting to pass her to one of the others. Tilting her head back enabled her to study his face properly. It was then she noticed his eyelashes weren’t white. They glinted as he blinked. They were silver, like the sparks in his eyes. This close the ridged, scar stood out stark and proud against his dark golden skin. Wanting to trace a finger along it, she wondered if it hurt him. As if he felt the weight of her scrutiny, he slowly and deliberately met her gaze and held it. Heat warmed her cheeks and she looked down.

  They left the dense northern forest, flying south east. Hugo refused to rest, taking heed of Diamond’s increasing anxiety for a prince she had never met. None of the warriors complained, all of them beating their wings hard to keep up with him. T
he forest below looked like a winter storm had ripped it to pieces. After a time the sulphuric smell of rotten eggs began to infuse the air, overpowering her senses. Covering her nose with her hand didn’t stop the gags rippling up her throat.

  A circle of flattened and scorched trees appeared in the devastation. Ash floated in the air and covered the flattened ground in a smoking grey blanket. Diamond had never seen anything like it. Hugo and the general hovered, surveying the unnatural sight before them. Zane held back, glancing down at Tom, who folded his arms over his chest as he steadfastly ignored the big warrior. The others, their faces betraying their uncertainty, remained in formation behind General Edo. At the centre of the wreckage a vortex of black mist twisted and raged from the ground into the black clouds above. A strange feeling bloomed inside her, as if something inside that mist called to her.

  Movement fluttered at the edge of Diamond’s vision, distracting her. “There!” she shouted, pointing down to the ground on their right. Tapping Hugo’s shoulder quickly to get his attention, she leaned in towards his ear. “I saw something move. I know I did.”

  “I need to put you down.” Tension rippled through Hugo’s body as he spoke. There was a fallen, charred tree trunk almost hidden by ash below their feet. She pointed to it trying to keep her hand steady. Her heart thumped against her ribs at the thought of him leaving her alone, but even though he had not said it, Diamond got the feeling Prince Jack Oden was also his friend.

  “There,” she said, keeping her voice strong. He nodded. When her feet hit the ground it took her a moment to recover her balance.

  “Stay hidden and don’t move from here,” he instructed brusquely then shot up into the turbulent sky.

  Diamond crouched down, hiding behind the fallen tree, one hand clutched tightly over her mouth and nose. The smell of sulphur was overwhelming. Saliva rushed her mouth. Heaving, she spat it out.

  A low, pulsing rumble spread through the earth, shaking the ground and making her insides quake until a sudden ear-splitting roar deafened her. She instinctively dropped to the ground and screwed herself up into a ball, clutching her hands protectively over her ears. Mercifully, the roar was short lived. Coarse, warm ash slipped between Diamond’s fingers as she pushed herself up and peered over the top of the tree trunk. Swirling mist, blacker than any shadow she had ever seen, was sucked up inside the lungs of a huge creature. Standing taller than any tree, its massive, scaly tail swished dangerously close to Diamond’s hiding place.