“Safe?” Diamond snorted. “I doubt that you can promise to keep me safe from an immortal like her.”
Warmth pulsed insistently in her belly, something familiar tugging at her chest.
“Fine. I’ll make this quick, but you have a choice to make. This world needs you to live. Darkness will take us all if you die. There will be no more children, no more love or light, no more sun or moon—even the stars will fall from the heavens as Eternity itself is destroyed. Nothing but an endless void will remain. You can stop all of that. Diamond, your mother was someone very special….” He paused and took a breath, dipping his strange distorted head in what looked like reverence.
Behind Diamond something splintered and exploded. The tug on her chest ripped an answering wave of magic from her core. Rage, worry, fear. Hugo’s raging emotions slammed into her, leaving no room for any other thoughts. Wood flew past her head in bits, some landing on her, some hitting the distorted man. Ayk and Dan only had time to grunt in shock before they fell, their hot blood hitting the back of Diamond’s head in a gut-churning splatter. Diamond looked on in horror as Ayk’s eyes glazed over and Dan’s body landed in a twisted heap beside her.
The distorted lord was up and out of the door before Diamond could even blink.
Hugo ploughed through the debris, kicking bits from his path.
“No!” Diamond yelled at the disappearing figure, she needed to know about her mother! “Come back!” she screeched, twisting and fighting against her bonds until her wrists were dripping blood.
The window warrior spun swiftly in front of the door, facing Hugo with his sword drawn. Clearly he wanted to give his lord time to escape, even if that meant his own death. Before the door banged shut downstairs, Hugo stormed forward. The warrior flicked his wrist. Diamond gasped. Red magic. No Avalonian had red magic anymore. It ripple across the room like a wave of shimmering heat. Hugo roared, but not in pain.
Leaning into the onslaught of power he grinned with fiendish delight, darkness rippling around him. A shroud of silver-flamed shadow devoured the red wave, even as his powerful body charged forwards.
The warrior swore, desperately raising his sword in defence. Clearly he had expected a different reaction to his magical attack. Hugo’s wrathful bellow filled the room as he drove his sword down. Metal jarred and sparked.
“You took her from me! I can smell her blood. Now you will die!” he promised, his voice nothing like his own. It was more animalistic than Diamond had ever heard.
The warrior blocked Hugo’s blade with skill and precision. Red magic meant the ability to control heat and fire. Hugo’s blade began to glow as the other fae heated it like it had come out of a furnace. Hugo grunted but did not let go. The white-hot metal did not burn him through the glove of darkness rippling around his hand.
“Stop this, commander! We are not your enemy,” the warrior panted, blocking and spinning away from Hugo’s blades with utter confidence and no small amount of skill.
Hugo did not answer, his only response was to blast the red magic away with a veil of darkness, parrying a strike and bringing his other blade down with such force the window warrior stumbled, almost driven to his knees. Hugo blocked the warrior’s sweeping sword strike and stabbed him through the shoulder, before mercilessly slashing across the male’s thigh. A move meant to incapacitate. The warrior dropped to one knee but somehow still managed to block Hugo’s killing blow.
“Commander! Stop! She will be safer with us. If you take her back to the palace, the Queen will kill her! You know she will! We need Diamond to live! All of us do!” he panted, desperation in his voice now.
Diamond gasped as she saw the warrior’s hand drop to his boot and grasp the handle of a small concealed knife.
“Hugo!” she yelled, fighting her bonds with all her might. Pain screeched through Diamond’s wrists as the silk tightened. She screamed. It was going to cut off her hands!
Instead of killing the warrior, Hugo kicked his assailant in the chest sending him sprawling. There was a solid thud as the warrior’s head smacked into the wall and he stilled. Hugo immediately twisted to Diamond, dropping to his knees in front of her. Blood ran from her wounds, dripping down the chair arms.
“Keep still,” he ordered, pulling a dagger and slicing through the silken rope.
Sobbing with relief, she sagged against him before the pain started in earnest. Her fingers burned as blood rushed back in. Diamond whimpered, not sure what to do with herself.
Thoughts of the window warrior escaped them both. Hugo quickly slashed strips of material off his tunic. Dropping his blades he firmly bound her wrists, trying to staunch the heavy flow of blood. For a moment he leaned his forehead against hers and gripped each wrist as she fought to control her panicked sobs.
“Shh. It’s alright. You’ll be fine now. Breathe, Diamond. In…out…with me. That’s it.”
Slowly her mind returned to her. With her head leaning against Hugo’s, they shared the same warm breath. She closed her eyes, her body responding to his. Her breathing slowed until it mirrored his own and she could swear she heard the distant beat of his heart.
The scuff of boots on the wooden floor had Hugo on his feet in front of her, blades ready. Diamond looked on as he faced the bleeding warrior, his face icy and calm.
“We are not your enemy,” the warrior panted. Equally calm and with slow intent he sheathed his own blades.
“Kill me if you must. But you know if you take her back to the palace, the Queen will destroy her. Let her come with me, commander. Please. I give you my word I will keep her safe,” the warrior appealed, holding his bloodied hands out to Diamond.
Hugo looked down at her, his brow bunched. Diamond shook her head frantically and grabbed at his tunic. He couldn’t be considering it.
“No,” he bit out at last.
“So be it. But you know what will happen now, and from what I’ve just seen pass between you, you are going to wish you had listened to me. You will both need our help one day soon; I just hope we can get to you soon enough. Until then….” he said and bowed low, his fist upon his chest.
Even Hugo looked stunned by that universal mark of respect. Bleeding and bruised the warrior turned and fled.
Chapter 41
As if the goddess herself whispered in his ear, Hugo was certain that he must let the warrior go. Maybe they would meet again. Regardless, what sickened him most was that the male was right. Hugo would regret this selfish act, just as he regretted his decision to bring her to the palace.
Diamond stared up at him with wide, shocked eyes. He wanted to reassure her, to pull her into his body for protection and take her away from this mess.
“They know who my mother is—was,” she whispered, her gaze flitting between her bleeding wrists and the fallen men on either side of her chair.
Hugo felt his heart go out to her. A life in the northern forest could never prepare anyone for all this pain and death. He dropped to his haunches and grasped her chin, pulling her face towards him so he could look at her.
“Diamond, look at me, not them. We need to get out of here,” he said softly.
Her beautiful eyes focused on his face. “How? How did you find me?” she whispered, lifting her hand and laying it against his scar.
Hugo swallowed, he couldn’t remember any women ever voluntarily touching his scar—or him—with such tenderness.
“I told you, I can feel your magic. I will always know where you are,” he murmured, wishing he could share how true that was as he gently cupped a bloodied hand against her soft cheek. “And I wish I could promise to always keep you safe—but I can’t.” For a moment he couldn’t move as she turned her face into his palm and kissed it.
He should have let the warrior take her; he didn’t know what he was going to do now. His actions had been utterly selfish, his only thought to wrench her back to him. But now…. His mind raced with possibilities. Maybe they could catch that warrior. No. He sighed. It was hopeless. He had hesitate
d, and now it was too late. Hugo hung his head. He was too recognisable, but alone—just maybe she could make it to a trade ship and get out.
“You should run,” he said quietly, knowing he would gladly return to his Queen empty-handed and suffer his punishment if it meant Diamond stood a chance.
Diamond straightened. “No. You need to take me back,” she replied, her voice steady and determined.
“Diamond, I can’t. That warrior was right. The Queen will destroy you. She will bleed your magic dry and then kill you.” He swallowed his self-disgust and inadequacy. “You cannot go back—I will not be able to keep you safe.”
“Yes, you will,” Diamond whispered into his palm. A bitter taste washed through his mouth at the conviction in her words. “And if I don’t go back she will punish you—I don’t know much about torture, but I can guess she gave you this scar.” She leaned in and, just like she had done once before, brushed her warm lips against it. “It’s in your eyes and your magic every time I touch it.”
“What is?” he asked, trying not to pull away from her ridiculous belief he was her saviour, or the feel of her lips against his scar. This was all wrong, she should be repulsed by it, by him, just like he was every time he saw his reflection.
“Fear,” she whispered.
He balked and immediately scowled. “I am not scared of anything, not her—and certainly not you,” he snarled, immediately defensive that she should think him weak in any way.
A small, understanding smile curled her lips, “Of course you’re not, but I don’t want her to give you anymore scars or pain because of me,” she said.
His defensive walls crumbled immediately. It was strange to know another person was anxious for him. He huffed a wry laugh as he pulled her out of the chair, tensing his muscles when her legs wobbled.
“She will cause me far more pain by hurting you—so we are not going back. There is one place I can take you. One person who might help us.”
The tunnel he had used would be their best means of escape. Now Diamond was safe and by his side, the beast inside him had settled along with his magic, and his sight was back to normal. Hugo could blend in with the shadows, become invisible and see well enough to negotiate the pitch black, but Diamond could not. And if her kidnappers had used these tunnels to get here, so might others. Besides, he would likely get lost in the old catacombs without Diamond’s scent to guide him. No, Hugo would explore them another time.
Diamond looked with disgust at the fallen soldiers, and he waited stiffly for her condemnation. He felt no regret. Diamond was his Nexus and they had tried to take her from him. Their deaths were their own fault…or their lord’s. He needn’t have worried; Diamond said nothing, keeping her eyes averted she stepped over them and peered inside the dark entrance.
“Where does that go?” she asked curiously.
“Honestly? I have no idea. I only know the tunnel I took to get here from the wall. There were entrances leading off everywhere and, without your scent to guide me, I think we would get hopelessly lost.”
She blushed and refused to look at him.
“Summer flowers,” he whispered in her ear, inhaling and stepping up close against her back. “That’s what you smell like,” he told her, letting his magic glide forward and caress the exposed skin of her neck. A shiver rippled through her body.
“We should go,” he said huskily, coughing to clear the tightness in his throat. Now was not the time, no matter how much he wanted to pull her against him. Instead he took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers and guided her towards the door.
Chapter 42
They emerged from a rundown little cottage onto a dirty street. The tang of sea salt and fish laced the air, but it was the acrid smoke blowing inland that choked them. A heavy blanket smothered the city.
“Holy shit!” cursed Hugo, gripping her hand tightly, “I didn’t realise those tunnels had brought me down this far. We’re miles from where we need to be.”
The small street acted like a funnel for the mass of people running for the docks. Decisively, Hugo dragged her along with the flow. Diamond gripped on tightly to Hugo’s hand, hating the proximity of such a mob. They turned the corner on to the docks. Carnage greeted them. People lined the huge quays to watch. Pushing and shoving each other for a better view of the ships beyond the shield, the burning ships. The magnificent hulls were reduced to floating pyres that sent black smoke billowing skyward.
A large high-walled harbour and dock buildings loomed to the left, its entrance protected by a solid wall of warrior fae. They were a truly awesome sight. Gold wings held them steady, hovering from ground level to high in the sky. No ordinary fae would get past, and certainly no humans would dare try. Behind the wall of warriors, two huge war galleons were berthed safely in the harbour. Above each fluttered the Queen’s sigil. The green serpents upon the rippling flags seemed almost alive as the breeze whipped them into a frenzy.
Despite the sight of those two magnificent vessels, Diamond smirked. It was impossible not to feel immense satisfaction at the sight of the Queen’s armada being reduced to ash out on the ocean. Then she saw the bobbing heads of the sailors trying to swim for their lives and any satisfaction she felt dissipated into horror. Screams echoed clearly over the water, heads disappearing by the dozen under the wild, white-crested waves. The sea teemed with bodies, some thrashing and swimming, some floating face down. Fishing boats of all sizes had rallied to pull people from the sea, some already brimming as they returned to the docks. A few brave fishermen even risked the wrath of the dragon to venture beyond the shield to mount a rescue.
It didn’t escape Diamond’s notice that there were many half-bloods among the rescued and the dead. It was easy to spot them. Although many had fae traits, they still looked slightly different to full blooded fae. Deep yellow wings that were scarred as if they had been burned, hung wet and limp down the backs of some, and many had pointed ears, handsome faces or tall strong bodies. Hugo noticed where her attention lay and yanked her sideways.
“C’mon. You can’t help them. And we have to get out of here,” he urged.
Diamond frowned and pulled him to a stop. Rescued sailors from other kingdoms collapsed on the dockside. The dark olive skin and black hair of Houria; the forked, beaded beards of Gar Anon; even the ebony skin of the Southern Hotlands were in evidence. Her stomach tightened in anger at the obvious marks of cruelty on their thin, cold bodies. Lash marks striped their backs and the red welts of manacles discoloured their wrists and ankles. Slaves.
Fae were not good in the water; the weight of their wings became heavy enough for some of them to drown. It seemed the people of Avalonia were happy to sacrifice the unwanted, the unworthy or the downright unfortunate to the rough seas in their Queen’s armada. How convenient for her to know that her bigoted people did not care enough about half-bloods or slaves to protest.
Well, they will now, snarled Diamond to herself. There were hardly any ships to protect their vast ocean doorway, and now these men and half-bloods could escape and cause havoc in this city. Diamond grinned and hoped some of them would.
A scuffle broke out nearby. A deep, heavily accented voice bellowed his rage as two city guards dragged a limp body from a fishing boat.
“No! She is my daughter!” A man with ebony skin shoved two guards away from the body on the ground and hoisted a young slim girl into arms rippling with hard muscle. He looked around frantically, for a moment his eyes met Diamond’s and she felt the oddest sensation, a tug on her soul as if this man were important to her…. Tarnished blue metal gleamed against the dark skin of his forehead. A blue sun inlaid in his skin like a tattoo. It was impossible not to stare at the flames reaching down his temples to touch his jaw line.
But Hugo did not have time to study the docks. Ignoring her protests, he dragged her against the surging crowd, leaving the sun-marked man behind. Diamond blinked to clear the smoke from her stinging eyes.
Together they fought to escape the tightly-p
acked and aggressive crowd. Hugo growled, shoving people roughly aside. The atmosphere was laced with violence. With every stumble of her feet Hugo righted her, making encouraging sounds. Never once did he let go, and she gripped him back with equal fervour.
“Through here,” he urged, just when Diamond wanted to give up and collapse to the ground. He pulled her past an upturned cart, weaving between its spilled load of empty baskets. A man lay on his belly next to the cart, his face beaten bloody. Diamond swallowed and did her best to ignore him. Blood and death were becoming far too familiar a sight.
Beyond the main street, Hugo tugged her into a small alley, then burst into a run. They sprinted from the noise of the docks, not stopping as they bolted across bigger streets or ran by groups of looters. The city passed by in a blur until Diamond’s lungs burned and the metallic taste of blood lined her mouth.
Hugo pulled her to a sudden halt. Barely panting, he cocked his head to one side. The distant chime of a temple bell echoed. Four chimes. Hugo frowned and looked up at the strip of sky between the closely built buildings. A whooshing sound approached, becoming louder. Hugo pushed her against a building, flattening his recognisable wings against the wall. Warriors and city guard flew over in heavy formation, heading for the rioting city folk and the docks.
“She will know we are missing by now,” Hugo said, looking down at her. Diamond didn’t miss the anxiety in his eyes and felt her heart miss a beat. Hugo never looked anxious. “We need to get to the other side of the island,” he told her, yanking her farther into a shadowed doorway as another group of city guard flew low over the roof tops, scanning the ground below.
“I know you’re tired, but you have to run—as fast as you can, until it’s safe to fly.” Grabbing her hand, he launched into another sprint.
It was all Diamond could do to keep up with him. With heaving breaths she forced herself to move. Speech was impossible. Another street. Another. Once again Hugo spun smoothly, changed direction and grabbed her around her waist. Diamond found herself in the shadows covered by his body. A split second later inky darkness swirled, concealing them. It was hard to ignore the way her chest heaved against his even as city guards and warriors shot overhead.
The Goddess and The Guardians Boxset: The Complete Romantic Fantasy Quartet Page 26