“I guess it’ll have to,” she replied. “You won’t back down, and it’s the only way the people won’t see you.”
“Very weel.” He started to walk away. “Come alaing, then.”
She grabbed him again. “Wait a second. You’re gonna run up there as a wolf, aren’t you?”
“What other way is there?”
She shifted from one foot to the other. She glanced around, but those inscrutable wolves surrounded her on all sides. “Do you have to?”
“Ha’e tae what? Run alaing as a wolf?”
“Can’t you just walk?” she asked. “I mean, it’s kinda spooky around here with no people around. Can’t you just walk with me and… you know, talk to me. Tell me what you know about Sadie. It seems like ages since I’ve seen her. I guess for her it has been ages.”
“Sadie!” he cried. “Sadie’s the greatest woman that e’er lived. She married a man worthy o’ her, too. I can tell ye that.”
“Do you know Callum, too?”
“Och, aye!” he exclaimed. “I ken him. He’s a champion among men.”
“I guess any dragon would be.”
Christie shook his head. “I ha’e kenned many and many a mon in me short life. It’s a rare mon when ye meet the likes o’ Callum Cameron. Both o’ ’em saved me life—first the lassie and then him. I could ne’er forget ’em.”
Grace stared into his face. “Wow. That’s saying something.”
“Ye ask any mon o’ the Clan McLean. Ye ask Lachlan. He’ll tell ye the same thing. They’re all like that.”
“Who?”
“The Camerons—the Urlus, at least. E’ery one o’ ’em’s a jewel among men. ’Course I han’t met Angus. He’s the ainly one o’ the bunch I han’t met, but the other four—the one’s a greater prize than the other. Fergus, Callum—they’re each o’ ’em a gem. They ha’e risked all tae help us, and now ’ere’s Jamie doin’ it all again.”
Grace’s eyes burned from not blinking, she stared at him so long. She wasn’t the only one who sensed it. These men lived on another plane of existence. Their bravery, their honor, their true power radiated out from them to everyone around them. They were priceless jewels.
The older four found the women they wanted. Now only Jamie remained unattached, and he wanted her. Grace’s cheeks burned. How could she take her place in that phalanx of heroes? How could she deserve a man like Jamie? She was nothing but an education administrator. She was a desk jockey, while he was Urlu. He belonged to one of the most powerful families in this realm.
Even so, he wanted her. That must say something about her. He couldn’t want her just because his brothers married the other four women. She couldn’t believe that of him. He wouldn’t stoop so low. A man like that would never marry any woman, or even express interest in her for that matter, unless his heart seriously compelled him to do so. She understood him well enough to know that.
Christie nodded over his shoulder. “Come alaing, and we’ll head up the brae. We’ll find him, and I can gi’e him me message.”
“All right.”
The other wolves broke their circle and ran off. They ran around the ford for a while until they all congregated in one spot.
“They ha’e found his track. Follow us.”
Christie dropped on his hands and knees and changed back into the dark wolf she first noticed. Grace’s heart spasmed. He would run off and leave her to hike up the mountain on her own. He didn’t run off, though. He trotted at her heel like a dog. He never left her side.
The other wolves ran far and wide. They slipped out of sight and circled back. They ran down to the village following their noses. Grace wandered behind them. She wished Christie would shift back so she would have someone to talk to, but at least she wasn’t alone.
She paused on the hill above the hollow and watched the wolves trace their way through the destroyed houses. Christie streaked ahead and joined them. They hunted through every wreck until Christie returned. He changed back.
“He was ’ere, but he didnae stay laing.”
“What was he doing?” Grace asked.
“Pickin’ up a few weapons, by the looks o’ it.”
“What did he need weapons for?”
Christie shrugged. “It ne’er hurts tae be prepared. Come alaing.”
He turned away, but he didn’t shift back. He and Grace followed the other wolves up the valley into the mountains. The hike took a lot longer than Grace expected.
“Who are they?” she asked him. “Are they your other brothers?”
“One o’ ’em is. The others are me cousins and a few others. That big fella wi’ the grey stripe down his side is me brother Arch.”
“I’m really sorry about Carson,” she told him. “He fought hard. He gave his all to protect the village from the giants.”
“It’s lucky we’re no all dead by now,” he replied. “If we make it through this, we’ll all be happy.”
“You must have seen a lot of heavy fighting to make you see it that way.”
“Aye,” he replied. “It got heavy afore now, and it’s ainly just begun. I almost lost me life more than once awready. Sadie saved me. I told ye that.”
“You said Callum saved your life, too.”
“Aye. We all would ha’e been dead if the Camerons hadnae helped us.”
“Is that why you’re here now? To repay the debt?”
“No really,” he replied. “Lachlan, he was happy tae fight the giants on Mull. It was ainly when they left it and headed up the loch he decided tae follow ’em. This is our curse. He didnae want tae see another Clan fall fer summat as concerned us alone.”
“If the giants are here,” she remarked, “then maybe it doesn’t concern you alone. It must have something to do with the Camerons, too.”
“I dinnae ken what that might be,” he replied. “The Camerons lifted their own curse. ’Azel lifted it. She couldnae e’en use her magic tae help us fight the vampires, let alone break the curse fer us. This one’s all ours.”
Grace watched him from the side. “I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about, but Jamie thinks one of the women you’re looking for might be here. He thinks she can lift the curse for you.”
His eyes widened. “Is that what he thinks?”
“That’s what he’s doing now. He went up the mountain to talk to some wizard about where he might be able to find her.”
He shook his head and looked away.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s me message. I’m tae tell him…” Christie broke off. “I’m tae tell him and none other, or else I’d tell ye, too. We mun’ find him. That’s all.”
They lapsed into silence.
“She’s here,” Grace murmured.
“Eh? What makes ye say that?”
“She disappeared from my world. I went to try and find her, and she disappeared. She must be here. I feel it.”
“What do ye ken aboot her?”
“Nothing,” Grace replied. “I don’t know anything. I only know she learned the spell as a child, and she only activated it now. She may have done it by accident. Something major happened, though. Her house burned down, and she wound up here.”
Christie stared at her. “No!”
“I know. It sounds incredible. I only hope we find her before the giants get too strong. I wish we had a few more dragons around. After the last time, I don’t know if Jamie can handle them on his own.”
Christie faced front. “We’ll find her.”
Chapter 16
Jamie bashed his way through the undergrowth and entered a small clearing fringed with dense trees. People clustered all over the place. They worked and talked in the doorways of rough stick shelters. Most were women and children, along with a few old people. Jamie didn’t see any able-bodied fighting men anywhere.
He caught sight of Marri and headed her way. “Awright, lassie?”
“Where ha’e ye been Jamie?” she asked. “Ye ha’e abandoned our village in it
s hour o’ need. I ne’er expected ye tae turn coward at the last minute.”
Jamie stiffened. What was the use in arguing with her about it? If she wanted to think him a coward, let her. “Is Jock aboot, or has he gone down tae search for the McLeans?”
“I dinnae ken what Jock’s aboot,” Marri replied. “He took Malcolm and Daniel. He has no returned since we left the village.”
Jamie frowned. “No? That’s odd. Where can he be?”
“I dinnae care,” she snapped. “I wish he’d take himself off and leave Daniel alone.”
Jamie softened. He took a closer look at her. Care and anxious uncertainty pinched her face. She was worried about Daniel. She didn’t want her husband to come to any harm. That’s all she cared about. She didn’t know, and she didn’t need to know all the political ramifications of who fought with who against whom.
He touched her arm. “I’ll find him fer ye.”
Her head shot up. “Eh? How’ll ye do that?”
“I’ll find him and bring him back tae ye. He’s no far off.”
She bent over her work where she couldn’t see his face. “The McLeans’ll kill him. I ken they will.”
“Ye ha’e naught tae fear from the McLeans.”
She snorted and said nothing. Jamie turned his back to her. These women went on with their lives, no matter where they went. The endless job of tending their children, cooking food, cleaning laundry, and making beds never ended. Life waited for no man. It didn’t care if Jamie fought and died driving those giants off.
He had to find Jock. He had to find a few good men who could fight, and he couldn’t do that if Jock kept running off after the McLeans.
He spotted Ganny across the clearing and made his way toward her. She looked up from her mending and smiled at him. She would help him if anybody could.
He crossed half the clearing when a thunderous roar startled him a foot in the air. He spun around. A massive giant, bigger than any he’d seen so far, burst out of the mountainside. Where were these giants coming from?
The curse must be causing them to spring out of the land itself, the same way the vampires came out of the rocks and sea around Duart. That was the only explanation.
Women screamed. They snatched up their children and ran in all directions. They scattered into the trees. The giant pulled back his monstrous club and pounded down on the camp. Jamie jumped clear just in time.
The next instant, he reacted on pure instinct. He leapt into the air, and his wings thumped out of his back. In the blink of an eye, he rocketed above the trees spitting fire in the giant’s face. The minute he cleared the canopy, he saw giants popping out of the ground like mushrooms. They poked their heads up above the trees so fast he couldn’t count them.
He tried the same trick he used before. He zoomed between them, burning a golden streak of fire over the landscape. He didn’t care how many of them there were, and he didn’t care if he lost his life fighting them. He had to distract them from the village camp while the people made their escape. Nothing else mattered.
The giants didn’t react the same way to him, though. He barely broke the treetops when the first giant fixed his beady eyes on Jamie. He took aim with his club. With incredible accuracy, he batted the dragon out of the sky. He hauled back his weapon like a baseball bat, tracked the whizzing form through the sky, and made contact with Jamie’s side.
Jamie spun through space, tumbling over and over himself. His tail wrapped around his wings. His own momentum confused him so he couldn’t untangle the mess. He hurtled far away from the camp until he sailed to a stop somewhere above the distant mountains.
He flipped over. His tail unwound, and he got his wings spread when another giant planted his legs, wound up, and smacked him back the other way. The blow stunned Jamie. His head reeled, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He had to get himself together to turn the tables on these giants if he expected to walk away from this.
Another shattering impact shook him to his core. He went flying back the other way, and he wasn’t flying the way a dragon should fly. They were hitting him back and forth with their clubs. They never let him touch the ground. The instant he stopped moving, another one smashed him back the other way.
Was it the fourth or fifth time they hit him? He lost count. The next time one of them sent him catapulting far and away, he lost consciousness. He floated in a haze of pain, fear, and hopeless disappointment. So this was how an Urlu met his end. One of these times, they would crush his head. They would break his ribs, and those would tear his heart and lungs to pieces. He would bleed to death, and then this catastrophic pain would stop.
Another shivering blow rattled his teeth together. He no longer struggled to right himself. He couldn’t win this. He tried, but he ran out of time. No one would bring his brothers here to save him the way he’d saved Callum. It was all over.
The next time a giant hit him with its club, he didn’t even feel it. The whole scene happened somewhere beyond Jamie’s senses. He slipped into a blissful dream beyond awareness.
When he stopped flying this time, no club smashed him out of the sky. He swam up through the blackness to realize he wasn’t moving anymore. Was he dead? He blinked hard. He tried to move his legs and wings, but he couldn’t move anything but his head. He screwed his neck around.
He was moving over the ground somewhere high above the forest. He took another look, and he realized where he was. One of the giants held him in its fist while it walked toward Piper’s wing. It was heading straight for the villagers’ camp.
Jamie’s mind cleared. He had to stop these things killing everybody. He twisted back the other way and spat a burning jet of flame into the giant’s face. The creature bellowed to the Heavens. He roared in pain and surprise. Without thinking, he raised his fist and threw Jamie down onto the ground with all his force.
Jamie shattered branches falling through the canopy. They ripped and smashed his already broken body. He grunted in pain and slammed into a pile of jagged boulders scattered at the foot of the mountain. He somersaulted down them to the clearing.
He hit the ground hard. His head struck the rock, and he lost consciousness for a fraction of a second. When his vision cleared, he looked up at a clear blue sky. He barely had time to register the fact that he wasn’t a dragon anymore. The fall and his injuries must have shifted him back. He was nothing but a helpless man.
Into that empty space, the same giant tromped into view. The monster wiped its hand across its head, and its hair smoked. Other than that, Jamie’s fire didn’t touch it.
The giant narrowed its eyes down on him. It growled low in its chest. In front of Jamie’s eyes, it lifted one massive foot to smash him to powder. Jamie tried to move. His whole being screamed for him to get up, to get away before it was too late. His limbs wouldn’t obey him.
The giant’s foot blacked out the sky. Far away, a bird flitted past the giant’s head. The world would go on the way it always had after Jamie Cameron was long gone. He relaxed back on the cool soil. He couldn’t do anything. He gave up the fight.
The foot whistled through the air. It snapped a few trees out of the way coming down on top of him. All at once, something tightened around his shoulders. He whipped back out of the way in the nick of time. He slid across the ground, and the giant’s foot crashed into the ground a few inches from his feet.
The giant frowned down at him. Jamie didn’t have time to look around before the giant took another step. He raised his foot to crush Jamie again. Jamie tried to sit up. His foggy brain couldn’t comprehend what was going on.
The giant moved in. Its foot came down hard to destroy him. Out of nowhere, Grace jumped to Jamie’s side. She yanked his saber from its scabbard. Faster than Jamie could think, she dropped on one knee at his side and raised the saber above her head. The giant stepped down, and the saber impaled his foot to the hilt.
The giant let out a screech that shook the hills far and wide. It jumped away in a hurry. It screamed and ran in al
l directions. The other giants stopped whatever they were doing to stare at him.
He flailed his arms in all directions. He hopped on one foot. The sound of his screams worked a charm on his comrades. The other giants turned tail and bolted over the distant horizon. Only the one Grace stabbed in the foot remained.
He managed to stop his rampage long enough to pull the thorn out of his foot. He tossed the saber away and trained his ferocious gaze on the spot where Grace still knelt at Jamie’s side. He took hold of his club in both hands and made a bee line for the two helpless people on the ground.
Grace grabbed Jamie by the shirt. “Get up! Hurry!”
Jamie struggled to his feet, but he couldn’t move as fast as the giant. The monster took one huge step. He would have pulverized both of them in one blow, but at that moment, the wolves streaked past Jamie’s head. They launched themselves at the giant. In seconds, they attacked him in a black swarm. They tore into his legs and body. They climbed up to his head and clawed his face.
The giant turned his attention to the new threat. He waved his club in the air before he figured out how to combat the wolves. He grabbed a dark one off his neck and flung it full force into the mountainside. It slammed into the rocks and slumped into a motionless heap not far away from where Jamie sat.
The other wolves redoubled their efforts, but they couldn’t fight this thing. They could only slow the giant down. The giant kicked wolves off his legs and slapped them off his shoulders. He cleared all but two of them who clung to his head.
Jamie couldn’t watch anymore. He had to do something. He couldn’t move fast, but he didn’t really have to. He didn’t bother getting to his feet. He changed right there on the ground and took off into the air.
Grace Unchained - Phoenix Throne Book Five Page 12