Dark Lightning

by Janet Woods

  She didn’t answer, just pulled the cowl up over her head to hide her tears. He was no longer the gentle Hal she had once known, but a stranger, puffed up with his own grandness.

  Dejectedly she followed Wulf back to the park, where he waited by a fountain with tail wagging. ‘I will never fall in love with anyone ever again, Wulf.’ When he seemed to deflate she added, ‘I’ll always love you, though.’

  She took her eyes off him for just one moment, to make sure nobody was observing them. When she looked back he was gone. ‘Don’t disappear on me, Wulf. I don’t know how to get back into the tower.’

  Surely they hadn’t left the tower through a fountain, they would have been wet. She felt along the wall and all around. Nothing. Closing her eyes she was just about to whisper the name of her mentor when she saw Thornwall. Her heart began to thump. Partially hidden by a tree he was talking to her brother, Emrys. She stepped into the fountain and hid behind the sheet of water.

  Something took her by the hand and pulled her down. In the gloom behind the water a pair of silvery eyes glittered.

  ‘There you are,’ she said with some relief. ‘I thought I’d lost you.’ Remembering the hand on her arm she peered at him. It wasn’t Wulf, but a young man. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I am one who has always loved you.’

  She shivered a little, for the intensity in him reached out to surround her. Instinct said she knew him ... perhaps from a past life. Had she lived before? ‘Do you have a name?’

  ‘Several.’

  ‘Tell me them.’

  He shrugged. ‘You wouldn’t know me by any one of them.’

  She experienced a strong affinity with him, like she’d had with Remy. But the affection she’d held for her brother was something less confronting – less dangerous than what she was feeling now. ‘I love another.’

  ‘You only think you do. But we’ll be together, and I’ll love you and be part of you throughout our infinity.’

  ‘You’re an ancient, then.’

  Something stirred inside her, a deep longing, as if they had always belonged together and there was a compulsion to be with him in body. Something of his soul was entwined with hers – and they did belong together if his words were as strong as her instinct, and were to be believed.

  ‘Have we met before?’

  Brushing the hair back from her face he brushed a kiss over each eyelid. ‘Aye, my love, but I cannot tell you when ... your journey in this life has just begun.’

  ‘I don’t want you to go. I need to get to know you better.’

  ‘We’ll never be really apart, you and I.’

  Jynx remembered Hal and wondered if she was fickle by nature. ‘I thought I loved another ... only he’s changed and is different to what I first thought him to be.’

  ‘That’s the nature of mortal men.’ He laughed and drew her towards him. ‘Close your eyes and I’ll help you forget him for a short while,’ he whispered, and his caressing fingers relaxed the flutter of her eyelids and traced along the curves of her mouth before he took her face in his hands. He kissed her with such tenderness that she forgot her disappointment over Falcon.

  The sound of the fountain became muted and she was no longer wet, but the grass softly cushioned her body. When she opened her eyes she discovered they were in the High Place. It was night and the stars glittered and wheeled overhead.

  The night air was cool against her skin as he drew her tunic open and kissed the sensitive nubs of her breasts. His tongue feathered them, making her tremble, and aware she was the woman for this man.

  She smiled, for this was a chimera she must have created – and it was a pleasant, sensual one. The man she was with was familiar to her, despite his face being in the shadows, and she trusted him.

  There was music too, of the water and of the earth, the whispering silvery noises the stars created as they moved position. The fragrant song of the breeze filled her mind with thoughts of seduction.

  Soon they were naked, and the light played across the muscular planes of his body and enticed her. She followed them with her hands, her fingertips sliding over them as if they were skating on cool silk. As she enjoyed her exploration of his body, he hardened and nudged against her. She couldn’t remember love, or enjoying the attention of any man. In this life she was still innocent. But she knew how to give and accept the pleasures of the flesh, as if seduction had always been a part of her.

  Throwing back her head she murmured as his tongue sought the hollows of her throat, ‘Your loving delights me.’

  ‘And yours me. It’s been a long time since we joined as one.’

  So she had lived before, but it mattered not, because this moment seemed all. Jynx had not expected the exquisite lightness of his touch as he drew her down across his lap – had not expected to feel so eager to experience the physical love of this stranger. The centre of her heated and throbbed and she was flooded by moisture.

  Mouth, breast, thighs, her every atom invited his touch, and received it like a blessing. She was slick and shining from it and she mewed with the need for release.

  She must be dreaming, she thought and he gave a soft chuckle as if he’d read her mind. He brought her closer, his hands spanned her buttocks and he lifted her against him.

  This man was a stranger ... what was she thinking? She was thinking she loved him. Then she stopped thinking and just felt ... felt him rise to her ... fill her. She gave a wild cry as he turned her on her back, and she wrapped her legs around his hips and rose to meet his thrusts.

  The storm of loving between them was an exquisite fight, and her senses swirled like an erotic tornado. They tasted of each other’s piquant essence before he pinned her to the grass with a firm thrust. Layered between his body and the circling earth, she was robbed of her will and relieved of her maidenhood.

  She drew in a breath, inhaling his man scent so she’d know him again the next time they met ... for she was sure she would. His helpless, buffeting need rocked her between the heaven above and the heaven between, and then the heaven below. She took all his loving into her body until the child became the man again.

  Jynx lay there on her back, her breathing harsh and her body aching from the unaccustomed contortions, yet rested from its usual clamour. Her lover with no name brought her against his body and they made love again, more gently. Afterwards he held her close and tenderly kissed her eyelids. ‘Sleep, my lady.’

  ‘When will I see you again?’ she whispered.

  ‘When I come to love you again, for time has no meaning.’

  When she opened her eyes she was fully dressed, and alone in the high place. She had dreamed it ... or created a chimera for herself. It had certainly felt real and powerful, as she’d lost herself in the carnal nature of her dream. Her face heated and she hoped nobody had overlooked it.

  She tried to remember the man’s face, but could only recall his eyes reflecting the water that had cascaded down around them.’

  “Wulf,’ she called out, and he came out from behind the waterfall, shaking droplets from his coat.

  ‘I’m not sure how to get out of this chimera I’ve made, so stay by me.’

  They went up a flight of steps and when they reached the top she imagined a door in the rock and the tower beyond. It was easy. The door appeared and she went through. Sybilla was waiting at the other side.

  ‘So you learned how to find your way into the chimera then. You were gone a long time and I was worried.’

  Jynx hugged her. ‘You should have come in and got me.’

  ‘We don’t interrupt the meditations of others unless it’s an emergency. It can be upsetting.’ She smiled. ‘You look rested, Jynx, but your gown is creased and your hair is untidy. Go and make yourself presentable.’

  * * * *

  A week later Sybilla told her she was to have a visitor.

  ‘Is it–?’ She blushed, remembering she did not know her lover’s name. ‘Laek?’

  ‘No. It’s Lord Falcon. He does you gr
eat honour and wishes to see you in private. I will wait for you outside.’

  She pressed her palms against the blush of shame that suddenly appeared in her cheeks. ‘I cannot see him, Sybilla. I visited him at the palace and he was cross, and I threw the poem at him. I’m ashamed.’

  ‘Nonsense. The scroll is still on your table where you left it. You haven’t yet learned to control the chimera, that’s all. The visit was in your imagination, as was your behavior. He’s mortal, and will not know of it.’

  Jynx was relieved, but she couldn’t help wonder about the identity of the other man she’d dreamed up. She laughed and wondered if loving was really like she’d imagined. She would ask her mentor.

  ‘Sybilla ... is loving always tender as well as exciting.’

  Sybilla’s glance came her way and she smiled. ‘Have you experienced it in the chimera then?’

  Jynx nodded. ‘How do you know if it’s real or not?’

  ‘Does it matter as long as it pleases you?’

  ‘I would not like to fall in love then discover I was imagining it.’

  ‘There is much pleasure to be found in imagining.’

  ‘Were I to fall in love and then discover my feelings were not true ... what then?’

  She was turned to face her mentor. ‘What are you trying to tell me, Jynx?’

  ‘I thought I loved Falcon, and I did when he was Hal. Now I’m not sure, and it troubles me.’

  ‘Is this anything to do with what happened in the chimera?’

  She nodded ... I think ... no. I have come to understand through my meditations since then, that it was a lesson. My destiny is not with Falcon.’

  ‘Then you must not encourage him. Falcon has a task ahead of him. If you love him, be willing to help him. If you don’t love him walk away now and allow him the freedom to choose another to partner him through life and provide him with children. Now, go and get ready. You have five tix.’

  She used the wishing dish for something entirely frivolous, conjuring up a drifting gown with a hint of lavender in the fabric, and slippers to match. Brushing out her hair she threaded through the luminous ripples some sweet-smelling violets from the same source.

  She brushed Wulf while she was at it, so his neck ruff stood out like a fluffy collar. Tying a purple bow in his hair she told him. ‘There, that matches my gown. I imagine you think I’m vain, Wulf.’

  Wulf rolled his eyes and gave one of his long-suffering sighs.

  Sybilla banged on the door. ‘You must not keep Lord Falcon waiting any longer.’

  ‘I’m coming.’

  She took the scroll with her to meet Falcon, who was dressed in a blue tunic under a black, silver-lined cloak. She’d expected her heart to beat faster but it didn’t. She decided to be formal and bowed. ‘My Lord Falcon.’

  Wulf barred his teeth at Thornwall and offered him of his most ferocious rattling growls. She placed her palm over his snout and he tickled it with his tongue.

  The guard’s hand went to his dagger. ‘That beast is dangerous, and should be put down.’

  Jynx gave him a cool glance. ‘Perhaps the same could be said for my Lord Falcon’s protector.’

  Falcon burst out laughing. ‘There’s your answer to that suggestion. Wait outside, Thornwall.’

  ‘But, Lord.’

  ‘Outside.’

  She waited till the door closed behind him. ‘I understood you wanted to see me in private, My Lord. Thank you for the poem.’

  He took her hands in his. ‘I would have written one myself had I been a poet. I’ve been lax, and should have come to see you sooner. You’ve changed, Jynx, you look grown up and womanly.’

  ‘We’ve both changed. You’re no longer the Hal who used to tease me ... I was younger then and impressionable. You were my hero.’

  He shrugged. ‘I enjoyed it, even though I’m your hero no longer. I feel a great deal of affection for you, Jynx and I hoped there would be a future for us together.’

  She felt her heart break apart. ‘Don’t say any more, My Lord. I’m older now, and so are you. We were good companions for a while and I’m grateful to both you and Grandfather Orish for looking after myself and my brother.’

  ‘I was hoping ...’

  ‘It cannot be, Lord Falcon. I was born to run free with the wind and I know now we’re not meant to be together.’

  ‘Is there another you love?’

  She nodded. ‘There is a man who has made his presence known to me without quite disclosing who he is. He’s convinced me that our lives are entwined. I don’t know his name yet and that troubles me, even though I know I must follow my heart.’

  ‘Not Laek then.’

  ‘No ... though Laek is my true friend and I will think of him with fondness, as I will you.’

  A sudden, and unwelcomed insight came into her head. Falcon had been trained to rule Karshal from before his birth, but by diplomacy. The strong-minded Laek had been raised as the Prince of Arles, Cynan’s successor. He also carried the genes of the warrior Lord, the mighty Kavan, and would be a formidable foe if he took up arms against his uncle.

  In time the different courts would cease to trust the other and uncle and nephew might take up arms against one another. But what of the woman who’d manipulated Lord Cynan’s downfall. Azarine would suffer the most in this triangle of power, for she’d never seen the flaw in her scheme and would be torn between the two.

  Jynx felt afraid for Falcon ... and her heart went out to Laek, who had been her friend since childhood.

  ‘Good luck then, Jynx. No doubt this man will reveal himself when the time is right.’ He took her in his arms and held her close. ‘I don’t want to let you go, and if you ever need me you’ll know where I am. I’ll leave word that you may have access to me at any time.’

  She touched a finger against his cheek. ‘Be careful of Thornwall, Hal. Wulf doesn’t trust him, and I dreamed I saw him with my brother Emrys, who is a tracker and hunter. How did you get into the tower, Lord Falcon?’

  ‘We were brought here by a brother. It’s odd, but I can’t remember how. One moment we were walking in the palace garden, and the next we were in the tower. There is much magic in Karshal. You can come and stay at the palace if you wish.’

  Jynx was relieved he hadn’t been able to remember the way in. It meant she was safe from Emrys. ‘I’d prefer to stay here. The sisters are teaching me much and it’s less work for Wulf, who thinks his job is to guard me.’

  ‘Wulf is a pack animal and that’s his instinct coming out. I can’t charge a man with treachery on the strength of a dream and Wulf’s likes and dislikes. Thornwall is highly trained. I need him, for I still have enemies. As for Emrys, he’s on the list of petitioners to be heard today. Your family are camped outside the city

  ‘You should not trust them either. They sent Emrys to track Remy and me, knowing we were to be euthanized, as though we were sewer rats instead of their own flesh and blood. As for Helise, she betrayed Azarine with Cynan.’

  ‘I’m aware of what has gone before, and the circumstances that brought it about. I’m also aware of what could happen in the future. Your own father was Lord Cynan’s advisor. Should I condemn you for that, my dear? You’re no longer in danger from Emrys and he has told me everything.’

  ‘Be careful, Falcon. You’re too trusting.’

  ‘They have the right to justice ... to have their case heard, and I’ll be in need of an advisor.’ He kissed her on the forehead and murmured, ‘Goodbye, my sweet Jynx.’

  She gave him the hug she’d refused him in her chimera and tears pricked at her eyelids as she thought, Goodbye my dearest Hal ... and said, ‘Fair you well, Falcon Darkwater. May you rule in peace.’

  Something she very much doubted.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sybilla took Jynx to the healing stalls in the market place. There had been frequent skirmishes between the two sides, so there were plenty of casualties to heal.

  In the afternoon trumpets blared loudly and t
he news raced through the crowd in whispers and shouts. ‘Lady Azarine is coming.’

  Flares were lit and the palace gates opened. The troopers came running to form a line either side down to the harbour. Falcon came out and strode towards the dock, Thornwall at his side.

  Sybilla and Jynx gazed at each other and then packed their bags with salves, tonics and medicines. They pulled down the awning on the stall before joining the excited throng at the harbour. Jynx had covered the glowing sheen of her hair with the drab brown cowl.

  Azarine looked like a queen in a white gown trimmed with silver. ‘Azarine ... Azarine ... Azarine,’ the crowd began to chant as she stepped ashore, helped by her brother’s steady hand. Esbel arranged her cloak.

  Azarine certainly didn’t look like a woman who’d just killed her husband by spitting venom into his body. The kiss of death was known to those who’d studied the black arts, and who could call on Bane to help administer it, Jynx had heard.

  She shuddered when Azarine’s glance alighted on her, and then moved on without recognition. There was a roughness to her face that Jynx hadn’t noticed before – as if the slaughter of her husband had leached away some of her beauty and left an indelible mark on it – one that had turned her from victim into an aggressor.

  The parade was quite a spectacle. After her came Laek, muscular and tanned, and magnificent with his dark hair drawn into silver rings.’ Jon was behind him with Danea on his arm. There was a soft glow to her face as she gazed at Jon. Iago brought up the rear at the head of a column of troopers. A lump formed in Jynx’s throat at the sight of them all. She drew in a breath and whispered, ‘Laek.’ The wind carried it across the space between them and he turned towards her and smiled and beckoned.

  She was about to run to him when Wulf tugged at her cloak and began to drag her away.

  ‘Yes, you’re right, my Wulf. I’m no longer one of them, and although they wouldn’t turn me away eventually I’d become a servant to them, like Esbel. If I stay with the followers, at least I’ll be of use to somebody, sometimes. And love would know where to find her, she thought, attacked by an imp of mischief.