“He’s not harmed. He called to me to tell me there was a female in danger, hanging from his branches. I came at once, realizing it must be Deaumanique. But I didn’t come alone, I called to Lore as I came here.”
Carnage nodded and hugged Lily again.
“I saw the tree extend its head several times to keep Deaumanique from being injured,” Enthrall commented.
“I asked him to try to keep her from falling,” Lily admitted.
“’Kay?” Carnage asked, gesturing to the tree again.
Lily walked over to the tree and placed her hands on the Dragon’s head. The leaves on the tree rustled gently, and a soft groan could be heard on the breeze. “He’s well.”
Carnage nodded.
“Enthrall, please, take me to see Shane. Are you sure he’ll be alright?” Deaumanique asked.
“I’m sure. He’s very different now, but he’ll live,” Enthrall said sadly.
“I don’t care how different he is, as long as he’s alive,” Deaumanique said, smiling shakily.
“I’m not sure he’ll agree. But he’ll be alive to disagree,” Enthrall said, still trying to justify what he’d had to do in order to save his son.
Deaumanique went to Enthrall’s side and hugged him. “He’s said that someday he’d like to be like you. He was worried that he’d age, and I wouldn’t,” Deaumanique explained.
“He never said a word about it,” Enthrall commented. “I thought he wanted no part of it.”
“Can I see him? Will you take me to him?” Deaumanique asked.
“Of course,” Enthrall answered.
Deaumanique knelt beside Aubreigne who was seated beside Amilanu, her hands still stroking his face, his arms.
“Mother, I’m going to Shane,” Deaumanique said as she hugged her mother from behind.
Aubreigne started to rise from her place beside Amilanu.
“You should stay here. Your mate needs you,” Deaumanique said.
“But I need to be beside you as well. You may need me,” Aubreigne said, caught between the two people she loved most.
Deaumanique shook her head. “You’re needed here. My husband needs me there. I’ll cry about all of this later, there is no time for tears today. Today I’ll be as strong as you,” Deaumanique said firmly.
Aubreigne smiled at Deaumanique, realizing she’d raised a strong young woman. She’d just never seen it before because she’d never allowed Deaumanique to need to be strong on her own before today.
“You’ve always been as strong as me. Go to your husband. He will need your acceptance and encouragement.”
“You’ll be alright?” Deaumanique asked.
Aubreigne nodded. “Go, I’ll be fine,” she said, cupping Deaumanique’s cheek.
Deaumanique nodded and stepped closer to Enthrall. She paused and looked back at Aubreigne. “Once I saw you all here, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I knew you’d find a way to get me free,” Deaumanique explained.
Aubreigne nodded. “I had no doubt you’d walk away safely.”
“Take care of him. You’re right. He saved me from Ata, and all of us from The Dark One,” Deaumanique said.
Aubreigne turned her attention back to Amilanu.
“He’s the one who left all the drawings, isn’t he?” Deaumanique asked.
“He is,” Aubreigne admitted.
“Come, Deaumanique. Let me take you home,” Enthrall said.
Deaumanique walked over to Enthrall who put his arm around her waist. “I’ll come back to take you and Amilanu home,” Enthrall told Aubreigne.
“’Arnge doo eeet,” Carnage said.
Aubreigne looked from Carnage to Enthrall. “Carnage will take me. Stay with Shane and Deaumanique.”
“You’re sure?” Enthrall asked.
“Very,” Aubreigne answered.
“I’ll get Amilanu,” Destroy said.
“He’s not The Dark One,” Aubreigne said firmly, just to be sure Destroy understood that.
“I know. I’ll get him to your home safely — I give you my word,” Destroy said valiantly with a bow.
Aubreigne nodded.
“’Mon,” Carnage said, taking Aubreigne in his arms as Destroy picked up Amilanu. “Lee Lee, home,” Carnage said, looking over at his daughter.
“I’ll stay here for a little while. Then I’ll go home,” Lily said, wanting to spend a little time with her tree.
Carnage raised an eyebrow.
“I won’t be long. I promise,” Lily said.
Carnage nodded. “’Kay,” he agreed.
“Wait! Rune,” Aubreigne said. “I can’t leave Rune here.”
Rune was meandering between Aubreigne and Amilanu, not quite sure which needed him more.
“Come on. We’re all going home,” Aubreigne said, holding out her hand and taking hold of his collar so that Carnage could lift the wolf into his arms. Once he had the wolf secured in one arm, he held Aubreigne close with the other and Aubreigne held onto him and Rune tightly as well. Carnage lifted his powerful wings and in just one beat of them was almost twelve feet off the ground.
Destroy followed suit with the unconscious Amilanu in his arms.
Brannaugh stood silently watching all the others leave him at the Dragon Tree with the females Amilanu had entrusted to him. Kamilah had stopped trying to get away from him, and actually clung tighter to him when Destroy and Carnage had arrived. He looked over at her aunt who had also stepped closer to him.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“I am Zahra,” she answered. “What name are you known by?”
“I’m Brannaugh. And I guarantee your safety, Zahra. That of you and Kamilah. These males here are all males of morals and value.”
“We were just in the company of Gargoyles!” Kamilah exclaimed.
“They are warriors of honor. They will never harm anyone who doesn’t deserve it,” Brannaugh explained.
“I don’t know what to think of this day’s occurrences,” Zahra admitted. “We’ve been thrust into a world we should have never seen, by the king of all Demons. We stand in a land where it is customary to commune with Vampires and Gargoyles! We do not belong here! I beg you to allow our escape. Transport us back to our own world.”
“No one here wishes you ill. What you've witnessed here actually makes our world and yours a safer place. The Dark One is banished to Hell. We are all safer for it,” Brannaugh said, seeking to reassure them both. “And I give my word, come what may, I will keep you both safe.”
He looked down at Zahra who stood beside him, then at Kamilah, whom he’d still not let go of. His fingers and hands tingled nonstop as they lay against her skin.
Zahra regarded him studiously, not sure if she was willing to trust her and her niece’s safety to him.
“Surely you have nothing to return to. Your family has committed the utmost betrayal. You will be safer here among us. I pledge my protection. I will see to your safety and needs until you are able to see to your own, and even thereafter if you wish,” Brannaugh said. He didn’t care what he had to promise or do, he wasn’t letting Kamilah go. She was his. But he wanted her to be happy, to feel safe while she adapted to her new surroundings. “You will stay here, and I will help you adapt,” he decided aloud, with a firm nod of his head.
Zahra still looked at him critically. “I am not assured that we can trust you! You have not answered my question,” she declared.
“What question is that?” he asked, forcing his attention from Kamilah.
“What manner of Demon are you?”
“He is not a Demon,” Lily said exasperatedly, tired of waiting to be alone with her tree and irritated with the stupidity of humans.
Kamilah looked up at the handsome man still holding her close. “You are human, too, then? Are you not afraid?”
“I’m not afraid,” Brannaugh answered, giving her his best smile, the one he used to win over many a female.
“Perhaps there is a church we could shelter in until our future is de
cided,” Zahra said.
Lily huffed an irritated sigh. “So, you wish to shelter in a church, that is guarded by Gargoyles, yet you fear living in a community with them?” she asked, turning to face them.
“I… those that guard the churches are made of stone. They do not live!” Zahra insisted.
“Really? And how did the church come to know of Gargoyles if they didn’t actually have interactions with them?”
Zahra didn’t have an answer. She stood, considering Lily’s words.
“I am Gargoyle. The largest of the Gargoyles you just saw is my father, and my mother is human. Do you fear me because of the blood that runs in my veins? If he wanted you dead, or cared that you were here, you’d be dead. He doesn't care. Nor do I. Brannaugh is not a Demon. He is Fey. Dark Fey! He could certainly cause you any amount of harm, but does he wish you harm? No, he does not! Nor do I or anyone else. Perhaps you haven’t noticed that we have much more to deal with today than two simpering human females that don’t even have the sense to be appreciative of the fact that they’ve been delivered from a life of subservience!” Lily ended on a shout as purple mists gently floated on the air about her legs and waist.
Brannaugh shook his head slowly. “Thank you, Lily. That’s exactly how I wished to explain my nature,” he said sarcastically.
“You know… you should just take them back to their families. Or better yet, here,” she said, misting from her place near her tree to stand directly in front of Brannaugh and the two human women, “I’ll take them back to the families who had so little regard for them that they sold one of them. I’m sure they need more money by now, perhaps next time they can sell both of you.”
Zahra gasped and stepped back from Lily.
“Well, come along! I don’t have all day!” Lily said, holding her arms out as her mists began to swirl. “Think of home and we’ll be there momentarily.”
Kamilah stared wide-eyed at Lily, then she looked up at Brannaugh who seemed irritated with Lily’s words. Kamilah felt safe with the man who held her. And the last thing she wanted was to be placed back in the care of her family. They’d sold her away and for very little at that. She met Zahra’s gaze, then looked up at Brannaugh who’d pledged to protect and provide for them. “I don’t want to return to our home.”
Brannaugh looked down at her and tightened his hold on her. “I don’t wish you to return to your home either. In fact, I refuse to allow you to leave.”
“Aunt?” Kamilah asked.
Zahra nodded slowly as she locked eyes with Lily. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“Of course, I am,” Lily snapped.
“We will trust you to keep us safe,” Zahra said, realizing her choices were few and far between, with Brannaugh being the best they had for the moment. “We will remain under your care. Please escort us to your home.”
“I will… I would…,” he stammered, realizing he had nowhere to take either of them. “I have no suitable shelter,” Brannaugh admitted. “But I will build one. Until then, you cannot live where I do, the conditions are too harsh. Come, we’ll try to find other accommodations for the time being,” he said, tightening his hold on Kamilah and wrapping an arm around Zahra. Thinking of Destroy and Rowan’s home, he whisked them away. He’d take them there, and together they’d figure out where they’d stay, because room would be needed for all of them. He was not letting Kamilah out of his sight.
Lily watched as they disappeared, leaving her alone finally with her beloved Dragon Tree. She looked around herself to be sure no one else lingered, then walked back over to the Dragon Tree, and climbed up to sit on its head.
“They are luckier than they realize,” Lily grouched.
She looked down at the tree she perched on, smoothing her hands over what would have been the Dragon’s head. “I can feel you inside there,” Lily said, as she rested on her familiar perch. “What must I do to free you?” she asked. “Do you have descendants here? Perhaps they could help me understand your curse?”
Carrik didn't reply to Lily. He simply breathed deeply of her scent, and basked in the feeling of her being near.
“Perhaps you have a mate I can help you find. Will you still be my friend when you claim your mate?” she wondered aloud.
Carrik used the powers he’d been allowing to lie dormant to gaze from a distance at the young girl sitting atop his bark encased head. She was lovely, and every inch the mate he remembered. Though now she called herself Lily rather than Danae, she was still the same wild spirited, strong willed girl he’d fallen in love with so very long ago. But it wasn't time yet. She was still so young, and he was not finished healing, so he settled down again to just enjoy her company.
Lily ran her fingers across what would have been the Dragon’s brow. “You were right to call to me. I will always come when you call.”
The Dragon’s head lifted a bit, the wood creaking as it tried to move to let her know he appreciated her and knew she was there.
“We make a good team, don’t you think?” she asked, finally relaxing now that everyone else had left her and her Dragon Tree alone.
Yesss! Carrik replied in her mind with a satisfied chuffing.
Lily smiled when he replied and leaned back against one of the large conglomerations of branches that gave the appearance of a wing. She stretched her legs out and crossed them at the ankle as they draped over Carrik's head, and began to hum a melody she’d always known, but had no idea where it came from.
Carrik sighed happily, sending a soft moan throughout the surrounding landscape when she began to hum her favorite song. It was the first song he and Danae ever danced to. It was the song that Danae had been humming as he spun her around in a favorite dance when he confessed that he’d fallen madly, hopelessly in love with her. It gave him hope that she would one day love him again as more than just her Dragon Tree when he’d finished healing, and the time was right to present himself to her once again.
Chapter 27
“Unhand me! I will destroy you!” Ata’halne, now The Dark One, snarled as he fought for balance while Lore and Murder held his body immobile as they zipped through realm after realm on their approach to Hell.
Finally, falling into the correct fissure in time and space, they found themselves in the middle of a training exercise being carried out by so many minions of The Dark One they were uncountable.
As Lore and Murder, still man-handling Ata as he struggled against them, misted into existence in the middle of them, all training came to a sudden, quiet, stunned stop.
“Now what?” Murder asked.
Lore turned his head slowly, taking in all the demonic creatures they were surrounded by. They were all manner of Demon imaginable — tall, short, thin, fat, grossly fleshed, and beautiful beyond belief — all training with weapons of varying degrees of lethal abilities.
“What is your business here?” one of them demanded stepping forward. “I am lord here. You will answer me without further delay!”
“You? You’re lord here?” Lore asked.
“I am lord here!” The Dark One shouted, forgetting the hands holding him in control at the moment to turn his outrage on the Demon who’d thought to seize power in his absence. “Who among you wishes to die with this impostor? No one seizes my realm!”
Some of the demons and minions had the good sense to step away from the self-proclaimed new lord of the underworld immediately upon recognizing the being living inside Ata’halne.
Murder and Lore exchanged a look and Lore shrugged. “We have returned your lord of the underworld, The Dark One, to his rightful home and rightful place above you. Here!” he shouted as he loosened his grip on Ata. He glanced at Murder again. “Let go,” he mouthed.
Murder let go of Ata and stood back to watch whatever Lore had in mind.
“He is new to his body,” Lore said, grinning mischievously, “you know, balance and all that, lack of strength, easy to defeat,” he said, waving his hands in the air. “So, as it were, let the best Demon win the L
ordship you seem to covet so greatly! Ta Ta!” he exclaimed as he reached out and gripped Murder’s arm, and they began to mist away.
The Dark One bellowed and turned to glare at them as Lore’s mists took them away from his realm.
Lore waved at The Dark One just as dozens of his minions’ hands took hold of him, still unsteady in Ata’s body, and dragged him to the ground.
Screams, bellows, and roars followed them away from the underworld as each Demon saw the opportunity to defeat The Dark One and claim the position of power for themselves.
Once they’d completely left The Dark One’s realm, Lore and Murder paused for a while to insure that nothing and no one followed them this time, before returning to Whispers.
“I believe there is no reason for concern this time, no one has attempted to follow,” Murder said.
“I thought the chances of The Dark One following this time would not be great since he was fighting for domination,” Lore said with a grin.
Murder shook his head. “That was brutal. Brilliant idea, but brutal.”
“What?” Lore asked. “He’s The Dark One! Even if they defeat him today, as he gains strength in his new hosting body, it’s only a matter of time until he overcomes them all. They cannot kill him. And if they try, he’ll just be angrier!”
“As I said, brilliant idea to keep him occupied as we made our getaway,” Murder said.
“We have waited long enough. There is no one riding our mists. Let us return to our homes. Where is it that you’d like to be? Home with Luci? Back to the Dragon Tree?” Lore asked.
“Aubreigne, wherever she is. I need to make sure she’s alright,” Murder said.
Lore nodded. “I believe I shall go to Enthrall. He was most unhappy he was forced to change Shane.”
~~~
Aubreigne led the way into her home as Carnage placed Rune on the ground and turned to assist Destroy with Amilanu. The man was slippery since Destroy had taken it upon himself to dunk him in the water’s edge near Gaston’s home.
“Careful! He’s slippery,” Destroy said with a grin, handing Amilanu over to Carnage.
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