“Thank you.”
His shoulders lifted and sank in a mournful shrug. “Soon, you will assist me in reclaiming the rest of my spirit. For now, I wish to be alone.”
“Keeper?”
“Argus,” she corrected. “The Undying gave the Keeper life with his blood, but her spirit was created from a portion of Kato’s spirit. Because of that connection, Kato can call her to him without needing her consent.”
“I’m glad he could bring you back to us.”
She heard the hesitation in his tone. They were all beholden to the warlord now. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling. Although she had reason in the Keeper’s memories to want to trust Kato, too many questions still needed answering. She hoped those answers would come before the Keeper was called again. The Blooded Women hadn’t made another attempt yet to get her back. Perhaps they were rethinking things now that Kato could interfere. In whatever time she had, she meant to see to other matters that needed attention.
“Naago-ra…” she trailed off when he shook his head.
He smiled, though there was a distinct sadness in his eyes. “You don’t have to explain. I know where your heart lies. It was unmistakable when you looked at him the moment before you disappeared last time.” He shifted his gaze away. “Deynas-ra is in the back room practicing with his staff. Since we got here, he’s been back there either practicing or sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. I haven’t seen him eat or sleep. He needs you.”
She took his hand, giving it a light squeeze—she hadn’t strength for more—and leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips. “You are dear to us, Naago-ra. You helped bring us back to life.” She touched her hand to his chest then. “You carry a fragment of my spirit in you, but you also carry a piece of the heart we share. Never doubt that.”
His answering smile was halfhearted. It would take time to make him see the truth of her words.
When she stood, he lifted his violin and started to play another melody, this one sad and sweet. The melody followed her through another room to a closed door. Beyond she could hear the swoosh of the staff cutting through the air. She closed her eyes, seeing with the Keeper’s spirit sight. Even through the wood door, she could see his umahk-ra, full of sorrow and anger. She watched it move for a time, remembering the fighting forms from her own training days. When his back was to the door, she silently entered.
Deynas wore no shirt. His muscles trembled, glistening with sweat. The room smelled of him, a scent that woke desire and called up reserves of strength in her. She stepped in as he spun and caught the blade with her right hand, trusting the black roots to protect her. He froze, staring at her with his bright blue eyes.
“Argus?”
She nodded and pushed the blade to the side.
For a few seconds, he didn’t move or speak at all. He barely seemed to breathe. Then he disarmed the staff and tossed the handle to one side. He reached behind his neck, took off the god’s blood pendant, and stepped close to place it around her neck. The stone slid down beneath the cloak.
She slid her fingers into his sweat-damped hair and pulled him close, rising on her toes to kiss him. His arms wrapped around her, drawing her in against him and he kissed her back. She tasted salt on their lips and wondered if it was his sweat or her tears that she tasted. With one leg, she reached back and nudged the door shut.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The people who have been most supportive in this journey don’t change much, but there are sometimes those who come and go. As always, there are many people in my life who aren’t mentioned here for brevity sake. All of you are still very important to me.
I want to offer specific thanks to the following people.
To my mom Linda for your loving support and for helping me brainstorm and refine my ideas.
To Rick and Ann for always being willing to read and give feedback on my books and for being the best of friends.
To Kai for staying by my side and believing in me through some incredibly difficult times.
To Uncle Brian for saving my life when I was very small (not that I’ve grown much).
To Aradia for knowing I would succeed from the first time we met and being an inspiration in your dedication to your own art.
To Michael for many years of partnership.
To my good friend and fellow author Eldritch Black for being an amazing writing companion for many years. Also to the rest of that writing group, for making so many Thursdays productive and fun.
To my cover artist, Heather, and my interior designer, Brian, thank you both for your fantastic work.
I must also offer thanks to my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Johnson, for being so pleased and excited when I told you I was going to be an author and to my eighth grade algebra teacher, Mr. Siebenlist, for almost letting me flunk because you were so delighted that I was writing books in class rather than notes.
AUTHOR BIO
Nikki started writing her first novel at the age of 12, which she still has tucked in a briefcase in her home office. She now lives in the magnificent Pacific Northwest tending to her sweet horse, manipulative cat, and a crazy dog. She feeds her imagination by sitting on the ocean in her kayak gazing out across the never-ending water or hanging from a rope in a cave, embraced by darkness and the sound of dripping water. She finds peace through practicing iaido or shooting her longbow.
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Thank you for taking time to read this novel. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it.
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For more about me and my work visit me at
http://elysiumbooks.com
Other Books by Nikki McCormack
Forbidden Things – An Epic Fantasy Series
Book One: Dissident
Book Two: Exile
Book Three: Apostate
CLOCKWORK ENTERPRISES – A Young Adult Steampunk Series
Book One: The Girl and the Clockwork Cat
Book Two: The Girl and the Clockwork Conspiracy
Short stories by Nikki McCormack
In Silence Waiting
Making Monsters
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2016 Nikki McCormack
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
Published by
Elysium Books
Kirkland, WA
Written by Nikki McCormack (https://elysiumbooks.com/)
Cover Design by Heather Hudson (http://www.studiowondercabinet.com/)
Interior Design and ebook formatting by Brian C. Short
First Edition 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9963196-9-0
The Keeper (The Endless Chronicles Book 1) Page 25