Unbound (Kayla Blackstone)

by Adriane Ceallaigh

  “Alright, I’ll have Kayla start a search. If you could find out what size object we’re looking for, that would help.

  “I’ll try.” Hopeless tears glazed her eyes as she looked at the creature. To forever guard objects of power must make for a sad and lonely existence.

  No wonder they always sought companionship wherever they could. She didn’t notice Gannon leave, so absorbed was she in her contemplation of the creature before her.

  21

  Kayla turned to Karn on the bank of the spring, glaring at him. “What’s the Urisk’s condition?”

  Karn wondered how much he should say. When she turned back to the spring, she smiled. He saw Gannon coming from around the falls. I wonder why he’s coming. Rosen just entered the cave.

  Kayla became more and more animated.

  Karn thought it odd; she’d never behaved this way with Gannon before. When Gannon stepped onto the shore, she leapt at him, tackling him with a kiss as if she couldn’t get enough of him.

  Gannon pulled back. “We need to go find something.”

  “Okay,” Kayla said, her eyes a vacant glow.

  Karn didn’t like this. He looked around for Roo, but the dog was nowhere to be found. He started after them in case Kayla needed him.

  “I’ll take it from here. Go back to your little pack, dog,” Gannon growled.

  Karn looked to Kayla for confirmation, but she stared through him. The wind blew Gannon’s scent towards him; he grew more agitated when he realized that Gannon didn’t smell like himself.

  “Ok, whatever you say, Gannon.” He pretended to heed Gannon’s order. Instead he went looking for Roo. If nothing else, his new leader would know if Kayla’s behavior was normal.

  “We have a problem. Have any of you seen Roo?”

  The pack shook their heads or shrugged. A few cast their eyes shiftily and these he noted to watch.

  “Well spread out and start looking. Something strange is going on.”

  “Why should we?” one of the members growled.

  “Because I said so, Damien. Do you really want to do this right now?” He shifted his body into a stance ready for fighting.

  Damien backed down. “Don’t think this is over Karn. It’s not like you’ve earned that position.”

  “We’ll deal with it soon. Now find the boss, because he has earned it, or do you question that too?” Damien shrugged and walked away, melting into the woods around them without a sound. He scanned the area around the water.

  The Mage he’d seen talking with Rosen last was nowhere to be found. Karn decided he might be better off in MoonSkin to scent out a trail.

  He walked behind a bush, noticing a faint flickering of light.

  “What do you want, dog?” Jubi, the Sprite leader, pinned him with a hard stare. He shifted uncomfortable. The little man couldn’t know he’d just made a direct challenge for one of his people.

  “Kayla’s gone off with Gannon.”

  “So? They go off together a lot.” Jubi shrugged.

  “Yeah, I gathered that, Jubi, but this was different. She looked vacant, and Roo’s nowhere to be found.”

  Jubi flicked his wings, agitated. “The girl never goes anywhere without her dog. Are there any others missing?”

  “There’s a Mage missing and a few of the pack are acting suspiciously. I think they know more than they tell.”

  “We should find Roo first. He’d know where Kayla was off to.”

  * * *

  They split up, each searching in a different direction. Jubi finally found Roo. With a sinking feeling, he drifted closer. He saw Roo’s chest rise and fall, his breath labored.

  Jubi fluttered; he was too small to be of any help. There were ways his people could grow large, but only once or twice in a lifetime. He didn’t feel now was one of those times. He called his clan. Soon, the glowing lights of his friends and family spun around him.

  “If any among you have seen anything strange, let me know.” Glancing from face to face, he noted one small Sprite’s colors glowed with distress. He flew over to the young one too afraid to come forward with all the elders gathered.

  “Hurry now, my friends. Find Karn and bring him back. Something strange is afoot in our woods.” Looking back at her, he gestured. “Come now, Lana,” trying to coax her into conversation. “Is there something you think we should know?”

  “I’ve been gathering flowers on the far side of the waterfall this morning. A short time ago, I saw something strange. First one of the male Mages ran by. He kept looking over his shoulder as if he would soon be caught at mischief. There’s something different in the water of the falls and then Gannon came out and took the princess away with him,” Lana said in one breath, her color brightening.

  Jubi shuddered. His wings stopped beating and he dropped, catching himself before he hit the ground. If the Mage did this to Roo, what would he do to the master? Jubi thanked the young one for telling him this news and flew about Roo, impatiently waiting for Karn to show himself.

  Soon he heard the hard slap of running feet coming towards him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he saw Karn long before the man reached them.

  Karn ran past him to the still form on the ground.

  * * *

  It horrified Karn to see his pack leader near death. He was so new to the pack that they hadn’t yet formed a strong attachment, but he liked the new leaders. Karn gathered Roo in his arms and carried him back the way he’d come.

  Just as the group cleared the last of the brush near the camp, Gannon rushed out of the water, running towards Karn.

  “What the hell have you done to Roo?” He skidded to a stop and tried to wrestle him away, but Karn dodged him.

  “I might ask you the same thing,” Karn growled. His face elongated and his teeth grew sharper. “Where’s Kayla? What have you done to her?” He tried to push past Gannon.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, you crazy MoonSkin. Now give the dog to me, or I won’t be responsible for the consequences.”

  Karn paused, calming his rage enough to smell his surroundings. Remembering that, earlier, Gannon’s scent had been different, his nostrils flared. Comprehension dawned and he realized what Jubi had just tried telling him.

  Jubi flew into Gannon’s face, blocking him “Gannon, stop this before you do something you’ll regret. This isn’t what it looks like. Stop!”

  Gannon batted at Jubi. “What the hell is going on here?”

  Karn’s anger cooled, his face returning to normal when he realized that Gannon hadn’t anything to do with Kayla’s strange behavior.

  “Where’s Kayla?” Gannon cast his eyes over the gathering crowd drawn by their argument.

  Karn moved towards Gannon and laid Roo in his arms. He stepped back, scuffing his feet against the ground. “I don’t know how to tell you this,” he finally said, “but I don’t think Kayla is here with us anymore.

  “When you were in the cave with Rosen, you came out and took Kayla away. You didn’t smell like yourself and told me that you didn’t need or want my help. Kayla behaved as if she were in a trance. So I went looking for Roo and, when I couldn’t find him, I sought Jubi.

  “We found Roo lying in the woods not far from here. One of the Sprites told Jubi that she’d seen a strange Mage near the waterfall. We were bringing Roo back to Rosen to ask her to heal him. Then we see you crashing through the water. So you can see where the hostility came from?”

  * * *

  Gannon could see how Jubi and Karn felt. They’d thought he’d taken Kayla somewhere. He needed to have Roo taken care of first. After that, he would find Kayla, he thought with a sinking feeling in his gut. Gannon looked to Jubi, often his voice of reason. The crowd parted and the slight child Kayla had taken from Covington’s gestured for him to lean down.

  Though impatient to be off, he felt he needed to take the time for this little one. He rested Roo on his knees and looked the girl in the eyes.

  “My doggy hurt?” Her voice trembled
and her bottom lip quivered.

  “Yes, I’m afraid doggy’s very hurt.” Gannon shifted, his throat tightening.

  She nodded then leaned forward, gently kissing Roo on the nose. A large pink tongue licked her cheek, making her giggle.

  “Doggy better,” she cooed when Roo wiggled and got down.

  Gannon couldn’t believe his eyes.

  “My doggy!” she cried, hugging Roo. She laid her head on his, giggling when he licked her. “Doggy kisses.” Roo continued to lick her. She patted him roughly on the head. Saddened eyes looked deep into Gannon’s. “Find my mama.” She turned and dashed down the path, without a backward glance.

  * * *

  Roo whimpered looking after her, then sniffed the air. His mistress was nowhere to be found in the crowd.

  Where’s Kayla? Karn what happened? One minute I’m chasing the Mage Rosen told to stay still. The next thing I know, Sasha’s kissing my nose.

  Who’s Sasha?

  Kayla’s daughter. Where’s that blasted cat? What the hell happened here? He growled, nipping Karn’s hand.

  Something that looked like Gannon took her.

  Damn bastard! Why can’t he leave her alone?

  Who?

  Keaton. Roo sniffed the air again, growling under his breath, and looked across the pond.

  There’s a Mage watching us. Tell the others. I’m pretty sure he’s not in his right mind.

  Oh, and Karn.

  Karn looked at him, trembling a little.

  Not a word about Sasha to anyone.

  “Greg, there’s a Mage on the other side of the falls. He needs to be caught and held for questioning. Do you think you can get the others together and do that?”

  The MoonSkin stiffened, his eyes flashing. “Will do. Anything else?”

  “You and Damien keep the others safe, stay near the falls. Nothing about this seems right.”

  The Wer moved off stiff backed. We’ll have to deal with them soon, won’t we, Roo?

  Yes.

  “Now that that’s settled, let’s go after Kayla.” Gannon walked toward the woods.

  My thoughts exactly. Roo trotted down the path after him.

  * * *

  “Gannon, I think we should find the person who sent Kayla on her errand in the first place.”

  “You’re right, Jubi.” He feared a hole in the T’ween might be contributing to how the evil construct had found its way into his safe haven.

  “Whoa! Wait a minute. What are you guys talking about?” Karn piped up.

  “Kayla’s boss.” He ran into his cottage and started to pack things he thought might be useful for whatever lay ahead.

  Kayla had come into some serious power recently, but she had no idea how to control it. She was a loose cannon. He feared, with her out there unprotected, the Mage Hunters would find her, capturing or destroying her.

  He shivered, slamming open the gate. He didn’t care if the others followed or not.

  * * *

  Kayla looked at Gannon’s back as he dragged her along. She balked; something bugged her, a something she couldn’t quite place. They’d been gone from the T’ween for a while. The surroundings seemed familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why.

  He swung around to look at her, jerking her in the direction he wanted to go. She noticed for the first time that his eyes were dead.

  Fearful, Kayla backed away. “Wait a minute, Gannon. Where are you taking us?” Kayla asked, unsure if she was even with Gannon. Her mind scrambled for reasons he would act thus. He had to be possessed or under a spell. Kayla knew she had been under a spell.

  It wasn’t like her to not remember whole parts of her day. She didn’t know how she’d come to be so close to Keaton’s club.

  The man who stood glaring at her didn’t look like the Gannon she’d come to know and admire. There was no sparkle in his eyes that showed the keen intelligence she knew to be behind them.

  “Let go, Gannon!” she struggled to pull free.

  His hand swallowed hers whole, covering her arm in a thick, cement-like substance. She kicked at him, but couldn’t pull her arm free. He dragged her closer to their destination. She dug in her feet while pulling backward on her arm.

  Kayla didn’t know why she was being taken to Keaton, but she could give a pretty good guess he wasn’t throwing her a party.

  She glared at the creature she’d thought was Gannon. Its features melted into a lopsided grin. A flesh colored blob broke off and hit the ground. She could feel a high pitched squeal being emitted as they entered the building. Kayla’s fear caused a surge of magic, hitting the Gannon-creature in the chest.

  It shrieked, bits of it breaking off, hitting the ground and crumbling into dust. Kayla ran back towards door. She felt a clammy hand slap down on her shoulder. She recognized that smell. A cackle sounded behind her, she couldn’t move her head. He groped her breast, causing fear to overwhelm her.

  “I’ve waited for this, a long time.” Keaton fondled her.

  Her skin crawled in revulsion. “Get your filthy hands off of me,” Kayla ground out through clenched teeth.

  “I don’t think so. You disobeyed the rules; you should never open a package. Now I can do whatever I want and there’s not a thing you can do about it.” He gave her hair a sharp tug.

  “That’s not true. Someone put a compulsion spell on that bag. You’re a filthy beast! Get your hands off ME!

  He laughed. “What could you possibly do to me? You’ve all the power of a crushed mouse.”

  “That’s it!” Kayla pushed all her power towards the point where he held her shoulder. Keaton shrieked when the wave of energy hit and threw him into the bar.

  Kayla turned, heady with power. She considered pursuing, but decided he wasn’t worth it.

  Keaton’s skin dripped from his body in chunks. A large, hairy, pustule-ridden monster rose from the remains.

  “I really wouldn’t have done that if I were you,” the daemon said, shaking off the last of its skin. “I was going to hand you over to Covington for the reward money after a bit of fun, but now that’s not going to happen.” He licked his fingers. “You’ve gone and made yourself edible.”

  When he moved towards her, Kayla tried to retreat, but her limbs wouldn’t respond to her frantic commands. Terror replaced her smugness. Always before, she’d knocked down anything in her path, but this thing coming towards her didn’t seem to be fazed by the magic.

  Keaton advanced, grabbing hold of Kayla. She felt the life being forced from her as he lowered his mouth to hers, sucking the very breath from her lungs.

  “I’m going to take this slowly; it’s been a long time since I’ve had a decent meal. If I’d known all this time I sheltered such a feast, I would have awakened your powers long ago.” He dragged her deeper into the room.

  Kayla slumped against him, almost unconscious. She passed out as she hit the ground.

  * * *

  Roo could feel Kayla slipping away from him. His connection to her wavered and his heart hiccupped. The damn girl couldn’t keep herself out of trouble if she tried. He hoped that they weren’t too late.

  They reached a seedy club in a derelict part of town. Keaton. When Gannon made the move to go forward, Roo blocked his way. Creeping forward, he peeked through a half open door, his body quivering. Deciding not to heed him, Gannon walked forward with Karn close behind. Roo’s heart stopped. Kayla slid to the ground from the arms of a monstrosity. Gannon peered around the opening. He bit him on the leg, pulling him away. Karn, keep the damn fool back. He motioned for Gannon to wait, before creeping back to the cracked doorway; Roo knew that Keaton’s wards probably hadn’t been changed since they’d left a few mornings ago. The daemon just wasn’t that smart. He knew his animal energy wouldn’t trip them. If only he could keep that hotheaded Mage at bay.

  He knew Gannon was coming to care for his mistress. He wasn’t sure how that made him feel. He just had to get her out, especially since Keaton had found out Kayla wasn’t some tw
o bit courier he could control.

  Not wanting to give them away, Roo nosed the door open further before starting across the floor. He crept close enough to see the faint rise and fall of her chest, relieved.

  Keaton liked to play with his food. Roo grabbed her shoulder with his teeth and pulled her through the debris strewn floor. Careful not to make any noise, he dragged her out the door. Wanting to shimmer so he could hold her in his arms, he knew it was too dangerous even though he trusted his MoonSkin servant and the Mage. Other eyes were watching; best to get out of here fast.

  * * *

  Gannon slumped against the wall, straightening when Roo dragged Kayla into the street. He shoved Roo out of the way to make sure she lived and gathered her in his arms. Her cat appeared plastered to her chest, his nose sniffing her face. Gannon nodded to Karn as Roo led them back the way they’d come. They didn’t have time to kill the daemon, but as soon as he did, that thing would never bother her again, he swore it. Gannon didn’t know how long they had before Keaton discovered her gone and he didn’t feel safe taking her back to the T’ween. By now, Covington had told the resistance some nonsense that would put a price on their heads.

  Wracking his brain, Gannon tried to think of a safe place for her to heal, and then he had it. With his head, he pointed the way down an alley. Karn made some noise and Roo turned to follow.

  Gannon concentrated, remembering every detail of the place. It had to work. If only for a short time, they would be in her special space, outside of time; dangerous magic, but there was a strong need.

  * * *

  In the darkness, Kayla heard a calling so faint she turned, comfortable, not wanting to leave the peace she’d finally found. But the calling grew more insistent and she rose from the depths, and then the darkness was no more.

  Kayla awoke and laid perfectly still, not wanting to let Keaton know she was awake, but something felt different from the horrifying moment when he’d attacked her. Reaching out with her senses to look around without moving her body, she smelled the familiar scent of the water near her place.