Was she dreaming? Was this her afterlife? Soft, weightless warmth pressed down on her chest. She opened her eyes, seeing Nyx looking down at her, nose to nose; his bright orange eyes seemed concerned. We almost lost you, dear one. A wave of dizziness sickened her. She closed her eyes to quell the spinning. When she opened them again, Nyx still sat on her chest, purring.
The lovely floating feeling began to lift and the weight of the pain in her body almost overcame her. She sat up cautiously, deciding she must be safe, but unable to believe it.
Roo padded over, giving her a quick lick across her cheek, bumping his head against hers. Kayla petted his ears, grateful for the contact.
His presence healed a part of her she didn’t want to explore. Then she saw his stormy blue eyes. Gannon stood back from the others. Her heart lurched. She saw that they were in the special place, but not all the elements were there
Gannon knelt beside her, crushing her against him. His ragged breathing caught at her, and she wondered why they all seemed so subdued. She cuddled deeper in his embrace before extracting herself, looking at them all in question.
“We’d thought you were gone, you were still for so long. What do you remember?” Karn moved into her field of vision. She jumped, startled, having not seen him there in the shadows.
She wrinkled her brow in concentration. “I remember being next to the falls, and you, Karn, coming for Rosen. Then I remember waking as if from a dream and a creature with Gannon’s face dragged me into Keaton’s building. I used my power on Keaton, but nothing seemed to work on him. He had me in his arms and then I was here. That’s all I remember.” Kayla snuggled back against Gannon as he coiled his arms around her.
“How did we come to be here, and why does it feel off?”
“We’re here because I don’t think it’s safe for you in the T’ween. Something or someone has broken my defenses. You need time to heal. It feels off because this isn’t the real place, only a representation of it in an astral plane.
“We are here in full body; when we return to our time, no time will have passed. It’s a rare honor that one is able to do it, and the rulers in this place frown on people taking advantage of it, but we had need, and they accepted our petition.” Gannon rested his head on hers, grateful to have her there.
“How long have we been here?” Kayla asked.
“I don’t know,” Gannon answered. “It could be a day, a second, a year. Time has no real meaning here. You seemed to sleep forever and we were afraid that you wouldn’t come back. But Nyx said he would try to summon you, spirit to spirit. Your soul retreated from Keaton to protect what was left of yourself. I need to go back to the T’ween to find out what Keaton is.”
It felt eerie here. She shivered as goose bumps grazed her arms.
“Let us know when you feel up to the trip back.”
Kayla yawned and, comforted by his presence, she drifted back to sleep.
* * *
Gannon looked at his companions in worry. “Has she gone again?”
Nyx studied Kayla for a moment before settling down. No, I think she’s just drifted off into a peaceful slumber. She should feel better when she wakes for your return. But her soul has taken a beating; she’ll need extra wards placed around her soul to guard it while it heals.
It can’t withstand another raping from that daemon. You need to find what will destroy it, and fast if we ever hope to fully heal her. Since he’s taken such a large part, I think that she might be vulnerable to his call.
Though I can’t be sure, he might have been sucking off her energy for years, and Roo and I just didn’t realize it. After what happened, we thought that it was natural for her to be depressed, after he gave her a potion to forget and we didn’t interfere. We just tried to heal her spirit.
Gannon looked at the cat, perplexed. He’d never heard the Guardian make such a long speech. He needed to figure out a way to ward Kayla before they left the astral plane. Reluctant to give her up, he drew her warmth into himself and realized the only way to protect her spirit was with his own.
* * *
When they touched, the bond they created was a ward so strong a white light surrounded them for a second. Nyx stared at Gannon. Did you see what he just did Rafe? He’s covered Kayla’s essence with his own. I can barely see her through his aura.
This isn’t good; if they find out, we could get into a lot of trouble.
Really Rafe, do you truly believe they will come for us any longer?
I have to hope for her sake.
* * *
Kayla couldn’t tell the time when she opened her eyes again, only that she felt different. She couldn’t put her finger on what had changed but, for the first time in her life, she felt whole. Stretching, she felt Gannon’s warmth at her back and Roo’s at her front. She didn’t want to wake them.
Kayla froze as she felt Gannon encircle her with his arms, fine until she felt something other than warmth from him. Squirming, she got up laughing.
“Ready to go, you big lug?” she asked, feeling refreshed but unsure what to do with the emotions he brought forth in her.
“Sure. I guess I am at that.” He nudged Karn with his foot. “I think it’s time we headed back to the T’ween and find out what we can of the daemon before someone else ends up as his lunch.”
Kayla got a wary look in her eye and nodded. “I guess you’re right, but I think we need to come up with a way we can identify each other before we go.”
“I agree.” He parted the veil and sent them all back into the T’ween.
22
Kayla watched Gannon searched his workroom for his text on daemonology. She shook her head, not wanting to look at a book full of daemons. Instead, she studied the messy room. She’d been there too many times in the last few days. A shudder ran down her back.
Her bloodied shirt still lay on the floor where Gannon had cut it off after her run in with the Hidalgo. While the others looked at the book, she started picking up. With every move, she could feel Gannon’s eyes on her; yet another reason she wanted some space.
She walked around his room, thumbing open texts about places she’d never been and wiping them down as she went. Eventually, she found a bucket and went to work on the bloodstained floor. It seemed to take hours before the others looked up from the book and took a break.
Gannon reached down to help her up and took the bucket to the sink before she could protest. Stretching her back, she surveyed her work. It surprised her how clean she’d gotten the place.
He turned to her, his blue eyes hooded. “Why don’t you go lay down for a bit and I’ll cook us all a meal?”
Kayla nodded warily. Now that he mentioned it, she did feel a little tired. She lay down on the cot he kept in the workroom and watched Karn and Gannon putter around. Roo jumped up on the bed, curling around her feet.
Hours later, Gannon shook her awake and the aroma of bacon, coffee and eggs greeted her. She still felt drained.
“Have you found anything?” she asked and sat down at the table.
Gannon handed her a plate of food. “No.”
She scrunched up her face. “I want to help. Could you please bring me the book?”
Gannon looked at her for a long moment and she shifted, uncomfortable, until he got up and gave her the book. She shivered when he handed it to her.
Disorientation filled her mind, faint at first, but stronger the longer she held the book. She flipped through the pages, her hands moving as if they had a will of their own. There he was, staring out at her from the page. Her hands trembled and the book slipped through her fingers.
“I don’t feel so good, Gannon.” Kayla stumbled to the cot and lay down again.
* * *
“That’s it. Something’s really wrong with her, Karn.” Gannon set the book to the side. He remembered Nyx had said her soul needed time to mend. If they didn’t destroy Keaton soon, she might never heal. The more time passed, the weaker she became. Gannon lay down next to her, cra
dling her in his arms. Something wasn’t right. He closed his eyes and focused on their inner bond.
“Karn, something’s breaking through my ward. It’s siphoning off her energy. What did Nyx say?” He fought to contain the leak.
“Something about the daemon being able to summon her. Why?” Karn said.
“Maybe that’s what’s happening. Since she can’t go to Keaton in person, her soul is trying to attend her new master in an astral plane.” He swallowed his fear, knowing he couldn’t hold the wards if she sought to break them.
Gathering her close, he sealed most of the drain on her essence. He wondered if the daemon even knew what was happening. He laid her back on the cot, then went to the book. He stared hard at the face of his enemy. The quote under the picture read:
Nothing of note is known about this daemon.
He threw the book across the room. Reality dawned, bringing horror as Gannon realized there was nothing he could do. That creature was sending the constructs here for something.
“Karn, get Kayla. We’re taking her to Jubi’s clan. They healed her once. Maybe they can do it again.” He only hoped he wasn’t too late. He shifted them back to the main T’ween.
They broke out of the trees and found several of the wolves milling around, dazed. Gannon held out a hand, waving Karn forward. He took Kayla and nodded in the direction of the wolves. Some lay in heaps, not moving. Others limped. Karn and Roo moved seamlessly forward without a word.
Gannon held Kayla against his chest, looking around for a soft place to lay her down. He worried that the daemon could still drain so much out of her after he’d set up the ward.
The wolves seemed agitated as Gannon approached. Karn and Roo talked to them in quiet whispers. At last, a few began to shimmer and shift back into human form.
* * *
Jubi hunted for his fellow Sprites. He found many of them hiding, some crying over the dead, while others lay wounded. He didn’t know how they’d lost so many. He didn’t have the heart to acknowledge to himself who he searched for as he found others lying in tattered heaps of broken wings.
Silent weeping seared his soul. Not quite knowing why he followed the unheard call, he found Seri in the dimness. Her light barely flickering, he could feel her, wounded without wounds. Her pain shot through him in droves. He fluttered closer.
“Seri?” he whispered, aching to take her in his arms, but he dared not, fearing her reaction.
She gave a slight hiccup, looking at him through her tears.
“Jubi? Jubi, is that you?” Hovering, she looked ready to flit away in fright. He nodded, unsure. She heaved a great sigh of relief. Thrusting herself into his arms, Seri trembled, crying in great sobs. He held her until she calmed herself.
“What happened here?” Jubi asked, fearful of sending her into a fresh bout of tears.
“Some of the Mages Gannon brought back started fighting against the others. His daughter attacked Rosen and the child.” Seri paused, a faraway look on her face.
Jubi waited for her to come back.
“There was something odd about her. Even as she fought, she did so in jerky movements. I cannot describe what it looked like, Jubi; they were like puppets.” Seri shuddered, her light flickering dull colors. “That wasn’t the worst of it, though. Our clan fought against itself, and none of us know now what occurred. It was as if from a distant dream we moved, unable to cry out. Our limbs did not obey even the simplest commands.”
He held her tightly. “We’ll get through this. There are many wounded, but I think that we can save most.” He patted her back, rubbing absently along her wings.
A sharp slap brought him out of his thoughts. He rubbed his cheek and looked over at a very angry Seri. “What?”
“I’ll thank you not to think you can be familiar with me, Jubi. You may be my Clan Lord, but my body is my own.” She glowed a volatile red.
With growing horror, he realized what he had done. Cursing himself, he hovered near her and bit out, “You may not at this moment believe it, but I meant nothing behind what has occurred here. I meant only to comfort you.”
When she didn’t respond, he looked away.
“Gather the others. Tell them to meet in the center circle near the falls within the hour.” He noted that her angry colors dimmed before she flew off, giving him some hope. He smelled the soft scent of her tears against his skin, and an unbearable longing filled him.
Jubi watched her go, crushing the overwhelming need to follow and protect her. When she was too far to see any longer, he spun around, flying to the clearing. He knew Gannon would want a report as soon as possible, and that he had his own worries of the heart, though Jubi doubted that he would admit it even to himself.
The fiery princess had won his heart and loyalty, but she didn’t yet know that she held the power of the ancients in her hands. Recent events worried him. Things might not come out in the end as the Sprites had hoped, yet their prophecy couldn’t be all wrong. It had spoken of her return. For that matter it had spoken of Gannon as a young man.
Jubi narrowly avoided the outstretched claws that batted at him to bring him from the sky. He swerved sharply, cursing as he banked, barely avoiding a nearby tree.
“Damn it, Nyx!” he snapped at the cat, disgusted that he’d been so out of it. No doubt the filthy animal was just reminding him of the danger that lurked at every corner.
You’re needed now to sever the bond. Take her to the circle or all is lost. Bind her to Fae-kin in the great healing you’ve in mind this night. Protect her, for in her is your very salvation.
Jubi nodded numbly as Nyx faded from view and disappeared. He sped faster through the woods, coming upon the clearing, knowing that he would have to get past Gannon’s protection if he was to do as Nyx demanded. He realized that requesting Gannon’s help might backfire, but it was the only way to get through the Mages strong defenses he could even now see swirling around her.
* * *
Gannon snuggled against Kayla, hoping his warmth could keep at bay the darkness devouring her soul. He knew that physical contact strengthened the bonds of his power, but he reluctantly admitted it wasn’t enough. He could feel something indefinable building. Burrowing his face into her hair, he felt her stir, whimpering in her feverish sleep. Opening his eyes as he felt the presence in the clearing shift, he sought the soft glow of his friend's light and realized something important had happened to Jubi. Smiling slightly, Gannon thought Jubi must have finally made the first step with Seri. But something was off, making him uneasy. Jubi was coming in too fast and he seemed agitated.
“You need to take Kayla to the circle before it’s too late and he steals all of her life force.” Jubi flitted beside the pair with his warning.
Gannon gathered Kayla to him without a word. He didn’t know what Jubi was about, but he trusted him. He swiftly strode across the clearing and knelt in the circle. Jubi followed him.
“You can stay, Gannon, but do not interfere no matter what you feel. The others have been badly injured and many are battle scarred. Open yourself and let the circle magic flow through you. The more you're open, the easier it will be. But remember, my friend, Sprite magic is different from yours and it will feel so.”
Gannon felt hesitant, but he was willing to do anything to save her and he trusted Jubi. Holding Kayla tighter, he focused within their bonds, realizing just how close to death she was. He made contact within them, preparing to open when Judi gave him a signal.
* * *
Jubi watched Gannon, satisfied that he would do as he was asked. He glanced up as his kin started trickling in. He felt saddened that he hadn’t been here for them in their time of need. His heart bled as he slowly counted the missing faces.
Those who could fly flew in supporting those who could not. Their number severely diminished, his heart craved vengeance, but his mind knew that it wasn’t yet time for that. Jubi looked for Seri in the crowd. When his gaze lit on her, he softened momentarily as warm emotion flooded in.
He began to drift through the circle, adding his protective light to the circle's defenses, calling on his kin of old to bring healing to this place through time and space.
Humming, he sang a song of renewal and slowly the dance began as those who could added their voices to his in the instinctual knowledge passed on through kith and kin. He went faster, round and round, singing silently the words of binding as minds merged as one. Then he stood before Gannon, forcing him through his daze to acknowledge the plea set forth in her soul.
He knew that something had gone wrong as he watched Gannon begin to dance. Below the clan consciousness, he could feel Gannon in a mindless daze. He also felt on a lower level still the steady thump, thump of Kayla’s heart as she slowly regained her strength. He knew that the daemon's hold had broken and her magic mingled wildly within the clan, adding to it as they added to hers the ancestral knowledge, breathing life into the long forgotten memories of her people, the twin kin of their own. And they remembered. Then Jubi himself was lost in the primal beat.
* * *
Kayla woke up, groaning, and put her hand to her head. She looked over at Roo, her face momentarily brightening before wincing in pain.
“I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, Roo.”
He loped over to her, licking the side of her face. She laughed weakly, roughing up his fur before placing her head against his.
“There’s my boy. How you’ve been, huh?” The love she felt for him overwhelmed her.
She looked up and around, her eyes spotting the large man who lay next to her. Gratitude and something else poured through her. She didn’t remember what he’d done, but she was sure he’d saved her life.
The small Sprites overwhelmed her with faint memories that she didn’t remember, but was sure that they weren’t really a part of her life although they felt as if they rightfully belonged to her. All the colors of the world seemed brighter to her this morning. Sighing, she wished they would hurry and wake up. She was getting anxious and an overpowering sense of urgency came over her. That is until she felt an urgency of a more personal nature.
Unbound (Kayla Blackstone) Page 12