Sanguine

by Carolyn Denman

‘How? You once told me you can’t kill people. For good reason,’ she appealed. ‘You need to stay innocent. You need to be able to cross the Boundary. Please think about this.’

  ‘But I’m not innocent, Tess. I’m furious! That evil bastard nearly killed you and our son, and now he’s murdered my best friend. There are no thoughts or feelings inside me right now that could possibly be considered innocent. I’ve stood by uselessly for long enough. You said it yourself, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the people I love.’

  Chapter 62

  Don’t go, came the ghostly whisper. I can still feel you. You’ve stopped but you’re not gone. Be brave and stay with me, Lainie. Just a little longer. I know you’re probably tempted to go, but let me tempt you too. There’s dancing to be done, and flying.

  The voice wasn’t real. Nothing was real, only memories. Ethereal, ephemeral, ambrosial … like the River.

  There’s so much of the world I still need to show you. And I have a present for you. I’ve been keeping it in my pocket, saving it for you. I know you’ll like it.

  An echo of a loving memory tugged at my heart. It was a thread of a thought from long, long ago. Another life. Another age. Definitely another world. This new world was begging to be explored. It had so much that was tantalisingly familiar about it, and yet at the same time there was nothing specific that I recognised. Staring wide-eyed around me, I delighted at the way the colours kept shifting. Everything glittered and glowed. It was so pretty, and I yearned to leap right into it. It smelled like joy. It sounded like light. It tasted like pure love. So this was what I really was. This was what it meant to be a Cherub.

  When the voice came again it was too muffled to hear.

  Chapter 63

  Tim helped carry Lainie’s body back up the hill and lay it across the back seat of Mick’s Landcruiser, while Bane kept up a monologue of whispers in Lainie’s ear. He couldn’t watch anymore. Bane still had not stopped touching her, even for a second. If he wasn’t holding her face, he was stroking her hand, or laying his head on her lifeless heart. It was a grieving process that Tim found hard to stomach. As his friend, he was going to have to confront him with the hard truth. Lainie was gone.

  Lily came out to meet them, cradling her phone between her ear and her shoulder while carrying an armload of towels so they could dry off a bit. Hanging up, she handed Tim a towel, draped another one over Bane’s shoulders and then turned to the police officer beside him.

  ‘Tess said to tell you that there’s now a short cut and you should be able to drive most of the way. Bane will show you where to leave the road, and then just keep following the fence line north. You should see a path through the bush to your left at some point. Noah and Tess drove through there so hopefully you can follow their tracks. Will you manage without Tim?’

  ‘We’ll have to,’ the policeman replied. ‘Sorry, Tim, it’s a sacred place. You’ll have to stay here with Lily.’

  ‘Of course. Whatever you think’s best.’ Did his relief sound too obvious? He wanted to help, but he didn’t know how much more he could take.

  ‘Lily?’ Bane asked, looking up at her with tears in his eyes. ‘Could you please bring me some paper and a pen? I need to say goodbye.’

  Chapter 64

  Holding his hand, Tess tried as best she could to help ease Noah’s nausea. They were just inside the entrance to the cave, and trying to fight his compulsion by allowing the intruders to come closer was making him physically ill. She wasn’t feeling much better. The danger to him was increasing by the second.

  ‘Please, Noah, this is wrong. It won’t end well. Think of Dallmin. What if he gets caught in the crossfire?’

  ‘I am thinking of him. My soul is screaming at me to keep him away from here, but that’s all. I won’t be able to use my abilities to rescue him from Jake, not until they come here. I need to end this. As soon as Jake sees us, he’ll know we’re involved. I can’t see how I can stay hidden from him after this, which puts us both in danger. Tessa, I don’t want to hide anymore. I want him to see who he’s dealing with.’ He washed his face in the trickling streamlet, and then turned to peer through the tangled lignum that grew along the base of the cliff. The foliage rustled, and a moment later Wendy came bounding out, looking pleased at herself for crossing the river despite having been left behind.

  Tessa reached for his hand again. ‘Sure, but if Jake’s really under some sort of compulsion, then wouldn’t it be better for us to first find out who we’re deal—’

  ‘Besides, it’s too late. They’re coming.’

  Gripping her hand more firmly, he spun and led her into the tunnel. It felt like she was walking through deep soft sand. Her feet were moving and yet she was getting nowhere and she knew that it was simply a dim reflection of what Noah was putting himself through. It was as if he was fighting the very elements to make himself enter the cold passageway. His soul would be telling him to turn back and prevent the intruders from making it even this far, but he fought on, so she had no choice except to follow, with the young kelpie sniffing along behind them. No matter which way Noah went now, he was in danger, so the best she could manage was to tag along and hope she could help when the time came. Logically her head told her that he would be better off with access to his power—her heart wasn’t so sure.

  Reflections of a familiar glow shone in one of the rim pools up ahead, and at the same time she began to hear noises bouncing around the tunnel behind them. Jake and Dallmin had entered the cave.

  Noah’s kiss was frenzied, but his lips lingered next to hers afterward. ‘Stay out of the way, precious lady,’ he whispered, ‘I’ll be fine, I promise.’ He looked directly into her soul with eyes like the restless sea, charming her into submission until she backed quietly into a dark corner. Even knowing he was cheating didn’t mean she could fully resist him. He charmed her with love and affection, and she almost felt like she could trust him enough to just lay down and have a little nap while he dealt with the whole thing by himself. Wendy nudged her hand for a pat, which she ignored, so the dog trotted away.

  Noah went and stood before the fiery sword, arms crossed and eyes blazing, ready to face the invaders. They had caught up quickly.

  The second Jake emerged into their secret cavern, Tessa saw something inside him snap. His body convulsed and he screamed, and he lunged straight towards her sacred charge. Her own reaction to seeing the man who had abducted her was just as reflexive, and it instantly obliterated Noah’s request for her to remain out of the way.

  She leapt for his throat.

  No longer powerless, or fettered by the need to remain unharmed, she found herself revelling in the thrill of combat. She was born for this. Born to leap, to block, to defend. Little Tessa Bright. Primed and ready to take on snotty old Jake Evans. If only the other girls could see her now. As her hands found his neck, she hooked her foot around his ankle, sending them both sprawling together onto the rocky floor. His answering blow was easy to dodge, but he still managed to throw her aside and roll away. She was just too small. She found her feet again quickly, but so did Jake, and completely ignoring her, he darted once again towards Noah.

  Without hesitation the Cherub reached behind him, directly into the blinding fire that furled around the giant spinning weapon. The flames didn’t so much as make him flinch, and Tessa felt no danger from them. The sword stopped spinning just as its hilt found its way to the palm of his hand. As if he had been created to wield it, Noah spun the gigantic blade around to face his enemy. It was a sight she would never forget.

  With eyes blazing with emerald fire, and pale curls framing his beautiful face, her husband was the most stunningly gorgeous and formidable being she had ever seen. And he was silently asking her to hold back. She froze in bleak submission, her limbs trembling with sharp readiness.

  Jake also slid to an abrupt halt, staring at the armed heavenly creature who was blocking the way to the sh
adowed tunnel beyond. Noah’s authority was irrefutable, but it seemed to her that something in Jake’s eyes still looked rebellious. A sense of something distracted her, and she glanced back to see Dallmin peering in from the tunnel. His dark eyes were locked on the Cherub and the sword that siphoned everyone’s attention. At least he wasn’t tied up, and didn’t appear to be injured. Had Jake charmed him into coming? It wouldn’t have been difficult, given Bane’s warning about how desperately he wanted to go home.

  ‘Stay back, Dallmin, I can’t let you pass. Don’t come any closer,’ Noah commanded. The depth of authority layered into his voice made her teeth buzz.

  ‘See, I told you. They won’t even let you try,’ Jake’s oily voice sneered. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Noah? I thought if I kept Lainie and her toy soldier away from here we’d be free to see what that sword can really do. I’ve done all of this for you, my friend. You should have trusted me.’ Jake’s eyes flicked towards Dallmin’s youthful face in thinly veiled irritation.

  Tessa was furious. In his innocence, Dallmin had clearly been tricked into telling Jake their secrets. What had Lainie been thinking, allowing him to go wandering off on his own?

  Noah looked devastated. ‘Don’t listen to him, Dallmin. He’s lying to you. He wants the sword for himself,’ he countered.

  ‘Well, do you blame me?’ Jake cried, gesturing widely. ‘Look at that thing! I can sense the power in it. Isn’t it hot? Those are real flames, aren’t they, Noah? It’s not just some weird party trick?’ For a moment he sounded almost like his old self—the Jake they had known in school, fascinated by a new gadget, but it didn’t last long as he turned back to Dallmin with an arrogant sneer. ‘They’re the ones trying to trick you. They told you that the sword would kill you if you got too close, but it isn’t killing Noah now, is it? They just want the power for themselves.’

  ‘They are Cherubim. They are different to us,’ Dallmin objected, looking from Jake to Noah and then back again.

  Jake scoffed. ‘Cherubim? What the hell are those?’ His eyes narrowed. ‘The only thing that makes them different is that thing he’s holding. Clearly it’s the source of all the power. Whoever has it gets to cross into Eden, isn’t that right, Noah? That’s why you told him to stay away from it. So you could keep the power for yourself. Did you and Lainie stumble on it years ago? You were always mucking around together. Is that when all this started?’

  Noah glared at him. ‘You understand nothing. You have no idea what I am, or what I’m capable of. I won’t let you—’

  Tessa moved before anyone else. She could feel Jake’s intention to pull out the knife he had hidden under his jacket, probably before he really had a chance to even frame the thought. Tackling him from the side, she caught him just as his feet left the ground in a spring-loaded assault, and narrowly avoided being slashed by a wild swing of Noah’s sword that Tessa knew wouldn’t have been fast enough. Pinning Jake down, Tessa jammed the heel of her hand into the blood soaked bandage on his shoulder with as much force as she could. He grunted in a very satisfying way. Stale sweat and smoker’s breath nearly made her gag, but it didn’t prevent her from throwing everything she had into keeping him away from Noah. Jake whined piteously as he fought to throw her off again, probably for Dallmin’s benefit. Sadly, all the baby weight she’d gained was still nowhere near enough to enable her to restrain him. As she felt herself being pushed away, she focused all her attention on Jake’s hand, which was still trying to free the knife. It was only a small weapon, just a steak knife really, but serrated and easily capable of inflicting damage on the man she’d been born to protect. Her drive to defend him left no room to think about the fact that a steak knife would have been no match for the massive mystical sword that Noah was still holding. Biting savagely into his hand, she allowed herself to be thrown aside with a painful jerk once she felt him release the short blade.

  Jake yelled and jumped to his feet again, kicking her in the face. The pain was incredible, and it took all of her concentration to force her eyes to open against it. When she did, she saw Jake scramble backwards with unbelievable speed from a downwards slash of the great sword, but then the bright spots in her vision got in the way and everything became really confusing. Jake’s movements blurred, and no longer matched the sounds she could hear, and she realised that she was sensing his actions right before they happened, as if she was watching the scene unfold with her mind and not with her eyes. She needed to stay conscious, to get up and help. It was so hard. The room spun like a willy-willy, so she decided she would probably see better with her eyes closed. It astounded her to find she was right.

  Noah was advancing on Jake’s cowering form, ready to dispense the unrestrained justice of the sword, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He was as inescapable as winter, and yet, in the next split second, all the rules changed again.

  A new threat triggered reflexes that should have been suppressed by her injured state. Her eyes flew open and she leapt to her feet with a strength and agility that her body didn’t really have. Never had she moved so fast, and yet it still wasn’t enough. She launched herself at Dallmin just as he threw the small pocket knife that Bane had given him. Screaming in fury, agony lashed through her as she felt the knife embed itself between Noah’s shoulder blades at exactly the same moment as her fist connected with Dallmin’s jaw.

  The great sword clattered to the floor, striking sparks against the rock, its fire suddenly extinguished. Quick as a flash, Jake made a grab for it and struck Noah hard across the back of the head with its hilt, knocking him unconscious. As if in slow motion, Tessa watched helplessly as Jake turned towards the Boundary, holding the inert sword by the hilt, and in stunned stupor she realised that the quiescent weapon was now under his control. It would not try to stop him from crossing into Eden, because he was wielding it. Powerful as it was, it was still just a tool, designed to be held and controlled by another, when not in its resting place.

  Changing direction away from Noah’s bleeding form, she scrambled after Jake instead. She would never make it to him before he reached the threshold, but she had to try.

  And in that hung moment of despair, Annie appeared from nowhere like an apparition, her elfin form stark naked. She looked angry as a wet wasp as she spat out each word with an authority that shook the air.

  ‘Where is my daughter?’

  Time froze.

  Then Jake turned and ran.

  Chapter 65

  ‘Noah, wake up. Noah? Please, wake up!’ Tessa laid her hands back on his head, feeling for where things were out of alignment. Heat flashed, and she fought to centre herself to ward off the dizziness yet again. There was not much more to heal but he still hadn’t woken. She had passed out for a while after healing his back because the small knife had pierced one of his lungs and she was already concussed. It had taken longer than she’d liked to summon the strength to heal him completely. How had Bane managed to heal Lainie’s gunshot wound so fast? Her shoulder had been practically ripped apart by that bullet. No wonder he’d blacked out for so long.

  With trembling hands and fuzzy thoughts, she searched for something else to heal. Had she taken too long to repair his lung? How long had she been unconscious? Had he even been breathing while she was out cold? Or perhaps it wasn’t a physical ailment keeping him under. He had just tried to deliberately kill someone. Even though he’d failed, what would the consequences be?

  ‘Noah, please. I need you. Your son needs you. Eden needs you. Wake up!’ she pleaded.

  With a feeble flicker, he blinked away the sweat that cradled his lashes, and she sobbed and laid her forehead against his. ‘Oh, thank God! I thought I’d lost you. I was about to get Annie to take you across. I thought I’d never see you again …’

  ‘Tessa. Pretty girl. You’re hurt. I stuffed up again,’ he muttered.

  ‘No, you doofus. I’m fine. Shut up and rest.’

  �
�What happened? I was about to kill him. What went wrong?’

  She looked over to where Annie was sitting against a stalagmite, cradling Dallmin’s head in her lap and singing softly. The man was still out cold. She had thrown a pretty good punch. ‘Dallmin learnt how to fight. He threw a knife at your back because I couldn’t get to him in time.’

  ‘Dallmin?’ he asked incredulously, sitting up to see. ‘But why? He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Literally. He was devastated when I told him what a fly-swat was. I don’t understand.’

  Smiling at the sudden clarity of his speech, she once again marvelled at how completely she was able to heal him, even though she herself was still struggling to spit her words out from her own swollen cheek.

  ‘Jake tricked him into thinking we were keeping him from even trying to cross. It wouldn’t have been hard, he’d never come across the concept of deceit before. For some reason he thought the sword could help him.’

  Noah stood up with his usual graceful energy, healthy but anguished. He helped her up and then absently rubbed the back of his shoulder. ‘He was right, sort of. The sword does clean people from the taint, but he still wouldn’t be able to go home.’ He swallowed hard. ‘It does it by killing, like it did … with Mum.’ Unstrung by the exposed reminder of his mother’s death, his eyes were haunted by the one wound she could never heal for him. His voice grew hard as he continued. ‘Except that once I removed it from its resting place I think I kind of … switched it from auto to manual. Jake has it now, doesn’t he?’

  She nodded.

  ‘I’ll have to go after him,’ he said.

  ‘Not yet. Lainie and Bane are on their way.’

  ‘I know, I can feel …’ He sucked in a stern breath. ‘I can feel Bane, and the sergeant is coming too. He’s a good man. He’s trying hard not to think too much about Eden. He really does want to help.’