Calm Before the Storm

by Cara Lake

  She heard him. She knew.

  “Irina!”

  Back to reality, Tyr heard Cassi’s cry and watched helpless as Irina crumpled into a heap at the foot of the guard who let go of her arm the instant she fell. Cassi struggled to reach her, wrenching away from her jailor’s grip and gathered Irina onto her lap.

  At the same moment Tyr’s eye was caught by Abrasax removing the two pendants from the safe. Knowing instinctively that Cassi would help Irina, he had to act on the distraction she had caused and went full throttle for his quarry. He landed on Abrasax with the full force of his body weight, slamming him down to the ground, at the same time ripping the pendants from his grasp.

  Abrasax stayed down, blood dripping from his temple where his head had bounced off the table. Tyr’s action was so fast that the guards and Alcina were taken by surprise. He sprang back up again before they had even moved. “Cassi!” he shouted, “bring Irina. Now!”

  To her credit Cassi didn’t hesitate. Her two-thousand-year-old instincts came into play. She kicked out at the nearest guard, knocking his legs out from under him. He crashed to the ground. The second guard went for his gun but Cassi was too quick, the knife she had given Irina finding its target. The guard fell, blood streaming from his chest.

  Tyr took the opportunity to grab Alcina in a chokehold. “Grab their weapons, Cassi!” She did.

  “What game are you playing now, Tyr? Whose side are you on?” Cassi eyed him suspiciously.

  “No game, Cassi,” he said. “I’m on the same side as I’ve always been. Mine and Irina’s.”

  “Glad to hear it,” she said. “Now what shall we do with this bitch?”

  “Kill her.”

  “That’s a bit cold-blooded of you,” said Cassi.

  “You know what they say,” said Tyr. “Take no prisoners.”

  “Did you hear that, Alcina? Tyr wants to kill you.”

  Alcina struggled as Tyr tightened his hold. “Go to hell!”

  “It won’t be us going to hell, Alcina. Maybe we should take you to the Eunomi council. They have a number of methods for dealing with traitors.”

  “I will kill you, Cassi, and Irina, the little bitch won’t know…”

  Alcina crashed to the floor, Tyr shrugging at Cassi’s look of reproach. “She was threatening Irina,” he said knowing it was all the explanation he needed to knock someone unconscious. “And we need to get moving.”

  “Agreed.”

  Tyr stalked to where Irina lay. She was just beginning to stir as he gathered her into his arms, breathing in her scent, the warmth of her skin soaking into his chest, chocolate curls lying soft against his cheek.

  “Tyr,” she murmured.

  “Sssh! I’m here now,” he whispered into her hair.

  “You are such a bastard,” she muttered, nuzzling into his neck.

  “I thought we were past all that!”

  “We are, but I can still say it. You put me through hell.” Her eyes locked on his.

  “Never again,” he swore, kissing her forehead. “I guess Alcina didn’t give you my message.”

  She shook her head, amber eyes heavy with regret. “I’m sorry, Tyr. I should have had more faith in you.” Tyr held her even more tightly. “But you did, you came for me even though she didn’t give you the message and that means everything.”

  “Why did you go?” Irina asked. “The Eunomi think you’re working for Abrasax.”

  “I had to,” he explained. “Abrasax has Sal’s daughters. He killed both Sal and Leah and threatened the girls unless I helped him locate the pendant. I came back to find them but they’re not here now. They’ve been taken to Ophiuchus.”

  “Maybe the Eunomi can help.”

  “I’m hoping they can.”

  “You can put me down now Tyr, I’m fine,” said Irina.

  He did. “I meant what I said earlier.” Tyr kept a tight grasp on her hand.

  “I know.” She smiled up at him her eyes locked in his gaze. In that moment Tyr was floating, soaring in the pool of warm air that enveloped them, a circling coil of energy, infinitely weaving a timeless web to bind them together in a union so perfect that everything but the woman in front of him melted away into nonexistence.

  He loved her beyond measure and his hand tightened to pull her closer to show her just how much when Cassi’s voice intruded, breaking them apart. “Ahem! Sorry to butt in on the reunion. You can kiss and make up later. Right now we have a problem.”

  Tyr had a problem withdrawing his eyes from Irina’s, but he knew Cassi was right and turned to face her, alert to the serious expression on her face. “We need to get you both and the pendants out of here,” she said.

  “Okay, lead on.” At that he grabbed Irina’s hand, again urging her forward to follow Cassi out the door. Leaving the room, Tyr caught a glimpse of Abrasax beginning to stir. “We’d better hurry, they’ll be onto us soon,” he shouted to Cassi as they ran down the corridor, heading for the stairs.

  It was the Friday before a bank holiday and Abrasax Tower was quieter than usual, most of the businesses located there having closed up early, giving their staff a long weekend break. They met very few people, managing to evade Abrasax’s guards by crossing floors to change stairwells periodically. The tactic worked until they reached the twenty-second floor. As they crisscrossed through the empty offices of an advertising agency, Tyr felt a stinging sensation that forced the hairs on the back of his neck to stand to attention. They were not alone.

  Turning the next corner, he was unsurprised to see a huge warrior in black armor standing before them. Unfortunately he also was not alone. Hordes of what Tyr now knew as shedu in their true beast form were at his back.

  The warrior spoke one word, making Cassi flinch. “Cassiopeia.”

  “You know him?” asked Irina a catch of fear in her voice.

  “Could say that,” replied Cassi, her eyes darting as if searching for the nearest escape.

  “Get behind me,” growled Tyr planting his massive frame in front of the two women. Cassi pulled at his arm. “It’s no good, Tyr. We can’t beat them. Look behind.” Tyr pivoted to the sight of another legion of shedu at their rear. Outflanked and outnumbered.

  The dark warrior moved toward them, his armor a matte blackness absorbing light as he moved with a fluidity that contradicted the mass of his huge frame. He was as tall as Tyr but seemed twice the size. “You are to come with me.” He gestured them to move forward, the guards coming up from behind to grab their weapons.

  Tyr dragged Irina into the crook of his arm, a protective embrace. She was not to be touched. Cassi was right. There were too many of them but he still had a couple of weapons concealed the shedu hadn’t found. He was patient, would wait for the right moment.

  He watched warily as the warrior advanced toward him. The dark warrior stopped two feet away. “I’m sorry,” he said, his deep voice sounding almost regretful as he drew his blade from its sheath. Without pausing, the warrior drove the tip deep into Tyr’s chest using a fast, fluid motion. He withdrew it just as quickly, watching impassively as Tyr fell to his knees.

  A sobbing choking sound broke from Irina and she fell with him still holding on to his arm. He blinked once, too shocked to speak. The pain was agonizing, but it wasn’t his pain he felt. Blue tendrils, threads of electricity shot toward him binding his chest, reaching out to stanch the wound. It was only Irina’s pain he registered, sharp lacerations ripping through every cell even as her soul reached out for his, holding him afloat and keeping the darkness back. “Tyr!” He heard her terrified cry.

  He stared up at Irina, watching paralyzed as tears streamed in rivers down her cheeks. He felt her arms straining to hold on to him as his body shuddered and he fought to stay awake. His lids were heavy but he struggled to keep them open not wanting to lose sight of her beautiful face. She was screaming at him as his body spiraled into freefall and drifted into a bank of fog. “Tyr! Open your eyes. Don’t—” Her words echoed in the distance. He exhaled a
final breath and was carried away into darkness.

  Cassi gasped in horror and utter confusion at the sight of Irina lying over Tyr’s body, a sobbing, broken wreck. She turned to the dark warrior, eyes drawn to the blood dripping from his blade staining the floor a dark crimson. She searched the obsidian mask endeavoring to find some reason behind his action but saw only a void in the black slit. “You’re sorry!” she yelled. “You bastard!” The warrior stood motionless. Immoveable. “Why the hell did you do that?”

  “No one betrays Abrasax.”

  “He needs Tyr alive, you idiot,” sneered Cassi. “How are you going to get his essence if he’s dead?”

  “He’s not dead yet.” The warrior motioned to the shedu. “Take the women to the transport,” he ordered. “This one,” he said, indicating Tyr, “goes to Abrasax.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Abrasax Tower was deserted. The few remaining shedu Discordants still in residence having been swiftly rounded up by Borealis and his Eunomi warriors. It had taken some time to dismantle paralysis traps left by Abrasax to slow them down but the wiccani were able to scry for such devices quite easily. Even so, Merak couldn’t hide his concern. Cassi, whom he had known for hundreds of years, was missing in action and Irina had vanished along with Alcina who had dropped off the radar.

  Things were getting out of control, a pervading sense of chaos and disorder eating into the fabric of time, poised over their heads like an axe waiting to fall. Realignment was so close and the scales were tipping away from The Balance, heavily weighing in on the side of discord.

  The wiccani were urgently scrying for some trace of Irina and Cassi as well as that bastard Tyr. Merak feared that Cassi’s loyalty to Irina had led her to follow in Irina’s misguided footsteps and that Alcina’s loyalty to Irina’s mother had driven her to help.

  “They’re gone, Merak,” said Borealis, breaking in on his thoughts. “The shedu we captured are hissing that they’ve all gone to Ophiuchus, probably to Serpens City. They left for the nearest starportal an hour ago.”

  “If that’s the case they must be planning the extraction ritual.”

  “We will need a full force of Eunomi warriors,” said Borealis shaking his head, “if we’re to go in and liberate Irina. We can’t afford to let the Discordants have control of her essence, or Tyr’s for that matter. If they gain control of War and Peace, the implications for the universe will be disastrous.”

  “How do we do this?” asked Merak. “I know we’ve sent squads to Ophiuchus in the past, but it’s not easy and we don’t know exactly where they are.”

  “Ah!” Borealis smiled at him in satisfaction. “Luckily for us the Ophiuchi are very mercenary. I have any number of informants who will be willing to trade the information for the right price and one in particular who should be easily able to tell us what we need to know.”

  “Can they be trusted?”

  “No, but knowing that gives us the advantage and we have to start somewhere.”

  “Get in touch with your informants, Borealis. I don’t need to remind you how important this mission will be. We’re going to need the Concordia to sanction the use of full force against the Discordants, with the possible need for execution of an identified Esseni.”

  “You mean Tyr.”

  “We can’t afford to take chances,” replied Merak. “The Discordants now have both pendants and both Esseni. They can control both essences by coercion. If Tyr is a willing ally of theirs, they won’t need Irina, just her essence, and so they will kill her. Better we execute Tyr and try to save her. I need to save her, Borealis. Irina has been a daughter to me for nearly fifteen years. I can’t fail.”

  Borealis clasped Merak’s shoulder in sympathy, his warrior eyes intense, holding a vow. “We won’t fail, Merak, I promise you that. Irina will be safe and if Tyr has to die, then so be it.”

  “Tyr has to die?” Luc’s voice broke in on their discussion. At six foot two, Luc was dwarfed by Borealis, who looked down at him from his massive six-foot-eight frame, brows drawn together in confusion. “Who is this?” he asked Merak, still concentrating his vision toward Luc.

  “Ah!” said Merak. “I forgot you haven’t meet Lucius Whitaker yet, Borealis. He is also an Esseni, although as yet we are not sure which essence he holds.”

  “Its Luc, Merak, you know I hate being called Lucius! And what were you saying about Tyr?”

  Borealis turned to Luc again. “He’s betrayed us, Lucius. Therefore he dies.” Luc’s blue eyes blinked with concern as he ignored Borealis’ use of his full name. “What about Irina? Much as I hate to say it, I think she really loves the guy.”

  Merak sighed. “She might but he cannot be allowed to lend his essence to the Discordant cause. What we really need to do is find her. Tell us again what you saw earlier outside. Maybe Borealis can figure out what was going on.”

  Luc thought back to his lonely vigil. He had been contacted by Merak when Irina went missing and then by Cassi who had been extremely worried when she found out that Irina had not made contact with him. Finally, hours later after still no word from Irina, Merak had asked him to watch the comings and goings from Abrasax Tower and keep a note of who went in and out.

  He had stood watch for hours, waiting for Merak and his warriors to arrive. Not much had happened at first but then his attention was drawn to a number of black vans entering the underground car park. Intrigued, he had managed to gain entry by using his usual charm with the receptionist, flashing his baby blues and claiming forgetfulness for not having his security pass. From a hidden vantage point in the car park, he had watched as numerous black-clad security guards loaded the vans with boxes.

  Just as he was losing interest, a side door creaked open and an exotic blonde creature wearing green emerged with two guards and two gray huddled figures. He had found himself mesmerised by the blonde, her stunning, curvy form grabbing his attention, hips swaying with feline grace as she barked out orders to the guards.

  His eyes would have remained on her but for the sudden radiation of energy he experienced surging out of his body, a trailing ray of bright white that shot forward to meet a dark consuming shadow that encompassed the gray disheveled figures shuffling behind the blonde woman. He realized that these two forms were bound, chains around their ankles, which accounted for the shuffling, and handcuffs on their wrists. His shock was profound. The two girls were shackled as if slaves. They were dirty, in rags and appeared so browbeaten that Luc cursed himself for not noticing their plight sooner. He focused on the two girls. They both had long dark hair, their faces obscured but the taller one suddenly went rigid, alert, her face pivoting to stare in his direction.

  As Luc pressed himself back into the shadows to avoid detection, his whole body shuddered as a wave of pitch darkness seeped into his bones almost enclosing him in an inky shroud. Only he didn’t feel threatened. It was almost as if the shadows were calling to him, offering protection but also seeking some brightness inside him. He tried to discern the girl’s features but her hair covered most of her face.

  The luminous energy inside him reached out, striving to wrap around the tendrils of blackness, wanting to offer illumination and warmth. Something about the girl resonated in his consciousness. She was a lost soul. They were both lost souls and his body pulsed with an urgency, a need to claim them back.

  The blonde woman moved in front of her, breaking the link forged by shadow and radiance. He could only watch, helpless as the van doors slammed shut and the two girls were swallowed up into the brilliant vivid sunshine of the street.

  Even now, Luc found it hard to explain what had happened. His body still vibrated with the residue of that energy and a darkness inside that was a desolate hollow emptiness. It was as if he had lost some piece of himself that was an essential part of his existence and he couldn’t shake off the image of the girl, rigid in her chains, the picture now seared into his brain. He told Merak and Borealis about the boxes, the girls and the blonde but didn’t elaborat
e on the specifics.

  Luc’s stomach churned with unusual anxiety. He was the optimist, the joker. Nothing took him down. Only today was different. Irina and Cassi, both like sisters to him, were in mortal danger, the plight of the two girls in shackles was a heavy weight on his conscience and it looked as though Tyr was a traitor. He only hoped the Eunomi had a plan. It would need to be a good one.

  * * * * *

  Irina didn’t know if Tyr was dead or alive. The horror of the moment the dark warrior’s blade plunged into his chest kept replaying in her head, like a gory slow-motion scene in a horror movie. The slicing agony pierced her own heart, grinding deeper and deeper each time she saw it happen, until she knew that her own organ had disintegrated, her arteries bleeding angry red tears.

  Heartbreak and utter disbelief had cast Irina into a shock so great that she barely registered the journey to Ophiuchus. Her body nothing more than an automaton, senses numb to anything but the one thought in her head. Tyr was dead. She had tried to hold him, had cast out her energy through the magnetic connection that flowed between them, striving to keep him afloat. It had worked for a while.

  She had felt his pulse hammering through the link into her veins synchronizing with the beat of her own heart. Then the shedu had dragged her away, the connection severing with a sudden agonizing wrench. The loss had left her bereft, without an anchor so that she was nothing more than a fragile leaf tossed helplessly on the winds of a storm. She had no memory of the last few hours. Days? She didn’t know how long it had even been since they had dragged him away from her. Her devastation was total. If Tyr was gone then she would cease to exist.

  Irina could already feel herself fading away, melting into a vacuum of nothingness. Cassi had tried to snap her out of listlessness, goad her into anger and force her to fight. But all Irina wanted was Tyr, the other half of her soul. Time meant nothing to her now. It was only when Cassi finally lost patience and decided on drastic action that Irina had no alternative but to face the present. “For god’s sake, Irina, snap out of it!” shouted Cassi as she slapped Irina’s cheek.