I nodded. “I know. He just seems so young and his dad might be in there.”
“I’ll admit it isn’t the ideal situation to start his pack training, but he’s here because he wanted to be.”
We got to the middle of the clearing and I scanned the scene before me. Parker stood in the midst of the bodies directing his men who were cutting the burnt Namaels apart and laying them on the ground side by side. When the last of them had been freed, he came to join us.
“Marilynn, Jasper, Miss Hayden, Hanna, young Teean.”
We all nodded.
“Any clues?” Marilynn was nudging the bodies with her magic, trying to find a trace of the being that might have done this.
Parker shook his head. “Nothing.” He looked over the line of bodies. “It looks like they were all tied and burnt alive.”
Jasper put a hand on Teean’s shoulder. “Alright, man. Let’s go see if we can’t find your father.”
Teean started at the word ‘man’ then nodded, his eyes narrowed in determination. The two of them headed to the first of the bodies on the ground. Teean looked carefully at each one before moving on to the next. Every so often Jasper would say something and get a nod or an answer in return.
They stopped to look at the body that lay in front of us and I could see the tension in Jasper. His jaw was clenched, his face white. It was the same look on all of the other guards not shifted into cats. I knew that some of it was sadness. Jasper had probably recognized a few of the men on the ground. Another part of it was frustration. With no clues to go on, there was no way of catching whoever or whatever was responsible. The worst of it was the fear. It was clear in all of their eyes and I knew it was in mine was well. Melana’s guard was a group of elite fighters, trained to be the best by the best. Yet, whatever this thing was, it was eliminating them one whole pack at a time.
They had made their way three quarters of the way down the line when Teean’s shoulders slumped. Jasper spoke softly to him. Teean nodded, bent down, and lifted something from around the man’s neck. He put whatever it was in his pocket. He stepped back and all of the energy seemed to leave his body. He fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking with the sobs I could tell he was trying to stop.
Jasper knelt beside him and put an arm around the young Namael’s shoulders. Teean leaned against him. I swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump that was forming in my throat. They stayed that way for a few minutes and I noticed how everyone looked away to give Teean his privacy.
“At least if we knew what we were up against we could deal with it.” Parker glanced at the line of bodies and growled.
I felt a nudge and looked quickly to Marilynn just as she glanced at me.
“It’s still here.” My heart was pounding in my chest. I projected my surprise and fear to Jasper who grabbed Teean by the arm and walked back to us, looking around normally.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’re being watched. I felt it and so did Marilynn.”
“If everyone leaves, no one else will get hurt. It’s me he wants.” Marilynn had obviously recognized the nudge.
“What? Who is it?” Teean’s eyes were wide dark blue saucers. He wiped the tears from his face and I could see him refocus all of his attention to the feel of the air around us.
“Aaron. My mate.”
The only one who didn’t look surprised was Parker.
“But I thought the two of you were fated!” Jasper couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice.
Parker shook his head. “I thought we had gotten rid of him.”
“So had I.” Marilynn took a deep breath. “Aaron and I fated young and for a while, everything went well. As time went by, he made it clear that he wasn’t happy with the fact that my magic was stronger than his. When Melana appointed me head sorceress in her court, he lost it. He took me out, making it look like we were celebrating. We got to a secluded spot and before I knew it he was trying to kill me.”
Parker growled low in his throat. “The bastard waited until she was shifted so she couldn’t use her magic. I happened to be walking to the creek to get some fishing in on my days off.” He shook his head and took a step toward her but stopped when she shook her head.
“I don’t think he’s recognized you or you would already be dead.”
He frowned. “I couldn’t care less what he thinks. Let the coward show his face and I’ll make sure I finish the job this time.”
“Parker, please. He’s been building his power for twenty years and by the looks of it, he’s done a good job of it. If he goes after you, I’m not positive I can stop him.”
“So I’m just supposed to let him keep killing my men; to let him try and kill you? By the moons, Marilynn, we may not be fated, but after twenty years together I’ll be damned if I’m going to just let him waltz in here and take you away from me!”
The two of them stared at each other, jaws clenched. It was a battle of who would be more stubborn and at the moment, no one was winning.
I looked to Jasper. He shrugged and shook his head.
Parker took matters into his own hands. He stepped to her with three long strides, took her by the arms and pulled her to him. Marilynn’s eyes widened in surprise as he crushed his lips to hers.
Within a few seconds the air was rolling with magic.
“Teean! Shield!” I took my own shield and pushed it out as hard as I could. I felt my magic hit Teean’s then Marilynn’s who was glaring at Parker.
He shrugged and looked so innocent I knew that, had I not been so scared, I would have laughed. I looked around, trying to pinpoint where Aaron might have been standing. The push sharpened and Teean fell to his knees with a cry. I spread my shield over his.
Men and cats were falling all around us.
“Hayden, can you shield these four?” Marilynn glanced at me before looking to the far end of the clearing. I followed her gaze and saw a tall man with a full head of silver hair. Even from this distance I could see how blue his eyes were. I heard Marilynn suck in a breath and Parker growled.
“Fight him, Mare. Please, Love.” Parker’s voice was just a whisper. Marilynn seemed stuck in place. I remembered how Jasper’s gaze had pulled me after not seeing him for two months and didn’t think I could come close to imagining what Marilynn was feeling after twenty years. I wondered if Aaron was being affected the same way.
“Hayden?” Marilynn’s voice trembled and I felt her shield slipping.
Aaron pointed to her and crooked his finger back, beckoning her. She took a few steps forward. Parker put a hand on her arm.
“Mare?”
“I…I don’t…I can’t…” She put a hand on his. “I can’t fight this. By the moons, Parker, I’m…I’m sorry.” She shook her head like she was trying to clear it. She managed to tear her gaze away from Aaron’s long enough to look at Parker for a few moments. “I love you,” she whispered. Her shield dropped completely and Aaron pulled back on his nudge as she started walking toward him.
Parker took a step to chase after her. Jasper put a hand on his arm and pulled him back. I looked at Hanna who shrugged. Teean was still looking after Marilynn, shock clear on his face.
Marilynn got half of the way between us and Aaron and stopped. Her head fell forward and her shoulders slumped. Parker tensed and Jasper let go of his arm.
I saw Aaron pick a silver wave from the air. Teean was already a step ahead of me. I felt him throw his shield to cover her and I picked one of my darker reds. I threw the wave at Aaron. Jasper and Parker were shifted and running toward Marilynn. Teean grunted as the energy blast hit his shield but managed to keep it intact. Aaron managed to deflect my wave but wasn’t quick enough to block Teean’s who had thrown his a faction of a second after mine. He screamed in pain as the flame engulfed his left arm. He patted it out and threw another wave at Marilynn. This time I was the one to cover her. I felt the silver wave try to pierce through the shield and I almost stumbled. Teean and I took turns throwing waves and coverin
g Marilynn.
I wrapped my shield around her and waited for the push of magic.
“Parker!”
The cheetah glanced up at my scream but was too late to avoid the energy blast. He flew backwards through the air and landed a few feet from Marilynn. Jasper managed to reach the sorceress and tackled her to the ground just as another blast pushed toward them. He shifted and covered her as best as he could, trusting that I would be able to shield them.
With no one standing between us and Aaron, I started to throw everything that I could at him. I picked wave after wave and pushed them through the air. Teean followed suit, keeping Aaron too busy trying to shield himself to be able to throw anything at Marilynn.
I noticed the young sorcerer start to fade as the magic started to take its toll on him. Even I was starting to feel the effort of this battle.
“Teean, on three, throw your deepest red.”
He nodded but kept his attention on Aaron.
“One…two…”
Aaron dropped his shield long enough to try and pick a wave from the air.
“Three!” I took the deepest red wave I had and pulled Teean’s into mine then pushed both of them out as hard as I could. Marilynn’s long lost mate screamed as the fire engulfed him. Teean fell to his knees. I fought the urge to do the same and ran to where Jasper and Marilynn were lying, Hanna right behind me.
“Jasper!”
He looked up at me from under his arm then knelt beside Marilynn who was starting to come to. She groaned and held on to her head.
“Parker?” Her voice was just a whisper.
A wheezy cough answered her as Parker shifted and pulled himself over to where she lay. He stretched out beside her, wrapped her in his arms and closed his eyes. As an afterthought, he opened one of them and smiled at me.
“Thank you, Miss Hayden. I believe the reason I am still here is because you managed to shield me from some of that blast.”
I knelt beside him and ran a green wave over him. “Any time. Unfortunately, you’ll be a bit sore for a few days, but other than that, you’re fine.” I gave his arm a squeeze and turned my attention to Hanna who was checking on Marilynn.
She looked at me and grinned. “The same goes for Marilynn. You two are officially on bed rest for three or four days. This is nothing a bit of sleep won’t fix.”
Everywhere around the clearing the members of Parker’s pack were starting to stir. Groans and growls could be heard. I heard a soft sob and turned to see Teean sitting with his head in his arms. Jasper put a hand on my arm to stop me and headed toward him in my stead. I watched him sit beside the young man then went to the edge of the clearing. I was shocked to find that I felt no remorse or guilt as I looked down to the charred remains of Aaron.
“Bastard got what he deserved,” mumbled Jasper. Teean stood beside him, his fingers playing with an amulet he held in his hand. He nodded in agreement with my mate then turned and walked away without a word.
I wrapped my arms around Jasper. “Are you alright?”
He nodded. “You?”
“Just tired.”
“Alright. Let’s get you home.”
We rejoined our little group and with a lot of moaning and groaning we all managed to make it back to the keep and into our beds for some much needed sleep.
*****
“They’re here! They’re just pulling into port!”
“Thank you, Collin.” Marilynn smiled and took another drink of her tea. Parker kissed her cheek before sitting back down at the table. The two of them had recovered nicely from Aaron’s attack.
Collin gave a quick wave and was out the door in a flash. After finishing our drinks, we followed along behind him.
Whatever I thought the Gysps would look like, this was not it. The first ship threw its anchors overboard and I watched them lower smaller boats filled with beings and goods into the water. The closer to shore they got, the better I was able to see them. In the front of the first boat, the captain of the ship stood and gave a wave to the waiting beings on shore. He was tall and thin. I would have guessed about eight feet tall but only two hundred and fifty pounds. His skin was a deep bronzed color. He had no body hair whatsoever that I could see, not even eyebrows or eyelashes. He was covered in tattoos. The only clothing he wore was a pair of worn cotton pants.
I turned to Jasper. “Are those gills?”
He nodded. “They’re able to breathe under water. Terrific fishermen.” The Gysp captain raised his arm again and revealed the gills that were situated on his side, just below his armpit, even with his breast.
The tall man jumped out of the boat and helped his men pull it onto shore. He looked around at the crowd that had gathered to welcome them. His eyes were a shocking orange color. The pumpkin colored gaze fell on me and widened.
I felt Jasper tense beside me. The Gysp placed his palm over his chest and nodded to me.
“Chirraka delt.”
I looked to Jasper and he shrugged.
“Hi, there. My name’s Hayden.” I took a step forward and was surprised when the man scrambled backward away from me. The rest of the tall people that had made it to shore looked over at the commotion and fifty pairs of orange eyes fell on me. Their owners all touched their chests and nodded quickly.
“They’re warding off evil,” explained Marilynn.
“What?”
“They think you’re evil.”
“What in the world would make them think that?”
“I’m not sure. How about you head back into the keep and I’ll try to find out. By the looks of it they’re thinking of heading back to their ships because you’re here.”
I blew out of my nose, insulted.
Jasper took my hand and smiled. “Don’t worry, Shlova. They probably have you confused with somebody else.”
I gave one more glance backward and let Jasper lead me back to the keep.
We had barely made it back through the gates when Marilynn appeared beside us.
“It’s not you they think is evil,” she started to explain. “They are sensitive to magic. They say you have been touched by evil. By an evil that was stolen from the land across the sea. A magic so black that its only purpose is to destroy life.”
“Braw’s staff.”
She nodded. “They say that so long as the staff is whole, you will be made to carry its curse.”
I shivered. “That doesn’t sound good.”
Marilynn smiled. “Just some more incentive to destroy it.”
“So what’s the curse?”
“I’m not sure. They wouldn’t tell me.”
“Great.”
Jasper was frowning. “If you can, try to find out more.”
She nodded, whispered under her breath and disappeared.
Jasper squeezed my hand. “Are you alright?” I shook my head and he pulled me into his arms. “What do you want to do?”
I took a deep breath and fought the tears that were threatening to start flowing. “Can we go home?”
His arms tightened around me. “Of course, we can go home.”
We had planned on staying another five days in Pinsaber, but with this new revelation, all I wanted was to be in the comfort of our cabin.
Jasper tilted my head up and kissed me softly. “Let’s go tell everybody. We’ll head out in the morning.”
*****
“So, Hayden, keep working on that displacement spell. It shouldn’t take you too long to get a hang of it.” Marilynn had come to the gates to see us off on our journey. “Do you have any last minute questions before you leave?”
I thought for a minute and smiled. “Scamk kees. That’s find?”
She nodded. “You need to have something that belongs to the beings you wish to track. Go to the last place known where this being has been and say the words.”
I thanked her and stuck my tongue out at Jasper who started to laugh.
Dawn gave me a hug and handed me Kara.
“You be a good girl for your ma
ma and daddy, sweet Kara.” I gave my niece a kiss on the forehead. Her almost white eyes blinked at me.
Melana had asked Dawn and Zane to stay at Pinsaber in an effort to keep Kara as safe as possible.
“I still don’t know how I feel about leaving you and Hayden,” Zane was saying.
Jasper looked up at his friend and smiled. “You have a family now. They come first. We understand that.”
“You’re family, too.”
I handed Kara to Jasper and hugged Zane as hard as I could. “We’ll come visit soon. Kara will be much safer here.”
He picked me up off the ground. “You guys be careful. I don’t like this plan of yours.”
“That makes two of us.” Luke was giving Dawn a hug goodbye.
“This is how it needs to be.” Jasper had his ‘that’s final’ look. “If Rainen doesn’t agree to see us, they’ll kill us.” Jasper explained once again. “There’s no need to put everybody at risk.” Our plan was to return home to Sageden, wait out the winter then travel to Howel when spring came to talk to Damian and Rainen. It would be just Jasper and I going.
Matthew kissed my cheek and smiled. “I think that by the next time we’ll see each other, I’ll be ready.”
I laughed. “It should be good timing by then.” I had noticed how his mannerisms toward Melana had seemed much more casual this time around.
When everyone had said goodbye, we started out of the gates. We had been travelling for about ten minutes when a cheetah came running through the woods toward us. It stopped in front of Dodge and shifted.
“Miss Hayden.”
I smiled. “Parker.”
“I was hoping to give you a little something before you left.” He dug into his pocket and held his hand out to me.
I opened mine and smiled at the stone he dropped in it. It was light pink.
“It’s a calling stone,” he explained. “If you ever get in a fix just hold the stone and think of me. It will displace me to where you are.” He closed my hand over it.
Journey 'The Chosen One Trilogy: Book Two' Page 22