A Warrior's Heart

by Donna Grant

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” he asked as he turned to face the table.

  She shrugged. She couldn’t very well tell him she did when she hadn’t seen anything at Stone Crest. He really would be suspicious then. “It’s rather difficult to believe something like that without seeing it for yourself.”

  “Unfortunately, you just might get the chance.”

  “That’s why your defending the castle as if some lord was about to invade?”

  “Aye,” he said as their food arrived. He looked at her as she eyed the food and said, “It’s the best food I’ve ever eaten.”

  Danielle barely tasted the food as she tried to formulate a new plan of attack for Gabriel. She needed to know why he didn’t recognize her, and for her revenge to be complete he needed to remember her.

  They ate in silence while the table was full of laughter and much talk. By the time the meal ended, Danielle decided more questions were the way to go.

  “I apologize if I offended you,” she said softly and shyly looked at him. Her act paid off as he turned toward her.

  “You

  didn’t

  offend

  me.”

  “I’m relieved. Would you then tell me more about the…Shields did you call them?”

  “Aye, the Shields. It’s the name the Fae gave us.”

  “Fae?” She shouldn’t be amazed to know they were involved. After all, if all the Great Evil had told her about the Fae, they were very protective of Earth.

  “They really do exist, Danielle. I know all this is hard to believe, but I speak the truth.”

  She smiled and nodded. “There are many myths and legends that roam these lands, and like most people, I love to hear grand tales but they are hard to believe unless I see them for myself.”

  “Pray you don’t, because if you do, you’ll have found yourself in the middle of this war,” he said solemnly.

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  She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “You asked me about my family, don’t you have family that needs you? A wife and children?”

  He chuckled again, the sound rich and full. “Nay, no wife and children. There isn’t time.”

  “Your brethren seem to have found the time,” she pointed out.

  He looked down the table, and she was amazed to see a hint of sadness in his silver depths. “Aye, they have, but those women aren’t just any women. They are special and will help us end the Great Evil once and for all.”

  “Great Evil?” she asked, hoping he didn’t detect a hint of fear in her voice.

  “Aye,” he said and drank deeply from his goblet. “He has already destroyed Cole’s realm. Roderick’s realm has been fighting the evil for awhile, and we’re all hoping we can end it all before Thales is destroyed.”

  Danielle swallowed hard. She didn’t like what she heard. Surely Gabriel was mistaken. She knew what she had aligned herself with was evil, and she even knew he fought the Fae on several occasions. But the rest…the rest she knew nothing about.

  She focused on Gabriel, on luring more information out of him because the end was near for her and she couldn’t wait to see him lying dead on the ground.

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  Chapter Eight

  Gabriel thought he detected a moment of panic in Danielle’s beautiful hazel eyes as he spoke of the evil and realms being destroyed.

  “That’s what we’re here for,” he reassured her.

  “What?”

  “To fight the creatures the Great Evil sends to destroy villages. That’s how it starts. He lures someone with the promise of power, and he gives them an unusual blue stone about the size of a child’s fist and smooth as silk.”

  “What do they do with it?” she asked, edging closer to him.

  He shrugged and glanced around the hall before returning his attention to her.

  “They call up the creatures with the stones. Whoever has the stones controls the beasts.”

  She scrunched up her face, her large eyes filled with doubt. “A small blue stone controls creatures released to annihilate the world?”

  He smiled. Not many commoners would know such words, yet he said nothing regarding her speech. Instead he said, “Aye. Outlandish isn’t it? We learned early on that if we destroy the stone, it kills the creatures. However, sometimes it’s harder to find the stone than it is to discover who controls it.”

  “Hmm,” she said softly and ran her finger around the top of her goblet. “Why lure someone with the stone? If this Great Evil is so powerful, why can’t he release the creatures himself?”

  “Good question. That is one we haven’t be able to answer, though we do know he likes to pull people to him, to bind them so that they’ll never be free. Men are weak creatures when it comes to power. Most want it so badly they would do unspeakable crimes to attain it.”

  Danielle nodded. “I’ve known some women like that as well.”

  “Aye. I’ve never understood why the thought of power held such sway over a person.”

  “It doesn’t you?”

  He shook his head. “There are some men who are natural born leaders, such as Hugh. Men sense that he can be trusted that he can, and will, lead them out of any fight.

  Men willingly die for leaders like Hugh. But natural leaders most often don’t seek the power that could be there’s.”

  He glanced down the table and saw Hugh give him a penetrating look, one meant to let Gabriel know he needed to delve deeper into Danielle’s past to see what he could discover. Unfortunately, that meant spending a lot of time with her.

  “Did you have a chance to explore the castle today?” he asked her.

  She smiled shyly and shook her head. “I admit I was intimidated and stayed in the chamber Lady Mina gave me.”

  “Would you like a small tour now so you can get your bearings?”

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  “Aye, that would be wonderful. Thank you.”

  Gabriel stood and held out his hand to help her rise. It was another test. If she didn’t take it, she could very well be a commoner who was a great actress that had picked up a good vocabulary. But if she did take it, she was a born and bred lady.

  His grin widened as she placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her rise.

  He admired her curves in the form fitting bodice of her gown. She stood nearly to the top of his chin as she held herself regally, waiting for him to lead her.

  “This way,” he said as he led her around the dais and toward the solar.

  Her steps were graceful, smooth and unhurried. Gabriel found himself admiring her until he remembered that she could very well be a spy from the Great Evil.

  “Tell me something of yourself. Something of a time before you joined the Shields,” she suddenly requested.

  Gabriel pointed to the solar. “That is the solar. It’s Mina favorite chamber, and it’s also where she set up Hugh’s chess board. It’s one of his favorite pastimes, so if you cannot find him anywhere else, look here.”

  She nodded and glanced at him before turning her attention forward as they walked. “You aren’t going to answer me are you?”

  He shrugged and walked farther down the hall. It wasn’t until they had left the laughter and conversations of the great hall that he spoke. “I don’t have memory of anything before the Shields.”

  “What?”

  Gabriel was confused at the surprise and a hint of anger that shown in her eyes.

  “You

  recall

  nothing?”

  He shook his head and moved forward. “The Fae found me by one of their doorways. I was wounded and near dead, but through their magic and healing abilities they were able to save me.”

  “In return you felt obligated to join the Shields?”

  “Nay. I wanted to do something, something worthwhile
as I tried to regain my memories.”

  She was silent for a moment before she asked, “And how long has that been?”

  “Too long,” he answered and steered her into the armory.

  He felt her stiffen beside him. “Why did you bring me here?”

  Gabriel turned and looked at her. “All that I told you tonight is the truth. We Shields have fought and died to keep the Great Evil from destroying Earth. Too many have died and too much has been sacrificed for us to lose now.”

  “What are you trying to say?” she said as she took a step back. Her face was devoid of expression, but her gaze held his.

  “I’m saying that if you’re here to spy for him, or if you’re here to prevent us from succeeding you have two options. You can leave now and no harm will come to you.

  Or. You can stay, but once we discover you’re in league with the Great Evil, you’re death will be swift.”

  If he frightened her, she was good at hiding it. Gabriel watched her carefully for any signs that she had come to Stone Crest other than the reason she had given.

  “Since I’m having a rather difficult time coming to grips with the fact of all A WARRIOR’S HEART

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  you’ve said regarding this…Great Evil…I can assure you, I’m not here to prevent the Shields from their mission.”

  For some reason, he believed her. Maybe it was the conviction shining in her hazel eyes, or maybe it was because he wanted her to be innocent. Whatever the reason, he simply nodded and held out his arm for as they walked from the chamber.

  “Why the armory though?” she asked as he closed the door behind them.

  “I wanted you to see the extensive weapons Hugh has gathered at Stone Crest.

  There’s a weapon for nearly every person.”

  She said no more as he moved down the hall to the stairs. He let her walk ahead of him, his gaze straying to the gentle sway of her hips as she glided up the steep stairs.

  “To the right,” he said as she neared a landing. He motioned down the hall once he stepped beside her. The hall was lit with the occasional torch while the shadows grew as the sun sank lower into the sky.

  “The castle is easy to navigate once you learn the layout. Down this hall you will find Hugh and Mina’s chamber should you need her. The rest of the Shields are placed throughout the upper floors.”

  “Where is your chamber?”

  He turned his head to look at her, but her face was hidden in shadow. “On the floor above us.”

  “Mine is in the east tower.”

  He swallowed and tried to remember that she wasn’t telling him this because she wanted him to visit her tonight. But then, why did she tell him?

  He glanced at her again as they slowly walked down the hall. A torch cast her face in amber light and he saw her watching him. Her mouth was slightly parted and her eyes…inviting.

  Gabriel took a deep breath and forced his gaze forward. He was seeing things that weren’t there. It might have been awhile since he’d relieved the ache of his rod, but it had never caused him to act like this before. To want like this before.

  And he didn’t even know her.

  “You said you were wounded?”

  Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. He knew she spoke of when the Fae found him. “Aye.”

  “Did someone attack you?”

  “I wish I knew,” he said after a moment. “I’ve been told my mind has blocked the past because something painful must have happened.”

  “Such

  as?”

  He shrugged and clasped his hands behind his back. “Could be anything such as losing my family, seeing someone I loved killed, or a betrayal.”

  “I could see how those events would traumatize someone,” she said with a small nod. “I’ve never encountered anyone who lost their memory before. Forgive me if I pry too much.”

  He waved away her words. “I’ve lived with it a long time now. I’ve been lucky enough to have men as close to me as brother’s who have gone out of their way to try and help me remember. Even the Fae tried many things. Yet, no memories return. I think A WARRIOR’S HEART

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  maybe its better this way.”

  “You could have a wife or children,” she said. “They could be waiting for you.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He stopped and leaned back against the cool stones. “I’d like to think that if I did have a wife or a family that I would feel some sort of…connection…to them.”

  “Possibly. Do you know where you’re from?”

  This was one answer he knew. One answer out of many. “I do know that I’m not from this realm.”

  “How do you know that?” she asked, her head cocked slightly to the side.

  Gabriel shrugged, not yet ready to tell her of his immortality. “Just something I figured out.”

  Suddenly Danielle smiled. “I think you’re not speaking the entire truth.”

  “We all have our secrets, you included,” he said as he pushed off from the wall.

  “Ah, secrets. It is a part of who we are, I think. If everyone knew everything about everyone else, what mystery would life hold?”

  Gabriel chuckled as he continued down the hall. “A philosopher, aye? Secrets or no, you are a mystery for sure.”

  “Do you like mysteries, Gabriel?”

  Maybe it was in the way she said his name, like a whisper of seduction, of knowing his very soul. Or maybe it was because she was a mystery, but whatever it was, he felt a jolt run through him.

  “Why do you ask?”

  She lifted a dainty shoulder and glanced at him through her lashes. “One never knows what a man will like. Some men like innocence, some seductresses, some mysterious and other men like to be dominated. Which one are you?”

  Gabriel’s heart raced at her words. His blood felt like it was on fire as he tried in vain to forget there was a stunningly beautiful woman walking beside him.

  He finally found his voice to answer, “I like my women honest.”

  She chuckled. “Honesty. How…odd when most men are anything but.”

  Gabriel watched Danielle as she walked a little ahead of him. What was her game? What was she doing at Stone Crest now of all times? And why the hell did he want her so badly?

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  Chapter Nine

  Soon. Soon it would be his time again to rule Earth. It had been so long since he’d had a form, human or no. He yearned to be able to look at himself in the mirror again, to taste food, to feel a woman’s body beneath his. The small snatches of time he’d been able to gather enough power to appear human were few and far between and they never lasted for longer than half an hour.

  He laughed then.

  They might have taken away his form, banished him to the ends of time, but they never expected him to become so powerful that he was able to destroy realms.

  And they didn’t even know who he was.

  He couldn’t wait for them to see just how he doled out revenge upon the Realm of Nations.

  But until then, he needed to concentrate on Earth. He had assumed it would be easy to destroy, but the Fae had meddled more than they should have and prevented its collapse long ago.

  Yet, he had one surprise the Fae and their special army of Shields weren’t expecting. A surprise that would deal the final blow that would bring down the realm of Earth and the Fae realm with it.

  How he wished he could rub his hands together in anticipation. Instead, he simply existed.

  “My

  lord?”

  He waited for the creature to come closer. “I’m here. How goes it today?”

  “They think both the Harpy and the gargoyle have returned,” it said, breathing heavily.

  “Good, good. Ready everything for tomorrow on my command.”

  “Aye,

  my

  lord.”

/>   He waited until the creature departed before he turned his gaze to Stone Crest castle. They thought him gone, hidden away from view, but he was here, waiting. And here he would stay until his plan was carried out.

  Tomorrow would start it all.

  * * * *

  “Well?” Hugh asked as Gabriel walked into the solar.

  Gabriel shrugged. Most of the people and servants had either returned to their homes and bedded down for the night in the great hall. “I didn’t learn anything new.

  Yet. Give me a few days.”