As soon as I said those words, the room grew smaller as everyone crowded around. Urisk eyes lit as their feathers plumed, the Alfar crouched as if to attack.
The woman’s eyes rounded, darting from snarling gray faces of the Urisk to the chiseled stone features of the Alfar.
“On second thought. Maybe I’ll stay here,” she mumbled.
“As long as you don’t try to attack anyone they won’t hurt you,” I said.
Weylin sighed. “Finn, take her weapons.”
The woman struggled again. “Hey, where are you going with those?”
Weylin’s knees bent, letting her feet touch the floor.
“I get those back.” She glared at the room. “Once you’ve figured out I’m not going to hurt your precious Princess or whatever. I do get those back, right?”
Weylin scoffed. “We’ll see.”
She stomped her foot, aiming for his instep.
Weylin snickered. “It’s kind of cute. This fierceness you have. Like a kitten that thinks it’s a lion. Are all humans like this?” He petted her head, and I thought the woman would explode.
Weylin leaned in, sniffing her neck where her hair fell across her shoulder. She stood stock still, fear finally making its appearance.
“You’re the one that sleeps in the nest, aren’t you, Kitten?”
She tried to keep her bravado. “Oh goodie, you’ve figured it out. What gave me away?”
“Even though you’re covered in dirt, I can still smell your lemon scent.”
Surprised, the room grew quiet. The Urisk and the Alfar only picked up the scent of a human, not this specific girl. I was the only one who could smell her essence.
Weylin looked around the room, clocking everyone’s expression. “What?”
I pulled the conversation back on course. “Edna would tell you to quit poking the snake with a stick. “
“Yeah, what makes this fun is this garden snake thinks she’s a cobra.”
The woman elbowed him in the gut.
Weylin out and out laughed.
“Enough.” Gavin’s deep voice cut across the room. Everyone grew quiet.
The woman pulled away from Weylin. He let her put a few inches between them but kept his hands on her shoulders.
“Oh, so you’re the guy in charge, huh?” She tried shrugging Weylin off, which was like pushing a mountain. “Well, this little trip down the rabbit hole has been a true slice of heaven. But as Ace over here has deduced, this is my place, and I’ve had a helluva day. While it’s been total tons of fun, you’d better be heading home.”
“What rabbit hole?” Weylin whispered.
“It’s from a children’s book,” Rena whispered back.
“Oh, for the love of all that’s holy are you leaving or not?” The woman got louder with every word, and I had a feeling she had reached the end of her proverbial rope.
Weylin spun her around, leaning closer until they were nose to nose.
“Not.”
The woman’s eyes got big as saucers.
“Weylin.” Gavin’s tone sliced through the room again. Weylin backed off.
I took a step forward. The whole room seemed to step with me.
“I’m sorry we had to meet this way. I’m Nora. This is my husband, Gavin.”
Gavin looked at her, assessing. She didn’t move.
“This is Rena, Tark, Elias, Elaine.” They all tipped their heads in turn. “And you already know Weylin.”
“And the fur and feathers over there? Who are they? Or what are they I guess I should ask.” She cowered as Rune stepped close.
“We’d be the warriors that saved yer hide. It’d be best t’ not be forgettin’ it neither.” His eyes became dusty blue as he bared his jagged gray teeth. “But beware, human. I’ll be making a necklace from yer bones if you’ll be tryin’ t’ harm any of me clan.”
The woman instinctively backed into Weylin’s chest, and his hands wrapped around her upper arms.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” She shook a little but kept her shoulders square.
Rune eased back and smiled. “Aye. That’ll be the right answer, now wouldn’ it? And what’ll be yer name?”
Suspicious, she glanced around the room. “They call me Cali.”
“Is that the name your mother gave you?” Rena asked.
Cali smirked. “That would be a no.”
Rena brushed the dirt off her sleeve. “Oh? That’s interesting. What’s your real na—”
“Leave it.” Gavin’s eyes narrowed as he looked down the road. “We’ve got bigger issues. Molly. Send Finn and his warriors farther east. They’re still out there.”
“Aye.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
Gavin ignored the question, his large palm finding the small of my back as he guided me to the stairs.
“Weylin.” Gavin looked over his shoulder. “Cali sleeps upstairs with us. You’ll stand guard.”
“Horses ass he will!” Cali’s screech came from below.
Gavin stopped halfway up the staircase. His eyes narrowed to slits. “While you’re with us you won’t use foul language.”
“Like hell I won’t.”
Gavin scowled as a low rumble came from the Urisk, and Cali seemed to realize her mistake.
She rubbed her forehead. “Look, you’ve taken my weapons. I’ve already said I won’t hurt you, like I could anyway. I don’t need the Hulk over here watching me. That’s just creepy.”
Gavin ignored her and guided me up the last few steps to the second-floor landing. He led me over to our mattress, not saying a word, emotions locked down tight.
Cali’s protest echoed up the stairs, growing louder by the second.
“Who’s the Einstein that took down the mattresses?” She yelled as Weylin dragged her across the threshold. “Sure. Let’s give them a beacon to follow. At least it answers the question why those damn things showed up in the first place.”
Rena and Tark followed behind, their expression fatigued.
Gavin kept busy adjusting Edna’s quilt over the mattress I’d slept on. I walked across the room, heading toward Cali. Weylin started to step between us, but Cali held up her hand, pushing on his chest.
He froze, his eyes locked on the small palm resting over his heart. A warm flush bloomed across his cheeks, and his breath became ragged.
“Weylin?” I hurried forward. “Are you all right?”
“Weylin’s fine.” Gavin’s deep voice had all eyes turned toward him. He slowly crossed the room. “But I would like to know how it is you found yourself in this lighthouse.”
Cali’s shrewd gaze met his. “First you want my real name, now you want my story. What’s the deal? In a few hours, you’ll be heading your way, and I’ll be heading mine.”
Gavin’s stare went straight through her. Cali took a step back.
“Fine. You want to know about me? Let me sum it up. Born in Italy. Dad died when I was ten. Mom took a boat to California. That was right before the west coast decided to take a dip in the ocean. She died. I made my way east. Ended up in the mountains. Hid for a while. Those black things attacked, and I didn’t hang around to see who won. Headed north. They followed me, and I’ve been fighting them ever since.”
“Why do you think they’re following you?” Tark asked as he took down another mattress for Rena.
Cali’s eyes grew big as she stared at him. “You have some freaky eyes, you know that? Are you all from the mother ship? That’s what everyone thinks, you know—that those black things landed in a saucer somewhere and have come to take over the planet. Are you here to take the little guys back to wherever the hell it is they came from? Cause I gotta say, I won’t miss them when they’re gone.”
“Mouth,” Weylin growled.
“Why do you think you’re being followed?” Gavin restated Tark’s question, his features suddenly chiseled, his eyes angry chips of green. He stepped closer, his intense stare never leaving her.
Cali swal
lowed; vulnerability crept in. “The first time I saw one I was headed east. The trains were still running then. We were supposed to go straight through to DC, but something stopped us in the middle of the night. Those things hopped on. Good thing I’d hidden a knife in my sock or I wouldn’t be here. I escaped, and a few minutes later an explosion lit up the sky. Always felt like I was blessed in a weird way because we were close to a station. You know, the ones where they change the tracks? Anyway, the sun was coming up, and I hopped in a boxcar not caring where it was headed. I was hurt, and so it didn’t register at first, but at night I felt them. I don’t know, it was like they were hunting me or something. I saw them in the trees, but they never showed up in the day, so I figured they must be nocturnal. When we passed a “Welcome to West Virginia” sign, I knew we were almost out of rail. We got to the top of Backbone Mountain, the sun was high in the sky, and I took a chance and jumped. Found a nice underpass to call home. I was there less than a month when I’ll be damned if they didn’t show up again. Been moving ever since.”
“It’s curious that you have survived this long,” Weylin muttered.
Cali just stared at him. I stifled a yawn.
“We’ll talk more in the morning.” Gavin kissed my head. “You’re tired. Try and get some rest.”
I nodded, knowing it wasn’t likely. My chest felt empty as a tomb.
Cali’s deep brown eyes glittered with intensity. “Why is he so interested anyway? Are they after you too?”
Weylin darkly chuckled. “You could say that.”
Cali swayed and then locked her knees as if she were struggling to stay on her feet.
Reaching for the bag on the floor, I pulled out a pouch of snacks. “Take this. You look exhausted. I promise tonight you’ll be safe. Let’s all get a few hours of sleep and then we’ll figure things out in the morning.”
“Where you headed anyway?” Cali started toward her corner.
“Same place you are.” Weylin interrupted.
She sat among the blankets and pulled a drape over her shoulder. “Yeah, I’m making it my life’s ambition to make sure we’re headed in opposite directions. But I’ll be sure to send a postcard.” She groaned as she looked over the room. “And to think I actually managed to stay here for three full moons. The place was starting to grow on me, but thanks to you, they’ve found me again, which means I don’t have long before that stench is back.”
“You can smell them?” I asked.
“Who couldn’t? Good grief, those things smell as bad as they look. I mean, really. Three-day old road kill smells better than they do.”
I tried to mask my surprise. Humans usually couldn’t smell the Dokkalfar.
Cali’s small frame curled up in a ball as she settled down.
Weylin sat on the floor next to her. “So, I take it Cali is short for California.”
“You know, you really are a freaking genius,” she grumbled, turning her back to him.
“What’s the name your mother gave you?”
“Aint happenin’, Slick.”
Elias and Elaine headed downstairs while Rena and Tark made another pallet on the floor.
I rubbed the center of my chest, crossing the room to Edna’s quilt. Gavin’s voice floated up the stairs, and I found myself heading toward the door instead.
“Where are you going?” Weylin said, starting to get up.
“I’m going to get Gavin. He’s downstairs. You stay here and guard Cali.”
Weylin’s eyes blanked as he settled back down. “I’ve alerted the Prince you’re on the way. Still, be warned, if you’re not back in five, I’m coming to get you.”
“Hey.” Cali glared at him. “Some of us are trying to sleep here.”
“The name’s Weylin, not ‘hey.’” He put his feet in front of him, settling back against the wall.
“That ain't happenin’ either, Slick.”
Weylin grinned at the challenge.
I shook my head and made my way down the stairs.
“—That’d be all yer sensin’ then?” Rune’s gravel whisper had the hair standing on the back of my neck.
“Her trusted guard is close by, but she’s not here.” Gavin scraped dried black blood from his forearm.
“Who’s not here?” I asked, rounding the last of the stairs. Gavin’s eyes shot up, meeting mine.
Rune and Molly glanced at each other. “We’ll be makin’ our way t’ the top floor. There’ll be guards surroundin’ the lighthouse, and the sun’ll be up in a few hours.”
I watched them walk up the spiral staircase.
“I’m sorry, love. I didn’t hear you coming down the stairs. My concentration was ... elsewhere.”
“Please answer the question. Who’s not here?”
Gavin looked out the window. “Mia.”
“How do you know?”
His emerald eyes found mine and didn’t look away. “Because I can feel her. She calls to me.”
My heart sank. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He stepped toward me but didn’t make a move to touch me. His emotions were still nowhere in sight.
“Honestly, I’d hoped to kill her without you ever knowing.” His tone gentled. “Nora. You have more than enough on your plate. How would knowing this help?”
“Don’t be like that,” I muttered. “Don’t try and justify keeping things from me for my own good. You keep saying that we’re a team, and yet you’re the one who decides what I know. I wish I could hear your mind like you hear mine. Maybe then I’d understand what’s going on.”
He put his arms around me, and my back became ramrod straight.
He pulled me closer. “I knew this would hurt you. When Mia carved her initial in my chest, something happened. I took in part of what they were. I knew it the minute she stepped out of the abyss. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to kill her.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t let you.” I finally relaxed and leaned into his embrace.
Gavin shook his head. “No, love. You were right to keep me from destroying her. We would have never known what has taken place here, and I believe that the two realms are connected in a way we don’t yet understand. Ultimately, to save one world, we must save them both.”
“How does it work? This connection you have with her.”
Gavin’s hand rubbed up and down my spine, and he took a deep breath. “I’m still trying to figure it out. The Dokkalfar confuse what they sense when they’re around me. They don’t understand that I am the enemy until they see me. If I reach out to them with my mind, they obey as if I’m a leader among their kind. They’ll come running if I call.”
“Have you sensed Mia?”
“No. Only a few of her closest guard. I don’t think she is in North America. At least, not yet.”
“Where would she be?”
Gavin rested his chin on the top of my head. “Babel.”
Shocked, I pulled back to face him.
“Think about it. It makes sense. The abyss was originally connected to Babel. It is the seat of darkness on Earth. That’s the only way the Dokkalfar can get through to Kailmeyra. I believe she is strengthening, biding her time, waiting for us to weaken before she shows up. But we have information she wants, and so I think we can flush her out before she’s ready. At least that’s what we hope.”
I swayed on my feet, and Gavin dipped one hand behind my knees, the other stayed on my back. He picked me up and cradled me in his arms. “Come, my Light. You need rest.”
I put my head on his shoulder as he made his way upstairs.
Chapter 18
Cali and the Ship
Thousands of Dokkalfar knelt in black sand. Gray ash floated from petrified cedar trees. The abyss shone like polished onyx, its surface oddly peaceful. Mia’s shallow ice blue eyes gleamed with victory as she stood beneath the mountain’s ledge.
She took the hand of a tall, lean figure dressed in a robe, the front of the deep hood covered his face.
Shouting, Mia addressed the
masses.
“As Jayril has foretold, we have harnessed that power that rules both darkness and light.”
The Dokkalfar cheered, but Mia faced the figure dressed in black. Her hand slipped under his robe as she whispered to the front of the hood.
“It is time to take your rightful place, my lo—”
“Nora?” Gavin shook me awake.
I stirred, and he pulled me closer, nuzzling my neck.
His emotions, so dark and empty last night, now heated through me with love and devotion. His hand slipped under my shirt, his ring finger taking time to trace my belly button before his broad palm filled the space between my hips.
“Morning, my Light,” he whispered, his lips trailing from my ear to my collarbone.
Dreams shifted into a hazy nothing, and I faced him. “Morning.”
His nose traced the line of my jaw before he nibbled on my chin. “You smell like heaven.”
I rolled my eyes. We hadn’t showered in days. “Now that’s love,” I murmured against his lips.
“Always.” His hand circled my belly.
I stretched, happy to have a few moments together. While I loved the heated passion that sharing my body with him brought, the intimacy of waking up in his arms was enough. Just being with him was enough.
He pulled me close, pressing me against his chest. “What I’d give to stay like this, just a little while longer.”
The door below creaked open, voices filtered up the stairs.
Gavin sighed. “Unfortunately, the Urisks are ready to leave.”
I looked across the room. The corner that held the nest was now bare. “Where’s Cali?”
“Weylin’s watching her.” Gavin sat up.
“I think you enjoy tormenting him.”
He grinned. “Payback for besting me when you first arrived in Kailmeyra.”
“What will happen to Cali?” I asked, shifting to a sitting position and reaching for my pack.
Gavin put on his boots. “She’s coming with us.”
Surprised, I froze mid-reach. “She didn’t seem particularly thrilled with our company last night. What’s changed her mind?”
Gavin reached for his boots, eyes glued on the laces. “She has no choice, Nora. She knows too much; she’s seen too much.” He looked up. “And there’s something about her. Rune even insists she comes with us, willing or not.”
The Heart of the Ancients Page 19