Seven Wardens Omnibus

by Skye MacKinnon

"He's a daimon," Cam gasped, stopping in his tracks. "I didn't think they still existed."

  "A demon?"

  He shook his head. "A daimon. Big difference. They're guides, advisors. Some say they're spirits sent from the afterlife to guide mortals. Others say they're an ancient race of beings with unimaginable powers. Point is, they're rare, powerful and we really don't want to anger him."

  "He doesn't like me," Jared complained quietly. "I seem to be angering him simply by being here."

  Macey reached out to the incubus, taking his hand. "He'll just have to deal with it. We're here as a team, and whether this is his home or not, we stay together."

  She didn't feel as confident as her words made her sound, but the men didn't need to know that.

  "Hurry!" the daimon shouted from far ahead. He'd almost merged with the shadows in the distance, the light of the fire no longer reaching him. Macey sighed softly and began to walk as fast as she dared, hoping that there weren't any rocks to stumble over.

  "What is a daimon doing in London?" Cam was muttering behind her, but she ignored him. They weren't going to find out by speculating.

  The tunnel slowly began to widen until they reached the entrance to a large cavern.

  "Wait!" Jared suddenly shouted just when Macey was about to walk through the stone archway.

  She stopped in her tracks, turning around to look at him.

  "It's an illusion!" He pressed past her and held out his hands towards the cavern. "Now that I know what to look for, I can feel it. Something is behind there and it's not just an empty cave."

  "Well, it would make sense," Macey mused. "He called it his home, after all, and I doubt it's that fire pit from earlier."

  "We should proceed with caution," Rónàn said, speaking for the first time in a while. He'd been staying in the background while they'd been talking to the daimon, and even now, he was keeping back. Was he afraid? Uncomfortable in the dark, perhaps?

  "Let me go first." Jared carefully took a step forward, his arms still outstretched. "Wow, it's warm," he said after two more steps. "Positively hot."

  "Lampads?" Macey asked hopefully.

  Jared took a deep breath and stepped through the archway - and disappeared. All Macey saw was the same dark cavern as she had before, but Jared had clearly walked into something else. The illusion was strong, even though she knew it wasn't real, she couldn't see anything besides the cave.

  "Jared!" she shouted, ready to run after him.

  A muffled cough came from in front of her. "It's fine, come on through. It tickles."

  Rónàn stepped closer to Macey and took her hand. "Let's do this."

  Illustration: Daimon

  Chapter 3

  Together, they walked through the archway. Jared had been right, it tickled, like a thousand feathers were gently drawn over Macey's skin. She let go of Rónàn's hand and ran her fingers over her arms to get rid of whatever was tickling her, but there was nothing there.

  Everything was black until suddenly - colour erupted all around them.

  "What the fucking waves," Macey muttered as she took in the landscape around her. They'd stumbled into a party, a massive, loud party full of light strobes and burning fires. The noise was unbelievable and she was tempted to put her hands over her ears.

  They were still in a cave, so huge that she couldn't see the ceiling, but instead of being empty as it seemed before, there were houses everywhere, dotted around the place like a child had played with its lego set and then kicked the pieces in random directions. Some of the houses looked like they were clearly not following the rules of gravity, with balconies larger than the actual house, and walls that were bending outwards. Fires were burning in iron baskets all over the place and lampoons were hanging from ropes spanned between buildings.

  And then there were the people. Hundreds of them, dancing in the streets, clapping, stamping on the ground, jumping.

  "I didn't expect this," Jared said dryly. He was waiting for them, his beautiful features illuminated by the fire. Was it his incubus or Macey's hormones that made her want to rip off his clothes?

  She forced herself to look away from him. Some of the partygoers must have been having similar thoughts: they were in various stages of undress, with couples half-hidden in alleyways and others doing it openly in front of everybody else.

  This was as hedonistic as anything Macey had ever seen.

  "Now I know why he doesn't want incubi here," Jared chuckled, pointing at a couple who were busy plunging their tongues into each other's mouths. "I could feast off this for months."

  His eyes were glowing slightly and a sharp tug went through Macey's lower belly. She really wanted to be close to him, to touch him, to kiss him, to...

  Suddenly, Rónàn stepped past her and pressed his lips against Jared's. He wrapped his thick arms around the incubus and pulled him close, shielding him from view.

  "What the..." Macey was speechless. Rónàn? And Jared? Kissing?

  "Tune it down, Jared!" Cam shouted. "Even I want to jump your bones just now."

  Jared pushed Rónàn away from him, struggling against the selkie who was clearly stronger than the incubus.

  "I'm trying," Jared muttered, his teeth clenched and the little muscle in his forehead bulging.

  Something warred within Macey, trying to counteract the lust she was feeling towards him. But then, why should she? He was hers, she could be with him, all it would take was...

  "Jared! NOW!" Cam yelled, sounding angrier than Macey had ever heard him. It cut through her haze slightly, though she could still feel the urge to get to Jared. It wasn't letting up any time soon.

  Rónàn struggled against Jared, trying to kiss him again. Jealousy welled up within her and the ends of her hair began to turn green. Jared was hers. No one else would touch him.

  The lust vanquished for a moment, she stepped forward and between the two men, grabbing each by their shirt and pushing them away from one another. Her nails sharpened and turned into claws, ripping the fabric.

  "Hands off," she said sternly. She felt her nostrils flaring and her eyes hardening.

  Without being fully aware of what she was doing, she threw Rónàn towards the wall. His back slammed against it and a grunt escaped him, but Macey was too gone to care. Lust and wrath coiled up inside her, controlling her every move.

  She could hear the murmur of voices letting her know her men were still trying to get through to her, but she didn't pay them any heed. Macey stalked towards her selkie, determined to make him pay for what he'd done.

  A booming laugh sounded, cutting through the rage.

  "Well, well, that wasn't what I expected."

  Macey turned to the source of the voice, looking the daimon up and down. He was certainly an attractive looking man, other than the wings. Though something about them was magnificent and powerful. Maybe it was their size. They could rival a normal man's height.

  "Who are you?" she asked, her voice raspy through the anger.

  "Lucian, but you can call me Luc," he replied, his smirk growing all the wider. "Would you like some help controlling your incubus?"

  Macey nodded. She didn't like the idea of restraining Jared in any way, but given the circumstances, she needed to do something.

  Luc waved his hand and glittering grey cuffs appeared around Jared's wrists. He sighed in the same relief that Macey was now feeling too.

  The anger receded along with the lust, and horror set in as she realised what she'd done. Spinning on her heels, she rushed towards Rónàn, who was slumped on the floor, rubbing his head.

  "I'm so sorry, please forgive me?" she begged, falling to her knees beside him.

  "What happened?" His brow creased as he tried to work it out.

  Macey threw a confused look at Cam, hoping he'd be able to help her out. He shook his head, clearly as perplexed by the situation as she was.

  "I threw you against a wall," she admitted quietly.

  "That's why it hurts then."

  She n
odded. "I'm sorry. You kissed Jared and I got angry and..."

  "I kissed Jared?" The confusion on Rónàn's face deepened even more.

  "Yes, yes, you kissed the incubus, the kelpie got angry and the wraith just yelled. What a lovely little family," Luc said jovially.

  "We have names you know," Macey snapped, this anger having nothing to do with jealousy and everything to do with disrespect. She was the kelpie princess, how dare this daimon she didn't even know treat her this way.

  "I'm well aware. And titles too. I believe four of you are Wardens, though where you left the other three is beyond me."

  "They're safe," Macey assured him, thinking of Amber and Izban back at Malan's house. They'd be sorting their army out if everything was going to plan. And keeping Flint safe.

  "I doubt that. You wouldn't be here if they were."

  "You sound awfully amused to be talking about such dire circumstances," Macey retorted, getting to her feet and offering her hand to Rónàn. He took it, and she helped him to his feet.

  "Why wouldn't I be amused? Last I checked, the world was still in a shambles thanks to you."

  Macey's eyes bore into him, the anger rising inside her again. If Luc wasn't careful, she'd throw every bit of water magic she had at him and more. Maybe she'd even be able to call on Air to help her with the attack.

  "You're not going to want to do that. Not if you want my help," Luc said.

  "How do you know what I'm thinking?" she demanded.

  "You're not very good at hiding what you're thinking, it's written all over your face."

  Luc turned away from them all, his wings batting against his back as he stood and gazed out at the writhing mass of people below them.

  "What is this place?" Macey stepped forward to stand beside him, taking in the sight herself.

  Without Jared's magic influencing her, there wasn't anything remotely sexy about the mass below. It was just too many limbs and mouths, all hungry and desperate for flesh. She might enjoy sex, but she wanted it to mean something too. It had to be with her men.

  "A pit of sin," Luc answered.

  "That doesn't tell me a lot."

  "It's a test, Macey. Everything down here is a test."

  He blood ran cold as she considered the implications of that. "But..."

  "Not that kind of test."

  "How do you know all this?" she asked in wonder.

  "Let's just say we have a mutual friend."

  "Malan," she muttered darkly.

  Luc laughed. "Yes, him. Infuriating, isn't he?"

  "That's one word for him," Cam muttered darkly from behind.

  Macey ignored him and glanced at Jared who was looking at his cuffs with a curious expression on his face. She'd have to ask him about that when Luc had finished being as cryptic and infuriating as Malan himself.

  "That still doesn't explain anything," she pointed out.

  "Tell me, Macey, did you really expect seeing the lampads to be as easy as just turning up at their door?"

  She sighed. "I'd hoped."

  "That's a no, then."

  "Let's just say past experience suggested it wouldn't be that easy."

  "I thought as much. Incubus, I'd stop staring at those cuffs, you'll give yourself a headache," Luc said without even looking in Jared's direction. "Just trust me that you'll need them to keep blocking your powers."

  "I can't say I care for it," Jared muttered.

  "It's preferable," Rónàn responded.

  Macey snorted. "Alright you two, stop it. If Lucien says it's necessary, then we need to take his word for it."

  "And how do we know he's to be trusted?" Jared snarled. "Maybe he's blocking my powers for an entirely different reason."

  His words echoed around Macey's head as they registered and she wondered if there wasn't some truth in them.

  Lucien's head fell back and he let out a hearty laugh. "I guess you won't know unless you try and trust me," he teased.

  Macey frowned, not sure what to make of it at all. Could she trust a daimon? She longed to ask Cam, but given the proximity of them all, there was no way she could do that without Luc becoming aware of it and her diplomatic training wouldn't allow her to insult anyone quite like that.

  "I will trust you," she told him. "But I'm also wary. I'm not idiotic enough to let my guard down."

  "Smart," Luc answered. "You can never be too careful in this day and age."

  "You still haven't explained what this test is."

  "You tell me, Princess. It's your mind that's conjured it."

  "I doubt that," she countered.

  "Actually, I wouldn't," Cam interrupted.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I've heard talk of the lampads before, they're an odd race and their magic can span far and wide. It's possible that their tests have extended this far and are already in the process of working out how best to test you."

  "What the wraith said," Luc added.

  "He has a name," Macey ground out, unhappy with the daimon's lack of respect for the people around him.

  "Yes, yes, he's called Camdan, I'm aware of you all, Macey, Jared and Rónàn. I know your pasts and your secrets. Make no mistake of it."

  "How do you know all this?"

  "How does a butterfly flap its wings? There are some things we may never know."

  "I think that's a lie."

  She stepped forward so there was barely space between them. She could feel Luc's breath on her cheek and the warmth radiating from his body. Rather than being repulsed, she found herself reassured by his promise, but didn't admit as much. She didn't want him to know how much of an effect he was having on her.

  "You're very astute. It is a lie, but I'm your guide here, I'm not about to tell you how my magic works. That's not the kind of thing that's approved by my people."

  Macey scowled. She didn't like secret keeping, even if her gut was telling her she could trust this man and he wouldn't do anything to harm her or her men.

  "Tell me what's going on here."

  "I'm not sure, the lampads magic is strong, but this much? I think it must be a combination of what they can do, and your own powers as a Warden. But then, you're not just any Warden, are you?"

  Macey didn't answer. Air had warned her not to reveal her presence to anyone who didn't need to know about it and had hinted that the consequences of doing so would be dire. She didn't want to risk those things coming to pass. After all the work they'd done, she didn't want it destroyed by a moment of weakness.

  Turning away, she strode back up the balustrade and looked down on the writhing mass below.

  "Make them stop," she commanded.

  "I can't, only you can," Luc answered.

  Macey looked back over her shoulder and at Jared. "Make them stop?"

  He held up his cuffed hands, a blank look on his face. "It's not me making it happen, little kelpie. My powers are as bound as yours were."

  Macey's face fell. How was she supposed to stop all this if she had no idea what to do.

  Closing her eyes, she willed the people below to stop what they were doing and disappear. Tingles flooded her body and flowed away from her. Slowly, she opened her eyes again.

  She gasped. "But..."

  "I told you," Luc said. "You are the only one who can control things here. These are your tests after all."

  "Then you can't be here. None of you." Panic coloured her tone as she remembered what everyone had told her about not accepting any help in the lampads tests.

  Luc laughed again. That was becoming infuriating. He needed to stop with the inappropriate laughter. "No one said this was the test they'll ask of you. It's just their magic."

  "You don't know that for sure," she snapped.

  "No, he doesn't," Cam responded. "Daimon's only ever have one charge. He'll have been waiting for you to turn up for years."

  "You know too much," Luc muttered.

  "In this case, from a daimon I used to know. She..."

  "She?" Macey demanded, quiet rage
beginning to fill her again.

  Cam's face reddened.

  "It meant nothing. It was three hundred years ago..."

  "I don't care if it was a millennia ago."

  "Macey, please, can we do this later?" Cam asked.

  "That depends, am I suddenly going to come across her when I'm least expecting it?" she snapped.

  "Unlikely. She'll have died with her charge."

  Macey crossed her arms, looking out on the empty space rather than back at him. She hated the images that had flooded her mind and taken over her conscious. She knew her men had lives before her, she'd faced that with Rónàn. But it didn't make the idea of it any easier.

  "Carry on about daimons," she instructed, still refusing to look at him.

  "Even if Lucien has been this close to the lampads his whole life, he'd never have seen them in action. That's not how daimons work."

  "Right, so..."

  "He's correct," Luc acknowledged. "I've never seen the lampads magic in action before. But I do know more about it than most, we both have the same place of origin after all."

  "Greece?"

  "Yes."

  "So, what happens now?" Macey asked.

  "I'll guide you down the path you need and help you where I can. But I can't interfere, just like the others can't. And there will be a point where you must continue alone. You'll have to face your fate alone."

  "Her fate, or the Fates?" Rónàn muttered so softly, she almost missed it.

  "Just her fate," Luc confirmed. "There's been no sign of the Fates for thousands of years. They disappeared with the downfall of the Greek Empire, just like everything else save for a few stragglers. But that's hardly surprising, things are the same here. Your Celtic gods vanished with their fall, leaving only kelpies, wraiths and other beings behind."

  "The gods were real?" Macey stuttered. She'd grown up her entire life with the belief they were nothing more than the beings created by humans to explain odd occurrences.

  "Of course they were once. Now… I don't think so. They abandoned Earth and left it to be the playground of their creations."

  She tried to process what he was saying, but failed. It just didn't make sense with what she knew. And yet, it didn't feel like Lucien was lying to her. Far from it. Truth echoed through his words, filling the empty room far more completely than the writhing mass had.