He grabbed his pants and shoved his bare feet into his shoes, not bothering to tie them, then grabbed his coat and flew from the apartment, running for the stairs. As he started down the second flight, one of his shoes slipped off his foot. He shoved it back on and tied it, but as he yanked the laces tight on the second, one lace snapped. Dammit. Two flights later, that shoe, too, came off and he left it behind. Charlie’s shoes would fit him, if he’d left a spare pair in the closet, but there was no time to go back and search.
Reaching the ground floor, he shoved through the door into the lobby to find the elevator door standing open and empty. Ilaria was already gone.
He pushed through the front door and into a shower of falling snow. The frigid air lashed at his face, the cement freezing his bare foot. But all that mattered was finding Ilaria.
Before King Rith did.
He searched in every direction, seeking another flash of emerald, but the streets and sidewalks were still busy, bundled pedestrians hampering his view. The hour couldn’t be late yet. Nine, maybe ten o’clock?
His instincts sent him left and he followed without question. At the corner, he turned just in time to glimpse a flash of bright green against the snowy background two blocks up, and he took off running, ignoring the wind whipping at his face and the snow quickly freezing his foot.
He dashed across the side street, darting around a car as the driver honked, then down the second block to the corner where he’d seen Ilaria disappear. But as he rounded the corner, he pulled up, staring at the empty sidewalk. Ilaria was nowhere in sight.
Falling snow stung his hands and cheeks, dropping into the vee of his shirt, where he’d never bothered to zip the jacket. Icy knives plunged into his foot, the cold seeping into his blood, his mind.
His heart.
* * *
Ilaria stood in the swirling snow as Findris knelt before her, his pale curls cut close to his head, his skin as white as the snow falling around them. He watched her with eyes the dark rich green of jade. Eyes that shone with affection. And joy.
“This is a great day, Princess Ilaria. For too long we’ve prayed for a miracle that would free you. Esria needs you, my true queen. Desperately, we need you.”
She could feel his emotion, his sincerity, as clearly as she could see it in his achingly familiar face.
“Rise, old friend.” She watched him stand, then asked the question that weighed heavy on her heart. “Why do you serve him, Findris? Why do you call Rith king? Why does he trust you so?”
His face tightened, his mouth twisting wryly. “A bit of preemptive maneuvering on my part, Princess. When King Rith first came into power, he sought out the stone scenters. In those early days, few willingly supported him and the first ones he asked to join him refused. He made an example of them. Those who’d refused soon found the people they cared for beaten and their lands and possessions seized. It became clear that to deny Rith was to suffer. I’m not proud of myself, Princess, but there was no fighting him. Before he could demand my allegiance, I gave it and have acted the loyal man since, praying for the day I could find a way to release you.”
“And now? Who holds your allegiance?”
“You, my queen. My allegiance has been yours since the day your mother died.”
In his eyes she found nothing but raw truth. And while she could no longer read his emotions as she had when she first touched the draggon stone, in her heart she felt his sincerity. The last of her doubts melted away.
She smiled. “I’m glad, Findris, for I desperately need your help.” At least there was one among her own, one not trapped within the Forest of Nightmares, she could still call friend.
“If I’d known a way to free you from that prison, I’d have done it long, long ago. Many tried, did you know that? Many, many of us sought entrance to that forest over the years, hoping another among us possessed the ability to pass unmolested, but no one ever succeeded. Now that you’re free, I’ll fight to put you on the throne. It’s where you belong. Where you’ve always belonged.” His expression turned grim. “He’s a Caller.”
“Yes. I’ve always known, but my mother wouldn’t listen.”
“I didn’t know until today.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re the one who took the stones all those years ago?”
“Yes.”
Approval lit his eyes. “A wise thing to do.”
“At the time, I thought it was my only choice, the only way to keep them out of his hands, but I know better now.”
“What will you do?”
“The stones of Orisis must be destroyed in the Temple of the Ancients. It’s the only way. But I have to get the stones, Findris. Rith has three. The Sitheen have the other four. And I’ve managed to retrieve none of them.”
“I may be able to get my hands on Rith’s three.”
“How?”
A flicker of amusement lit his face. “The power from the three is masking that of the others. He sent all of us to search for them and told us to meet him at midnight. If none have been successful in locating the others, he intends to hand the three over to me so he can get a clear reading on the others.” His brows puckered. “The question is, how do we get the others?”
“I’d hoped you might have an answer for that.”
He gave her a wry look. “I’ve had no better luck sensing them than Rith has, and I haven’t been hampered by the scent of the three. I don’t know where they are.”
“I do. At least in general.”
His eyes flared. “Where?”
“The Sitheen guard them. But, Findris, I don’t want the Sitheen harmed. They were the ones who freed me from the Forest of Nightmares, hoping I would seal the gates again. They seek only to protect themselves.”
“Understandable, but misguided, Princess. The gates cannot all be sealed. Did you tell them that?”
“No. I’ve tried to get them to give me the stones and they’ve refused. They guard them zealously, waiting for the full moon. Once they realize I won’t seal the gates, I’m not sure what they’ll do. I don’t think they’ll harm me, but I’m afraid they’ll imprison me as they seek another way.”
“Then the only choice is to take the stones by force.”
“To kill the Sitheen. I know.”
“I’m sorry, Princess. War is never kind and there’s far too much at stake to try to protect the fragile lives of a few stubborn humans.”
If they failed, millions would suffer and die, including the very ones she sought to spare. She leaned back against the brick wall behind her, closing her eyes against the weight bearing down on her then, taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and straightened, resigned and determined.
“You’re right, of course. All that can matter is stopping Rith.”
* * *
Pain lanced his foot as Harrison hobbled down the icy, snow-covered sidewalk in the direction he’d seen Ilaria go. Where was she, dammit? Voices carried to him above the sound of traffic, whispered on the frigid wind.
One of them was Ilaria’s. He was almost certain.
Pulse pounding in his ears, he followed the snatches of sound through the cold night, along the building to an alcove. Ilaria’s voice carried clearly, accompanied by another, deeper one. Harrison pressed back against the brick and listened.
“How are we going to find them?” the male asked.
“The remaining three stones of Orisis are at Bolling Air Force Base.” Ilaria’s words capsized his heart. “The draggon stone was at Fort McNair, but the Sitheen moved it.”
Harrison felt the words like a blade. His mind throbbed with an icy cold that had nothing to do with the weather.
Betrayal.
“I can find it,” she continued. “I’m certain of that, now. The Sitheen are guarding the dark stones, waiting for Rith and his guards to show up, hoping to kill them.”
His stomach cramped. He felt like he was going to vomit. With a hand vibrating from shock, he dug into his pocket, thick fingers closing around the lighter. F
ury lifted its head in his mind and roared.
“They might well succeed, Findris. These humans are very dangerous. To all of us.”
She’d played him. Made him think he could trust her. Made him care for her.
He wanted to hurt her, to make her suffer for enchanting him, for lying to him, for making him feel so deeply that he could barely breathe past the pain of her treachery.
“I have a plan. I’ll get those stones, Princess.”
“We’ve not much time, Findris.”
Pulling the lighter out of his pocket, he stepped forward. As he rounded the corner, two pale faces swiveled toward him—one ivory, one stark white. He barely glanced at the male. All he could see was Ilaria.
Betrayal.
Her mouth formed an O as she stared at him. In those eyes he’d once tumbled into, he saw dismay and a soft, aching regret that shot arrows through his heart. Even as it bled, his heart whispered, You know her. You love her. She isn’t evil.
But his fingers clenched hard around the lighter in his hand. His thumb moved to the wheel and flicked.
Ilaria’s gaze dropped to the small flame glowing at his side, her cheeks turning as white as the snow.
“Harrison.” She swayed.
Findris grabbed her arm, pushing her behind him in a protective move that drew Harrison’s unwanted respect. This one would never turn her over to King Rith.
But Ilaria refused to play the role of damsel in distress. She visibly struggled against her terror to step forward, edging her shoulder past Findris’s, as if staking her claim to be the protector instead of the protected.
“Harrison, I’m not your enemy.” Her mouth was tight, her breathing labored, as her eyes pleaded with him to understand. “Neither of us is. Listen to me, please?”
He watched the tremors begin to wrack her body and sensed the terror she struggled so hard to control. A terror he was causing. He released the flame and shoved the lighter back in his pocket. The part of him that wanted to hurt her crumbled beneath the misery of her fear. How could he ever hurt her when he couldn’t even stand to scare her?
He crossed his stiff arms over his chest, his jaw rigid. “Then talk.”
She swallowed. “Like you, I seek to stop Rith. But I can’t do it your way.” Ilaria lifted her hand helplessly. “I can’t seal the gates, Harrison.”
The battle in his head fell silent as her words penetrated the aching cold. She wasn’t trying to spin some lame story of why she’d had to meet Findris alone. Instead she was flat-out telling him she worked at cross-purposes to him. That she had no intention of removing the Esri from his world. That others would suffer as Stephie had. More deaths, more rapes, forever and ever and ever.
His jaw turned to stone at her free admittance of betrayal. Except…it wasn’t really betrayal, he thought bitterly. She’d never promised to seal the gates. She’d never pretended to be anything but Esri. The Sitheen were the ones who’d taken her from the forest, who’d insisted she do what they wanted. All she’d ever promised to do was whatever I must. How many times had she said that? How many times had they heard what they wanted to hear? They’d been arrogant fools.
“You can’t seal the gates, or you won’t?” Amazingly, his voice sounded almost calm, revealing little of the turmoil inside him.
“Either. Both.”
They’d never be free of the Esri again. He’d never have his life back. All his days would be spent guarding the gate, hunting the Esri that made it through.
His head ached, his stomach cramped as anger flared and burned in his blood.
“Harrison, listen to me. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but the only way to stop Rith and any other Callers who come after him is to destroy the stones of Orisis so they can never be used against either of our peoples again.”
“King Rith already has three of them.”
“We may be able to get them back.”
“Then you’ll steal the others from us.”
Her temper flared. “They’re not yours! They were never yours.”
“And you’d kill us to do it.”
She stared at him, her slender shoulders sagging as if crushed by the weight of his words. Tears began to glisten in her eyes, tearing a hole in his heart. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, Harrison. Especially not you. But I have to stop Rith and I need the stones to do it. Over and over I’ve demanded and pleaded with the Sitheen to return the stones to me. But you’ve refused. We both know you’ll continue to refuse. You’ll never give them back to me.”
“You could have told me the truth.”
“No! I couldn’t have. Just this morning you still had me chained. You brought me here to seal the gates and nothing more. But I can’t do that. Neither world can survive if they’re cut off from one another. One of my ancestors tried to seal the gates once, the two gates. The attempt killed her and spawned tempests and storms in both worlds that destroyed vast stretches of land and took untold lives. When it was over, the two gates had become twelve.”
He stared at her. What would twelve become? A hundred?
There had to be a way! “Then seal all but one, like you did the last time.”
She shook her head. “The draggon stone is, and has always been, the key to unlocking all the gates. Any time it passes through one of the gates, they all open. And the gates can only be sealed from this side. Since I must take the draggon stone into Esria in order to raise the magic to destroy the others, sealing the gates is impossible.”
She lifted her hands to dash at the tears beginning to run down her cheeks even as her mouth tightened in anger. “I alone can stop Rith, but the humans won’t let me near the stones…my stones! Everyone looks after his own needs and we’re all going to fail unless we work together. But I’m the only one who sees that!”
Her tears were falling now in a steady stream, but her voice remained strong and passionate. His anger began to dissipate as her words slowly sank in. The gates couldn’t be closed. Ever. The only way to stop Rith was by destroying the six green stones.
He met her gaze. Through that cord of connection, he saw that bright light inside her, felt its answering warmth inside himself. And knew she was telling the truth. A truth he didn’t want to hear, but the truth all the same.
Hell and damn.
“I’m sorry, Ilaria. We never asked for your opinion, did we? We never wanted it. All we’ve wanted since the day Baleris arrived was to seal those gates again. To end this invasion once and for all.” He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, struggling to reorder his tumultuous thoughts. The goal now was…to not seal the gates. Instead, it was to give the stones to Ilaria and help her escape with them. Give them to an Esri…
His teeth ground together. No. Not an Esri. Ilaria.
“I believe you, Ilaria,” he said quietly, dropping his hand and meeting her vibrant gaze. “I trust you.”
She watched him with eyes that glistened with equal parts hope and determination. A warrior injured but not down. Never down.
For the first time, he realized how isolated she’d been. Enemies on all sides. She alone had known what must be done to stop King Rith. But she couldn’t do it alone. And she hadn’t been able to trust those who could help her.
He saw the aching loneliness in her eyes and felt it in his heart. With a move born of instinct, he opened his arms to her. She hesitated for only a second before walking into them. Her arms slid around his waist as she buried her tear-streaked face against his shoulder.
For one perfect moment, the terrible tension inside him drained away to be replaced by a feeling of utter rightness. Not even the death of his dreams had the crushing effect it should have had. The gates could never be sealed. The humans would never again be safe from the Esri. Then again, if Ilaria succeeded in claiming the throne, the Esri would be ruled by a leader of wisdom and compassion—a queen who might go out of her way to protect the vulnerable and the innocent. The humans.
The tight band around his
heart eased just a little. Ilaria would never be entirely lost to him if the gates weren’t sealed. He might, possibly, see her again when this battle was won.
If they won.
His stomach clenched. What if he was wrong? What if he’d let his feelings for her blind him to what she really was? What if he helped her take the stones and he was wrong?
And what if he refused to trust her and she was right?
As he held her in his arms, feeling her warmth seep into him, he felt his heart ache with the need to open, to embrace her. And maybe listening to his heart was all he could really do.
Ilaria sniffled, shifting her face until the warmth of it was buried against his neck. A second later, she reared back, her face a mask of horror. “You’re freezing.”
He shrugged stiffly. “I lost a shoe. My foot’s a little cold.”
She pulled out of his arms, her horrified gaze raking him head to bare toes.
“You’re mortal, Harrison. You have to get back inside.” And in an instant, she took charge, issuing orders, filling his heart with the certain knowledge that she was made to be queen.
“Findris, he needs your boots. Now.”
Harrison scowled. “I have one shoe.” His expression was mirrored on the Esri male’s face, but Ilaria’s will was not to be thwarted.
“Now!”
Findris lifted one leg after the other, pulling off the soft unstructured leather boots and tossing them to Harrison.
But Ilaria snatched them out of his hands and knelt at his feet. “Lift your foot, Harrison.”
He felt at once ridiculous and unaccountably moved that the true queen of Esria knelt before him to care for his feet. He did as she commanded and lifted his numb, bare foot, reaching for the top of her small head to steady himself. Vaguely, he felt the soft touch of her fingers along his sole as she brushed away the snow, then the firm grip of her hand closing around his cold foot.
Warrior Rising (Harlequin Nocturne) Page 15