A soft knock on her bedroom door pulled her from her thoughts. Harlan groaned and rolled onto her back. “What?”
Khalee opened the door and stuck her head in. “I’m sorry, Harlan, but there is a man here to see you. His name is Titan and he says he’s your father. He is insisting that he speak with you. What should I do?”
My father? Does that monstrous son of bitch really think I consider him family? As if I don’t have enough problems, now he has to show up. “Let me ask you something, did he come in the front door of the apartment?”
“I’m not entirely sure. I was by myself in the den, and then he was there. He scared the crap out of me at first but he seems nice enough.”
“Yeah, he’s a wonderful guy. Just don’t turn your back on him.” Harlan sat up on the bed and rested her back against the headboard. “Fine, let him in.”
Khalee stepped back allowing the wizard to pass. He swept into the room with his usual velvet grace, like he was floating. God, how Harlan hated him.
Unlike the other times when she’d been around him, he appeared tense. Strangely enough, he also looked a bit frail. Titan took a seat in a chair near the window and interlaced his fingers in his lap.
“Would you like me to stay?” Khalee asked.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Harlan said, exhausted. She doubted Khalee could offer any protection against the evil wizard. She glanced at Gavin’s father. “Do you have a preference?
“No, I don’t care either.” Titan went on to completely ignored Khalee as she leaned in the doorway. “Harlan, there are pressing matters we need to discuss. I’m afraid I have some disturbing news.”
Harlan choked out a laugh despite her misery. “Do you ever have any other type of news? Don’t bother answering that. Look Titan, I don’t know what the hell you want, but I’m pretty sure whatever you have to say is a pack of lies. So why don’t we skip this whole cryptic conversation and you just go away.”
“Of course. I understand. We have a history; I don’t blame you. But I have no reason to lie to you about what I’m going to say. Gavin, for all practical reasons is dead, and it was Dragon who killed him.”
“Since when do you need ever need reason to lie? At any rate my husband’s death has been prematurely reported in the past. Forgive me if I will need some proof.” Harlan was careful to bury her emotions but Titan’s words bit deep. What if he’s not lying? What if it’s true?
Titan crossed his legs and regarded her like a stern parent with a disobedient child. “Really? Well let me give you a little history on what you have missed since you’ve been here. Dragon, in his new and improved condition, thanks to you, has stolen some pages from one of my spell books.”
Harlan rubbed her forehead impatiently. “Why should that concern me?”
“With the pages taken, Dragon has managed to turn your husband into a block of stone. You should be concerned because I know he can’t change Gavin back, even if he has the right spell to do it.”
“So you did lie. Gavin is not dead.” Harlan’s heart was racing but she dared not show Titan how panicked she was. “And how do you know Dragon can’t change him back?”
Titan glared at her. His golden eyes burned with savage malevolence. “Because I have taken Gavin’s statue for safe-keeping. Dragon can’t turn him back if he can’t find him.”
Taking a minute to collect her thoughts, Harlan gave a noncommittal nod of her head. This explained why Gavin hadn’t come for her and why no one seemed to know where he was.
When she spoke, she made sure she kept her tone cool and even. “Okay. I’m still listening. What do you want from me?”
“The solution is simple. Just withdraw the necessary components of Dragon’s medication so he will return to madness. Do exactly what you did twenty-seven years ago. Surely you remember the deal we struck back then? Then you can have your husband back and I can have my garden decoration back. Everyone is happy.”
“Everyone except Dragon,” she said bitterly. Stealing Dragon’s freedom away had been a source of great guilt and regret. Sometimes she wondered if she had made the right decision.
“Come on now, Harlan. Who really cares about him anyway? I assume you love Gavin more than his deranged brother. Or were you thinking of trading up?” Titan barked out a laugh that echoed with cruelty.
No one really cares about him but me and now for some reason...Titan. Can he be afraid of Dragon? To buy some time without tipping her hand, she said, “I’ll think about what you’ve said. But I do have one question before you go.”
Watching her with renewed caution, he shifted his weight in obvious discomfort. “Go on.”
“Why are you so preoccupied with Dragon? You weren’t so concerned about him when you were sick with Serillian Fever. As I recall you were more than happy to buy your treatment from me in exchange for his freedom. Now here you are, almost half a year later, asking for my help in reclaiming him. Do you have a reason to worry?”
There was a long silence. Harlan could almost see the lies being formed and perfected. Here it comes.
“Yes, I do. But he is not just a threat to me. He is a threat to everyone. Harlan, he was born of magic, thus he has a natural affinity for it. With almost no training, he can become very powerful indeed. But he is also innocent. He is a grown AEssyrian male who has been with whores but never had a mother, loved a woman or been hurt by one. He has wielded a sword but never been wounded in battle. He will become corrupted by the immense power he channels. And when that happens, no one can stand against him, not even me, for I will be the first one he kills.” Titan clenched his fist. “Please, Harlan. I must get him back and you are the only one he will listen to. There is no telling where your naive act of kindness might lead.”
“I told you, I will think about it. I’m not doing anything right now, so you just make sure Gavin stays safe or you’re on your own.”
Titan nodded. Rising from the chair, he looked much older than when he had come in. She guessed going from a zero stress life to nothing but stress could affect even him. Harlan wanted Gavin back, desperately, but she knew Titan well enough to know everything he said or did contained a certain level of deceit. No matter what, Titan wasn’t just going to hand Gavin back over to her.
Harlan closed her eyes and flopped back onto the bed.
Even with her exhaustion, sleep was very far away now. What Titan wanted was almost impossible. She wouldn’t be able to betray Dragon again. Maybe Dragon was more powerful than Titan. Maybe he’d even be willing to help her get her husband back, but would he? After all, Gavin and Dragon weren’t exactly close, loving brothers. She tried to drift off but her fingers suddenly cramped with stabbing pain. Damn it all.
Khalee could be heard walking around the room. “Where did he go?” she asked in alarm.
Harlan didn’t bother to open her eyes, but there was no doubt the devil had vanished in front of her bodyguard. Harlan rolled onto her side, feeling like her insides had been cut up with a carving knife.
“Straight back to the fires of hell, I hope.”
Chapter 10
The pace of their journey continued to slow which was dangerous. Gypsy’s eyes were aching from scanning the forest floor looking for trip wires. Thank the gods for Trajan because he seemed to catch them all. There were more than a few so well camouflaged she would have missed them altogether and probably be dead by now.
As if creeping through the wilderness, avoiding being cut in half by a booby trap wasn’t bad enough, they were all hungry and tired. Leading the weary pack was Trajan. He rode ahead of the single file line and pointed out each trip wire or pressure pad he encountered. Everyone rode around the traps with a cautious respect, having seen what they could do.
Trajan estimated they were probably only a few hours from the Razorback border, but it didn’t erase the fact that two bounty hunters were still out there. Gypsy only hoped Makara hadn’t had enough time to rebuild his numbers.
Missy, who had insisted on riding b
ehind Trajan, had her small arms wrapped around him and her head resting on his back. Her eyes were closed, but I doubted she was truly asleep. She was too aware of what was going on around her, but the pair presented a really cute picture, especially since Gypsy knew it miffed Kharon. Her husband was very attached to her sister and had taken on a fatherly role, but when he bossed the little girl too often, she would switch her allegiance to Trajan or Dragon. Now that Dragon was gone she went back and forth between her husband and the scout.
Usually Kharon paid no mind to Missy’s fickle loyalty, but he was particularly tense today and kept trying to convince her to ride with him. Like all of the Theron women, the more you pushed them to obey, the more resistance you got. If he had feigned indifference, the little girl’s curiosity would have gotten the better of her and she would have come back over to his side. The whole dynamic amused Gypsy.
There was a clearing up ahead. Hopefully, it meant they had finally passed all the booby traps. Gypsy was really getting sick of all this creeping around and the boredom that went with it. Perhaps, she thought, it was time for some telepathic play.
She eased into Kharon’s mind and smiled. Ah, my love, did Missy dump you again for another good looking male? The little puppet master has quite a few choices here, even if two of the four are married.
I know you think you’re funny, but you’re not.
I’m funny to me. Besides, I think it’s cute she hurt your feelings.
Kharon, who was riding in front of her, shot her an annoyed look. She did not hurt my feelings. I would just feel better if she was riding with me. Trajan isn’t a warrior and can’t protect her as well if we run into trouble.
Oh, yeah. That’s it. Why can’t you just admit you’re jealous?
A loud crash broke the quiet, yanking her mind from Kharon’s.
It sounded like a tree had snapped and fallen but then it was accompanied by more cracking and thumping. Gypsy’s startled mount reared up on its haunches a few times. Prancing sideways, he pawed the ground and fought the reins to bolt. She held him steady but could hear the other mounts hissing and snarling in panic. Those damned bounty hunters had probably spooked them on purpose.
There was a blur of action behind her and she turned just as Krull was thrown from his mount. When he landed, the layer of ground cover beneath him caved, dropping him into a deep ditch. Fear tore through her as his hyperia galloped off into the woods. Usually something deadly was at the bottom of those kinds of traps.
Trajan had ridden into the clearing and turned around just in time to see what was happening. Desmond grabbed Scarlet’s mount and led her and the baby into the clearing as well.
“Krull!” Everything seemed to slow down as she covered the short distance to the edge of the pit. Don’t be dead Krull. Don’t be dead. Kharon reached the pit at the same time as she did and they could see Krull lying unresponsive at the bottom of the seven-foot deep trap. A wooden stake the length of her forearm pierced his right shoulder.
“Krull!” She yelled, preparing to dismount.
Kharon’s hand came up toward her face and he snapped his fingers to both silence her and keep her in the saddle. In the next instant, the bounty hunters attacked. There were three now, all mounted with swords drawn. The new addition had probably been left behind as a lookout during the last assault.
Makara charged Gypsy, trying to force her mount to lose its footing and fall into the pit. She had just enough time to yank her sword free to counter the attack. Circling around to her other side, Makara charged her again, driving her closer to Kharon. The other two hunters went for Scarlet. Trajan galloped up to help Desmond fend them off.
Makara suddenly broke from Gypsy and Kharon rushing over to the other group. Gypsy stopped in confusion for just a moment, baffled by his sudden departure. That moment’s hesitation was all the leader needed. Desmond and Trajan were so preoccupied with fighting the other two hunters it allowed Makara to snatch Missy from the back of Trajan’s mount and pull her onto his own. Missy screamed in surprise and fought wildly, trying to bite and scratch her way to freedom. Unfortunately, all she got was a mouthful of the thick leather gauntlet that covered most of his forearm. Makara slid one thick arm around her small neck and placed a knife to the back of her head.
Trajan shot him a toxic glare. “If you hurt her—”
“We don’t want to hurt any of you,” one of the other hunters said. He moved back from Scarlet to decrease the threat and motioned to the third hunter to do the same. “But the three bounties are coming with us, one way or another.”
“Three bounties?” Kharon asked.
“Yeah. Three. Her,” one hunter said, pointing at Gypsy with the tip of his sword. “Him,” he nodded toward Desmond, “and you. We don’t care about the rest. Trajan won’t leave a woman and child out here by themselves just to follow us, so I’d say we’re safe from pursuit. There’s no bounty from the emperor on the little girl, but we’ll keep her with us to ensure everyone’s cooperation.”
An explosive rage rushed through Gypsy. Half was her own and the other half was the tempest in Kharon’s heart, melding with her own emotions. Her mind was racing, seeking out options. Krull groaned from the pit below. Gypsy looked down, Krull’s shoulder was bleeding a lot. His eyelids fluttered open and closed a few times but she wasn’t sure that he was fully conscious.
Gypsy pointed down into the pit. “What about our friend? You can’t just leave him down there to die.”
“There’s no pay for him. Why should we waste our time?” replied the same hunter.
Kharon ignored the man and addressed Makara directly. “If you allow us to help him, we will return to the empire with you. As your companion pointed out, you have the child and we want to keep her safe.”
Makara, who was still holding Missy gave them a lifeless stare. Gypsy was sure he wasn’t going to agree. Then he nodded to the hunter who’d been speaking. The hunter didn’t look happy but remained silent. Makara lowered his knife away from the back of Missy’s skull and signed something to Gypsy and Kharon.
“He wants both of you away from the pit,” Trajan translated.
Gypsy shook her head vigorously. “No. One of your halfwits isn’t just going to rip that wood spike out of his shoulder.” She pointed at Scarlet. “That woman is a doctor. Let her go down and assist, then I’ll back away.”
Makara visibly sighed but nodded his agreement.
Scarlet dismounted and handed the baby to Desmond who tucked him into his jacket. With more calm than Gypsy had ever seen her show, she removed the saddle bag containing medical supplies from her hyperia and walked over to the pit.
“How am I supposed to get down there?” Scarlet asked.
Makara signed more things to Trajan who addressed Gypsy and Kharon. “He is allowing the female doctor to treat and assist. You both need to ride over to the others.” Gypsy was intrigued despite the dire situation. Trajan had garnered all of that communication from what seemed like just a few hand signals.
Kharon and Gypsy joined Desmond and Trajan. The smallest hunter who, to this point hadn’t said a word joined Scarlet at the edge of the pit and dismounted. This male looks younger than me. I wonder if he’s still an apprentice. Removing a military issue rope ladder from his saddle he used metal spikes to secure it to the rim. Both Scarlet and the hunter disappeared over the edge which really set her nerves ablaze.
After some undecipherable murmuring from the hole, she heard Krull yell out in pain. She wanted to rush to the pit more than anything but held her ground. A few excruciating moments passed, then up came Scarlet and the hunter. The hunter had Krull draped over his shoulder as he made the difficult climb out. Scarlet sniped at the hunter to be careful which earned her a nasty glare.
After an arduous struggle the hunter got Krull over the lip and down onto a blanket Scarlet had laid out. Krull lay unconscious as the hunter rolled his ladder back up and secured it to his saddle. Like the other subordinate hunter, Gypsy could tell this one
was even less happy with Makara’s decision to help.
Without the slightest movement or change in his expression, Kharon’s voice permeated her mind. In the beginning, Gypsy had hated their connection but often it was a welcome ally and now she doubted she would ever dismiss its value again. Her husband’s thoughts were clear and menacing with their violent purpose. He directed her to stand ready to take out the young hunter standing near Krull and Scarlet. With nothing but eye movement he communicated to Desmond and Trajan to go after the one closest to them. Kharon would attack Makara.
Gypsy worried her lower lip with her teeth and darted her eyes nervously to look more anxious than she actually was. She hated looking weak but did her best to try and look benign and frightened. Her tactic worked. The hunter kept stealing looks at her and now he seemed more relaxed and confident. Males are so stupid. Even though she knew she could take out this idiot with little effort, she was still terrified for Missy’s safety. Kharon had centuries of military experience, and Gypsy knew with certainty he wouldn’t try anything he didn’t believe had a chance of success.
In sly, furtive movements, Kharon shifted his mount’s position in a feigned attempt to get more comfortable. He was slowly inching closer to Makara. Fortunately, the hunter’s attention was focused on his man helping Scarlet care for the injured doctor. Desmond was watching the hunter closest to Scarlet, waiting for Kharon to strike. If Desmond took out the one hunter and Gypsy took out the other, there was no way Makara could claim his bounties. He’d have to give up. The one uncertainty in all this was Missy. She wasn’t worth anything to them. Gypsy didn’t think Makara would kill her because he could always return her to Megolyth for some compensation. Getting the jump on these hunters was risky, but there was no way they could return with them. The emperor would undoubtedly kill all three of them. All Gypsy could do was hope Kharon’s plan worked.
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