Diamond shuddered at the thought of seeing a soul ripped from a person. “Will the shield stop all his soldiers?” she asked, thinking about the Seekers.
“No. Ragor has many monstrous creatures in his army besides Seekers and Dust Devils. There are Wolfmen, who people say were the first shape shifters but who displeased Erebos so he kept them in between forms as a punishment. They cannot scale the smooth Rift Valley wall. And Battle Imps, which are ugly as a warthog’s backside. Big, muscly, bald and blue. They're too clumsy and heavy to even try. Neither is Ragor a battle leader given to patience—despite his eternal life. He wishes to conquer, and to do it quickly he will use giants to try and destroy the wall. It is heavily manned by Prince Oden’s forces; and in addition to the Queen’s forces, the gates that provide access for those without wings are warded by the Queen’s magic. Have you been to many cities?” he asked.
The change in subject threw Diamond. Startled she met his questioning glare. “No, I haven’t,” she answered truthfully.
“Hmm. Well, remember what I said: every city has its dangers, especially for someone like you. The city guard will not help a half-blood in trouble, and neither will most of the people. You have no rights to safety—or anything else. If you wish to stay alive, or not end up pressed into service in a whore house, do not trust anyone or go anywhere alone.” Warning laced his voice.
Diamond scowled to cover her inadequacy and fear.
Hugo kept his eyes focused in front of him and continued, although Diamond was at a loss to explain his patience and willingness to enlighten her.
“Diamond,” her name rolled off his tongue and for a moment surprise flickered in his eyes. It disappeared so quickly she wondered if she had imagined it. “Valentia is swollen with refugees, people who are desperate and hungry and homeless. It is a dangerous and desperate place right now,” his massive shoulders shrugged slightly. “But if Ragor is hunting you, it will be safer than wandering this forest.”
Her belly clenched and her chest felt like it was being squeezed. That tightness was all she could concentrate on for a moment. She shut her eyes.
Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Her father’s voice. For a moment grief stole her senses. Deliberately, slowly, she inhaled a breath through her nostrils. After a time she opened her eyes, avoiding looking at Hugo’s fearsome face. Valentia was going to be far from a safe haven.
The aroma of cooked meat drifted up her nose. In control of her anxiety and breathing once again, Diamond forced some meat between her teeth. Juices ran across her tongue and down her throat, but still it was an effort to swallow. Eating seemed disgusting when her father would never taste another meal.
“Eating is necessary,” Hugo told her matter-of-factly. “It will give you at least some strength, and food is scarce in this forest now. It may be your last meal for a while.”
Diamond pulled a face but continued until her portion disappeared. It settled like a brick in her belly. Thankfully, Hugo seemed content to sit quietly until she had completed the onerous task. He quickly passed her his water skin.
“Here, drink,” he ordered.
She hesitated. Why would he share anything of his with a half-blood? The scar twisted his left eyebrow out of shape as he raised his brows. Diamond didn’t have the strength to argue or care. Coolness washed down her throat, unsticking the lodged food. Handing it back, she gave him a weak smile, quickly looking away from his scarred features. Ignoring her discomfort, he placed the water skin down on the floor beside his bent knees.
“So why is a Queen’s guard so far north?” she asked, curiously.
“Prince Oden’s scouts saw Cranach’s pack heading north through the far reaches of the forest. They seemed to be avoiding any confrontation with our troops, and they only ever do that when they are hunting someone specific. Prince Oden wanted to track them and find out who they were after—and why Ragor was willing to risk his Seekers for it.”
“I asked why you are here,” Diamond clarified, frowning at his evasive answer. “You are a Queen’s guard and not in servitude to the prince, unless your allegiance has changed.”
His eyes turned to endless black. Diamond cringed away, trying to calm her sudden fear. She needed to learn to curb her tongue. The smart-mouthed comments she had always snapped back at her father would not be tolerated by this warrior.
“I go where my Queen sends me—and report back on matters of importance.”
“Oh, well, I guess it must be disappointing to know they were only looking for a lowly, unimportant half-blood like me,” Diamond responded caustically, ignoring her own advice about her mouth and staring across the cave into the dancing flames instead of into Hugo’s obsidian eyes, not sapphire—obsidian—the colour of death and shadow.
The other fae warriors were silhouettes against the glowing fire light. Some were busy cleaning their weapons, others were talking quietly or laying down to rest. Diamond concentrated on them, watching Tom’s skinny shadow as he turned to look at her, his attention resting on Hugo. Diamond could almost hear him asking if she was alright. She gave him a reassuring nod.
“Why would it be disappointing?” Hugo asked, contemplating Tom. “Ragor wants you dead for a reason. We just have to find out why. We will join Prince Jack, tomorrow then head back to Valentia. My Queen is ancient and has knowledge forgotten to mortals like us. She will perhaps be able to work out what he wants from you.”
Diamond didn’t want to meet the fae Queen at all, but his words told her she would have no choice in the matter. Escaping him before they hit the city walls was her only chance. Clenching and unclenching her fists, she did her best to control yet another panic attack. If only her father was here; he had always been able to anchor her, help her control her worst attacks. Cold and shaking, she resisted the urge to grasp her necklace. It had belonged to her mother. No one could have it, not the Wraith Lord, not this guard, and definitely not the powerful Queen. It was hers.
“We will find the prince not too far south of here. I know General Edo wishes to meet with his monarch. I expect he will want to re-join the prince’s army as soon as you are safe,” Hugo continued, oblivious to her turmoil.
“Oh.” It was the only response Diamond could muster, her lips tingling as they always did when she felt panic grip her. Hugo didn’t seem to have anything else to say either. Staring into the dying flames, she wondered what was to happen to her if General Edo did join with his prince. She had no idea what she was going to do in Valentia as she would be homeless with no money for food and absolutely no idea about how to survive in a city full of desperate people.
At least Tom was with her. Her friend’s shoulders were slumped forward, misery and grief written in every line of his body. Diamond pressed her lips into a tight line, shame burning inside her. He had lost everything because of her. She should go and comfort him. But what if he spurns me? Have the others told him I am to blame? Tears burned her eyes. What does the future hold for us both now? Will he ever forgive me?
Tom’s silhouette became distorted as her eyes blurred. Diamond would not cry again. Not in front of Hugo. Shame burned her cheeks as she remembered crying into his shoulder until she had no tears left to shed. Worrying about the future, hers or Tom’s, was pointless; they had to make it to the city first.
Her thoughts must have shown on her face.
“Don’t worry. If anything else hunts you, we will kill it. You will get to Valentia,” Hugo promised, his deep voice rumbling over her and giving her goose bumps.
Diamond twisted to regard his terrifying visage, not doubting for a moment he spoke the truth. In those few seconds it struck her Hugo did not look as old as she had first thought;- in fact, if she chose to disregard the altering effect of his scar, he did not look that much older than her.
“How old are you?” she asked curiously, narrowing her eyes as she studied his face.
“Nineteen.” Hugo answered shortly, studying her right back.
“Nineteen!” she exclaimed. “No. Y
ou’re a lot older than that.”
Her stomach tightened, twenty was considered fully mature in fae males. Her knowledge of fae customs was thorough, thanks to her father. Most fae males didn’t choose a life mate upon maturing these days, certainly not if they had obligations to their Queen; but just the awareness that Hugo could want someone enough to make that binding pledge made Diamond fidget. He raised his eyebrows quizzically almost as if he could read her thoughts.
“Thanks,” he drawled.
“S-sorry.” Diamond stuttered, cringing at her insensitivity. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. You don’t look old at all. It’s just with your beard and all that has happened, it’s difficult to tell….” Heat flooded her face as she rambled, digging a bigger hole for herself. Amusement flicked the corners of his mouth upward, accentuating his scar. Its ugliness mesmerised her.
“It’s just that—well—you seemed to kill those things so efficiently and quickly; it looked like you’d been doing it for a very long time.”
All levity in his face disappeared. “I have,” he responded, not volunteering any more information.
Nerves made her mouth work before her brain could stop her. “So how old were you when you became a warrior?” she asked.
His eyes glinted sapphire again, his face expressionless as he looked at her. “I am not just a warrior. I am a Queen’s guard and I have always been one. I was given to the Queen as a baby, like all the Queen’s guards are. It is considered an honour by many parents to gift their son to the Queen. I was raised and trained by my brother guardsmen. My Queen ordered me to take my first life when I turned twelve years old. So you could say I am an efficient killer; it’s what I do—kill on the orders of my Queen.” His face was blank, but she didn’t miss the slight note of bitterness in his voice.
Diamond swallowed, not really knowing how to respond. She rubbed her arms as a strange prickly feeling washed over her skin. Hugo looked her up and down and changed the subject. Just like that, the feeling disappeared.
“It will be cold in the forest for you dressed like that,” he said frowning meaningfully at her bare legs.
Diamond bristled, immediately flushing bright red as his gaze rested on her exposed thighs. She resisted the urge to pull what was left of her skirt down further. Never had her skin been this exposed to the scrutiny of a boy. But Hugo was not a boy, he was a mature fae male. Suddenly Diamond found it difficult to speak.
Embarrassed she hastily knelt on the hard floor, ignoring her stinging grazes, and curled her feet underneath her. She tugged her short skirt down as best she could. Silently the big warrior got up, his movements controlled and powerful, and walked over to his pack. He might only be nineteen but Diamond already knew he could kill with as much efficiency and grace as he moved. Hugo sank to his haunches and quickly pulled out a spare pair of leggings, some clean linen bandages and a pot of salve. Turning back, he chucked them to her one at a time, then put the water skin down on the ground within arm’s reach.
“If you roll those up and tie something around your waist, they will at least cover your skin. And if you don’t want to get an infection, you need to clean and dress your wounds, especially those nasty scratches on your neck. The goddess only knows what filth that creature had on his claws,” he advised, then lay down near her and propped his head on his pack.
Diamond frowned, resolved to not think about where Cranach’s claws had been. She swept the water skin up in one jerky movement. Wincing and steadily ignoring Hugo, Diamond cleaned her wounds before carefully dabbing the disgusting smelling salve on her neck. Thankfully, it dulled the pain almost immediately. With the dagger Hugo had given her, she cut a strip of linen bandage to tie around her waist, then pulled on the ridiculously large leggings. After she had rolled the legs up and knotted the makeshift belt round her waist, they weren’t too bad a fit. She immediately felt warmer. Glancing at Hugo, she muttered an awkward, “Thank you for the leggings, commander.”
“Hugo,” he replied. “My name is Hugo. Use it until we reach Valentia.” It was almost an order.
Diamond considered refusing, but saw no point. Instead she nodded.
After applying the salve to her remaining grazes, she felt an odd, almost comforting warmth wash over her skin and a mildly uncomfortable tugging in her chest. An inexplicable urge to lay down next to Hugo overtook her. Besides, it would look rude to find somewhere else to rest, and she was too weary to seek out Tom or General Edo.
In a fluid movement, Hugo leaned up and passed her his pack. “Here, rest your head on this,” he instructed.
Flustered and surprised, she took it. It was a strange gesture given the reputation of the Queen’s guards for being callous and cold-hearted. Through narrowed eyes he continued to watch her as she settled herself on the hard floor.
“Go to sleep, Diamond. I’ll keep you safe,” he told her.
Exhausted, she closed her eyes. Hugo watched her unwaveringly, a frown creasing his scarred brow when she opened her eyes a few minutes later to check if he was still there.
The Queen’s guard did not relax or sleep until the girl’s breathing had settled and her strange mix of human and fae features relaxed in true sleep.
Hugo shook Diamond awake at dawn. Around the cave the warriors were sitting around talking quietly. The boar had been picked clean of meat and its carcass had been deposited at one side of the cave. Hugo placed a large leaf with some scraps of meat on it beside her. She eyed it with distaste. It looked mostly like congealed fat and sinew.
“Eat,” commanded Hugo gruffly, then wandered over to sit near General Edo.
Not hungry in the least, Diamond picked up her food and made her way to the yawning cave mouth where her friend sat staring out at the endless forest. Beautiful golden pink hues stained the sky. Tom shuffled to one side as she sat down.
“Hey,” he greeted her.
“Hi,” Diamond responded, leaning her head on his bony shoulder. “Did you sleep?” she asked quietly, not really sure what to say to her best friend.
“No. Not really.” He paused and took a breath before continuing, “I kept thinking about what might have happened if I hadn’t run away like a coward. M-my mum…she might still be alive if I had been braver. I should have gone in and at least tried to help her, but I didn’t. She’s dead because of me—” his voice broke.
Diamond balked. It was so unfair to let him think that. “No, Tom, that’s not true. If you had gone in, likely you would be dead too.” Tentatively she grasped his hand, then lowered her voice. “Tom, those things, they were after me. Your mother, my father—all those other people—they died because of me, no one else. None of it was your fault. Please. Please stop thinking that.”
Tom frowned in disbelief and pulled away from her. “You? But why would they want you?”
Diamond clutched her necklace and shrugged, “I don’t know. That creature wouldn’t tell me why, only that he had been sent to kill me. So you see, you should not feel guilty. It is only me who carries the burden of all those deaths.”
Tom made a non-committal noise and put his arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, well, even if those things were after you, you can’t blame yourself for what happened to the town. You didn’t ask them to come, and you couldn’t have stopped them, so….” he assured her with a shrug.
Diamond hugged her friend.
“What are we going to do now?” she whispered, although the question was rhetorical.
His bony chest rose and fell in a deep sigh. “I don’t know, but we’ll find our way. We are not children anymore. Out there is a world far bigger than anything we are used to, and we are going to have to learn to survive in it.”
He fell silent, his gaze distant. Diamond knew this mood in her friend. He did not want to talk about it anymore. Neither did she. Silently, side by side, the two childhood friends watched the sun rise. The stars faded from view but Tu Lanah continued to glitter like a huge watchful eye. Diamond knew the ice moon would get larger and lower ove
r the coming months, until at winter solstice it would kiss the earth while the winter storms raged.
Neither of them noticed the warrior approaching with a slight smile on his full lips. “Hey,” said Zane, kicking at Tom’s leg with the toe of his boot.
Tom glanced up, frowning at the hazel-eyed fae. “What?” he replied.
“You told me last night you wanted to learn to fight. So come on then, get off your skinny arse and learn.” Tom scowled at the fae warrior. “Unless you’re too much of a cowardly little bastard to try,” Zane taunted. Tom was on his feet in an instant. Zane chuckled. “That’s the spirit,” he laughed. “Don’t let your grief grind you down, boy, or it’ll kill you out here in this forest.”
“I’m not a boy,” snapped Tom, a flush to his cheeks.
Diamond suppressed a smile at Tom’s instant reaction.
Zane’s wiggled his eyebrows and looked Tom over, then winked, which inflamed Tom further. “Oh, I can see that. But you need a bit more muscle on that skinny frame to be of much use.”
Tom huffed and grabbed the sword Zane held out. “See you in a bit,” he mumbled to Diamond and followed a smiling Zane.
Hugo tracked the progress of the new tutor and pupil alliance to the far depths of the cave, then he leaned back against the cave wall and continued his conversation with General Edo. His voice resonated through the cave as he recounted the war that had resulted in the young prince losing his city and his kingdom to the Wraith Lord.
Diamond listened intently, hoping to learn something new.
A roaring in her ears wiped away Hugo’s voice. Her vision fogged and Diamond suddenly found herself in a black and silent void. She stared in confusion at the emaciated woman who stood before her. Her face would have been remarkably beautiful if she wasn’t so painfully thin. Long, greasy tresses of silver hair hung to the woman’s waist, covering her long white robe that was yellowed with age and filth. Blue, despairing eyes met Diamond’s. But it was the screams piercing the air that filled Diamond’s head, and a sense of unending hopelessness that truly terrified her. Wraiths, figures of mist and darkness, writhed around the woman. They reached out their shadowy limbs, trying to fight their way through the quivering haze of light that trembled around her. Diamond gasped, trying not to clutch her hands over her ears.
A Bond of Venom and Magic (The Goddess and the Guardians Book 1) Page 5