A Bond of Venom and Magic (The Goddess and the Guardians Book 1)

by Karen Tomlinson

  “Whatever it was flattened half the forest, nearly burnt your skin off and left her unconscious. You know there will be questions, especially from your Queen,” Jack stated.

  More silence.

  “Hugo, you forget I am your friend. Don’t keep shutting me out. Ever since you came back here to your Queen, you’ve been nothing but a cold-hearted shadow of who you were in Stormguaard.” The prince strode up to him and cocked his head. “I haven’t seen you laugh or smile in months. Is that what she does—steal any joy from your soul?”

  Hugo slumped a little, the breath whooshing from his chest. “Yes,” he whispered.

  “Then don’t let her steal Diamond. Anyone who knows you can see how much you want her.”

  Hugo’s eyes shot to Jack. “What do you mean?” he asked hoarsely.

  “Oh come on, Hugo. You lived around me and my soldiers for nearly three years. We can all see how you act around her. Besides, you’re fae,” he said as if that explained everything.

  Hugo ignored that. “What do you mean you can see how I act?” he persisted.

  Jack gave him a quizzical look. “Hugo, I have never been able to wind you up about anything, let alone a woman. But with her it’s as easy as breathing. You look like you want to rip apart anyone who talks to her, let alone anyone who might hurt her.”

  Hugo opened his mouth to protest but, smiling mischievously, Jack quickly continued and smacked Hugo’s shoulder good-naturedly. “Yes, you do. Like in the cave when Roin touched her. We all thought you might lose your cool completely. It gave us all quite a fright.” Jack cocked his head and grinned. “You’re behaving like a fae who has found a mate. Have you, Hugo?”

  Hugo scowled and snarled, but that just made Jack bark a laugh. Behind them Diamond stirred, drawing their attention. Jack’s face lost any levity.

  “She saved my life, Hugo. I owe her. If you don’t want her to be in danger, if you want to protect her, let me take her from here. Help me get her away. You know the Queen will kill her for the magic she can wield.” Jack’s voice turned almost pleading.

  Let her go.

  Those words of reason echoed in his head, but still Hugo remained silent. Selfishly, he didn’t want Jack to take her away. His throat constricted in panic at the thought of her leaving. But she deserved to be safe. Can I do it? Can I defy my Queen, get Diamond out of the trap I have woven for her and get away with it? He opened his mouth to ask Jack how, then clamped it shut as Rose came back out of the bathing room, clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

  “His Highness is right, sir. You need to care for your own injuries or you’ll get infected,” said Rose, oblivious to the last part of the conversation. “Besides, when the young miss is awake, she will need to bathe—and you cannot stay for that. It’s not seemly,” she said flushing at Hugo’s dark look, but she raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Not this time, sir.”

  “Understood,” Hugo answered, his eyes flicking to Diamond then back to Jack. “When she is awake I will leave.”

  Jack sighed, running his hand through his hair as he watched Rose. “Alright, Hugo. I’ll drop it…for now. But we will speak of this again—and soon,” the prince promised darkly, looking back out of the window at the Queen’s tower.

  Hugo hated the building that emerged from the centre of the grey granite palace. It loomed up to the sky like a ridiculous, huge phallus, its bulk dwarfing every other building in the considerable grounds. Constructed from pink marble, veins of glittering crystal wound through the stone. On a sunny day the whole thing seemed to soak up the light and glow, its massive structure making it visible for miles up and down the coast. There were more than two hundred rooms in the tower alone, housing the Queen’s opulent throne room, her council chambers, private kitchens, her own personal apartments and training rooms for all the Queen’s guard’s; there was a school and an armoury—not to mention her own dungeons under the foundations. Hugo shuddered at his memories of those awful, stinking cells.

  “I need to go and prepare myself for my meeting,” said Jack puffing his cheeks out. “I also need to introduce General Edo to my council and commanders today,” he told Hugo.

  The rug muffled his footsteps as he walked over to Diamond. The prince leaned in and lightly kissed her forehead before he straightened and squared his shoulders. He stroked a hand gently down her soft cheek. When he turned, Hugo’s eyes were obsidian, his face carved from granite. Unfazed, the prince only nodded grimly to the Queen’s guard as he walked out of the room without looking back.

  Rose opened the windows, and a gentle sweet breeze caressed Hugo’s sticky skin. His body stank worse than a sewer, and he must look a gruesome sight, covered in filth and blood, his clothes torn and his weapons encrusted with dried blood and guts. His chin was covered by a thick beard, half of which was burned off, and his mouth tasted like something had died in it.

  “When will you wake her?” he asked Rose, schooling his features into neutrality.

  Rose’s eyes were big and wary as she glanced at him. “Well, now is as good a time as any.” She smiled timidly, “Would you like to help me?”

  He said stiffly, “Err…. If you tell me what to do, I am willing to help.” He concealed his surprise. It would be a miracle if Rose hadn’t been ordered to pass on information about Diamond and him to Isla Norr or the Queen. He just hoped that no healer knew enough of ancient fae customs to understand what the mark on her breast was.

  “Please come closer.” Gulping, Rose beckoned him over.

  It was then he noticed the phial in her hand. Instantly suspicious he glowered at it and snarled slightly.

  “It’s alright, sir,” Rose soothed, following his gaze and trying to sound brave. The girl was human but had watched him stand over Diamond day after day without sleep or food. Clearly Rose was well aware of how protective he was of Diamond—that in itself made Rose a danger to them both. Hugo ignored his training, which told him to threaten Rose to ensure her silence.

  “This is just to reverse the sleeping spell. It will not harm her, commander; I promise. Just talk to her. She will be disorientated and scared when she wakes, and your voice seems the only thing to calm her.”

  Hugo nodded curtly after giving the phial another suspicious glare. Noticing Rose’s flushed face and the way her hands shook made him scowl harder. The shaking worsened and, for the first time in years, he felt a pang of remorse at using who and what he was to intimidate someone so kind. Rose had been here nearly as much as him. Despite that, he couldn’t bring himself to smile. Being this close to Diamond even so many days after the bite had his heart pounding so hard he was sure Rose could hear it.

  Only Rose had seen him kneel by Diamond’s bed and hold her hand to his lips. But it wasn’t until they were alone that he would lean in until his face was buried in Diamond's hair or his lips brushed her ear. In those precious stolen moments he would whisper nonsense to her. Rose was right; Diamond always stilled, almost as though she were listening to him. It was easy to tell her of his deepest thoughts: of wanting to take her somewhere far away, of escaping the servitude of the Queen. Vocalising his dreams made them seem more real. Their Nexus, his brutal existence as a young guard, he told her things he had never shared with anyone else. Hugo held back a derisive chuckle; it had been easy because there was no judgment—or pity—in the eyes of an unconscious woman.

  Each time the evil that lurked between this world and Eternity tried to steal her breath and take her soul, Hugo had controlled his panic and called to her, plunging his magic deep into her flesh and bones, winding it around the struggling ember of her own. His Nexus. Rare, beautiful, spirited. He would not let her die. Weak himself, the dampening effects of the city shield had been hard to overcome; but with sheer determination he had managed it, pulling and yanking at that tiny spark of hers until it flared brightly. His heart had raced with unaccustomed fear until she answered his commands to run from death, until her chest began to rise and fall as she breathed once again. That was, until the
next time.

  He watched Rose tip three tiny drops of a red liquid onto Diamond’s lips. It ran along the full length of her mouth before her tongue flicked out and she licked it away. Rose was far too preoccupied with Diamond to notice the sudden flush that crept up Hugo’s neck.

  “Talk to her. Bring her back,” was all Rose said as she held Diamond’s hand.

  Hugo knelt down on the floor, his infected thigh wound bleating with pain. Leaning forward until his lips brushed the shell of her ear he whispered her name, sending his magic flowing through her, calling her back to wakefulness.

  Diamond smiled as that beloved voice gently coaxed her from her dreams back to reality. She followed it as she always did, knowing he would lead her to safety. Quickly, she realised he wanted her to wake. She dimly registered his warm fingers lightly brushing her cheek. Instinctively, she turned her face into that powerful hand, murmuring her contentment. All too soon it pulled away.

  A whimper escaped her parched throat, but the warmth did not return. Laying quietly, Diamond allowed her mind to begin functioning. The world around her slowly took shape; the wonderfully comfortable bed, her head resting on a soft feather pillow, the cool sweet breeze that blew gently over her skin. Something else tickled her nose as well—salt, she mused, she must be near the sea.

  Her eyelids flicked open, wanting to see Hugo to thank him, to throw her arms around him…. But it was not Hugo smiling down at Diamond, it was a girl about her own age with relief in her chestnut brown eyes.

  “Hello,” the girl beamed. “I’m Rose. I am your healer.”

  Diamond stared at her uncomprehendingly. Outside, voices rumbled and gravel crunched as someone walked on a path under the open window.

  “Healer?” she rasped. Her memory had become distinctly hazy in the last few minutes. Coughing to clear her throat she tried again. “Where am I?”

  “You are in Valentia. In the Queen’s palace,” Rose explained, giving Diamond time to absorb that piece of information.

  Diamond stifled a sob of relief. They had made it! Or at least she had…. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as she spoke. “Hugo? And the…the others? Where are they?” she croaked, dreading the answer.

  Rose gave her a conspiratorial smile and perched on the bed next to Diamond, holding her patient’s shaking hand. “They’re all alive,” Rose said reassuringly. “In fact, I think they have all been in here at some point,” she giggled. “Even the water leopard; Trajan, is it? Anyway he healed well and the skinny boy, Tom. I’ve been looking after him as well. He came in here to keep the prince company for a while until I made him go back to bed.”

  “Why?” interrupted Diamond quickly. “Did he get hurt?” Tom had never been any good with blood or pain.

  “Yes. A cut on his arm, but don’t worry—he’s fine now. And then your guard, Commander Casimir, Hugo as you call him,” she searched Diamond’s face and frowned. “Well, he has refused to leave until just now. And the prince…. Whew!” She fanned herself and faked a swoon, giggling as Diamond blushed bright red. Rose’s light-hearted manner did the job of distracting her patient from the worry in her heart.

  “Would you like a drink?” Rose asked, picking up a glass of water from the bedside table.

  Struggling to sit up Diamond took the cold glass. Ice chinked and, with a shaking hand that Rose had to steady, she took a big gulp of water, swallowing and moaning with pleasure as the ice-cold liquid washed across her tongue and down her dry throat. Rose, still prattling on about Jack, got up and walked into the next room.

  “Now you just relax there for a minute and get your bearings; I’ll check the bath for you. Isla Norr wants you up and about today—and no one goes against the Queen’s healer….” her voice faded to muffled sounds as she walked into the bathing room.

  Diamond let her head flop back against the soft pillow and studied her room. It was huge. Far larger than any bedroom she had ever seen. A big bay window, lined with a seat, let in large amounts of light. Little diamonds of glass cast hundreds of tiny rainbows across the floor and walls, and big purple velvet drapes were twisted back then secured with gold cord. The room was spotlessly clean and stunningly beautiful. Ornate rugs covered the wooden floor, and large tapestries of the forest and the sea covered the granite walls. There was a small writing bureau against the wall opposite, and a large armchair covered in blue silk sat by her bed. It faced her as if someone had been sitting in it. In the other corner stood an elegant dressing table with an oval mirror.

  Diamond wondered what she would wear if she got up today. She had absolutely nothing to call her own now. She peered under the covers and grimaced. A white nightgown covered her. It was truly awful. She wrinkled her nose just as Rose stepped back in and said her bath was ready. Rejecting worries about what she didn’t have, Diamond pushed back the warm covers and allowed the other girl to help her sit up. She clutched the edge of the bed for a moment as a wave of dizziness hit her.

  “It’s okay. It will pass. It’s probably the after effects of the healing potions and spells. And you have been very ill,” Rose informed her gravely, her brown eyes full of concern. “I thought you had died at one point. I ran to fetch Isla Norr but by the time I returned, Commander Casimir told me you had rallied and were breathing properly again.”

  Tears shone in Rose’s eyes. Diamond’s stomach flipped as she held the healer’s hand, unable to express her gratitude to this kind stranger. Her own throat bobbed as she thought of Hugo and her dreams. It had been death she was running from and him she was running to. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to see him.

  “Thank you for taking care of me, Rose,” she said with a shaky smile, hoping to make Rose feel better whilst pushing away her own wants. Thoughts of Hugo were beyond foolish. He was back with his Queen; now that Diamond was alive she was no longer his problem. He would not have time for her.

  A delightfully cool breeze tickled her bare feet and ankles. For a moment Diamond allowed herself to gaze out of the window at the blue sky. Fluffy white clouds zipped happily by. The sight of something so naturally beautiful lifted her heart. Even with Rose’s help, getting to the bathing room was a slow and painful process.

  “I—err—I can manage now,” Diamond stuttered breathlessly as she stood looking down into the enormous sunken marble bath. Tendrils of steam danced lazily up to the ceiling, inviting her in.

  “Okay. There are oils in the bath that will help you heal and dull your pain,” Rose informed her cheerfully.

  Diamond turned and looked pointedly at the door. Being unconscious and bathed by others was one thing. Even though she felt weak as a baby she did not want anyone else in the room whilst she had a bath.

  Rose got the message and pointed out the robe that hung in one corner. “I’ll be back in an hour to help you dress,” she said, closing the door with a click.

  Diamond let her nightgown slide off her shoulders and stepped out of the puddle of cotton at her feet, wondering what exactly Rose had for her to wear.

  A fresh lemony scent filled the air, mixed with the aromatic scent of herbs. It tickled her nose as she inhaled, then she shivered with anticipation. She couldn’t remember the last time she had bathed in warm water. It had been weeks, weeks of trekking through an endless cold dead forest. It had been before her dad had died and her world had been turned upside down. Ignoring her burning eyes, Diamond thrust away her grief, not wanting to deal with it yet.

  At one end of the bathing room there was a long, ornately decorated mirror. Walking up to it she studied her reflection, pulling a critical face at what she saw. Diamond had never been vain. Ridicule and insults did not allow for that behaviour, but the girl staring back at her from the mirror was a stranger. Her hair was matted in dirty, dull clumps. Her face was thin and angular. Her cheeks were sunken and her breasts smaller than they had been for years. The outline of her ribs was far too obvious and her hip bones jutted out painfully against bruised thin skin. Diamond swallowed her distaste. Huge, sunk
en violet eyes stared back at her, dominating her face.

  “Oh!” she gasped, noticing a jagged wound covered with an almost translucent brown scab on her left breast. It felt rough under her fingertips. Not painful as such, just very sensitive. Diamond frowned and peered down. With two fingers she gently moved the soft swell of her breast. It looked like a row of puncture marks. Even with all her other wounds, this was a peculiar injury to have sustained in such a place. Mystified, her frown deepened. The goddess knew the rest of her was covered in old wounds and yellowing bruises too. Something about that thought didn’t fit, but having no better explanation Diamond turned away from the mirror and dipped a toe in the scented water. It was beyond wonderful, an utter luxury. Wobbling down the three steps, Diamond bent her knees and sank down, groaning with pleasure as the warm, silky water embraced her battered body.

  She lay weightless in the bath for what seemed like an age, letting the sting of her wounds ebb away whilst enjoying the peace and absolute luxury of the bathing room. No one disturbed her. She moved and her necklace bumped against her chest. Sensing her relaxed mood the crystal pulsed gently, warm against her skin. Instinctively, her fingers touched the jewel. No one had taken it. A relieved smile curled her lips. Through the water the facets of the jewel radiated a kaleidoscope of pretty rainbows around the room.

  After relaxing for a long while, Diamond drummed up some energy and laboriously scrubbed the ingrained dirt from her skin with a yellow soap that smelled of flowers and honey, then started on her hair. It took three washes to get the grease and blood out. When she had dealt with that she patiently picked the dirt from under her broken nails. Exhausted but not wanting to endure the humiliation of being helped out of the bath by Rose, she forced herself up.

  The filthy water was cold and the steam had disappeared by the time she emerged from the bathing room clad in the cotton robe. Winding the towel around her head Diamond padded over to the dressing table to study the silver hairbrush on it. Smiling she ran her fingers over the beautiful engraving. She could use this, she realised with a smile. Girls like her just didn’t own beautiful things like this.