Legend of the Sorcerer

by Donna Kauffman

  Seeing Alfred like this scared Cai. Pale, weak, and too tired to do much more than sip down the broth, the day’s activities had obviously taken far more out of him than Cai had realized. A day or two of rest, like Dr. Fashel had said, and he should be good as new.

  He clung to that hope as he went to Alfred’s office.

  His thoughts turned reluctantly to the symbol and the words beneath it. Growing up around Alfred had taught him a smattering of the Welsh language, but not enough to do translations.

  Jordy was standing at the door when he got there.

  “I’m not surprised to find you here,” he said.

  “You didn’t really think I’d gone off to bed, did you?”

  “It’s where you should be.” But he didn’t push it. Truth was, he was glad to see her. He didn’t really want to be alone. “Come on.”

  They searched the shelves and found several Welsh language reference books. It took a long time to find the meanings of the words. He pieced it together as best he could. “Marked is the flesh of those who will obey.”

  Jordy shivered. “Alfred’s right. She is evil.”

  Cai didn’t want to think about Alfred and what he knew right now. He saw the fatigue lining her face and his concern shifted immediately to her. “Why don’t you turn in for the night?”

  She stilled, then said, “What about you?”

  He felt the instantaneous tension between them. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with her and forget everything else except the sweet taste of her skin. “It’s been a difficult day. We both need sleep.” He reached out and ran a finger along her cheek. “If we spend the night together, neither of us will get any rest.”

  Her eyes darkened. “True.”

  He leaned in before he could stop himself and kissed her. It started softly, a goodnight kiss, then quickly got out of hand.

  She pulled away first. “I’m not feeling restful here.”

  Cai gently touched the smudges under her eyes. “But you need to. I’ve got some work to finish up.” He chanced a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Anything I can help you with?”

  “No, it’s regular work stuff.”

  “Okay.” She looked disappointed.

  He wasn’t exactly overjoyed about sending her away either. “Tomorrow morning I want to run over to Key West and check out that post office box. You want to go with me?” He hadn’t heard or seen anything more of the deliveryman, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should keep those he cared for close to him.

  She immediately brightened. “Yes, I would.”

  He smiled, telling himself the contentment was due to the knowledge that he could keep a close eye on her. Truth was, he wanted to spend all his time with her and it had little to do with keeping her safe.

  “We’ll see how Alfred is doing in the morning. If he’s calm, Dilys can keep watch over him for an hour or so.”

  She reached up and kissed him. “Goodnight, Cai.” She retreated quickly.

  Cai sank into his chair. Somehow, in a very short span of time, Jordy had come to mean a great deal to him. And to Alfred as well. She was making a place here, in his home, in his life. In all their lives.

  Alfred was more than fond of her, she’d become very important to him. Cai understood that feeling perfectly. It should surprise him, but somehow it didn’t. Already he couldn’t imagine waking up and not finding her here.

  In a more perfect world, he’d be crawling into bed with her tonight, sinking himself into the oblivion only she could deliver.

  But it wasn’t a perfect world. Far from it.

  The dreams haunted him nightly. Dreams of a dank, dark place, far from here. A place where evil flourished. He heard screams echoing through the night and saw all sorts of unspeakable horrors. It was the curse of his vivid imagination that it only worked to torment him, never to help him. His book sat unfinished, his current chapter barely touched.

  He swore under his breath as the other pressures he faced crowded in on him. He punched up his internet account and signed on. He had to send Eileen an e-mail asking for more time, something he wasn’t looking forward to.

  His mind went to the investigation and its lack of progress. He spent a moment or two entertaining the idea of going ahead with his plan on his own. But even if he contacted her on his own and agreed to meet her, made up some fake Dark Pearl … Margaron was in Wales. He couldn’t race off halfway around the world. Not with Alfred in such bad shape.

  The incoming e-mail filtered onto the screen and Cai froze. There was another e-mail. From Margaron.

  His fingers trembled as he shifted the cursor … and pressed the icon to open it.

  Who is she, Malacai? You are promised to me and none other. I will not tolerate even a pretender to your affection. You dare to dally when all your energies are to be focused on your quest? Do not make the mistake of underestimating the power that I wield. Or the lengths to which I will go to secure what is mine.

  Dally no longer, Keeper of My Heart. Or the pretender will pay the price for your arrogance.

  Cai sank slowly back in his chair, icy fingers of fear clawing at him. She knew about Jordy. He remembered the haunted screams of those women in his nightmares. He squeezed his eyes shut to block them out, but they wouldn’t go away. And in their place, he saw Jordy and heard her screams, which were much too real. No. No way in hell was anything going to happen to her!

  The ferocity of his reaction was not lost on him. And it went beyond the horror he’d felt on behalf of the women already put in that position. That she might walk out of his life in six weeks was something he could shove aside, deal with later. That someone could mean to remove her permanently from his life or anyone else’s shook him badly.

  He swore long and loud. “How in God’s name could she know—” The deliveryman. Jordy had been on the dock. He’d obviously reported back to Margaron. Cai slammed his fist against the desk, scattering papers. He jumped to his feet and stalked to the window. Lights flickered in the distance on Mangrove Key.

  “Are you out there watching me now, you bastard?” he murmured under his breath. Cai wanted to take the boat out, search for the sneaky son of a bitch, and beat answers out of him. But even though he knew the mangroves well, the middle of the night was no time to go on the hunt.

  Fine. As soon as the sun rose, he’d be on the water. He’d still take Jordy with him and keep her close. Alfred would be safe here with Dilys. After they checked the mangroves, they could head over to Key West.

  Armed with a plan, he should have felt better. Instead he felt vulnerable. Too damn vulnerable. Damn, damn, damn. He was only one man. How was he going to protect them all?

  He turned abruptly and left his office. He needed to sleep, be sharp for the morning, but adrenaline was a live thing inside him now. It took every bit of self-control to keep from going directly to Jordy. He wanted her within arm’s reach, so he didn’t have to live in fear of losing her. But she needed her sleep and wouldn’t thank him for disturbing her. He almost smiled thinking of exactly what she’d say about him needing to protect her.

  He paced the hallway outside her room. He told himself that she was fine, safely tucked in a bed under his own roof. He thought about sending her home, back to Warburg, but he knew she wouldn’t go.

  And, he had to admit that he wanted her here. Close. He only hoped to God he could keep her safe. If anything happened to her …

  He ended up on the dock. The moon ducked in and out of the clouds. The air was breezy but warm. He barely noticed. He paced the planks. There had to be something more he could do. Logic said he should contact Kuhn. Instinct told him it would be a mistake. Kuhn would invade Crystal Key. Cai wouldn’t have that. Maybe he should move them all off the Key, temporarily. But Alfred was in no shape to deal with something like that right now.

  He paced to the end of the dock and stared out at the water, but no other solutions were forthcoming. Worry consumed him, the
sense of helplessness was enough to make a man insane. Then the air shifted, and he felt her. She’d made no sound. But when he turned, Jordy was there, at the end of the walkway leading to the house.

  Soft, thin cotton clung to her lean curves, the flicker of moonlight silhouetting them as she lifted her arms to him. “You’re not resting either. Come inside, Cai.”

  It was a different sort of insanity, what she did to him. But this insanity he could do something about.

  They didn’t make it to the house. He pulled her against him and took her waiting mouth. She opened for him, took him in, reached for more. The frustration and helplessness that had come so close to consuming him took on a different course, that of devouring her, claiming her, exerting some control in a world that he no longer commanded.

  He filled his hands with her, touching, tasting, reveling in her scent until he thought he would drown, could drown, and finally find peace. Or oblivion.

  She writhed against him as his demands intensified. He slid a hand up her thigh, pushing her nightshirt up, sliding fingers over her bare hip and around back … and down. She crumpled against him in a deep moan of pleasure as he found her, wet and wanting him.

  He wanted, too. Now. Here. Deep and fast, hard and forever. He pushed her back against the dock railing and shoved at his pants even as he lifted her up so he could take her.

  She gripped his shoulders and flung her head back as he pushed inside her on a deep, shuddering groan. “Yes, Cai. Now! Yes.” He did as she demanded. She dug her heels into him and climaxed instantly, ripping him over the edge with her.

  He held her close as they both shivered and shuddered around each other. He buried his face in her neck, knowing he should be feeling some shred of remorse for taking her like a wild animal, with no thought to modesty; his or hers.

  Then she kissed his neck and nipped his earlobe and chuckled against the damp heat of his chest. “We’re dangerous, Malacai L’Baan,” she said. “Totally and completely irresponsible.”

  “Totally and completely.” He carefully shifted her to her feet and helped her straighten her clothing, then took care of his own.

  “Wow,” was all he could say.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  For the next four days, Cai spent as much time with Jordy as possible. It still wasn’t enough. He’d held her through each night, making love to her until they both lay spent in each other’s arms. He resented the sun for rising, knowing he’d have to share her with the rest of the world then. They had made certain they were down at breakfast while Dilys was still busy preparing it in the kitchen. Not that she wasn’t aware of what was going on, but because he knew Jordy was a little uncomfortable with the situation. They couldn’t keep their eyes off of one another as they ate, stifling laughter as Dilys eyed them knowingly the entire time she served them.

  Still, the real world managed to rudely intrude. The post office box number had proven nonexistent, as had Union Parcel. Cai hadn’t said anything to Jordy about the last e-mail, nor had he forwarded it to Kuhn. He had heard nothing from the agent and Cai no longer trusted him to handle this. Not that he was any more certain he could handle it himself. But he did his best to maintain a vigil over those he cared about while trying to figure out what to do next.

  Nothing else had happened in the intervening days. Cai made regular morning and evening runs through the mangroves and despite the reason behind them, had come to look forward to the quiet time spent on the water with Jordy. They’d talked about the dragon she was going to start for Alfred. She was excited, but she’d been unable to hide her fear that when it came right down to it, she wouldn’t be able to find the creature in the clay.

  Her supplies had come in and she’d begun preliminary work on the formative structure she’d build the piece on. He’d wanted to stick close, watch her work, not simply for safety, but because he wanted to be a part of that reawakening. But he better than anyone understood she needed the time alone, to find her way back in. Cai had given her that space, had used the time to try and find his way back into his own neglected work. He had actually managed to write a few pages. He wasn’t all that happy with them, but it was a start. He might have accomplished more if he weren’t so worried about Alfred. He wasn’t recovering as fast as they’d hoped. Dr. Fashel had been out again, and could find nothing wrong with him, but agreed it was best for him to set his own pace.

  Not for the first time, Cai was faced with his grandfather’s advancing age, but this time it really hit home. They’d all expected Alfred to be up and about long before now, brandishing his cane and sermonizing.

  At best Dilys managed to get him into a chair by the window for an hour or two, where he could look out over his garden. He’d said nothing else about Margaron or the symbol. Cai had been relieved at first, but now he’d begun to wish that something would shake his grandfather out of the stupor into which he seemed to have willingly fallen.

  Cai refused to believe that his grandfather might never return to his old self. He hoped now that Jordy had begun work on his sculpture that it would spark some interest and life back into him. Again he was faced with how important her place in their lives had become and again, he’d worked to ignore the growing clutch in his heart at the knowledge that she’d eventually leave them. It would tear a hole in their lives he wasn’t sure could ever be filled.

  Cai fought the need to go to Jordy at the cottage for the hundredth time today. Today was the big day, when she actually began working the clay. He wanted to be there to support her, but she hadn’t asked. So he’d stayed in the house.

  He forced his attention back to his computer screen, then impulsively clicked on the icon to retrieve his e-mail. No note from Margaron, thank God, but nothing from Kuhn either. Dammit!

  These past four days had taken a toll on him and on Jordy. She felt as helpless as he did in this mess. Cai felt a tiny stab of guilt for not warning her of Margaron’s most recent threat, but as long as she was here on Crystal Key, under his care, she was safe. She had enough to worry about right now. Today was a huge step for her. He refused to put more pressure on her.

  But he couldn’t escape the feeling that time was dwindling. Margaron wasn’t simply going to sit and wait for him to figure out the next step in this macabre dance she’d begun.

  But, dammit, what could he do? Leaving Alfred now was absolutely out of the question.

  Then again, maybe he didn’t have to go anywhere.

  Cai sat up straighter in his chair as the idea formed more fully. He could set up a meeting with Margaron and simply have the police, or whoever, show up in his stead. Surely someone could pose as him and nail her. He kicked himself for not thinking of this sooner. Kuhn would be mad as all hell, but fuck Kuhn. Cai was done with waiting around while Kuhn strutted about with his Special Investigative Agent finger up his ass.

  Cai pulled up the last e-mail, the one threatening Jordy, and hit Reply.

  I have taken on your quest. I now possess what you so avidly seek. I have only to present it to you so that we may join forces. The world will be ours. You must tell me where you wish to meet and I will be there. Yours faithfully, Malacai L’Baan.

  He punched Send. His wait for a response was brief. The mail came back as undeliverable. No account in that name.

  “Shit.” If he had been insane enough to take on this task of hers when she first contacted him, how in the hell did she expect him to find her once he’d done it?

  He shoved away from his desk and stormed out of his office. He hadn’t realized his intended destination until he was standing in front of the cottage door. He raised his hand to knock, then pulled it away. He needed her, needed to touch her, hold her, reassure himself he was doing the right thing by keeping her here by his side, but he couldn’t intrude. Not today.

  He reluctantly turned away, but stopped as his gaze passed the small front window. She was working chunks of clay around the armature she’d erected. Her back was to him at the moment, though she moved around the work-table a
s she continued the task. It was a much larger piece than he’d realized, almost two feet tall. He couldn’t imagine how she looked at that mass of clay and envisioned the dragon she planned to create.

  Just then she looked up and saw him standing there. She grinned and motioned for him to come in.

  It was a simple thing, the instant welcome, and yet it meant everything to him. Whatever guilt he felt for intruding was overwhelmed by his need to be with her.

  He stepped inside and she met him at the door. “I really didn’t mean to interrupt your work.” He smiled when she raised an eyebrow. “Okay, so, I did. But I was trying to leave. Honest.”

  She grinned. “It’s okay. I’m just beginning.”

  She had clay rubbed into her jeans. Her hands and arms were smeared with it, a dried, powdery smudge streaked her forehead and chin. Her eyes were shining.

  “You’re incredibly gorgeous,” he said.

  She laughed. “You can come around all the time if you say things like that.” She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips, then backed away when he would have pulled her tight for more. Much more.

  “I’ll get you all messy.”

  “Maybe we’ll both get a little messy.” Her eyes went dark, the way they did when she wanted him. He hardened immediately. “Jordy.”

  She backed further away. “You have to behave in here. You promised.”

  “I was in a weakened state when I said that.”

  “So am I, all the time. That’s why I haven’t asked you to come out here.”

  He felt better than he had in hours. “How is it going?”

  There was no faltering in her beaming expression. She swept her arm out. “Pretty damn good, actually. What do you think so far?”