“Who are you to touch the Essence?” I barked, eyeing the man suspiciously.
“Calvin?” Charlotte whispered, and my heart took off. Hearing my name on her lips almost undid me. I would never get used to the sensation.
“Yes, I am here. I am so sorry not to have made it sooner.” I looked down at her, relieved to see color returning to her face.
“The better question is what you are doing here, Calvin,” James said.
“I am here to protect Charlotte, and to help. I know you have no reason to trust me, but you have no choice.” I tried to keep my voice calm. All that mattered was ensuring Charlotte’s wellbeing.
The stranger finally answered, “I am Lawson Ashwell, and before you ask, none of us hurt her. She expended too much energy breaking through this metal.”
Monty turned toward me. “If you want to help us, make this hole bigger.” Pushing aside my surprise at how casually Monty accepted my presence, I studied the handprint-shaped hole. Charlotte winced as I touched the burns on her palm. Regret filled me as I realized my late arrival had facilitated the injury.
So focused on Charlotte, I was surprised when a man with hair as white as snow stepped out of the shadows. “Who is that?”
“Talen. He’s an Arco. We’ll explain it all later,” Liam said without turning. He was trying unsuccessfully to bend the metal.
I needed to help, so I reluctantly handed semi-conscious Charlotte over to Lawson. As much as I wanted to hold her myself, I knew my strength was needed. After unsheathing my sword, I chipped away at the fractured metal. Eventually, I felt it give. Liam and Monty joined James and me and helped us pull it back. As soon as there was enough room, Monty stepped through the opening.
“Emma!” Monty’s scream was a mixture of elation and agony. Liam stepped through behind him, but not before looking over his shoulder at Charlotte. I followed his gaze; Charlotte was okay. I immediately took her unconscious form back from Lawson.
“Wake up, Emma!” Monty yelled. Still holding Charlotte, I peered into the room. It was small and completely empty aside from a small bed where Emma lay chained. She appeared to be sleeping with only the faintest evidence of breathing. Carrying Charlotte, I walked us over to the bedside.
“Come on, Mrs. C.” It took me a moment to realize that Liam was addressing Emma.
Monty struggled to cut the chains. “James, try your sword. Mine will not cut through them.”
James threw down his sword in frustration. “It is no use; the chains must be imbued with magic. Only Charlotte can break them. Calvin, you need to wake up Charlotte. She is the only one who can free Emma.”
“Charlotte, my love, you need to fight the exhaustion.” I studied her face, relieved when her eyelids twitched slightly. “Can you hear me, Charlotte? I know you are tired, but you need to free your mother.” The chains jingled as the others fought to break them.
Knowing that contact increased the strength of an Essence and Gerard, I kissed Charlotte gently.
She stirred and opened her eyes. “Calvin.” There it was again. How one word could sound so good I would never understand.
Satisfied that she would not immediately fall back to sleep, I carried her through the opening in the wall of metal.
“But I am so tired.” Her voice was weak; I hated forcing her to do anything.
“I know, but you have to fight it.” I kissed her again, more urgently. We had an audience that included her uncle, but privacy was not a luxury we could afford.
The second kiss seemed to be what she needed. I felt her body shift so I knelt by the bed.
Charlotte placed her hands on the chain and closed her eyes. I could feel the energy flowing through her. I thought I heard her mumble, “I can’t,” so I held her tighter and whispered encouragement. Finally, I had the chance to be her Gerard.
After several moments, the chain turned bright red, and steam began to emanate from the metal. Seconds later, the chain broke apart.
With no hesitation, Monty swept past and picked up Emma.
“We have company,” Talen called from the bridge.
“Let’s move!” Monty yelled, climbing back outside.
We crossed the bridge behind Lawson, and were steps away from the far side, when I heard Liam shout. I turned around and saw him slip to the edge of the bridge. He held onto the ice with only his hands while his body hung off the side. He would not be able to hold on long.
“Take her and get her down.” For the second time, I handed Charlotte to Lawson. I retraced my steps, reached for Liam’s hand, and pulled him back onto the bridge.
“Thank you,” Liam said breathlessly, eyes wide with surprise.
We hurried across toward the wall, reaching it just as Lawson threw Charlotte over his shoulder and started climbing down.
I heard a commotion and peered down below. Lawson and a still unconscious Charlotte were cornered against the wall by William and Bravado soldiers. I hurried down the spikes until the halfway point, but it was taking too long. Without thinking, I jumped to the ground. Thankfully, I landed on my feet. My contact with Charlotte had already made me stronger.
William pulled Charlotte from Lawson, tossing her carelessly. She landed hard on the frozen ground at the feet of the Bravado.
“How dare you?” I shouted, unable to control the anger churning inside me. It was unfathomable that my closest and most trusted friend could treat Charlotte that way. I quickly snatched William’s sword and slammed him to the ground. In my peripheral vision, I noticed the rest of the Bravado backing up warily as the wolves circled them.
“Calvin, calm down. It is not as it seems.” William squirmed in my grip.
“Not as it seems! You, the man I trusted with Charlotte, the most important person in all of the worlds to me, toss her like garbage!” I slammed my fist into his face.
William spit out some blood. “Calvin, will you only listen?”
“Pray, tell me. How is it?” I asked, shaking with rage.
“Blake thought you were out of your mind and too lovesick to realize your duty. I knew you would come to your senses eventually, I was simply helping you along.”
“Utter nonsense. It is impossible for a Gerard to be too in love with his Essence. My job is to love my Essence.”
“Please, Calvin. You must trust me.” He sounded pitiful.
“Trust you? All I have ever done is trust you, and look at what you have done behind my back.”
“What do you mean to do with me?”
He was far too dangerous to let free, and it would be too risky to take him as a prisoner. Before I could fully comprehend what I needed to do, a blur passed before my eyes. James appeared out of nowhere and sank his sword into William’s chest, twisting it as William cried out. I looked at James and was surprised by his stone-faced expression.
“We have no time for this,” James said calmly as William’s body fell to the floor. I found myself transfixed by the blood of the traitor I had once considered my closest friend.
“What are you looking at?” James asked the Bravado men, who immediately released Charlotte.
“What should we do with them?” Talen asked.
“We cannot let them go back to Blake. Can you and your pack take care of them?” James asked.
“Not a problem.” Talen grinned. I sensed that he and James would get along well.
As soon as I calmed down enough, I took Charlotte back into my arms. The effect of her touch helped clear my mind. Still nearly unconscious, Charlotte had missed the incident with William, and I was glad for it. As we headed toward the cave-like entrance, I looked back at William’s bloody body, and noticed his sword lying next to it.
“Liam, would you pick that up?” I could not leave a Guardian’s sword in that place.
“Sure.” Liam picked up the sword. As he came back to his full height, the sword blade glowed. An incandescent aura briefly engulfed him as he stood holding the radiant green sword. I blinked several times. A Guardian sword would only g
low for a true Guardian. Liam’s eyes widened as he looked down at his hands with astonishment.
“But how?” Lawson sputtered.
“I have no idea what just happened.” Liam looked around as if to find an answer.
“How can a man not of Energo become a Guardian?” Lawson asked.
“It must be a fluke.” Liam still had the dumbstruck expression on his face. He placed the sword back on the ground long enough for the radiance to abate. When he grasped it again, the glow returned.
“Are you sure you do not have some connection? Maybe you are from a family we have lost track of?” Lawson suggested. I sensed that his interest came from his own disappointment at not being on Charlotte’s Guard. I could not imagine being passed over for one of my younger brothers.
Monty did not hide a grin that spread across his face before it faded back into concern as he looked down at Emma. He held her tightly against his chest. “Get the sheath.” Monty did not appear as surprised by the turn of events as the rest of us.
James stood curiously quiet. He studied Liam, then smiled. “I guess you have been even friendlier with Charlotte than I previously thought.” I temporarily ignored the implication, even though his words gnawed at me.
Our boots crunched the snow as we left Icentris, but the sound did little to drown out the screaming coming from behind us. The wolves had not waited long to deal with the Bravado. I did not condone the violence, but I could not risk tipping Blake’s hand further. Warning bells went off in my head about the small number of Bravado soldiers. Blake should have sent more, and I wondered if we could be walking into an ambush. With nowhere else to go, I settled for staying alert. Holding Charlotte as close to me as possible, I tried to keep her warm. We had to get Charlotte and Emma to shelter.
James was the only one of the group with knowledge of the geography of the area, so he went ahead to scout out a place to stay the night. Just as I began to worry that he had run into trouble, he returned with news that he found a cave. I would have preferred to have put more distance between us and Icentris, but we needed to get Charlotte and her mother out of the cold.
Lawson and James entered the cave first, ensuring that it was still empty. I followed behind, throwing off my pack while still holding Charlotte. Sitting down, I leaned against the cave wall with Charlotte’s head in my lap. I took comfort in the even breaths that moved her chest. I willed her eyes to open, but my words did nothing. I glanced around at the other figures in the dimly lit cave. Liam sat directly in front of me, watching Charlotte intently. I admit his close relationship with her made me uncomfortable, but he had taken good care of her when I could not, and his concern was understandable.
I extended my hand. “I am honored to have you as a member of the Guard.”
“Thanks, but how is it possible?” Liam asked. “I mean I’m glad it happened, but I don’t get it.”
I did not understand it either. As far as I knew, there had never been a Guardian with no tie to Energo. Having an Essence and Guardian who were born somewhere other than Energo was strange enough, but Charlotte and Kevin were born of a mother from Energo; Liam was not.
“Does it matter?” Monty looked as though years of weight had been lifted off him as he cradled Emma. Although she was still unconscious, her breathing had become more pronounced, and she had more color.
I wondered how Charlotte would react to the news that Liam was a Guardian. I expected she would be happy considering how close the two had grown. Liam and I would need to continue the conversation another time, but for the moment, we focused on how grateful we were to have secured Emma and to have made it out alive. James and Lawson set to work preparing a fire. Liam, Monty, and I didn’t help, as none of us were willing to leave our vigil.
Finally, Charlotte stirred. “You are still here.” Her beautiful blue eyes looked up at me, and she reached up to touch my face.
I leaned into her hand as she caressed my cheek, enjoying the warmth and comfort. “Yes, I am with you now and always.” I smiled down at her and allowed myself to enjoy holding her.
Chapter Eighteen
Kevin
The people of Alak seemed to hang out at the same places all the time. After securing support at the meeting, we sat around a table at the same hole-in-the-wall pub. I was finally becoming more relaxed with my surroundings, but felt stressed about how I was supposed to lead an army of nations back to Energo. As great as the meeting had gone, the added support didn’t guarantee success. I thought about asking for advice but figured everyone would be just as unhelpful as before. Even after talking to the tree, I still didn’t really get what I was supposed to do. It also didn’t help that the support wasn’t unanimous. The Nordicos, Alexander’s people, announced they would be abstaining. Bry had told me that for a nation to refuse to follow a Pact decision was unheard of.
“Is it me, or does Alexander have some personal vendetta against me? It seemed so intense.”
Bry set down his drink. “Do you know anything about the history of the Nordicos?”
“I hadn’t heard of them before this week.” I didn’t like the looks I received when I admitted that. “What? No one gave me an orientation. I hadn’t even heard of Energo before a year ago.”
“Ada, would you like to do the honors?” Bry asked. I could count on one hand the number of times I had heard Ada talk since meeting her.
Ada let out a sigh. “I assume you know that your sister is not the first Essence to be born to an Essence?”
I nodded, eager for her to continue.
“The other was born after the Sutonti nation invaded Energo, and a soldier forced a Guardian to kill the Essence with a Guardian sword.”
“What? Why would he do that?” Less than a minute into the explanation, she had already lost me.
Ada blushed. It was rather cute, but I tried to ignore her when I noticed Samantha looking my way.
Bry picked up the story. “He was seduced by a Sutonti woman.”
“Oh.” Ada must have blushed because she was embarrassed to talk about a woman seducing someone.
“The soldier should have been tried for the crime, but he escaped with the help of his lover. He obviously could never return to Energo, so they left for Sutonti.”
“But they were turned away at Sutonti as well,” Henry threw in. “Killing the Essence had not been part of the Sutonti king’s intentions when they invaded. He had wanted the Essence alive because he wanted her for himself.”
I thought about how many events in history occurred because of a guy who wanted a girl. I couldn’t help but look over at Samantha.
“So, the rogue soldier and the Sutonti woman found some unclaimed land and recruited a handful of followers from Energo and Sutonti to help build a new nation. They called it Nordico.”
“Wait, so that’s how the Nordicos developed?” I asked.
“Yes, the two groups created a new people with many of the strengths from each nation.” Henry seemed to enjoy his part in the storytelling.
“They have the physical strength of those of Energo and the Sutonti ability to live in water,” Ada said.
“Wow. Okay, so I get that. So why does Alexander hate me so much, yet defend Blake if he is so anti-Energo?”
“Because of your mom.” Ada quickly looked down.
I had a feeling I didn’t want to hear the rest of the story, but I had to know. “What about my mom?”
“Suffice it to say, Alexander had an interest in her and was very disappointed when she chose to run to your world instead of turning to the Nordicos for support.” Bry did not share his sister’s embarrassment, and met my eyes as he talked.
“Oh.” I had to hear about guys wanting my sister and my mom. Great.
“It should not surprise you, Kevin. Beyond beauty, as the Essence, your mother also held great power. Many wanted to get their hands on it,” Bry said. “And you are evidence of how she spurned Alexander.”
So Alexander hated my very existence. “And he supports Blake
because…?” I wanted to get the topic away from my mom’s love life.
“My best guess is that he feels camaraderie with Blake. They were both rejected by your mother.” The words sounded funny coming out of Ada’s singsong voice.
I wondered if I looked as shell-shocked as I felt. “Why didn’t my mom go to the Nordicos? At least Nordico has some connection to Energo. Why go somewhere more foreign?”
“She did not trust them. There was only one place she knew she would be safe from the politics of Energo, and that, of course, is where you were raised,” Samantha answered.
“I assume Alexander is unaware of what Blake did to your mother. I thought about telling him in order to get his support, but it was not my place. Perhaps he would listen to you.” Bry finished off his drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Wait… you want me to convince Alexander to get the Nordicos on board? You think his thing for my mom is enough?”
“I do. He mourned your mother’s passing. I believe he feels enough for her, even after being jilted, to want to avenge any wrong done against her.”
“And explain to me again why you didn’t tell him earlier?” It would have been nice to have had my greatest adversary on board before the first meeting.
“I had to let you take the lead. You had to be the representative, not me.”
“Sure.” I rolled my eyes. Bry always spoke in absolutes about what was necessary, but he usually failed to give any explanations. “So when do you want me to talk to Alexander?”
“How about right now?” Bry gestured behind him. Alexander sat at a table surrounded by some of his advisors, all large men with long blond hair.
I took in a deep breath before pushing back my chair. After stalling for a moment, I finally took a few steps toward Alexander’s table. It was humiliating to have to ask for his help again.
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