Kane buried his face in her hair, his breath tickling her skin as he murmured, “I’m glad you came.”
She did her best to blink back the tears, but then it was too much. “I am, too. Don’t ask me to leave until after . . .”
They both knew what she was trying to say even if she couldn’t utter the words aloud.
Averel called out, “Look who is coming now!”
They all turned as one to face the path as Kestrel and then Rogue walked into sight. Behind them came the mares that had served Murdoch, Sigil, Duncan, and Averel.
Kane led Theda over to where Rogue had stopped, as usual, standing apart from the other horses. They moved to his far side, using his solid strength to carve out a small bit of privacy here among Kane’s friends, both the ones who walked on two legs as well as four. Hob joined them, standing nose to nose with Rogue.
“Kiss me,” Kane whispered next to her ear.
There was nothing she wanted more. Once again, he held her so gently, his kiss tasting of desperation.
Choking on her tears, she gave him her truth. “No matter what happens tonight, know that I will always love you, Kane.”
“I want you to find someone who will make you happy, Theda. Don’t live your life alone because of me.”
Before she could respond, Gideon called out, “It’s time.”
She thought her heart would stop as the six men lined up along the river’s edge. Their avatars stood beside them or sat perched upon their arms. Merewen stood beside Gideon, their hands clasped.
Theda wanted the same for herself. She pushed her way between Gideon and Kane, taking Kane’s hand in her own. He gave it a soft squeeze without taking his gaze away from the river, which now roiled and foamed. Everyone shifted yet again as Lavinia and Alina joined the gathering in awaiting the arrival of the gods.
Finally, a woman and a man slowly rose out of the water, their power blazing in their eyes as they made their way down the long line of warriors and women.
Starting with Merewen and then Gideon, the holy couple silently stared at each person in turn. When they stood in front of Theda, she felt a short burst of pain, as if someone had pressed hard against the inside of her head. It ended as quickly as it had started when they moved on to stand in front of Kane.
He flinched, but held his ground. When they finally moved on, he slumped to the side. Theda wrapped her arm around him, offering him what support she could.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He didn’t answer, his expression bleak. Had they judged him and found him lacking? How dare they? He’d sacrificed so much and asked for nothing in return. All of the warriors had. She would wait to see what the gods had to say for themselves, but she would not hold her tongue if they failed to understand the true worth of Kane and his friends.
* * *
Kane held Theda close at his side, hating that she trembled in fear. He would never suggest the gods needed to rush to judgment, but he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.
Finally, the two gods conferred for what seemed like an eternity before once again facing the people on the shore.
It was the Lord of the River who spoke first. “You were called to save the people of Agathia. Many died, some at the hand of Ifre Keirthan and others at yours.”
The Damned nodded as one, acknowledging the truth of that statement. The god continued on.
“Captain Gideon, you served us well, leading your men and your allies with wisdom.”
“Sir Averel, as always, you proved yourself to be a man of honor.”
“Sir Murdoch, you let your own prejudice and mistrust of magic color your opinion of Lady Lavinia but otherwise followed the right path.”
“Sir Sigil, as promised, you will no longer be judged for the deeds you did in the name of Ifre Keirthan.”
“Sir Duncan, you gave in to a moment of weakness and almost let magic overrule your honor, but only almost.”
“Lord Kane, you alone gave yourself completely over to the darkness of your bloodline.”
Kane spoke for the first time. “I would ask that you not hold my weakness against my friends. It was not their doing, but mine alone.”
“We have taken that into consideration, Lord Kane.” The Lady of the River moved to stand next to her mate. “Know then, Warriors of the Mist, that we have weighed your efforts and will now render our judgment.”
As their captain, Gideon spoke for them all. “We will accept your verdict without question.”
Theda started to protest, but Kane shook his head. “It is our way.”
“Lady Merewen, we trust you are satisfied with the service of our avatars.”
“Yes, my Lord and Lady, most satisfied. The evil has been vanquished. My people are grateful to you.”
“Then hear our verdict. Listen well and heed our words. Captain Gideon, Lady Merewen will need you at her side to help raise the son you have created with her during the night.”
Gideon’s face glowed with joy as he wrapped Merewen in his arms. “Thank you, my lady.”
The goddess moved on. “Sir Duncan, Lady Lavinia and her abbey could use another scholar to watch over and guard its library. Young Sarra will need your protection, as well. We trust you will accept those responsibilities.”
“It will be my greatest honor, my lady.”
“Sir Averel, we thank you for your service to us and to our captain. Your life is now yours.”
Without waiting for a response from the young knight, the goddess turned her attention to Murdoch. “You have ever stood at your captain’s side. We see no reason for that to change. We are sure Lady Alina will be happy to share her home with you.”
Then both of the gods drifted back to hover in front of Kane. Theda immediately moved to stand in front of him, once again doing her best to save him. He loved her for it, but he would not let her come to harm because of him.
“Forgive her, my lady. I am the one who let the darkness touch my soul.”
Instead of getting angry, the goddess surprised him with a smile. “Lady Theda seems to think you are worth saving, but then so do we. May the two of you find much happiness together, Lord Kane. It is time for you to know peace in your life.”
The Lord of the River now spoke. “Warriors of the Mist, on this night you are released from our service, but not from our hearts. Your honor has been restored. You will no longer bear our mark, and you will now live out your lives as mortal men with our blessing. You may keep your avatars, who can still rest in your shields, to be passed on to your eldest sons when the time comes. That is our final gift to you.”
They looked at Gideon one last time. “Captain, as we have released you from our service, it is time to release your friends from yours.”
Then the gods flowed back down into the darkness of the river, leaving everyone else in standing in stunned silence.
Finally, Gideon cleared his throat and met the gaze of each of his friends in turn. “No other man has been blessed with friends such as you. It has been my greatest honor to serve with each of you, but it is time to seek out lives that will bring each of you peace and joy at long last.”
Averel looked around, his eyes wide in confusion. “But what do I do now, Captain?”
Gideon smiled at their young friend. “You live your life, Averel. I have released you from my service, but know you will always be welcome in our home.”
Sigil spoke up. “Averel, I will need all the good men I can find. That invitation goes for you, too, Lord Kane, and I would value Lady Theda’s wise counsel as well.”
Kane hadn’t expected to walk down off the mountain and couldn’t think beyond the moment. “Theda, what do you want?”
“That’s simple, Kane.” She smiled up at him. “I want you. All that matters is that we’re together.”
Kane held out his hand to Sigil. “I have some experience as the captain of the guard, Duke Keirthan, if you’ll have me, provided you have no objections to me wedding your stepmother.�
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Sigil took Kane’s hand in both of his. “I would be a fool to say no to either of those propositions.”
Kane swept Theda up in his arms, tossed her onto Rogue’s back, and then vaulted up behind her. “Take us home, horse. I have better things to do with the rest of the night than stand by the river.”
Theda pressed back against his chest, her voice full of laughter. “I do like the way you think, Lord Kane.”
Together they led the procession back down the mountain to the valley below, the warriors damned no more.
Don’t miss the first book in Alexis Morgan’s Snowberry Creek series!
A Time for Home
Available now from Signet Eclipse wherever books are sold.
“We’re almost there, boy. Then you can stretch your legs.”
Nick’s canine companion was too busy sniffing the wind to care. Mooch had kept his nose stuck out the window since the minute they’d gotten in the truck. He reached over to pat the dog on the back, still carrying on the one-sided conversation.
“I bet it smells a whole lot different than the streets of Afghanistan. Doesn’t it?”
Mooch thumped his tail in agreement. In truth, everything here was a whole lot different. Nick scanned the road ahead—there was so much green that it hurt his eyes. He had to tip his head back to see to the top of the firs and cedars that were crowded close to the two-lane highway. They made him claustrophobic. Too many hiding spots for snipers. Only one way through them, leaving him no avenue of escape.
Nick flexed his hands on the steering wheel and reminded himself that he’d left all that behind weeks ago.
No one here wanted him dead. Not yet, anyway.
“Think she’ll forgive me?”
Nick hoped so, because he hadn’t been able to forgive himself. Something in his voice finally had Mooch looking at him, the dog’s dark eyes filled with sympathy. Of course, maybe Nick was only imagining that the mutt understood every word he said. There was no denying that the dog had known his own share of suffering back in his homeland.
Mooch’s shaggy fur didn’t quite hide the jagged scar where a bullet had caught him in the shoulder. He’d taken one for the team after he’d barked to warn them about an asshole lying in ambush. The bastard had shot the dog to shut him up, but too late to do himself any good. In retaliation, the squad had made damn sure it was the last time he ever pulled a trigger. Nick’s buddy Spence had carried the wounded dog back to camp and conned one of the army vets into stitching him up. After a brief swearing-in ceremony, Mooch had become a full-fledged member of their unit.
In war, some heroes walked on four legs, not two.
Nick spotted a sign up ahead. He slowed to read it, hoping he was about to reach civilization. He’d left I-5 behind some time ago and hadn’t expected it to take this long to reach Snowberry Creek. He had mixed feelings about what would happen once he reached the small town, but he and Mooch had been on the move long enough. Some downtime would feel pretty good.
But instead of announcing the city limits, the sign marked the entrance of a small cemetery. Nick started to drive on past, but a sick feeling in his gut had him slowing down and then backing up.
He put the truck in PARK and dropped his forehead down on the top of the steering wheel. In a town the size of Snowberry Creek, how many cemeteries could there be? He reached for the door handle and forced himself to get out of the truck. Sooner or later he was going to have to do this. Nick had never been a coward and wasn’t about to become one now.
“Come on, Mooch. We’ve got a stop to make.”
The dog crawled down out of the seat. Once on the ground, he gave himself a thorough shake from nose to tail before following Nick up the slope toward the rows of gravestones. Normally Mooch liked to explore new places on his own, but this time he walked alongside Nick, silently offering his support.
It didn’t take long to find what they were looking for. There were several granite markers with the last name Lang. Nick hung a right and followed the row, finally reaching a longer than normal stone that held the names of a husband and wife, most likely Spence’s parents. Nick had to force himself to take those last few steps past it to stand in front of the last headstone.
He dropped to his knees on the green grass and wrapped his arms around his stomach. God, it hurt so fucking much to see Spence’s name etched there in block letters. His eyes burned with the need to cry, but the tears refused to come. Instead the pain stayed locked tight inside his chest and in his head, a burden he’d been carrying since he’d held Spence’s bloody dog tags in his hand.
As the memories began playing out in Nick’s head, Mooch whined and snuggled closer. But even the familiar touch of the dog’s soft fur couldn’t keep Nick grounded in the present. His guilt and his fear sucked him right back to the last place he wanted to be. Just that quickly, he was in the streets of Afghanistan, riding next to Spence on yet another patrol. Instead of breathing the cool, damp air of Washington, Nick was sucking in hot, dry air and feeling the sun burning down from above as he got caught up in the past, living through it all over again.
The fiery depths of hell had nothing on the heat in Afghanistan in July. Maybe if he could’ve stripped down to a pair of cargo shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt, it would’ve been bearable. But only a fool would go on patrol without all of his protective gear, and Nick was no fool.
The back of his neck itched. It had nothing to do with the ever-present dust and grit that grated against his skin like sandpaper. No, there were eyes on them. Had been since they’d entered the city. A couple of well-placed shots had cut them off from the rest of the patrol. They were trying to circle around to catch up with the others.
Nick scanned the surrounding area, constantly sweeping the buildings ahead, looking for some sign of who was watching them. In that neighborhood, it could be anyone from a mother worried about her kids to someone with his finger on the trigger.
Leif stirred restlessly. “You feeling it, too?”
“Yeah. Spence, do you see anything?”
Before his friend could answer, a burst of gunfire rained down on them from the roof of a building half a block down on the right. A second shooter opened fire from a doorway on the opposite side of the street, catching them in the cross fire.
Nick returned short bursts of fire while Spence drove like the maniac he was, trying to get them the hell out of Dodge. Leif hopped on the radio, yelling to make himself heard over the racket. After calling in, he’d joined Nick in trying to pick off the shooters.
“Hold on! This ride’s about to get interesting.”
If more than two wheels were on the ground when Spence took the corner, Nick would happily eat MREs for the rest of his natural life. Not that he was complaining. His friend’s extreme driving style had saved their asses too often. The M-ATV lurched hard as it straightened coming out of the turn.
“Fuck yeah, that was fun!” Spence’s grin was a mile wide as he laughed and flung their ride around another corner.
The crazy bastard was actually enjoying this. Nick shook his head. He loved the guy like a brother, but damn. They made it another two blocks before the shooting began again, this time from behind them.
Leif yelled over the racket, “Ever get the feeling we’re being herded?”
Nick nodded. The thought had occurred to him, but what choice did they have but to keep going? The street was too narrow to hang a U-turn and stopping sure as hell wasn’t an option. He continued to scan the area for more shooters and left the driving to Spence, who knew the streets in this area better than anyone. It was like the man had a built-in GPS system. He’d find a way out for them if anyone could.
The gunfire was sporadic now with longer periods of silence between shots. The streets remained empty, as if the locals had been warned to crawl into the deepest hole they could find and stay there.
“Think we’re in the clear?” Leif asked, still studying the rooftops and doorways for new threats.
Befo
re Nick could answer, the whole world exploded in fire and smoke. A sharp pain ripped up the length of his upper arm as their vehicle started rockin’-and-rollin’ on them. It went airborne and finally bounced to a stop, lying on its side up against a building.
With considerable effort, Nick managed to climb out. He retrieved his weapon and shook his head to clear it. The blast had left him deaf and, thanks to the cloud of dust and smoke, damn near blind. Nick found Spence more by feel than sight. He was lying facedown in the dirt with blood trickling from his ears and nose.
Nick checked for a pulse. Thready and weak. Son of a bitch, this was a major clusterfuck. He spotted Leif writhing in pain a few feet away. He crawled over to him.
“Are you hit?”
“My ankle. It’s busted up pretty bad.”
If the bastards who’d been shooting at them weren’t already closing in, they would be soon. Nick needed to get Leif and Spence somewhere safe—and fast.
He got down in Leif’s face. “Give it to me straight up. Can you walk?”
After one look at the twisted mess that had been Leif’s ankle, Nick didn’t wait for an answer. Neither of his friends could make it back to safety on their own, but which one should he help first? Spence was completely defenseless while Leif might be able to protect himself for a while.
On the other hand, Leif was bleeding; already his coloring was piss-poor. Nick crawled back to the rubble that had been their vehicle and pulled out the first-aid kit. He bandaged Leif’s damaged ankle as best he could, but he’d seen enough wounds to know Leif was going to need surgery and damn quick. His decision made, Nick crawled back to his unconscious buddy.
“Spence, I’m going for help. I’ll be back for you ASAP.”
Then he muscled Leif up off the ground and half carried, half dragged the poor bastard as fast as he could. The rest of their unit would be pouring into the area, looking for them. A minute later, he spotted them two blocks down and waved his rifle over his head to get their attention.
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