by J. L. Madore
Having gone through every conceivable first contact scenario, I couldn't see how my destiny could be linked with the rediscovery of the Highbornes. The entire race had been segregated for eight millennia. I was twenty-five and barely qualified to handle this. There were other Talon enforcers who could, but they were off covering up solstice exposures and dealing with realm issues instead of being available for what was important.
What a total waste of resources.
Lexi and I were strong in battle, unbeatable in the classroom, and now apparently, we were emissaries? I shook my head. "Hold up, Naith." As he padded to a stop, I pulled up the topographical map Castian had sent to my phone. Tracing my finger over the screen I calculated the distance then checked the time. "If they left the coming-of-age ceremony last night here and took the side path along the north river, they should be intersecting this part of the forest soon."
"Unless they hopped the river and went off on a tangent."
Great. Then we'd be tracking them instead of letting them discover us. I pulled the hood of my cloak back so Lexi could see my face.
"What?" she snapped. "Don't give me the skunk eye, Medusa. It's possible."
On a sigh, I stashed my phone into my pack. Rain was falling. Thankfully though, it was having trouble making it through the weave of the canopy. I squinted skyward. What sounded like a thundering downpour in the distance was nothing more than a patter and sprinkle to us.
"Jade, no offense but your hair is seriously scaring me."
I pulled the hood closer so it hung over my eyes. "It's this soupy humidity. I need a bottle of frizz controller."
"A bottle? Hon, you need a freakin' case." Lexi laughed and laughed as I rolled my eyes. "Just keepin' it real." She patted her chest then held out her fingers in a peace symbol. I had to laugh. How could anyone stay annoyed with her?
"Okay," she said, shifting in her saddle. "My turn. How 'bout this one. Would you rather drink two shot-glasses of Centaur spit or pick up Naith's warm, steaming poo with your bare hands for a week?"
"Really? Those are my choices?"
"Yep."
I thought about my options as the maze of trees pressed closer and we shifted to single file. Spit or poo? Hmm. The distant rumble of thunder joined the screech of cicadas, the caws of unseen birds, and the howl of monkeys.
"I'll go with the poo," I said. Lexi nodded as if she agreed and that gave me an idea for my turn. "Okay, would you rather—urghh"
Steel arms grappled my shoulders and slammed the breath from my lungs. Knocked from my saddle, we crashed to the dirt. Entangled in a mass of arms, legs and hair we rolled into a snarl of brush. The impact of the forest floor shot through my hip. A tree root jutted into my shoulder blade. My pulse raced in my ears. As my mind struggled to catch up with my body, I lay pinned beneath the silver-haired Highborne, both wrists manacled above my head.
Naith snapped at a wolf positioned between him and our struggle. He was crouched to pounce when a velvet voice barked a command from beyond. Both animals fell instantly silent.
The razor edge of Galan's dagger pressed against my throat as he yanked back the hood of my cloak, taking a handful of hair with it. "A female?" he gasped, in Elvish. Bold, blue eyes narrowed and then flared wide. Tightening his hold on my wrists, he removed the knife and placed it on the ground beside my head. He rubbed my curls between thumb and fingers, then traced my cheek with the touch of a feather. "Are you a goddess?"
I shook my head and grappled for words. The instant his ocean blue stare met mine it was as if the plug in my brain had been pulled and my thoughts had circled the drain. He was uber-hot, no one with eyes could argue that, but it was his touch that had me mesmerized. It tingled across my cheek where he brushed me skin to skin. For the first time in my life, I wanted to rise up and kiss a man inside out. "My name is Jade," I replied in his language, swallowing as the tingle on my skin grew into a zing. "Jade Glaster."
Flat on my back with that stupid root still pressing into my shoulder, I stared at the strong cut of his jaw, the depths of his blue eyes and the curve of his full lips. He smelled wild and woodsy, a heady blend of suede and male sweat. His hips rested dead centre between my thighs, every hard, taut inch of him pressing intimately against every soft, pliable inch of me.
Oh, my. I swallowed. My breasts grew tight as heat bloomed in my belly, smoldered and moved south like the steady creep of a brush fire. His lips were moving. I didn't hear a word.
Dwinn. My voice whispered in my own mind. Dwinn.
Warm breath brushed my cheek. Again, I tried to focus, my mind swimming. A curtain of silver tickled my neck as he dropped his head to the side of my face and inhaled. Pulling back, his mouth hovered inches from mine, his eyes practically glowing.
Above my head, I pulled against his hold in a vain effort to regain control. Say something Jade. Just open your mouth and say something. "Please, Galan, let me up."
The spell was broken.
Galan's eyes narrowed as he released my wrists and reclaimed his blade. "How do you know me?"
"I know a great deal." I pressed my unsteady hands firm against his chest, softening my tone. "I know Tham, Aust and you are on your Ambar Lenn. I know Castian Larethan asked us to escort your journey as it ties in with His plans." I lifted my mouth to brush the pointed tip of his ear. "And I know you lying over me has grown far too intimate for a first encounter."
Galan pulled his hips back and rolled off me. He looked away as he sheathed the blade and when he looked up, a mask of calm covered his face.
After brushing bits of forest off my ass, I straightened. "I see you two have met my sister, Alexannia Grace."
Engaged as I had been rolling across the forest floor, I'd missed when Aust and Tham had secured Lexi. Well, secured was overstating the situation since she remained mounted on Puff and fully capable of liberating herself at any moment. She was, however, flanked by Naith and a large silver wolf with ebony points.
Tham stood beside Lexi, feet braced and arrow nocked. After a moment, he lowered his bow and I swear he winked at her. "And are you a friend, little one?"
Her double take was priceless. "Umm, pardon hotness? Sprechen sie English?"
"Lexi's Elvish is spotty," I said. "She speaks Draconic though, if you do."
He nodded and tried again. "Merry meet, Lexi. I am known as Thamior." He gathered her hand from her dagger hilt and raised it to his lips. "If it pleases, address me as Tham. This is Aust, his wolf companion, Faolan, and the silver-haired male accosting your sister is Galan." Galan threw him a lovely scowl and Tham laughed. "What brings such beauty to our valley?"
"That is the crux of it, is it not?" Galan snapped. "Mayhap you could refrain from overtures until we discover the why of things?"
Ignoring the fact that their Elvish lilt was like warm chocolate melting in my mouth, I fished the parchment from my backpack. "Castian Larethan, God of Fae gods and ruler of The Realm of the Fair, is setting the three of you on a task." I set the missive in Galan's hands and stepped back. "When it is complete, Lexi and I will accompany you back to your village to deliver this pardon of exile to your people." I plucked a piece of grass from my hair and dropped it to the ground. "As of last night, midnight on the eve of the summer solstice, the enchantment on your valley was lifted."
The three of them staggered, staring from one to another. Dropping to one knee, Tham and Aust touched their foreheads mumbling some kind of prayer.
Galan remained standing, brow arched. "And Castian Latheron, Father of Fae, has chosen two females to be envoys of this momentous news?"
Rude much? "Sorry to disappoint. But yes, we are your welcome wagon."
After tossing me a do-you-think-I'm-an-idiot look, Galan cracked the seal and gave the document a cursory once-over. "What did you mean . . . as it ties in with His plans?"
"Well, the five of us are going on a little adventure. If we're successful, the Highbornes will be reinstated in the Realm of the Fair with honor restored and Castian's
blessing."
"And if not?" Tham asked.
"Well," I flipped my hair behind my shoulders, "that's not really an option."
CHAPTER FOUR
Tham scooped his sleeveless leather slicker from the forest floor, shrugged it on and pulled his blond waves free to fall behind his shoulders. Circling to a stand of trees behind Faolan, Naith and Puff, Galan and Aust retrieved their belongings as well.
The three of them were like something from an erotic Elven dream, exuding a rare masculine grace that had Lexi and me both biting our lips. In suede pants fitted to sleek powerful thighs and bare sculptured chests, they could have been gymnasts. Their lean muscles rippled and shifted beneath brown leather vests and sleeveless thigh length coats. Devastating.
A deep humming throb burned through my body. This couldn't be happening—not now—not on a mission. Eyes down Blaze. Better. Breathing deep, I studied their feet. Well-tailored, fitted leather boots were laced below their knees, soft-soled I assumed, because when they moved not a twig snapped, not a blade of grass rustled.
"And what is our task?" Tham asked.
Damn. After a holy-hotness grin of approval, Lexi reached behind Puff's frill and angled down the path. I nodded, slipped a toe into my stirrup and swung up onto my panther. "We'll get to the quest in a minute. First you need a 411 on what you've missed."
"Apologies, a what?" Tham asked.
The Elves started an easy jog just outside the narrow, north forest path, maneuvering the surrounding trees as if without thought.
"How much do you know about your exile?"
"I would wager more than you," Galan said, arching a perfectly shaped brow.
"Normally I'd take that bet, however, for the sake of time, humor me."
Tham jogged alongside me, ducking under a low branch. "Ten millennia past, Queen Rheagan, goddess of the Fae Pantheon, was given rule over the mortal lands of the Realm of the Fair. She had a particular love of the Highbornes and adopted them as her noble children. They stood by her as guardians to the throne and keepers of the peace."
"As time passed," Galan said, "they became complacent in their station and in their mastery of arcane energies. They were blind to the Queen's corrupt intent to take over the realm and realized their mistake too late."
Weaving between two trees, Tham strode onto the path with the wolf at his heels. "When they discovered the Queen was using them they stood against her, though it made little difference. Centuries of arrogance could not be corrected in the final hours. As a result, our people were exiled and secured in this valley, isolated and forgotten, until today."
"That's what it says in the history books," I said, "so we'll move on to what's happening now." I urged Naith over a ridge and down the easy slope on the other side. "Almost thirty years ago a violent siege began spreading through the western range: villages were burned, shops looted, and prominent residents found face down taking dirt naps. It was a maniacal free-for-all."
"Dirt nap?" Tham asked.
"Right. Sorry. They were dead. A sadistic sorcerer named Abaddon is gathering the like-minded scum of the realm, collecting them like souvenirs. He attracts leaders, rogues and outcasts of the chaotic Dark races and once they prove themselves vile enough, he transforms them into powerful, undead soldiers known as Scourge."
"Not without paying his price, though," Lexi said. "The cost of immortality and a free reign of terror is to forfeit their souls to their new master. Abaddon makes them faster, stronger and meaner, but their living organs decay. It reeks. It's an awful funk of rot and evil."
I nodded. "And every soul Abaddon collects makes him stronger too."
"Unless," Lexi grinned, "we expire the Scourge scum it belongs to and send him back to hell. Then the power of that soldier is lost to him."
"To what end?" Galan asked.
I shifted in my saddle. "The same as eight thousand years ago, greed and power. We believe Abaddon is making a play for the throne in the absence of a royal figurehead. If he succeeds, he's promised to rid the Realm of the Fair of what he considers the 'weaker races'. That's one of the reasons why we're here."
Galan stopped short. "You consider us a weak race?"
"No. I don't." I reined Naith to block the path and waited for our procession to close in. "Abaddon's definition of 'weaker' means whoever is standing in opposition. He's a master manipulator bent on getting what he wants."
"And your point?"
Pain in my palms had me looking down. I was strangling my reins, my nails cutting into my skin. Releasing my fists, I forced a smile. "My point is that Dark Elves hate Highbornes. Your people lived a life of privilege with the Queen while they felt slighted. In essence, you stole their destiny. With a nudge from Abaddon, the more volatile members of the Dark Elves might be convinced to join the Scourge and come knocking on your door looking for payback."
Tham barked a dry laugh. "Stole their destiny? If they wish to be exiled for millennia and restricted to a home range of nothing larger than a moon cycle's run, let us trade lives now."
The hairs on my nape stood on end and I pivoted.
Aust was circling my panther, stalking with such a hardened intensity I curled my hand over my dagger hilt and readied to dismount. In a blur, his arm speared at my head. I rolled off and landed in a crouch, dagger drawn.
In the next heartbeat, Aust spun away, a six-foot serpent with a triangular head coiled around his hand. As its spike tail furiously flailed, Aust crouched off the path and tossed the snake into the tangled growth of the jungle floor. "What does this mean for us?" he asked, brushing his hands against the thighs of his pants.
I swallowed, my mouth remained dry. The Elves seemed unfazed, but I might have actually peed a bit. I didn't dare look at Lexi. "Uh . . . it means that since the enchantment has been lifted others will come. Your village must be transitioned back into the realm."
"And you two females are going to protect us?" Galan cleared his throat. The corners of his mouth twitched as his shoulders bounced. "Are you daft? Did I not just have you flat on your back with a knife to your throat? Did Aust not just save you from a stinger serpent?"
I urged Naith north and tried not to react to him. Tighten up Jade. You're working here. "We don't pretend to be experts on your world, Galan, but as for your ambush . . . Lexi thought meeting on your terms might go smoother if we let you get the drop on us."
His face turned from pale amusement to rosy disbelief.
"Forgive me," I said, sweetening my tone, "you have no experience defending against a Scourge raid. You know nothing of their strategic strengths, tactics or training. That's why Castian wants us in place."
"You and your sister?" Galan scanned Lexi with unveiled insolence. "Forgive me, wen, how could that diminutive little halfling offer anything in the way of protection?"
Lexi tensed to dismount and I raised my hand. By her compliance, it was obvious she hadn't understood all of what was said, maybe just the tone. I could ignore him calling me wen—an Elven equivalent of a damsel—however, Lexi would skewer him for calling her a halfling.
"I'm assuming your view on the capabilities of women is based on the Pollyanna flowers you grow in your village. I assure you, they don't represent women in the world today, Galan."
"A female who fights and strategizes alongside a male cannot be much of a female."
"Oh?" Lexi's eyes widened as she drew her knife from her garter.
Great. That she understands.
Spinning the knife in her palm, the perfectly weighted steel swiveled and danced. Its jeweled hilt gleamed while the blade caught morning light. "Please, Jade, let me kick his ass."
I shot her a glare before she could dismount. "Since the start of the uprisings, the security of the realm has been policed by a group of elite warriors called the Talon. Lexi and I are both branded Talon enforcers. Believe it or not, we can fight and strategize and if you recall lying over me earlier, Galan," I glanced down his front to the lacings of his pants, "I carry all the attribu
tes you seem to find attractive in a female."
Galan's ears flushed a brilliant pink. Ha.
Tham whistled between his teeth. "Might I ask where those brands are hiding?"
Lexi and I raised our wrists, each revealing our tattoos. The Highbornes bristled as our marks appeared then disappeared. I brushed a wayward lock of hair out of my face. "Trust us. You'll have plenty of time to evaluate our abilities while we quest."
"And what is our quest?" Galan unsheathed his dagger and spun it lazily in his palm matching Lexi's action. He was extremely coordinated, considering we were moving again and he was also jogging along a forest path.
"Castian wants to recover a book."
"What book?" Galan frowned.
"Your ancestors studied the arcane arts under Queen Rheagan for thousands of years. Apparently, they recorded the amassed knowledge of spells and enchantments, from wizards and sorcerers, as well as Fae gods. When the Highbornes were exiled, they retained possession of that spellbook. To eliminate the possibility of history repeating itself, Castian wants the book out of circulation and secured with him Behind the Veil."
"He is a god," Tham said. "Why not take it himself? Why send us?"
"Castian remains neutral in realm conflicts. He wants the three of you to retrieve the book and present it as an offering of good faith for your reinstatement."
Galan vaulted over a decaying tree, landing in line with me as he spoke. "Assuming we believe you, where might this compendium of the ancients be?"
"Sealed in a tomb in your northern mountains."
"That is a three-day journey each way," he bitched.
"Oh, sorry, there goes your weekend."
Tham ducked below a low hanging branch. "If the book was concealed by the use of magic we have no way of retrieving it. Once our people began their life in exile, magic was forbidden. The art of wizardry has long been forgotten by our people."
"Get us to the location, hotness," Lexi said. "We have people who will retrieve it." Lexi's gaze met mine and I knew what was on her mind.