The Kala Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy Box Set

by Teagan Kearney

"Explains the lack of wild life then." Forked Lightning watched the swarm shrink to a black dot and disappear.

  The demons and the hellhounds left an easy trail, and they followed the beasts’ enormous imprints on the soft red moss. As Tatya and Vanse trudged along behind Forked Lightning, she filled them in on how she and Nepta had escaped Angelus’s dungeons.

  As they walked, she kept touching Vanse’s arm, relishing the thrill as the connection flared. His skin was a deeper burnished copper hue than she remembered, but apart from that, he hadn’t changed. After the fight, she’d noticed his pupils had been tinged with red, and she wondered if his demon heritage was coming to the fore now he was in Angelus's domain. Could Angelus re-establish his link with Vanse? How much, if at all, was her own demon aspect affected by being here? She pushed her uneasy thoughts away, refusing for the moment to consider their situation. She caught hold of his hand. Having Vanse here was bitter sweet, but she would grab and hold on to whatever happiness came her way.

  He squeezed her hand, and smiled back.

  They reached the lower foothills as evening drew on, and came across a small cave, just big enough to shelter for the three of them. The crimson rays of the sun illuminated the cave with a deep rosy glow as they crawled inside, tired and glad to have somewhere to rest for the night.

  Forked Lightning opened his pack and shared out small portions of the dried fruit and nuts.

  Tatya grinned. "You remembered."

  He grinned back, "With such a good teacher, how could I forget?"

  "These raisins are nectar from heaven. The food here hasn't been up to my usual standard," she joked.

  "Aren't you going to eat anything?" Forked Lightning munched as Vanse examined the dried fruit.

  "As long as Fabio makes sure I get a regular supply of blood I won't feel hungry." He pushed his portion over to Tatya. "Besides, this would do nothing to satisfy my hunger. Don't worry," he said, shooting a quick glance at Forked Lightning, "I will not turn rabid and suck you dry."

  Forked Lightning gave an uncertain smile. The doubt in his eye indicated the idea had occurred to him.

  "Seeing you both makes me happy," Tatya said looking from one to the other, her eyes shining. "If I wasn't in this hellish place, worried sick about Nepta, hadn't been kidnapped, and my mind wiped by a demon, I might say my happiness is almost complete sitting here with the man I love, and one of my best friends. How is Leyla?" she asked Forked Lightning. "Has she had the baby? Is it a boy or girl, and what name did you choose?" She trailed off as Forked Lightning's expression changed; his mouth thinned, and a darkness crept into his eyes.

  "Leyla is dead."

  "What?” Guilt at the thought she might have been able to help if she had been there mixed with shock as she digested his news. “How? What happened? Was the labor and birth too complicated? Did they save the baby?"

  "Serkan murdered her." Forked Lightning's face twisted with grief. "He murdered her and then stabbed the child in her belly."

  Forked Lightning and Leyla were soul mates, and having her in his life had changed him. The loss had carved new lines around his eyes and mouth.

  Tatya dropped the food she was holding, scooted next to him, put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She held back the tears threatening to fall.

  He rested his head on hers for a few minutes, and then patted her hand. “Thanks, Tat,” he whispered. A tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away and stared out at the deepening dusk. "At least her killer's dead, thanks to Vanse." He nodded at the vampire," but that's a tale for another day. Did you know Angelus turned Serkan?" Forked Lightning asked her.

  "I suspected as much when he said he wanted his brother's body and mentioned family. I figured that was the only connection possible."

  "Serkan almost drained Fabio when he tried to take over my family." Vanse spoke softly. "He drank from my people hoping he and his could walk in the day. Angelus has maintained his dominance over his progeny by stripping that talent from all, except for the odd occasion when he has need of them. He used Serkan’s envy to send him after me when I was helpless."

  "I'm glad he's dead," said Tatya. "And I am so, so sorry about Leyla and the baby. Has the burial taken place yet?"

  "No. The police haven't yet released her body."

  They finished eating in silence.

  As the final dark carmine streaks lay along the horizon, they caught the far-off wail of a hellhound.

  Tatya jumped to her feet. “I think we’d better find a few boulders to block the entrance." She hurried outside. “Just in case."

  Vanse followed and caught her arm.

  “What?” The longing on his face took her by surprise.

  He pulled her to him, and took her in his arms.

  She reached up and stroked his hair. Always soft and clean, it was now thick with dried foul-smelling mud. "We both stink." She laughed. "I would kiss you, my knight without shining armor, but the taste of your lips right now might make me vomit." She giggled, and he drew her closer.

  "Tatya. I don't know how, but together we shall defeat that demon."

  "And then?" Her eyes shone.

  "And then you and I shall live happily ever after."

  She smiled. "Yes, I'd like that."

  They soon trundled enough boulders in front of the opening to give them some protection, should the Barghest arrive during the night.

  Forked Lightning’s low even snores told them he was fast asleep.

  Tatya and Vanse lay on the roughened stone floor, a little distance from their friend.

  "You’d better sleep. We'll need our strength in the morning. I’ll keep guard, I don’t need sleep." Vanse said.

  Tatya snuggled into Vanse's chest, and he curled around her, embracing and sheltering her. The thought of making love to him flitted across her mind, but apart from the smell of the dried mud and Forked Lighting’s presence, they would have time enough once they'd rescued Nepta, defeated Angelus, and returned home. Not too much to ask. Tomorrow they would have to make a serious plan to accomplish these near impossible challenges. Despite her worries, Tatya fell into a sleep more peaceful than any she'd had for a while.

  As they slept, a dark mist snaked into the cave, and flowed over the first sleeper.

  Forked Lightning dreamed of his wife. He was walking into Tatya’s shop with a delivery of sage bracelets, and saw a red-haired woman admiring a dreamcatcher bound in dark turquoise leather.

  She held it up to the light by its hanging loop, fascinated by the intricate pattern in the center and the delicate touch of the feathers against her fingers.

  His heart had flip-flopped, his cheeks flushed, and from that second on he knew he was in love. “Those feathers are special,” he told her. “Eagle feathers represent the ability to love and be loved, to take risks and fly out of the nest on your own. The gift of living beyond your shadows.”

  She bought the dreamcatcher, and two months later, when they married, she hung it in their bedroom.

  He watched himself talking and laughing with her as they discovered she was pregnant. The fears and joys of her pregnancy passing before him like a movie. Tears ran as he re-lived each memory, until the movie stopped, and zoomed in on the awful image of her in the hospital bed. She lay with her neck twisted awkwardly to the side, and he again lifted the sheet covering her body and cried out when he saw the knife in her stomach, and the blood-stained sheet. He twisted and writhed. “No, no, no,” he moaned, at his helplessness to prevent the tragedy.

  The darkness slithered over the next figure, pausing as if surprised at what it found, before covering the sleeper.

  Vanse had lain awake for a long time, feeling the rise and fall of Tatya’s breath as her back moved against his chest. She had spoken with confidence of rescuing her friend, but Vanse instinctively understood the longer he stayed in this place, the stronger his demon aspect grew. This was Angelus’s domain, and to underestimate the demon would be fatal. He realized he was drifting off, and struggled to
stay awake, but found himself in a state where he wasn’t asleep, but neither was he awake.

  A wounded man walked toward him, his guts spilling from a great wound in his stomach. He remembered this man. His image had stuck his mind, because he’d been the first human whose blood he’d ever drunk in a far northern forest a long time ago. The woman who’d saved him from death or worse came next. Shakti. She’d sacrificed herself to save him. She stumbled toward him, a great gash in her forehead, and her chest covered in stab wounds. He watched, unable to wake, as one by one, an endless line of injured dying men and women shuffled passed him. He groaned, as he experienced the suffering of another, Marianna, and tossed from side to side, weighed down by the enormity of the price he’d paid for his life.

  The darkness glided toward the third sleeper.

  Tatya gripped her Aunt Lil’s hand tight, as they stood in the rain and watched two coffins lowered into the earth. They hadn’t let her see her parents’ bodies, not even to say goodbye. She didn’t cry though she wanted to; she’d cried herself to sleep for a week, and now the tears had dried up. All she had left of her parents were photos. The memory faded, replaced by herself, kneeling next to an older Aunt Lil, who lay spread-eagled on her back. She experienced again the disbelief of discovering her best friend, Sean, had murdered her aunt. The image of her aunt was replaced by seeing the same friend plead with his master to end his life—and of Vanse bringing the knife down in a final thrust, and taking the life of her best friend.

  Deputy Bellamy, the soldiers who’d lost their lives fighting Angelus, the young women who had the misfortune to bear a resemblance to her, and whom Angelus had murdered because he failed in his previous attempt to bend her to his will, and finally, Leyla. Each death was laid at her feet. These deaths were the ones she knew about in this lifetime. She was the reason those families had lost their loved ones. Everything was her fault. If only she’d surrendered, they would be alive. Soon, Nepta would join those who’d died because of her. Tears wet her cheeks.

  “Tatya, wake up!”

  Light filled the cave and the skulking shade fled.

  Tatya’s eyes flew open. “Otakay!”

  The warrior stood in the entrance with a blazing torch in his hand, banishing the shadows. “Wake Forked Lightning.”

  She looked over and saw the shaman weeping in his sleep. Behind her, Vanse’s breathing was rapid, and his arm was tight around her waist. Lifting his arm, she slipped out of his embrace, crossed the cave and tapped Forked Lightning’s shoulder.

  He jerked awake, his face damp with tears, and before she could blink, his knife was in his hand. “Oh,” he said, dropping the weapon.

  Tatya looked around and saw what stunned him—Meoquanee and Qaletaqa were standing either side of Otakay. His spirit guides moved aside and Forked Lightning gave a cry of anguish as Leyla emerged.

  Bathed in light, and wearing her favorite green dress, with her Titian curls loose around her shoulders, she smiled at Forked Lightning. "Cante skuye, thechihila ksto, always. Don't let desire for revenge consume your life, for it will destroy you and the memory of our love. Don't mourn or grieve so, because Time passes more speedily than you know, and I wait for you."

  Forked Lightning moved toward her, as if to embrace her, but she vanished.

  Meoquanee held up her hand, and Forked Lightning halted. "She speaks true. You must be patient. In the meantime, you have a heavy task ahead of you. Leyla is correct, it is justice that must be exacted, and not revenge. Tatya needs your help, and you have a role to play here. Remember, we are watching over you."

  "Changing Sky sent a message," Otakay added. "He said, remember your lessons!"

  The spirit guides vanished.

  "We forgot to shield ourselves," Tatya said. "And look how weak our connection is."

  They stared at the bond, now shared between the three of them, thinner and more transparent than it should be.

  Vanse, who slept throughout the spirit guides’ visit, jerked awake, suddenly aware he was supposed to be on guard. "I don’t know what happened,” he said, raising his long arms above his head, and arching his back. “I never fall asleep like that. My apologies.”

  Tatya smiled, unable to keep her eyes off him, as he stretched like a cat after its afternoon nap.

  “I had the most bizarre dream,” he continued. “It started off as a nightmare, and turned into the most magical dream. I saw the most beautiful creatures."

  Forked Lightning and Tatya looked at each other.

  "What is it?" Vanse asked.

  "Nothing. I'll tell you later. Stand up and let’s join hands. We've got to strengthen our bonds. Either being here weakens them, or Angelus is actively working to diminish them. Then, as dawn is nearly here, let's make a proper plan."

  Tatya was right. Small rays of pale pink light, softening the harshness of the cave's stone walls, sneaked through the cracks between the boulders they had piled up last night.

  They held hands, Vanse and Forked Lightning shuddering as they connected, closed their eyes, and each sent power along the bonds, reinforcing their connection.

  Chapter Twenty-Six: The Land of Naraka

  The first howl came as a steep mountainside loomed out of the fog.

  Tatya stiffened, and scanned the surrounding hills for a glimpse of the animals, but the thick mist obscured her view.

  A second howl came from behind and to the left of the first.

  They quickened their pace, but the heat and humidity from the mist was suffocating, and all three slowed, straining to get enough air into their lungs as they clambered up the scree and boulder covered slope. Once at the top, they slithered down the far side.

  "If we break a bone here, does the corresponding bone break in our physical bodies?" Tatya asked as they caught their breaths in the narrow valley snaking along the bottom of the slope.

  "Vampire blood has self-healing properties," answered Vanse. "You should also be able to heal any damage as you have both demon and vampire blood. We saw no difference in your body before we came, yet here you were suffering from semi-starvation and being drugged.” He turned to Forked Lightning, “and I imagine your wolf blood heals in a similar fashion?"

  Forked Lightning nodded, but instead of answering, he pointed at the slope behind them.

  A gust of wind had cleared the mist, and a Barghest stood silhouetted against the skyline. Another appeared beside him, and another. The hellhounds sniffed the air, then raised their muzzles and bayed, the frightful sound echoing around the hills.

  "Up there. Look." Tatya pointed to the opposite slope. "Let's go. If we make that opening before they catch our scent, we'll have a better chance of defending ourselves."

  As if in response, the rabid baying grew louder from both ends of the valley.

  "It feels as if we're being herded," said Vanse, grabbing Tatya's arm as they moved off at a run.

  They ignored the scrapes on their hands and knees as they scrambled up the last hundred yards of steep hillside, spurred on by the howls and yaps of the advancing hounds.

  Forked Lightning made it to the fissure which was barely wide enough for him to squeeze through sideways. Tatya, with Vanse close behind, followed him into the cleft.

  It wasn’t long before they heard the scrabbling of claws and loud panting, as their pursuers gained the entrance.

  Tatya glanced back and saw the slavering mouth as one hound tried to insert his gigantic head into the cleft. “They can’t follow us in here, can they?” Tatya wheezed as they shuffled along the crack as fast as they could.

  A hundred yards in, the crevice widened into a cave.

  “Wow. This is a surprise.” Tatya sighed in relief.

  “Do we make our stand here or further inside?" Forked Lightning looked at Vanse.

  Vanse didn't respond but strode off toward the rear.

  Forked Lightning shrugged at Tatya and they hurried after him.

  The frustrated snarls of the monstrous dogs chased them as they quickened the
ir pace.

  The cave was big and extended a fair distance inside the mountain, with a roof that sloped downward till there was barely enough room for Vanse to stand straight.

  Tatya heard a muffled gasp, turned around and Forked Lightning was no longer behind her.

  "Vanse! Stop! Forked Lightning's vanished. He was here a second ago…"

  They retraced their steps, and as they passed the spot where Tatya had seen him last, he reappeared.

  "What's going on? Where did you go?" Forked Lightning pinched both their arms.

  "Ow! That's not necessary." Tatya exclaimed.

  "You disappeared into the rock."

  "No, you vanished. I turned around and you weren't there. What do you mean into the rock?"

  "The cave ends in this wall of rock. Right here. Don’t you see it?"

  Tatya and Vanse stared blankly at the space where Forked Lightning’s palms moved against nothing in a way that reminded her of a mime she’d once seen at a carnival.

  Vanse waved his hand back and forward. "It's a warded gate. This tunnel must lead somewhere important, possibly a back entrance to the palace, and someone erected a defensive ward to prevent entry. Tatya and I have demon blood and if we passed through without even seeing it, I'm assuming Angelus erected it.” He faced Forked Lightning, "You, on the other hand, have no demon blood and therefore cannot pass."

  The hellhounds distant yaps of frustration drifted into the cave.

  "You can’t leave me here to keep the dogs company. But there's no way, I'm drinking your blood to walk through rock. Or even yours, Tat. Sorry."

  “Tatya, grab his arm tight. I'll take the other, and when I say walk, we pull him through. If he’s between us, it should work."

  Forked Lightning opened his mouth to protest.

  "Or do you prefer we leave you here? I doubt those dogs will recognize your common heritage."

  Forked Lightning's eyes sparked amber. "Okay. Let's do this thing."

  Tatya gripped Forked Lightning's arm with both hands. "Shut your eyes, and focus on our connection. It'll help," she said to the shaman and nodded at Vanse, who looked as if his patience was being tested by a rebellious child.