Moving quickly towards the door, he peered outside as the final flames around the building died down.
"What the--"
Something blew pass him, the Kankul stench burning his nostrils.
The last thing he saw was the glimpse of a broad object dashing before his face.....
.....and the hard force of metal smashing against his skull.
Chapter Eight
Cold water came splashing against his face, waking him from a deep and troubled sleep. Shaking the excess water from his face, Gideon coughed and opened his eyes to see two black boots in his direct field of vision. Attempting to stand, he shrugged furiously when he realized that his hands and feet were bound. The Kankul energy was heavy now, almost stifling as it made its way down around him.
"Get him up!" a deep voice came.
Before he knew it, four strong hands grabbed him up and deposited him down on a chair. It was then that he saw the face of the man who had spoken; a rather strange but familiar face.
"Gideon Maruj..." he drawled. “What, may I ask, is your reason for being here?"
Gideon stared back, trying to remember where he had first seen that face. And then it dawned on him. It was that Kankul soldier back at The Hub that night. That soldier he had not noticed had gotten away. Anger threaded its way past his stomach and rose up in his throat like hot bile.
"I don't answer to you," he spat.
The other two men glanced at each other and Gideon sneered at all of them, his mana already burning through his binds.
"I'm no Kankul soldier," the man responded, his tone annoyed. "At least not anymore."
Gideon frowned, his intentions somewhat relaxing. "You expect me to believe that?"
"Yes." The man stepped closer now, staring down at him. "Deorci treated me like a boy. So I changed course and made a name for myself."
Gideon looked away. "Release me then."
"I'm not stupid. Release you and you release your Marujan wrath on this land. I won't stand for it."
Gideon contemplated the man's words. He spoke with such purpose and authority as if he was... Their eyes met briefly. "You're Malakai Baamel."
The man smiled broadly. "Marujans were never known to be slow."
"How did you do it?"
Malakai chuckled. "Simply. I discovered the man's secret and made it my advantage."
"Does Deorci know you're alive?"
"I doubt it. The bastard can rot in the deepest trenches of hell for all I care."
"Not before I'm the one to send him there."
Malakai stared at him and inclined his head curiously. "Vengeance is one hell of a thing, isn't it?"
"I need to find him. He has something that belongs to me."
"Well, good luck with that," Malakai responded nonchalantly. "Wherever Doerci is, I'm sure he made it sure not to be found easily. Whatever he has for you will have to be forgotten."
"No!" Gideon shook in his chair, almost toppling the thing. "I must find Esyth."
"Esyth?" Malakai actually looked concerned, it surprised Gideon. He remembered that name. "And this Esyth woman is your..."
"She's mine. And I must get to her before he kills her."
Malakai wove a dismissing hand to his men and as soon as they left, he pulled up a chair before him. "How do you know she's with Deorci?"
"I'm sure you can fucking remember that night at The Hub just as well as I can. She casted a spell to save Amelia from having to sacrifice herself."
"That was years ago. How do you know she's still alive?"
Gideon shook his head and laughed humorlessly. "You might not be a Kankul soldier anymore but it does run through your veins. It's even in the breath you breathe."
"And if I could change my lineage, I would. But that is besides the point."
"The point is I cannot trust you."
"And neither I, you." Malakai sat up straight and crossed his arms. "But we have a common enemy."
"A common enemy, we have. But nothing else."
Malakai chuckled. "You're a smart man, Gideon Maruj, so I know you know where this conversation is leading."
Gideon's lips curled in a sneer and the veins at his temple popped out furiously. "I will not work with you."
"I am not asking to work with you. You could easily drain my life source just as fast as I could plunge a dagger into your life source." Malakai chuckled. "But I can make an offer."
Gideon lifted his head. "I'm listening."
"I will help you find Deorci and your woman."
"Under what condition?"
"Give me his head."
Gideon stared at the man, studying the emotions surrounding his energy. It was very hard to tell his true intentions but it was very easy to conclude that Malakai's words bore the truth. "And then what?"
"We go our separate ways."
He studied the man hard and long. They were enemies of the Earth, long before they existed. Them working together was like a war of the worlds, it went against all he knew...disputed all Marujan laws. But it would help him gain his woman back... Finding Deorci would prove to be much easier and faster with Malakai Baamel's help. But he would have to watch his back nonetheless. For whatever happened in the end, they would always be enemies.
Gideon sighed. "Fine. But we go alone."
A smile touched Malakai's lips. "It's a deal." And he turned away in the direction of the door.
"Aren't you going to release me?"
Malakai turned the knob and chuckled deeply. "Humoring me already, Maruj?" he threw over his shoulder and walked out of the room.
Gideon chortled to himself, allowing the burnt ropes to fall from his hands, the ones tightly bound around his feet dropping in the same fashion.
* * *
Every effort to contact Faolan was unsuccessful. And it was pissing him off.
Gideon shrugged on his jacket and paced the empty room impatiently. He needed to let Faolan know about the change in their plan. But that seemed highly unlikely to happen. Either way, his departing with Malakai Baamel had to happen. They were to leave Baamel in a matter of minutes so he had no time to sit and wait. If he were to make contact with his brother again, it would have to be at some point during his journey.
Glancing down at his watch for the last time, Gideon frowned and pounded his fist repeatedly against the adjoining door. It opened and in walked Malakai, smoothing down the front of his leather cloak.
"You're awfully impatient."
Gideon snorted, wishing the man would just burn to ashes and blow the hell away. Damn, but he needed him. "It's time we left. I've got no more time to waste. Esyth's life is at stake and if you've got jokes, tell me so I can just leave you the fuck here from now."
Malakai shrugged. "No need to get sensitive." He then turned towards the door and eyed Gideon sharply. "We need to leave Baamel borders before sunrise."
"Why?"
"You'll see. On the way, I can try to locate Deorci's energy."
Gideon eyed the man one last time before he stepped over the threshold and exited the room. Both men moved down the empty corridor, an even space between them as they walked. Tension crackled between them but the satisfaction that they would make Deorci dead meat someday kept them from killing each other. There was a commotion in the central hall of Malakai Baamel's house. The fierce curses of men's voice filled the area, followed by heavy scuffling of feet and strained grunts.
"I SAID GET BACK."
"Let me go, man!" came a voice. Gideon knew that voice. Moving into the hall behind Malakai, his gaze came to settle on the man he had seen earlier in the bar, being restrained by one of the guards. Kyle was his name. Or at least that was what he remembered it to be.
"What's going on here?" Malakai said, giving his guard a sharp look.
"Sir, he just broke in here."
"No, I didn't. He just—"
"Hush!" Gideon's voice sliced through the room like death itself, freezing every man in position. Even Malakai turned to look at him. Ignoring
his angry glare, he approached the guard. "Let him go. He's with me."
The guard released Kyle immediately, but not before he'd shot his ruler a hesitant glance. Kyle shrugged from the bigger man's grip. "See? I told you I know him."
"What do you want?"
Kyle eyed the other two men timidly and then responded in a shy but even tone. "I got a message from your...your brother."
Everything went still inside Gideon. Almost shoving the man aside, he scooted him toward the corner of the room. "Go on."
"He said to tell you that he's gone to walk his friend home. And you should go on. He'll catch up."
Gideon smiled inwardly. That means Faolan had indeed felt his attempts at contact and read the energy around his signal. He was going to bring Amanda and the Alexanders home and then join him on his journey. Nodding his understanding, Gideon then quite audaciously dismissed both Kyle and the guard from the room.
Malakai Baamel was on him before the door was even closed. Two firm hands shoved him hard across the room, slamming him into the adjacent wall. The room shook with as equal rage as the man had put into that hit. Gideon's anger spiked and the strength of his heightened mana stopped him sharply as he pivoted and ran towards Malakai in superhuman speed. Catching the Malakai by the neck, he slammed him up against the wall. It was no easy match for Malakai advanced on him with equal force, fisting Gideon hard in the stomach. Forcing back a wince, he inhaled sharply at the pain in his gut and looked up at his enemy, currently straining from the iron grip Gideon had around his neck. Both men pander heavily, watching each other like predators eyeing their prey.
"You have some fucking nerve!" Malakai hissed.
Gideon forced into a straight position, the pain in his abdomen easing. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Malakai slapped a firm hand over Gideon's, flexed his wrist and plucked his fingers from his neck. Rubbing his aching skin, he heaved and glared at him. "You should do well to remember that this isn't Maruj and you do not order a fucking soul here." He stepped into Gideon's space. "I do the dismissals...when necessary. Got it?"
Letting out a sharp hiss between his teeth, Gideon turned from the man, adjusting his jacket. "It's time to leave."
"Hey!" Malakai shouted, halting him in his movement towards the front door. "I'm warning you, Maruj. Fuck with me and I'll fucking kill you."
Gideon laughed humorlessly.
"Well at least we're both on the same page."
Chapter Nine
Sweat beaded at his temples as he regarded the man attentively. His mind was not where it was supposed to be...it was in some distant land. Baamel, he figured out after hours of mental searching. As far as he could tell, though, his brothers were at no harm. He could sense agitation and frustration around both their energies but they were fine. He needn't worry too much now.
Accepting the glass of brandy, Noble Rally handed him, Hadaen nodded his thanks and sat down on a comfy chair in the man's study. To say Hadaen was surprised by the nobleman's invitation to visit would be a serious understatement. He was appalled in fact, for he hadn't seen the man face-to-face in years. Not since his affair with his daughter, Sienna, had surfaced and Hadaen had washed his hands clean of the devious wench. But still, that had been many years ago and he held no grievances towards the Rally family, especially since Sienna had helped them tremendously back at The Hub with training Amelia...and fending off Deorci. Mind momentarily running on Amelia—and what she would be doing at the moment--Hadaen returned his attention to Noble Rally, who was relaxing rather awkwardly in a chair before him.
"I must say you caught me off guard with the invite," Hadaen said, swirling his glass slowly.
Noble Rally chuckled and patted his rounded belly. "I thought it was...strange to never invite my ruler over for a drink. Don't you think?"
"Precisely, so." He looked down at the dark liquid in his glass and then back at the man. "What's the occasion?"
"How is your wife, my lord?"
"Lovely as always." Hadaen sipped his drink. "Good brandy." The older man nodded and closed his eyes for just a moment. Tension snapped between them as the silence stretched on for a couple minutes. Hadaen knew something was gravely bothering the man but suspected he did not know how to voice it. "I must say I have to say again just how great a help your daughter had been in The Hub."
A dark emotion flickered across the man's features before he looked up and flashed a weak smile. "Thank you, my lord. Sienna has always been a...worldly one."
Hadaen read into the man's emotions...into his mind. Was that regret he saw? "I must ask though... You haven't seen your daughter in years; don't you want to see her at all?"
"Of course." Noble Rally rubbed a palm over his balding head. He then looked up at Hadaen, a thin layer of tears glittering in his eyes. "I suppose you think I'm to blame? Mmm? It would not surprise me if you did. My wife blames me...every day." He then gave a wry laugh. "She says I killed our daughter. Her spirit, that is."
Hadaen swallowed down the rest of his beverage and sighed. "You sent her away. Mrs. Rally must have been--"
"Sent her away?" Noble Rally sat up in his chair and frowned deeply, as if he was almost in pain. "I would have never sent Sienna away. Regardless of what you may think, my lord, I love my daughter. All of them."
Hadaen felt as if he had just been speared right through the heart. I would have never sent Sienna away... No. It couldn't be. It didn't make sense. As far as Hadaen knew, Noble Rally had disowned his daughter. That was what Sienna had said. Everyone else too. He pierced the man with his gaze. "Are you trying to tell me that you never disowned your daughter?"
"Of course, I did not." The man looked distraught. Hadaen bore into his thoughts...his memories. It was... He was speaking the truth. Sitting back slowly, Hadaen searched his own mind. Then how did Sienna arrive at The Hub? "I was devastated when I'd found out about your affair with my daughter,” the man continued. “I knew she'd only be a common whore to you...and it killed me inside. My wife...she has a sister who lives in land now called Baamel. She was a Protector who married a man from there. I'd made arrangements to send Sienna there for a year, maybe until the scandal cooled. I swear to you."
The sweat at Hadaen's temples finally trickled down. He feared he would not like where this conversation was going at all. "Did she or did she not go to Baamel?" His blood boiled with every said word.
The man shook his head. "My sister-in-law contacted us that she never showed up."
"Damn it!" Hadaen jumped to his feet, running a hand trough his hair. "Why didn't you inform me?"
"I was ashamed!" Noble Rally stood as well, his height almost equaling his ruler's. Then he blanched red as if embarrassed and sat back down. "The last thing I needed was to bring another scandal down on my family's head. My younger daughters would never have had their initiations if I had!"
"You should have done something."
"I had. I searched for her. I did. Sent out men but they never found her. The last place I thought she'd be is The Hub."
"We can't tell what Sienna had been exposed to while she was...all over the fucking place!" Hadaen spun from the man and blew out an exasperated breath. "You might want to sit down for what I'm about to tell you."
Hands shaking, Noble Rally swallowed thickly and sank into his chair slowly. A deafening silence passed between them. Hadaen had known that something was wrong in Sienna's case. He just hadn't known what it was.
"When I was at The Hub three years ago, I had sensed something different in Sienna's energy." He remained standing, arms crossed and regarding the nobleman with the most passive expression he could afford. "Something non-Marujan."
Noble Rally frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Sighing, he decided to sit down. It was no use, anyway, making the man feel anymore intimidated than he already was. "There was an imbalance in her energy. Half-Marujan...and half-something else. I could figure it out at the time. Maybe I hadn't thought it to be possible. But now.
..now I'm certain."
"My lord, is something wrong with my daughter?"
Hadaen massaged his temples and groaned lowly. It pained him to say it. He knew it would have. But he had to. "Noble Rally, your daughter may be Marujan but she has Kankul blood rushing through her veins as well."
For a moment, the nobleman just sat there, eyes wide in disbelief. Hadaen took the time to pour himself…and the man another glass of brandy while he got over his moment of shock. If Sienna did indeed have Kankul blood running through her veins—and Hadaen was quite certain of that—then she can unknowingly be very dangerous. Especially in The Hub. What Hadaen could not figure was how Kankul blood had meshed with her own in the first place? It had took him a lot of time to even figure out what that bad energy around her had been…years, even. He had even considered the blood mixing and had come up with only two possible causes: a blood donation from a Kankul person to her…or a blood mating. He could not think of a reason for Sienna needing blood for if she had been in a near fatal situation, he would have read it in her memory three years ago. But the blood mating was possible. Too possible. It would mean that Sienna had completed her true initiation with a Kankul man….a man that she was in love with, and he in love with her.
The thought of it deeply disturbed Hadaen; to the point where he wanted to go find Sienna himself and crucify her for breaking one of Maruj’s greatest laws. But he wouldn’t. The last thing he needed was to scare her in the opposite direction before he got her back to Maruj…and allowed the priests to purge her.
The scraping of the chair drew Hadaen from dense thinking. He watched Noble Rally pace the room slowly before turning a blistering gaze on him. “I suggest we go find my daughter.”
Gideon [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book Two Page 6