Gideon smiled slowly, his right cheek dimpling. "Well then try and stop me."
Nathaal's nostrils flared hotly as he eyed his three opponents. One was a traitor, a man once trusted by his leader and fellow soldiers; another was a rebel follower, a woman he knew he could easily add to his conquests; and then there was Gideon Maruj himself. A third of the Marujan dynasty. A man whose ability, as he knew, outranked his own in more ways than he could think of. Yes, he felt a twinge of anxiety in his gut which was why he gripped his sword even tighter. He could not return to Deorci a loser, a failure in this one mission. So he knew exactly what he had to do. Cheating was no crime, merely a strategy in war.
Gideon read into the Kankul soldier's energy. If Hadaen had been there, they were sure to have figured out his weakness by now. But he could sense the emotion sparking in Nathaal's energy. It was a mixture of confidence, hostility...and a tinge of fear. Gideon smiled to himself. As long as there was fear, he'd have a fairly easy fight. On the other hand, he could feel Mia beside him shaking in her boots. She did not give a glimpse of her terror and he was grateful for that. He had to protect her, however. After all, she was mortal.
"Are we going to stand here and talk? Or are we going to start ripping fucking heads off?" Malakai moved forward three steps. Attempting to shove him back, Gideon reached for his shoulder but he shrugged him off irritably.
Nathaal remained in position. Time stood still for a while, opponents watching opponents. A thick cloud slowly moved across the sun, a cool breeze sauntered by. The glare Nathaal shot at Gideon would have withered many men to nothingness but he remained expressionless. Then without further warning, Nathaal let out a fierce growl, rising both hands upwards which held the handle of his sword, and plunged the blade deep into the earth before him. Gideon snared, his alert heightened. He's seen that move before, once long ago. He urged Mia three steps back and it was then that the felt a soft rumble. It was more like a tremor, equivalent to belly quivering and almost as if it hasn't happened at all. Across from them, Nathaal gave a hideous smirk and the rumble came louder, more intense as if from a stampede.
Gideon's gaze shifted to the earth, it was moving beneath them, stone shaking against the dusty surface. The movement had almost thrown him off his feet but he maintained his balance. Mia, on the other hand, had fallen flat on her ass and he grabbed her up, slamming her against him to steady her.
"I'm fine," she tried to convince him despite her quivering state in his arms. "What the hell is he doing?"
The rumble increased and Gideon shot a glance at Malakai whose stance was already in attack mode. There was loud crack and boom and then a whoosh. Gideon's eyes flared crimson. Before them the earth opened up, forming a deep trench that shot of waves and waves of smoke-like dust, blinding them. The rumbling stopped and Gideon cast her aside. "Stay close," he warned her.
Heart rate now on full speed, Gideon stared deeply through the fog, his mana strengthening by the second. He saw Malakai fighting off two soldiers at once. Then he shifted to the left....and saw Nathaal, staring smugly back at him. The desire to kill burned within him like an ever-burning flame. He'd be greatly satisfied by killing the fucker. Gideon took five quick steps until Mia's squeal gained his attention. Damn it. Turning swiftly, he saw her pinned up against a Kankul soldier who was twisting her left arm behind her. She whimpered, her sword falling from the other hand. He was about to step in when out of nowhere, she planted a firm elbow into the soldier's gut, withdrew a dagger from her waist and twisted in his hold, plunging heart deep. Gideon grunted and turned away again...to welcome a full-on punch in the mouth.
He felt that one right up to the nerve endings in his brain. Shrugging angrily, her wiped his bloody mouth and growled.
"Nice one, Nathaal," he admitted with a wry smile. "Couldn't wait till a man turned his back, now could you?"
"Shut the fuck up and let's fight!" The man swiped one booted foot in the dirt before him and angled the two swords in his hand. And then charged.
Gideon inhaled sharply, clenching his fists. Nathaal was on him in a flash and he dodged expertly from the path of one sword. He timed the slash of the other as his mana surged to his hands, burning like fire around them. Knocking the sword from his hand, Gideon growled and yanked him hard, fisting Nathaal squarely in the mouth. Tossing him aside like garbage, Gideon huffed and widened his stance.
Get up, you dumb fuck!" he shouted. "One bloody mouth for another, right?"
Nathaal jumped to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You'll never find him!"
Gideon chuckled. "Drop your sword and fight like a man."
For a moment, it looked as if the man was actually considering it. Then he hardened his glare. "Fuck you."
Out of nowhere Malakai dashed in and gave Nathaal a blinding uppercut. The man slumped to his knees in obvious agony. Gideon frowned at him. "What? I deserved to have that one." He then grabbed the man up, pulled a length of steel from his inside vest and bent it neatly around Nathaal's hands. "Besides, we can't kill him just yet. Obviously, he knows where Deorci is. I can scan his memories."
Gideon took a step towards Malakai. "You can do that?"
He shrugged and kicked a groaning Nathaal to his knees before bending another sheet of thick steel around his ankles. "Damn right I can. It's how I'd found--"
"Found what?" Blood rushed to his head like hot air.
Malakai shook his head and gave him one of those dumb looks with lowered lids and a cocked brow. "Your brother's woman. Amelia. Was that her name? Yes! I am the fucker who'd found out about her existence right after Xavier had been gutted like a damn fish. No need to get all touchy; it only works on Kankul people."
Breathing hot fury, Gideon folded his arms to reduce from murdering Malakai. Maybe he would kill the bastard after all. He just wanted to find Esyth first and then--
Are you fucking kidding me?" Mia's scream rang so loudly, it made him flinch. Fuck, he'd forgotten about her. "You two are here fighting an ego battle while no one even bothered to find out how I was faring out?"
Malakai glared at her. Gideon twisted his mouth into a scowl, taking in her condition. Her vest was almost ripped wide open from the front, blood stain wiped all over her face and smeared over the blades of her swords. Her chest rose and fell with pent up frustration. "You look fine to me," Malakai mumbled.
She let out a harsh laugh. "As if I expected any better from you, y-you asshole. And you," she gasped, pointing a finger at Gideon's chest. "I should shove this sword straight down your throat."
Gideon exchanged awkward glances with Malakai, truly unsure of what to make of her behavior. "As I can recall, you're the one who requested to come along with us. Are you asking that we treat you like the...woman that you are?"
A horrified look transformed her face, her complexion paling with shock. She stammered a bit before she swallowed and sighed. "Oh, fuck you both. We need to get going. I need a bath."
And she stalked off. Gideon shrugged and turned back to face Malakai, knodding at the silent Nathaal who stared at both of them with equal contempt. "Keep him silent until we get to the village. He'll be drawing enough attention just as he is."
Malakai bristled. "I can do the memory scan right now. Right here. What the fuck are you waiting for?"
"You know the village we're heading to. Almahill. It's a neutral one but the people there hates your kind…very much," Gideon murmured with a mixture of bitterness and amusement. "You can do your scanning there and then allow the villagers to pick him apart."
Nathaal's eyes flew wide open, genuine fear riding around in their depths. He then struggled on the ground, hopelessly trying to free himself from his destiny.
Malakai stared hard at Gideon, biting back the laugh forming on his lips. He then shook his head and ripped a piece of cloth from his shirt, tying it across Nathaal's mouth. "I don't like you one bit, Maruj. But I do like how you think." He paused and shot him a sly look. "Sometimes."
Gideon c
huckled and looked ahead to spot Mia stomping her way in the direction of the village. She hadn't gotten far. Heaving a deep breath, he looked to the heavens and asked The First for the strength to endure. Esyth could be miles upon miles away. Hell, she could be right under his nose. Wherever she was, he was going to find her. He'd accused Hadaen once of changing, getting soft for Amelia. Now he knew how it felt.
* * *
"What the fuck do you mean she's not here?"
Hadaen passed his glare over the small group of women, who cringed backwards, terrified. Noble Rally threw up his hands and paced, shaking his head. The Hub hadn't changed one bit since he'd last been there. Glancing at the white tents scattered across the gentle sweep of the valley, he tried to contain his anger when he saw a glimpse of Elder Joseah approaching them. Hadaen wouldn't be able to forget that face even if he wanted to. He wondered idly where the other old fart was.
"My lord." The much older man gave a swift bow. "We weren't expecting you. Is everything alright?" He shook his head sadly. Poor Esyth. We still honor—"
"Elder!" Hadaen halted the man's words. He had no time for a fucking speech. "This is Noble Rally. Sienna's father. We're here to see her. Now."
The elder stumbled back a step before his wrinkled face pulled into a frown. He then nodded briskly at the women who understood his meaning and ran off.
"Come with me." And the old man headed towards one of the larger tents, shoving the flaps apart and stepping inside. Hadaen followed suit and behind him, Noble Rally. His patience was wearing thin. He just hoped all those fucking women were delusional because he had not come all the way to the damn Hub for nothing!
As soon as they were inside the tent, questions flew out of Noble Rally's fretful mouth. "Where the hell is my daughter? Where is Sienna?"
"I beg you not to take this the wrong way," the Elder said, brows creasing with worry. "But I was about to ask the same exact question."
Fury exploded inside Hadaen. The Noble fell back in a chair, obviously feeling too stricken to stand. "Are you saying you don't know where she is?"
Elder Joseah shook his head. "Precisely so, um, my lord."
"Fuck!" Hadaen felt like killing someone. Running an agitated hand over his hair, he fixed his gaze on the Elder again. "But there's more." It wasn't a question. He could feel the words about to roll off the old man's tongue before he even said them.
"Yes."
Noble Rally's head flew up and he jumped to his feet. "Then talk, man. Talk!"
The Elder did not hesitate. "A year and a half ago, Sienna came to me. She had received some form of a message. She could not figure it out on her own... so she'd requested my help."
Hadaen's interest peaked. "What message?"
"Sh-She was convinced that it was from...Esyth. But I seriously doubted it. I still do. It has been so long, you see..."
"Who the hell is Esyth?" Noble Rally snapped.
Hadaen's brows lowered in thought. He traced his memory back to that girl. Amanda of the Alexanders. She had received a message too, which Gideon had readily assumed was from Esyth. Was it coincidental? He frowned. Hadaen didn't believe in coincidences. "What else?"
"She left, my lord. Saying something about writing a wrong she had done centuries ago. She wanted to prove herself. By finding Esyth."
Noble Rally blew out a frustrated breath. "What the hell is going on?"
"Hush!" Hadaen needed to think and he couldn't rightly do that with a blabbering nobleman in his ear. Damn, he knew that Rally wanted to find his daughter badly but fuck, couldn't he express his impatience a bit more quietly? "Noble Rally, I suggest you find a way to calm yourself down before I do it for you. And Elder Joseah? I need your honest opinion on something."
The old man nodded rapidly. "A-Anything, my lord."
Hadaen sighed and clasped his hands tightly behind his back. "Do you believe that Esyth could still be alive?"
Silence. Elder Joseah's gaze swept the ground as if he was searching the floor for answers. "It is a possibility, yes. But we all know Deorci. If Esyth is alive, then it could only mean one thing. He has kept her alive."
"Exactly." Hadaen scratched his temple and nodded.
"But why?"
"Deorci had possibly sensed the connection between her and Gideon. Esyth being alive would only attract Gideon to search and eventually bring him to her. I believe Deorci knows that I'd follow too."
"My lord, that is a possibility. But what if it's not?"
Hadaen glared at the old man. How could he question his logic? "It is!"
"Forgive me, my lord. Elder." Noble Rally interjected. "But what the hell does that have to do with me finding my daughter?"
Hadaen spun on his nobleman, truly exhausted with Rally's whining. Grabbing him by the collar, Hadaen brought him up harshly to his toes. "Noble Rally, if you'd just shut the fuck up and actually think, you wouldn't have needed to ask that fucking question!" He then released him abruptly, setting the man's collar to rights again in a patronizing fashion. When he spoke again, his voice was so calm, Noble Rally just looked up at him, utterly puzzled. "Esyth is where Deorci is. And more than likely, so is Sienna if she had managed to locate Esyth's location. Now...all we need to do is find Deorci."
Noble Rally took two steps back from his ruler and swallowed deeply, flicking a drop of sweat from his temple. "Oh."
Hadaen nodded and turned to face the Elder once again.
"It was a pleasure seeing you again, Elder Joseah. We'll meet again."
And he spun on his heel, his long black coat fluttering behind him.
Chapter Fourteen
Fist collided with jaw, followed by the harsh crunch of shattered bones. Blood oozed from Nathaal's mouth in a thick rush. They'd been at it for an hour now but the man would not drop the shield he had built around his mind, blocking Malakai's efforts at scanning his memories. Gideon blew out a breath, drawing back his arm to connect his fist with the other jaw. His knuckles were bloodied and raw, almost skinning to the bones. He'd heal in a minute. Across the room sat Mia, head in her hands as she stared at them, her face flushed as if she wanted to throw up.
"Is this really necessary?" she groaned.
"Yes!" Malakai barked. "You can leave if you want."
"Pussy!" she flung at him.
"Yeah. Haven't had some in a while. But no thanks."
Mia growled and before he knew it, a dagger was sailing past his head. He dodged it quickly, the blade slicing half of one lock of his hair off. She then flung the door open and left the room with a slam of the door. Gideon rolled his eyes at both of them. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you too liked each other."
Malakai glared hard at him. "If you don't fucking kill her soon, I will! She's fucking annoying and getting on my last nerve."
Gideon chuckled. "Yeah. You like her all right."
Malakai didn't answer but folded his arms and stared down at Nathaal slumped on the wooden chair. "He's weakening. Plus, it's unlikely he'll ever talk."
"I see. You going to try again?"
"I might as well."
Malakai grabbed Nathaal's bobbing head between his palms and pressed his thumbs into the man's temples. He then closed his eyes and breathed in slowly.
"Anything?"
"No." Nathaal's groan reverberated throughout the room. "Wait...I'm getting something."
Gideon immediately jumped into action, sinking his fingers into Nathaal's bloody neck, weakening him further. It was now or never. They were running out of precious time. Esyth's life was depending on it. "How's now?"
Malakai cracked a smile, eyes still closed. "Better. Much fucking better." Then he frowned, his jaws clenching tightly. "I don't believe this shit..."
"What?" Gideon's fingers sank deeper, Nathaal no longer expressing the effects of pain. He was dying.
"The old dungeon."
"What?"
"The old dungeon." Malakai let out a grin. "That's where the fucker is."
"Where the fuck is it?" Gideon was
mad as hell and a bit envious, angry that he couldn't see for himself.
"Not very far. Maybe eight miles from here. And two more underground."
Gideon nodded, relief washing over him like a cool shower. "Okay. Anything else? We should leave now. Save some--"
"I see a woman. I can't see her face well but it seems like she's in a lot of pain. Looks like she's in one of the jail rooms."
Gideon held his breath. "Esyth?"
Malakai frowned. "You're woman did have...blonde hair, didn't she?"
His stomach wrenched into a tight pulp."Yes." He had to squeeze the answer past his lips.
Malakai's eyes opened. "Must be one of Deorci's concubines then."
Gideon had held his breath so tightly he thought his eyes would fall out. Turning away, he then marched across the room and slammed his fist into the wall.
Someone from the adjoining room screamed out, "Hey! Keep it down over there!"
Gideon grinned and shook his head, blowing out the breath he'd been holding so long. "Okay. Let's go get Mia. We're leaving now."
Malakai nodded, glanced at an unconscious Nathaal for a moment and shook his head. "He's dead already. We should just leave him here." Reaching for his coat, he yanked it on, stuffing a knife deep down into the side of one of his boots. That was until, they heard a piercing scream, sounding as if coming from the bar area downstairs. Malakai immediately recognized the voice and rolled his eyes.
"What the fuck is wrong with her now?"
* * *
Mia sipped from the slender beer bottle and sighed. What had she been thinking, agreeing to journeying with those two lunatics? One only served to piss her off at every second...and the other, she couldn't quite help the fact that he made her feel more womanly than she ever had in years. Malakai Baamel could have any woman he wanted. Which served to enforce the raw truth: he'd never give her a second glance, especially since she was another mortal to him. She had initiated that tumble with Gideon Maruj only to make him jealous. How stupid had she been to resort to such low a tactic? Instead, she'd only accomplished great sex that felt nothing more than...great sex. Gideon wasn't the one she wanted.
Gideon [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book Two Page 9