by T. F. Walsh
She stepped around a goblin cradling a bunny as if it were a baby, baring its pointy teeth, hissing in Fallen’s direction. An enormous goblin selling berries muttered something inaudible over her shoulder. She prayed it had nothing do with a Guardian being in the middle of the markets. Fallen’s steps hastened.
With the path less crowded, she stood on tiptoes. Leaning sideways, she spotted the sharply pointed tent roof in the back corner between two trolls. Yes! Zana was here.
“Hey, give that back.” A guttural sound came from behind her, and she swung around.
Saber was toe to toe with a large goblin resembling a walrus. Neither of them moved. The creature snorted, his hands curled by his side.
The blood in Fallen’s veins froze. She pushed herself into the ocean of bodies to reach him. Grabbing Saber’s arm, she tugged him hard. He didn’t budge.
“What’s going on?” She leaned closer. “Remember, we have to go. No time for shopping now… dear.”
Walrus’ sharp voice boomed loud, his triple chin wobbling. “This filth threatened to turn our rabbits into stew.”
Every hair on Fallen’s body stood on end.
A troll erupted into laughter that echoed across the room. Others gasped.
Fallen’s stomach plummeted as every eye landed on them. Yeah, keep a low profile. Don’t reveal the Queen’s Guardian in a room full of creatures that would attack him in seconds. They’d probably feed her to a pack of starving feasters for bringing Saber to the market.
She clenched her hands, then lifted her chin. “It’s just a joke. He’s being funny.” Her forced laugh rippled across the room, and she cringed. “We love rabbits.” Fallen pressed tight to Saber’s side and whispered, “Are you mad? Why’d you say that? Never mess with a goblin’s rabbit. Ever.”
Walrus shoved a hand into Saber’s chest with no effect. Solid as a boulder, his muscles were concrete.
With an arm curled around his, Fallen pulled Saber back while her gaze locked on the beastly goblin. Before she got their bond removed, Saber would probably get her killed. He had major issues with authority, or even being told how to stay safe. How the shit had he survived in the queen’s army?
Her attention honed in on the goblin who pushed the sleeves of his pink Hawaiian shirt up to his elbows, revealing layers of blubber.
“Listen, he’s got the worst case of foot-in-mouth disease.” She leaned forward. “And he’s special.” She prayed the goblin who eyed Saber as if he were a possible dinner choice pulled back for everyone’s sake. “Just ignore him.”
Murmurs escalated around them. Market negotiations returned to full swing, and even a rabbit hopped over her boots.
“Let go of me.” Saber’s tone dipped into the pits of the underworld, complete with a growl. She held on, terror building. Fallen pictured Saber on a rampage. She’d be dragged into it because of their bond and would end either dead or captured.
“What’s wrong with him?” Walrus creased his nose as he lowered his face to Saber’s.
Her response darted out. “Oh, don’t do tha—”
Saber’s fist flew, connecting with the goblin’s jaw.
Claws might as well have torn at Fallen’s heart. She was afraid an impending massacre would ensue. One of her worst fears was dying connected to this muscle-head.
Walrus tripped into his booth filled with buckets of berries, knocking the table over. Red and blue balls bounced into the air, others rolling away.
She yelled out the first thing that came to mind. “Free berries for everyone!”
An epic roar erupted. A rushing stampede of market-goers closed in around them, elbows and bodies. Snorts in her ears, hair pulling. Someone jabbed her ribs.
Damn.
“Move.” She snatched Saber’s wrist and hauled him behind her. The hordes drove him aside, helping her cause.
Once out of the masses scrambling for berries, she let go of him. “This death roller coaster you’re on ends now. When we’re unbound, you may kill yourself to your heart’s content. In the meantime, do as I say. Understand?”
Saber glanced over his shoulder then back at her. “I was defending your honor.”
“What?”
“The fat goblin whispered to his friend he’d fuck you even if you were a dirty drae with no hips. He also said you only draw trouble to the markets.”
The back of her throat burned with anger. She glanced down at her leather pants which she’d selected because it emphasized her curves.
“I have hips.” Her attention bounced to the horde. Any guilt she held for ruining Walrus’ merchandise fizzled.
“That’s what I told him. You have perfect, round hips.”
“Okay. Fine. Now, please stop fighting. I want to live through what’s left of this day.”
With a shrug, he stepped over two bunnies bouncing away. He chuckled and kept going.
Rubbing her eyes, she dashed after him, focused on the purple stand. “There, in the back corner.”
In no time, they stood next to the medieval tent, large enough for two or three people. From the outside, the structure was reminiscent of the circus, only lacking the surrounding acrobats and clowns performing on the perimeter.
“Hello, Zana?” Fallen pushed her head through the split in the silk fabric, and a cloud of woodsy incense engulfed her. Holding back a cough, she smiled at her friend who waited behind a tall table. Zana’s eyes were glazed over as if she’d completed a deep reading. As half goblin, half human, her appearance lent itself more to that of mankind. Golden eyes, angular face with pouty lips. The long ears sticking out of amber hair made her stand out. Oh, and the healed scratch from brow to cheek. A cruel clash with a goblin who insisted he’d take her as his mate. Small as she was, Zana’s feistiness terrified even trolls.
Tarot cards, crystals, and rune stones lined the table, the usual items Zana only used to put her customers at ease. Her real psychic abilities would freak out almost anyone.
She glanced over Fallen’s shoulder. “Tell Saber to come in too.”
Fallen didn’t ask how her friend knew his name because Zana never revealed the methods of her psychic abilities. Fallen withdrew from the tent.
Saber lingered several feet away, staring at the chaotic crowd fighting for berries.
“Psst, Saber.”
He strolled closer in a way that told her he wouldn’t ever back away from a fight until he won. Her thoughts swept to the troll he’d demolished with a washing machine. Saber hadn’t shown hesitation and was determined to barrel through anyone without a second thought. Who did that? An assassin?
She led him into the tent. As they passed through the entry, their hands bumped, so she tucked hers into her pockets. He gave her a cheeky wink.
“Zana, we have a problem.”
“Hmph.” Zana’s gaze hadn’t turned away from Saber, who remained concealed under his cloak.
Fallen might have mistaken him for a statue, except his energy leeched onto her side, sizzling.
Zana pushed a frilly sleeve of her blood-red shirt up her arm and stuck out her hand. Out of habit, Fallen reached out, but Zana shook her head. “Not you. Him.”
“Nope.” His response darkened in a way that sent a cold chill down Fallen’s spine.
“There’s a spell binding us.” Fallen’s words rolled off her tongue before she had a chance to think. “We need to know how to remove it.”
The steadfast staring match between Zana and Saber continued. If Fallen broke into a pirouette, would they notice?
A jarring alarm bell peeled overhead.
Fallen flinched, her body convulsing. They must have seen the goblin in the front yard and assumed Guardians found the place. Rather than have their produce destroyed and being pushed around, patrons and merchants would bolt. Guardians had been known to torture goblins.
“Quickly, please.” Fallen seized Zana’s hand. “Tell me how to break our bond.”
Zana’s eyes widened, and she pulled free. With a bag in hand, Zana s
wept an arm across the table, drawing her belongings into the sack. “I have to go.”
“Please.” Fallen rounded the table, but her friend took one last glance at Saber and slipped out of a gap at the rear of the tent.
Saber’s hand gripped Fallen’s shoulder. “We leave, now!”
Fallen shook off his touch. No way. She bolted out the back and after Zana. A swarm of goblins crammed toward the exit, berries trampled underfoot, and rabbits hopping everywhere.
“Zana. Wait.” Squeezing in between two trolls, Fallen pushed ahead, spotting the red shirt. “Talk to me.” If she remained stuck with Saber another second, he’d probably get her killed in some fight he instigated.
Her friend halted and faced her, the bridge of her nose pinched like it always did when she spoke of danger. “Your link is permanent. Only the one who cast the spell can remove it. I can’t help you.”
Fallen’s shaky hand grasped Zana’s. “Please.” She bit her lower lip, trying not to burst into tears. Her throat thickened, but that wouldn’t help or change anything.
Goblins pushed in behind them. Fallen didn’t release her friend as the tide of movement swept around them.
Zana turned Fallen’s wrist upward, revealing the dragon mark. “What have you gotten yourself into?” Then Zana’s gaze skipped over Fallen’s shoulder, and Fallen didn’t need to turn to know Zana now stared at Saber. She felt him as easily as she did her pulse.
Zana leaned closer, her breath grazing across Fallen’s cheek. “Death walks alongside him. Beware.”
Fallen’s heartbeat pounded beneath her breastbone because of all the news she could have received, that was the worst. She caught a glimpse of Saber.
His dark eyes were fixated on her.
8
Outside the Wart Market, the bluster of air grew hot and ferocious, akin to Saber’s pulse. Goblins, rabbits, and trolls funneled outward from the rundown building. They crossed the field in a frantic haste. Saber pulled off his cape, sick of looking like Dracula, and tucked the fabric into his back pocket.
Fallen rushed alongside him. He wasn’t sure she’d lend a helping hand if the mob found out he’d been to blame for the alarm.
Silhouettes scurried away in a mad rush and vanished into the night. Goblins sure moved fast when danger lurked.
“This is your fault.” Fallen’s voice rattled with belligerence. Her pace slowed once they’d put a fair distance between them and the market.
“What did Zana say? How do we remove our bond?”
“We can’t.” The tone underlying her words deflated, emptied of energy. “Only the person who cast it can.”
Yeah, he wanted the link removed too, but hearing her disappointment hurt his feelings. It shouldn’t have because, in a strange way, he’d enjoyed their verbal sparring matches.
“We head to Noah’s compound then.” He had unfinished business with the guy. Not only would eliminating Noah remove their bond, but Saber might save his stepfather before it was too late.
Fallen stopped walking and spun on Saber and growled, enraged. Body rigid. Fists clenched. Yet the moonlight lit up her smoldering eyes.
“Is everything with you aim and attack? No planning or thinking of consequences?” Her voice carried a sharp edge.
He shrugged. “It’s worked for me so far.”
“Really? Let me guess. Before you got imprisoned, you found intel on Noah’s ark. And your plan involved walking straight up to him? I bet you confronted the guy, expecting different results.”
He gave a slight nod. “I had a plan.”
Her face contorted. “Load of crap! You barge toward everything without thinking.” Her clipped tone was coupled with a trembling lip.
“My intention was to take out Noah.” His entire life, he’d used the straightforward approach, and his strategy had kept him alive this long. Sure, Guardians chased him out of the kingdom, but that had zilch to do with his directness. “Get the job done.” That had been his motto in the queen’s army. The grinding of Fallen’s teeth escalated. “I know what I’m doing.”
She stepped closer. Her wide eyes reflected the bitterness of her anger, the depth of her thoughts. “No, you don’t know what you’re doing. You’ve proven that tonight. And as much as I’d love to part ways with you this moment, we have a bigger problem.”
“What are you talking about?” As if their situation could possibly get any worse.
She stuck out her hand and pointed at her wrist. The circular dragon indent reflected beneath the moon. “Zana confirmed this was from the Creators. Not a mark from Noah. We’re chosen. Don’t you see? If we don’t find our life mates in less than four weeks, we’ll all shift into humans permanently. Earth and Tapestry will cease to exist. We ought to focus on that, and forget about catching Noah for now.”
Her friend was a fraud. With a great huff, Saber wiped a hand down his face. The breaking point of patience tasted bitter on the back of his throat. “Not this again. When we get to Noah’s, I’ll prove to you it’s his mark.”
And he’d finally eradicate Noah once and for all.
“Are you calling my friend a liar?”
“If the shoe fits.” Sure, Zana had stared at him, as had the goblins. Mystery made almost anyone suspicious enough to jump to worst-case scenarios. In this situation, they might be right, yet it didn’t prove shit that the mark belonged to the Creators. No way in the two kingdoms would the Creators choose an Ash. He was made from clay, brought to life through magic, and had no soul. That was why he maintained that his position was right, and Fallen’s was wrong.
“How can you stand being so arrogant?” Her shoulders rolled forward as if she readied to attack, and that small notion excited him in a strange way. Contact sports might make up for the shit from today and relieve her aggression and anxiety.
“Okay, what would you rather do?” He might as well hear her out.
“Discuss the Creators’ mark. See who can help us. Do our homework about where Noah has been and set an action plan for his next steps. The normal things.”
“Sounds unnecessary.” And too much work. “I have a better idea.” He strolled past her. Enough talking when they could have been halfway to where he’d last seen the ark. If he found no clues there, he’d return to the prison from earlier in the day, bag a troll and find someone who understood their grunting language to translate.
“I’m not moving.” Her voice pierced the night’s silence.
Saber smirked to himself. “You will soon enough.”
The moment his body touched the invisible barrier, he pressed his hands against the sizzling energy and pushed ahead. Each step dragged.
“Stop it.”
He glanced back. Fallen had a shoulder shoved against her end of the bond, and her feet were sliding across the grass.
His insides burned. “We wasted a day doing what you wanted. The market was useless. Now we do it my way.”
“Fuck you.”
“If you insist.” It had been months since he’d been with anyone and suspected Fallen was a windstorm in the sack. An option he’d enjoy exploring.
Without hesitation, he continued his forward progress. He’d drag Fallen the whole way until she gave him a chance to try out his plan. This Creator stuff was horseshit. Getting to Noah was a priority, and time was running out for his stepfather.
A guttural sound behind him stopped Saber in his tracks.
Before he turned, an explosive inferno engulfed the back of his legs. He snapped around so fast, his head spun. His pant legs were on fire, and he hurled himself to the ground, rolling across the lawn. The pain seared his calves and partway up his thighs. An involuntary cry screeched past his throat.
Fallen was by his side, her hands patting down the flames.
Already scalded, the brief experience had been more painful than he could ever have imagined. A bullet to the head would be merciful.
With the fire out, Saber jolted to his feet. An excruciating sting sent him into a wobble. “What t
he fuck happened?” He reached over and touched the back of his thighs where the fabric had singed, and his flesh already bubbled.
“Oh, shit. Oh, shit. I didn’t mean to hurt you, just burn your jeans. You made me so mad and more came out. I’m so sorry.”
“You wanted to torch my pants, yet when we faced danger by the troll, you didn’t use a fire spell? Why would you want to set me on fire?” He bit back the agony lacing through his legs. His body buckled, and he tumbled onto hands and knees.
“Let me see.”
“No,” he growled and crumpled onto his stomach. “You’ve done enough.”
She knelt at his side regardless.
“Are you planning to finish the job?” What was wrong with this girl? She accused him of being insane. Well, she had major fire problems and nothing—
“Fuck. Fuck.” Fallen recoiled, tripping over her feet.
And in that instant, reality hit him. All the crap about plans, Noah, the bond, and the Creators had stolen his concentration. And for those few seconds, he’d forgotten to drive Fallen away and never let her near his injuries. Saber let himself believe he was normal because he wanted it so bad.
“Why’s your skin cracked like dried ground?” Her face was chalk-white as she shook her head. Fallen’s voice carried a hint of frailty he hadn’t heard from her yet; like that of a frightened child.
The cage of his identity closed in, sealing off any excuse and freezing his brain. He shifted onto his butt, his legs no longer feeling like his own. He should have been more careful, should have kept this crazy person at a distance, shouldn’t have enraged her.
Cradling her knees while sitting in a cocoon of the long grasses, Fallen remained silent. Her eyes fixated on him as if he was a circus spectacle.
He pushed into a crouch. He wasn’t an invalid. Yet his mind screamed to stop moving as the splits in his dried skin ached.
Fallen rocked in place.
When she spoke, her words were a whisper. “Are you an Ash?” Her voice dissipated, but the question hung in the air.
Ash.
The hurt this one word brought him was a wound that refused to heal, a scar that endlessly bled. A layer of skin, strangling him, suffocating him from the inside out.