The warriors shot knowing glances between each other and followed my instructions. Surely the portal, if we're talking about a portal, stood in the center of the space. That would mean there would be less trouble with moving objects. Or big-winged bastards hell bent on causing trouble.
"What are you planning to do, Aisling?" Mart stared at the trigger.
Like I'd go to Slaken from a secret portal. That's going to win me a celebratory welcome. "I'm not touching anything. I don't want anything to happen to anyone. And, I wonder if there are footprints in the dust. Incriminating footprints."
Mart stepped around the control panel, lowering his torch to inspect the central floor.
He was insane to move into the area most likely used for transporting objects. "Have you lost your mind? We've already walked there."
"No." He kept his gaze locked on the ground. "They come late during the night. We have some time before the sun sets."
Fine. Look for a few minutes. How much time before sunset though? "I don't want to be in here after dark. Let's come back in the morning."
A sound shifted in the darkness.
Borun pushed me back behind him. Lehd and Ovh stepped back beside me, blocking me from anyone in the room.
And shit, there was someone in the room!
Everyone focused on the murky shadows overhead.
"I was wondering if you'd ever come." a male said.
Mart gasped. "Calen!" His torch flashed in motion beyond Borun's body.
Who was it? And how dangerous was he? I glanced up at Ovh.
Ovh wagged his masked head.
Something thumped.
Okay, I'm not moving pinned in on all sides, but what was that? "Mart?"
"It's alright, Aisling. It's just my brother."
Brother? Or half brother?
"Where is the little Marshal? I've been waiting to speak to her," the newcomer Calen asked in a weird evil cartoon character voice.
Gooseflesh prickled my skin to chilly attention.
God if I could just lean into Borun's back and snake my arms around his waist.
"Why?" Borun growled.
"To unite the clans. That's what she said she's come to do. And I've been waiting sixty years for the opportunity to arise. We need off-world assistance. And her commander promised that."
"When?" Borun snarled. "You weren't privy to those conversations."
"Calen, stop toying with them," Mart commanded. "If you want to speak with my mate, drop the ridiculous camouflage. Act normal."
"Normal?" Borun spat with a threatening tone. "Act? What's going on?"
"When my brother's alone with me, he acts sane like any one of us," Mart said.
"Will you speak to me, Marshal?" Calen's voice shifted to a low steady sound.
Normal. Oy!
My hands shook with need.
We had to get out of here. Before things shifted into total chaos.
Borun looked over his shoulder at me, taking a step aside, revealing the tall black and white masked male standing before me opposite the control panel. Firelight flickered beside him from Mart's torch. Mart stood shorter, at Calen's side.
"It's alright, Aisling," Mart said. "He won't hurt you."
That has yet to be proven.
"Yes, little Marshal. I need you alive." Calen stepped toward me out of the dome of Mart's torchlight into shadow.
Like a lion ready to pounce. Why did he need me alive?
Three steps later, his footsteps penetrated Borun's dome of torchlight.
Something about him seemed familiar. His height. His build. The way his body moved like a cobra ready to strike.
He stopped, leaning down to plant his palms on the control panel.
Hell, he needed to look out for the trigger. "Be careful!"
His gaze settled down to my eye level as he placed his palms on the control panel's dusty surface, avoiding the buttons. "These controls haven't worked for a thousand years."
That's when I saw the three holes on the side of his mask. The plain mask. The mask worn by the warrior who approached me in the first set of ruins the day after I arrived on Luvk. The Sunrise lead Royal Guard. What did he want? He'd seemed so safe before. Surely he was now. I looked into his glowing blue eyes. "I remember."
He nodded ever so slightly.
"What do you remember?" Borun demanded.
I couldn't pull my gaze away from Calen's. "Calen was the warrior in the Hall of Wisdom."
Borun's arm slid before me and shoved my body backward. He was in Calen's face before I could blink. Growling. Hiding me once again.
"I don't want to hurt your mate, Borun," Calen said calmly. "She is the only person who can help us unite the clans. Come out, little Marshal. Come out before the Thunder clan kills off the rest of the Queens and takes control of the seven realms."
Such a measured challenge had to have truth behind it. I'd probably piss off Borun. But this warrior could answer a lot of questions. I slid my palms around Borun's waist and tried to squeeze under his python arm to face Calen.
"No, little one. He's been mad for nigh thirty years now. Everyone knows he's insane. Stay where you are."
Something wasn't right here. "But insane Royal Guards wouldn't be allowed to wear leader masks. His mother had to have known he acted this way." I wiggled beneath Borun's arm. "Why does she allow him the power if he can't help her? They're working together."
Borun's arm curled around my back and pinned me tightly against his side.
No problem. Calen couldn't pry me loose if he tried.
Calen studied me, leaning over the control panel. "I was married off twice to infiltrate other clans. The Queens weren't too happy with my mate behavior though. So call me insane." He chuckled.
Mart stepped up to Calen's side and shot him a death stare. "I'm starting to wonder if you truly are mad, brother. Aisling isn't a queen. Show her some respect."
Calen sighed and turned his head to his brother. "The fact I've waited here for your arrival shows I'm respecting her authority." He slid his eerie glowing stare back to me. "I hoped you would learn enough of the written Luvk language to prove what I overheard in the Hall of Wisdom-that you were here to end the sky demon raids. That you would read enough between the histories and symbols to realize another portal existed. That you would find your way here where I waited to confide in you. Proof. I needed to know your intentions weren't self-gratifying like those of the Queens. Sit and speak with me, Aisling. There is much to say. Things even my little brother wasn't taught by our father."
"What?" Mart scowled.
Calen's stare never dismissed mine. "Things the first son of a priest is taught. I am Father's first son. I am the keeper of truth. All other sons are merely keepers of history."
Things were really getting confusing. "But Borun said there was only one Royal Guard left born to the line of warriors who read Luvk's ancient language."
"That's because this one is insane," Borun spat through grated teeth.
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Chapter Twenty-Eight
After great pains to travel back through the maze of shadows and darkness, Aisling's guards led her out into the waning sunlight. The day was shot, she choked down a groan. Night loomed with two bright moons. And the possibility of a Slaken raid, she noted. And we stood in a dangerous location at the ruins' entrance. "Let's find another place to discuss things. I don't want to be standing in the ancient city's entrance if sky demons go flying through it."
The warriors didn't grumble.
We rode ten minutes into darkening sky, halted in a grove, and sat among the shelter of tree trunks tightly packed together. Mart built a fire while the others kept close to me and Calen. It was more than obvious that Borun kept the largest guards protecting me.
I studied Calen's behavior. Nothing looked odd. He was as formal and polite as my mates. "You said the Thunder clan is behind the murders?"
Calen held out his hands and signaled for me to keep my voice down. He nodded too. "No Quee
ns means no squabbles." He leaned toward me. "And maybe you'll be frightened enough to leave Luvk."
But they were clueless to the fact I could never leave my blood mate. Not that I'd ever thought about leaving. Especially now after hearing so much more. The Sunrise Queen was as shady as the Thunder clan. And that it would benefit the centrally located Thunder clan to have the Marshal frightened off the planet so the Thunder power figure can rule the seven realms after murdering all the Queens. Or was the power-hungry clan the Sunrise clan? "Just what does your mother get out of the secrecy, Calen?"
My hands began shaking so badly from the blood lust that I had to clasp them together under my knees. Biology could really get a girl into trouble. My body didn't care that I needed to appear level-headed. It shivered and shook.
Cold sweat beaded upon my brow.
Calen leaned closer, setting off Borun's warning growl. Borun immediately silenced.
Damn their psychic abilities. "Are you mindspeaking? Because I can't, and it really pisses me off that you do that in situations where I need to be privy to any details in a discussion." Or deprivation is getting to me. I can't afford for Calen to learn about that little secret. Not until his true motive is clarified.
Calen chuckled a bit. "We've said nothing that makes a difference, Aisling. I told him I needed to speak softly." He leaned so close onto an elbow that I had to cant down to cover the rest of the space. Right down to a few inches from his face.
"The Sunrise clan created the portal," Calen whispered.
Not the Slakens? The Luvks did this to themselves? I looked into his eyes.
Nothing but the insistence of truth danced in those glowing orbs.
His eyes offered shady illumination. Light one dare not trust but must to find valuable explanations. "And?"
"Seven great grandfathers back, my ancestor led the priesthood."
Priesthood? Maybe the Luvks had been more socially complex than city states. Time would tell. I nodded for him to continue.
"The priests struggled to find a way to unite the clans."
As Calen did now.
My gut sank.
Could I trust him?
"And in creating a portal to tap into each clan's palace in order to link all of us in a way that we could communicate more easily, the Sunrise clan punched a hole into the Slakens' world."
My gut twisted at the irony of trying to solve one problem and creating a million more. Just like the luck of human nature.
"So each of the first sons of my great grandfather has been saddled with the chore of finding a solution to the problem. To closing the portal." He stared at me with such intensity that I couldn't breathe. "Until he draws his last breath."
"You want me to close the portal?"
"Help me find a way."
"I'm not that kind of scientist. The other Marshal was. But Luvk ended up with me. I studied people. Not machines."
Calen's stare just watched me. Waited.
Was he waiting for me to come to the conclusion I had no choice? After sixty years of carrying his forefather's load, he could probably wait forever. "We'll speak to my commander. The Marshals have many scientist who can help."
I had to believe the history he shared. What would he gain if I chose to help him close the portal? Security for all Luvks. Was that a bad thing? A Marshals' goal was to create a comfortable environment for a planet's population. Would Calen help do that? "Calen, my job is to help transitional populations work out their differences and find a way to make all their people happy. How do I know whether you're working for the Sunrise clan or all Luvks?"
"My people are all Luvks. The priesthood initially struggled to find a way to unite the clans. I am of the same inclination. My quest is sacred. Tell me what I can do to prove this to you."
Which clans evolved into statehood with a priesthood that wielded enough technology to create a wormhole machine? And was the priesthood truly out for the greater good of the Luvks?
His gaze slid down my body, over my breasts, and across my hips.
A chill shook me.
Borun growled.
Calen's gaze snapped back to mine. "No, you don't look like a queen. But you can make the others listen. You can help me unseat the selfish females and bring peace to the Luvks."
My skin began to burn like ants bit me all over.
Not blood lust!
Movement burst from behind the trees into the firelight.
Warriors.
My mates leapt to their feet and lunged into the invading force. Even Calen. Driving the tide of angry warriors back from me. Back into the darkness beyond the firelight.
Nausea roiled through my core. Again and again.
Dear God, what was this? It was different. All consuming. Overwhelming.
My knees shook.
I bent over, bracing my hands on my thighs.
The acid billowed toward my mouth, and I spewed.
Relief wafted through me.
Thank goodness. Nobody could look out for me in the mayhem but myself. I scanned the crowd of clashing metal and writhing muscles.
A body already lay on the ground. Black and white. He wore a smallish axe at his waist. I could use an axe for protection. I snatched it up and tried to find a place to hide, from where I could defend myself.
The fire pricked at my skin again.
Undoubtedly the blood lust.
Rather, a warning of the shift that was upon me. A blood libation would make it go away. But transforming might give my mates an upper hand. I'd wait. Just in case. Better to wait in the center of the mayhem. I hurried back to stand beside the fire's searing heat.
My guards kept the warriors back for the most part. Until one broke through and ran toward me.
I raised the axe to hurl it.
Calen threw something the firelight danced upon at the intruder. The spinning disk whizzed and sliced through the man's chest only to rebound like a boomerang. Calen caught the object and shot me a defiant stare before turning back to the fray.
What was his look for? He deserved a thank you for the maneuver nonetheless. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Or he was working on creating invisible strings to play me like a puppet.
Another warrior lunged for Var's back.
Not my guards. I hurled the axe with all the force I could muster.
It thumped between the warrior's shoulder blades.
The warrior crumpled into a heap at Var's feet where Var shot me a stare that harbored anything but awe. I think. Or it could have been a thank you. But I'd like to go with the awe because I was pretty damned good at throwing knives.
Var turned back to our attackers.
Hands grabbed me from behind.
Pinned my arms down and began dragging me off. "Borun!"
Blood splattered me. The pressure disappeared. I was left standing with Lehd and Ovh towering over two Thunder clan decapitated bodies.
Blood bath summed up the evening.
Thank goodness for big orange tiger warriors…
An itch on my arms began to burn so deeply my gut churned.
Now was the time to inject myself with Borun's blood if I could. I scanned the battle scene.
Mart's body had been cut in two. He lay next to his brother's boots where Calen struggled to fight off two warriors.
No more of my mates. Nobody else would die. If it meant my shape shifting would make a difference, I had to try it. They could use some help. And that's what were-mates were for. Big hairy war beasts had nothing on a were-assassin. I just never shape shifted before. I had no idea if I was going to be able to cull my friends from my foes. But the Marshals always said a person kept their wits about them after a shift. I had to try to help my mates. At least try.
Shit.
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Chapter Twenty-Nine
Some ungodly roar blared behind Borun where he battled with a Thunder clan warrior in the dark forest. Nothing on Luvk made that sound, he thought. I grabbed the warrior's sword arm, shoving the sword's long blade
aside, and peered back at Aisling.
She was gone. Or hiding behind the hugest hairiest war beast I'd ever seen. But this was no war beast. War beasts stood on four legs. This creature had two beneath its tooth-laced maw.
Aisling had said she'd look like a war beast if she shape shifted. Let's see who she attacked. See if the strange creature's targets revealed its identity. I pushed out with my mind. "Don't injure the creature."
The beast turned where it stood taller than Ovh and Lehd, and grabbed the warriors fighting them like squabbling younglings. But she didn't badger them. She quietly took them by the scruff of the neck and hurled them into the forest.
Ovh and Lehd just stared up at her.
"Don't fight it," I warned in mindspeak.
The creature turned toward me.
The warrior I held began squirming. "Let me go."
"Afraid?" Borun turned to the black and white warrior's golden gaze.
Fear glimmered in the warrior's eyes.
I let him go. "Run, coward."
Someone grabbed me, lifting me. I landed slung over the creature's shoulder.
The creature roared again.
My mate undoubtedly.
The Thunder clan ran in every direction.
She probably scared them to death throwing the toughest Royal Guard in the seven realms over her shoulder. But everything was safe now with our attackers' retreat. "Aisling, put me down."
She let my body slide down her arm, and she stood perfectly still, looking at me with those pale blue eyes. "Blood," she said rather clearly.
I whipped out a clean blade, sliced my arm, and scraped some blood onto the glinting edge.
Her knees knifed. She sank to the ground, reaching for the blade.
Her other guards began to step closer. Carefully.
"It's Aisling," I said in mindspeak.
She took the blade and licked the blood from the edge.
Suddenly, almost instantly, the fur melted away into the flawless white skin of my nude mate. But she went limp. I squatted and grabbed her, supporting her shoulders.
She looked into my eyes kind of groggily and licked her lips. "Nobody else dies for me." She passed out.
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