He finally stepped out of the cave, his hard gaze immediately zeroing in on her. He pointed toward a large tree off to the side of the clearing. “I have to go back up to get my gear, then I’ll catch up with you.”
She smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. “So, sneaky man, that’s where you were hiding.”
He set his sword down on the ground and then grinned back at her as he started to climb, standing on a boulder to boost himself up to the lowest branch. “Yeah. Most people don’t think to look up.”
“Well, I will from now on.”
She hurried over to stand underneath the spreading branches of the tree to check out where he’d been hiding. Not all that high up, but enough that he wouldn’t be easily seen by anyone approaching on the ground.
“Here, make yourself useful.”
The unexpected demand left her with barely enough time to get her hands up to catch his backpack. She set it aside but kept her eyes focused on the limbs above her head in case something else came flying her way. A second later, Eli dropped down from his perch with a rifle slung over his shoulder.
“We’d better get a move on. Wouldn’t want your alien invaders to get lost. Can you imagine trying to explain them to the search-and-rescue people?”
She knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but the crack about alien invaders struck a little too close to home. “You do realize that I’m one of those aliens, too.”
He didn’t look all that shocked. “Yeah, I’ve put a few of the pieces together. It would help if I knew what the rest of the puzzle looked like.”
He pointed toward the trees. “Vedin and his buddies didn’t make it very far.”
The Sworn Guardian was sitting on a log with his three Blademates surrounding him, their hands on the pommels of their swords. He slowly stood back up as they approached. “We weren’t sure where to go from here.”
Eli pointed toward the next rise. “My place is about a ten-minute hike from here in that direction.”
Then he frowned. “Okay, I’m not sure if you know what a minute is, but it won’t take us long to get there. Do you need help walking?”
Vedin tilted his head to the side to acknowledge the offer of assistance. “No, I should be able to get that far.”
Eli took the other man at his word. “Safara, lead the way while I guard the rear.”
He turned back to Vedin. “Give a holler if you need her to slow down.”
Normally, she might’ve protested the way he was issuing orders right and left, but it was interesting to see this side of him. Even while he spoke, his eyes were constantly on the move, watching their surroundings for any sign of danger. Clearly he was used to being in command in any similar situation. He’d also assumed responsibility not only for her safety, but for the Kalith warriors as well. She had no doubt at all that he wouldn’t hesitate to put himself between all of them and any perceived threat. His military background was definitely on display right now, and he was in full warrior mode.
It was sexy as hell.
Rather than follow that thought down the rabbit hole, she walked past the Sworn Guardian and his men. “This way, gentlemen.”
The six of them walked through the trees and gathering darkness in near silence. Vedin was breathing hard, but he kept up with the pace she’d set. She stopped at the edge of the trees overlooking Eli’s home. All was quiet.
He moved up beside her and leaned down to speak close to her ear. “I have some problems of my own, so let me go ahead. I’ll flash the lights twice if it’s safe to approach. If I don’t give the all clear within five minutes, hightail it out of here and call your father for help.”
What problems? She started to protest, “But—”
“I mean it, Safara. You don’t need to get tangled up in my mess on top of everything else you’re dealing with right now. Promise you’ll do as I say.”
She wanted to refuse, but once again her unconditional loyalty to her people kicked in. She couldn’t put Vedin and his men at further risk. “Fine, but don’t expect me to be happy about it.”
His grin shone brightly in the shadows. “I won’t.”
Then he brushed his lips across hers before disappearing back into the trees. He was all but invisible as he circled around to approach the cabin from the other side. That made sense. If anyone was watching, he’d draw their attention away from where she and her companions stood waiting.
Each of the Kalith males gave her an odd look and then turned to stare toward the trees where Eli had gone. Maybe they didn’t approve of a Kalith woman letting a human man kiss her. She might have her own misgivings on the subject, but it was her decision to make. She flexed her hand on the pommel of her sword. If any of them dared to voice an opinion on the subject, she’d set them straight big-time.
Speaking of Eli, how long had he been gone? It seemed like forever, but it couldn’t have been more than three, maybe four minutes. Finally, the lights in the kitchen window flickered on and off twice before coming back on to stay.
“All right, it’s safe to go now.”
The five of them moved out single file, still keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Eli opened the front door just as she stepped up on the porch. He looked past her to Vedin. “Come in and have a seat.”
His intense gaze switched back to her. “While I patch up your friend, would you mind seeing what kind of food you can scrounge for us?”
Okay, that might be a problem. “Vedin, do you and your men ever eat meat?”
From the look that flashed across Eli’s face, it was obvious that he was a hard-core carnivore. Her people tended to be vegetarian, but mainly because meat was so hard to come by in Kalithia. It was hard not to snicker, but she didn’t want to insult either him or their guests. From the slight smile on Vedin’s face, she suspected he had also noticed Eli’s response. “We will eat whatever you can provide and be grateful for it.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
While she rooted through the kitchen cabinets and the refrigerator to come up with enough to feed six people, Eli made quick work of cleaning the wound on the back of Vedin’s head. The Kalith warrior then stripped off his tunic to allow easy access to the gash on his right forearm, which revealed his well-muscled torso. Wow, the man was totally ripped. When Eli caught her watching, he frowned. He immediately ducked back down the hall and returned with a short-sleeved T-shirt for Vedin to wear. Maybe he thought it would keep the Kalith warrior warm, but she suspected he didn’t much like the guy flashing all those muscles around her.
Cute.
After wiping away the dried blood, Eli studied the wound on Vedin’s arm. “These butterfly bandages should be enough. I’ve stitched a few wounds in my time, but that hurts like hell. I’ll leave the choice up to you.”
Vedin nodded in the direction of the bandages Eli had held up. “Those should be fine. My gift of healing is a minor one, but this wound will be almost gone by tomorrow this time.”
Eli jerked as if he’d been shocked. What was that all about? He immediately schooled his features, which she took to mean he wouldn’t want her to ask him right now. Later, though, she’d find some way to bring up the subject. She turned her attention back to their makeshift meal while he finished wrapping Vedin’s arm with gauze and surgical tape.
“The food is ready. Come serve yourselves.”
She waited until the five men filed over to the counter before speaking again. “I heated up two kinds of soup—chicken noodle and vegetable beef. You can make your own sandwiches. You have a choice of ham, salami, turkey, and two kinds of cheese.”
Vedin translated her explanation for his men, who evidently didn’t speak English, or at least not enough to easily follow what she’d said.
Even then, they waited and watched while Eli made his way along the lineup, filling his plate and soup bowl as he went. Once they were all settled at the table, she fixed her own plate and joined them.
Despite the simple fare, the four Kalith
warriors seemed to enjoy the meal. No one seemed inclined to do much talking, which was fine with her. She had a difficult conversation ahead of her once the Sworn Guardian and his men returned home. As if sensing the direction her thoughts had gone, Eli looked up. He seemed remarkably calm for a man whose entire view of reality had just been radically altered.
He finished the last bite of his sandwich and sat back. “Do you guys feel up to returning home tonight, or do you need to crash on my living room floor?”
The puzzled look on Vedin’s face as he tried to figure out what Eli was asking him was pretty funny. The idioms in English were often a puzzle to the Kalith no matter how fluent they were in the language.
She did her best to explain. “He’s asking if you want to sleep on his floor rather than hike back up to cross the barrier tonight.”
Eli laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how that sounded. Crashing in this case means to stay somewhere unexpectedly.”
“Thank you both for the explanations and the kind offer.” Vedin paused to speak to his men before continuing. “We should return home as soon as possible. I need to report the attack on us to our Guildmaster and alert him that the rogues have become more active in this area. He will need to increase patrols near the cave on our side of the barrier.”
Eli carried his empty plate and bowl over to the counter near the sink. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”
While she and Eli made quick work of the cleanup, she noticed Vedin’s men had gathered around the impressive array of weapons on the wall. They clearly found the various blades fascinating. One started to touch a rapier, but Vedin barked an order that had the man jerking his hand back down to his side.
Eli joined them in front of the display. “It’s all right. Feel free to handle any of the weapons you find interesting.”
He took the rapier down and offered it to the Blademate who’d shown interest in it. “I don’t know where he got all of these, but most of them have been hanging on this wall since before I was born.”
Once again Vedin played translator. In short order, they took down several swords and even a double-bladed ax to examine closely, which made Safara smile. Evidently boys love their toys no matter which side of the barrier they were born on.
“Hey, while you guys do that, I need to call my father.” Which was another conversation she wasn’t looking forward to at all. “It shouldn’t take long.”
Eli handed Vedin the machete he’d been holding and joined her near the door. “I’m guessing he won’t be thrilled to find out that I stumbled into all of this. Do you want me to talk to him instead?”
“Thanks, but he’ll want to hear it from me, since he was supposed to take over for me at some point. I also need to see how Granddad is doing.”
She stepped out onto the porch and dialed her father’s number. He answered on the second ring. “Hi, I expected you to check in before this. What’s going on up there?”
Safara hadn’t gotten very far with her explanation when her father interrupted her, his anger coming through all too clearly when he said, “What happened to our plan of waiting and watching?”
She didn’t blame him for being upset. Facing off against eight rogues by herself wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done. If she’d been in her hiding spot when they came charging out of the cave, she would’ve stayed there. Probably.
“Remember, I wasn’t alone. Eli was there, too. We were holding our own when Vedin’s Blademates showed up. The rogues broke off fighting and ran away. One funny thing, though. The Sworn Guardian assumed Eli was a Paladin, just like I did when I first met him.”
Her father didn’t let himself get distracted. “Son of a bitch! And what was Eli doing there in the first place? Didn’t I warn you about letting him poke his nose in our business?”
Sometimes her father forgot that her temper matched his. “So you’d rather I’d have died on a Kalith sword than for Eli to learn the truth?”
A sharp intake of breath was followed by a slow sigh. “Safara, you know better that that, but it’s hard enough to keep a lid on things without dragging outsiders into the situation.”
And there was the real problem. Eli wasn’t an outsider, not anymore. Time to change the subject for a minute. “How is Granddad doing?”
“Not all that good. He was a lousy patient to begin with, and then he started running a slight fever. They upped the antibiotics and gave him something to knock back his pain. Personally, I think they should give me some of that, too. You know, to take the edge off the pain the old man causes me with his nonstop complaining.”
She laughed. “The problem is the two of you are so much alike.”
He didn’t bother to deny it. “True enough. Your aunt went back home, so I’m stuck babysitting the old coot for the foreseeable future. I won’t make it up there tonight, although I hate to leave it all on your shoulders. Of course, since Tiel is already on our side of the barrier, there’s not much use in watching the cave entrance. If they cross back over, hopefully that Sworn Guardian and his men will be waiting for them.”
Them trying to return to Kalithia wasn’t her real worry. “If it is the light disease driving all of them across the barrier, what if Tiel and the others go on the attack? Tiel alone was bad enough. If they’re running in a pack, there’s no telling what will happen.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that until we figure out where they’re headed. I’ll alert our contacts in the area. If they hear or see anything, they’ll let us know.”
That was true, but was it enough? She hesitated, knowing he wasn’t going to like her next question. “Dad, do you think we should notify the Paladins in Seattle to see if they can send in some support?”
It wasn’t the first time she’d brought up that subject, but old-timers like her father and grandfather couldn’t get past their hatred for the age-old enemies of their people. On some level, she understood how they felt. After all, her own mother had died on a Paladin sword. There wasn’t a Kalith in this world or their own who didn’t have the same kind of horror story to tell about a loved one.
But her logical mind never failed to point out that the Paladins fought a never-ending battle to protect this world from a malignant invasion. Most of the time, the people who crossed the barrier from Kalithia were sick, driven by a need to kill anyone who crossed their path. Maybe if the Kalith people did more to keep their problem people from escaping into this world, the Paladins could become allies instead of enemies. The only time she’d dared to say that in front of her grandfather, he’d gone ballistic. It had been tempting to remind him about the old saying that if they kept doing the same thing over and over, they’d always get the same result.
Her father finally answered. “You know that’s not going to happen, Safara. If those bastards somehow tracked the message back to us, we’d all end up getting shoved back into Kalithia permanently. I’d probably be fine, but you can’t risk it.”
She hated the pain in his voice when he added, “I can’t lose you like I did her.”
Although she didn’t remember her mother, she’d never for one moment doubted that she’d been the love of her father’s life. “All right, Dad, but you know I had to ask. I have enough leave coming to take tomorrow and the next day off if necessary. I’ll stay up here until you or someone else comes to relieve me.”
The door behind her creaked as Eli stepped out on the porch. He leaned against the railing next to her but remained silent until she disconnected the call. “I take it he’s not happy. Is it because of your grandfather or because of me?”
No use in sugarcoating the situation. “Both, not to mention the situation with Vedin and his Blademates and the men they were chasing.” She nodded toward the door. “Are they ready to go home?”
“Yes. They’re anxious to get back and sound the alarm.”
She rested her head against Eli’s shoulder, drawing strength from the contact. “I suppose you’re wanting that explanation I promise
d.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “It can wait until we take these guys home, and you get some rest.”
“Thanks.”
Before he called Vedin and the others to come outside, she stopped him. “Tell me, Eli. How badly freaked out are you by all of this?”
His smile was a little bit sad. “Honey, as far as reasons to freak out go, I have personal experience with ones far worse. Remind me to tell you about it sometime.”
Maybe she’d finally find out what put those shadows in his eyes and why a man like him was living off the grid in this remote cabin. “I’ll do that.”
Five minutes later, their small parade headed back up the mountain toward the cave.
12
Did the barrier ever get less fascinating? Maybe. For sure, no one else seemed to pay it any special notice. With some effort Eli managed to drag his attention back to his companions. The Sworn Guardian and Safara were quietly chatting in Vedin’s native language, most likely for the benefit of his Blademates. He didn’t mind being left out of the conversation, at least not much. Besides, it was only fair. Vedin’s men hadn’t been able to understand much of anything that had been said since they’d first stumbled out of the cave.
Safara ended the conversation with a slow nod as if he’d said something of great import to her. Afterward, Vedin walked over to Eli. “We are grateful for your hospitality and inviting us to crash.”
His words were accompanied by a small smile, but then his expression turned serious. “You also may call upon my sword if ever you have need of it.”
It was hard to know what to say to the unexpected offer, but Eli did his best to respond in kind. “Uh, thank you, Sworn Guardian. I offer you my blade as well.”
Then he patted his sidearm. “And my gun, which would probably do you more good considering my lack of experience with a sword.”
In Darkness Transformed Page 12