by Donna Grant
Every word brought him closer until he stood before her. Runa wanted to order him to stop, or at the very least turn away from him to put some distance between them. Didn’t he realize how much she needed his touch?
“You’re beautiful and gloriously powerful,” he said in a soft whisper.
She gazed into his hazel eyes, remembering how it had been to be in his arms. How wonderful his kisses, how soft his caress, how cataclysmic the event when their bodies joined.
“Doona deny what I know is in your heart.” He reached up and slowly ran the pad of his fingers down her cheek. “The same thing that’s in mine.”
There was no stopping the tears. “If I could turn back time, I’d take us to the cave once more, and I’d never leave. We could stay there for all eternity.”
“Aye,” he said with a sexy grin. “Just the two of us.”
“And the wildcat.”
He chuckled and pulled her close. “Though it defies logic given the brief time we’ve been together, I know without a doubt that I love you. I thought to live my life alone, then I saw your face in my dream. I knew you were important to me, but I didna know how much so until I first held you.”
She knew it was the wrong thing to do, but she lifted her face to his. Their lips brushed, and all the anxiety, the fear, the burdens she’d been carrying disappeared. It was as if everything in the world righted itself. She leaned into him and sank into the kiss. Runa never wanted to let him go, and she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to now.
Brom slowly ended the kiss and looked down at her. “No matter what comes, I’ll stand with you.”
“You say that without knowing all of my secrets.”
“Because I doona care about them. I care about you, and because of that, I accept all of you, no matter what.”
Runa wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t. Not yet. “How do you feel about the Gira?”
“I’ve kept my distance from them, if that’s what you want to know.”
“Aye, but how do you feel about them? Do they disgust you?” She watched him intently, trying to discern his thoughts.
He smiled and gave her another quick kiss. “They are part of you, just as you are part of them. I hold no ill will toward them.”
Runa’s knees threatened to buckle, the relief was so strong. She held onto Brom and rested her forehead against his chest. Yet despite his assurances, she still didn’t tell him her final secret because she was afraid of what he would say.
“I’m sorry to break up this reunion, but there’s a war brewing,” Synne said.
Runa grudgingly stepped away from Brom as he faced the others. “Things are upending quickly.”
“The sword,” Asrail said.
“Aye.” Runa looked to Synne and Lachlan. “The Gira tracked down Avis and took it from her.”
Synne’s eyes widened. “How did they do that?”
“You don’t want to know,” Asrail answered.
Runa released a breath. “Asrail tried to warn me what the Gira wanted, but I wasn’t quick enough. They surrounded me in the forest and brought me not only the sword but Avis, as well. They wanted to turn the witch over to the Coven, but I warned them that it would alert Sybbyl that the nymphs had the sword.”
“Which we shouldn’t,” Asrail murmured.
Runa glanced at her grandmother, but Asrail wouldn’t meet her gaze. When she looked at Synne, her sister shrugged in confusion. Runa then continued. “The Gira left me no other choice but to become their queen. I also saw an advantage to have a bone of the First Witch. So, I took it.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Lachlan asked hesitantly.
Asrail gracefully lowered herself to the ground, belying the fact that she had been near death not too long ago. “It means the Gira no longer follow Sybbyl. When she finds out, she’s not going to be happy.”
“She knows,” Runa told them. “She was here just before you arrived.”
Synne winced and sat beside her grandmother. “There goes our advantage.”
“She would’ve found out anyway,” Asrail said. “Especially when all the Gira were suddenly no longer around.”
Lachlan sank to the ground. “How angry was she?”
Runa bit back a smile when Brom took her hand and gently tugged her down as he sat, as well. She met his gaze, her heart leaping to know that he was with her, that she didn’t have to do this alone. But she worried that things would backfire on her. She pushed that thought aside for the time being to focus on more pressing matters.
“Furious,” she told them. “Sybbyl knows I have the sword and that we’re responsible for getting it from Avis. I believe she’ll attack us, so I’ve set up two perimeters. The first is the farthest away and are silent sentries. They are not to let anyone know they’re there. They will alert the second line, which has surrounded our camp. When the attack comes, they’ll defend as well as give the camp notice so they can join in.”
Brom raised a brow. “Where will you be?”
She looked to the fire before her gaze found Asrail. “I’m using my advantage and going after Sybbyl.”
“Alone?” Synne bit out.
Runa was glad that her sister hadn’t shouted it, but it was still loud enough that anyone close could have heard her. “Aye.”
“No’ going to happen,” Brom said.
Lachlan shook his head. “I agree. It would be suicide for you to go alone into the Coven camp. You’ve no idea how many witches there are.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Runa said.
Brom’s hazel eyes narrowed on her. “Why does it no’ matter?”
“Sybbyl will never see me coming.”
There was shocked silence in all but Asrail. Runa held her grandmother’s gaze because she was the only one who knew Runa’s secret and why it was an advantage that had to be used.
“I’d like to talk to Runa alone,” Asrail said.
There was a beat of silence before Lachlan rose and held out his hand to Synne. They departed silently, walking to the loch. Runa turned her head to Brom. He gave her a nod and a smile before he too left.
Once they were alone, Runa looked at her grandmother. “You don’t agree with my plan?”
“I didn’t say that. I believe you’re right that Sybbyl won’t see an attack coming. She’ll believe that all Gira have left her. That doesn’t mean there won’t be traps for you,” Asrail cautioned.
Runa nodded solemnly. “Morea taught me well. I’ll be careful.”
“You know there’s a chance you won’t come back.”
“I know. That’s why you need to get Synne away from here. I don’t want the Gira turning to her to take my place.”
Asrail’s shoulders raised as she drew in a breath. “There’s nowhere Synne can go where the Gira won’t find her.”
“Which means, I have to live.”
“This is a dangerous path you’re on.”
Runa briefly looked to the dancing flames. “You warned me of that before. I don’t think it matters what I want. Everything that has happened was meant to happen. Sybbyl has a bone. I have a bone.”
“So does Brom. The odds will tip in your favor if he stands with you.”
“You make it sound like that’s the wrong thing to do.”
“I’m cautioning you, my child. Things seem very clear to you, but that isn’t always the case.”
Runa narrowed her gaze on Asrail. “If you know something, please tell me now.”
“I’m simply warning as one queen to another.”
Runa wasn’t buying that for a moment. “Nay. There’s something you aren’t telling me.”
Asrail sighed and turned her head away. “What kind of magic do you think is here on this Earth?”
“Witches, warlocks, and Gira,” she replied with a shrug.
Dark eyes met hers. “There’s always more. Some are weaker, some are stronger. Sometimes, when the path seems the clearest, it’s actually the foggiest.”
“You aren’t
making any sense.”
Asrail smiled sadly. “Today, after so very many years, I have both of my granddaughters together. One of whom saved me and took my place as leader of the nymphs. My advice to you, dear Runa, is that sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between enemies and allies. Trust your heart. In the end, that’s all you’ve got.”
Runa watched as her grandmother got up and walked out. She blinked, trying to discern what Asrail had tried to import on her, but she couldn’t figure out what she’d meant. Her words, however, ran through Runa’s head again and again.
It wasn’t until a few moments later that Runa realized it was the perfect time to leave. Synne, Lachlan, and Brom were all occupied at the loch. Runa had no idea where Asrail had gone, but she suspected that her grandmother had left on purpose so she could leave to put her plan into motion.
Runa tightened her hand on the sword and got to her feet. Lachlan hadn’t demanded the sword back, which was a good thing because she wouldn’t have handed it over. She knew it was the only thing that could gain them victory over Sybbyl and the Coven and end the war.
She hurried outside and found the five. “No one is to harm my friends or my sister. They are my guests. Is that clear?”
The five nodded in unison.
“Are the first and second lines in place?”
One of the females nodded. “Set just as you requested.
Runa released a long breath. “If I fail, Sybbyl will come for you.”
“Then she’s a fool,” another female stated.
The male said, “Why don’t we take all the Gira and attack her and the witches? We’ll make quick work of them.”
“I’m trying to avoid a war,” Runa told them. “If we can end Sybbyl’s reign, why not do it?”
Another female shrugged. “The same reason we’ve not ended the Coven at all. We don’t want to.”
“If you hadn’t found another queen, would you have taken the sword to Sybbyl?” Runa asked.
The male answered, “Of course.”
A shiver of apprehension raced down Runa’s spine. “What is Sybbyl’s plan?”
“To have witches rule,” another female said. “That anyone with magic can live out in the open instead of hiding.”
Runa knew that also included the Gira. “And where do the nymphs fit in?”
“Where we always have, at the top of the food chain,” the male stated.
That was the moment Runa began to realize what Asrail had been trying to tell her. While she hadn’t necessarily considered the Gira her allies, she also hadn’t truly considered them her enemies since she was their queen. That was her first mistake.
She couldn’t make another.
25
Brom wouldn’t be fooled a second time. He waited until he knew Runa wasn’t looking his way before he walked away from Synne and Lachlan to follow Runa. He hadn’t gotten far when a nymph blocked his way.
He stared into Asrail’s dark eyes, glancing up to make sure he saw where Runa was headed.
“She doesn’t want to be followed.”
Brom wasn’t in the mood to argue. Nor did he have time. He knew firsthand just how quickly Runa could disappear. “I doona care what she wants. Had I been with her the first time, the Gira might no’ have found her.”
Asrail made a sound that was half-growl, half-hiss. “Lower your voice,” she ordered in a hushed tone.
Brom hastily looked around to see if any of the nymphs had heard him. “I doona want to lose her again.”
“If you follow her, you’re doing exactly what I said you came to do.”
He wouldn’t have that discussion again. Nothing and no one could make him harm a hair on Runa’s head. “Let me go so I can help her.”
“You think she needs help?” Asrail asked, peering at him as if he were an enigma she needed to solve.
“Aye. She might be formidable, no’ to mention she has a bone, but she’s never fought Sybbyl before.”
The Gira snorted. “She’s never met Sybbyl, not until this night. My granddaughter is intelligent and cunning. Morea taught her well. But I know Sybbyl.”
“Does that mean you want me to help Runa?” he asked.
“It does.” Asrail swallowed and glanced at the ground. “Remember, we all have paths. Even when we think we’re deviating from them, we’re really not.”
Brom held Asrail’s gaze. “I doona care about paths. I care about saving your granddaughter.”
“Then you better go.”
He started to walk around her, then paused. “What about Synne and Lachlan? Should they remain here?”
“They won’t leave either.” Asrail blew out a breath. “I’ll do what I can.”
Brom gave her a nod. “Good luck.”
“You’ll need it more than I.”
He didn’t ask the nymph what she meant by that. Asrail obviously knew something. But if she wouldn’t tell him, he wouldn’t push her. Besides, he didn’t have time. Brom wanted to run out of the Gira camp, but he kept his pace to a walk. No other nymphs stopped him, and he didn’t look over his shoulder to see if any noticed him leaving.
It was easy to see Runa’s footprints going up the mountain, which he followed farther and farther away from Synne and Lachlan. He felt beneath his shirt, where Trea’s bone now rested. He had made a small hole and looped a piece of thin leather through it, which he’d then tied around his neck. That way, the bone was with him all the time. And it was out of sight.
He thought about Malene, Armir, Helena, and Jarin. Brom had no idea where they would be with the Coven. He could only hope that whatever Runa planned wouldn’t wreak any havoc with the others. Runa had no idea who they were, nor they she. Which was another reason he had to hurry and catch up with her.
Brom briefly thought about using his magic to locate Runa faster. He was going to fight the Coven anyway. In the end, he thought better of it. Let them discover him, Jarin, and Armir at the last minute. The thought of that brought a smile to his face.
It wasn’t long before it vanished. He had reached the top of the mountain and paused as he searched for Runa. The moonless sky made it difficult for him to see. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he picked up her trail again. Brom moved faster now, though he kept quiet. He made his way quickly down the mountain until he caught a glimpse of Runa ahead of him. One minute she was there, and the next, she was gone.
Brom hurried to where he’d seen her. Once more, her tracks just stopped. Like she had vanished. He looked around, his gaze going up to the trees, thinking he might spot Runa there. But no matter how hard he looked, there was no sign of her.
He clenched his teeth, furious that he had been duped again. And he still couldn’t figure out how. The one thing he did know was that Runa was going to the Coven camp. Since he could sense a Witch’s Grove near, he suspected that was exactly where Sybbyl and the others were. Brom began to lift his leg when he took notice of the trees.
His gaze moved slowly around him. He wasn’t sure what made him pause, but something had. Brom set aside his need to find Runa and sought to figure out what had caught his attention. While he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, he did suddenly remember that Asrail had made a point of saying that both Synne and Runa had gotten gifts from their nymph blood—and they each had different skills.
Brom knew Synne could converse with trees. He’d had no idea that the Gira could do that, but there was one thing he knew the nymphs could do—blend in with the forest. And just like that, he realized how Runa had been able to make it seem as if she disappeared.
That was why she had asked him so pointedly how he felt about the Gira. If he was repulsed by them. His heart hurt for what he was sure the others must have said to Runa. On the other hand, now he understood why the Gira had wanted Runa to be their queen. She was the sister most like them.
Brom had a choice now. He could continue on, ignoring what he’d figured out and wait for Runa at the Grove. Or he could tell her now.
His
head jerked to the side when he heard something. The sound had been muffled, but he knew it wasn’t from an animal. Before he could decide what to do, he was yanked back against a tree and turned around. Brom only got a brief look at Runa’s blue eyes before she put her finger to her lips and pushed him down into a crouching position.
The tree she had chosen had a portion hollowed out at the base. He tucked himself in there as she stood before him, blocking him from prying eyes. Tense moments passed before he heard the crunch of several footsteps. He wasn’t able to see anything to tell how many walked by. Whoever it was didn’t speak a word, making it even more difficult. For all he knew, it was Malene and the others.
Another several moments slipped away before silence descended once again, and Runa backed up. Brom saw her skin shift from bark to human in a blink as he straightened. She turned away from him.
“Is that what you didna want me to know?” he asked her in a soft voice.
She shrugged, keeping her back to him. “You don’t have to say more.”
Brom walked to stand in front of her. “But I want to. I doona care what you look like. While I think you’re beautiful in this form, I love your heart, your spirit.”
“You wouldn’t say that had you seen me in my other form before. You certainly wouldn’t have spent the night with me.”
He quirked a brow. “You’ll never know what I would have done because you didna give me the opportunity.”
“I didn’t want to be hurt. Not by you.”
“Which is why you ran from me.”
“And because I didn’t want you involved in any of this.”
He shrugged, twisting his lips. “And here I am anyway.”
“Go back,” she urged.
Brom shook his head. “I’m no’ going anywhere.”
Anger filled her features. “Really? I’m sure I can make you.” In a blink, her clothes disappeared, as did her skin, all replaced by the bark-like hide of the nymphs. Runa held out her arms, Lachlan’s sword still in her hand. “Is this what you wanted to see?”