The Cathedral of Cliffdale (11 page)

She saw the flames burgeoning in the massive throat and, in the same instant, the Orochian hit the Chumana broadside, at full speed. The larger dragon slammed the younger female brutally into the side of the mountain. In her weakened state, and pinned as she was, the Chumana could not retaliate, and Quinn watched, frozen in horror, as the Orochian used its massive claws and jaws to tear into the smaller dragon. It was all over in a matter of seconds. The Orochian released its prey and the Chumana dropped down the side of the mountain, lifeless. The Orochian beat its black wings and turned its hideous head, its black eyes finding Quinn.

Chapter 16

Quinn bolted. She had only a few seconds before the Orochian managed to turn its body, and she shot past the place where it hovered, streaking down the mountain once again. As with the Chumana, the Orochian had to circle around to reach her, and Quinn only hoped she could evade its attack long enough to reach the bottom.

The first assault was easy enough to avoid – Quinn had anticipated the timing and she positioned herself next to a craggy mass of fallen boulders, waiting until the last second before dodging behind them. The second the fire stopped, she continued down the mountain. Quinn had been lucky until then, but abruptly her luck ran out. The front of her sneaker caught in a fissure and she crashed heavily to the ground, twisting her ankle in the process.

Cursing, Quinn lifted herself gingerly and tried to put pressure on her injured foot. A sharp pain shot up her leg and she almost collapsed. Searching the sky, she could see no sign of the Orochian, but she knew it would round the mountain any second now. Ignoring the agonising pain, she started to hop forward, putting most of her weight on her good leg. It was tedious and slow going, but she gritted her teeth determinedly and continued on. An enormous cliff face rose up beside her and she used it to steady herself as she hopped alongside it.

A bone-chilling shriek rent the air and the hair on the back of Quinn’s neck stood up. The Orochian had rounded the mountain and was diving towards her, its ugly maw open and ready to blast her with its fire. Quinn hopped forward, towards it, praying that she would find an opening in the cliff face, or a way down before it reached her. The dragon’s wings beat the air relentlessly, bringing it closer and closer, and, once again, Quinn was reminded of that fateful afternoon with Avery. There were no merfolk to save her now – no one but herself. She wouldn’t give in. Still hopping forward, she kept her eyes fixed on the gruesome beast.

Suddenly someone stepped into her line of vision, blocking out the terrifying sight of the Orochian. He grabbed her around the waist and pushed her forcefully backward. Quinn braced herself, expecting to slam into the cliff face, but instead, she was plunged into a cool, dank darkness. Kellan had come back! She sighed in relief, feeling dizzy and clung to him desperately – all her fear and emotion overwhelming her.

She felt the heat of the dragon’s fire – intended for her – blast past the entrance to the small cave, and then smiled weakly at the furious screech that followed.

“You’re okay, Quinn,” a low, melodious voice murmured in her ear, while two strong arms encircled her. Focused on the distant flapping of those great black wings, it took Quinn a moment to notice that the voice was deeper than Kellan’s, and that she would recognise it anywhere.

“Tristan!” she yelled angrily, taking a step back and away from him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Saving your life?” he retorted angrily. As Quinn’s eyes adjusted to the darkness she could just make out the line of his jaw, and his tousled, deliberately messy hair. His blue eyes looked black in the darkness.

“I thought you would be out searching for the Pegasus,” Quinn blurted out without thinking and for a second his face fell.

“We just got back..., wait a minute... you’ve been keeping tabs on us,” the indignation in his voice was understandable, “you tried to avoid me?”

“Yes,” she replied defiantly.

“Quinn, don’t do this. Please. You’re one of us.”

“What about Jack and Ava?” Quinn hissed, the disappointment in his voice stirring up feelings that she didn’t want to feel.

“What about Jack and Ava?”

“Don’t you care about them at all? Don’t you think they deserve better than what the Guardians have in store for them?”

“How would you know what the Guardians have in store for them? It’s hardly as if you ever stop to listen.” His comment caught her off guard but she quickly returned to the attack.

“Your children deserve to be loved, Tristan!”

“I do love them!” he thundered, grabbing her by her shoulders and shaking her so hard her teeth rattled in her mouth. “They are
my
children, Quinn.
Mine!
Not yours! You don’t get to decide what’s best for them.” He released her suddenly and her injured leg gave out. She dropped to the ground painfully, her thoughts a maelstrom of confusion. Tristan knelt beside her, seemingly contrite after his angry outburst.

“Quinn, I’m sorry. I just... miss her, so much,” his voice broke and Quinn’s eyes widened in surprise. She had not spoken to Tristan since Avery’s funeral, and that had only been to yell a few harsh words of accusation at him before her father had dragged her away. Tristan had not responded and Quinn had built him up to be a monster in her mind over the past two years. He had visited the children very seldom and Quinn had always made sure that she was long gone by the time he arrived, leaving her father to chaperone. She realised this was the first time she was witnessing Tristan’s reaction to Avery’s death firsthand, and he seemed genuinely distraught.

“I should never have left her,” Tristan continued, oblivious to Quinn’s epiphany. “Maybe I could have stopped them. I might have saved her,” he broke off as his emotions overwhelmed him.

“Why
did
you leave her?” Quinn asked, her words kinder than she had intended. The Orochian’s cries were growing fainter.

“I was told to,” it sounded so simple, “that’s how it works, they said. Avery was to return too, you know.” Quinn’s eyes bugged in her face.

“What?”

“Avery was a Guardian too – I don’t think there’s ever been a case like that. She was told that she would have to leave the children and return, and she was okay with that. She understood,” he shrugged desolately. “They gave her more time, obviously, and said she would have access to Jack and Ava, but that they would be raised by another couple who would love them like their own.” A pregnant pause followed these words until Quinn couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Who?” she demanded, a niggling suspicion coming over her. “Who were Jack and Ava to be sent to?” Tristan’s words, when they came, confirmed that her hunch was correct.

“Kellan and Freya.”

“I don’t believe you. Avery would never have allowed it,” Quinn got angrily to her feet. “She loved the twins – she would never have consented to letting them go.”

“She did,” Tristan assured her. “Don’t you see, Quinn? You have to let
this
go. Braddon told us that you want what Avery would have wanted for the twins. Well she wanted to protect the City. You don’t have to prove anything - if you want to fulfil Avery’s wishes, return to the Guardians.”

“I... I can’t,” Quinn shook her head. “Jack and Ava need me. It’s not their fault that both of their parents were Guardians. If you and Avery hadn’t ever...” she trailed off as the conversation took a turn into uncomfortable territory, “if you hadn’t met, they would have been born to at least one human parent and they would have been raised by that parent.”

“You’re still blaming me for falling for Avery?” he smiled bleakly.

“This has nothing to do with that,” Quinn snapped. How dare he make this about what had happened between them.

“Tell me Quinn,” Tristan changed the subject, “do you not feel the kinship? The loyalty to the inhabitants of Summerfeld?”

Quinn thought of the crippling agony she had felt when the female Chumana had been slain by the Orochian. She had felt it deeply, in her blood, in her very soul. A tearing, agonising pain over the loss of one of her wards – an animal she was sworn to protect.

“I do,” she admitted.

“Then come back. You cannot fight your instinct forever.” His words echoed Isaiah’s sentiments, angering Quinn.

“My instinct is first and foremost to protect those children,” she countered. “Once that is done, I will return.”

She couldn’t bear the stifling atmosphere that being closeted so close to Tristan induced for a moment longer and she limped out of the cave, with Tristan right behind her. The Orochian was long gone by the time they emerged and the sun had set, darkness enveloping them. The moon shone feebly in the black sky and Quinn thought idly of Rafe and Channon, and how they would fare during the next full moon.

As they headed down the mountain, Tristan supported her with his right arm, and Quinn felt the heat of his skin through her thin black tank top. She wanted to push him away, but she needed his help descending Dragon’s Peak – her ankle was healing, but still tender.

“Do you know where they are?” she asked eventually, breaking the tension that was building between them. She hoped against hope that he would know where Jack and Ava were being kept. Tristan shook his head.

“I don’t.” Despite her reservations, Quinn believed him.

“Quinn! Tristan!” Kellan called to them as soon as they were within earshot and he hurried towards them. They had reached the base of the mountain and Kellan was still clutching the laden hessian sack.

“You made it,” Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. The Chumana eggs were safe – the species would survive. Then she remembered Tristan’s words and she turned away from Kellan abruptly, unable to contain her anger as she gazed upon him.

“Tristan, why are you here?” Kellan echoed her earlier words. Quinn had forgotten all about her initial question.

“I came to deliver a message to Isaiah,” Tristan replied. “When he told me that Quinn had entered the City, I came to find her. Freya pointed me in the right direction.” Quinn was too angry to comprehend what he was saying, but Kellan grasped the significance of his words straight away.

“What message?” he asked, a frown creasing his pale, normally unlined forehead. Tristan’s reply took Quinn’s breath away.

“Rourke is dead.”

The Pegasus had not been in the Sea of Trees Forest. It was doubtful that the winged horse had ever really been there. The vampires had planted a false seed, a trail that they knew the Guardians would be unable to resist following. They had been ambushed, Tristan explained. As Quinn had suspected, no Hunters had joined the search for the Pegasus – an exploratory mission did not require it. Daniel, Liam, Blair and Garrett would not have accompanied the others. And, while ordinary Guardians are more than capable of dealing with vampires, the group had been impossibly outnumbered. It was a wonder that Rourke was the only casualty.

“My father?” Quinn gasped, but Tristan placed a reassuring hand on her arm.

“Your father is fine. Everyone made it out – everyone but Rourke.” Rourke had been a Guardian even longer than Quinn and she had always liked and admired him. His death was a great loss to the Guardianship. He was also the first Guardian to be killed since Avery and secretly the others feared his replacement would not come forward either. Would their number slowly be reduced until none remained? Again, Quinn wondered if something had gone wrong – if Eldon’s magic was fading away, or if the Guardian charm was broken.

“We should get you both back to the Cathedral,” Kellan interjected, lifting his fingers to his mouth and whistling as he had done before. “In the meantime, I can help with that,” he gestured at her injured ankle. He pulled a small leather pouch from his pocket and rubbed a healing salve directly onto her skin, leaving her with only a slight tenderness in the affected area. Even without their magic, the Faeries' knowledge of plants and natural remedies was amazing. Quinn’s own accelerated healing would do the rest.

Etana and Sheehan appeared shortly after, emerging from the dark, their horns gleaming in the pale moonlight.

“How did you get here?” Quinn asked and Tristan pointed at Etana.

“She brought me.” Etana gazed at the two of them, her liquid brown eyes seeming to hold a message that Quinn couldn’t decipher. Kellan pulled himself nimbly onto Sheehan’s back and the mare turned and trotted in the direction of the town.

“Shall we?” Tristan asked. Quinn could see no other solution, so she allowed him to help her up and then stiffened as he pulled himself up behind her, his tanned arms coming around her to grab Etana’s mane. 

With a gentle kick to her flank, Tristan urged the unicorn into a canter and Quinn tried not to think about the nearness of the man who might not have betrayed her sister after all.

Chapter 17

They dismounted in the same cornflower field and Quinn stroked Etana’s muzzle fondly before patting her rump and sending her back to the Silver Oaks Forest.

“I’ll meet you at the Cathedral,” she told Tristan, “I want to speak to Kellan. Alone,” she added, as he opened his mouth to argue.

“What will you do with the eggs now?” Quinn asked as they entered Kellan’s garden through the little gate.

“I will simply keep them safe,” he replied, casting a curious glance in her direction. “Dragons’ eggs are very durable – they do not need much looking after. Once they hatch we will find a safe place for them until they can return to Dragon’s Peak. Quinn followed him into a small shed complete with fireplace. Over the years Kellan had nurtured more than his fair share of struggling hatchlings, but never before had he had to deal with a whole cluster. Also, he usually returned the injured baby to a mother who could protect it. These last remaining Chumanas had no-one, and could only be returned once fully grown and better able to defend themselves. They certainly wouldn’t fit inside this small shed for long.

“When you say safe place...?”

“One of the smaller mountain ranges, perhaps, I’m not entirely sure. Most of the City is occupied – and we need to find somewhere secluded where they won’t cause any trouble.”

“Cathedral Peak is isolated,” Quinn pointed out.

“But it’s too close to the others.” This was true. Cathedral Peak, while far from the other habitats, was only a few miles from Dragon’s Peak – the other dragons might detect the Chumana babies.

“I need to speak to Isaiah,” Kellan announced as he placed the eggs near the fireplace, “he may know of somewhere safe.”

“Will they breed?” Quinn asked. Dragons interbred all the time as their numbers dwindled, but she had never heard of sibling breeding.

“They should do. Sibling breeding is not uncommon, and, as long as the conditions are right, there should be no problem.”

“So why do you sound so concerned?” Quinn pressed. Kellan’s aquamarine eyes crinkled slightly at the corners as he smiled at her.

“I’m just worried we have eight boys here – or eight girls, for that matter.” Quinn didn’t return his smile. She was no longer worried about the dragons – the chance of all eight eggs producing one gender was practically non-existent – and she had more important matters on her mind. Kellan sighed.

“Why don’t we just get to it, then? I assume, judging by the anger radiating off you that Tristan told you that Freya and I were to be Jack and Ava’s adoptive parents?”

“Yes,” Quinn replied coldly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Quinn, I've known you a very long time. Maybe you've forgotten that Freya and I raised you and Avery during your time here in Summerfeld?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. It was sixteen years of my life.” Her tone implied that they were not a happy sixteen years.

“You were not happy here – with us?” Kellan probed, sincere concern on his striking face.

Quinn realised she was being monumentally unfair. Kellan and Freya had treated both her and Avery as their own children – they had had many happy memories together.

“It wasn’t you, or Freya, Kellan. I hated the confines of this place. I belonged in the human world – with my own kind.”

“I understand,” Kellan smiled sadly. “Although from my side, our time with you and Avery is one of our most cherished memories. Now, as to the matter of Jack and Ava. Yes – Freya and I offered to raise them, as we had done for you – as we have done for many Guardian progeny. As you know, until very recently, we could not have children of our own, and it was an honour to be a part of so many young lives. Avery approached us directly, shortly after the twins were born, and asked if we would be the custodians.  We agreed without hesitation.”

“
Avery
asked you?” Quinn interrupted – this new piece of information leaving her stunned. How had she not known all of this? Why had Avery kept her in the dark?

“Yes,” Kellan smiled. “I would hardly agree to raise someone else’s child if they were against it themselves.” Quinn shook her head, trying to make sense of it all as he continued. “Quinn, it is an honour to help the Guardians – after all you do for us. And do not forget that we are family – our blood runs in your veins.”

“It’s hard to forget,” Quinn muttered. The blood of the ten that had been imbued in her when the white tattoo had branded her skin was what made her so fiercely loyal to the inhabitants of Summerfeld. Only one thing had proved stronger – her kinship with her family – the blood of her own. And yet, each day was a struggle – to deny her instinctive urge to put Summerfeld first.  “The Guardians protect Summerfeld at great cost,” Kellan continued as though she had not spoken, “please do not think that we underestimate the sacrifices that you make. Without you, we would be lost.”

Quinn gazed at Kellan thoughtfully. Avery had wanted him and Freya to raise the twins - she had asked them personally. Quinn still believed that her sister would have preferred Jack and Ava to grow up in the realm of man, but knowing this could never happen, she had turned to the Fae couple who she loved the most.

“Would you do it now?” Quinn asked, a lump forming in her throat as she voiced the question.

“Would you take Jack and Ava? If I return to the Guardians, could they come and stay with you?” If this is what it would take to know that Jack and Ava were protected, then she could do it. If she trusted anyone other than herself to love the children, it would be the Faery before her and his gentle wife.

To her astonishment, Kellan shook his head.

“We can’t, Quinn. We’re having a baby of our own,” he held up a hand to silence her as she made to argue. “It is not what you think. There is plenty of love in our home for three children. It is the teaching that our own child will be put through that poses the problem. It is up to us to teach him or her the magic that is passed down through our generations. We cannot allow human children to witness our teachings – it would be breaking the Taboo.”

“But you have no magic!” Quinn exclaimed. King Eldon had stripped the Fae of their magic and sealed it within the Rose Temple.

“Just because it is gone doesn’t mean we have lost the knowledge,” he smiled, “our magic will return when the temple is opened.” Again, the unshakeable belief in the Book, Quinn thought sardonically. “And when that time comes, only those who have not been taught will be powerless to use it,” Kellan continued. “Fae magic is powerful and not easy to wield. It could overwhelm an untrained user and do more harm than good. Our child must learn the teachings of our kind.” Quinn thought briefly of Princess Enah who had broken with tradition all those years ago and the tragic ending to her story. “Neither the Fae nor the Guardians would allow us to house the children now,” Kellan added desolately.

Quinn entered the house and thanked Freya, hugging her warmly and wishing her all the best in the forthcoming weeks.

“Will we not see you before the baby’s birth?” Freya asked, looking perplexed. Quinn met Kellan’s eyes over her shoulder.

“No,” she replied. Freya’s face fell, but she quickly hid her hurt.

“Well, it was wonderful to see you again, Quinn,” she forced a smile.

“You too.”

Kellan walked her back to the courtyard and they stopped at the fountain.

“Quinn, could you do me a favour?”
“Anything,” she answered, meaning it.

“Could you come back at the full moon?”

“Kellan... I... I’m not going to be very welcome.” Quinn had no intention of returning to Summerfeld until she had found and secured Jack and Ava.

“That’s precisely why I’m asking,” he replied mysteriously. “I need help with Rafe and Channon’s full moon transformation. The Guardians will have enough on their plate with Rourke’s death and the new replacement. You are the only one who has free rein to do as you wish - for now, anyway. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

“I’ll try,” Quinn couldn’t think of a valid reason to deny him, but she would not make any promises.

“Thank you,” he nodded, squeezing her arm. He released her quickly as she closed her eyes to move through the Gateway.

Quinn heard them before she opened her eyes. The Guardians were back, she had been too long. Inside the Cathedral there was chaos. Everyone was yelling and Piper was crying. Piper and Rourke had been close, Quinn remembered – it had been Rourke who had trained Piper.

“Quinn,” Tristan hurried over to her before the others even noticed she was there.
Great
, thought Quinn. She had tried to enter the City undetected and now the entire Guardian council was here. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she answered, heading for the door, “I need to get out of here.” She passed Isaiah who simply watched her go.

“Quinn!” Daniel’s voice was one of authority and hard to ignore. Cursing her bad luck, Quinn swivelled on the spot to face him. “Sit down,” Daniel ordered, as the remaining Guardians took their places at the council table. Daniel was the complete antithesis of Isaiah. Shorter, with a barrel chest, his arms were muscular and for good reason. Daniel was as strong as an ox and he looked like a warrior, down to the shoulder-length sandy blond hair swept off his high forehead. Averting her gaze from his naked chest, the bronzed skin the colour of caramel, Quinn focused on the circular tattoos running down the length of his arms. Daniel still wore the original Guardian garb – complete with black leather pants, greaves and arm-bracers.   

Tristan eyed Quinn and Daniel with concern, but Quinn ignored him. She had a choice – she could leave now and head back to Brookfield, but she had no leads and no idea how to find Jack and Ava. She had nothing to lose by staying and hearing out the council meeting, and, if she was honest with herself, she was far more affected by Rourke’s death than she cared to admit.

She took her seat beside the vacant chair that separated her and Tristan – a poignant reminder of Avery’s absence. Across the table, tears streamed down Piper’s face. The empty chair beside her had been Rourke’s.

“Where are Lucas and Garrett?” Quinn asked, craning her neck to search the Cathedral. Lucas was an ordinary Guardian, like she was. Garrett was a Hunter.

Despite Eldon’s protective enchantments, the vampires had sworn an oath to destroy the last of the Fae and their allies, and so they searched, relentlessly. Their Quest was perpetual, their thirst for vengeance never ending. Knowing the City’s inhabitants would never truly be safe unless the vampires were eradicated, King Eldon had selected four of the twelve Guardians as Hunters and used his magic to instil in them all the skills they would require to seek and destroy vampires, his magic turning their white tattoos black. There were always twelve Guardians of whom four were Hunters, and Daniel had been leading them since the beginning.

“On Guardian business,” Daniel snapped. Lucas, was, of course, actually baby-sitting the children Quinn was so desperately searching for. Garrett was in town, just a few blocks away. Daniel had sent him away the second he had heard Quinn was in Summerfeld so that she wouldn’t suspect anything. One Guardian missing a council meeting would rouse Quinn’s suspicions, and she would probably figure out that was where the children would be. 

“What happened?” Daniel got straight to business and Braddon recounted the story of their ambush.

“I think it is safe to assume that the Pegasus is well and truly lost,” Isaiah intoned when he was done. The mood at the table was sombre.

“We have more pressing matters at hand,” Daniel rerouted the conversation, “the loss of our brother Rourke,” he added, casting an unusually soft glance at Piper, who sniffed loudly, “means that a new Guardian should be on his or her way.”

“How can you be so sure?” Blair interrupted. Blair Lindberg had been a Guardian for eighty years before becoming a Hunter over four hundred years ago. Other than Daniel and Isaiah, she had lived longer than any other Guardian alive. She was a formidable adversary, her vampire kill count second only to Daniel’s. With her cropped dark hair and short, athletic body, Blair was also completely unfazed by Daniel. She treated him with the same disdain she bestowed upon all the Guardians. And yet, Quinn was acutely aware that Blair had the most maternal instinct when it came to the Summerfeld wards. She loved each and every creature that lived within the City’s walls. “This is the first Guardian loss we have suffered since Avery,” Blair continued, impervious to the sensitive nature of the topic and Avery’s loved ones who surrounded her, “Avery’s replacement was never found. How do we know Rourke’s will emerge? Is there a possibility that the Guardian charm has been compromised – that our numbers will continue to dwindle?” Quinn had been thinking the exact same thing, but hearing it spoken aloud made the possibility all too real.

“King Eldon’s magic cannot be undone,” Daniel replied, turning to Isaiah for confirmation. Daniel had been charmed by King Eldon himself as one of the original twelve, but Isaiah had explored the Sacred Book most deeply – he knew more about the Fae magic than any other Guardian. Isaiah nodded, confirming Daniel’s proclamation, and Blair sat back in her seat, satisfied.

“Quinn,” Daniel turned to address her, his hair pulled off his face in a ponytail. His crossbow was slung across his back. Blair, Liam and Garret were dressed in more modern Hunter attire –black shirts tucked into black cargo pants and heavy-duty black boots. “You are back, I assume?” His eyes flashed angrily, daring her to contradict him.