Beloved (8 page)

Sit. Stay.

If it weren’t for the serious expression he still wore on his face, she would have complained about being treated like a dog. Instead, she sat where two branches intersected and found her balance.

She watched Nigel as he scanned the ground beneath them, first close by, then off in the distance. The air around her already felt eerily electrified, but as she sat there listening and watching, a whole new set of goose bumps rose on her arms. Nigel motioned for her to be quiet again, then pointed to where the animal she’d seen earlier grazed on a clump of grass. Was he hunting? Was this how he planned to keep her safe while he satisfied what cravings remained of his Royal heritage? Nothing else made sense until she heard a low rumbling growl that seemed to come from all directions.

The deer-like animal below her echoed the guttural noise and its head shot up. The surrounding bushes came alive and from where Kira watched, it looked as though a colony of ants swarmed in on the creature from all directions, devouring it in seconds. But they weren’t ants. Dozens of small black dogs with rows of razor sharp teeth snarled and fought over the scraps that remained while the mass carried some of the bones back into the bushes.

Kira couldn’t move. She couldn’t even scream. What she’d witnessed was so horrific she found herself suddenly unable to breathe. The only reason she snapped out of her trance was because she caught something white moving out of the corner of her eye.

Althros!

She craned her neck to see through the branches and get an idea of how far away he was. No way could he run fast enough to get away from these parasites. He’d be devoured.

But it wasn’t the beast of a mount with his strong legs and swift speed that she saw, it was her clumsy cub, Mahli, prancing through the forest.

“Mahli!”

Kira jumped to her feet and was half way down the tree before Nigel caught up to her. He held her in place while using the whip to secure her torso to the trunk.
Stay.

Kira had never seen anyone move so quickly, not even Octavion. Within seconds, Nigel had managed to maneuver through the lower branches of several trees and was on the ground scooping Mahli up much like he had her. He tossed the cub up in the tree as she screeched her disapproval—a beacon call to the ravenous mutts below.

“Mahli, climb!”

Kira watched in horror as the cat tried to jump out of the tree, leaving Nigel to once again rescue her.

“Mahli! Get your butt up that tree!”

Finally she obeyed, but not before the dogs regrouped and turned their focus on Nigel. Without his whip to hurl him higher into the branches, he had to climb one branch at a time and didn’t quite get out of the way before they attacked. One of the mutts sank his teeth into Nigel’s boot while another jumped a little higher and latched itself onto his thigh. Nigel knocked them both loose, then scurried higher, dragging Mahli by the scruff of her neck along with him.

Nigel’s return was much slower as he made his way back to her with Mahli draped around his neck like a dead animal. She must have known she was in trouble because she made no attempt to squirm loose.

“Are you all right?” Kira reached for Mahli as Nigel slid her off his shoulders. She sunk her front claws into the tree trunk and climbed to a higher branch, hissing and growling at the dogs that were now jumping and snarling at them.

Nigel untied Kira then helped her to a higher, safer position. He sat on a larger branch below her and cut a hole in his pants where the animal had bit him. Several long jagged tears in his skin bled profusely.

“Let me heal that.” Kira scooted closer.

Nigel put his hand up.
No
.

“But that’s stupid. I can heal it completely and stop the bleeding.”

Dangerous.
He pointed to where the mutt that bit him lay convulsing in the dirt. Its gyrations and hideous whining should have called the other dogs to its weakness, but it didn’t. Maybe they knew eating him would bring the same painful end to their life. Or maybe their focus was better spent on the three possible victims in the tree. Either way, the animal suffered for several more minutes before it lay still, black goo seeping from its mouth.

“Is that because you’re a Darkord?”

Yes.

“And healing you will do that to me?”

He shrugged.
Dangerous.
He wasn’t willing to take the chance, that was clear.

“Will it harm me if I touch it?” If she couldn’t heal him, she could at least help bandage the wound.

Nigel held up his hand.
Dangerous.

For the next few minutes, Kira went from watching Nigel shredding the bottom portion of his tunic for bandages, to keeping an eye on the mutts. She was sure they’d eventually give up, but there was no sign of it yet.

Mahli climbed down to the same branch as Kira, which made holding on and having any hope of being comfortable impossible. Even though the branches were several inches wide and her feet were planted firmly on a lower branch, it still felt like she was balancing on bicycle handlebars. She had to readjust her position to keep her butt and legs from going to sleep.

After Nigel’s wound was bandaged, he climbed higher into the tree and began stripping off smaller twigs. She tried to watch him, but looking up made her dizzy and made her neck ache, so she gave up. It was pitch black by the time he returned. She had to summon her night vision to see him motion for her to follow him. Not an easy task with Mahli in the way. She was way too big to be a lap cub.

She lifted Mahli to sit beside her, then took her chubby face in her hands and gave her the sternest look she could manage considering the pitiful blue eyes staring back at her. “You did a bad thing, little girl.”

Mahli blinked slowly, reminding Kira of the special connection she’d had with Toran. “You understand me, don’t you? I mean really understand my words?” Kira looked more intently into her eyes as Mahli blinked again, this time with a slight nod. Kira dropped her hands and leaned her back against the tree trunk. Deep down she knew she had a special connection with animals, but for them to actually understand her words and the meaning of them was a little unnerving.

She glanced down at the few mutts that remained, some licking the blood from their paws and jowls. Others still snarled and scratched at the tree. If this was any indication of how they’d spend the rest of their lives, she had to do everything she could to make sure Mahli was safe, even if that meant giving her a good scolding. She turned back to Mahli and took her face back in her hands, this time more firmly.

“I do not own you. You are free to go if you want, but if you stay with me, I have some rules.” She sat up and put her face closer to the cubs, her voice low and stern. “You will not leave my side without my permission—no wandering off. And if I tell you to do something, you do it immediately. You could have been killed and I need to know I can count on you to be there for me.”

Mahli broke free and gave Kira a rough, slobbery kiss, taking all seriousness out of the situation. Kira laughed, then gave her friend a hug. “I’ll take that as a yes. Now get up there and see what Nigel has done.”

Mahli leapt to the next branch, then the next and was past Nigel before Kira could follow. She half expected Nigel to take her hand and help her climb the rest of the way up, but he didn’t. Instead he pointed to where she should put each foot or which branch she should grab. By the time she reached the spot where he’d been working, the muscles in her legs and arms burned. She’d spent way too much time on Althros the past few days when she should have been keeping her strength up.

Kira pulled herself up so she stood even with Nigel, him on one branch and her on another. He pointed to where he’d woven twigs between two parallel branches—all fastened together with thick vines.

Nigel pointed to the makeshift hammock.
Sleep.

Kira tested its strength by slowly crawling out onto the bed. It creaked and sagged, but held her weight, so she stretched out and made herself comfortable. Mahli snuggled up next to her and did the same.

She looked up a Nigel, who still watched her. “This is great, thanks. But where will you sleep?”

He smiled, then swiftly climbed to a spot a little higher up where another hammock had been made, this one much larger, its twigs and vines void of leaves and pine needles. He’d obviously slept here before, which made sense since it was on the way to Lairdor.

Kira took one last look at the ground where a handful of mutts still remained. As far as she could tell from that distance, they’d all settled down for the night. She wondered how they’d be able to travel through the B’Kari forest with those things yapping at their heels. One thing was for sure, she’d have to work on climbing with a whip in order to survive.

In spite of Nigel’s attempts to calm her with his flute music, nights were the worst. Without all the distractions and worry that traveling brought, she lay in the eerie darkness with her thoughts. Regardless of where those thoughts started, they always ended with the heartache she’d caused the one’s she loved. The more time that passed, the more she missed them.

She fingered the Crystor, spinning it around her wrist the way she always did. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed a little snug. She tried to slip her finger between the bracelet and her skin, but it wouldn’t fit.
That’s weird.
She tried to spin it again and it snapped tight like a rubber band, making her skin sting.

Altaria!

She instinctively grabbed at the ruby in her pocket. Something was wrong. It was the only explanation. Up until now she’d managed to block Altaria’s thoughts and keep her friend out of her head, but maybe this was the Crystor’s way of telling her Al was hurt. Bit by bit she lowered her guard, seeking some kind of connection to her friend without actually alerting her that Kira was alive. She wasn’t even sure that was possible, but she had to try. Giving the ruby a gentle rub with her thumb, she sent her spirit outward, but it wasn’t Altaria she felt seeking a connection—it was Lydia.

Altaria gasped when a sharp pain shot around her wrist. She grabbed it with her hand, rubbing it with vigor to make the sting go away.

Octavion’s head turned toward her and their eyes met.
You all right
?

Fine
. But she wasn’t fine. Whatever had caused the pain had left a red welt all the way around her wrist. She pulled down her sleeve and watched as Octavion spread a large map on the table in his sitting room. Luka and Cade both leaned closer to get a better look, but she kept her distance.

In spite of her excitement to join them in the hunt for Kira, she had to force herself to focus on their conversation—and not because of her wrist. Twice that day she’d sensed Lydia trying to make a connection, but without success. It left Altaria with mixed feelings. As much as she wanted her kindred spirit to return, she’d only yesterday found her freedom and looked forward to exploring her gift without the restrictions Lydia insisted on.

“I think we should look south of Finvara,” Luka said, pointing to the spot on the map. “If they travelled through the farmlands someone was bound to see them.”