Flicker (32 page)

              And then he was walking on marble floors, not slipping through bloody mud. It took him a moment to realize that a small hand had entwined itself in his, and was pulling him along. He caught a hint of lilac and rain through the haze of iron and salt tang in his mind: Elise.

              She led him along a winding path of whitewashed rooms, and pushed open a door. Alexander breathed deep, gasping in the fresh air. Slowly, he came back to the present, to find them standing in a small courtyard-- no more than a few stone benches in a grassy knoll, hidden by thick hedges and a few graceful willow trees. The morning's clouds had cleared, taking the chill with them, and the warm golden sun bathed him like the light of Heaven.

              Alexander realized with a start that he was squeezing Elise's hand, and abruptly released her. He could see red marks from his fingers around the delicate appendage, but she didn't complain. She was gazing up at him through red eyes, tear tracks glistening on her face in the morning light. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. He just barely heard her over the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Alexander knew that his shield had come crashing down the instant he'd seen that armor-- she had caught the full force of his flashbacks. But still, she was looking at him like she didn't care about the blood on his hands.

              Wordless, he opened his arms to her. He expected the moment of waiting for her reaction to take an eternity, but she didn't hesitate-- in a blink, her supple form was pressed against him, and he buried himself in the scent of her hair and the warmth of the sun.

              “All right, now all you have to do is stop me.”
              Elise frowned. “So... you're going to attack me, and I have to defend myself? And if you push me back against the tree, I lose?”

              “I won't hurt you, don't worry,” Alex said gently.

              “That's actually not my issue.” Elise bit her lip, glancing back at the tree in question; it was the same huge oak he'd backed her against weeks ago, the first time he walked her home. “What if I lash back and hurt you?”

              Alex took her hand, smiling down at her. “Little girl, my shield is very good.  You're incredibly powerful, don't get me wrong, but it would take real intent or a lot more finesse on your part to put a dent in it.” He cupped her cheek with his free hand, his eyes warm. “I'll be fine. But you, my dear, need practice.”

              Elise nodded slowly, trying not to be distracted by the warmth of his skin against her face. “Okay,” she said hesitantly.

              “That's my girl.” He grinned, stepping back and flexing his hands. “Get ready, now.”

              Elise took a few slow breaths, letting her power flush through her body. The tingling flowed through her arms and down into her fingertips, making her palms ache, just as she felt the first warning push of Alex's power against her mind. She braced, breathing deep and closing herself off from him. Elise looked up into Alex's deep blue eyes and nodded, letting him know she was ready.

              Immediately, she had to take a step back toward the tree as she felt a physical force shove her, as if she'd run face first into a wall made of solid air. Clenching her jaw, she sank her heels into the dirt and envisioned her power as roots, shooting down through her legs and extending from her bones deep into the soil. Her knees bent slightly as she lowered her center of gravity, balancing as she made herself one with the earth; Alex's wall couldn't budge her now any more than a breeze could uproot a redwood.

              This time, she didn't bother looking up at him, but focused inward, taking stock of her body and the energy flowing through it, assessing her capabilities and covering her weaknesses. She felt a ripple through the air that precipitated his next strike, just before the packed dirt beneath her feet turned to mud. The mud was boiling, burning, and her roots were on fire; she released them instantly, and stumbled back another step. She could feel the tree's quiet thrumming behind her now; ignoring the implied failure of her proximity to it, she drew on its strength and calm reserve.

              Elise closed her eyes, slowed her heartbeat and relaxed her muscles. As she breathed in, she called the deep cold of the frost up from the dirt, and as she exhaled, she shooed it across the ground, creeping, until it rose around Alex's legs. She heard his teeth begin to chatter, felt him draw his heat back into himself, and allowed herself a small smile.

              She wasn't anticipating his next strike-- there was no warning, just a sudden, stabbing pain in her temples. Her hands flew to clasp her face, a useless but instinctive gesture, and when she looked up she saw his face sharp with concentration. Whatever he was doing, the headache was a side effect, not the goal. Biting her lip, Elise tried to shut out the pain. She met his eyes, wondering if she could chance a glimpse into his mind to see what he was attempting, and felt her shield crack like brittle glass; instantly the pain doubled. She hissed through her teeth, tearing her gaze away from his.

              If, in trying to escape his attack, Elise hadn't focused across the field, she never would have seen. But she did, and even from this distance there was no mistaking Rashid's imposing figure.

              She gasped, losing her grip on her shield as she stumbled back. For just a moment, she and Alex were one, seeing through one another's eyes, as her resistance to him gave way. Elise saw herself, her face so pale her lips were white, her mouth open and her eyes huge as she stared at something in the distance. Alexander saw Rashid watching them, laughing, from the other side of the field.

              And then Elise's back hit the rough, unyielding bark of the tree and they were jolted apart.
What is he doing here
? Elise thought furiously, but her anger was tinted with the ever-present fear he brought on.
I thought, after our dinner
-- and then she slammed her mind shut as she realized what she'd almost done. Her shield was quick, sloppy, and her eyes darted back to Alex immediately, hoping desperately that he hadn't heard what she was thinking.

              Alex had spun, and was glaring across the field at Rashid, who gave a jaunty, mocking salute-- and vanished.

              Elise gasped again as suddenly, Alex was no longer in front of her. She blinked, and he was several feet away, almost to the road that wound through the park, but he was turning back to face her. She swallowed hard as she realized what must have happened: Rashid had used that trick they had, to move faster than the casual eye could see. Alex had given pursuit, but had been brought up short by the sound of her gasp, and his reluctance to leave her alone.

              His fists were clenched as he turned and stalked back to her, but he was open to her, and she saw that his rage was directed at Rashid, and at himself, for being helpless to protect her from the fear he could plainly see on her face. Elise breathed a sigh of relief that Alex had been too preoccupied with Rashid to catch her slip-up. After taking a moment to collect herself and once more bury thoughts of her secret meeting with Rashid deep in her mind where Alex wouldn't look for them, she let her shield drain away and came to meet him.

              Alex took her hands in his, and it took her a second to realize that his skin wasn't burning, hers was freezing. Now that she didn't have anything else to focus on, her mind replayed in spectacular detail the avarice on Rashid's face as he'd watched her use her power. She began to tremble, and heard Alex curse under his breath as he pulled her into his arms.

              “I'm sorry,” Elise whispered, her cheek pressed against his chest. She knew he was frowning as he answered.

              “What on earth do you have to be sorry for?” Elise suppressed the stab of guilt that threatened to break through her tight control over her thoughts.

              “I stopped you from going after him,” she murmured. To distract herself from the things she desperately needed to hide from Alex, she played back over the interactions he knew she'd had with Rashid, trying to pick apart what it was about him that frightened her so. Maybe it was the way he looked at her, as if she was nothing more than an object to further his ends, or perhaps the tone in which he spoke to her, as if his voice had the ability to physically caress every inch of her body. Perhaps it was the divide between his calm manner and inflammatory words, the way he could casually threaten her family, her sanity, her very life-- all with no more inflection than if he'd been remarking on the weather. Whatever it was, Elise was filled with a cold certainty that while he may not mean her harm directly, he wouldn't shed a tear if something were to hurt her in the course of his getting whatever it was he wanted.

              Alex cursed again, with more heat, and turned, pulling her along with him as he began to walk toward her house. “Let me get you home,” he said gently, and she knew that he would feel better when they were less exposed-- when she was less exposed.

              “Alex,” Elise said, her voice small as she let him steer her. “Am I such a commodity, because I'm an omnivore, that you have to protect me?” She knew she was wrong, that he really cared about her, but the tiny voice of doubt still whispering through her mind meant she had to ask. She needed to hear him say it.

              Alex stopped short to cup her cheek, turning her face up so he could look straight into her eyes. “Don't ever think that,” he told her firmly. “If I was more concerned about your safety than your well-being as a person, rest assured, I'd have brought you to the Court by now. The Queen would have you protected like the precious gem you will be to her. But to me...” he sighed, and for a breathless moment, Elise thought once again that he would kiss her. But he brushed his lips gently against her forehead instead. “To me, you are much more,” he finished softly, before releasing her face and using his other arm, still around her shoulders, to propel her forward once more. Despite his outward patience, she could feel his restlessness.

              Elise walked quietly for a few minutes, relishing his arm around her and her ability to have it there, as she unobtrusively followed the pattern of his thoughts. As they came into sight of her house, however, she spoke up again.

              “Do you really think that will help?” She asked, curious, and felt Alex's surprise and then amusement as he realized he'd forgotten to shield from her, and that she'd been listening in.

              “Centuries I've shielded without a thought, and just like that, you undo me completely,” he murmured, a small, heartbreaking smile playing over his lips. Speaking more directly to her, he responded, “Calling her in can't hurt, and I would feel much better having a more independently mobile player in this game.”

              Elise nodded, answering with a tiny smile of her own. “Well, I would very much like to meet her.”

              “We just had a reunion; you can't possibly miss me yet.” Sarah laughed as she answered her buzzing cell.

              “Oh, shut up,” Alexander sounded long-suffering. “How's Indonesia?”

              Sarah shrugged, knowing her friend would hear it over the phone. “Lovely dancers and no economy. What's up?”

              “Rashid is in town.” Alexander's voice was clipped.

              “Is he, now? That must be fun.” Sarah said idly, gazing out the open window of her tiny, humid hotel room.

              “Not as much as usual, no.” A tightness in his tone alerted Sarah that things weren't necessarily normal, and that this might not be a social call.

              “What's wrong?” She asked, serious now. She could hear the tension in the silence on the line. Finally, Alexander spoke.

              “Has Gregory been in touch?” He asked evasively.

              Sarah froze. “He called and told me you were training an omnivore,” she said after a moment. “I laughed and hung up. I take it I should have believed him?”

              Alexander made a sound halfway between a laugh and a growl. “Of course you should. Her name is Elise, and...” He paused again, the static of the international connection carrying a heaviness across continents and oceans, speaking volumes to his old friend. “Damn it, I'm in love with her.”

              Sarah's eyebrows were rapidly approaching her hairline. “So Rashid being in town is absolutely perfect!” She glibly pronounced, sarcasm abounding.

              “Tell me about it.” Sarah could picture Alexander pacing the confines of his house as he went on to describe their encounters so far with increasing agitation. “There's something going on here,” Alexander finished, sounding unspeakably frustrated. “I can't put my finger on it, but something's off-- this doesn't read like one of our normal battles. And...” He hesitated again, but in the end, confided in his friend. “Elise is hiding something from me. I haven't known her that long, so it's perfectly understandable. I don't even know if it's related to this at all-- frankly, she's terrified of Rashid, so I can't imagine how it would be. But she is, and on top of everything else, it's bothering me.”

              Sarah, who'd been listening silently, rolled her eyes. “Emotions complicate everything; you know that.”

              Alexander snorted. “It isn't like that. Your experiences notwithstanding, the vast majority of people aren't actually evil. So are you coming? I'd appreciate having someone with more freedom of movement over here.”