Gideon [The Marujan Brothers Series] Book Two (3 page)

* * *

H
is legs were certainly not carrying him fast enough. He
should be back at the castle by now, reveling in the coolness of
another but mid-morning shower.
Instead, he found himself feeling
rather uneasy, indifferent to a fault. And he could not understand
the reason for it. Gideon’s boot slammed hard against the smooth
pavement just before he broke off onto a bushy path which would
lead him directly to the Marujan Castle. He was trying at best to
avoid as much confrontation as possible; at least until he managed
to scrub the sweet scent of Dahlia from his body. After that, he
fully intended on stuffing himself with a hefty brunch…and then
perhaps challenge Faolan to a game of chess.
He smiled to himself. Faolan was a good sport…and even better sport
at chess. But Gideon was far better. The game required thinking and
planning; whereas Faolan often planned before ever thinking at all.
Gently tossing a few low-lying branches from his direct path,
Gideon paused.
Jasmine
. The scent bombarded his
senses with a force he could not fathom. He knew that scent—loved
it, rather. The sweet subtleness of it sent chills coursing up his
spine and he swallowed deeply as he eyed his surroundings
carefully. He could laugh at it—he could, but somehow he found
himself edging further to his right and away from the castle.
Moving slowly, he inhaled deeply. Jasmine. It couldn’t be. The
scent was distinct to only one person he had ever known. But that
surely could not be the case since Esyth was—
Do not say it, man. Do not say it. Let it
go!
But why couldn’t he? She was
gone—dead. And there was nothing he could do about it. Something he
could say or perhaps wish for her to come back to him. It was funny
how he could have always found humor in everything. But this…this
was an entirely different case. She had meant something to him and
just the mere utterance of her name made him want to run for the
hills; to retrace his steps up to three years ago when she had
stupidly given up her life to that bastard. He would have done
things differently.
He would have kept a closer eye on her.
Shrugging off the sudden dreariness that was threatening to
captivate his soul, Gideon blinked and took an abrupt halt. There
was someone else there with him. He could feel it. Instincts
kicking into full effect, he moved swiftly, inching behind the wide
trunk of a nearby tree. He listened. A gentle breeze swept through
the area, caressing leafy branches and spreading the natural scent
of wood and earth. He remained still. He could feel a faint
energy—a strange one—…moving towards him. He couldn’t imagine who
would dare invade Marujan property, aiming to attack him. Only a
Kankul soldier, of course, but he would have picked up on that
minutes ago. Whoever the invader was, he was no one or of any kind
he had ever come across. It puzzled him, really.
Frowning, Gideon narrowed his gaze to better inspect his
surroundings. Tall pine trees scattered across the land, the cool
atmosphere, forming a thin misty aura. It had rained earlier in the
morning, traces of the light precipitation still evident on the
thin leaves of the flora around. The force of the strange energy
came wildly, slapping into him a like a grenade. He stumbled to
regain his balance, blinking with confusion. Who was it? It was all
so strange—so unexpected. And what he sensed in the energy wasn’t
danger.
It was…..
fear
?

Chapter Three
S
lash!
The quick slice of metal flashed before his eyes just in time as
Gideon managed to dodge the hit. Hit. Damn, if he had moved a full
two seconds slower, his head probably would have been wiped clean
from his body. Turning swiftly, he caught sight of something brown
moving fast through the woods to his left. He broke into a run
immediately, following the invader. Whoever it was they’d better
pray he didn’t catch up—and that was a slim chance to none—for
they’d have a whole damn load of answers to give. And his fists ask
a lot of questions.
But darn the guy was fast! Shoving away branches, damp dirt
clinging to his boots as he ran, Gideon managed to make a glimpse
of the invader.
“I’ve got you now, asshole!” he muttered, tapping into his
mana
just for the extra
speed. And effect of it brought him a good few feet behind his
attacker, everything else a blur around him. “Just
wait—.”
What the…?
Gideon almost tripped over his own feet. His attacker turned, the
hooded figure chancing a backward glance at him. He was dumbstruck.
Astonished, as a matter of fact. Large almond-shaped eyes stared
back at him—scared into huge saucers; eyes that looked far too
beautiful to belong a man. And then turned back around as if
alarmed and ran faster but apparently in vain as a huge branch came
out of nowhere, catching her squarely in the stomach. The strange
woman went sprawling—
umpff
—and landed hard down on her
face.
Groaning, he took the time to grab her up by the arm, almost
shaking the life out of her body. The woman looked up at him, her
eyes wide with shock and her mouth slightly ajar. Gideon could not
help but look her over twice…okay, maybe one more time. She was
beautiful. Thick curly tangles of auburn hair, streaked with gold
highlights, fell down into a hooded brown cloak, framing an
olive-colored oval face with the cutest heart-shaped mouth he had
ever seen. Yes, she was beautiful. Any man with at least one eye
could tell that…but she was not his type. Esyth was—
Shaking his thoughts back to reality, Gideon quickly sensed for
another presence—found nothing—then averted his attention back to
her. My, she was the quietest ‘caught’ person he had ever
met!
“Who are you? Why did you attack me?”
Her mouth opened but no words came out. “I… I…”
“Yes?”
“I…” she gave him a strange onceover and then blinked twice. “I
don’t know.”
Gideon raised a skeptical brow at her. “You don’t
know
who you are?”
“No.” She said it as if she found him irritating. Then she actually
rolled her eyes. “I mean, I don’t know
why
I attacked you.”
Gideon let out an impatient breath. “You’d better start making
sense sometime soon. You’re not from Maruj which means you’re
trespassing. How’d you even manage to get here?”
She frowned deeply up at him, attempting to escape his death grip
but he only held on tighter. Seeing she was defeated, she sighed
and jolted her chin out. “I have a message.”
A message? From who? He yanked her closer. “Let’s hear it…”
Defiance shone in her deep brown eyes. “It must only be delivered
to the intended receiver. For all I know”—she looked him over
disgustedly—“you could be madman out on the loose.”
Gideon’s mouth dropped open.
Madman out on
the loose…? Of all the things
! This woman
clearly had no idea who she was speaking to…..and if she did, oh he
prayed she had a good explanation for it. A good one. Gritting his
teeth angrily, he breathed hot air through his nostrils,
“Who—
if I may ask
—is the message for?”
She angled her chin, obviously feeling a bit too important at the
moment. “It’s for Lord Gideon Maruj.”
Gideon stared at her a full five seconds before barking out a harsh
laugh. Shaking his head at her and giving her a few
tsk-tsks
, he stared deep
down into her eyes and smiled wickedly. “My dear friend, do you
even know who you are talking to at the moment?”
“Of course, I do!” she snapped, trying to escape him again.
“You’re—you’re…” She paused, staring up at him, her eyes searching
his features for the tiniest of seconds before a deep blush spread
across her cheeks and neck. Then she muttered weakly,
“
You’re
…?”
Nodding slowly, Gideon forced himself from bursting into laughter
again. He then turned on his heel, yanking her along behind
him.
“Wait!” she yelped. “Let me go. Where are you
takin—
No
!”
“Oh, you just wait and see, wench!” Gideon chuckled. “I know
someone who would just
love
to meet you.”

F
aolan stared down the papers
scattered over his desk. He had much to do. As the second child, he
had obligations towards assisting his brother Hadaen as best as he
could. Although he found accounting and bookkeeping a bit
time-consuming and, well….boring, he had to at least occupy himself
somehow. Taking a sip of his coffee, he sank back into his chair
and sighed. He had a good life—sweet rather, which only made his
feelings even more unexplainable as to why he was currently feeling
down. Perhaps he should go pay Lady Marza a visit. Shaking his
head, he decided against it and rose to his feet, striding slowly
towards the large window which gave him a delicious view of the
gardens below. He had never been particularly fascinated by flowers
and the sorts but he found himself appreciating the sight this
moment.
Smiling, he turned a full five minutes later, narrowing his gaze at
the several miniature frames that lined up neatly across the metal
mantelpiece. His mother. This had been her favorite room. The
Oleander Room, it was called. He could remember himself as a wee
boy when he would sit right there on the carpet—Hadaen and he—as
she would tell them tale after tale of some beautiful kingdom miles
upon miles across the ocean. Perhaps, that was where she was now.
He hoped. If not, then somewhere much better and deserving of her
beautiful presence.
Blinking away the thoughts, Faolan released a heavy breath. He
should not ponder on sad thoughts now. The past was the past. For
if he wandered too long on the terrible memories, he would start to
remember how shaken he had been when he had lost his father. How
angry, raging mad he was especially since he had felt so damn
helpless. Reaching across the room abruptly, he forgot his coffee
and poured himself some scotch. The First knew the intense liquid
could do a well for a man in times such as these!
Suddenly, the side doors—connecting to the sitting room—were shoved
open just slightly and Gideon stuck his head in. Then after a small
sigh, he entered the room, looking quite suspicious.
“You don’t take your time, do you?” Faolan grinned, eyeing his
little brother. “Wasn’t expecting you back so soon…”
Gideon nodded briskly and then glanced backwards towards the door
before making his way across the room. “Where’s Hadaen?”
Faolan shrugged. “Haven’t seen him in since he last came in here.
Possibly off throwing boulders to rid his frustration at his
wife.”
A grin twitched at Gideon’s lips. “Good. I have
something—rather…
er
…someone I want you to meet.”
Two black brows rose curiously. “Who is it?”
“Just come.” Gideon beckoned him forward and towards the side
doors. Faolan, who didn’t quite like the friskiness in his
brother’s tone, eyed him dubiously but still followed behind
curiously through the doors. The sitting room looked the same as it
had always been: small arm chairs neatly arranged in a half-moon
fashion in front of a wide coffee table. Three leather sofas sat
diagonally across the room in odd yet interesting positions across
from a tall fireplace. The room reminded him yet and again of his
mother; the soft peach wallpapers decorating its interior and the
gentle aroma of raspberries.
So, in all his reverie Faolan hadn’t recognized the totally
unfamiliar face across the room, until Gideon’s elbow jabbed in
harshly in the side. Faolan scowled darkly at his brother and then
turned to catch a glimpse of a young—and very feminine
woman—staring back at him. For a moment his jaws had slackened,
simply caught off guard by the beauty of the strange creature. Her
countenance seemed young but the soft swelling of firm breasts atop
the low neckline of her very immodest blouse was anything but like
that of a child. The curve of her brown skirts spread across
well-formed hips, tight leather pants over firm thighs. Faolan
sucked in a breath. Damn.
Clenching his jaws and shooting Gideon a glare, he turned back to
the girl and nodded.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he asked. Gideon grinned and slapped
a firm palm on his brother’s right shoulder.
“That’s what I’m about to find out.”
The girl rolled her eyes and got to her feet, seeming completely
bored with her surroundings. “Is
he
truly Gideon Maruj?”
It took Faolan a while to realize that it was him she was
addressing. Gideon snickered. “Uh—yes.” He cleared his throat. “And
you are?”
She stretched a hand out to him, already striding across the room.
“Amanda of the Alexanders.”
Faolan quirked a brow at his brother who shrugged in return. “I
know,” Gideon responded. “Never heard of them either.”
The girl—Amanda sighed. “We are from a distant village twenty miles
south-east of The Hub. Liguanea Villa, it’s called.”
Mention of The Hub sent tremors coursing through Gideon’s body. Not
so very welcoming tremors. Stepping forward instantly, his
expression now serious, he stared down at her. “How did you get
here?”
Amanda twisted her mouth into annoyed snare. “By foot, naturally.
Since there are no roads connecting my home to yours.”
Faolan and Gideon exchanged surprised glances. It must have taken
her months to get to Marujan borders. “She claims to have a
message,” Gideon drawled to Faolan. For me.”
“Well, then let’s hear it,” Faolan murmured, taking a casual seat
in one of the two small armchairs. He shifted uncomfortably and
then nodded to the girl.
For a moment, she just stood there, glancing from one brother to
the next. Gideon was beginning to fear that she had lied to
them—that she was probably a Kankul spy out to break into their
defenses. He wouldn’t anything past those nasty vermins. But when
she retreated slowly and sank back unto the sofa, her pupils
shaking with purpose, he knew for sure that she really had
something weighing on her mind. Swallowing thickly, he took a
couple more steps towards her then stopped. She looked up….and
something flashed across her eyes. Something dark; mysterious… a
silvery light winking faintly within them.
“I was sent by someone, “she muttered softly—so softly, they’d
almost not heard her at all. “I-I don’t know who it is but the
power was so strong, it had woke me from my slumber one
night.”
“Tell us…” Faolan leaned forward, his forearms resting on his
knees.
She blinked, staring down at her hands in her lap. “Someone needs
your help, Gideon,” she said, staring intently at him, her gaze
never wavering. She shook her head. “I can’t seem to connect with
this person but…but I managed to decode the message. It had been in
some form of… a code.” Gideon frowned, his nostrils flaring hotly
as he marched over to her, yanking her up to him…Amanda’s face but
inches from his. “Tell me… Now.” Through the corner of his eyes he
saw Faolan stand. There was an inkling somewhere in the back of his
mind. But he refused to give in just yet. Not until—
“It’s a woman.” Her lips shook as she spoke, eyes wide. “She’s been
trapped for years. Her message had been cut short—for s-some reason
I don’t know but it was in the form of a color.”Gideon’s breathing
quickened, rage—and hope—coursing through his veins as he waited
for her to finish. Then she looked up at him as if she was
uncertain. “
Green
.”