Guardian (21 page)

The ominous sound of ripping and a searing follow-up of pain told me my hair was being pulled out by its roots, but I couldn’t let him reel me in or I was dead. A few more minutes of direct contact with Aubrie’s overwhelming Elvin power, unrestrained and unleashed by rage, would be enough to extinguish my life force for good.

And it wouldn’t be a pleasant way to go.

Aubrie roared in anger and folded his body so that my feet lost their purchase on his hard stomach.

My feet dropped to the cool rock of the cave floor and I cried out as he lifted me off the ground by my hair.

My feet kicked out for purchase and I watched as long, soft strands of my beautiful silver hair slid past me to puddle on the ground. Tears of pain and anger filled my eyes. Suddenly I realized I had only one weapon left. I’d have to mess with his mind. He’d already shown he wasn’t a good guardian of his temper. Maybe if I got him angry enough he’d make a mistake I could take advantage of. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had.

“What a stud!” I said to him in derision soaked tones. “You get to beat up the magic blocked Monad Warrior. You apparently aren’t man enough to fight me with my full power.”

Aubrie threw back his head and laughed, his grip on my hair tightening as he lifted me higher. “Nice try, Monad. But my ego isn’t nearly so fragile as you obviously assume. You will have your chance to fight me on equal terms. But right now I have a mission to complete, and your chance to redeem yourself will have to wait.”

He lowered me back to the floor. “I am surprised you’re still wearing the thing though. Apparently the half-breed feels threatened by you.”

Surprisingly, he seemed to be making an effort to reign in his aura. Yanking me closer, he turned toward the passageway that would take us out of the cave.

I stumbled as he pulled me forward, my eyes swinging with yearning toward my dropped pile of clothing. It seemed I was destined to march around and between worlds in my natural suit.

I just prayed Aubrie would take me quickly where I needed to go. I didn’t relish the attention I’d be getting by his warriors.

We entered the room where we’d slept and Ian and I had made love. The room was empty now, a few discarded scraps of cloth all that was left of Ian and our magicked bed. I felt tears sliding down my cheeks and told myself they were pain induced. But I knew the real reason had more to do with what I’d lost than what I was facing.

Aubrie stopped suddenly and glanced around the room. I felt him stiffen a heart beat before the air at the entrance to the cave shimmered.

I watched as the air seemed to split apart and the tall, dark angel of my deliverance emerged. Ian stood before us, his torso bare and a fine sheen of sweat covering his face and chest. He held his hands out to his sides, fingers down and twitching. His handsome face showed signs of a fight, blood dripped down one cheek from a cut under his left eye. His brown eyes were narrowed with rage.

Aubrie yanked me forward and pulled me up against his chest. I sighed as I felt his skin begin to heat again.

“Hiding behind the girl, elf?”

Owe, owe, owe!

Aubrie’s aura blew away from him, hitting me in the back like a ton of rock and knocking the air from my lungs. I fell to my knees, feeling as if I’d been caught in an explosion.

There was a whoosh of air as both men flew off the ground and I heard them crash together above me. I closed my eyes in pain.
Please gods, let Ian win.

Chapter
Twelve

To RiverIsle

S
parks flew around me as the elf and the Elfaery exchanged magical fire with abandon. I slid toward a niche in the rock wall of the cave and sat up, wishing with all my heart that I didn’t have the stupid metal band on my wrist that was locking me out of the battle.

Above me, Ian and Aubrie flung power at each other and followed it up with flesh pounding punches whenever they got close enough. I grimaced, seeing Ian tire as Aubrie hit him repeatedly with blasts of his own, violently red aura. For the first time I wondered if Ian’s split genealogy would be a detriment for him, rather than an unpredictably powerful cocktail of powers that could easily destroy an enemy.

As he slammed to the cave’s rock floor a couple of feet away from me, panting and bleeding profusely, I was starting to get worried. But then he turned to me and winked before shooting back up to hit Aubrie with a full body slam that carried them both well into the next room. I heard a splash as one or both of them apparently hit the pool.

Shaking my head I pushed to my feet. There had to be something I could do.

My toe nudged against something on the ground and I looked down. Ian’s long knife lay there, forgotten. Cold, Elvin silver gleamed up at me. The knife looked well used.

I reached down and picked it up, hefting it in my hands to get a feel for its weight and balance. The knife shivered and glowed until, true to legend, it was just the right composition to fit my grip, like it was made for me. Were I to hand it over to a three hundred pound, well-muscled warrior with hands like plates, the knife would reconfigure itself to match his strength and size.

I smiled, swinging the knife to get a feel for it. I glanced toward the door where the two men had disappeared. Maybe I could be of some help to Ian after all.

A sound outside the mouth of the cave distracted me. I faded back into my little wall crevice, trying to make myself invisible. The crevice wasn’t nearly big enough to hide me, I’d have to hope our latest intruder was momentarily blinded by the switch from bright sun to the low levels of light in the cave.

I focused hard on the door, always conscious of my need to stay close to Ian. If he got too far away…

The cave door darkened.

A large form filled the space.

I squinted to see the outline of the thing, the bright sun blaring around it, obscuring its details from me.

Whatever it was it was huge.

It stamped its foot and snorted.

And then, amazingly, it broke into two parts.

I grimaced and stepped out of my niche.

Queen Faerydae stood with a hand on Broud’s massive neck. “Hello, spirit.”

Making a show of holding the knife out at my side, in ready stance, I glared at the beautiful elf. “Queen Faerydae. Are you looking for Aubrie by chance?”

She cocked her head, her beautiful eyes sparking with some emotion. “Why yes, I am. Have you seen him?”

I took a step toward her, holding the knife slightly in front of my body.

Broud snorted and tossed his magnificent head, stepping toward me as if to protect his queen.

Faerydae stayed him with a hand on his massive, black chest. “Nay friend. Bleurf ponsa. Keila, frisse.”

I didn’t speak Elvin tongue, but I had some idea what she’d told her elegant sidekick. He stood glaring at me and I had a feeling if I moved the wrong way I’d quickly be wearing about a ton of horsehair on my back.

I gave the queen a slightly hostile smile. Deciding the direct approach would save time and get me to the place where I could kick her ass much more quickly. “Did you send Aubrie to attack us?”

Faerydae’s laugh was musical, geared to disarm and entice. But I was immune to such tricks and had to repress a shiver of revulsion as it ran down my spine. “You’ve become overly paranoid little spirit. I am merely searching Aubrie out to engage him in a problem we have at our Southern border.”

I lifted an eyebrow cynically. “What problem would that be?”

She turned toward the door into the next chamber, her beautiful face darkening with anger as Ian emerged, covered in blood but looking smug none-the-less. I frowned. If I didn’t know better I’d think she was unhappy to see him alive.

Oh yeah, I didn’t know better. That possibility currently sat high on my list.

Ian stopped at the sight of her. His handsome face, though ripped and torn, showed clearly his surprise at her presence in the cave. He hid it quickly, but not before everyone in the cave had seen it.

Ian bowed slightly, “My queen. What brings you here?”

Faerydae belatedly threw her elegant, white hands over her mouth. “My pet, what has occurred? You look like you’ve mated with a harpy.”

I frowned. Now that was uncalled for.

Ian, as if reading my thoughts chuckled and studiously avoided my gaze. “Nay, Faerydae, I’ve just been playing power tag with your favorite courtesan, Aubrie.”

Faerydae’s eyes widened in an obviously manufactured act of surprise. “Aubrie is here? And you have battled with him?”

Ian shook his head. “Do not play your games with me, Faerydae. You are very much aware that Aubrie is here, that is why you are here. The question remains, are you here to fetch him back before he kills anyone? Or did you come to make sure he accomplished what you’ve asked him to do?”

Her expression of anger seemed much closer to genuine than her surprise had been. “That is outrageous, Ian Lavelle. And beneath contempt. I have done nothing that would lead you to believe such a thing.”

“Nothing beyond showing up
after
Aubrie attacks us.” I added helpfully.

Ian threw me a warning look and then turned back to Faerydae. “How did you know we were here, Faerydae?”

“I did not! I was merely following Aubrie.”

Ian didn’t seem to believe this any more than I did. “Why?”

Faerydae nearly stamped her small foot in obvious vexation. It was clear she was unused to answering to others about her activities. “It is really none of your affair, but since you insist in assuming the worst of my motives, I will tell you.”

Ian cocked an eyebrow and said nothing. Clearly waiting for the explanation the queen seemed less than eager to provide.

Faerydae trembled visibly. Her aura flared to red but she made an obvious effort to subdue her temper and it slowly faded back to pink. She reached to stroke Broud’s glossy neck as she spoke.

“Drake is back. He’s attacked Aelfdane again, on our southern border.”

Ian glanced at me, his dark eyes unreadable. His gaze flicked over my nakedness and he tossed me the wad of clothing he held in one hand.

I caught them with a feeling of relief. My clothes! I could kiss him. But unfortunately, when I looked up he’d already forgotten me.

“Are you certain it’s Drake?” Apparently we were back to believing Faerydae. Damn!

Faerydae nodded, her jewel colored eyes sparking in anger. “My seers saw him clearly. He has gathered an even larger army than last time and they move through the Wood in deadly silence.”

I pulled my clothing on quickly, glancing at Ian and Faerydae as they spoke. Ian looked worried.

“This is no coincidence.”

Faerydae shook her head, her eyes locked on Ian, filled with an unspoken message. “Nay.”

Ian moved closer to the Elvin queen. I slid his long knife into the belt of my tunic and followed. I had to bite my lip to keep from asking all the questions churning through my mind. Who the hell was Drake? And what did his attack on Faerydae’s kingdom mean?

Ian stopped in front of Broud and reached a hand to stroke the beautiful creature’s soft nose. Broud lowered his head and narrowed his eyes with pleasure. When I stepped close, the damnable creature’s head shot up and he fixed me with a gimlet eye, stamping one huge, feathered foot in temper.

I glared back at him.

Ian leaned close to Faerydae. “Why did you not send one of your warriors to gather Aubrie? Seems a dangerous mission for you alone.”

Faerydae shook her head, sending floor-length spirals of silky midnight colored hair swarming around her slender frame. She glanced at Broud. “I am safe when I am with Broud.”

Broud lowered his giant head and nuzzled her like an enormous puppy.

Ian merely cocked an eyebrow at her.

Faerydae made an impatient noise and leaned close, speaking to Ian in an almost inaudible voice. I leaned closer too and was wacked on the back of my head for my troubles by a thick black tail.

“Ouch!” I glared at the Unicorn and he danced from foot to foot, looking for all the world as if he were feeling playful.

“I trust no one, my pet. I knew Aubrie would come to you so when I learned that he was searching for you I followed. I came only to protect. I swear. I know not who in my castle is part of this plot. Until I do, I will serve as my own messenger whenever possible. It is the only safe way.”

Ian stared at her for a moment and then did something I would never have predicted. He reached out and gathered up a soft fall of Faerydae’s hair and wrapped It around one hand with a twist of his wrist. Then I watched as he lifted the soft strands to his face, touching his lips to the thick silk as he bowed over it. “I apologize for my suspicions, my queen. You can imagine that I must be careful now.”

Faerydae nodded, looking appeased. Her aura had faded back to silver. “Where is Aubrie now?”

Ian jerked his head toward the pool chamber of the cave. “Sleeping off a terrible headache I presume.”