In Rapture (Destined) (24 page)

“Did
no one teach you the lineage of your ancestry?”

“I’m
afraid my mother passed before she could teach me everything I would need to
know about the heritage of Lena.” The sadness that crossed her face was easy to
decipher.

“Then
we have a lot to discuss.” And discuss they did. They spent the rest of the
morning talking about their life experiences and trading stories about the way
their secret abilities had sculpted their lives. Malinda told Lysandra about
the Seven Sisters who had ascended to Lena, a higher plateau of existence that
was a safe haven for all the women who came after. She shared the sadness the
Sisters felt as their followers had abandoned their visits to the magical
realm. She explained her desire to teach others how to use their skills to
visit Lena and learn from the magic that was cataloged in the ancient Library
of Ages that carried the answers to almost any question in the universe. After
a while exhaustion took her body and Lysandra suggested that she get some rest.

When
Malinda felt more relaxed and ready to move about she met Lysandra and the
children outside. They heard the children laughing as they wove in and out of
the trees in the orchard. Malinda chuckled when she saw three pairs of legs
dangling from the trees. The other children looked up in awe at the triplets as
they hung from different branches, for they were not quite tall enough to climb
up the trees. They spent hours out in the sun, relaxed by the cheerful camaraderie
that had fallen into place between them.

They
were all walking to the gardens to pick flowers when the wind changed suddenly
around them. The gentle breeze that had blown through the hills moments before
was suddenly brewing dangerously around them. Malinda found Lysandra eyeing the
air around her and was not surprised when she started to call the children
closer to her before turning to Malinda. “We should get them inside.”

“I
couldn’t agree more, Lysandra.” They ushered the children indoors quickly and
helped them up to the nursery to play. They put the maids in charge of their
care and started to seek out their husbands.

When
Malinda walked into the den Grant and Aiden were in a deep discussion. Grant
looked up to her and Malinda almost melted at the concern housed inside his
golden eyes. “We’re sorry to interrupt, but we fear there is mischief afoot.”

Lysandra
rushed forward to clasp her husband’s hand. “Aiden, there is trouble not far
from here. The Lair is at it again, I just know it.”

Malinda
had expected derision to light up Aiden’s face, much as she would have expected
in her own husband, but he nodded to her and looked over at Grant. “We have a
few men with us. How many can you gather?”

“Several
of Marshal’s garrison are housed near the outskirts of Wickford. They have been
staying there to help protect our people. We can go there at once.” The men
started out the door and the women followed them. Aiden did not dare to try to
stop his wife from coming along, but Grant had turned to address his wife. “You
should stay here.”

“I’m
going with you, Grant Timberlin. Just you try and stop me!” Her hair crackled
around her in annoyance and she bristled further when she heard Aiden chuckle
next to Grant.

“Don’t
mind Aiden, dear. He can be an ass sometimes. Of course you’re coming with us.
By the feel of it we can use all the help we can get.” Lysandra smiled warmly
at her.

Malinda
expected Grant to argue further, but Aiden had put a hand on his arm in a
gesture that advised against it. “Fight the battles you can win, my friend.”

At
first Grant had wanted to take a cart, but Lysandra had assured them they would
travel much faster on horseback. She then went on to inform Grant that she had
traveled by horseback for most of her pregnancies, that his wife would be just
fine. Malinda passed a grateful glance her way before they saddled up four
horses. They rode to rally up Marshal’s men as swiftly as the horses could
carry them. When they got there the men changed their tunics and breeches into
leather armor that covered every inch of their bodies. Some of the men wore a
light chain mail over the leather and heavy metal helms that protected their
heads. They climbed onto the horses that had small shields attached to their
sides.

Malinda
felt the wind blow furiously around her and looked over at Lysandra. “About twenty
to the north, I’d say.”

“I
got the same thing. Less than a half day’s travel from here and headed in our
direction, I suspect.”

Malinda
felt the adrenaline surge through her veins as the men pointed their horses to
the north. Malinda and Lysandra followed toward the back of the party with a
few men that had been ordered to protect them. The farther they traveled, the
more the winds roared in their ears. They could only hope that everyone
survived the evil that they would soon encounter.

Chapter 30

The
men had charged farther ahead, leaving the women with just a few escorts
surrounding them. Malinda heard a loud battle cry run through the forest and
then a clash of sword against sword. She looked over at Lysandra and nodded as
she spurred her horse forward. The adrenaline of the moment forced them forward
with no thought to their own safety, only to protect the men they loved. When
Malinda saw the battle that ensued before her she was mystified. Malinda had
assumed that the men would all be sword fighting, for the crashing sounds of
metal interrupted the silence. Some men were fighting with swords, some with
axes, but the majority of the fray was mixed up with a wild frenzied fighting
of claws and teeth. She watched as men who were carrying swords dropped them
and changed swiftly before her eyes. She expected their clothing and armor to
be ripped to shreds, as the forms shifted almost violently before, and had
always assumed the painful tales of shifting had been true, but these
werewolves that fought within the trees had shifted as if it were nothing. She
wondered what their appearance would be when they shifted back.

Malinda
steered her horse closer and her breath caught in her throat as swarm upon
swarm of beasts launched themselves at Marshal’s men. She needed to lash out at
the beasts, but she did not have the ability to concentrate on keeping her
mount and conjuring up magic at the same time. Malinda watched in awe of the
battle before her, having never actually seen one first hand. It was clear that
they had been evenly matched until more beasts came racing through the break of
trees. Malinda could not help feeling like the men were being ambushed.

An
arrow zoomed past her breaking her reverie and she jerked back on the reins to
make her horse come to a stop. She dismounted and caught her bearings on the
ground below her, for her legs felt a little wobbly from their jarring run
through the woods. She stood next to Lysandra, who now had both feet planted on
the ground as well. Malinda quickly worked on a shield of energy that would
protect both women and its golden light echoed around them. She knew her shield
was strong enough to protect two people, but could not risk weakening its
resolution by casting it further around them. Malinda wished she could shield
all of them, but her powers were not that defined.

“We
have to help them!” Malinda looked at Lysandra desperately.

“I’m
on it.” Lysandra’s brown hair rose around her with small jolts of light
crackling around her. A loud boom echoed around them and bolts of lightning
rained down on the battle before them. A few bolts smashed into unsuspecting
werewolves, who screamed in agonizing pain before sizzling into a pile of black
ash on the ground. The wind picked up, creating a large funnel of air that
twisted dangerously around them.

Malinda
looked at Lysandra in awe and shook her head. She had no idea that their
abilities could be so extensively powerful. Malinda did her best to concentrate
amidst the madness that surrounded her. She conjured fireballs and sent the
flaming projectiles as fast as she could create them. Every so often a fireball
would knock her opponent into Lysandra’s cyclone, and she could see the furry beasts
trying desperately to escape the deadly funnel.

Malinda
closed her eyes and sent a prayer into the winds for any of her feathered
friends to take flight and join the battle against the evil before them. She
sent out a plea for any forest beasts to come assist them in vanquishing the
villainous Lair and desperately hoped that they would come swiftly to their
aid, for just when they thought they had evened the odds more wolves started to
charge through the forest. Malinda had no idea how many werewolves the Lair had
recruited, but it was clear that they had a massive number of monsters enlisted
in their ranks. A swarm of black birds circled high above the treetops before
diving down to gouge at the members of the Lair before them. These large ravens
were followed by larger birds of prey, with wingspans larger than the width of
any man's arms when spread open like an eagle. So many different varieties of
fowl flew into the sky followed by the loud rumbling sounds of something larger
that pounded the ground as it approached. A great number of black bears,
coyotes, and mountain lions were entering the fray.

“Thank
you, my friends. You put yourself at great risk for the common good of all. The
universe will not forget, and neither will I.” Malinda nodded solemnly to the
animals that now fought against the Lair.

Malinda
saw Lysandra’s face as Aiden’s silver wolf form was surrounded by wolves.
Lysandra’s eyes widened and her hands shook with electricity, then they
suddenly turned toward the ground. The energy was released into the ground and
a small sliver of earth split open before her, creating a large shock wave of
rumbling earth that shook all the way over to where Aiden stood. The ground
surrounding him agitated and the cracks became large holes of darkness that
threatened to swallow the wolves whole. Three of the five wolves fell into a pitch-black
void, and the ground closed up over them. The other two wolves backed away in
alarm, and then retreated into the woods.

Malinda
saw the same black wolf with the red streaks on his forehead: Seamus Finnigan.
He was gnashing his teeth at Grant and seemed to signal the other wolves nearby
to circle around Grant. Malinda saw the wolves taking turns charging at her
husband, who had shifted into the form of a large brown bear. Seamus leapt onto
his back and attempted to latch on to the bunch of fur that fell just below his
neck. Malinda’s green eyes lit up with an emerald fire that leapt out of her
eyes and surrounded her like a large bonfire. She ran across the forest, a
large wall of flame flowing behind her in her wake. The birds of prey circled
around her, bodyguards ready to launch at any attacker who dared to challenge
her. The wolves that did attempt to attack her were surprised when the flames
bit at their fur and burrowed into their skin like acid. They backed away from
her despite the growling commands coming from Seamus. Malinda started to
conjure icy arrows, then sent one after the other barreling into Seamus’s body.
The wolf released the claws that held onto Grant and turned to bare his teeth
to her before limping away in defeat with three arrows sticking in various
places on his side.

Malinda
looked around her to see that the Lair had retreated, and while they had lost a
handful of men from Marshal’s Army, there were a score of enemy bodies
littering the forest floor. The werewolves had turned to their true forms the
instant life had left their bodies. Tears drowned Malinda’s eyes, for there was
such a waste of humanity before her. These people, who held so much power,
could have done good things for their world, but instead had chosen greed and
destruction. She shook the sadness away and leaned down to check over Grant. He
had shifted back to his human form and was holding his shoulder in pain.

“How
bad is it?” Malinda knelt down next to him and pushed his hand out of the way.
She saw the way he flinched when she touched him and she backed away slowly.

“It’s
just a flesh wound.” Grant grimaced as he struggled to sit up and looked away
from her.

“You’re
repulsed, aren’t you? I knew it.” Malinda started to walk away, a storm of
tears gathered behind her eyes.

“What?
No. It’s not that, Malinda. Wait.” Grant wanted to stop her from leaving, but
watched helplessly as she ran to where she had left her horse. He looked to
Aiden for assistance, but the man raised his shoulders helplessly.

Lysandra
rolled her eyes at both of the men, then shook her head. She walked to her
horse, mounted up, and then followed after Malinda. It was not difficult to
catch up to her new friend. “Malinda, wait.”

Malinda
stopped her horse and turned to look at Lysandra. “Did you see the way he
looked at me?”

“Yes.
I saw, but I think perhaps you have interpreted the situation incorrectly.”

“My
abilities sickened him, any fool could see that.”

“No.
Any fool could not see that. I did see a man who was ashamed, Malinda, but he
was not ashamed of you. He was ashamed because he had not been able to protect
his wife. Men are sometimes imprudent like that. They think they have to be the
strong ones; that they have to protect every single being around them. He
probably suffers from strong feelings of ineptitude right now. You have to give
him a chance to explain himself to you; for you, for your family, for the child
you carry inside you.”