Return to the Shadows (17 page)

I’ll send someone to fetch you and your
companion then. Unless you would rather eat in this room.”

“No,” I quickly told him. “Aries and I will
go back to the surface and eat with the men.”

“Of course,” he snorted, turning to go.

“Because it’s cold down here,” I told his
retreating form a second before the door shut firmly behind
him.

“Well,” Aries said brightly. “We found him.
How about that?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, sinking down to the cot
nearest the door.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.” I cupped my hands and blew into them.
“I’m fine. We found him and that’s what matters. Lord, it’s so cold
in here!” I shivered and rubbed both hands together, not wanting to
talk about Mark and his surly attitude right then. Not when I was
still reeling with it. No, I decided, it was better to stay on
safe, normal subjects—like freezing to death. “Aren’t you cold?” I
demanded, glaring at Aries. She wasn’t even shivering.

“Yes, it is chilly down here.” She exhaled,
and I took small, petty comfort in the icy puff of breath. I wasn’t
the only one that was damn uncomfortable.

“I don’t suppose there are any blankets
stashed down here.”

“No, it doesn’t look like it,” she smiled
apologetically. “Unless you want to go investigate?”

“Not on your life.” I shook my head. “The
last thing we need is to get lost inside this mountain, or run into
who only knows what. No, I guess we won’t freeze to death in two
hours.”

“Let’s hope not.”

We spent the next couple of hours in silence,
each of us seemingly lost in our own thoughts and half-heartedly
trying to sleep; though of course, neither of us did. But we did
get some much needed rest…or rather, Aries probably did. While my
body got some badly needed down time, my mind was anything but
restful. My thoughts churned with an inner turmoil that made it
difficult to concentrate on any one thing and all but impossible to
hold still for more than a few minutes at a time. It seemed I was
constantly shifting around on the cot in a hopeless attempt to get
comfortable, and things didn’t improve when later that night, we
sat across a clearing from Mark, surrounded by his men, to share
the evening meal. I could feel all eyes upon us as we dined as a
group, cross-legged around several small fires. A few times I
thought I felt Mark staring at me, but when I turned to look at
him, he was never so much as glancing in my direction. It was as if
I had ceased to exist for him. No matter, I told myself, a trace of
iron creeping into my spine.

Who needs him anyway?

***

We were nearing a small cluster of villages;
it was impossible to determine our exact location, but I could see
groupings of peaked roofs and chimneys down below. The clouds
weren’t quite so thick here.

Every mile traveled away from the mountains
meant drastically clearer surroundings to behold. Once the urge to
vomit passed, I had to admit the scene below was truly amazing. The
sight directly around Mark and me wasn’t bad either. Jeweled birds
as far as the eye could see, carrying an army of warriors and
Aries, looking every bit the warrior princess.

Mark had been clearly amused at my reaction
when, with a strange call, he’d gathered the mass of Aragazzi to
the top of the mountain. I’d gasped and taken a hasty step toward
Aries—well, clutched her arm in terror really—so certain was I that
we were about to face retribution for killing a member of the
bejeweled flock on our way up the mountain. But no attack came;
these birds, Mark had explained, had been tamed and were perfectly
safe. In fact, they were our transportation off the mountain. I’d
made Aries climb onto hers first.

She looked at home on the bird, among the
soldiers. The half-naked soldiers, I suddenly reflected with a wry
smile. Marta would have a fit. There were two things that she hated
with a passion—heathens and things that pooped in her grass, and in
a matter of minutes we were about to land one hundred or so five
hundred pound birds right on her immaculate front lawn. Plus, over
two hundred men.

“This will not go well…” I muttered.

“What did you say?”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” I snapped.

“Don’t you talk to me that way.”

“I said I’m not talking to you.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Hey, look, there’s Bob and Marta’s house.” I
pointed suddenly, leaning forward for a better view.

“I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“Just land the damn bird, Mark.”

One by one we descended, landing smoothly in
a long row on the expanse of lawn in front of the sprawling
two-story house. I climbed down to stand on legs that felt like
rubber, surveying the group.

“Marta’s going to have a heart attack.”

Mark simply shrugged, turned on his heel, and
stalked away from me.

“Where are you going?”

“To check on my men,” he tossed over his
shoulder, “Not that it’s any business of yours.”

“You know what you are?” I started forward,
indignant.

“Well, that answers my question,” Aries broke
in before I had the chance to tell Mark what I thought of his sour
attitude.

“What question?”

“I was going to ask how it’s going with
Mark.”

“He’s about as warm as a grizzly bear, that’s
how it’s going,” I muttered, still trying to reorient myself with
solid ground.

“I see that.” Her remark was light, but there
was empathy in her gaze.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not here to socialize
with the man,” I replied defensively, but before I could say
anything further on the matter, I was interrupted by a loud
screech—several of them, in fact.

“My boy! You’ve come home at last!”

“Mama, you’re back!”

“Hello, Marta.” Mark stepped forward to
accept the woman’s embrace just as Ashley rushed forward and caught
me around the knees.

“Hey, peanut, were you good like I told
you?”

“Yep,” she nodded, only to fall silent a mere
second later, her eyes growing big as saucers as she stared up at
the sky. “Birds!” she shouted, her little face lighting up with
excitement. “Look Mama,
birds
—big ones!”

“What—” Marta began to sputter, shoving her
long lost “son” away from her and turning to gape at the sky.

“Oh boy,” I muttered. “Here it comes.”

Silence reigned as ten birds on the lawn
became more than one hundred. Marta’s eyes bulged a little more
with each landing and subsequent squawk until finally, her eyes
narrowed dangerously on all of us.

“What is going on here? Why are
those...things…on my lawn?” she demanded.

“Mama?” Mark echoed, his dazed expression
shifting between me and Ashley, who was still latched onto my legs,
jumping up and down and yelling, “birds!”

“What is going on here? Well? Answer me.
Someone had better explain this right now. Mark, what is this…this
vermin doing in the yard?” She gestured angrily to the mass of
birds that stood looking over the scene with casual interest in
their shrewd eyes. Marta treated each one to a fierce scowl before
turning back to Mark.

“They’re not vermin. Those are war birds,” he
said by way of explanation before turning to treat me to a scowl
that rivaled the one Marta had leveled on the birds. “I need to
talk to you, Claire.”

“Someone had better tell me what is going
on,” Marta threatened. “Right this minute.”

“Aries will explain everything. Claire and I
will be back shortly.”

“Okay, I’ll just get Ashley settled—”

“Now.” There was steel in his voice.

“In a minute,” I countered, standing toe to
toe, glare for glare.

“What’s your name?” he asked, bending down to
Ashley’s level.

“Ashley.” She regarded him through wary
eyes.

“Ashley, would it be okay if I talked to your
mom for a minute?”

“I guess so.”

“Thank you. I’ll bring her right back. Can
you stay with Marta until we return?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go.” I spun around, leading the way
into the blessedly cool silence of the mansion.

“Yes, let’s,” he snapped, taking the lead and
marching straight to the library at the back of the house.

“Mark, what in the hell was that out there?
What’s this about?” I demanded angrily once he had firmly shut and
locked the door behind us.

“Why don’t you tell me?” His voice was deadly
calm.

“Tell you what?” I fired back. “That you
scared my daughter? That you’re acting like a Neanderthal right
now? Sure, I would be glad to tell you all about it. Now suppose
you tell me what your problem is?”

“You want to know what my problem is?” His
tone was incredulous.

“You know what? Now that I think about it,
no, actually I don’t want to know.”

“She called you mom.”

“Ashley?” I frowned, thoroughly confused by
the turn of the conversation and wondering at his accusing
tone.

“Yes. Ashley.”

“She’s mine.” I spoke slowly, enunciating
clearly as though speaking to a very young child.

“Your daughter.” His frown deepened.

“Yes. My daughter. She’s six years old. She’s
not yours,” I added sarcastically.

“No kidding.”

“So what are you getting at?”

“Who’s her father?”

“Who is her…are you serious? Is that what
this is about?”

“Who is he, Claire?”

“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully.

“You don’t know?” Mark’s brows shot
skyward.

“No, I don’t know. Not that it’s any business
of yours,” I said, using his words against him and gaining immense
satisfaction in the process.

“It damn well is my business!” he roared.

“Since when?” I yelled back.

“It’s my business when you’re sleeping with
me!”

“No, Mark, not ‘sleeping’ with you—slept,” I
stressed bitterly. “I slept with you—past tense. That makes it
still none of your business.”

“What else did you conveniently ‘forget’ to
tell me about, Claire? Are you married? What did your husband think
about you spending your nights beneath me?”

My jaw dropped in shock at his tirade and I
thought about telling him to go straight to hell and marching out
of the library. Two things stopped me from giving into the sudden
impulse. One, I had the feeling I wouldn’t get very far, and two, I
couldn’t in good conscience let him think that I was married.

Letting him think that our time together had
been a betrayal would have been cruel and completely untrue.

He didn’t deserve that, even if he was acting
like a world class jackass.

“I’ve never been married.”

“Then how is it you have a daughter? And one
who is six years old at that? Why didn’t you tell me about her
before?”

“There was nothing to tell. I’ve only been
Ashley’s mother for a little over a year now. I don’t know who her
father is because I adopted her. I don’t know who her mother was
either; both of her parents are dead.”

“I-I’m sorry, Claire.” He paused, and after
several long moments, scrubbed a hand over his face.

“She’s from here, from Terlain.”

“How?”

“I found her the day I…left.”

“I see.”

“Yes. So…yes.” I exhaled, at a loss for words
and desperately searching for something to focus on besides Mark’s
intense gaze. “Well, no,” I blurted. “No, you don’t see. I found my
brother the day I...disappeared. We were under attack by the guards
and we had to escape with Ashley, so we crossed the portal. I’m
sorry you thought I was dead.” I murmured that part quietly.

“I have work to do,” he stated with an
abruptness that shattered the quiet of the library, startling
me.

“Wait,” I said on impulse, immediately
wishing I could take back the word.

“Wait? That’s rich coming from you, Claire.”
He laughed humorlessly.

“That’s not what I meant,” I argued.

“What could you possibly have to say now? I
think we’re done here.”

“I guess we are,” I managed. Why had I
thought my explanation would make any difference to him now? It was
obvious that, to him at least, the damage had already been done. In
his mind, there was nothing that I could say to fix this.

“It sure looks that way,” he coolly
replied.

“That’s what I just said,” I snapped,
irritated with him for being stubborn and rude. In truth, his
reaction on the mountain still stung. He hadn’t even looked
relieved to discover I was alive.

“Fine,” he shot back, slamming the door on
his way out.

“Ignorant jackass,” I muttered.

***

“And just how am I supposed to feed all of
those men?”

“I don’t know, Marta,” I sighed wearily,
wishing for the night to be over and done with already. I had the
beginnings of what promised to be a raging headache creeping up on
me, and as far as I was concerned, bedtime couldn’t possibly come
soon enough.

“Don’t worry about feeding them, Marta,”
Aries reassured the old woman.

I flashed my friend a grateful smile for
coming to my rescue yet again and continued marking the map I had
laid out before me on the kitchen table.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marta scoffed. “Just
because they’re heathens doesn’t mean I’m going to let them starve
to death.”

“I meant only that the men are very capable.
I’ve already set them up in the guest quarters at the rear of the
property. They can hunt for themselves and cook their own
meals.”

“They are still going to need some basic
foodstuffs,” I pointed out. “Coffee, flour, salt—things to cook
with.”

“My guess is they’ve made do with less, but
when you’re done with the map, we can go shopping. If you’re up to
it that is,” she offered, fanning her long black hair away from her
neck.

“I’ll be lucky to finish this within the next
decade.” I sighed and set my pen aside for the moment. “There are
so many different cities and townships and territories in Terlain.
That’s not even counting the unincorporated areas. And I’m not all
that familiar with which areas started out as protected zones and
which were not.”