The League of Illusion: Legacy (13 page)

“Don’t think I haven’t suffered as well. With every angry thought over the past years, there was longing too.”

He gave her a small smile, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin of her hand. “Oh, my love. I don’t deserve you. Rhys is right about me, as was your father.”

“Rhys was angry and hurt, and my father may be a great man but he’s flawed in many ways when it comes to his only daughter.”

“He only wishes you to be with the best man. A man who can honor and love and protect you.”

“I know.” She leaned forward and covered his lips with her own. The kiss was soft and gentle, and it drove a spear through his heart. When she pulled back, she cupped his cheek with her hand. “Have I not found that man?”

He wished to yell, “Yes! Yes, you’ve found him,” but in reality he wasn’t so sure. Love and protect were easy to do. But honor. He wasn’t sure he had any of that left. It had been seven years since he’d lost his and he’d been trying ever since to gain it back. Had he succeeded? He didn’t know.

His hesitation had her pulling away. She dropped her hand and took a distancing step back. “Seven years is a long time to wait for someone, Jovan. I may be a Druid and will certainly live to be over a hundred, but my heart is human and is not as patient.” She opened the door and walked out.

He stood there, unmoving, staring at the closed door, willing her to return, until the bite of the cold in the cabin forced him to slip on the dry shirt and button it up.

Chapter Nineteen

After changing into a simple frock and stiff overcoat, Skylar spent most of the trip to Salisbury wandering the top deck of the ship. She was tired, to be sure, but she couldn’t sleep. Especially since a constant wind up high sent the ship rocking back and forth. It was enough to make her nauseated.

She was leaning over the side of the bow, watching the darkness of the land below, speckled every once in a while by a torch or ca the nt>

“C’est magnifique, non?”

“Yes, it’s quite beautiful.”

Genevieve took in a deep breath of crisp cool air. “Here in the sky is the only place I feel truly free.” She gave Skylar a sidelong look. “You know this feeling?”

Skylar nodded. “I do, but it must be difficult for a woman to stay that way up here.”

The captain eyed Skylar intently. “This is true. But I have my ways and wiles.” She wiggled her thick eyebrows.

This made Skylar laugh. She liked this woman. She was full of life and devoid of fear, it seemed.

The next few minutes, they stared out the vast dark land spread out before them in a comfortable silence. Then Genevieve asked, “You love this Jovan, no?”

“Maybe.” She didn’t meet the woman’s direct gaze.

“That is a yes, I think.”

Skylar remained stoic on the subject.

“He loves you too,” Genevieve said. “I see it in his eyes.”

“It’s complicated.”

She sighed. “It always is.” And she gave Skylar a cheeky grin. “This makes it worth fighting for.”

Skylar completely agreed. She just wished Jovan felt the same way. She’d been waiting years for Jovan to find his way back to her. But he was so bogged down in guilt that he’d lost all the fight inside him.

“You and Rhys are?”

Genevieve laughed. “Oh no,
ma chère.
We are just friends. I am not the right type of woman for him.”

“How did you meet?” Skylar was surprised that Rhys and this woman were acquainted. She didn’t seem like a person Rhys would normally associate with.

“Through a mutual friend.” She pushed away from the ledge. “I must return to my duties. Do not fall out,
d’accord?
”

Skylar nodded as the fiery captain marched back to the middle of the ship, the enormous ostrich feathers in her tall hat bouncing as she walked. She wondered if the captain had another hat so she could cover the disaster that was her own hair. Her flat tangles paled in comparison to the woman’s vibrant curls. She felt naked without her hat, it was too bad she’d lost it in the river.

Jovan had yet to come out on deck. Rhys was absent as well. She assumed he was stewing in his own cabin too. For two grown men, they both acted like petulant children. She was glad to have the deck to herself. She needed some peace. She hadn’t had any since stepping back into the Davenports’ lives. And she suspected even after this quest was finished, she wouldn’t find any for the rest of her life. Her feelings for Jovan were evident of that. Like it or not, she was bound to him for an eternity. For a Druid, that was an awfully long time.

* * *

By the time Jovan emerged from below deck, dawn had washed the horizon with a pale pink and yellow glow. Facing east, Skylar was sitting cross-legged on the deck, her eyes closed, communing with the sun. But she still knew the second his gaze was upon her. A shiver of awareness brushed over her skin.

“Why is it you’re always sneaking up on me when I am in communion?”

“I suppose it’s the only time I can.”

Smiling, she opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder at him. He’d changed into the other clothes the captain had provided him, a pair of plain trousers and a linen shirt and black waistcoat. His hair was a bit unruly and her fingers itched to touch the soft waves.

To finish her ritual, Skylar turned back to face the sun, bent her head and chanted the ancient Druid closing prayer. Then she got to her feet and joined Jovan at the rail. A flood of sunlight swept over the green fields. It was a beautiful sight, and Skylar soaked it all in, filling her soul. “We should be there soon.”

“The captain said we should be descending within the hour.”

“What do you make of our captain?”

He frowned, scratching the whispers growing on his chin. “Surprising. Especially that Rhys knows her, and well, I take it.” He shook his head. “I’m beginning to realize I don’t know my brother like I thought I did.”

“If by well you mean carnally,” Rhys said from behind them, “then no, not all that well.”

He joined them at the side, sliding in next to Jovan. It was an acceptance of his apology, she thought. Too proud to say it out loud.

She took him in, rumpled clothing and hair and all. She had never seen Rhys unkempt. He had always been impeccably dressed and groomed. But she had to admit, seeing him like this made her smile. It reminded her of the early days.

He noticed, and it made him even more miserable. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason,” she said, hiding her grin, “Did you sleep at all?”

“A little. You?”

She shook her head. “Too much rocking.”

Jovan put his hand on the small of her back like he used to when they were together. He did it all the time then, especially at reflective moments. She glanced at him and smiled. He returned it, and she began to feel that maybe everything would work out the way it was supposed to.

Genevieve shouted from atop the deck. “Prepare to land!”

Her crew scattered about, pulling ropes, changing the slope of sails and releasing the gas from the two balloons that kept the ship afloat.

Skylar was mesmerized as they descended and the town of Salisbury came into view in the distance. With a number of buildings and proper streets, it was a large settlement. Thousands of people. Finding someone who had met Sebastian five years ago wasn’t going to be easy.

The ship docked at a small landing strip just outside the town proper. The crew tied off the main ropes then a ramp was lowered for them to disembark. On the ground Genevieve wished them luck, going as far as generously offering them transportation into town. What she had in mind threw Skylar for a loop, but the glee on Jovan’s face was well worth it. He was like a little boy eager for the prospect of riding his first horse.

But this was no horse.

It looked like a bicycle with two big wheels, a handle bar for steering and a seat in the middle. But under that seat was a steam-powered engine, and jutting out on either side was an open boxlike compartment with little wheels underneath. The captain told her that was where she would ride unless she wanted to be the one who drove it.

It was tempting but Skylptid the townar opted for one of the sidecars. Rhys was relegated to the other as Jovan had every intention of driving the contraption.

“It’s called a motorcycle,” Genevieve said, a trace of pride in her voice.

“How fast can it go?”

“Faster than horseback.”

“Wonderful.” Jovan mounted the seat.

Skylar and Rhys got into the sidecars. The fit was a little snug. For Rhys it was even more so. His bent knees nearly touched his chin.

“How does it work?”

Genevieve pointed to the button on the tank. “Push this to start.” She touched the right handle. “Squeeze this for the brake. Crank this for speed.”

She then handed them each a pair of goggles. “To keep bugs out of your eyes.” And to Skylar she gave a brown leather hat that fit tightly on her head and had ear flaps. “So your hair doesn’t fly around.”

Grinning, Jovan pushed the button and started the motorcycle. Puffs of steam shot out the back tailpipe. He put his feet on the footrests then revved the crank on the handlebar. The vehicle pulled forward. A little too quickly for Skylar’s liking.

“Thank you.” Skylar turned and waved to the captain.

“We will return in a fortnight,” she called back.

* * *

It took them less than an hour to reach the town proper. Because it was early morning, the streets were busy with marketers. Every head turned as they rolled down the street, steam puffing out behind them. Before they could create any more of a commotion than they already had, Jovan pulled in behind one of the many horse-drawn carriages off to the side and parked. Skylar and Rhys squirmed out of the sidecars and followed Jovan across the street to a local market.

The scent of fresh sliced oranges wafted to Skylar’s nose. Her stomach growled in response. She couldn’t remember when they last had a good meal. She certainly needed a good strong cup of tea.

“So, where do we start?” Rhys asked.

“A local inn would be the best choice. Sebastian would have had to have stayed somewhere.”

“Well, I don’t know about either of you, but I’m starting in the pastry shop. I’m starving.” Without waiting for a response Skylar walked down the street and pushed opened the shop door. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head as she inhaled the delectable smells of fresh brie, biscuits and raspberry jam.

The young woman at the counter smiled at her, although her gaze told Skylar she was curious about Skylar’s manner of dress. She’d yet to remove her leather cap.

“May I help you, miss?”

“Oh, you certainly can.”

“Skylar,” Jovan said from beside her, “We don’t have time for this.”

“You may not, but I do. If you don’t, be on your way and I’ll catch up later.” She pointed at the pastries in the display. “I’ll have one of those, one of those and one of those. Oh, and some lemon tea, please.”

Jovan sighed, then said to the server, “Make that three of everything the lady just ordered.”

The counter girl’s smile widened. “Very good, sir.”

Fifteen minutes laten

Jovan smiled at her, then reached across the table and brushed his thumb along her lips then brought it to his mouth and sucked off the raspberry jam.

He was about to say something when she noticed Rhys’s strange expression. He was gazing out the shop window.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a woman outside on the sidewalk staring at me. She hasn’t looked away in over ten minutes.”

Both Skylar and Jovan turned to look.

There was indeed a young woman standing in front of the shop window watching them, Rhys in particular. She had long auburn hair in a plait hanging over one shoulder and wore a simple frock but had a colorful scarf wrapped around her. She had the biggest, most soulful brown eyes Skylar had ever seen. She definitely stood out in the crowd.

“I wonder what she wants?”

“She’s making me nervous,” Rhys said, visibly shaken.

Skylar finished her tea, then patted her lips with a napkin. “Let’s go see, shall we?” Jovan and Rhys followed her out, although Rhys hesitated in the doorway.

The woman turned toward them. “You must come with me,” she said, then whirled on a heel—a bare heel as she wasn’t wearing shoes—and strolled down the sidewalk away from the town main square.

“We’re not actually going to follow her, are we?”

Jovan patted Rhys on the shoulder. “What are you afraid of, brother? That she’s a witch and is going to cook us and eat us?”

Rhys didn’t answer, just reluctantly followed behind.

The woman led them to a small dwelling three streets over. It had its own small front garden, overrun with various plants. Many were commonly used in healing potions and tinctures, but Skylar didn’t recognize the odd-looking blue flower covering a mound near the fence. The front of the house was painted a mishmash of colors including green and blue and yellow. And over the front door hung a sign that read Madame Corina.

She left the door open for them to follow her inside. They did, though warily.

Inside was a reflection of the outside—cluttered, chaotic and colorful. And the woman moved about in the front parlor with the same characteristics. She opened and closed doors and cupboards at a dizzying speed.

“Where is it?” she muttered.

“Pardon me,” Skylar cleared her throat. “But, who are you?”

She swirled around. “It’s who you are that matters.”

“And who are we?” Jovan frowned.

“You are Jovan Davenport. And Skylar Vanguard.” Then to Rhys, which made him shrink into himself, “And, of course, Rhys Davenport.”

“Can we have your name?” Skylar asked.

“I am Corina Stratton.”

“And you’re a psychic.”

“Yes, among many other things.”

“Do you know why we are here?” Jovan asked.

“To find your brother.” She thrust her hand forward. “Here.” Grasped between her fingers was a letterse areer.

Jovan stepped forward, took it from her and unfolded it. “It’s from Sebastian.” Rhys moved in beside Jovan just as he started to read it.

My dear brothers,