Defy (26 page)

Perhaps understanding this, he explained what
he was doing. “As you know, the Lekwuesti work with the Scultresti
to create Estilorian medicines.”

He reached over and took her injured arm,
setting it on his thigh as he knelt beside her. Using another cloth
covered in the yellow liquid, he began cleaning the wound on her
forearm. It burned like hot coals. She clenched her jaw tight
against the pain.

“Estilorians aren’t susceptible to illness,
of course,” he continued, “but injuries are common enough,
particularly among the classes that travel to the mainland. And
since very few beings have the ability to heal others, effective
medicines are quite necessary.”

She watched as he finished cleaning her
forearm and moved on to the other wound. Tears pricked her eyes as
the pain intensified. “What is that?” she asked as she watched him
work. She had to keep her mind off the pain.

“It’s an antiseptic made in part of whey
protein and honey. There’s a unique extract used to activate the
antiseptic properties.”

He talked as he worked, describing how the
Lekwuesti and Scultresti had come up with the formula and how he
had adjusted it to account for human DNA, as well. While he
stitched together her torn flesh, he described right down to the
cellular level how the antiseptic worked, addressing her many
questions. The scientific exchange served as an effective
distraction for them both. He finished the last suture just as the
sun faded to indigo. While he wrapped her forearm with gauze, she
gave him a smile.

“I’ve missed conversing with you like this,”
she admitted.

She realized she’d caught him off-guard when
he stared at her for a few seconds without so much as blinking.
Then he just said, “I’ve missed it, too.”

She sensed that he didn’t want to pursue the
conversation, so as he bandaged her side wound, she said, “I
obviously found the Mercesti camp, since you’re patching up the
results. The female—a Lekwuesti—is with them. I’m guessing they
might be forcing her to see to their hospitality needs. She looked
abused and unwell.”

Frowning, he said, “Are they on the
move?”

“They were camped when I saw them, but it
seemed they were pulling up stakes as the sun set. I think they’re
traveling at night. And there are others on their way. I saw them
in the distance.”

After a moment of consideration, he asked,
“How long of a hike are they from here?”

“About five miles.”

“Okay. We’re going to rest here for a bit—”
He lifted up a hand as her lips parted. “No, Sophia. I’m not
budging on this. You will sleep to restore your strength and urge
your healing along. After some rest, we’ll fly closer to them and
cut the distance.”

She closed her mouth, swallowing her words.
Then she nodded.

“By this time tomorrow,” he said, “I hope to
have that Lekwuesti free and on her way back to Central.”

She couldn’t do anything but agree. She just
had no idea how they were going to do it.

Caleb flew beside Gabriel, James, Uriel,
Knorbis and Jabari as the sun set. A host of Waresti, Gloresti and
Corgloresti flew with them. Skye had wanted to transport as many of
them as possible to Harold’s location. She believed she could bring
them to Harold using the Waresti commander’s thoughts about his
location.

It had taken quite a bit of arguing to turn
her from that course. In the end, the only reason she backed down
was Raphael’s insistence that she would be placing her unborn
children at risk. The strain on her already beleaguered system
would be too much.

Leaving her behind had been one of the most
difficult things Caleb had ever done. He knew she was devastated
that she couldn’t go with them. She was riddled with guilt over not
somehow sensing that their daughter was still alive. His own guilt
was multiplied by his refusal to believe Tiege when his son had
tried to gain his help. But these emotions wouldn’t help them get
their children back home, and he did what he could to push past
them.

Harold kept Uriel informed of his whereabouts
as he and his contingent tracked Tate. Alexius also kept him
informed as he grew closer to Tiege. Caleb, Gabriel and Uriel would
soon join Harold in the search for Tate while James, Knorbis and
Jabari went after Sophia and Quincy.

Alexius had sent word earlier that Tiege’s
party had split up. Caleb hoped to get to Tate about the same time
as Tiege did. The news that Quincy and Sophia had headed in pursuit
of the Mercesti had James very anxious. They all wanted to get to
their children as quickly as possible.

Although flying throughout the night wasn’t
particularly safe because it led to exhaustion, that was what they
planned to do. Uriel predicted that they would reach Harold and
Alexius within the next few hours. None of them was willing to rest
when they were so close to accomplishing their goal.

Thoughts circulated among them when they
reached the point where they would part ways. Caleb didn’t speak to
his brothers, but he caught their gazes and exchanged nods. They
knew each other’s thoughts and had already communicated about the
plan.

Still, as James veered left while he and
Gabriel maintained course beside Uriel, he couldn’t help but wish
he could be in two places at one time.

Ariana was both thrilled and terrified when
she realized that they were on the right path. Of course, “right”
was a rather broad term. She still had no idea what actually lay at
the end of the course set by the powerful and heavy weapon she was
forced to carry in an uncomfortable harness on her back. She only
knew that the closer they got, the more convinced she was that they
were heading toward the scroll that Eirik sought. Although the
lavender path in front of her didn’t change in intensity, her
instincts practically vibrated as they advanced in the dark of
night. She knew it was only a matter of hours until they reached
their destination.

And then what?

The thought resounded through her head as
they walked, her heartbeat thudding in her ears. She was leading
this group of evil beings who had done nothing but mistreat her and
threaten her life to an artifact that would imbue their leader with
unstoppable power.

Or so she now believed. At the risk of losing
her life, she had eavesdropped as Eirik spoke to Deimos about
their goal.

“I want her,” Deimos had growled. “I
hunger.”

They were in Eirik’s makeshift chamber within
the mountain housing Grolkinei’s weapon collection. Eirik had
ordered her to remain by his side the moment she declared she could
find the Elder Scroll, so when the time came for them to rest for
the day, she had to do it with him just feet away. Fortunately, she
was so exhausted that she slept despite the fact that she didn’t
trust him in the least.

Ariana had developed a heightened sense of
self-preservation during the course of her intense exposure to
Deimos. The bloodthirsty creature—for she refused to think of him
as an Estilorian—was so abominable that his nearness made every
hair on her body stand on end. As exhausted as she was, she sensed
the instant that he entered the chamber.

His words made her want to whimper and curl
into herself, but she had learned not to flinch, stir or so much as
alter her breathing in his presence. She feigned sleep, her skin
prickling with the urge to flee as her back lay exposed to the two
wretched males.

“You cannot have her, Deimos,” Eirik said,
his voice low and his tone unbending. “She will lead me to the
scroll.”

There was a pause. In the silence, Ariana
focused intently on not varying her breathing pattern. She could
feel the males’ gazes on her back.

“But she is so pure,” Deimos persisted in a
hiss that made her skin crawl.

“I will have the power to bring as many
females to you as you wish in a mere day or two,” Eirik said in
level tones. “Believe me when I say that your patience now will
more than reward itself.”

There was a tense pause. Ariana didn’t fully
understand the relationship between the two males, and she couldn’t
help but worry that Deimos would disregard Eirik’s orders and
attack her. Sweat beaded on her brow as she focused on her
breathing. Keeping it slow, steady and soft was a challenge she was
sure she would fail as she pictured herself lying beneath Deimos as
he devoured her. Somehow, though, she managed it.

“I want
her
,” the creature
insisted.

Ariana envisioned him licking his lips after
he spoke the words. She couldn’t stop her breath from hitching.
Because she knew they sensed her awareness, she sighed and shifted
to cover her reaction, pretending it had been a natural
interruption to her sleep. Unfortunately, that meant she had to
roll over and pretend to sleep while she faced them. Fortunately,
it seemed to convince them that she was still oblivious.

“The females I acquire for you will be just
as pure as she is,” Eirik assured him. “You have no idea the power
I will command.”

“What kind of power?” Deimos asked
feverishly.

“Enough that you will never want for anything
again,” Eirik responded.

It was all he had confessed. But it was
enough for Ariana to know that, while she was on the “right” path
regarding what she had asked the sword to show her, she wasn’t on
the path that fell in line with her own moral compass. She knew she
was saving her life at the risk of many others.

Thus, as she hiked the mountain path with the
Mercesti, her muscles aching from the added weight of Volarius’
sword, she desperately sought the courage that would allow her to
refuse Eirik his goal.

In short, she sought the courage to die.

“Here is another one.”

Bertram turned at Tycho’s declaration and
spotted the glittering bead his companion held up in the dwindling
sunlight. Although they were used to resting during the daylight
hours, they had been traveling by air as well as on the ground in
search of the missing Kynzesti.

After spending some time interpreting the
Waresti signals while he was trapped in the clearing with them,
Bertram learned that the clues the warriors followed amounted to a
strange assortment of beads and feathers. He hadn’t been able to
find out why, but that didn’t matter. All he knew was that he and
Tycho needed to use what wiles they had to get to the Kynzesti
before the Waresti did. Their hope lay in the fact that they were
both converted Waresti and Tycho’s tracking skills were practically
unmatched. He could all but scent his quarry on the air.

“Excellent,” Bertram now said with a nod as
he eyed the bead. “We are still on the correct path.” It had been
his greatest concern when they flew. The light did catch the more
reflective beads, which helped. But he knew once the sun set, they
wouldn’t have even that to aid them.

“The Kynzesti appears to be headed into the
mountains,” Tycho said. “I think he or she will seek shelter as
darkness falls. Traveling in the darkness is generally considered
unwise by most Estilorians.”

Again, Bertram nodded. Tycho was rarely wrong
about such things. “Excellent,” he replied. “At this pace, we will
have the Kynzesti to present to Eirick before the next
sunrise.”

Tate huddled in the makeshift shelter she had
found within the mountainside. It wasn’t so much a cave as an
overhang with stone walls on either side of it. At best, it could
be described as an alcove. She hadn’t wanted to risk burrowing into
a more protective cave because she didn’t have the energy to
contest with any animals that might already be living in it. Not to
mention her fear that she wouldn’t be able to be located if she was
too far out of sight.

Unfortunately, she was exposed. The
temperature dropped significantly as night fell, and a biting wind
swept over the mountain. Her makeshift skirt-cloak did nothing to
protect her from the harsh cold. She curled into a ball and
clutched the garment around her shoulders nonetheless. Because she
didn’t have access to anything to make a fire, she couldn’t even
try to warm herself that way. But she wasn’t about to leave the
area just to try and find kindling or tinder. If it meant she would
get to go back home, she would hunker down and suck it up for a few
hours.

She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep
until he spoke.

“Why the bloody hell are you just lying here
in the bloody cold?”

Opening an eye, she saw Sparky standing
nearby in the bright moonlight with his arms crossed over his chest
and a severe frown on his face. She sighed over the increasingly
familiar flutter in her chest at the sight of him. Her
embarrassment over his earlier mistreatment hadn’t abated. She
wished she could convince her heart of the same.

“I’m waiting to be rescued,” she said,
deliberately closing her eye. Although she knew she was dreaming,
she also knew the two of them had more control over this
interaction than typical dreams allowed. Maybe he’d get the hint
and leave her alone.

“Who is it you believe will be rescuing
you?”

Why was he back to that question? Frowning as
she realized he wasn’t going to leave her alone, she opened her
eyes and sat up. The wind lifted her skirt-cloak, making her shiver
and clutch it closer with fingers that trembled from the cold. He
didn’t seem bothered by the weather, she couldn’t help but notice.
Although his arms were crossed and he wore only a tank top and
pants, the wind didn’t even seem to touch him. She wished she could
figure out how to control her own comfort level while in this
realistic dream state.

“What’s it matter to you?” she asked. She had
no reason to tell him anything.

His jaw flexed. “I did not save you in that
bloody cave and that bloody pool only to have you kill yourself
with stupidity.”