Dawn of a Dark Knight (29 page)

“Some. He didn’t practice dark magik, at least not that I knew of. He often told me magi stories like you guys were comic book heroes. It’s strange that he never explained why I had to learn those things or how he knew them. He would say—” She put on a thick French accent. “—when you are older,
ma petite cherie,
we will speak more about it.” Then she continued in her normal voice. “But he disappeared, well, died, and we never had that chat. He never lived with us, but visited once in a blue moon. Honestly, I never understood that either. Mom wouldn’t tell me anything about their relationship. Once she said it wasn’t safe for all of us to live together. I always wondered if he was married and we were his dirty little secret.”

An alarming suspicion cramped Ashor’s gut. “Was your father Edmund Laroche?”

“How did you know that? Can you read my mind as well as speak in it? If so, stay out.”

Ashor fell back against the floor and threw a hand over his eyes. He mumbled mostly to himself, “You’re kidding. Edmund had a daughter. And he trained you.”

“How do you know my father?”

“I can’t read your mind. Your father was our last
akhrian
.
This makes sense because it’s usually passed through family lines
.
Although you’d be the first woman that I’m aware of to be
akhrian
.”
Shit, shit, shit.
Further reminder of her destiny. And that they couldn’t be together.

“My father was your
akhrian
? Why wouldn’t he have told me? Why did he leave us alone out there right down the road from the Hashishin compound? He had to know about them. I wonder why he didn’t force my mother to move.”

Ashor shrugged. “I’ll bet you are the only family he had. Sounds like he tried to teach you. It’s further evidence you’re now our healer.”

“Let’s not talk about the
akhrian
business right now. I’m still not interested in the job. What happened to my father?”

“Edmund died at the same time I was captured by the Hashishins.”

“How?”

Ashor stood and pulled on his pants but neglected to button them. They hung loosely around his hips. He stared sightlessly at the wall while long suppressed memories surfaced. He wasn’t particularly proud of what had happened.

Kira hugged him from behind. She rested her head in the small of his back. “Please, tell me.”

“Edmund came with us when we went to fight a daemon in New Orleans. I don’t know why. Our understanding had been he wait for us to return and then do what he could. But the man was bullheaded when he got his mind set on something. Once we took care of the daemon, Edmund convinced Javen to take Ethan to the plane. Said he needed time to heal me or something like that. Whacked plan in hindsight. It left the two of us as sitting ducks when Terek and his posse showed up.” Ashor sighed. “I failed to protect him from all of them. Edmund couldn’t do much for me without the amulet. No idea why he didn’t have it. Terek killed him and captured me.”

“Did Dad say anything to you before he died to let you know why he was there?”

Ashor shook his head. He remembered only hazy details of that day. The second Ethan and Javen departed Edmund had gripped his shirt, pulling him off the ground with surprising strength to say, “You must live. No matter what they do to you, you must hold on. Swear it to me.” Pretty suggestive that he had some info on what was going to happen. Maybe Navid had a vision, even though the guy swore he hadn’t.

“Why don’t you shower and rest,” Ashor suggested.

“Okay.”

He kept his distance on the way to the guest bedroom. If he touched her, he was a goner. He crossed his arms to avoid grabbing her as she sauntered past into the room. She shot him a join-me from beneath heavy lidded eyes. He caught himself before he groaned out a hell-yes, envisioning her naked with water on her skin.

Guilt and terror held him back. He’d so fucked this up. No matter how right it felt, this was wrong. Maybe if he ended it now, and then begged the gods at their next summoning, which would be as soon as they found the amulet, they’d leave her be.

Although a sad excuse, he knew if he hadn’t Turned, sex wouldn’t have happened. Okay, maybe that was complete crap. Regardless, he didn’t want the gods to execute her.

If they weren’t meant to be, how had she healed his soul? The
kem-seki
no longer battled for control. Only by finding
the one
could that be done. Maybe he could plead insanity due to
senariai
bonding.

Nothing added up in his mind. Had Horus known about this when he pushed him to go get her? Probably and was laughing his ass off over the mess. Maybe this was some kind of sick test.

For salvaging his soul and giving him more time in this world, he owed it to her to be strong. To protect her from the gods. That meant he had to stay away from her, at least until he could speak with Ma’at.

Kira frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“What happened between us downstairs was a mistake and cannot happen again.”

“What do you mean? A mistake?”

Ashor placed his emotions in lockdown, hoping she couldn’t detect the inner chaos screaming in his brain not to do this. Not to lie, which was his only option. “The
kem-seki
, that darkness in me, seduced us. It was my mistake and I will pay for it to the gods. We’re only allowed to be
akhrian
and magus to each other.”

“I haven’t accepted the job as your healer. What about this bizarre link between us?” She tapped her forehead.

“It doesn’t mean we’re supposed to…be involved physically. That’s your fantasies driving you, as honored as I am to have been a part of those dreams. We’re connected because you’re our healer and I’m the Prime magus. We can’t…we’re done. That’s not happening again.”

“What happened was way more than just sex. What would you call it?”

“Something that can’t happen again. I haven’t been with a woman in a while. Maybe all I needed was a good fuck to bring me back from that edge of crazy.” He struggled to convey an indifferent look.

“A good fuck? That’s what I am? This is such bullshit.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been known to be swayed plenty of times before by a pretty face
.” That’s got to be the most callous thing I’ve ever uttered. Goddamn it.

She planted an echoing slap onto his left cheek. “Asshole.”

No denying he deserved it. Years of discipline enabled him to hold his tongue.

Her pale eyes flashed fury. Damn, this woman was spectacular.

She hauled back and hit him again. Then whispered, “Your eyes no longer have that black stuff. That’s got to mean something.”

He wanted to scream
yes it meant something,
but couldn’t.

“Don’t you want me?”

Ashor’s knees almost buckled in reaction to the pain in those words and that projected into his head. He steadied himself with a hand on the wall. Somehow he choked out, “I’m sorry. It was a mistake.” And forced himself to exit.

Radiations of her hurt slammed into his body as he pulled the door behind him. He hung a left and walked as fast he could.

At the bottom of the stairs, he gripped the banister and squeezed his eyes shut against dizziness. He heard her sobs. The telepathy line remained wide open like someone forgot to hang up the phone. He needed to get back to her. Now.

Move away. You can’t be with her,
he ordered himself.

Then, as if the phone hung up he heard nothing more from her. Felt nothing. He reached for her essence, finding her close, but silent. Somehow, that hurt more than anything else.

This was wrong.

“You coming?” V asked as he turned the corner toward the conference room.

Shit, that stupid meeting he’d asked V to arrange.
“Yeah, on my way.”

****

Six somber gazes met his around the semicircular table. All present except Ethan. Ashor glanced to the wall, noting the newest addition to the fallen magi memorial, a blank sword mount for Navid’s blade. Dozens of swords littered the wall, each made from the perfect combination of copper, steel, and bronze that was necessary to destroy a daemon. The shape of the sword had evolved over the years, but not the alchemy of metals. They continued the tradition that each magus forged his own, although it took years to master the skill. As the magus’s proficiency in the making improved, so did his skill in the using. Over a lifetime, he would pour his soul into the construction and reworking of his sword.

Certainly seemed more logical for them to re-use old swords. But forging a new sword with each reincarnation was tradition steeped in old magik.

Javen said, “Kira does some amazing work. You were gone, my friend.”

Ashor nodded.

Javen looked hopeful. “How did she do it? Is she your
senariai
or did she heal you as no other healer has done?”

“What she did for me, I don’t think will work for you.” If Javen attempted to touch her, he’d gut him and feel no guilt about it. “Suggestions on the Djoser problem?”

Javen replied, “He was a powerful shit before, and I’m sure we can’t begin to imagine what new abilites he’s acquired. I wonder how he suppresses the killing urge.”

Eric commented, “If we kill him, won’t one of his Hashishin cronies just summon him back into this world?”

“There’s a good chance of that,” said Ashor.

Nate asked, “Is there a way to do more than just send him back to his realm? Can we kill him permanently?”

Ashor wondered if anyone else had actually read the ancient book as they were supposed to when inducted. “Yes, it’s possible, but the cost is high.”

“So what do we need to do?”

“One of us can relinquish his complete soul in the action of a daemon destruction. It’s irreversible.”

“What do you mean irreversible?” asked Nate.

“As in you can’t ever come back as a magus again. The end. To do this you lock your soul with the daemon as it transitions back to its world. It’s forbidden. Not an option. There are just too few of us to lose one of us permanently.”

V said, “Maybe we can ask the goddess to give us more help. Perhaps it’s time to have more of us in the fight.”

Ashor nodded. “Perhaps we can’t resolve this until we consult with her.” He sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward. “Edmund Laroche was Kira’s father. She’s got to be the
akhrian.
”

Eric smiled. “Edmund had a daughter? Sneaky bastard. She’s connected to you. She’s your
senariai.
Look at your eyes. Admit it. The darkness has receded. And you were gone. I’ve been there, man. It’s amazing in the beginning, isn’t it?”

Ashor scowled.

“What did the book say about you and an
akhrian
getting it on?” asked Javen.

“She can’t be both.”

Javen mused, “This is pretty fucked up. We need to know if she’s the
akhrian
or if we lucked out and found a girl with skills. If she’s not the
akhrian
, maybe she can temp until we find him
.
I’d ask Eric about his experience, but he was unconscious when she did her thing. Let’s get Ethan in here. I want to know how her skills compare to the previous healers. No offence, Ashor, but I suspect you experience something different than we would. V, get Ethan out of bed.”

“She’s got the mark,” Eric offered and glanced to Ashor to back him up.

Ashor shrugged, secretly hoping they could prove she wasn’t their healer. False hope. He kept the Horus visit to himself.

“She’s got the mark? Then why the hell are we debating if she is or isn’t?” asked Nate.

“I could’ve imagined it,” Eric offered. He shrugged back at Ashor, clearly understanding his desperate need for Kira not to be their healer.

“She healed me too,” Christian piped up.

Javen grumbled, “Like we’d trust anything you had to say about a woman. You’d probably say she was the
akhrian
just to have another female with her hands on you.”

“I resent that,” Christian shot back.

A few minutes later, V returned followed by a slow-walking Ethan. The recently injured warrior sat heavily in an empty chair.

V said, “We need to know if Kira’s the
akhrian.
Tell us what happened when she healed you.”

Ethan smiled and in a slurred voice said, “Haven’t been this high since I got shot in the war. Cantigny. First World War. Such a pisser. It was my unit’s first real battle and then bang. The incompetent medic gave me an OD of morphine. Then the
akhrian
appears out of nowhere and here I am.”

Ethan absently ran a hand over his goatee. “Kira’s approach is different than that of the previous two
akhrians
. Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of quite a few healing sessions. Her skill is…well, it’s really good.” He looked to Ashor. “I swear, it’s not sexual. Honest. I have no designs on your woman.”

Knowing Ethan must’ve picked up that he was a millisecond from going for his throat over the table, Ashor nodded. But continued to glare.

Ethan laughed. “I knew she had to be your
senariai.
I mean, how else could you have found her on Long Island? She’s a fox. Great tits. Did I say that out loud? Shit. No offense, man. Promise, I won’t ever touch.” He crossed his fingers over his heart.

Christian chuckled. “And you call me the perv?”

Ethan turned to Christian. “Hey, you try going eighty years without getting any.”

Christian said, “It’s not as if you couldn’t.”

Ethan massaged his forehead. “The past
akhrians
always acted so...I don’t know, like they had to do it, but didn’t necessarily want to.”

There were several grunts and nods of agreement around the table.

“With Kira, she cares. Maybe it’s because she’s a trained medical doctor. Her energy is…Shit, this sounds cheesy, but it felt comforting. While I focused on that comforting sensation, she fixed the problems. There was no pain. I never really thought about it, but the other
akhrians
never gave a rat’s ass about our comfort level. She also did something extra.”