Her Knight's Quest: A Warriors of the Mist Novel (29 page)

Chapter 30

G
ideon stepped in front of Lady Merewen, planting himself between her and Lavinia. “Duncan, what in the name of the gods is she doing?”

“She’s trying to stop the attack. Now do as she said, and get out of the pasture.”

Nobody moved one step closer to the fence. Merewen was fighting Gideon’s efforts to get her out of harm’s way, insisting she needed to calm the horses. Murdoch stared at Lavinia, his fear of her power all too clear. When he started toward her, Duncan blocked him.

His friend glared down at him. “The goddess forbids the use of dark magic. You might be willing to risk your soul for her, but I’m not.”

Duncan went for his sword. “You will not touch her, Murdoch.”

Gideon had joined them. “You would choose her over your duty? Over us?”

He laid the truth out for them. “Only if you threaten her in any way. She
is
my duty. The goddess said the magic was Lavinia’s burden to bear, but that we need her.”

She looked to him then. He couldn’t hear her words, but her meaning was clear. He needed to ward his friends from the impact of her magic and Ifre’s.

“Stand close together while I do what I can to shield all of you.”

Gideon might not have liked Lavinia’s magic, but he would do anything it took to keep his own lady safe. He wrapped Merewen up in his arms, ignoring her struggles to be free. Murdoch stepped close to the captain while Sigil took the other side, holding Sarra with her face buried in his shoulder. The old man who’d been helping with the horses huddled next to them.

Duncan met the gaze of each of his friends and then started chanting himself. He ignored Murdoch’s curse when he saw the shimmering ward building around them. Once the circle was complete, Duncan strengthened it just as he had in the woods when the goddess had protested his actions.

This time, there was no warning or response from his goddess, perhaps because she knew she could lose three of her five warriors if Lavinia’s efforts to block her brother’s attacks failed. Once he had the ward grounded, he stepped through it and ran to where Lavinia faced off against a powerful enemy.

He wasn’t sure his touch would help her, but he wouldn’t let her stand alone. If this was to be the end of his life, he would face it at Lavinia’s side.

The balls of light were almost upon them. He braced himself for their impact just as Lavinia shouted to the heavens above and launched her counterattack.

The world exploded in a crack of fire and thunder. Duncan was blind, deaf, and very possibly dead. But as the noise faded and the dust settled, he was still standing, his friends were safe, and the woman he loved was crumpled on the ground at his feet, her eyes wide and unseeing.

“Lavinia!”

Duncan dropped to his knees at her side and shook her shoulders. “Lavinia, don’t you dare leave me! Not now.”

No response. Desperately, he looked around for help, for someone who could do something. As soon as he dropped his ward, Lady Merewen came running. She joined him on the ground and put her hand on Lavinia’s forehead.

Gideon followed, taking Merewen’s other hand in his. Murdoch came next, then Sigil and Sarra. Even the old man added his gnarled hand to the chain, taking Sarra’s small one and then reaching out to Duncan. Duncan completed the circle by taking Lavinia’s cold hand in his.

Time stopped as they all prayed and offered up their pleas to the gods to bring Lavinia back to the living.

Then the Lady of the River whispered in Duncan’s mind.
“Your woman is a warrior, Sir Duncan. She should be rewarded for her bravery.”

As her last word faded away, Lavinia stirred, her skin warming to the touch, her chest heaving as she drew in a shallow breath and then another. Then her beautiful eyes opened to stare right into Duncan’s, full of love and wonder.

“Your Lady led me back to you.”

Everyone else sighed in relief and moved back as Duncan gathered Lavinia into his arms and held on with everything he had.

“That’s because we belong together, Lavinia, for all the days I have left, however few they may be. But know this: I will love you forever.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks. “And I will love you with every breath I take.”

Gently, not wanting to hurt her, he sealed their pledge with a kiss.

Chapter 31

H
ours later, Duncan left the library, barely resisting the urge to slam the door. He longed to get back to Lavinia and check on her recovery, but first he needed to walk off some of his frustration. Rather than return directly to their room, he headed downstairs and straight out the door. Once he reached the bailey, he paused, trying to decide which way to go. It was unlikely anyone would be wandering out in the garden at this hour, making it the best choice.

As soon as he turned in that direction, Kiva called out in warning as he swooped down out of the trees. Duncan held out his arm, bracing himself for the impact. He carried the owl over to the bench and let the bird step off before sitting down beside him. Duncan connected with his avatar’s thoughts and smiled.

“I’m glad you found the hunting good.”

The owl turned his head to face Duncan and sent him an image of Duncan’s hand and his own feathers. Taking the hint, Duncan began stroking his companion’s feathers. The connection gradually calmed them both. He enjoyed the brief moment of solitude, knowing it wouldn’t last long.

A few seconds later, Gideon stepped out of the shadows. “Thought I’d find you out here.”

Kiva immediately took off, probably figuring he’d done as much as he could to soothe Duncan’s own ruffled feathers. Gideon took the bird’s place on the bench. They both sat in silence for several minutes. Something else that wouldn’t last.

“Are you all right?”

“What do you think?” Duncan asked, but then answered his own question. “No, I’m not. Lavinia saved all of our lives at nearly the cost of her own. She deserves our gratitude, not our mistrust.”

“That she does, Duncan. I think we’re all feeling unsettled at the many changes in our lives.”

Gideon leaned back to stare up at the starlit sky. “When have we ever had this many people we care so deeply about, starting with Lady Merewen? And anyone can see Murdoch and Lady Alina have strong feelings for each other.”

Duncan let his frustration show. “Does he not understand that I feel the same way about Lavinia? I believe these new bonds are blessed by our goddess.”

“He probably hasn’t thought it through yet.” Gideon paused before continuing. “If Murdoch doesn’t figure that out for himself, I’ll explain it to him myself, even if I have to use my fists. And it’s not Lavinia he mistrusts, but the magic.”

“I realize that, but his doubts only make it harder on her.” Duncan shared another of his burdens. “I’m also concerned about what will become of Sarra when all of this is over. I can’t sleep for worrying about what will happen when I’m not there to protect them.”

As he spoke, a cloud passed in front of the rising moon, casting the garden in near-total darkness.

“Who knows, mayhap Sigil will be able to help with that. My instincts say he’s an honorable man at heart, even if he’s made poor decisions in the past.”

That was something the two of them understood all too well. Duncan stood up. “I should return to Lavinia. She’ll be wondering what was decided in the meeting.”

His friend and leader fell into step with him as they returned to the keep. When they parted at the top of the stairs, Gideon clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you are back. I missed you.”

“I missed you as well. I hope Kane and Averel return quickly.”

“Me, too.” Gideon started to walk away, but he stopped and looked back. “And, Duncan, one more thing. Thank your lady for me and tell her we’ll talk more tomorrow. Sleep well.”

*  *  *

Hours later, Lavinia stood on the small balcony and watched the horses peacefully grazing in the moonlit pasture below. Everything looked so peaceful, so normal, as if the attack on the keep had never happened.

But it had. Between Lady Merewen and the Lady of the River, the damage to Lavinia’s body had been mended. Her spirit was a different matter, although Duncan’s kiss had greatly eased that pain as well.

He truly loved her. She hugged that thought close, drawing such comfort from it. Most men would’ve been terrified by her display of power. Certainly his friends had obvious misgivings about it. She understood that. After all, it was her half brother who’d tried to kill them with his own twisted magic.

The last thing she wanted to do was drive a wedge between Duncan and the men he’d served with for centuries. Right now, they were all in the library. Lady Merewen and Lady Alina had been invited to the meeting, but not Lavinia. No doubt, it would be awkward to discuss her fate with her in the room.

The door to her chambers opened. Since anyone else would’ve knocked, it had to be Duncan. She braced herself for the verdict as she turned to face him.

“Well? Do I need to saddle my horse again?”

His smile answered that for her. “No, although Gideon wants to meet with you to discuss what happened out there. We need to figure out how best to deal with Keirthan, and you’ll be playing a big part in that plan.”

Then his smile faded a bit. “No one has ever seen anything like it, but they are all well aware of how many lives you saved. It may take some time for my friends to grow comfortable around your magic, but they’ll come around. They know my heart belongs to you.”

She ached for this man. “As mine belongs to you and always will.” Even after the gods once again called him back to face their judgment.

Although she left that last part unspoken, Duncan understood where her thoughts had taken her. “None of us knows how the future will unfold, and we have time yet, Lavinia. Should we not enjoy the hours we have here and now?”

She wanted to say yes, but they still had unfinished business. “Is Captain Gideon waiting to see me now?”

Duncan cocked his head to the side and stared at her from top to toe. “He knows better. I told him we had plans for the remainder of the night, and that you will need your rest.”

The heat in his pale eyes left little doubt as to what those plans might entail. For the first time since they’d left the pasture behind, she felt truly warm.

Suddenly even the distance of a few feet between them was far too much. “Perhaps you should tell me more about these plans we have.”

Duncan met her halfway. “It would be better if I were to show you.”

Then he proceeded to do exactly that.

Continue reading for a preview of

 

A Time for Home

by Alexis Morgan

 

Available in September 2013 from Signet Eclipse

“W
e’re almost there, boy. Then you can stretch your legs.”

Nick’s canine companion was too busy sniffing the wind to care. Mooch had kept his nose stuck out the window since the minute they’d gotten in the truck. He reached over to pat the dog on the back, still carrying on the one-sided conversation.

“I bet it smells a whole lot different than the streets of Afghanistan. Doesn’t it?”

Mooch thumped his tail in agreement. In truth, everything here was a whole lot different. Nick scanned the road ahead—there was so much green that it hurt his eyes. He had to tip his head back to see to the top of the firs and cedars that were crowded close to the two-lane highway. They made him claustrophobic. Too many hiding spots for snipers. Only one way through them, leaving him no avenue of escape.

Nick flexed his hands on the steering wheel and reminded himself that he’d left all that behind weeks ago.

No one here wanted him dead. Not yet, anyway.

“Think she’ll forgive me?”

Nick hoped so, because he hadn’t been able to forgive himself. Something in his voice finally had Mooch looking at him, the dog’s dark eyes filled with sympathy. Of course, maybe Nick was only imagining that the mutt understood every word he said. There was no denying that the dog had known his own share of suffering back in his homeland.

Mooch’s shaggy fur didn’t quite hide the jagged scar where a bullet had caught him in the shoulder. He’d taken one for the team after he’d barked to warn them about an asshole lying in ambush. The bastard had shot the dog to shut him up, but too late to do himself any good. In retaliation, the squad had made damn sure it was the last time he ever pulled a trigger. Nick’s buddy Spence had carried the wounded dog back to camp and conned one of the army vets into stitching him up. After a brief swearing-in ceremony, Mooch had become a full-fledged member of their unit.

In war, some heroes walked on four legs, not two.

Nick spotted a sign up ahead. He slowed to read it, hoping he was about to reach civilization. He’d left I-5 behind some time ago and hadn’t expected it to take this long to reach Snowberry Creek. He had mixed feelings about what would happen once he reached the small town, but he and Mooch had been on the move long enough. Some downtime would feel pretty good.

But instead of announcing the city limits, the sign marked the entrance of a small cemetery. Nick started to drive on past, but a sick feeling in his gut had him slowing down and then backing up.

He put the truck in
PARK
and dropped his forehead down on the top of the steering wheel. In a town the size of Snowberry Creek, how many cemeteries could there be? He reached for the door handle and forced himself to get out of the truck. Sooner or later he was going to have to do this. Nick had never been a coward and wasn’t about to become one now.

“Come on, Mooch. We’ve got a stop to make.”

The dog crawled down out of the seat. Once on the ground, he gave himself a thorough shake from nose to tail before following Nick up the slope toward the rows of gravestones. Normally Mooch liked to explore new places on his own, but this time he walked alongside Nick, silently offering his support.

It didn’t take long to find what they were looking for. There were several granite markers with the last name Lang. Nick hung a right and followed the row, finally reaching a longer than normal stone that held the names of a husband and wife, most likely Spence’s parents. Nick had to force himself to take those last few steps past it to stand in front of the last headstone.

He dropped to his knees on the green grass and wrapped his arms around his stomach. God, it hurt so fucking much to see Spence’s name etched there in block letters. His eyes burned with the need to cry, but the tears refused to come. Instead the pain stayed locked tight inside his chest and in his head, a burden he’d been carrying since he’d held Spence’s bloody dog tags in his hand.

As the memories began playing out in Nick’s head, Mooch whined and snuggled closer. But even the familiar touch of the dog’s soft fur couldn’t keep Nick grounded in the present. His guilt and his fear sucked him right back to the last place he wanted to be. Just that quickly, he was in the streets of Afghanistan, riding next to Spence on yet another patrol. Instead of breathing the cool, damp air of Washington, Nick was sucking in hot, dry air and feeling the sun burning down from above as he got caught up in the past, living through it all over again.

*  *  *

The fiery depths of hell had nothing on the heat in Afghanistan in July. Maybe if he could’ve stripped down to a pair of cargo shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt, it would’ve been bearable. But only a fool would go on patrol without all of his protective gear, and Nick was no fool.

The back of his neck itched. It had nothing to do with the ever-present dust and grit that grated against his skin like sandpaper. No, there were eyes on them. Had been since they’d entered the city. A couple of well-placed shots had cut them off from the rest of the patrol. They were trying to circle around to catch up with the others.

Nick scanned the surrounding area, constantly sweeping the buildings ahead, looking for some sign of who was watching them. In that neighborhood, it could be anyone from a mother worried about her kids to someone with his finger on the trigger.

Leif stirred restlessly. “You feeling it, too?”

“Yeah. Spence, do you see anything?”

Before his friend could answer, a burst of gunfire rained down on them from the roof of a building half a block down on the right. A second shooter opened fire from a doorway on the opposite side of the street, catching them in the cross fire.

Nick returned short bursts of fire while Spence drove like the maniac he was, trying to get them the hell out of Dodge. Leif hopped on the radio, yelling to make himself heard over the racket. After calling in, he’d joined Nick in trying to pick off the shooters.

“Hold on! This ride’s about to get interesting.”

If more than two wheels were on the ground when Spence took the corner, Nick would happily eat MREs for the rest of his natural life. Not that he was complaining. His friend’s extreme driving style had saved their asses too often. The M-ATV lurched hard as it straightened coming out of the turn.

“Fuck yeah, that was fun!” Spence’s grin was a mile wide as he laughed and flung their ride around another corner.

The crazy bastard was actually enjoying this. Nick shook his head. He loved the guy like a brother, but damn. They made it another two blocks before the shooting began again, this time from behind them.

Leif yelled over the racket, “Ever get the feeling we’re being herded?”

Nick nodded. The thought had occurred to him, but what choice did they have but to keep going? The street was too narrow to hang a U-turn and stopping sure as hell wasn’t an option. He continued to scan the area for more shooters and left the driving to Spence, who knew the streets in this area better than anyone. It was like the man had a built-in GPS system. He’d find a way out for them if anyone could.

The gunfire was sporadic now with longer periods of silence between shots. The streets remained empty, as if the locals had been warned to crawl into the deepest hole they could find and stay there.

“Think we’re in the clear?” Leif asked, still studying the rooftops and doorways for new threats.

Before Nick could answer, the whole world exploded in fire and smoke. A sharp pain ripped up the length of his upper arm as their vehicle started rockin’-and-rollin’ on them. It went airborne and finally bounced to a stop, lying on its side up against a building.

With considerable effort, Nick managed to climb out. He retrieved his weapon and shook his head to clear it. The blast had left him deaf and, thanks to the cloud of dust and smoke, damn near blind. Nick found Spence more by feel than sight. He was lying facedown in the dirt with blood trickling from his ears and nose.

Nick checked for a pulse. Thready and weak. Son of a bitch, this was a major clusterfuck. He spotted Leif writhing in pain a few feet away. He crawled over to him.

“Are you hit?”

“My ankle. It’s busted up pretty bad.”

If the bastards who’d been shooting at them weren’t already closing in, they would be soon. Nick needed to get Leif and Spence somewhere safe—and fast.

He got down in Leif’s face. “Give it to me straight up. Can you walk?”

After one look at the twisted mess that had been Leif’s ankle, Nick didn’t wait for an answer. Neither of his friends could make it back to safety on their own, but which one should he help first? Spence was completely defenseless while Leif might be able to protect himself for a while.

On the other hand, Leif was bleeding; already his coloring was piss poor. Nick crawled back to the rubble that had been their vehicle and pulled out the first-aid kit. He bandaged Leif’s damaged ankle as best he could, but he’d seen enough wounds to know Leif was going to need surgery and damn quick. His decision made, Nick crawled back to his unconscious buddy.

“Spence, I’m going for help. I’ll be back for you ASAP.”

Then he muscled Leif up off the ground and half carried, half dragged the poor bastard as fast as he could. The rest of their unit would be pouring into the area, looking for them. A minute later, he spotted them two blocks down and waved his rifle over his head to get their attention.

Their medic hit the ground running. “What do we have?”

“His ankle looks bad, but we’ve got to go back for Spence. I was afraid to move him.”

They carried Leif the rest of the way back to one of the vehicles. Nick patted his friend on the shoulder. “They’ll get you to the medics. Save a couple of the prettier nurses for Spence.”

Leif managed a small smile. “Like hell. Tell him he’s on his own.”

“Get yourself patched up. We’ll be along soon.” He stepped back and checked his rifle for ammunition. “Let’s move out.”

The medic stopped him. “You’re bleeding, too. We’ll get Spence. You go with the corporal.”

No, not happening. He’d return for Spence even if he had to crawl. “I’m all right. Besides, I promised I’d come back for him. Wouldn’t want to piss him off. The man’s got a temper.”

The medic didn’t much like it, but he nodded. “Lead the way.”

Nick’s ears were finally starting to function again, and he could hear gunfire in the distance. Son of a bitch! He picked up the pace, doing his best to watch for hostiles as he led the charge back to where he’d left Spence. When they were a block short of their destination, the deafening thunder of another explosion sent all of them diving for cover.

Before the echoes had died away, Nick was up and running, screaming Spence’s name. He was dimly aware of the rest of his squad joining him in the mad race to save their friend. Nick’s heart pounded loud enough to drown out the agonizing truth that he was too late, with too little. The building next to where he’d left Spence was nothing but a smoking pile of rubble.

He coasted to a stop at the corner. The horror of what had happened and what he’d done washed over him in waves. “Spence, where the hell are you? Come on, you dumb son of a bitch, this is no time for hide-and-seek.”

Please, God, let him have regained consciousness and crawled to safety.

But he hadn’t; Nick knew it in his gut just as he knew it was his fault. There was nothing left of their vehicle now except scrap metal. A huge hole had been ripped in the street right where Spence had been lying, and the building had caved in on itself, leaving the street strewn with rubble. While several of the men stood watch, Nick joined the rest digging in the dirt with their bare fingers, heaving aside rocks and jagged fragments of metal, looking and praying for some sign of Spence.

Finally the medic froze. He looked across at Nick and slowly lifted his hand. A set of bloody dog tags dangled from his fingers.

“Aw, damn, Spence.”

Tears streamed down Nick’s cheeks as he reached for the broken chain. He clamped his fingers around the small pieces of bloody metal and held on to the last piece of his friend with an iron grip.

The medic motioned to the rest of the men. When they had formed up, he took Nick by the arm and tugged him back down the street.

“Come on, Sarge, let’s go get your arm looked at. We’ll get you all fixed up.”

Nick let himself be led away, but only because the longer they lingered in the area, the more likely it was that someone else would get hurt or worse. But they all knew there was no fixing this. Not today. Not ever.

Spence was—

*  *  *

A sharp pain dragged Nick back to the grassy slope of the graveyard. Mooch whined and licked the small mark where he’d just nipped Nick’s arm. The poor dog looked worried. How long had Nick been gone this time? Long enough to be damp from the rain that had started falling since he’d knelt in the grass. The dog shoved his head under Nick’s hand, demanding a good scratching that felt as good to Nick as it did to the dog.

“Sorry, Mooch. We’ll get going here in a minute.”

He pushed himself back up to his feet and dusted off his pants, focusing hard on the moment. It was too easy to get caught up in spinning his wheels in the past. He needed to keep moving forward, if for no other reason than he had to make sure Mooch reached his final destination.