Time Dancer (24 page)

* * *

Kya giggled under his tickling mouth, arching into his playful bite. She sat back with her cheeks flushed. “There’s bread in the box if you’re hungry but my backside has been nibbled enough.”

Warric scowled. “Mmm, no, I think I want more Kya rather than bread and jam.”

He reached for her, then froze. His ribs tightened around his lungs. Sucking in air was impossible. A cry died in his mouth. He grabbed at his aching heart as everything shifted and smudged before his eyes. The only thing he could see clearly was the sudden fright on her face.

“Warric?”

His muscles shook around the bone, and a searing lance speared through him. His head flopped against the pillows, gurgled sounds pouring from his mouth. Inside him, things curled and quaked with an increasing strength. He whispered her name but no sound left his mouth.

Fear tasted like raw meat. Was this it? Was his channeling chaos claiming control? Was this the final surge of corrupted magic taking hold of him? Would he destroy all those he loved?

Kya grasped his hand and brought it to her mouth. Tears streaked down her cheeks. Darkness encroached. Warric succumbed to it with a final realization. He’d never seen Kya cry before.

* * *

The abbey stairs were dank and shadowed. Feena fisted her skirt and climbed the winding steps, taking care where she put her feet. The Mother Abbess’s cat liked to lurk, lying in wait to snag any stray bit of material passing by. Feena wouldn’t risk a fall.

Only a half dozen steps remained when a cramp gripped her lower belly. No one in the abbey knew she was the newest Princess of Eldwyn or that she carried the Crowned Prince’s heir, and she didn’t want to break that secret. She stumbled into her cell. Not bothering to remove her plain novice habit, she curled into a ball and tried breathing through the spasming waves.

Dread slicked her throat. Was she losing the baby? Would fate be so cruel as to take her unborn child when her husband’s life was in danger? Though she felt no wetness, she pressed her thighs together as if that could keep the tiny babe from fleeing her womb. A single tear trickled to her cheek.

“Oh Batu, where are you? Be safe, my heart.”

Chapter Fourteen

The barn door creaked and the muscles along Darach’s spine clenched. He gave a sharp tug to the cinch of her saddle to avoid looking at her but nothing could hide her familiar fragrance. Jana smelled of their loving, of him and her wrapped in a moist haze of flesh and unspoken vows. For a brief time, he’d been poised to gather her close, cradle her in his arms and take her home where they could spend eternity in paradise. But he’d made a mistake, a colossal, irreparable error that forced them to continue on. He couldn’t stand to see recrimination on her face.

Fragile fingers landed on his shoulder. “What’s wrong? You’ve been so quiet since last night.”

“I failed.”

Those long fingers dug into his tunic. “Don’t say that. We haven’t failed yet.”

“No, Jana. I failed. Me. I’m your guide and I led you down the wrong path. In my arrogance, I neglected to consider that the royal bloodline had more than one branch. We’ve accomplished nothing but wasted precious time.”

He expected her to agree, to trivialize it, perhaps to even deny it. He did not expect her to laugh.

“Oh, Darach. We haven’t wasted time, we’ve mastered it. Look at all we’ve discovered. Batu is safe in Myrtlewood. We know about Rycca and Dyal and how the heartmate curse came to be. Had we truly failed, you would’ve already been called home, right?”

His teeth ground against one another. “True.”

“Then we haven’t failed. You found a thread that was knotted and we unknotted it. So there’s another knot we have to work on. No use griping about it. Let’s just get moving so we can fix it.” A gentle caress stroked up his neck to his cheek. “Part of being human is being fallible but you can’t let it destroy you.”

“I don’t like being fallible,” he muttered under his breath. Intellectually he understood her words but they were cold comfort. Their duty was supposed to be near completion. Now they had to start fresh and discover what role Warric played in it. Something chewed through his mind. There was a threat to the crown, a real and deadly presence that still lingered. Somehow, it had roots in the ancient heartmate spell. He felt that, still strong as ever in his essence. But he couldn’t figure out how.

His fingers tightened to a fist as a wave of vulnerability washed through him. Unlike the blind void in time, here life galloped on around him, taunting him as things unfolded he couldn’t control or affect. In the vast expanse of the human realm, he was lost. He was a tracker, a guide. Being lost went against every grain of his existence.

Some fundamental element in his core cracked. “I’m helpless.”

Firm fingers grabbed his chin and yanked his head to face her. “No. You’re a spell, one formed with bone and magic, full of might and power. You showed me the truth in myself and taught me to dance through my dreams. You came for me when I was trapped in time. You’re a man with a gentle honor and a fierce pride who stood up for a small boy, who learns from his mistakes, who prizes honesty and integrity. You are not helpless.”

A surge of confidence shored him up, sent waves of calm rippling through him. He would succeed. Nothing else was acceptable. Her love made him more than what he’d been at his creation, more than the sum of his parts. For her, he’d become more than magic, more than a man. That devotion would spur him forward and mold him even more.

His heart swelled to an ache as he gazed into Jana’s cove-blue eyes. His thumb skated over her velvety smooth skin. “I’ll never be helpless with you at my side,
nayeli
.”

“I love you, even if you are arrogant and demanding and sinfully masculine.” Her whispered words warmed his skin as she nuzzled along his jaw. “For a not-quite-real man, you make me think wickedly womanly thoughts.”

Even through her cloak, the soft mounds of her breasts pressed into his chest. Instinctual and human urges converged, tightening his thighs. Dawn was a mere suggestion of pink along the frosty horizon. He cupped her behind, tugging her closer and letting his tongue trace along her neck. “Wicked is my favorite part of the human design.”

She angled her head, giving him access to that tender spot along her jaw, then pushed him away with a reluctant groan. “We can’t. We have to get back to Thistlemount.”

Darach banked his desire with a firm nod. “You’re right. Let’s complete this mission so we can go home.”

The horse’s hooves cracked through the snow’s crusted top but his clawed paws made no sound as they headed into the blistering expanse of white. Harsh wind stirred the barren stretch of snow and tossed the edges of Jana’s cloak but Darach didn’t slow his race to the castle. Something brewed deep in his magic. It sounded like a hushed plea begging them to hurry before it was too late.

* * *

Morning crested in a wash of pink and cream and a bitter wind screaming from the north. Warric’s mouth was thick with paste. He blinked against the light. Sweat had dried to a clammy film along his brow. A residual soreness radiated from his sternum. He shifted.

Kya was beside him in an instant. “Easy, my love.” She helped him sit upright, tucking pillows behind him. Her fingers flew over his face, checking for fever, and her eyes scoured his, looking for madness. Her fear was palpable. “What happened? You’ve been out cold for over a full day. I’ve been terrified, afraid to sleep in case you...”

“I’m all right.” His voice grated with a scratch.

She hurried to bring him a mug of tea sweetened with honey. The hot liquid cleared his throat and helped to clear his mind. He had no idea what happened. If this was his channeling powers surging, it manifested in a way he’d never imagined. He dared a brief glance inward and sighed in reprieve. The door was bolted tight and the channeling chaos as confused as he was about what had happened.

Despite her protests, he rose and dressed. When his stomach rumbled, Kya stomped around the kitchen, muttering about how the next time he scared her like that she was taking a switch to his backside. He simply watched her with adoration while she made his favorite almond pancakes. They’d nearly finished cleaning up the dirty dishes when a harsh knock shook the door.

Kya sighed. “I told that boy noontime. If he thinks I’ll pay him a copper more to shovel the snow because he came early, he’s wrong.”

She wrapped the pink shawl around her shoulders and opened the door. A huge stern-faced Royal Guard blocked the light and looked over her head, directly at him. “Your Highness, I’ve been sent to bring you home.”

“No.” Warric’s gut tightened. “I’m not leaving here. Tell my father I’ll be ba—”

“The arrest order comes from the High Captain, with the queen’s seal.”

Dread threatened to dislodge the pancakes from his belly. “Arrest? My mother? Why didn’t my father send the order?”

The guard’s eyes dropped. “All I know is the king has taken to his bed and the queen is acting ruler now.”

“Is my father...is it his heart?” Warric swallowed a jolt of concern. He couldn’t let his last words to his father be in anger.

“I don’t know, milord.” The guard shuffled his feet.

Kya slid her fingers over his lower back, giving her support. It grounded him. Papa couldn’t die, he was too stubborn. There’d be time to make repairs yet. For now, he must stay with Kya. “Tell my moth—”

“My instructions are to not leave without you, Your Highness, and to use whatever means needed to see you are returned.”

A clinking behind the man drew Warric’s gaze. Half a platoon of armored men had dismounted and stood ready to use force. Three stepped into the tiny cottage, overfilling it with large male bodies carrying a lot of weaponry. One knocked into the table, and the vase filled with his yellow roses crashed to the floor.

An affronted burn charged through him. His
mother
sent a dozen soldiers after him? The king he could see, but his mother? Had he lost her trust as well? Enchantment hummed in his bones and he felt his eyes begin to glow. He put himself between Kya and the men.

“You think you can arrest me?”

Frigid wind whipped between his legs from behind with a whoosh. Something seemed off about that but he was too focused on the soldiers in front of him to think. The sergeant faced him, his stalwart devotion to duty erasing all fear. “Yes, milord. I know what you are, but I also know your weakness.”

A muffled gasp whirled Warric around. A brawny knight had entered through the bedroom window. He held Kya to his chest, one meaty hand clamped over her mouth. Her dark eyes were wide in fear.

“Let go of her.” Warric’s face grew hot with the urge to hurl fire.

The second soldier drew his blade and held it to her cheek. “One magic blink and I cut her. Listen to the sergeant, milord. I don’t want to hurt her, but I will if I must. You need to return to Thistlemount now. The woman comes with you, never fear.”

Rage boiled in his blood. He wasn’t ready yet. He needed time. He barely had control of the chaos, and he couldn’t explain what had happened last night. He was too dangerous to be around his family.

Kya whimpered and his rage turned to fury. The soldier held her by the arm, his gloved grip digging into her skin. The dagger rested on the curve of her cheek, where the flesh was fullest. A white line formed as he pressed and her skin threatened to split.

Black swirled in his sight and a malicious voice hissed in his ear.
Kill
them
.
Kill
them
all
.
She’s
mine
. He shook his head, trying to clear the temptation away. The headache slammed into him like a brick. Instinctively, he took a single step toward her.

The honed-fine blade pricked her skin. A tiny drop of scarlet formed at the dagger tip. Warric held his hands up. “All right, I’ll go, but turn her loose before you cut her.”

The guard shook his head. “Not until you’re with your mother.”

Someone grabbed his arms and forced his hands behind his back. Rope knotted tightly, biting into his wrists, trussing him like a goose for cooking. The chaotic force twisted inside him with hurricane strength. Holding it back took every drop of his will.

“Let her get dressed, damn it! She can’t go out in just her shift.”

The soldiers exchanged eye contact, then the one holding her nodded. “Outside for you. I’ll bring her out when she’s dressed. One word, Your Highness, one cry, and she feels my knife’s kiss. Hold tight to that magic and your temper if you want her unmarked.”

They threw his cloak over his shoulders and shoved him into the snow like a common thief. He stumbled, his ankle twisting and rubbing against the jeweled dagger in his boot. Escape plans bubbled in his mind. If he could get Kya away, he could easily distract the guards with a few well-placed fireballs. They could hide until he was more in control. Maybe he’d take her into Quinlan province. The terrain there was cold and dry, with a sparse population. He’d be less likely to hurt anyone. But first he had to get his hands loose.

There was no way he could bring his dagger from his ankle without notice but his mantle did hide his hands. He closed his eyes and placed a smoldering spark deep in the twined hemp. Heat formed along his lower back and a small tendril of smoke drifted from the cloak edge. He tried to cover it with the steam from his mouth by talking.

“What is my crime? Tell me what I’m charged with.”

The sergeant’s thick upper lip tightened. “Assassination attempts of the Crowned Prince and the Princess Presumptive.”

Warric made himself laugh, a wide cloud spilling from his lips. “Presumptive? You need better informants. My brother married Feena in secret before his exile. She’s a full-fledged princess now. The only Princess Presumptive is in there with a damn dagger at her face!”

The guard blinked but said nothing more. Warric’s horse had been brought from Thistlemount. He couldn’t climb up with his hands tied so they’d sat a chunk of wood for him to step on. He rested his booted foot on the block but didn’t mount. Incredible heat blistered his back but he twisted his hands, trying to break the burning rope.

He raised his voice to a yell. “Kya? Are you all right?”

The door thrust open. She wore a dark rose gown that was rumpled and her hair was unbound and messy. A firm tilt to her head and furious glimmer in her eye made him grin. Kya was far too independent to take well to being mauled. God, he loved the grit in her. His mother would like her. The sudden thought sobered him.

“Let go of me, you ox!” She jerked her elbow from the guard’s hold.

“She doesn’t own a horse. Let her ride with me.”

The sergeant snickered. “Not a chance in hell, Your Highness.”

The rope gave way and dropped to the snow at his feet. Arms still behind his back, Warric palmed a fireball. “Kya, run!”

Warric lobbed the fireball and her guard ducked back into the cottage. Pandemonium erupted. The guards started toward him but Warric was a half-step faster, anger and determination fueling his muscles. He tossed three more burning spheres at the approaching men, aiming at their feet. Everyone shied away from the blue-magic fire that didn’t melt the snow but roared with singeing heat.

“Just stay back,” he cautioned. He kept his eyes trained on the sergeant but held his hand out to Kya. “Come on, love, quickly.”

She bolted toward him. The guard lunged from the doorway, catching her around her knees. Kya fell with a shriek. A harsh
thunk
silenced the scream as her temple slammed into the wooden block. Silence echoed.

“Kya?”

No one moved. A shudder formed deep in his belly. The packed snow beneath her head widened in a crimson circle.

Warric knelt, whispering her name. “Kya, please?”

His hands trembled rolling her toward him. The dark fringe of her lashes lay closed and her mouth was parted a touch. No misty vapor wafted from those lips. A little wound, less than the length of his smallest finger, sliced across her temple. Bright red blood trickled into her hair.

Her cheeks were cold. She didn’t have her shawl. Why hadn’t they let her grab her shawl? He’d wanted to get her a fine cloak but there hadn’t been time. Quilted brown, like the color of her eyes and lined with thick, warm fox fur. He could nearly see her face shining in delight with such a mantle.