Warrior from the Shadowland (26 page)

“Where
is the human woman’s Elemental family?  Why didn’t they come forward and tell
the Council it was possible to Phaze with humans, so other Phases could try to
find a Match there?”

“I
don’t know.”  Nia admitted.  “Uriel said the Phase was old.  One day, he just
walked away from the Wood Kingdom and never came back.  Turns out he retired to
Florida and had a part human granddaughter.”

Wood
Phases were warriors.  Protectors.  Chason’s mind raced.  If a Wood Phase knew
of the Quintessence, he might have kept its secrets.  The Wood House was all
about loyalty and codes.  It was why he’d never been able to recruit a Wood
Phase for the Reprisal.  If the old Wood Phase chose to live in Mayport Beach,
there must have been a reason.  Why not in a forest or jungle somewhere that
would remind him of home?

Unless,
he knew the Quintessence was there and was acting as its guardian.  And if the
Quintessence knew the half-breed’s grandfather, that explained why it picked
that particular human to show the Water House.  That particular town.

Maybe
it was still there someplace.

There
were a lot of ‘if’s in the theory, but Chason would have the Reprisal soldiers
tear Mayport Beach apart if that’s what it took to find the Quintessence.  It
was the only lead he had.

“So,
you see why you should just let this go?”  Nia continued.  “The Quintessence is
gone, but we have a new quest, now:  Find humans with Elemental DNA.”

“What
possible good are human Matches to me, Nia?”  Chason couldn’t believe she’d be
so blind.  “I already
found
my Match and now she’s gone.  I built her a
tomb, not by the sea, but right down there.”  He pointed out the window, where
he’d erected the monument for Mara and all their lost dreams.  “I told you,
I’ll lie down beside her after I have my revenge, and then I’ll rest.  There
is
no mission for me except my vengeance and my death.”

“You
need to stop trying to avenge your Match and start
remembering
your
Match.”  Nia told him, seriously.

Chason
would have answered that with the contempt that it deserved, except he suddenly
heard the music again. 
I’ll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time
echoed in
his head and he had to squeeze his eyes shut against the memories.  The
perfect, close harmony of the song washed over him, the notes so clear that
they cut into his damaged soul.  He ground the heels of his palms into his eye
sockets as if that would somehow block it out.

“Is
that singing?”  Nia demanded.  “Does the Reprisal hold dances here or
something?”

Chason’s
gaze snapped to hers.  “What?”  He whispered.

“You
don’t hear it?  It’s like… The Andrew Sisters, I think.”

Chason
felt his knees give out.  He sank back down in his chair.  “There’s no music in
my House.”  His lips barely moved to form the words.  “
None
.”  He’d made
sure of it.  The song was just trapped inside his head and, once the universe
ended, he’d finally silence even that.  The music wasn’t there.

Nia
frowned.  “You really can’t hear it?”  She actually started humming the chorus.
“‘Church bells will chime; you will be mine, in ap-
ple
blos-som…’”

“
No
.” 
Chason roared.  “I don’t hear anything, because
there’s no music in my House!
” 
He realized his hand was shaking and that only made him angrier.

The
door slammed open before Nia could continue pressing.

Chason’s
head whipped around, prepared to bellow at whichever of Reprisal soldiers was
intruding.  It only took at heartbeat for him to realize that it wasn’t one of
his men, though.

Of
all the unlikely buddy-cop teams throughout history, he was staring at the most
bizarre.  Cross, psycho king of the Shadow House, stalked in like death, armed
with a bloodstained sword.  And right behind him, for no reason Chason could
possible imagine, stood Gion.

Cross
might have been born a bastard, but Gion was the one who defined the word for
the ages.  Most Houses had “behead on sight” orders passed on him even before
the Fall.

Chason
had no real opinion about Cross.  Well, the sword he looked eager to ram into
Chason’s neck wasn’t exactly making Nia’s Match his favorite Phase in the
universe.  But, Chason could accept that the guy wanted him dead.  He touched
Cross’ Match.  Of course, they were enemies, now.  For Chason, though, it was
more a blood feud by technicality.

But,
Gion was an Air Phase.  And not just any Air Phase.  The Merlin who ensured
Parald’s King Arthur rose to the throne.  Chason hated so many people that most
of their names were just static-y white noise in his head.  He killed them, but
their individual identities didn’t matter much.  Gion’s name penetrated down to
the very core of Chason’s fury.  One of the Phases he most blamed for the death
of Mara.

“Cross.” 
Nia didn’t seem very surprised to see her Match.  She turned to give him a
smile.  “Don’t worry, sweetie.  I’m fine.”

Cross
didn’t respond to that.  Maybe he didn’t hear her with the blood pooling out of
his ears.  His eyes were bleeding, too.  Chason had never seen anyone’s eyes
bleed before, but he didn’t really register the weirdness of it.  He didn’t
care how they got to the Magnet Fortress, either.  He didn’t care about
anything except killing Gion.  He went right over the desk after him, pulling his
blade free and forcing Nia to scramble out of the way so she wouldn’t get
knocked over.

Gion
watched him advancing and sighed.  “Is this about your Match, again?”  He
didn’t even bother to reach of his own weapon.

He
didn’t have to.

Cross
slammed into Chason, his sword arcing out like a pendulum.  Chason barely
avoided decapitation.  He automatically tried to evade Cross, his gaze still
centered on Gion. 

“You
son-of-a-bitch!”  Chason’s voice went beyond screaming.  It was a horse, shaking
distillation of pure wrath.  “
I will fucking kill you
.”

Gion
smirked.  “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

Cross
swung at Chason, again, and Chason actually had to take his eyes off of Gion
long enough to defend himself.  Their swords clanged together hard enough to
create sparks. Cross still hadn’t said anything.  From his face, it seemed
clear that he planned to behead Chason before they’d even exchanged a single
word.

“Cross.” 
Nia called.  “I’m okay.  Let’s just go.”

“Yes,
go
.  Take her back.”  Chason snapped.  “I don’t care.”  And he didn’t. 
He’d gotten all the information he needed from Nia.  Gion was at the center of
his attention, now.  He was fine with Nia and Cross both leaving.

Training
with the Reprisal made Chason an excellent swordsman.  Plus, he was a Magnet
Phase, so he could’ve cheated and just bent the sword in half with his powers. 
But, it didn’t occur to him.  Centuries of following the rules of honorable
behavior and his own tunnel vision of hatred, blinded him.  His temper had always
been like that.  It fueled him, but it usually turned into his biggest weakness
in the end.

Chason
evaded another attack from Cross and managed to get closer to Gion.

The
bastard just lounged there in the doorway, one shoulder propped against the
threshold.  Gion arched a brow.  “Have you ever considered that you’re just not
capable of leading suicide charges, Chason?  After two years of trying to
kamikaze me, you’d think that you’d have met with
some
success by now,
if your heart was really in it.”

“I
don’t have a heart, anymore.  The Air House took her from me.”  Chason
snarled.  “You’d better pray that you die before you
ever
find a Match. 
Because, otherwise, we’ll see if I’m capable of killing
her
.”  It was a
vow.  “Then, you can experience the hell of living on with your woman dead and
rotting in a crypt.”

Gion
stopped sneering.  In all of Chason’s extensive research on the bastard, he’d
never come across an instance of Gion losing his temper.  Now, he looked
seriously pissed, though.  As if threatening a Match he didn’t even
have
enraged him.

Gion
had no qualms about cheating in a fight.  His powers slammed out, the force of
the Air driving Chason back into the room…  Right into Cross’s sword.

Nia
actually cried out as the blade went through Chason’s chest.  “No!”

Chason
tried to breath, but he couldn’t draw in any oxygen.  He fell to his knees, gasping. 
He should have known that Gion wouldn’t fight fair.

Cross
ripped the sword free and prepared to take Chason’s head off.

Gion’s
blue eyes glowed, mercilessly.  “Are you sure you don’t have a heart, Chason? 
I think I see it.”

“Cross,
stop!”  Nia screamed.

Chason
heard the music, again.  For the first time in forever, the bittersweet,
ephemeral promise of an apple blossom wedding didn’t make him cringe in pain. 
Instead, he actually felt something else.

Sad.

He
felt sad.

Sad
that he’d let Mara down.  Sad that she was gone.  Sad that he’d survived
instead of her.  Sad that he hadn’t been a better Match to her when he had the
chance.  His life and his bride.  Sadness actually ate through the hatred for a
beat and with it came an overwhelming weariness.  He was so tired.  Maybe he
could finally rest if he just…stopped.

Nia’s
voice finally seemed to register with Cross.  He flashed her a quick look. 
“Stop?”

“Stop.” 
She hurried over to stand next to Chason.  “You promised that you’d always stop
if I said ‘stop.’  So, stop.  Please, don’t kill him.”

“He
touched you.  He stole you.”  Cross’ voice was barely understandable through
the Shadows.  Still, he lowered the blade away from Chason’s neck and glanced
at Nia.  “Are you alright?”

“Yes,
I’m fine.  He didn’t hurt me.”

“The
Reprisal has a bounty on every member of the Water House.”  Gion interjected. 
“If you want to protect your Match and her family, you’d better ignore her. 
Chason’s wound isn’t mortal.  When he heals, what do you think he’s going to
do?  Send them her a ‘Gee, sorry I abducted you and tried to behead your queen’
floral arrangement?  Will that make everything better?”

“Shut-up!” 
Nia shrieked.  “What are you even doing here?”  She quickly refocused on
Cross.  “I know the Reprisal’s nuts.  I know
Chason’s
nuts.  But, he’s
not evil.  I don’t want to kill him.  Let’s just go.”  She laid a hand on
Cross’ arm.  “Please.”

Cross
sighed.  He reluctantly moved away from Chason and pulled Nia closer.  He
leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.  “I love you.  Don’t get
kidnapped, again.”

“I
won’t.  I love you, too.”  She wrapped her arms around his waist.  “I want to
go home, now.”

“Oh,
for God’s sake.  You two are useless.”  Gion stepped into the room.  “
I’ll
fucking kill him.”

The
Andrew Sisters stopped singing so suddenly that Chason jolted.  His eyes
blinked, trying to focus and process sensory input.  Without the music, he
could hear his men coming for him, their footsteps pounding in the hall.  He
could feel the pain of his injury, but only in a vacant sort of way.  He saw
the blood coating his chest and torso, saw that the hole in his chest would
have instantly killed a human, saw Gion striding towards him…

And,
oddly, he saw Abel.

The
Stone Phase had apparently regained consciousness.  He was pulling himself to
his feet, his attention fixed on Nia.  As Chason struggled to breathe, Parald’s
face was superimposed over Abel’s in his mind.  A man out to steal Matches and
kill innocents.  Not again.  “Nia…  Behind you.”

The
warning came out in a whisper, but it must have been enough.

Cross
spun around, pushing Nia back.

Gion
scowled, stopping to stare at Abel.  “Who the hell is that?”

“I
am God!”  Abel bellowed.

“Really?” 
Gion didn’t look impressed.  “I thought You’d be taller.”

Abel
lunged at him.  It vaguely surprised Chason that a Phase who’d sustained a near
skull fracture could move that fast.  Stone Phases tended to have harder heads
than the average Elemental, but still it was impressive.

Gion
had trained as a warrior.  He automatically moved forward in a defensive
maneuver.  Unfortunately, the blood matted in Abel’s hair covered the telltale
olive streak at his temple.  Stone Phase’s weren’t a group you wanted to try
hand-to-hand combat with.  Gion really should have pulled that sword.

Abel’s
powers surged out, freezing Gion in place at the first touch of his hand.

Chason’s
eyebrows soared.  It was almost a shame to watch Cross advance on Abel, weapon
in hand.  Cross seemed intent on decapitation and Chason could personally
attest that he was good with a blade.  But, when a Stone Phase died, all the
objects that they’d solidified went back to normal.  The second Abel’s head hit
the floor, Gion would be unfrozen.  Chason much preferred the bastard this
way.  It was his own version of Han Solo in Carbonite.