Blade Heart

  Oh, goodie! Not only were the scriptures complete jabberwocky but there was insinuated subtext as well.

  “And this part would be?”

  “You’ve awakened the dormant magic and the prophetic child has risen, that much has already come to pass. Yet it doesn’t foretell what will happen if you mend the fabric or if you don’t. I believe we’re in the presence of two different possible futures.”

  A shiver went through Cara as she listened to the wizard’s hypothesis. Unable to shake off a dreary sensation, she sneaked closer to Morgan. He put an arm around her waist, his body heat appeasing her sudden anxiety. Across the table, the wizard frowned but went on to explain his assumption.

  “Let’s pretend you recall your past and mend the severed thread. In doing so, you’d be fulfilling the prophecy and giving absolute power to the House of Agravar. This would lead to our probable destruction, but you’d be saving your world as well as the cosmic universe. On the other hand, if you just stand by and let things run their course, the Four Kingdoms might have a chance, but your world would then be bound to ruin. Am I clear?”

  Loud and clear. She was the one to get to pick and choose. She was the one to decide which world was worth more than the other. Did he have more tricks like this up his sleeve or had he been saving it for her sole benefit? With a sweep of her hand, Cara sent the hateful sheet of paper flying.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  True, he didn’t look to be having a blast. Neither did Morgan, who softly ran his hand up and down her back. Elbows on the table, Cara buried her face in her open palms. She breathed. She raked the hidden corners of her mind for a different solution—any kind of answer that wouldn’t involve saving a race to eradicate another. But her brain stayed on fuck-this-shit mode as she lowered her fingers to glare at the wizard.

  “It’s ridiculous. This is utterly and insanely ridiculous. How can you ask me to make such a choice?”

  “I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.”

  Just like the stranger in Morgan sometimes came out of hiding, the kindness in Caius seemed to have gone on vacation. Watching his hard features, she sensed he’d never let her off the hook. Swell! As if to cut the heavy intensity filling the room, Morgan addressed the wizard.

  “First things first. Can you cast a spell to restore her memories?”

  “No spell will work. Cara has impinged upon the nature of magic itself and she’s become untouchable. Our sole course of action lies in the hope she remembers her past of her own volition.”

  “Don’t you think I’ve tried?”

  Unfazed by her grumpy tone and angry scowl, Caius reached out. “Give me your hand, Cara.”

  “Why?”

  “Just give it to me.”

  Recalling the man had healed her when an arrow had pierced her shoulder, she seized his hand. As soon as she touched his lined palm, a warm sensation seeped into her body. Her resentment at feeling manipulated, even by destiny, eased off while a newfound confidence took its place.

  She knew he was using magic to make her feel better and she was grateful. Or maybe, to counteract the discovery of misused forces and horrible prophecies, he wanted to show her the good side of magic.

  “Thanks. I’m good.”

  A small grin lit his face as he let go of her hand. “Now, Cara, tell me what you remember. Even an insignificant detail might be a clue.”

  “Okay. I live in New York. I rent an apartment in Brooklyn and I work as a waitress in a diner. That’s all.”

  “Did you have any dreams?”

  Her stomach lurched. Spasms contracted her leg muscles and her throat went instantly dry. Unable to answer his very simple question, she gripped the handle of her mug and supped half of the cool liquid.

  “She did.”

  As Morgan confirmed the wizard’s suspicions, Cara’s mind flew to the first night at Heather’s when the stranger had held her in his arms to fight off the terror clutching her. He hadn’t asked for anything in return. He had just wished to alleviate her deepest fears. And he had done it again in the cave.

  “Cara, what happens in your dreams?”

  “Not dreams. Nightmares.”

  Morgan put his arm around her shoulders to draw her tight against him. Caius leant forward. She cleared her throat.

  “I feel a pull, like it’s tugging or calling me. I’m in Times Square and I follow this compelling sensation to a warehouse. I see a metallic door. I’m so scared I can’t breathe. Yet I step into an empty room and the door locks behind me. The handle disappears. I can’t get out. There’s a shiny quartz on the floor. I don’t know why but I pick it up. Then…”

  Her voice trailed off. Submerged with an ancestral fear, Cara hesitated while she grabbed Morgan’s thigh.

  “Then?”

  “A black hole opens up in the floor. It’s like a monster intent on gobbling me up. I back to the door, but the hole expands to the size of the room. I can hear screams of intense pain coming from the darkness below and I’m so terrified. I think I jump into the hole, and that’s when I wake up.”

  “Show me this quartz.”

  Caius’ request had her fish the stone out of her pocket. When she held it in front of him, he slid a finger around the string.

  “Peculiar.”

  “Heather said it’s worthless, so did Devlyn’s wizard.”

  “Morgoth? That idiot wouldn’t know a mandragora root from a euthanya tuber. Needless to say, he’s also the king’s pawn. But let’s have a look at this.”

  Although he rolled the quartz between his fingers and observed it like some kind of mystical discovery, Cara didn’t perceive curiosity in his eyes. Either he relied on Heather’s opinion or he was trying to hide from them his total lack of enlightenment. Still, when he had passed his hands over the piece a few times he gave it back to her.

  “Keep this for now, you never know.”

  “What about my nightmare?”

  “Dreams belong to the realm of magic. They’re usually difficult to interpret because the true meaning is hidden behind common images that don’t reflect reality. But in your case I’d say this isn’t a dream. It’s a memory.”

  Glad to be cradled in Morgan’s embrace, Cara wondered about her lost past. What would happen if the wizard found a way to send her back home? Did it mean she might save their universe but would never see Morgan again?

  And that she’d be condemned to live without him in a world bound to destruction anyway? What if the prophecy was just a bunch of crap and they were all delusional? With her overloaded brain weighing on her rational sense, she put the quartz into her pocket.

  “Can you get me back home?”

  “No. Even if I had such powers I wouldn’t do it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because your part on that end is done and you need to restore the fabric from our end now. Your place is here.”

  Beside her, Morgan nodded. “Caius is right. You have to mend the thread of time and existence even if it leads to decades of tyranny for us. We’ll suffer, bleed, starve and die, but we’ll never stop fighting.”

  Cara shivered as his green gaze caressed her face, and her heart beat harder at the sound of his vibrant voice. Only when Caius spoke was she able to tear her eyes away from Morgan’s spellbinding charisma.

  “You can never leave. Were you to go back to your world, the cosmic universe would ultimately rip apart.”

  What could she answer to that when her sole wish was to be with Morgan? Here or there, she wanted to live and die by his side. As if the discussion had come to an end for him, he released her shoulder and focused on the wizard.

  “As interesting as this prophetic conversation has been, you’re going to tell me why I can’t touch Cara. And you’d better have a very good reason.”

  “Well, to make you understand…”

  “Now, Caius!”

  Morgan’s tone didn’t leave any room for hesitation or denial, and h
is icy stare never left the wizard. Cara’s insides fluttered as she reacted to his commanding voice and demeanour. Her hand still resting on his thigh, she stroked the hard muscles while she stared at Caius.

  “It’s the prophecy. You need to know there’s…”

  A blast of fire shot past the window. Instantly on his feet, Morgan dashed to the front door and threw it open.

  “We’re being attacked. It’s Devlyn’s riders.”

  Outside, Haedron roared and dragon fire burst out of his mouth towards the sky. When Cara stood up to run to Morgan, Caius shouted, “Go! I can deal with them, I’ll be fine. Go!”

  Morgan grabbed her hand. They raced to Haedron as Cara spotted at least six dragons flying towards them. Arrows whizzed past them. They missed their targets but for how long? As soon as they scrambled up his back, Haedron took off. Heart bumping, Cara gripped the bone in front of her to avoid being thrown off.

  “Hold on tight! We must drive them away from Caius’ house.”

  Fingers taut around the spine, she tried to evaluate their enemies’ position. Although Haedron appeared more powerful, the chasing dragons were closing in on them. When he soared up to shake them off his tail, the landscape below became a distant blur of dull colours. They were so high in the sky that Cara thought they might reach the sun.

  Then the ground seemed to lurch upward. A gust of fire exploded out of Haedron’s mouth as his roar of pain rippled in the freezing air. An arrow stuck in his side, he toppled over. Cara glimpsed Morgan’s hand as he tore the weapon out of the bleeding flesh, and the world whirled around.

  Thrown off balance, she slid off the dragon’s back. A scream of terror ripping her throat, she caught a piece of the strap at the last second. Suspended in the air while the dragon plummeted down, she looked up at Morgan. Wincing from the strain of gripping the spinal bone with a single hand, he reached out.

  “Take my hand.”

  He couldn’t save both of them. Barely hanging on to the dragon, he didn’t have the strength to haul her up and they both knew it. The force of the wind slapped her whole body and the strap slid between her fingers. She wouldn’t rescue any world after all, but she would save his life. Shaking her head, she smiled at him.

  “I love you, Morgan.”

  “Don’t!”

  His shout tore her soul. God, but she would have loved him so much had she been allowed to live! Buffeted by strong currents of air, unable to breathe, Cara let her frozen fingers release the strap. She fell. At the same time, Morgan leapt off Haedron to seize her in his arms. And as the dragon finally began to adjust his flight, they both dropped down to the faraway ground like pieces of lead.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Cara came to in Heaven, and Heaven looked very much like a forest. Above her, the darkening blue sky bore the mark of evening to come. Under her the ground was hard and cold. She didn’t feel any pain, but how was it possible after such a fall? Well, that would teach them to take a minute to fasten straps before taking off on the back of a dragon. As she wondered if she should try to move, gentle fingers touched her cheek.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She tilted her face towards the sound of Morgan’s voice. Lying beside her, he didn’t seem to be in pain either.

  “No. You?”

  “Not a scratch.”

  “Where are we?”

  He sat up to look around. “Somewhere.”

  Cara seized the hand he extended to help her to assume a sitting position. Muscles and bones working perfectly, she observed the scattered trees’ golden reddish colours and the fallen leaves blanketing the forest.

  “Where’s Haedron? I hope he’s okay.”

  “The wound didn’t seem deep. He’ll be fine wherever he is.”

  “Do you think we’re in Heaven?”

  “If we are, they wear strange garments here.”

  Cara’s eyes widened at the sight of their clothes. Suddenly spurred by an inconceivable thought, she twisted her body to take a look behind her. Between and above a sparse row of trees, a high building reflected the dull glare of the waning sun.

  “Oh my God, this isn’t a forest.”

  Hearing her surprised tone, Morgan stood up to stare at the tall structure lit by natural light. He wiped his hands together.

  “I’ve never seen the likes before. What’s this?”

  Pulse beating faster, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth, Cara got on her feet and encompassed their surroundings with her arm.

  “This is Central Park. We’re home.”

  “Your world?”

  “Yes.”

  As she rotated a full three hundred and sixty degrees, she saw a couple strolling in the distance. Farther up, a man appeared to be directing children towards a gate with large sweeps of his arms. Closer to them but half concealed behind a large tree trunk, teenagers were making out, their school bags lying beside them. Although he’d been thrown into unknown territories, Morgan studied the place with an eager light in his eyes.

  “Interesting.”

  He had jumped off the dragon to die with her. Now that she had some time to contemplate his action, tears welled up and her throat seemed constricted by a tight knot. A violent rush of happiness turning her into a palpitating heart, she took in his tall, muscular body clothed in jeans, shirt and a leather jacket.

  Hardened by long years of battle, he never feared anything. Not for himself. Born in a harsh world where magic rivalled the clash of swords, he fought with all his strength to survive the day. And this powerful man loved her. Without a second thought, this incredibly gorgeous warrior had given his life for her. How often did that happen?

  As she watched the hard lines of his face, a tear ran down her cheek. Leaning in, he caught it with his finger.

  “You’re crying.”

  “No.”

  Subjected to the fierceness of his gaze and the brush of his hand on her skin, Cara rejoiced in their unbelievable luck. Although they stood a whole universe away from where they were supposed to be, both their hearts beat strong.

  “How did we end up here? We should be dead.”

  “But we’re alive.”

  He brought his mouth down and she shivered at the touch of his lips. Hands instinctively going around his neck, she pressed herself against him. He clutched her back, lifting her off the ground and his tongue took possession of her mouth. She moaned as he devoured her, sucked the breath out of her. Her pussy bearing down on his encased hard sex, wetness invading her panties, she succumbed to his kiss of life.

  She panted when he withdrew his wanton tongue, when his lips left hers. His chest heaved and his eyes twinkled.

  “It’s never the right place, is it?”

  Conscious again of the world around them, Cara saw more people ambling, jogging and enjoying themselves. As much as she wanted him right there, the prospect of being arrested for an illegal display of affection in public didn’t appeal to her. Yet if New York was still New York and things hadn’t changed…

  “Come, Morgan. It will be night soon, we can’t stay here.”

  Side by side, they walked out of Central Park. Leaves crunched underfoot, sometimes people nodded when they crossed paths. Their uncanny luck still seemed to hang on to them because a cab pulled over outside the gates. Features composed but eyes wide open to this new world, Morgan stared out of the window the whole way to Brooklyn.

  Lights, cars, coaches, streets, bridges and skyscrapers went past, yet he didn’t ask a single question. Although Cara wondered what he must be thinking of the huge city, she let him discover it for himself.

  By the time the cab driver brought his vehicle to a stop in front of her building, evening had settled in. She got out of the taxi while asking Morgan to stay inside and wait for her. Before the driver could start grousing about his fare and how he was already wasting time, she pointed at the first floor.

  “I forgot my purse in the apartment. Hold on, I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “You’d better
. I don’t work for free.”

  What a nice and trustful man! Without waiting for more complaints she dashed upstairs. The old building housed four apartments on each floor. The place across the hall had never been rented since she had moved in a year ago.

  Jammed due to time and neglect, the door could nevertheless be opened and shut with a strong shove. As a result, Cara always left a spare key hidden under a loose floorboard. The risk was small and this arrangement had saved her day several times in the past. Bent over the board, she reflected on the fact that she now recalled her life here but nothing else. So odd! Careful not to break a nail, she retrieved the modern magical door opener.

  Key in hand, she crossed the hallway to her own apartment. She switched the lights on, then swiped cash off the dresser before running back downstairs. Morgan had got out of the cab to study the unlit street—the lights had been vandalised the previous month. At last, the driver grinned when she proffered money for the ride.

  “Keep the change.”

  “Thanks, ma’am, have a nice day.”

  “You too.”

  He drove off in a hurry to get back to new business. Looking at her decayed building, Morgan cocked his head.

  “This is where you live?”

  “It’s not a palace, I know, but it’s the only place I could afford.”

  “It isn’t safe here.”

  Was he hinting at the state of the old construction or at the neighbourhood that left a lot to be desired?

  “It’s okay. I only got mugged once.”

  The reassuring words had barely left her mouth when Cara noticed three guys in their early twenties pretending to hang out, but covertly observing them. Would she have spotted them before her trip to the Four Kingdoms? Before constant danger had taught her to watch her back? Although they made no move, she knew trouble had found its way to her.

  Appearing to be the leader of the band, the bald youngster wiggled his fingers in a funny way. His discreet gesture must have been a signal because they crossed the street together. On impulse, she went for her daggers but along with her leather outfit and long cloak, the weapon belt was gone. Without twitching a muscle, Morgan watched the pack advance towards them.