Defy

  Donald and those with him even now flew in pursuit of the pair. Harold instructed them to split up and create a net to make sure they didn’t lose them. It would also help in what would inevitably be a confrontation with the Mercesti.

  Moving on foot because the fanning of wings could disturb dirt and debris on the ground, Harold carefully studied the boot prints and blood spatters both in the alcove and outside of it. It didn’t take him long to reason out what had happened to Tate. It helped, as well, that Tiege had connected with her. He had been able to share information about her location with Alexius.

  Harold knew that Tate had been incapacitated by and carried into the hands of the Mercesti. Based upon the location update he had just received from Donald, his lieutenant was tracking the very same group of Mercesti who now had Tate. They needed to get airborne to join Donald in the coming confrontation.

  He was studying what appeared to be a third set of male boot prints when Celine interrupted his train of thought.

  “Commander.”

  He looked up. Celine stood over a segment of rock about twenty feet away. “Yes?”

  “There are distinct claw marks here, sir,” she said, running her fingers over the scarred rock. “In my opinion, the kragen who took Tate recently passed this way.”

  Because there aren’t enough challenges in our path already, he thought, even as he nodded in acknowledgement of her observation.

  Extending his wings, he gave the silent order to the Waresti around him to hit the air. Then he sent out the less than optimistic news to his elder.

  Tate’s been taken prisoner by the Mercesti who are seeking the Elder Scroll. And it appears the kragen that took her is tracking her, as well.

  Gabriel’s thoughts ran through Caleb’s mind, but he couldn’t fully grasp them. His daughter—his little girl—was a Mercesti prisoner? Not only that, but she had a creature tracking her that had nearly killed her?

  Tiege, Clara Kate and the others are closing in on her location, Gabriel conveyed. He exchanged a look with him as they flew. Tate’s been trained, Caleb.

  That was easy enough to say, and certainly true. But Caleb’s thoughts drifted to the sweet-scented baby he’d wrapped in pink swaddling blankets and held through many long nights, pressing her to his chest and rocking her to sleep. His thoughts were of the energetic, bouncy-haired toddler who had gotten into more trouble than any of her siblings or cousins, and somehow made him all the more proud of her for it. His thoughts were of the awkward preteen who had grown all too quickly into a beautiful and amazing young woman.

  His thoughts were of her alone and in the hands of the Mercesti.

  And he could only pray that their training had been enough.

  “What can we do?” Sophia asked as she and Quincy watched the apparent leader of the Mercesti grab Tate and drag her closer to the Lekwuesti female. “Oh, God, Quincy. What can we do?”

  She was no longer in the flight harness. They had successfully followed the progress of the Mercesti group under the cover of the forest. Not having to fly definitely helped maintain their stealth. Now, they stood side by side within the branches of a tree, watching the events below and trying to come up with a plan.

  “I think you’re going to have to use your elemental power,” he responded in a low voice. “The trees will…”

  He trailed off as they watched the second male enter the scene. He was just as tall as the male holding Tate, though not as bulky. To Sophia’s inexperienced eye, he appeared equally deadly. Although he hadn’t drawn a weapon, his gaze, body language and tone conveyed a sense of command to which a being couldn’t help but respond.

  “Holy light,” Quincy said in a near-whisper. “That’s Zachariah.”

  “Zachariah?” she repeated. “Are you sure?”

  “Definitely.”

  Sophia’s fear for her cousin suddenly ratcheted up a number of notches. She hadn’t realized until then how much she had hoped the rumors about the former Gloresti second commander had been false. The Gloresti class—her father’s class—was built on honor and loyalty. That any member of the Gloresti could fall from grace to the point where he converted to Mercesti seemed impossible.

  But Zachariah had. The blond, disheveled-haired male who strode up to Tate was most definitely a Mercesti.

  There was something very strange about Sparky.

  Tate was less interested in the cursed kris resting against the pulse in her neck and more interested in the odd shimmer that coated Sparky as she looked upon him in person for the first time. The shimmer was almost like the resonance of a lie when someone spoke it, but not quite as notable. His eyes seemed to fluctuate in color, resulting in a swirling purplish tone to his irises as well as his markings.

  What in the world?

  Both his words and his presence shocked her. Why was he here? He shouldn’t have followed her. He was going to get killed!

  She tried to send him a warning through their unusual connection, but quickly realized it wouldn’t work while they were awake and unfocused. When she fidgeted with her bindings again, she felt them loosen enough that she could pull a hand out. Not seeing any reason not to, she completely removed her hands from the fabric and held it in her grasp. It was a potential weapon, after all. She might very well need it to get her and Sparky out of—

  “Well, well, well,” her captor said then, interrupting her thoughts. “Hello, Zachariah.”

  Ariana’s gaze was focused on the Kynzesti when the new Mercesti approached. She noted the recognition in the other female’s gaze when she spotted him and wondered at it. How would a Kynzesti know a Mercesti?

  And when his first words were, “If she dies, it will be at my hands,” it made their knowledge of each other even more puzzling.

  She saw the Kynzesti female stiffen at Eirik’s greeting. It also had Ariana on alert. Zachariah. She knew that name. He had been the second commander of the Gloresti upon her transition to the Estilorian plane a couple of centuries before. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognized him. But then, she had only met him once, and that had been shortly after her transition. She had thought him dead.

  His red gaze moved briefly over her before shifting back. “Eirik,” he said with a brief lift of his chin. “You are holding something that belongs to me.”

  “Is that right?”

  The two males could have been discussing the weather for all of the expression that crossed their faces. She heard Deimos start grunting again and there was another flurry of activity as the creature fought for his release.

  “It is,” Zachariah said. He hadn’t looked directly at the Kynzesti yet, telling Ariana how little she meant to him. “I have been hunting her for days.”

  The Kynzesti’s eyes widened. Ariana understood then that the other female’s knowledge of Zachariah hadn’t led her to believe he wanted to harm her. Once again, this surprised her. What being didn’t suspect a Mercesti of the worst possible behavior?

  “You have not made an appearance among us since your conversion all those decades ago,” Eirik said. “Yet now you present yourself. I have to wonder why.”

  “I have just told you. You are holding something that belongs to me.” Zachariah moved closer to Eirik and the Kynzesti with a seemingly casual stride. Now, his red gaze moved to the female. “I want it back.”

  Deimos made savage sounds at the announcement. Several cries of pain and a series of curses from those restraining him indicated the creature was trying harder for his release.

  Eirik never removed his eyes from Zachariah, unconcerned about his henchman’s behavior. “You have no claim on this female. My soldiers caught her and brought her to me. It is not my problem that they outwitted you on the hunt.”

  “Hardly,” Zachariah said in a bored tone. “I was waiting for her to heal before picking back up the hunt. Chasing wounded prey is the work of the weak.” His eyes moved around the Mercesti until they fell on Bertram and Tycho. The males were easy enough to identify with their visible in
juries. Whatever they read in his gaze had them exchanging glances and stepping back among their peers as if to hide. He looked again to Eirik. “I am amazed you allow such feebleness among your followers.”

  “They serve their purpose.” Eirik moved his kris, causing the Kynzesti to flinch when the blade pressed harder against her skin. “What is so special about this female that she draws you back into the fold after all these years?”

  Ariana stiffened as Zachariah continued his slow prowl around Eirik and the other female. He was very close. Still, his attention was on Eirik, she reasoned.

  “I belong to no fold,” he said. He reached out to pluck a feather from the female’s vibrant hair. He ran it briefly under his nose as if catching its scent even as he continued moving. Ariana found the action very similar to Eirik’s when he was threatening her. She shivered. “And I owe you no kind of explanation.”

  “Then it appears I have no reason to turn her over to you. She serves me some purpose.”

  “If you seek a reason,” Zachariah said, “I am happy to give you one.”

  His hand snaked out and grabbed Ariana around the neck. She didn’t even have time to gasp in shock before she was held tight against him with his hands around her throat.

  Tate couldn’t believe this was happening.

  How does he know you, Tate?

  It was at least the third time that Tiege had asked her the question. She was too concerned over the cursed weapon at her throat, the increased aggression by whatever creature was being held at bay a few feet away, and her bafflement over Sparky’s presence—not to mention his familiarity with these Mercesti—to get into any kind of explanations just then. All she could do was send Tiege a thought that Sparky wouldn’t hurt her. Probably.

  But even she questioned her judgment when he grabbed the Lekwuesti female. One of his hands completely encircled her throat. He held her so that her feet barely touched the ground. The female struggled to pry his hand off and kicked crazily as though to gain purchase. The movement made the heavy sword on her back slip free of her body and thud to the ground, harness and all. Tate thought of at least three ways to break the hold, but realized the other female had no training. The sounds of gurgling and gasping filled the air as she flailed.

  Tate also realized that Eirik had stiffened. The kris moved away from her neck the slightest bit. She caught Sparky’s gaze and tried to figure out what he was doing so she could either help him…or thwart him.

  “What do you think you are doing?” Eirik asked. His voice made Tate feel like a cold wind had brushed the nape of her neck.

  When a few of the surrounding Mercesti approached Sparky, he changed his hold. The sounds the Lekwuesti made had the soldiers glancing at Eirik and then backing away.

  “I am offering an exchange.”

  “The Lekwuesti is no concern of mine,” Eirik said. “She is a plaything for Deimos—who is quite hungry, I might add.”

  Tate saw the lie resonate around her. She shook her head the slightest bit when Sparky glanced at her.

  “Then he can play with her while she is dead,” Sparky said with a shrug, and changed his hold again, this time bringing his other hand up as though to break her neck.

  “Stop,” Eirik demanded.

  Although Tate couldn’t see his face, she imagined he was furious that his bluff had been called. She debated what she should do. She could escape his hold without too much trouble, but that wouldn’t help the other female, and there were still hundreds of Mercesti to escape on foot. She remained as still as possible.

  “Very well,” Eirik said after a moment of tense silence. “You and I admit the females are necessary for the moment. We shall ignore the whys for now and move into what we should do about it.”

  Sparky loosened his hold enough that the Lekwuesti’s eyes weren’t bulging and she could suck in gasps of air. Then he walked a couple of steps with her in the direction of the pedestal housing the scroll. Tate wondered what he was going to do and whether the scroll would finally be mentioned.

  But when they got within a few feet of it, they encountered an invisible wall.

  Chapter 37

  “How many do you suppose we got?”

  Sophia looked around in consideration of Quincy’s question. She was using her ability to manipulate plant life to snag Mercesti standing close to the forest. There were low-hanging tree branches, pliant bushes and shrubs, and even roots from trees at her disposal. As soon as one was snagged, Quincy knocked him unconscious with a thick tree branch.

  It was slow-going, however, because she couldn’t do more than a couple at a time, and most of the Mercesti were grouped closely together. She also had to wait until no one was paying attention, or she risked the other Mercesti discovering their efforts.

  What worked in their favor was the awful noise made by whatever creature the Mercesti contained, as well as the fact that some of the Mercesti actually wondered where their companions had gone when they turned and found them missing. Thus, a handful trickled into the forest out of sheer curiosity. Sophia found them easy enough to subdue.

  “I would say not even twenty,” she whispered. “This isn’t working.”

  He frowned. They looked again to the crowd surrounding Tate and the Lekwuesti. She watched Zachariah haul the Lekwuesti up against the mountain and hold her there as if bracing himself for support. She winced at the female’s terrified expression.

  “What we need,” Quincy said, “is a distraction.”

  As it turned out, one was provided for them.

  Tiege stood with Clara Kate, Ini-herit, Alexius and the rest of the Waresti traveling with them at the top of a mountain ridge. Below them, partially hidden by an overhang, was the horde of Mercesti holding Tate prisoner. He realized that what his sister had described as a pedestal surrounded by light to him looked like a wall of rock.

  By this point, Tate had lost her focus too much to allow him to hear more than a few of her thoughts. She kept repeating the thought that someone named “Sparky” wasn’t going to hurt her. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to convince him or herself.

  Despite—or perhaps because of—everything, he was proud of her. She held her own, keeping her fear under control. He sensed her considering the situation from every angle like their dad taught them, weighing decisions rather than just acting impulsively and doing something that would possibly get her or the Lekwuesti killed. She had clearly learned something from this experience, as the old Tate would have treated this like a fun adventure.

  “What is that awful sound?” C.K. asked.

  They all heard it, even from their distance. It was a mix of howling and growling, like an animal tearing into a bit and fighting for release.

  “I have never heard anything like it,” Ini-herit said. “It appears to be down on the ground among the Mercesti.”

  “It’s no animal I’ve ever encountered,” one of the Waresti commented. “They should put that thing out of its misery.”

  “Whatever it is,” Alexius said, “We must consider it another threat to the females. I don’t know what Zachariah and Eirik are discussing, but it seems clear that Tate and the Lekwuesti are a point of contention.”

  The Waresti second commander had recognized Eirik even without Tiege sharing his name with him from Tate’s thoughts. Apparently, the huge male had been rather tight with Grolkinei at one time and was infamous among the Waresti for his evil nature. He had separated himself from the Mercesti a number of years before, however, rather like Zachariah had removed himself from Estilorian society. It now seemed that the two were in league with each other.

  “There are at least five times more Mercesti down there than us,” Alexius continued. “Archigos Uriel and commander Harold are both fifteen to twenty minutes away with reinforcements. Although we’ll still be outnumbered, we will have the power of the elders at our disposal when they arrive.”

  Ini-herit raised an eyebrow.

  Alexius cleared his throat. “Sorry, archigos. I meant t
he more enhanced power of the elders working together. And, of course, the abilities of adelfos James and adelfos Caleb.”

  C.K. exchanged a look with Ini-herit, then caught Tiege’s gaze. “I don’t know if we have that kind of time.”

  “Sir,” said another Waresti, drawing Alexius’ attention, “we have noticed that some of the Mercesti are disappearing in the forest and not returning. There appears to be some kind of movement deep within the trees. Should we go check it out?”

  Tiege said, “I’ll bet that’s Sophia and Quincy.”

  Shifting to get another look at the forest, then glancing to the sky as if determining geographic coordinates, Alexius nodded. “They would certainly have reached this point while flying in the direction that our Waresti tracked them.”

  “Zachariah is going to kill that Lekwuesti,” Ini-herit said in his unemotional tone.

  They all turned to see that the confrontation between the two Mercesti males had taken a bad turn. Tiege found it interesting that the mountain wall illusion was so powerful that Zachariah was able to hold the Lekwuesti against it as though it was actually a solid surface. His illusions weren’t nearly that strong. They dissolved when touched.

  But perhaps even an illusion from a distance could help save his sister.

  “I have an idea,” he said.

  “I am listening,” Sparky said.

  Tate swallowed over the cool tone he used as he held the Lekwuesti female propped almost casually against the mountain with his hand around her throat. He was trying to bargain for her safety, she tried to remind herself. His methods were…questionable. But his intent was pure enough.

  Wasn’t it?

  “I am open to a compromise,” Eirik replied. “I have need of the Kynzesti to keep this Lekwuesti in line while I achieve a goal. As soon as it is complete, which should be within a matter of minutes, I will turn the Kynzesti over to you.”