Embrace the Mystery

  “I have no idea.”

  “Do you sense anything like that?”

  He stared into her hazel eyes, searching. “I sense so many things, but I’m not sure what Henry meant. Did you know our realm vibrations remained joined all through the night?”

  Her arched brows rose. “No. Are you serious? But I swear … Wait, you must be right because I felt the disengagement just a few minutes ago, and it hurt. I can’t believe I wasn’t aware. It all felt so natural.”

  “It did.”

  He drew back the overhead flap, the sky now moving to gray and darker. Each second that passed felt like an eternity.

  He heard Henry’s sharp call-to-the-air. The flapping of a hundred long coats as the brigade took flight, sounded like geese rising suddenly from a pond.

  He glanced up. “Two more minutes but we’ll need your enthrallment shield.”

  “Absolutely.”

  * * * * * * * * *

  Batya felt Margetta’s presence and before a split-second had passed, she surrounded herself and Quinlan in a tight enthrallment shield. She’s here.

  I can feel her, too.

  What’s the plan?

  Straight up into the air.

  Got it.

  He slid an arm around her waist and because he was so strong, she didn’t bother with planting a foot on his boot. She simply wrapped her arm around his neck and leaned into him. You smell like wood-smoke.

  He chuckled. Let’s go.

  She closed her eyes, but extended her senses outward, her realm vibration that mapped the location of Margetta and her forces. At the same time, she kept her enthrallment shield tight.

  The swift rise into the air, the downward pressure on her head while her body lifted higher and higher, teased her stomach into a knot of excitement. She’d always enjoyed flight and wished it was one of her gifts.

  But this, at least, was second best, flying at a terrific speed, straight up, in Quinlan’s arms.

  “I see them.” Margetta’s voice rolled through the enthrallment shield, but Quinlan kept rising. The air grew colder and colder. The shrieks from the Invictus pairs followed them.

  Batya held on, knowing something was on his mind and sensing that to communicate at all, even telepathically, could somehow jeopardize their location.

  Just as the tip of her nose started to freeze, he arced northeast, leveling out first, then beginning a slow descent.

  She opened her eyes, startled to see that they’d entered a lower layer of clouds. But the mist broke and because she faced forward, she saw the strangest sight, a line of green forest, broken abruptly by a line of bright golden trees that went on for miles.

  At first, she didn’t understand what she was looking at, but the closer he brought them to the phenomenon, the demarcation point began making sense.

  We can talk now.

  I felt it as well, that Margetta would have located us with the telepathy right then.

  Exactly.

  Quinlan, we’re looking at the point at which the Dead Forest begins, aren’t we?

  Yes, and I’ve already pathed Henry. They’re only a few hundred yards away.

  I can see them now. Lorelei’s in the front. Is any of this going to work?

  Sweet Goddess, I hope so, but Batya, they’ll be on our trail. Can you place a shield around the entire brigade?

  Batya swallowed hard. It was one thing to protect Quinlan or even her building in Lebanon because she’d been there a long time, but he was asking if she could wrap a shield around a moving brigade that didn’t have either a solid front or an end point. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I’ve never really used these muscles before.

  Your enthrallment rocked at the gallery. I’m still amazed.

  But that’s the point. She then explained her concerns about the nature of a moving brigade as opposed to a brick building.

  His flying slowed as he eased down toward the brigade, flying above them. All right. We’ll take it one step at a time. Let’s get everyone into the Dead Forest and see what you can do. I’ll let Henry know.

  Sounds like a plan.

  Batya essentially let her feet hang in the air as Quinlan flew her the final distance past the line of living forest.

  But the moment he crossed that border, her head began to ring in the strangest way, as though a thousand vibrations crisscrossed the Dead Forest.

  Quinlan dropped down to a shallow clearing a hundred yards in, marked by a dozen broad tree stumps. Batya realized suddenly that the forest was anything but dead.

  He set her on her feet, but the physical battering of the forest’s vibrations dropped her to her knees and brought her hands to her ears.

  “Batya, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” She felt Quinlan’s hand on her shoulder then his arm as he lifted her to her feet, but she could do little more than cling to him. Don’t you hear that? Feel that?

  Sorry, I’m only getting a soft sighing sound, wind through the trees, nothing more.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong. I think it’s the Dead Forest.” Through the haze of her intense reactions to the unknown vibrations, she saw the brigade touch down in a half-circle around Quinlan.

  Henry moved forward, his spear upright. “Mastyr, Margetta will be here in three minutes. Our scouts have sighted her force. They’re on our back trail.”

  She felt Quinlan grow very still, the kind of stillness that only a vampire could do and if he hadn’t been holding her upright, she would have thought he’d disappeared. She just didn’t know what to do about the vibrations battering her or how long she could endure them.

  * * * * * * * * *

  Quinlan had faced a lot of enemies in his day, but nothing like the one headed in their direction.

  He held a shivering woman in his arms that he sensed had some kind of connection to the Dead Forest, but who also held the only viable form of protection against Margetta. He needed her to deploy her enthrallment shield and to do it now, or they’d all be dead and Lorelei captured by her brutal parent.

  His ancestors had long-ago developed a stillness technique, a very un-dead quality. If he’d been alone, he would have appeared as a statue to those powerful enough to see him, but invisible to most. He couldn’t imagine what Batya felt. He wasn’t even sure she could feel him right now.

  But stillness gave the mind opportunity to process faster, think clearer and with greater flexibility than an active vampire body.

  So despite his impulse to do something, anything, he drew his breathing to just short of a halt, and let his brain work. Batya, Margetta, Lorelei. The three women’s names flowed through his head over and over.

  Batya.

  Margetta.

  Lorelei.

  Lorelei the wraith-shifter, one of the most powerful realm-beings he’d ever encountered. Batya with a layer of power even Henry hinted resided within her realm-soul. Margetta, evil, manipulative, intent on her prize at all costs.

  Batya.

  Margetta.

  Lorelei.

  The idea sprang into his head, fully-formed, and he called out to Lorelei. “I need you here. Come here. Now.”

  Instead of jumping down from her perch slung between two troll warriors, she shifted suddenly into her wraith form, as though understanding. She floated in front of him, her eyes glowing.

  She frowned at Batya. “The forest has enthralled her.”

  “I know. Put your hand on her back. I know you can do this, Lorelei, but you must block the vibrations so that she can settle her shield around us. Do you understand?”

  The worried look in the woman’s eye, told him she didn’t believe herself capable, but she reached forward with the long, oddly shaped fingers of the wraith and touched Batya.

  The fae body, holding tightly to him, arched once. Then a heavy sigh poured from her lungs and throat. “Oh, thank God.”

  “You mean I did it?” Lorelei’s cheeks darkened with surprising color.

  “Yes, you broke the forest’s hold on her.”

>   Batya drew back, blinking several times in a row. She stared at Quinlan. “I don’t know what that was.”

  Henry intruded. “Margetta is half-a-minute out.”

  Quinlan took Batya’s shoulders and searched her eyes. Cha, we’re in trouble here and I need you to do the impossible right now.

  She nodded. The shield.

  As quick as you can. You can do this. I know you can.

  I see her. Batya suddenly squared her shoulders. He felt the enthrallment shield emerge like a wave of warm water flowing thickly all around him, then past him.

  Still keeping contact with her, he turned slightly to watch as the shield moved like a living thing past troll after troll.

  Margetta, this time in her wraith form, flew swiftly, darting in the direction of the edge of Batya’s wave. If she caught the edge, she’d be inside the shield. Quinlan was no fool and he’d waged war in the Nine Realms against a host of enemies. He knew Margetta’s power. She’d destroy them all.

  He shifted to look at Batya who tracked Margetta as well.

  Batya’s eye sparked with something he recognized and Quinlan smiled. She gave a sudden cry, her face twisted with a warrior’s grimace, and with a sharp outpouring of her power she closed the shield and locked Margetta out.

  The result was a wraith-shriek like nothing Quinlan had heard before as Margetta, having lost the advantage, screamed her frustration. She paced above them, flying in quick jerks over the shallow space of dry land, and he felt her battle frequency light up.

  “Holy shit, let’s get the fuck out of here. Henry, keep your men tight. Batya, hold that shield.”

  Lorelei shifted back into her fae form and her trolls rushed forward to catch her up in the sling. In turn, Quinlan slid his arm around Batya’s waist and held her against him. He turned, heading up the path that led through the Dead Forest to their next destination, praying to the Goddess that Batya’s shield, untried in a moving setting, would hold.

  Quin, hold me tight even as I twist around in your arms. I have to see the brigade to sustain the shield. Tell Henry to keep the men close together.

  Done.

  He ignored the impulse to rush up the path but instead flew at a pace to track with Henry and the brigade. Batya pivoted hard in order to face backward so she could see the last of the trolls.

  They’re moving close. That’s perfect. If your scouts fall back, I can’t protect them.

  Henry understands. Just hold it steady. Can I go faster?

  As long as Henry’s brigade stays close, speed is fine.

  She sounded so damn confident, despite the fact that she trembled, and he loved that about her. But battle energy showed up in many forms and the shakes had come to him more than once as well.

  There was something, however, he needed to know. How important is Lorelei to this equation right now? Could you hold the shield without her?

  Yes, because she broke the forest’s hold on me. Do you see Margetta?

  She’s ahead of us about thirty yards, but much higher in the air.

  I don’t see her force.

  I believe your shield has created enough confusion that they don’t know where to go.

  Why isn’t she back with them?

  I think she’s waiting for a chance for the shield to weaken enough that she can grab Lorelei, or she may have some other plan.

  What do you mean?

  He ground his teeth. Remember the map? We’ve got a series of switchbacks coming in about two minutes as we start climbing through the Pleach Mountains.

  I won’t be able to see the brigade.

  Quinlan frowned. What if we flew over the mountains, in a straight line? You’d be above the forest.

  My instincts tell me the vibrations would probably return, but we could try anyway.

  Let’s at least give it a shot.

  He pathed to Henry and a few seconds later, the entire brigade started rising.

  But the moment they cleared the treetops, he felt Batya tense. I can’t do it.

  He dropped back, the brigade with him. He felt Batya relax against him.

  The forest started screaming again. I knew I’d lose the ability to concentrate.

  Quinlan glanced behind him. What about using Lorelei at the same time to do the blocking like she did earlier?

  I’ve thought about that. But what happens if she can’t sustain it, and we’ve gotten so far off the path we can’t get back to safety? We’d be out in the open, vulnerable, and Margetta would take us down, you know she would.

  Let met path to Lorelei and see what she says.

  Good idea.

  He switched pathing frequencies and sought Lorelei’s but she told him she just didn’t know.

  Taking the variables into account, he knew he couldn’t risk the brigade, not if Lorelei wasn’t sure.

  Returning to Batya’s frequency, he related the conversation.

  Then, we should stick to the path through the Dead Forest. We at least know we’re safe here.

  He set his gaze up the trail. We’ll just have to figure out how to do the switchbacks.

  Hey, I’m not getting heavy, am I?

  He snorted. As if.

  She laughed. Yeah, yeah, vampires are strong.

  Well, we are, and I’m not your regular old vampire, either.

  He felt her lips suddenly on his neck, right in the middle of a flight through the Dead Forest. No, that you’re not. Something enormous burst in his chest, like a firework exploding and sending sparks everywhere. Sweet Goddess, a few words and she turned his world upside down.

  He’d been content before Batya. Now everything seemed to be changing, morphing as fast as Lorelei could switch from shifter, to wraith, to fae.

  Back to the problem, he pathed, but even in his head and probably hers, his voice sounded hoarse.

  He turned his attention to the witch flying in front of them. Margetta. Power-on-power. He moved swiftly as Batya sustained her enthrallment power, holding his brigade together, keeping Lorelei safe for the present.

  Screams erupted from behind him, toward the back of the ranks. What was that, he pathed. Can you see?

  I don’t know, but I have the worst feeling. A light flashed back there. Quin, I see smoke. Another round of screams erupted.

  Sweet Goddess, Margetta’s crew has found a way to launch some kind of fire bomb through the Dead Forest, across the path at random. I know they can’t see through the shield, so they’re guessing where your brigade is at, but they’re hitting targets because of it. What are we supposed to do?

  Let me contact Henry.

  He drew in a deep breath, and switched pathing lanes again as he continued to speed up the trail just a few feet off the ground. Henry, what’s going on?

  The she-witch has had her wraith-pairs sending battle frequency blasts through the forest, the trees ignite, and fire shoots across the path. By all the Elf Lords, we’ve lost at least five of our force.

  The enthrallment shield only disguised their position, but couldn’t protect them from the fire blazing across the path.

  Shit. He had to change things now so he made a quick decision. Henry, we’re going to speed this party up. You game?

  Hell-yeah.

  Let your troops know.

  Done.

  Quinlan didn’t wait for Henry, he just launched, doubling, tripling his speed. The dead would be left behind. There was nothing he could do about that. But changing up the flight would help.

  Batya pathed. Don’t worry, the brigade is catching up.

  Henry knows what to do.

  He loved his world, his troops, his Guardsmen, all his brigades. Losing even one of his men was a terrible loss and the thought of those left behind just plain hurt.

  But he wouldn’t think about that now.

  He just had to get the women to the snowfields, cross them, and deliver Lorelei to Ferrenden Peace. But what was he supposed to do about the powerful, mastyr vampire wraith-pairs?

  There didn’t seem to be an answ
er any way he cut it.

  * * * * * * * * *

  Batya’s stomach turned as another flash burst through the forest in the distance and a third round of screams erupted from the troops in the back, despite that the column now moved at an incredible rate. Her shield held, but couldn’t prevent the random fires that Margetta’s force launched through the forest.

  Men were dying and there was nothing she could do.

  She felt Quinlan’s determination in the taut state of his muscles as he held onto her and with the speed he moved.

  Switchbacks coming up. How’s the shield?

  We’re okay. Facing backward helps.

  Lorelei’s eyes were closed as she held onto the sides of the sling and the trolls in charge of her strove to keep a bare three feet behind Quinlan.

  The snowfields were the next stage of the journey. While still watching the brigade, she focused her senses forward, on what lay ahead. All these experiences were so new to her that she felt disoriented and uncertain. She’d kept most of her fae powers in a latent state, except her healing gifts.

  The one that moved within her now had to do with the path that Quinlan carried her over. She wasn’t even certain what kind of fae power she possessed as she searched well ahead of Quinlan’s position. She let the snowfields take shape in her mind and she saw them, vision-like, as clearly as the moment she’d seen the image for the painting the first time, before she’d ever laid a brush-to-canvas.

  The mystery of it astonished her, that despite her desire to keep her faeness in severe check, it had emerged anyway and had laid out the route by which, hope-to-Goddess, Lorelei might be saved from her evil mother. Instinctively, Batya knew that if Margetta ever got hold of Lorelei, the ancient fae would gain a critical advantage over the Nine Realms.

  As she continued to search into the future, what came from within her was a new kind of vibration. The Nine Realms was a world of vibrations and frequencies, all kinds, mating, battling, healing and so many more. But this one didn’t yet have a name.

  What are you doing now?

  Quinlan’s voice in her head comforted her and gave her a surprising kind of peace. At least, his increased speed had stopped the screams from the back of the troop line.

  She tested the enthrallment shield. Though it held, Margetta still sensed enough about their position to be able to orchestrate the streams of energy that ignited the flash fires.