I twisted away and landed a solid blow to his jaw with my elbow. I stumbled to a stand. I was then taken down by another of his cursed foot maneuvers. We exchanged a few blows and kicks until both of us were hauled to our feet like restive children and immobilized within Teku's skillful grip.
"This is not the time or place for such nonsense," he stated. "We will continue this discussion back at my home." Releasing his hold, he shoved us both toward the idling car.
Gabrihen slid into the driver's seat beside me. His eyes were cold and glowing as he said, "I am not taking my father's wrath for you."
"I'm not asking you to."
"Enough!" said Teku, settling into the backseat. "Drive." For such a small man, he certainly was commanding. Based on the energy he emitted, he was a Shadow, though not your typical dark soul. Not all Shadows followed a dark path. Khalen, too, had been born a Shadow, which explained his short fuse and dangerous temper.
"Take the next left," Teku said, "and then an immediate right."
"Where it says, 'No Entrance'?" asked Gabrihen.
"Yes."
We drove up a long wooded path until it opened to a massive open area where several students practiced Tai Chi. After being greeted by eager clansmen, Teku led us through the central building to an open area used for praying. It was empty at the moment.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to the pillows on the worn wooden floor.
"I will not leave her there," I said.
He held up his hand for silence. "I'm aware of your bonding to her, young man, but know this. She may not feel the same toward you—ever."
"Why?"
"She has been through a lot. Her heart is cold for men. They have left many scars."
I had suspected as much, but I had never thought this kind wise man would allow such a fate for his own daughter.
"She's not yours," said Gabrihen. His bold statement shocked me, though it seemed to have little effect on Teku.
He simply smiled at Gabrihen and said, "You are correct. As with all my children, she was adopted. I found her at the street market picking pockets of unsuspecting men who were charmed by her feigned innocence. She was only fifteen and had already been used by numerous men." His eyes misted with tears in the candlelight as if recalling Malai's execrable history. "For years, no one could touch her, not even me."
"She has not shied from my touch," I said.
The old man nodded. "Oh, I have no doubt she wants you, and enjoys your affections, but that will only take her so far."
"I'm not just going to give up on her."
"Nor would I expect you to." With the fluidity of a dancer, he stood. "What is your plan?"
Gabrihen stood as well, only instead of rising like smoke, he bolted with the intensity of pressurized water. "There is no plan because we are returning home—today." He said the last part while staring at me.
I stood as well, not wanting to be the only one sitting. "I just want to get her out of there; that's all."
Gabrihen thrust his hands in the air. "Oh, is that all? So, we're just going to walk up to William's manor and offer to take Malai off his hands. Is that it?"
"Don't be stupid."
His eyes widened even further, giving him a demented appeal. "Not to mention what will happen when William discovers your magical sword is nothing but a scrap of steel."
Now that hurt. I had spent hours constructing that sword, ensuring that it resembled Aeneas in every minute detail. To assemble such a thing, in itself, was a miracle not even Gabrihen could appreciate. How could he? Alchemy was misunderstood on so many levels. He would never know what it took to assemble something in detail, nor would I expect him to.
Teku watched the banter as if observing a tennis match, his eyes darting between Gabrihen and me.
I paced the large room, my mind racing through different scenarios, none of which were feasible.
"I've got it!" I said, turning sharply to face them.
"Uh oh," said Gabrihen. "I've seen that look before, Connor, and no. Whatever you have planned, it's not going to happen."
The fortress was heavily guarded. Teku insisted on coming with, which led me to wonder how Gabrihen planned to transport all four of us back once we rescued Malai.
"I plan to leave you here," he said, having read my thoughts.
"Nice," I replied. "Is the necromancer around?"
"I don't feel him; then again, he could be veiled as well."
Through a window on the third floor, we saw William admiring the sword.
"Can you keep him entertained?" I asked Gabrihen.
"Entertained?"
"Make him believe the sword is magical. You know; do your wizard stuff."
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, his jaw clenching with every heartbeat. "Fifteen minutes, Connor. That's it. If you are not here, I leave without you, understand?"
I nodded. "Fifteen minutes. Right."
I turned to Teku. "Where would she be?"
He shrugged. "I only saw the basement."
"Can you feel her?"
He scanned the windows one at a time. The one on the far end drew his attention. "That one, four floors up."
"Gabrihen, can you—"
Poof, we were gone, zapped to the room that Teku had mentioned.
We landed with a hard thud, drawing the attention of three guards who hovered around Malai. They couldn't see us, but they could sense us. They looked in our direction, guns in hand and aimed at our chests.
Teku made the first move, downing a man with a single blow to his temple. The second man he encountered took only two moves. Not wanting to seem like a shirker, I grabbed the third man, knocking the gun from his hand and flipping him hard to the floor. A solid punch to his jaw ensured he stayed down.
"Get Malai out of here," Teku instructed. "I'm going to plant a new memory in their minds."
"Good idea. Wanna tell her it's me touching her so I don't lose an arm?"
Teku grunted a response.
Trusting he had been clear to her, I hesitantly took her hand. Talking to her wouldn't do any good under a veil, and we weren't connected well enough for me to communicate with her telepathically as could her father.
With wide eyes and cautious steps, she let me lead her out of the room and down a narrow corridor. Old Scottish tapestries littered the walls as we searched for a way out.
Teku caught up with us. "This way," he said, opening a door that led to a service elevator. The old man's skill enabled him to change a person's memories. Those we encountered merely remembered seeing a familiar face and not a lone female who looked frightened and worn.
Once outside, we waited for Gabrihen to join us. He was late. Gabrihen was never late.
Chapter 8
Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Gabrihen materialized before us.
"What took you so long?" I asked, struggling to keep my anger in check.
Looking at the three of us, lips held firm, he waved his hands and poof … we were all transported back to Teku's home. The transport had been rough this time and left us all feeling nauseous and drained. Transporting three people was hard enough. Transporting four was unheard of. We were lucky to have our limbs intact.
Gabrihen stumbled over the floor and collapsed. It took us all some time to recover. When we did, Teku had four hot teas poured and waiting.
We sipped the pungent brew in silence, all settled into our own thoughts. Malai came over to sit beside me.
"Why did you come for me?" she asked, her hands moving like silk through water.
"Did you expect me to leave you in the hands of that monster?"
She grimaced as if the question had sliced through her belly. "And what makes him so?"
I raised my hands to reply, but nothing came to mind. Teku and Gabrihen looked on with anticipation. Did they not back me in this?
"He's a Shadow," I blurted with the grace of an angered bull.
She gestured to Teku. "Like my father and myself?"
"
No. William is …" Truth be told, I didn't know much about the man other than he was a powerful Shadow leader who was well-respected among his peers.
Lowering my hands, I turned my attention to Gabrihen. "What took you so long to join us out there?"
Teku mimicked what I said through sign language so Malai understood.
Gabrihen set his teacup down. "Do ye think it's easy to convince a man of such power that he can invoke the gifts of a non-magical sword? I had to enchant the bloody thing … through a veil … without his notice. A little appreciation for my mad skills is what's needed now, my friend, not your attitude."
Malai nudged my shoulder; a look of disappointment laced her delicate features. "You haven't answered my question."
Great, I managed to tick-off my friend and without the benefit of throwing Malai off her subject of interest—William. I was on a roll. At this rate, I would have Khalen's wrath upon me as well when we returned to camp.
"I'm just saying you could do much better than him."
"You mean with you?"
Teku and Gabrihen took their leave, probably sensing the upcoming argument.
"Am I such a bad alternative?" I asked her now that we were alone.
"Let's see," she signed, pondering the question as if it were a chess move. "He's a Shadow, like me. He's a powerful leader and is able to care for me. He likes me, and he accepts me for who and what I am."
"What, a thief?" I scoffed, feeling a bit undermined.
"Yes, exactly. Is it the fact that I'm a good thief that bothers you most, or how my actions challenge your moral beliefs?"
"A bit of both, I suppose."
She took the pendant I had given her from around her neck and placed it into my palm. "Keep this, Connor. I no longer need it."
The metal felt warm in my hand, yet the presence of it chilled my blood as if I had been dipped in ice water. I had never bonded with a female before, and now I felt the pain of complete and utter loss, as if my heart had been torn from my chest.
Knowing I had nothing to lose, I wrapped my hand around the back of her head and drew her in for a kiss. She didn't fight me. She yielded with a hunger that matched my own, returning my fervor with equal abandon. My heart swelled with hope as she made no move to break the kiss or even pull away.
I was the one to draw back first, my breath laboring, my groin aching with a need that had to be fulfilled. This woman was mine.
"Come with me," I said.
Her dark eyes met mine. There was an emptiness in them, a coldness that came from a heart without love—a heart that would never be claimed by anyone. She stood with the grace of a feather.
"What you want," she signed, "will never be. I am returning to William. He and I are the same.
"No," I said. "You don't—"
She held her hand up to stop my advance. "This is my choice. Goodbye, Connor."
With that, she turned and ran away. The pendant in my hand felt heavy and cold. With sadness, I draped the cord over my head and pressed the talisman over my chest.
Gabrihen entered the spacious room that seemed to echo the fading beat of my heart.
"Hey," he said. "Are you okay?"
"It was all for nothing. She's decided to return to William."
His hand fell onto my shoulder, offering a gentle squeeze. "It wasn't all for nothing. You found your father's sword, connected with him, and are returning with something of his around your neck."
I gripped the metal medallion. Whatever energy it had absorbed from Malai quickly vanished, much like the female herself. If she had bonded to me as I had with her, her essence would have lingered.
"She will not be the last female you bond to, my friend."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Oh, aye. Think about it. Now ye dun't have to settle so soon for one female in your life."
"So this is what rejection feels like?"
He laughed. "Ye haven't had enough of that lately. It's made ye cocky."
"Cocky?"
"Aye, ye heard me right. You've been a bit full of yourself, lately. Perhaps now you'll be a bit nicer to live with, yeah?"
"Don't set your sights too high, my friend. Let's go home."
~ The End ~
About the Author
Rowena Portch is an multi-award-winning author who started writing at a young age, driven by an inherent need to tell stories that inspire and reflect aspects of life that are rarely considered.
Being a descendant of James Hudson Taylor, author and founder of the China Inland Mission, Rowena comes from a long line of storytellers, including her mother and father. The tradition of writing continues through her daughter, Erika.
Though she is ninety percent blind, Rowena doesn’t allow that to derail her ambitions. She may be blind, but she certainly does not lack vision.
She enjoys scuba diving, hiking, backpacking, and camping with her husband, Gregg, and guide dog, Skye-Bear.
Other Books by Rowena Portch
Download free samples of Rowena's books from RowenaPortch.com. Her books are available in multiple formats:
Paperback (Amazon.com)
Audio (Audible.com)
Novels:
Protected, Spirian Saga Book 1
Union, Spirian Saga Book 2
Legend, Spirian Saga Book 3
Aeon Pneuma, Spirian Saga Book 4
Illusions, Spirian Saga Book 5
Fealty, Spirian Saga Book 6
Shifter, Spirian Saga Book 7
Novelettes:
Aeneas
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