Chapter Forty Seven
The box canyon was beautiful with the early morning rays streaming over the mountain. A fine white mist settled into the meadow, giving it a feeling of heaven. It would have been a great day for a picnic if it weren’t for the clouds rolling in—and of course the imminent battle. Octavion pointed out the group of trees where he wanted Cade, sending him on his way. He took Kira to the rock outcropping and found the best place for her to hide. She had a full view of the canyon and every position where the others waited.
“I want you to stay here.” He took her hand and pressed it against his chest. His heart sped almost as rapidly as hers. “I mean it, Kira. I cannot be wondering where you are. You have to promise me you will stay here.”
“I promise.” But deep inside she knew if something happened to any of them, nothing would hold her back.
“Whatever happens, you wait. It will not take long for this to be finished. When it is over, I will come for you.” He looked at her for the longest time, as if memorizing every detail of her face.
And then she saw it. In the depths of his eyes, she saw doubt. Not for their love, but for their survival. With all his strength and confidence, he was afraid he would fail. Afraid he wouldn’t be able to protect his sister. Afraid he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
Bile rose up in her throat and she had to swallow hard to keep it down. “We’ll be fine, Octavion. You’ll see.” She rose up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. She tried not to think the kiss might be their last. “Don’t go getting yourself hurt, you hear me?”
“I will be fine. You are the one I am worried about.” Octavion cupped her face in his hand and gave her a look that almost broke her heart. A few seconds later, they were all in position and Altaria sent Kira a message. Are you ready?
As ready as I’ll ever be.
Kira’s heart raced as she felt the strange eeriness that surrounded her whenever a Royal was about to appear. She alerted the others just before she caught something moving on the cliff. It was out of their point of view so she warned Altaria.
Movement on the cliff, above Cade. Kira watched intently. A dark figure broke through the trees. Shandira. She’s alone.
Get down. I don’t want her to see you.
Kira repositioned herself, careful to retain a partial view of the canyon. A few minutes passed before she saw three men—one of them, Bastian. Octavion was right—they entered at the far end where the canyon opened into the meadow. Bastian stayed where he was, only a few yards from Luka, while the others moved in the other direction. If they stayed their course, Octavion could take them both down. A split second later, Bastian began his advance.
Altaria. Bastian is just ahead of Luka, he’s coming fast. The other two are headed right for Octavion.
I see them. Stay down!
Okay, okay.
Their movement was swift and methodical, like a cat stalking its prey. Kira kept peeking at Shandira to make sure she hadn’t moved. Her thick mane of long, black hair blew back from her face in the increasing breeze. Her black leather pants fit snug against her lean legs, but her dark blouse rippled loosely around her as the air caught the thin fabric. She had the same leather cuffs on her wrists that they all wore, with the addition of black, fingerless gloves. If it weren’t for the evil scowl on her face, Kira would have thought her beautiful.
As the two men got closer to Octavion, Kira noticed movement to her left. Two more men approached from behind Cade.
Two more . . . But there wasn’t time. “Cade! Behind you!” Kira screamed. As Cade spun around, the first man attacked. Kira grabbed an arrow and pulled back her bow. The arrow sailed through the air, striking the partially transformed Royal in the chest. He fell to the ground and didn’t move. If she were in any other situation she would have been sick—she’d probably just killed a man. But there was no time to think about that now.
By then, Cade had transformed, but so had the other man who stepped over the body of his comrade and approached Cade with a growl. They’d both abandoned their swords and were engaged in a ferocious battle of claws and teeth. They were too close to each other and moving too fast for her to get off another shot.
She looked up the canyon to check on the others. Luka and Bastian were exchanging blows with their swords. Kira searched to find Octavion, but all she saw was one of the two men who’d gone in his direction lying lifeless on the ground. Altaria ran out from behind a tree, but Kira couldn’t see anyone pursuing her. An instant later, Octavion and the second man appeared not two feet in front of Altaria. They were also completely transformed. Altaria drew her sword, but kept her distance, letting her brother wrestle with the man.
Kira turned around to check on Cade. The opposing Royal lay on the ground halfway between the cliffs and Kira. Cade turned toward her as his attacker rose up on his elbow, grabbed his dagger by the blade and threw it, hitting Cade in the back.
“Cade!” Kira screamed as he collapsed to the ground. Altaria, Cade’s hit. Kira raised her bow, but before she could get off a shot, her senses shut down, and a foreboding darkness engulfed her. It was as if she stood in a thick fog.
“Ground your weapon,” Shandira said from behind her.
When Kira felt the pressure of a blade to her back, she released the tension on the string and dropped her bow. For a split second, she saw Cade struggling to get up. His panicked eyes met hers. Tell Cade to stay down. I’m okay. Tell him I’m okay.
Kira turned her head to see if she could catch a glimpse of the others, but before she could focus on the scene, Shandira threw her arm around her waist and the canyon faded away.
The leap was violent. Shandira’s malicious spirit clogged Kira’s senses and filled her mind with visions of dark figures, all with black eyes. When they appeared in the meadow they were only a few feet from where Altaria and Octavion battled it out with the Royal. All Kira could think about was getting away from Shandira. She wiggled free by kicking Shandira in the shin and driving her elbow into her ribs. Kira felt Shandira’s presence shift from behind her to in front with barely a second passing. Altaria was right about her speed of traveling. Shandira grabbed Kira’s hair, spun her around and pulled her against her chest, aligning the tip of her blade with Kira’s heart.
“Stay your weapons!” Shandira shrieked. “Or I will gut her like a fish.”
Octavion and Altaria froze and slowly released their weapons to the ground. Bastian, who had been fighting with Luka, ran up and stood beside Shandira.
“Here, I got you a little present,” Shandira said, shoving Kira toward Bastian.
He took Kira’s arm, twisted it behind her back and pressed the blade of his knife to her neck. “You will not get away from me this time, wench.”
The Royal Octavion had been fighting jumped to his feet and joined Shandira and Bastian. He was at his maximum transformation, growling and snarling like a wild animal. He paced, reminding Kira of the caged tigers she’d seen in the zoo. How she’d love to see him in a cage. All of them actually. A very small cage.
“Let her go Bastian. This is not her fight.” Octavion took a step toward them, but stopped when Bastian put more pressure on the knife.
“You made it her fight, brother,” Shandira said.
Kira, hold very still. There are too many Royals here—you do not want to get cut.
Kira tried not to think about herself. The image of Cade lying on the ground with a knife sticking out of his back wouldn’t let her. If he hadn’t been coming to save her, he never would have turned his back on his attacker. Where’s Luka?
Altaria shifted her eyes ever so slightly to Kira’s left, focusing on the scene behind her.
He just got to Cade. Luka’s ferocious roar echoed up the canyon and the color washed from Altaria’s face. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before looking at Kira. It’s bad.
For a brief moment, Kira wanted to cower to the ground and give up—go back to her ways of being a mouse—but she’d vowed never to let her
self be in this situation again. Not at the hands of this monster. She would rather die. Altaria. I’m fighting back. Be ready.
No! Altaria grabbed the air at her side where the hilt of her dagger should have been. She swore under her breath. It lay with her sword at her feet. Kira, don’t you dare. He is mine!
Then you better be ready, ‘cause I’m doing this. Kira slowly gripped the handle of her knife and slipped it out of her sheath. No one seemed to notice. Remember what you told me to do to Octavion in the clearing—a blade to his thigh. Be ready.
Octavion moved to one side, distracting Bastian, while Kira gathered her strength and thrust the blade into his leg as hard as she could. She pulled it out at an angle to do as much damage as possible.
Bastian cried out, lowering the blade from Kira’s throat, but kept his grip on her arm. Kira tossed her knife to Altaria as she lunged forward. With one swift move, she drove the dagger up under his ribs. He let out a roar, but still didn’t let go of Kira. He brought the point of his knife to her neck and grinned, paying no attention to who had really stabbed him. His eyes were empty and dark.
That’s all it took to release that part of Octavion’s beast that now flowed in Kira’s veins. Her eyes burned cold as she laid her hand over Altaria’s, both girls twisting the blade and driving it deeper. Bastian slumped to the ground in a bloody heap.
Kira looked over to find Lydia by her side, a tear rolling down her cheek. She looked at Kira and simply nodded before her face shifted back to Altaria’s.
Kira picked up Bastian’s knife from the ground, and spun around in time to see Shandira coming at them in a rage. Octavion was under attack by the Royal again. Altaria jumped in front of Kira to take Shandira’s first blow, a cut to her arm. Shandira pushed Altaria to the side and swung her blade, catching Kira in the side. She stumbled back, but didn’t fall. Kira healed the wound quickly.
When Shandira came at her again, Altaria attacked, knocking Shandira off balance and slicing her arm above her leather cuff. It only made Shandira angrier. Kira had never seen Altaria completely transform like Octavion, but when the two girls began to fight, both changed into ferocious beasts. Their full lips pulled back in a snarl, exposing their sharp feline teeth and their eyes, so fierce, seethed with ravenous loathing.
Octavion still battled it out with the Royal, who had clearly caught scent of Kira’s blood. When he broke loose from Octavion’s grip, the man dove at her, bearing his teeth. Octavion disappeared only to reappear between them an instant later, knocking both off balance as they rolled to the ground. This time the men vanished, leaving a heavy mist swirling in their place.
Kira turned to see the two sisters, each struggling to gain control. When Shandira drew her hand back to swing her blade, Kira leapt forward, grabbed her hair and pulled her away. Shandira twisted around and knocked Kira down. She landed against a boulder, forcing the air from her lungs. It took her a moment to catch her breath, but when she did, she was up and ready to fight. She got to Shandira as she pulled her blade from between Altaria’s ribs.
“No!” Kira screamed.
Shandira grabbed the heart necklace and ripped it from her sister’s neck as Altaria fell to the ground. “This is mine,” Shandira cried. She turned toward Kira. Only this time, Kira was ready. She lunged forward, driving her knife into Shandira’s stomach. Kira pulled it out, but instead of falling to the ground, Shandira simply faded away.
“Octavion!” Kira yelled. She searched the canyon, but there was no sign of him or the Royal he’d taken with him. She looked toward the rocks to find Luka and Cade gone as well.
Altaria sat propped against a tree. Even with her hand pressed against her wound, blood still seeped between her fingers and soaked her shirt. Kira knelt beside her and tried to pull Altaria’s hand back so she could get a better look at the damage.
“I’m all right. It isn’t that deep,” Altaria said, pushing Kira’s hand away.
“Let me see it. I need to get it healed before you lose any more blood.” Kira opened her healing pack to retrieve the Gyllrue and was overcome by the fumes. Sometime during the battle the tiny glass bottle had broken and the inside of her pack was saturated with the liquid. She looked at Altaria. “It’s gone. I’ll have to work fast.” Once again she tried to pull Altaria’s hand away from the wound.
“No—I said I’m fine.” Altaria made an attempt to sit up straighter, cringing when the muscles tightened across her abdomen. Tears formed in her eyes. “I promised not to let you heal. I won’t go back on that, Kira.”
“And I swore to be your healer. Now stop fighting me and let me see it.” She took Altaria’s hand and forced it away from the wound. Blood pulsed from the opening much like it had from Octavion’s leg. Kira pulled out her dagger and placed it against her palm, but Altaria grabbed it away.
“You cannot do that. The blood left from your cut is already affecting me. Or don’t you remember what happened with Octavion?” She drove the knife into the tree at her side, broke off the blade and tossed the handle into the grass a few feet away.
“Why’d you do that? You know I can’t heal something this bad without my blood. How am I supposed to tell your brother I let you die?” Kira searched the surrounding area for something sharp. A small dagger lay a few yards away next to one of the dead Royals. As she stood, Altaria grabbed her arm and pulled her back down—her grip surprisingly strong.
“Stop that,” Kira said. “You’re hurting me.”
“You are not healing me. I will not see my brother grieve your death—not because you healed me and certainly not at my own hand.” Her beautiful blue eyes were almost completely yellow and her shoulders seemed to swell as she spoke.
Reaching into her pouch, Kira felt the tiny shards of glass from the broken vial until she found one big enough to do the job. Yanking her hand free from Altaria’s grip, she drew the jagged edge across her palm.
Altaria arched back from the scent of fresh blood, her feline scream piercing the eerie silence that had settled in the canyon.
Kira clamped her hand over Altaria’s wound. She had to hurry before Altaria lost control. As she focused on mending the injury, Altaria’s transformation progressed. Kira felt the wound begin to mend, the muscle and tissue fusing together as the pain in Kira’s heart grew more unbearable.
Altaria growled as she peeled back her lips to expose her feline teeth. Her eyes held no control over the beast she’d become as she lurched forward, clamping her jaw over Kira’s left shoulder. She bit down hard, grinding her teeth across Kira’s collarbone.
Kira screamed as a rush of warm air passed through her body forcing Altaria back against the tree. The pain Kira felt in her chest disappeared almost instantly, replaced with a tingling sensation underneath her skin. It was as if her body were filled with warm air. After healing she’d always felt cold, but this time she was hot, almost feverish. She could feel tiny drops of perspiration already forming on her brow and upper lip. So overwhelmed by the change, she almost passed out. When it stopped, she opened her eyes to see Lydia sitting before her—her lips still wet with Kira’s blood. “Lydia! What happened? Why do I feel so strange?”
Lydia’s voice was weak. “It was the only way . . . to save you. I had no choice.”
“I don’t understand.”
Lydia reached for Kira’s bloody shoulder as tears formed in her eyes. “I’m sorry. Altaria was so afraid . . . afraid to hurt you—afraid to die. I tried to stop her, but her craving was too strong. I had to push her away.”
“Lydia, what do you mean push her away? Where’s Altaria?” Kira dropped Lydia’s hand. Her shoulder throbbed as blood trickled down her back. She wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Her spirit . . . is in you now.” Lydia lifted her hand away from her wound to find it still bleeding. “I feel so empty.”
Kira took both of Lydia’s hands and held them tight. “Why did you do that? You need to take her back. She needs to be with you.”
Lydia
tried to take a deep breath, but it caught. “Not until the scent of your blood is gone. I won’t take that chance.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the tree.
Kira tried to push the pain in her shoulder aside long enough to finish healing Lydia’s wound. It took more effort than she’d anticipated. When she’d finished, she summoned what energy she had left to heal her shoulder. She stopped when the meadow grew quiet and she felt a thick ominous fog creep up behind her.
Kira spun around in time to see Shandira’s dark wake. It faded into the blood soaked earth where Bastian’s body lay. Had she come to see if he was still alive?
“Crap!” Kira retrieved Lydia’s necklace from her healing pack and dropped it in her hand. Lydia’s eyes flew open as Kira folded her fingers around the tiny gem so she wouldn’t lose her grip. “Call Octavion. Tell him we’re in trouble.”
An instant later Octavion appeared, his arms and legs riddled with cuts and abrasions. His bottom lip was swollen, his knuckles bleeding and raw. He looked down at Lydia covered in blood and knelt beside her. “Are you all right?”
Lydia nodded.
Catching sight of the bite marks on Kira’s shoulder—Octavion’s eyes widened as he leaned toward her to get a better look. His jaw tightened and his face twisted into a snarl. “Did Shandira do that?”
Kira shook her head. “Altaria—but it wasn’t her fault.” She helped Lydia to stand. “We need to get out of here. Shandira’s still alive.”
Octavion swore. “The Royal I fought escaped as well. We need to get back to my lair. Luka and Cade are waiting for us. Cade’s injury is severe.” He wrapped an arm around Lydia’s waist. “Kira, I’m not sure I can take both of you.”
A lump formed in Kira’s throat. “It’s okay. You need to take her home. I’ll make my way up to the cave and wait for you there. When you get her settled, you can come back for me.”
“No.” Lydia said. “You can’t separate us. You can pull from my strength. I’m okay.” She wrapped one arm around Octavion and held the other out for Kira. “Come on, let’s go.”
Kira stepped back. “What about my blood. Luka will smell it.”
Octavion growled. “I’ll fight him off if I have to.”
Kira looked at her shoulder and her blood soaked shirt. “Take me to the clearing first. I’ll take off my top, wash off the blood and wrap my quilt around me. You can have your black T-shirt ready when I get to the cave. By then you’ll have the doorway open and your cousins will be on the other side and far enough away it won’t matter.” She turned to Lydia. And I’ll give you back Altaria, right?
Lydia nodded. Please don’t tell Octavion, he’ll be angry.
I won’t. Kira stepped into their arms and held tight.