He smiled faintly as he considered his new post. Bodyguard to the Princess Annis. Even though she was far above him in station, he could think of no better way to spend his days than in her company. In spite of all she had been through, there was an innocence about her, a sweetness, that he found appealing. In a world of greed, treachery, and intrigue, she was like a child, still innocent in many ways in spite of the horrors she had seen.
He hand changed his clothes before his meeting with the Queen. Now, he straightened his uniform jacket and ran a hand through his hair as he made his way up the spiral staircase to his charge’s chamber door.
* * *
Sitting in an overstuffed chair in front of the hearth, Annis stared into the fire. But it wasn’t the flames she saw, but the face of her husband as he wrested their newborn daughter from her arms. She had looked at Rajj and seen the face of a cruel stranger. Gone was the façade of love and concern he had worn during her pregnancy. For the first time, she had seen the man behind the mask and wondered how she had ever thought he loved her. Or that she loved him. That had been the last time she had seen him.
She hoped never to see him or his despicable father again.
“Corrie, Corrie,” she whispered. “Where are you? Do you remember me?” Wrapping her arms around her waist, she rocked back and forth, a keening cry of pain rising in her throat.
“Princess Annis?”
She froze at the sound of Killian’s voice. What was he doing outside her door? And then she remembered. She had asked Marri to let him be her bodyguard. How could she have forgotten?
“Is everything all right, Princess? Do you need anything?”
She tried to assure him all was well, but she couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat.
Killian knocked on the door, but there was no answer. At the sound of her tears, he tried the latch. The door opened at his touch. He hesitated a moment, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
She sat in front of the fireplace, her head bowed. The sound of her tears tore at his heart. She was weeping for her child. With no thought but to comfort her, he knelt before her. “Annis?”
She looked up at him. Her eyes, usually as deep and blue as the Brynn Sea, were now red and swollen; her cheeks damp with tears. She had changed into a long pink robe.
When he held out his arms, she fell into them, her whole body shaking with the force of her sobs.
He didn’t tell her not to cry. Didn’t promise her that everything would be all right. He simply held her, his hand lightly stroking her back, until, with a last sniff, she lay quiet in his embrace.
Killian sighed as she fell silent. He didn’t know anything about her except that she was the queen’s sister and her child had been kidnapped by its father. And yet, at that moment, he knew he would protect her with his sword.
And, if necessary, with his life.
Chapter 9
As was her habit when she was deeply troubled, Seleena worked in her garden. Turning the soil, feeling its life in her hands, soothed her soul, as did the beauty of the flowers that bloomed in a riot of color around her, the fragrant scents of sage and peppermint and lavender that perfumed the air.
Her son had been missing for four days now.
Four long days. Three endless, sleepless nights. When she closed her eyes, she was certain she could hear Steffon crying for her, knew in the depths of her heart that he was missing her as she so desperately missed him. Were his kidnappers treating him well? Was he getting enough to eat? Was he warm enough?
Sometimes, at night, she sat on the floor in his room, staring at the crib her magic had conjured. She had sewn the sheets herself, crocheted the blankets that covered him, knit the booties that warmed his tiny feet. She had drawn pictures on the wall -- a red-haired witch sitting on a toadstool to represent herself, a smiling black dragon for Quinn. A soft blue rug covered the floor; the ceiling was painted with stars and moons that glowed in the dark. Would her baby ever see this room again? Would she ever see her baby again?
She knew Quinn was as worried as she was. Sometimes, when feeling helpless became too much for him, he went out into the night. Even knowing it was useless, he had searched every town on both sides of the Brynn Sea, hoping for some sign of their son or the witches who had taken him.
In many ways, the last four days had been harder on Quinn than on her. His preternatural powers were of little help. He had nothing to occupy his hands or his mind. He was a man of action and there was nothing to be done but wait. And hope.
She kept busy by scrubbing floors and washing windows that were already spotless, cooking meals they hardly touched. She had made a poultice for one of the villagers, mended a child’s broken leg, located a lost nanny goat, and spent hours in her garden, raking, pruning, weeding, planting.
Sitting back on her heels, she watched Freyja chase a bright orange butterfly across the yard, smiled faintly when the winged creature alighted briefly on the cat’s nose before sailing over the garden wall.
She had just started weeding the next plot of ground when Nardik materialized beside her. “Any news?” she asked anxiously.
“None of the wizards I contacted knew the whereabouts of the witch we seek. But one of them said the witch, Melinna, might have information. He said the last he heard, Melinna was living on Ceta Five’s outer ring. There’s only one town on the planet, so she shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
Seleena’s face paled. Ceta Five was a barbaric, sparsely populated planet inhabited by a race of people rumored to be cannibals. “What is she doing there?”
Nardik shook his head. “I have no idea.” He glanced over his shoulder as Quinn stepped out the back door. “I assume you overheard what I said?”
Quinn nodded. Vampire hearing was a wonderful thing. He could hear conversations in houses at the other end of town if he was so inclined.
“Are you familiar with Ceta Five?” Nardik asked.
Quinn nodded. Jagg had sent him there a time or two, once to track down a pirate who owed him a debt, once to kill a man who had tried to usurp Jagg’s power. The planet was like a jungle, the plants, animals, and people as likely as not to kill you out of hand.
Seleena took a deep breath. “How soon do we leave?”
A faint smile twitched the wizard’s lips. “I knew you would want to leave as soon as possible. Which is why I have Dixx waiting.”
“I take it you’re going with us,” Quinn muttered, then chided himself for his continued jealousy. Seleena had no feelings save friendship for the wizard, in spite of their past. And if Nardik still cared for Seleena, well, who could blame him? “Indeed.”
* * *
Seleena gripped the arms of her seat as the pilot lifted off. It wasn’t the flight she was afraid of, but the thought of meeting a dark witch on a planet that few people dared visit.
Quinn covered her hand with his and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll be all right.”
She nodded but she couldn’t hide the apprehension in her eyes.
It was a long flight. She tried to sleep, but sleep eluded her. Nardik dozed in one of the seats across from theirs. Quinn stared out the window, his free hand idly stroking the dragon tattoo, something he had taken to doing whenever he was tense or worried.
A new day was dawning by the time they reached Ceta Five.
“Wait as long as it’s safe,” Nardik told Dixx as the pilot set the Airship down on a narrow strip of land bordered on both side by lush growth. A town could be seen off in the distance.
“Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you here,” Dixx said. “You’ve got my word on that. If I have to leave, I’ll be back.”
Every instinct Quinn possessed went on high alert as soon as he stepped out of the craft. The scent of death was in every breath he took. It hung heavy in the air, a palpable presence. He sensed eyes watching them as Seleena exited the Airship.
Seleena felt it, too. He saw it in the tense set of her shoulders, the wary expression in her eyes.
“Stay close,” Quinn said, drawing her near his side. “Whatever’s lurking in those bushes isn’t human.” It was a predator. Being one himself, he had no trouble recognizing a hunter, mortal or beast.
He had barely spoken the words when a low growl sounded from the bushes beside him and a large cat-like animal with rows of jagged yellow teeth jumped out of the underbrush. Lifting its head, it roared a challenge, then sprang forward.
With preternatural speed, Quinn thrust Seleena behind him, then lunged forward to meet the charge, his arms locking around the animal’s throat. The cat’s claws raked Quinn’s left shoulder and the dragon let out a roar of its own as Quinn broke the cat’s neck, then tossed the body aside.
Quinn stood there, head down, breathing hard, all too aware of Nardik’s narrow-eyed gaze.
He flinched when Seleena laid her hand on his arm. “You’re bleeding.” Biting down on the corner of her lip, she peeled his shirt away from his shoulder.
Quinn glanced at his arm. The ragged edges of his torn skin were already knitting together. Surprisingly, the tattoo remained untouched. He frowned as the dragon lapped up the last few drops of blood, winked at him, then closed its eyes.
Seleena looked up at Quinn, her gaze searching his. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“Hideous creature,” she murmured, glancing at the dead animal.
Quinn shrugged as he pulled on his shirt. The cat was a mottled gray, easily the size of a small horse, with four-inch claws and teeth as sharp as razors. But he had seen worse. “Let’s go.”
* * *
The town loomed ahead, the buildings made predominately of dark wood. Houses, markets, clothing stores, fortune tellers, bars, and miscellaneous other establishments sprawled across several miles, with no rhyme or reason for their placement.
What looked like a large farm could be seen at the far end of the town. As the wind shifted, Quinn caught the distinct smell of horses and cattle, sheep and goats. And chickens. Lots of chickens.
“How do we find Melinna’s house?” Seleena asked as they strolled down a wide street lined with enormous trees draped in yellow moss. “There are addresses, but no names.”
“It’ll go faster if we split up,” Nardik said. “You take that side and I’ll take the other. You’ll know the place when you find it.”
Seleena nodded. Crossing the street, she put everything from her mind but the need to find Steffon. Calling upon her powers, she searched for the signature of dark magic. Opening his preternatural senses, Quinn trailed a yard or so behind her.
“Do you think these people are really cannibals?” she asked.
Quinn shook his head. “If they were eating people, they wouldn’t be raising sheep and cattle. I think it’s just a rumor they started to keep people away from here. It’s a beautiful planet.”
“If you don’t mind big cat-like creatures trying to eat you.”
Quinn chuckled. “Well, there is that.”
It really was a beautiful place. Flowers of bright pink and orange and lavender dotted the distant hills; the sky was a deep blue-gray. Trees were everywhere, some flowering, others draped in moss of varying shades of gray and gold.
He thought it odd that there were no people to be seen. No old men sitting on the front porches, no kids playing in the yards, no women chatting together on the street.
They had covered about three blocks when he caught the whiff of dark magic. Seconds later, Seleena came to a halt in front of a large house. Thick blue-black smoke curled from the chimney. A brown and white goat grazed in the yard.
“This is it.” She glanced across the street to see Nardik striding toward them.
“This is it,” she said again.
The wizard nodded curtly.
“So, do we just knock on the door?” Quinn asked. “Or break the damn thing down?”
Nardik bowed, then made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “Be my guest.”
“Well, we’ve got to do something,” Seleena said. “We can’t just stand here and…” Her words trailed off as the front door opened.
A woman clad in a long green robe stepped out onto the narrow veranda. She was tall and thin, with a shock of short, dark gray hair and eyes as green as the cat’s that had attacked Quinn. “You are not welcome here. Be gone!”
Nardik took several steps forward. “We are looking for Alexxa.”
The witch’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you seeking her?”
“I assure you we mean her no harm. She has information we are in need of.”
Head cocked to one side, the witch waved her hand back and forth.
Quinn frowned, wondering what she was doing, then cursed softly as he felt her power sweep over him. It was like being hit by tiny bolts of lightning.
“Vampire,” she hissed.
Quinn’s gaze met hers. “Witch. Now that we’ve got that straight, can you help us?”
The witch glared at him. “Impudent creature of darkness.”
He recoiled as he felt the witch’s lightning scorch his skin. Summoning his own power, he sent it back to her, smirked when, with a gasp, she reeled back a few steps.
Nardik cursed softly.
Seleena gasped.
And the witch laughed. “Well-played, vampire. Well-played. I am Melinna. You are welcome in my home. Come in.”
Quinn flinched when he crossed the threshold. Melinna might have invited him inside, but the wards around her house were strong enough to be felt, invitation or not. He paused inside the doorway. Melinna was supposed to a black witch. To that end, he had expected her house to be a reflection of her dark magic. Instead, the rooms were light and airy, the furniture covered in a brightly-colored print. Paintings of angels and unicorns adorned the walls. White lace curtains framed the windows. A large black bird with beady black eyes rested on a perch in one corner of the room. It squawked and flapped its wings as they entered the room.
Coming up behind him, Seleena whispered, “The bird is her familiar. Like Freyja is mine.”
Quinn nodded, thinking he would pit his dragon against anything the witch could throw at him.
Melinna made a gesture that encompassed them all. “Please, sit.”
Seleena and Nardik settled themselves on the sofa.
Quinn remained standing near the door. He found the combined power of the three witches to be a little unsettling. Melinna smiled at him, as if she knew exactly what he was feeling.
Nardik cleared his throat. “Can you help us?”
“Perhaps. Why are you searching for Alexxa?” she asked, taking the chair across from the sofa.
Nardik and Seleena exchanged glances.
Nardik shrugged. “We were told she is the only one who has been to Callidori and returned to tell the tale. We need to know how to get there, and what to expect when we arrive.”
Melinna shook her head, her brow furrowing. “Why do you want to go to Callidori?”
“We are looking for the wizard, Wyrick.”
“Wyrick!” The name hissed past her lips.
“You know him?” Seleena asked.
Melinna snorted. “Aye. Too well.”
Quinn waited for Melinna to elaborate. Instead, she offered them refreshment. Seleena said she would like a cup of tea. Nardik asked for coffee, black. Quinn asked for a glass of red wine.
He glanced at Nardik, one brow arched, when the witch left the room. “Do we dare drink anything she offers us?”
“I may be old,” Melinna called from the kitchen. “But I am not yet deaf.”
Quinn shook his head in amusement. He had expected the dark witch to be some cranky old crone, but he found Melinna to be quite a likeable old soul.
After handing out the drinks, Melinna settled herself in a big, old easy chair. “So, you believe Wyrick is on Callidori?”
“Yes, according to our best lead,” Nardik replied. “And the witch, Alexxa, is the only one who knows the way.”
A wave of Melinna’s hand p
roduced a sheet of paper. She offered it to Quinn with a wink. “This is Alexxa’s last known address. I have never been to Callidori, but I am told it is a dark planet in every sense of the word.”
“Who told you that?”
“Alexxa, of course,” she said, her face crinkling in a grin. “We are sisters.”
* * *
“Sisters.” Quinn shook his head as they left Melinna’s house. “How do we know she isn’t sending us into a trap?”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Seleena said, her voice laced with a hint of jealousy. “She seemed awfully fond of you.”
“Must be my natural vampire charm,” Quinn said, grinning.
Nardik snorted, then tried to cover it with a cough.
“Where are we going now?” Seleena asked.
Quinn handed her the sheet of paper Melinna had given him.
Seleena glanced at it, brows arching when she saw the address.
“Would you mind sharing?” Nardik asked with some asperity.
Seleena passed the directions to the wizard.
“Ironntown,” Nardik murmured as he scanned the address. “She has been on Brynn Tor the whole time.”
Quinn shook his head. “What the hell is she doing in Ironntown?” It was a dismal place, with little to recommend it. To his knowledge, the only people who lived there were those who had no family, no resources, and no hope. He seemed to remember Seleena telling him awhile back that Marri, on the run from the brother who was trying to kill her, had met Gryff in Ironntown. A lucky encounter for both of them, he thought.
A bit of Nardik’s magic carried the three of them back to the place where they were to meet Dixx.
But there was no sign of the pilot, or of the Airship, either on the ground or in the air.
“He promised to come back.” Seleena moved closer to Quinn. The last thing she wanted was to be stranded out here after dark. She shivered as she heard a rustling in the underbrush. Was it another of those monstrous cat-like creatures? Or something even worse?